Animation

Walt Disney & Animation

2009-07-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

The word Animation has some magnetic power. Starting from a child of hardly three years to a mature man - all fall in love with the mesmerizing effect of animation. Animation is nothing but the display of a 3-D or 2-D images on the screen and that too done in a serial order. It had been said that the invention of animation film is a much earlier invention than the feature films. People always love to get entertainment in any way and in any form.

From the Victorian Age the experiments were carried on the animation. In those times these were the most popular form of entertainment. Belgian Joseph Plateau, William George Horner, Reynaud tried to make out different method to provide entertainment to the common masses. J. Stuart Black ton presented the first film based on animation--Humorous Phases of Funny Faces 1906. Humorous Phases of Funny Faces in 1906 got huge success in New York.

Different types of cartoon character born in the hands of their creator. They had born many years back. But still they retain their popularity. Who can forget the characters like Mickey Mouse. A small mouse but very intelligent. A very good boyfriend of Minnie Mouse and a good master of Pluto. The maker of these popular characters is Walt Disney. A man who took the world into storm. His company Walt Disney Corporation produces a large number of animated films. The animated films of Disney have the power and full control over the audiences of a large range. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto are very much well known and popular characters all over the world. Mickey Mouse was first introduced with us in the Steamboat Willie (1928). And it is the first animated cartoon with sound. Disney gave his voice for Mickey.

The audience is very much interested in watching the action and reaction of the little characters. Along with Mickey and Minnie other characters like Goofy, Donald Fuck and Pluto receives full attention and interest. The Three Little Pigs is another important animated film. It portrays the hard work of the three pigs against a wolf. The wolf needs courage and guts at the face of economic disaster in 1930's. Disney conveyed the socio-economic problems through which the whole world is facing. Flowers and Trees (1932), The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934) and The Tortoise and the Hare (1935) were produced in colors.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), was the first full length animated cartoon film. The film was produced by the Walt Disney Corporation. Dumbo (1940), Fantasia (1940), and Cinderella (1950) are the other animated film that came into the screen one after another. Besides full length animated series the company started documentaries based on nature, short cartoon films, and programs for television. The Little Mermaid (1989) and Toy Story (1995) are the other important works of the company. Toy Story the first full-length computer-animated cartoon.

Later the Company opened Disneyland amusement park in 1955 in Anaheim, Calif. The park well known for its amusement. And a must see place for the visitors. In 1971 the company opened second and larger complex in Orlando. Walt Disney Corporation is the well known company in the 20th Century that produces a number cartoon films, cartoon characters, amusement parks in many places, hotels and other fun filled activities.

But after death of the leader Walt Disney in 1966 the company got a set back for some time. As we time makes us forget every thing in the same way the company returned with all glory and royalty with new ventures and plans. In 1992 the company owned Euro Disneyland at Marne-la-Vallée. At present the company owned even an entertainment channel Disney Channel in the television.

No one can ever forget the enormous contribution of Walt Disney in the field of animation.

His work is the inspiration of the present day's animators. Walt Disney received Honorary Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the creation of Mickey Mouse. Besides the awards he receives love and well wishes from millions and millions audience through out the globe. He created a history in such a time when the art of animation is really a miracle. He added sound, music and dialogue that too full of fun. It is really fun and wonders to see the small characters are performing and pointing out the social problems at the same time.

Pushpita Ghosh

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pushpita_Ghosh

Five Tips For Creating an Animated Flash Cartoon

2009-07-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

With Adobe Flash, creating cartoons is as accessible as ever. With a little know-how and time, you can jump right in and start animating a cartoon of your very own. However, there's a difference between an animated cartoon and a good animated cartoon. These five tips (listed in no particular order) should help you with planning and animating cartoons.

