Jagged Line - The Blog From Candlelight Stories

Jagged Line Blog Moves to CandlelightStories.com

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:55:00 -0700

The Jagged Line posts are being moved to their mother-ship, CandlelightStories.com. We've put together a nice new site design that is fully blog-oriented but maintains all of our great story, game and movie content.

So make sure you subscribe to the Candlelight Stories feed to keep getting our posts.

This will probably be the last post on Jagged Line. You'll like the Candlelight Stories feed much better. We promise!

Watchmen as Saturday Morning TV Cartoon

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:08:00 -0700

Here's a Watchmen trailer that's done as if it were a cheesy Saturday morning TV cartoon. It was made by animator Harry Partridge (aka Happy Harry). It's got an absurdly perfect theme song to go along with dead-on-the-money TV-style animation. I bet it's way better than the movie!

Remember, if you click through to the YouTube site, there may be content that is not suitable for young viewers.

Coraline: Official Film Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Sat, 7 Feb 2009 19:01:00 -0800

Coraline is the stop-motion animated feature film of Neil Gaiman's novel. It is directed by Henry Selick and released by Focus Features. It's about a little girl who discovers an alternate reality in her home that is like a more interesting mirror image of her real life. The trailer looks really good. It's nice to see stop-motion animation like was done in The Nightmare Before Christmas. The effects were apparently all done by hand with miniature sets.

The Cat Came Back: Hilarious Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:39:00 -0800

The Cat Came Back is a 1988 Oscar-nominated animation by Cordell Barker. It is simply one of the funniest cartoons I have ever seen. It's based on an old folk tale about a man who tries desperately to get rid of an unwanted cat. Be careful. Really. This will make you laugh so hard your entire head might explode. Mine did.

Free Game: Hunted Forever

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Kongregate.com is offering a fun free game called Hunted Forever. You must make your way to headquarters while collecting machine parts along the way. You must also survive the trip. Lots of running, jumping and climbing.

Go Play Hunted Forever

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Free Game: Monster Invasion

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:38:00 -0800

MiniClip.com is offering a fun free game called Monster Invasion. You spring traps in order to prevent monsters from overrunning the city of London.

Go Play Monster Invasion

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Incredible 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' Film

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:50:00 -0800

Absolutely magnificent work is on display here from filmmaker Patrick de Leon. His 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' is one of the very best examples I have seen of online science fiction film. This guy is just exploding with talent and skill. His visual sense is astounding and his mastery of the old B movie sci-fi serial style is simply perfect. This is what internet video is all about. This is why the world is different now. I would rather watch this filmmaker's Buck Rogers films than most of what is shown on television. I sincerely hope this filmmaker creates many more of these. If he does, we'll show them here... every single one. Enjoy this fantastic science fiction treat!

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

County Ghost - Episode 3 Online

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Wed, 7 Jan 2009 22:41:00 -0800

Mike Geiger has posted episode 3 of his County Ghost animated web series. 'Coast to Coast Ghost' has our delightful and naughty little ghost stealing moonshine and reveling in the moonshiner's desperate attempts to get it back. The cartoon is full of character and makes me laugh. I love the slightly retro drawing style that reminds me of things on TV from Hannah Barbera in the 60s. I think the County Ghost is a character many viewers will enjoy.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Original 1948 Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:43:00 -0800

The story of Rudolph was originally written as a promotional device for a department store. In 1948, Max Fleischer directed this animated version for the Montgomery Ward department store. It has the song and everything. It's a totally different experience than the stop-motion version of the mid-1960s and is actually quite good. In fact, most of our modern imagery for Santa Clause and his North Pole operations were created by American department stores as merchandising gimmicks. It's actually one of America's best contributions to the world of holidays.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Christmas Comes But Once a Year: 1936 Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:32:00 -0800

A 1936 cartoon from Fleischer Studios features the character of Grampy from the Betty Boop cartoons. When he comes upon an orphanage full of sad children he makes a Christmas far better than what they could have hoped for.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Santa's Workshop: 1932 Disney Christmas Cartoon

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:39:00 -0800

From 1932 comes Santa's Workshop, a Silly Symphonies cartoon from Walt Disney. It's super-colorful and has just that right old-time Christmas touch. Enjoy!

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Original 'Winnie the Pooh' Illustrations

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 11:38:00 -0800

The BibliOdyssey blog has posted original Ernest H. Shepard Winnie the Pooh illustrations. These are the illustrations that were originally published with the Pooh books. They are vastly superior to the Disney art and animations which make their usual mistake of being far too professional. If you want to nap, watch Disney's Pooh. If you want to laugh, read the original books.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Sleigh Ride: A Christmas Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 11:25:00 -0800

Here's a music video for Christmas. It was animated by Funnypages Productions for a band called Relient K.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the Vimeo site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

NASA Animation of Return to Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:56:00 -0800

Here is an excellent NASA computer animation of their current plan for mankind's return to the moon. It covers the mission from launch to splashdown. Without any voice over, it explains the entire mission in simple visual terms.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

County Ghost: A Cartoon Series for Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:39:00 -0700

Happy Halloween everybody! Here's a perfect treat for you. County Ghost is a lovely cartoon series by Mike Geiger. It's about a happy homeowner who finds himself doing battle with a ghost. He tries everything to protect his little home. Will anything work?

