"THE OLD MAN MAD ABOUT ANIMATING"
The animated/graphic-novel memoirs of a master 2D animator who has been there, done it, and lived to animate the tale!
"This heartfelt project is destined to be my life's work
~ I've just had to live my life first to make it!"
~ Tony White.
The initial teaser for "The Old Man Mad About Animating".
Imagine a film & graphic novel scenario where an award-winning animator - still as much in love with drawing animation as they were at the start of their 5-decade career - is seen at their drawing board for a typical day in their ever-animating life. They're working on a film they hope will become an inspiration for traditional hand-drawn animators everywhere. Imagine also that as they draw, their mind wanders – retelling incredible stories of things from their past, present and future. Next imagine that they're also haunted by a crazy animated muse of their own imagination - let's call him “Arnie” for the sake of this scenario - who is the catalyst for every amazing encounter, every profound thought, every meeting with inspirational people, being told. "The Old Man Mad About Animation" is this film and is this graphic novel, and I am that "old man". All the stories are true of course, ~ just the animated character names have been changed, to protect the IP!
When the muse arrives you have no choice but to befriend it!
P.S. Did I mention that muse Arnie thinks a great deal about himself - and often pushes-in to distract the animator as he works? Fortunately, he's also a great source for ideas however, and therefore a necessary evil!
Maybe also some of my early concept art for the project will give you a sense of just the depth and breadth of where this whole thing is going. Art-people and places I plan to visit in this creative pilgrimage include Ralph Steadman, Richard Williams, Frank Thomas, Ken Harris, Art Babbit and the Great Pyramid in Egypt with it's distant connection for me to Cecile B. DeMile. There will also be some other-worldly, mystical and magical moments re-created, as well as some quite scary childhood nightmares thrown into the mix!
ARNIE is no respecter of age or reputation!
Initial Post-It note storyboard for the above "attack" scene with Arnie and Tony.
Drawing Arnie is the least of my worries!
Childhood nightmares and fears play a huge role in how my life, and this film, turns out!
Drawing skills were learned the hard way during my Ralph Steadman classes at art school!
Apprenticing with Richard Williams at the beginning of my career ensured that there are a number of great stories to tell!
(Artwork by Andrew Sharp.)
(Artwork by Andrew Sharp.)
Meeting Samuel H. Weir in a dark and dusty herbalist shop in East London, during my teenage years, was like meeting "Merlin"! It was a relationship that significantly affected my inner growth, my self-understanding and my personal metaphysical illustrations!
Decades after it was initially recorded, the soundtrack that Professor Stanley Unwin recorded for my showreel all those many years ago is now featured in the current film - through the Max Fleischer antics of "Professor Peanut"! (As my wife likes to call him!)
Climbing the Great Pyramid in Egypt for animation research was an amazing experience for me - although not quite as amazing as the story I learned from my guide, which linked me to Cecil B. Demille!
"The Hermit" is a very special character to me. Therefor the Hermit stories I tell in the film - stories I received from a number of dreams I experienced over a number of months way back - are now included in inspirational meditative animation sequences.
The deeper story of our innermost lives is somewhat told already in my "MADA and the Magic Tree". screenplay. However, in "mystical, hero's journey" film I will open the door in this magical tree and reveal some of the mystical adventures that lie inside.
Early storyboard thoughts on Post-It notes for the "arrival" scene at the Hermit's cave.
So, if this is your kind of thing, please support me on my Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon support pages.