There are so many options. Even just the Hubleys themselves used a ton of different processes -- one film (The Tender Game) reportedly used characters made out of nothing more than splotches of paint on cels! We find it all endlessly inspiring to study.
Haha, thank you! We're big Hubley fans and it's always great when we can share this work (and their wild story) with others. Happy to know you got so much out of this issue!
It's cool to me that if you watch pieces like this you can get a feel for the era in which they were made. Something in the techniques or coloring or maybe just the tech. But it's interesting to be introduced to this piece.
There's definitely a 1960s feeling to Windy Day -- even in the kinds of conversations they captured in the recording. Plus the looseness of the style, the freeform quality, the type of creative philosophy behind the film. Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for this. There is a film by the Hubleys has meant a ton to me that I’ve never been able to find any information about. It’s an educational short produced for the Smithsonian museum that I grew up watching every time I went to the Natural History museum in DC as a kid. It was about the beginnings of life with Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen and Oxygen. Is there any record of it or more info? The soundtrack was amazing and it haunts my memory and I can’t find anything about it or the animation.
Thank you! The film you have in mind sounds a bit like Of Stars and Men from the early '60s. There's a restored copy on Criterion and a lower-res one on YouTube, so you can check whether this is the one. Hopefully it is!
Thank you so much for this post. I didn’t know the Hubley’s and am so excited to have discovered their work. The art in this film is so beautifully fluid and dreamy and energetic all at once!
Happy to share their work! They're absolutely some of our favorites -- they made so many great films. Glad you enjoyed this one, and highly recommend checking out Moonbird and Cockaboody if you're looking to explore further.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoy every edition of your newsletter! I love them and look forward to them, and appreciate how in-depth you are with the animators, their history and their work. This essay is a moving tribute to that family, thank you for introducing them to a new audience.
While Windy Day was nominated, it eventually lost to another "windy " cartoon (which also happens to be one of my favorite animated shorts of all time) Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. The Hole is my favorite Hubley short which also won the coveted Oscar. :)
Haha, true! And The Hole is an absolute classic. So underrated today. It's one of our favorites of theirs (alongside Moonbird, The Tender Game, Zuckerkandl, The Adventures of *, Windy Day and on and on). So many gems that deserve to be seen by modern viewers.
Wow. There really is no one way to work in this medium.
There are so many options. Even just the Hubleys themselves used a ton of different processes -- one film (The Tender Game) reportedly used characters made out of nothing more than splotches of paint on cels! We find it all endlessly inspiring to study.
Terrific! The picture of the family was priceless! WOW! Loved the water color and the whole story!
Haha, thank you! We're big Hubley fans and it's always great when we can share this work (and their wild story) with others. Happy to know you got so much out of this issue!
I agree, especially about the pic!
It's cool to me that if you watch pieces like this you can get a feel for the era in which they were made. Something in the techniques or coloring or maybe just the tech. But it's interesting to be introduced to this piece.
There's definitely a 1960s feeling to Windy Day -- even in the kinds of conversations they captured in the recording. Plus the looseness of the style, the freeform quality, the type of creative philosophy behind the film. Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for this. There is a film by the Hubleys has meant a ton to me that I’ve never been able to find any information about. It’s an educational short produced for the Smithsonian museum that I grew up watching every time I went to the Natural History museum in DC as a kid. It was about the beginnings of life with Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen and Oxygen. Is there any record of it or more info? The soundtrack was amazing and it haunts my memory and I can’t find anything about it or the animation.
Thank you! The film you have in mind sounds a bit like Of Stars and Men from the early '60s. There's a restored copy on Criterion and a lower-res one on YouTube, so you can check whether this is the one. Hopefully it is!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Ywy-7U1lY
Thank you so much for this post. I didn’t know the Hubley’s and am so excited to have discovered their work. The art in this film is so beautifully fluid and dreamy and energetic all at once!
Happy to share their work! They're absolutely some of our favorites -- they made so many great films. Glad you enjoyed this one, and highly recommend checking out Moonbird and Cockaboody if you're looking to explore further.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoy every edition of your newsletter! I love them and look forward to them, and appreciate how in-depth you are with the animators, their history and their work. This essay is a moving tribute to that family, thank you for introducing them to a new audience.
This is really, really kind. Thank you very much! So glad you liked the issue.
While Windy Day was nominated, it eventually lost to another "windy " cartoon (which also happens to be one of my favorite animated shorts of all time) Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. The Hole is my favorite Hubley short which also won the coveted Oscar. :)
Haha, true! And The Hole is an absolute classic. So underrated today. It's one of our favorites of theirs (alongside Moonbird, The Tender Game, Zuckerkandl, The Adventures of *, Windy Day and on and on). So many gems that deserve to be seen by modern viewers.