Write a Script. It may seem unnecessary, for the idea of the cartoon might be right in your head, but writing a script can greatly enhance the flow of you movie. Even short movies benefit from scripts. You don't need to go out and purchase expensive screenplay writing software. A simple text editor will do, just as long as you can write down the stage directions and dialogue. If not a script, then at the very least write an outline. This is also helpful if you need to add or change something later on. It's much easier to write it all down then to remember your ideas.
Get a Graphics Tablet. Drawing with a mouse is hard and not too many people find it very comfortable to do. So, go ahead and buy a graphics tablet, which is basically a digital pad and pen you can draw on. You can draw on the screen just like you would a pencil and paper and this can greatly enhance the way your cartoon looks. And in the long run this will be quicker then having to battle the oddities of the mouse. You can find a great variety of graphic tablets (varying in size, price, etc.) on Amazon or in computer stores. Just search around, read customer reviews and find the right one for you.
Watch Other Cartoons. If you've never made a cartoon before, watching other peoples' works is a great way to get a handle on flow and style. Now, don't watch a cartoon and steal the ideas or plot from it, but rather watch how the director uses cuts, camera pans, camera zooms and so on. Also pay attention to how the director uses lines (if any), color, special effects, character design and other artistic properties. Find out what appeals to you and what doesn't and then start to adapt it and form your own style.
Seek Input. You want your cartoon to be your own, but it never hurts to ask for input. You can do this by finding an online community and posting your work there or simply showing your cartoon to your friends. While people you know tend to be biased (and may hold back their thoughts to spare your feelings), it can still help you get an idea of what direction to take your cartoon. Now, don't let input discourage you. There are many people out there who will bash you just for fun. Ignore those hateful comments and focus on the constructive ones.
Practice! I'm going to be honest, your first cartoon will more than likely not be your greatest work. Like anything, this process takes time and lots of practice. Research never hurt either. The Internet is a vast resource full of articles, examples and video tutorials for you to learn from. Once your first cartoon is in the can, keep going! Start writing scripts for your next cartoons, practice your drawing skills, continue to seek input from others and keep pushing!

Want more help with Adobe Flash? Then check out these FREE Flash Video Tutorials!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chad_Troftgruben

3D Animation Jobs - Is Animation a Right Career Choice For You?

2009-07-15T19:07:00.002-07:00

If one is going to enter into a career then it is a wise move to learn everything about the industry they are about to enter. All too often individuals will sign into an extensive training program and two things end up happening. The first is half way through the training they decide they do not like it or two they break into the job market and find out they are not doing what they were actually trained to do. Both of these disappointments may have been avoided with the proper research.

Apparently this is something that happens quite often in the animation industry. Aspiring animators have a love for doing animation and proceed to do in depth studies of 3D animation figuring it is the ultimate of the industry. They envision themselves developing such renowned characters like those that took place in Finding Nemo or Shrek 2. After becoming well exposed to the industry they soon find out that they are spending every hour of their working moments on animating characters yet this is what drew them to the industry. Therefore, in summary if this was or is your ultimate goal of getting into this line of work then you needs to determine what a career in 3D animation is.

What you soon will discover is that being as you have chosen 3D you are going to be technically a computer graphics artist. This means you may end up spending more time on lighting, modeling, texturing or perhaps rendering rather than developing characters. So in reality what should be your real job title should you be designated to one of these categories? Let us say you become one of the following...

1. You predominantly set up lighting that pertains to a particular scene for a 3D piece. It will be your job to ensure it is the way it is suppose to look and has the right feel about it. You are then technically a lighting artist.

2. Your job is to make the 3D models that are going to be in the 3D scene. This is a technical assignment where you will have to first design the character in mesh then it proceeds through stages to end up as the finished character. You have now become a 3D Modeler.

3. You spend your days painting and creating the textures that are going to be encasement for the characters. In essence, you are creating the skin so it ends up looking as it was designed to look. You new position is now that of texturing artist.

4. Here is one you may find interesting. You are going to be the person looking after creating the bone system. This is what the animator will use to make the model work as it was meant to. Therefore, you have now become a rigger.

5. You may find being in charge of a rendering farm a little more enlightening as here you will have the responsibility of ensuring each 3D frame image is produced properly by the

6. Last but not least how about the duties of the animator. Do not think that it is going to be a cartoon character. In reality, you may be animating anything that moves like a mechanical action of a motor for example or some movement in the human body such as the heart beating.

