Historical debates
After these messages… we'll be gone, forever
Posted by RingtailedFox on Sun 16 Nov 2014 - 22:24
An Ode to Saturday Mornings Past, by JessKat
I'm not quite sure how to explain this… especially to younger viewers who grew up in the 500-channel universe of cable television and satellite services and Netflix streaming… but for those of us old enough (or geeky enough) to watch cartoons over-the-air with a rabbit-ears antenna, Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons after school were the only times when animation fans could watch their favourite shows… especially where cable channels such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, YTV or Toon Disney weren't available.
September 28, 2014 was the day the animation died - ending a long and painful decline on broadcast television in the United States, with The CW (the newest broadcast network) being the final holdout… the last man standing, as it were. This was the final Saturday morning with cartoons in America.
From here on out, animation fans in the United States will have to follow the path their Canadian counterparts took in 2001 to get their animation fix: a cable television or satellite subscription. If there is any consolation, it is that the ecosystem of Saturday morning cartoons seems healthier in Australia and Mexico.
To understand how we got to this point, we'll need to review the chain of events leading to the demise of animation on over-the-air television.
Review: 'Gusko Budori no Denki' ['The Life of Guskou Budori']
Posted by dronon on Mon 21 Oct 2013 - 18:40
Gusk? Budori no Denki (The Life of Guskou Budori) is a 105-minute anime film released in 2012. The story had been previously adapted into anime in 1994, however the 2012 version did it with anthropomorphic cats - largely identical to the cats in the 1985 anime film Night on the Galactic Railroad. Not coincidentally, both films were directed by Gisaburo Sugii, and both were based on stories written by Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa, published in the 1930s.
The 2012 Life of Guskou Budori is visually rich, but has an incredibly dull narrative. Full spoilers ahead! Budori, his parents and his younger sister have an idyllic life in a forest by the mountains, but two years of sudden cold weather leads to the death of his parents and everyone leaving the local village. Oh, and his sister is taken away by a mysterious entity. To paraphrase:
Supernatural cat: I'm here to save you from famine. You're good kids, but that won't help you. Hey girl, if you stay here, you'll starve. Come with me.
(Budori's sister goes to him, seemingly in a trance.)
Supernatural cat: Well, bye! (vanishes)
Budori: ...Hey! You thief!
What's most surprising about Canada's $75,000 grant to the ARP to study furries?
Posted by GreenReaper on Sat 8 Jun 2013 - 03:29R is for Review: 'The ABCs of Death'
Posted by crossaffliction on Fri 7 Jun 2013 - 04:22
“Anybody can die, evidently.”
-“ABC”, Robert Pinsky, United States Poet Laureate
“Necrophilia is more erotic than that [censored!].”
-SWfan, Flayrah commenter
The ABCs of Death is the brainchild of producer Ant Timpson (an end credit suggests the whole thing was inspired by a nightmare of his): take 26 horror directors from around the world and give them a letter of the alphabet. They then pick a word with that letter, and direct a short film for $5,000 that depicts a death involving that word.
Pretty simple, and a great concept for a horror anthology, but why the review on a furry site? Well, there’s Thomas Malling’s “H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion,” which is basically a live action Tex Avery cartoon. And there are plenty of animal-related shorts available, as well; some of the best shorts on the roster, including “D is for Dogfight,” “N is for Nuptials,” “P is for Pressure” and “Q is for Quack,” involve animals, if not always anthropomorphic.
But are these highlights worth the time for furries?
2012 Ursa Major Awards voting now open
Posted by Fred on Sat 16 Mar 2013 - 01:57
Voting for the Ursa Major Awards for the Best Anthropomorphic Literature and Art of 2012 is now open, and will continue until May 15. The winners will be announced at a presentation ceremony at Anthrocon 2013 in Pittsburgh, July 4-7.
Anyone may vote, and you are encouraged to ask your friends to vote also — please help to spread the word!
There are five nominees in each of eleven categories, except where there was a tie for fifth place. To be eligible, a work must have been released during the calendar year 2012; must include a non-human being given human attributes, which can be mental and/or physical; and must receive more than one nomination.
Read on for the nominees...
Opinion: The top ten movies of 2012
Posted by crossaffliction on Fri 4 Jan 2013 - 00:13There are two kinds of movie reviewers; those that see the traditional end of year top ten list as a chore, and those like me who see it as a perk. Anyway, here’s ten movies from 2012 that I liked.
Season 3 of 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' plus 'Littlest Pet Shop' to premiere November 10
Posted by crossaffliction on Fri 19 Oct 2012 - 19:38
Entertainment Weekly has announced the release date – November 10, at 10AM – for the apparently delayed season three premiere of cult cartoon hit My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It also revealed that The Hub, MLP:FiM's home channel, will follow the pony premiere with the series premiere of The Littlest Pet Shop. [tip: XyroTR1/EQD]
This likely accounts for the apparent delay. The heavily-anticipated MLP:FiM season premiere is expected to draw a large audience, who may stick around for the Littlest Pet Shop premiere. Both shows are of interest to furry fans, as they feature anthropomorphic animal casts.
See also: Two MLP:FiM DVDs coming in December
Blotch's Skyrim fan-art sells for $5500 at FC 2012
Posted by GreenReaper on Sun 22 Jan 2012 - 20:46
A piece of Skyrim fan-art by Blotch sold for $5500 at Further Confusion 2012's art show last weekend. [sibe/reddit]
The mixed-media work depicts a battle between a leopard-like Khajiit and a non-morphic dragon. [dA, FA]
Videl, the winning bidder, was enthusiastic about his purchase:
It was totally worth it! Love the work of Blotch and love Skyrim!!
The most expensive furry art show piece sold to date is Goldenwolf's "Eyes of the Night", which was auctioned for $10,000 at Further Confusion 2004.
Update (29 Jan): Videl says he was bidding on behalf of his roommates as well as himself.
SoFurry 2.0 beta, and Fur Affinity's unfulfilled promises
Posted by Rakuen Growlithe on Thu 21 Jul 2011 - 10:18At the end of 2009, Yiffstar was relaunched with 'completely new code' as SoFurry. Reactions were not entirely positive; the forum was horrible to use, and the main site had numerous performance and navigational issues, though speed improved over time.
In April 2010, work began on SoFurry 2.0, originally planned to release in first quarter 2011. As time passed, various previews of the new Espresso theme were released and covered by both Flayrah and FNN – the latter reporting on SoFurry's 150,000-user mark by interviewing SoFurry owner Toumal and lead designer Alex Vance.
On 8 July, Toumal announced a public beta of SoFurry 2.0, running in parallel with SoFurry 1.0 for 'some time'. The beta launched today, albeit without chat.
In stark contrast, Fur Affinity's plans for new software, Ferrox, were announced in 2006, but stalled in 2009. Since then, the site has been plagued with coding problems.
Seattle filmmaker seeks funding for 'Bunny Rabbits'
Posted by Higgs Raccoon on Thu 7 Jul 2011 - 08:48
Seattle filmmaker Chris Diani is seeking funding for a project involving furries. His proposed film, Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits, is envisioned as "a throwback to the classic screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s".
In the film, a gay couple (both broke artists) break up and go looking for sugar daddies. One artist succeeds, but upon meeting his sugar daddy at a hotel, discovers that he is a furry, and the hotel is hosting a furry convention.