Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons Review

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Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons ReviewUntil Nickelodeon decided to revamp and update the children's world in 1991, parents had no problem keeping up with their kids' cartoon experiences. After all, Bug Bunny and Daffy Duck, the Flintstones, and Scooby-Doo (in so many incarnations) were all staples of a kid's fantasy world.
As hectic as the world is for a parent, it's hard to keep up with what shows they've watched or are watching when they're growing up. Sad to say, television cartoons have served as babysitters and best friends for kids for decades.
However, Nickelodeon changed the package when they released DOUG, RUGRATS, and THE REN AND STIMPY SHOW. Questionable content began to invade American living rooms and kids' bedrooms in subtle ways. DOUG and RUGRATS tended to be wholesome fare - though with strange ideas at times.
But there was just no excusing Ren and Stimpy's behavior. They were gross and inelegant at best, and downright disgusting and offensive at worst. However, your kids thought they were hilarious. If you sat down and watched part of an episode with them, you'd swear they were way too young to be caught up in something as crass as that.
You'd probably be halfway right. But Nickelodeon took the stance that kids were a lot more intelligent - and socially inelegant - than most parents wanted to believe. So they created entertainment that took all those facets into account.
And man, what a whirlwind it's been these past 16 years. My oldest son turns 25 soon, and my youngest is 10. I had five kids, and Nickelodeon has been a constant feature in my house from the beginning.
The problem with having kids, though, is that you have to work to provide for them. And to provide cable TV. So even though I tried to get in front of the TV to check out what they were watching, I couldn't do it often enough. I watched some of the Nicktoons (as they came to be called) but not all of them because I didn't have time.
Thankfully there's a book out now that will catch you up almost overnight with the thirty cartoon that have and are airing on Nickelodeon. Jerry Beck's (author of THE HANNA-BARBERA TREASURY and THE ART OF BEE MOVIE and other works concentrating on the cartoon pays much you')monstrous compendium is kid-intelligent and adult-friendly, and it's heavy and sturdy enough to use as a shield or as a weapon. Not only that, but it was produced with the full support and cooperation of Nicktoons.
When I first pulled the book out of the box, I thought some had gone badly wrong. The book felt...SQUISHY. I let go in a hurry and decided to finish opening the box to have a better look. Then I realized that the book was covered in green slime, another trademark of the network.
Just like a kid, I couldn't help mashing on the slime book cover to see what I could change and see how long it would retain the impressions I made. It was great fun. If you really want to get a strange reaction from another adult, just hand them the book without warning. The first time they close their fingers in slime, they're going to freak - and be instantly interested.
Once I opened the book, I was even more impressed. The table of contents is set up with icons of the television shows. One of the games you can play as an adult is try to identify the series from the icon, then open the book to that page to find out if you were right. I got more of them right than I thought I would.
The sections on the cartoons are adult-friendly too. There's not a whole lot of reading to be done to get up to speed on what the cartoon series was. Background and creative spark, as well as the names of the writers and or directors, are wrapped up in easy-to-read chunks. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, gleaned from storyboards and character concepts all the way up to finished presentations.
While I was reading through the book, picking out my favorite cartoons first (like DOUG, RUGRATS, THE ANGRY BEAVERS, DANNY FANTOM, and HEY ARNOLD), my ten-year-old dropped in, saw what I was reading, and snuggled into the couch next to me. Then he started telling me what he knew about the characters, favorite episodes, favorite comic bits, and when it was going to be on again, if that was the case. There are unexpected benefits that come from owning this book. And, unlike the television episodes, the book can be turned on at any time.
There's not a whole lot of reading here to be done, which should be encouraging to you as an adult, because I'm sure your lives haven't slowed down any more than mine have, but there are a ton of pictures and graphic media. If you don't think there's a ton there, try holding this book straight out from your body in one hand!
NOT JUST CARTOONS: NICKTOONS! is an amazing compilation of info regarding these shows. The beauty of it is the book makes a great Christmas present (maybe not so much a stocking stuffer) for a kid or an uninformed adult on your list that doesn't know about Nicktoons but has children. Pick up the book and wander back through the history of your child's imagination and excitement.
Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons OverviewNot just Cartoons: Nicktoons! is the first book to collect all thirty-one of the groundbreaking cartoons into one dynamic volume. Fans will soak up the behind-the-scenes access to their favorite shows--whether it's seeing the original claymation figures from the lovable hit Hey Arnold!, original animation cells from the absorbing SpongeBob SquarePants, or the irreverent Ren & Stimpy characters like you've never seen them before. The creators and producers behind each show recall how a kernel of an idea transformed into a fully realized cartoon. There are the sketches that creators brought to the pitch meetings, storyboards that show how the writers and illustrators plan their shows out, and tons more. With a green, slime-filled cover, Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! is the must-have for every animation enthusiast, design aficionado, and cartoon fan alike!