So now you know all of the different aspects of the 3D animation industry, is it for you?

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Michael Jackson's Affair With Animation

2009-07-15T19:07:00.001-07:00

We've seen the moonwalk, the one-handed glove, the anti-gravity lean, and that's just to mention a few of the innovations introduced by the late Michael Jackson. Sometimes people even forget how MJ reinvented himself from a child prodigy into a global pop sensation. But he has this sense of creativity and showmanship that is hard to match which leads him to try many things - one of which is cartoon animation for his music videos.

Michael Jackson's song "Leave Me Alone" in the 1987 album Bad prominently featured 2D cartoon animation as its motif. Throughout the entire video, Jackson was super-imposed as a scaled real-life character.

The song talks about the personal and public turmoil encountered by Michael after the success of his 1982 album Thriller. At this time, the tabloids and other gossip columns were targeting him with different rumors about his lifestyle. Among these were Michael's obsession with purchasing the bones of the Elephant Man and sleeping inside a hyperbaric chamber to counter the effects of aging.

The cartoon animated video was used by Michael Jackson as a rebuttal for all these charges. The narrative of the video starts with an amusement park with a collage of images attributing to his success, along with certain images such as a shrine to his popular friend Elizabeth Taylor (who gave him the moniker King of Pop). In the end, it is revealed that Michael Jackson is the amusement park and he struggles away, destroying the park in the process.

Leave Me Alone was directed by Jim Blashfield and it was most notable for winning the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards of 1990. It was also shown in the feature entitled Moonwalker. Here is the animated video of Leave Me Alone:

Michael Jackson helped popularize the utilization of music videos as a promotional piece and as an art form. Another of his videos which prominently used computer animation effects was Black or White, a strongly worded song contradicting racial discrimination - but was more known for its scenes of violence and sexualized dancing. The most recognizable animation effect used in this video was morphing.

Morphing is a special effect which tries to change one image into another seamlessly. The music video Black or White used this concept in the tail-end part of the video where people of different ethnicities, gender and ages were shot in a bust shot point of view and was made to appear like it is morphing while moving its neck from left to right. Here is the video:

This was another revolutionary touch from Michael Jackson and, together with Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991, the video helped set a trend in special effects and computer animation. Now, advanced computer software is available to create realistic simulations - but nothing will surpass that level of genius when it was first introduced by Black or White.

I'll list some of his most special awards here as a tribute to Jacko:

World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium

American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award

Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.

Double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (The Jackson 5, 1997; solo, 2001)

Multiple Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone),

13 Grammy Awards,

13 number one singles in his solo career-more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era

sale of over 750 million records worldwide

Rest in peace, MJ.

Aldric Chang is a creative entrepreneur who is at the moment building free online adventure games for kids and running a successful cartoon animation studio. His creative accomplishments span across the production of several hundred animation projects, casual games, music compositions, cartoon animated series and a virtual world for kids.

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3D Max VS Maya - The Pros and Cons of Each Animation Software

2009-07-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

When you get two strong market contenders the question always arises well which one is the best and what is it that makes it best? The same concept applies to almost any product and the world of animation software is no different.

Therefore, we look at the two major software being 3DMax and Maya. Everything has good and bad points and after all the two products are competitive against each other by their respective owners. The difference here is that both of these dynamic software packages are owned by the same Company. Now that does not make any sense that a company would compete against itself does it? The motive for the acquisition could be to buy the competitor out and then shelve the weaker of the two. This is not the case here however, as Autodesk now owns both 3D Max and Maya and does not intend to take either one of them off the market. It may not sound like it but their concept is very viable.

As we said both of these items, have their strengths and weaknesses but are well liked and well used in the industry. Autodesk simply has decided to take the weaknesses of both and strengthen them with the attributes from its counterpart.

Their strong points.
3D Max is a favorite with the architectural and visualization animators, whereas Maya is the one of choice for TV and film industry. 3D Max has great conceptual modeling tools, large-scale environment creation and works well with other Autodesk product lines to name a few of the main features. Maya on the other hand has amazing character rigging, animation layering as well as motion capture handling capabilities that surpass 3d Max.