Episode 1: Not My Moonshine

Episode 2: The Big Suck

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

The Graveyard Book: Neil Gaiman Reads the Entire Book Aloud

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:49:00 -0700

Coming just in time for Halloween, author Neil Gaiman has posted videos of his public readings of his latest novel, The Graveyard Book. You can hear the entire book which is about a child who is raised by the ghosts and werewolves who inhabit a haunted graveyard. He's a good reader and this story is perfect for a nice haunted listening session. The book is aimed at middle readers.

Watch all Chapters of The Graveyard Book Reading

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

There Will Come Soft Rains: Russian Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:12:00 -0700

Here is a science fiction animation from the former Soviet Union. It is based on a Ray Bradbury short story about a robot caretaker that keeps functioning even after some sort of nuclear annihilation. This is one of those wonderful Russian films that makes you think and creates an unforgettable atmosphere.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Presto: Animated Short from Pixar

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:51:00 -0700

Here's a very nice little animation from the Pixar group at Disney. I like it. It looks good, it moves quickly, it's funny, and it's short. It concerns a magician's rabbit who is hungry for a carrot just before a magic show. He wants that carrot pretty badly and will stop at nothing to get it.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

How to Hook Up Your Home Theater: A Goofy Cartoon From Disney

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:24:00 -0700

Here's a new cartoon from Disney starring Goofy. It's about all the excitement of going out and buying a brand new television and setting it all up to perfection as only Goofy can. It's also the first Goofy theatrical cartoon since 1961. The film was made entirely without paper as an experiment by Disney to see if they could make a film with the look of a 1940s animation, but using computer drawing tablets. I think the experiment turned out well for them and perhaps it will give the company a welcome alternative to the Pixar computer animation they have been so inexplicably attached to.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Star Trek Comics for Free Online

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:12:00 -0700

Star Trek comic books from the 60s and 70s are available for free viewing on the Wowio.com site. The Planet of No Return was published in 1967, during the original run of the TV series. It is about an encounter with intelligent and hostile plant life forms.

The series was originally published by Gold Key Comics.

Have a sci-fi blast!

Star Trek Comic: The Planet of No Return

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Oktapodi: Animated CG Short

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:55:00 -0700

Oktapodi is a French student animated short from the Gobelins school. It was directed by Julien Bocabeille, FX Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier and Emud Mokhberi. It moves very quickly and has a gorgeous seaside town with winding streets for the action to happen in.

It won Best Animation at the Imagina Awards 2008. At the Annecy festival it won a Family Award for Best Graduation Film. There's a web site for the film here.

Remember that if you head to other sites there may be content there that is not suitable for young viewers.

Watch Oktapodi (60 meg Quicktime movie)

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

The Danish Poet - Animated Short On YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:33:00 -0700

YouTube is showing The Danish Poet in their brand new Screening Room which is a showcase for independent films. This film won the 2007 Academy Award for best animated short. Torill Kove directed it and Liv Ullman provided the narration. It is beautifully animated with a flat cartoony style that is more complicated than it looks. The story is a gently moving one and I highly recommend this.

Remember that if you head over to YouTube there may be content there that is not suitable for young viewers.

Watch The Danish Poet

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

The Mole and the Music - Czech Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:01:00 -0700

Here's a 1974 Czech animation about a mole and a mouse who go looking for some good music. It was made by Zdenek Miler.

Remember that if you click the video to visit the YouTube site, there may be material there that is unsuitable for young viewers.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Phoenix Lander Finds Water on Mars

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:23:00 -0700

NASA announced today that it has found water ice on Mars! The Phoenix Lander scooped up some martian dirt and took some photos of the hole. In one shot you can see some chunks in the lower left corner of the hole. In the next shot they are gone. That means that the clumps melted and evaporated. Because of the temperature at that location scientists know that it can only be frozen water.

This is a great discovery and takes us a long way in our search for the building blocks of life on other planets.

Nasa's Official Announcement of Water on Mars

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com

Barack Obama Clinches Presidential Nomination

noreply@blogger.com (Al Cima) — Tue, 3 Jun 2008 18:15:00 -0700

Today, June 3, 2008 is one of the great days in United States history. Barack Obama has clinched the democratic party nomination by winning more than 2,118 delegates to the Democratic Convention. This day must rank with the ending of the Civil War, the end of World War II and landing on the moon for importance in our national history. An African American has just become a candidate for President. This has been long overdue and it is a very welcome development. I hope all parents are allowing their children, no matter how young, to watch these events unfold. I can think of few things that would be so inspiring to children. It is incredible to watch Barack Obama achieve something so important to the entire nation. Congratulations to him and to our country.

This blog entry comes from CandlelightStories.com