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Write Your Way into Animation and Games: Create a Writing Career in Animation and Games Review

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Write Your Way into Animation and Games: Create a Writing Career in Animation and Games ReviewBefore I can properly apply the book (which is textbook format, though a lot more interesting and fun than normal textbooks) here's a little background. I'm a lifelong writer, just now getting serious about publication, with an abiding passion for film (particularly animation) and video games. While I'm not bad on the designing end of the spectrum, writing is definitely my stronger suit. I researched screenwriting and animation writing in my teens, but, figuring I'd learn all this in film school (all of which accepted me, none of which helped me pay) I never took it seriously.
Fast-forward a few years. I'm still in love with writing; it's still a creative pursuit at which I excel (assuming I work very hard and polish each piece); I still love film, but that expensive hobby understandably got pushed onto a back burner. A few weeks ago, I began to wonder seriously, not idly as I've done for years, about what I could do to write for animation and games. Coincidentally, I stumbled across this book.
"Write Your Way into Animation and Games" is a fabulous resource for beginners, and even intermediates depending on what you're looking for. I was frustrated by the first chapters, which cover screenwriting basics and how to craft a simple story. I read them anyway (in case skipping would cause me to miss something). And I have to say, the advice is clear, concise, brief, thorough, and necessary. It was material I'm highly familiar with, but once I banished the "been through this before" conceit, the refresher did very well for me. I'd urge anyone not actually working in animation (not that you'd be picking up this book if you were) to please go over it. It's a little irritating at times, but the information is still valuable.
After the basics, it delves progressively deeper in terms of technique and resources. The information on animation writing, from script format to page count to dialogue and action balance, was fantastic. Without setting out any unbreakable rules, it gives a very clear idea of expectations and guidelines, which is much, much more helpful that something along the lines of "you always have to do this exactly this way."
My only disappointment--and it was fairly minor--was a relative lack of gaming resources. Writing for games and for animation is obviously very similar, but I was more interested in games than in animation at this point. I wish it had been more balances, or even biased in favor of game-writing. That said, given the amount of information and resources in this book, that really was a minor disappointment.
"Write Your Way into Animation and Games" is set up like a textbook. At very rare times, it reads like a textbook, but it's still a lot more interesting than most of the textbooks I have/am dealing with now. If the format would, for some reason, put you off, don't worry about it. This isn't dry reading. The writing is professional but vibrant, and bursting with examples (which I definitely need.) I can't promise this will be a perfect read for any beginner. But, overall, this was a really great guide for me, and I know I'll be using it in the future.Write Your Way into Animation and Games: Create a Writing Career in Animation and Games Overview
Launch your career in writing for video games or animation with the best tips, tricks, and tutorials from the Focal press catalog--all at your fingertips. Let our award-winning writers and game developers show you how to generate ideas and create compelling storylines, concepts, and narratives for your next project.

Write Your Way Into Animation and Games provides invaluable information on getting into the game and animation industries. You will benefit from decades of insider experience about the fields of animation and games, with an emphasis on what you really need to know to start working as a writer.

Navigate the business aspects, gain unique skills, and develop the craft of writing specifically for aniamtion and games. Learn from the cream of the crop who have shared their knowledge and experience in these key Focal Press guides:

Digital Storytelling, Second Edition by Carolyn Handler Miller

Animation Writing and Development by Jean Ann Wright

Writing for Animation, Comics, and Games by Christy Marx

Story and Simulations for Serious Games by Nick Iuppa and Terry Borst

Writing for Multimedia and the Web, Third Edition by Timothy Garrand

* How to break in to the industry and have a career in writing for animation or videogames.

* How to fine tune your narrative, characters, world, and dialogue--with this comprehensive guide to writing.

* Companion Web site includes all of the key multimedia and resource components from the original Focal Press books.


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