Maya has great advantages over 3D Max regarding Nurbs modeling. This is because the software has taken on a different approach in this area, which means it is easier to utilize. Nurbs are complex surfaces it would be the technique you would use to create a polygon for example. The effects that the animator can get regarding fluid are impressive with Maya. It will allow very realistic simulations of fluid and gas reaction in the real and the ocean shader it has implemented produces astounding quality for water animation. In addition with Maya, you can free hand draw and utilize a 3D paint effects that include some special effects as well done with what is called Paint Effects.

To determine which is the best first depends on your budget as 3D Max is more affordable, but if your purpose is Architectural and Visualization then you aren't going to get a bargain because Maya is better suited here. For the special effects in animation then Maya is the choice. Finally, the decision will come down to what your computer can handle. Maya operates on Windows, Mac and Linux with Max being restricted to Window based systems only. In any event, with either one of these software packages you are going to have the best of both worlds.

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How to Draw Great Cartoons - Step by Step

2009-07-15T19:04:00.001-07:00

Learning to draw cartoons is not nearly as hard as you might be thinking it is. There are, in fact, many, many ways you can learn how to draw cartoons step by step. We are going to talk about some of the most popular options in the following article. By taking a look at the tips provided, you will be drawing your own cartoons in no time!

Now, naturally, one of the best ways to learn how to draw is to take a class. The good news is that there are classes for all ages and all skill levels. In elementary school, middle school, high school, and college, there are always art and drawing classes. Elementary schools usually make them mandatory and they may not cover cartoons, but the electives in your later years should. If they do not, then there is always the option of seeing if there are drawing classes being offered at local museums, libraries, and even other schools.

Books are another great way to learn the step by step method for drawing cartoons. There is no limit to the number of books you can find. The best part is that, again, you can find books for any and all skill levels. If you are a beginner, there is a book for you. There are books for people who have never tried to draw anything in their lives.

With drawing, however, sometimes seeing how it is done can be the best way to learn. That is why seeking a class can be so helpful. Failing that, however, you can also ask around to see if someone could teach you in a one on one setting.

Failing that, the internet can be your best friend. You can find a lot of videos aimed towards the step by step process of drawing cartoons. For that matter, there are instructional DVDs which can offer you the same help.

Get more help on how to draw cartoons and discover how you can become a cartoonist.

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How to Design and Create Your Own 3D Animations Easily - Computer Graphics

2009-07-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

Designing an own 3D Animation is good to develop personal skills. Now these days people are very much interested to develop their own skills on 3D Animation designing. Now We will see how to design a 3D Animation for personal interest.

Easy 3D Objects is intended for creation of 3D animations and illustrations.

Areas where you can apply Easy 3D Objects:
- Making 3D GIF
- Animations for the Web
- Making 3D banners
- Making 3D illustrations
- Presentation materials
- Development of creative imagination.

Program features:

- Adds to 3D scene the following types of objects: dummy cube, sprite, plane, disk, cube, frustum, sphere, cone, cylinder, annulus, torus, arrow line, space text, mirror.
- Edits parameters of objects
- Rotates and moves objects and groups of objects
- Fills objects by color or texture from BMP, JPEG.

SWiSHmax has everything you need to create stunning fully interactive Flash animations. You can create shapes, text, buttons, sprites, and motion paths. You can also include more than 230 ready-to-use animated effects including explode, vortex, 3D spin, and wave. ... You can preview your animation inside SWiSHmax without launching a browser or external player, and live editing lets you make changes while the animation is playing. ... You can create your own effects or make an interactive movie by adding actions to objects.

Feature wise, Realsoft 3D is a full featured modeling, rendering, animation and simulation package. It introduces global illumination, multi-wavelength ray-tracing for accurate spectral caustics and other optical effects, sub-surface scattering for realistic human skin shading. On the animation front a full range of tools - from easy key framing to event driven nonlinear animation is supported. Realsoft 3D is a complete solution for high end 3D-production at an unprecedented price. Don´t rush to the plugin shop every time you need to create something new - get Realsoft 3D.

Effect3D is a powerful editing tool that lets you create professional looking 3D objects, add animation, and use a wide range of 3D effects. Effect3D's Power Wizard does the work for you, so whether you're a novice or a Webmaster you'll be producing stunning artwork in minutes. ... Effect3D can also create dynamic 3D models by RTS animation so models can move back-and-forth, float, or rotate. ... Over 500 models are cleverly categorized for easy browsing and with over 70 behavioral Bio-Morph animation's to choose from; Effect3D gives you the freedom to create uncompromising images limited

3D GIF Designer produces animated high-quality 3D pictures, titles, banner ads and buttons for your Web page or for a presentation. You can create animations from your own pictures (JPG, GIF, BMP, AVI) and easily add 3D text and shapes. The sprites technology enables to control over ... For quickly getting started, design your own animation from over 30 professional templates (banners, buttons, logos), and then save as animated GIF or AVI movies, or as set of JPEG or BMP files. ... In addition, 3D GIF Designer allows you to animate sprites with several effects such as Swing, Rotate.

Stereogram Explorer is user-friendly design software for creating high-quality hidden 3D graphics, also known as Single Image Random Dot Stereograms (SIRDS) or Single Image Stereograms (SIS) known from the "Magic Eye" series. Stereogram Explorer uses advanced algorithms and can render... Main features: User-friendly interface Random dot stereograms (SIRDS) Pattern or textured stereograms (SIS) Support for many file types including GIFs, JPEGs, PICTs, and BMPs Import 3DS (3D Studio) models Export depthmaps from 3D scene Autocalculated depth coefficient for loaded 3D models.

Pro Motion is a bitmap editor and animation package, ideal for creating pixel precise animations, images or icons used in games or Flash applications especially for hand held systems like mobile phones, Gameboy, PDA, Pocket PC and similar. It has a huge number of functions ranging from simple... copied to all equal tiles within the image) - tons of tools including color cycling, onion skinning, masking, symmetry paint, magic wand, tile painting for "infinite" textures-bitmaps and "standard" functions like line, curve, box, circle, fill (pattern, gradients) - lots of helpful animation.

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How to Draw a Cartoon Cow

2009-07-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

When looking for the method for how to draw a cartoon cow you might want to choose the one that is the most simplified that leaves room for your imagination. When drawing the framework for a cow it can be very similar to the horse but much more simplified. You will want to start the cartoon cow with a framework of some ovals and a few lines. Draw a larger oval for the body and a medium size oval for the head first. You will be building from this. Next you want to draw two smaller ovals. One will be the left ear and the other will be the snout. Finish this part of the cartoon with two curved lines with one going off-center through the head oval and the same placement on the oval for the snout. This will help you with placing the nostrils, eyes and some other of the features you will want to add to the cartoon cow.

Now you have some ovals and a few lines on the paper and a lot of freedom with how you want the head of your cartoon cow to look. This basic outline could also be used for a pig or sheep possibly. You have to set upon the task of making this framework look like a cow. Make circles for the eyes on both sides of the line you drew for the head. Do the same for the snout. Draw a curved line under the snout to look like a mouth. Cows will have two bumps on the top of head and you can add them if you like. Draw the ears and form some horns if you would like. Now is the time to outline the head.

The third step would be developing the body of your cow. Try to visualize a cow in your mind. Doesn't the back sway down and then go back up towards the hips? Include that on your drawing. Draw in the utters underneath the body and form the legs. Cows legs are generally quite small compared to the rest of the body and you can just make the legs fairly simple. Some things in a cartoon can be minimized and this is an example of one of them. After you have the basic cow drawn, add a simple line tail and some details such as lines in the hoofs and in the horns. There really aren't many more details you have to add at this point.

Finish off the cartoon cow with deciding what kind of cow in terms of coloring. You can pick black with white spots or simply solid with some white in different places. It's all up to you and your imagination. Congratulate yourself for your fine cartoon of a cow.

Find out more about how to draw a cartoon cow and lots of other characters with how to draw cartoons.

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Create a Free Avatar - How to Make the Best Avatars

2009-07-15T18:58:00.002-07:00

Avatars are the images of computer users found in computer games, internet forums or blogs. Three dimensional avatars are used in games and cartoons, while two dimensional ones are followed in internet forums. The idea had its origin in Hindu traditions where, as the myths goes, god took birth in many avatars or forms to meet specific purposes, but in anonymity.

But today, the word is more relevant in the computer field. Avatars are now the representations of the personality, interests, thought patterns, beliefs etc of an online forum. Three dimensional avatars are mostly animated ones. Avatars help create an individuality to an otherwise faceless blogger.

Avatars have been made very popular by some message providers like Yahoo. These ubiquitous virtual images can be designed in such a way to match your looks, personality etc, but without giving away your real identity.

Designing an avatar is child’s play now. There are many internet services that assist in creation of avatars, but the more technically inclined can make them on their own. A mixture of a little bit of creativity and imagination is all you need additionally. Creating an avatar of you is a fulfilling and fun filled act. The websites offering instant design options are a great help in determining the physical features of your creation including the skin color, the length of the hair, dress options and accessories. Animated ones are really good in attracting more and more visitors to your blog or forum.

They differ greatly in size and attraction. Instant messaging services needs to have only small ones, but video games and networking sites need bigger and animated avatars. Customized backgrounds can be added to an avatar to enhance its looks. But some people prefer to get hold of some other’s avatar and modify it as per their requirements. But there is no need to do it. There are some applications and softwares available now which would create a three dimensional or two dimensional images of you in no time.

If you are looking for more information then feel free to visit Create avatar and Create free avatar

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Ben 10 Alien Force

2009-07-15T18:58:00.001-07:00

Ben 10 Alien Force, a sequel to Ben 10, is a marvelous and an interesting anime Television series, which is the result of hard work done by Dwayne McDuffie and Glen Murakami and the studio "Man of Action". The studio is a group of 4 young creative personalities named, Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle. Ben 10 Alien Force is produced by Cartoon Network Studios, and is based on the central figure Ben Tennyson. He is now 15 years of age and has grown up to become a more matured guy with a clear outlook towards life. He has removed the Omnitix, and has tasted the good and challenging adventures out there.

Now, in Ben 10 Alien Force, you see there is a fanatic aliens known as Highbreed have surreptitiously com on Earth and they have the mission to ruin the earth and kill its inhabitants altogether. Max, who is Ben's grandfather and also an active member of the planet-defending Plumbers has already gone out there to protect the humanity from their evil deeds, but nobody has heard of him ever since. There stands no choice in front of Ben, but to use Omnitrix to fight the aliens back from the earth. Omnitrix has adapted according to his teenage body, and this has resulted into new forms and functions, and makes Ben ready to go for fighting the aliens.

Ben is supported in his endeavor by Cousin Gwen, and both have their natural abilities enhanced to give the Highbreed a tough blow. Ben's formal rival, Kevin Levin who worked in Null Void is also coming in front and joining his hand.

The cartoon animated series has all its drama and adventure lined up for the children and the adults. What's more, the animated series has got all the super digital sound and backed by orphic music scores. The best thing is that you don't get bored while watching the entire series. Ben is leading the fight the war against the aliens and also on his mission to look for Max. In the time of five years that has past, been has become more matured and he has all the goals set in line to go ahead with the mission along with his cronies. Come and explore the adventure filled mission where the fight for the cause is truly realized by the saviors who are packed with their guns.

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Cartoon Characters Worthy of Being Put in Museums

2009-07-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

When a museum in Belgium honoring the iconic animation icon Herge and his world-renowned cartoon character Tintin on the second day of June this year, it was a fitting tribute to the accomplishments of Herge's distinct animation style. Imagine if one's cartoon character is able to survive from a simple comic strip in 1929 to a television, theater and video game powerhouse today, then it certainly deserves to be acknowledged and honored in a museum.

Now throughout the young history of mainstream animation, there are a few studios, animators, and cartoon characters which stand out among the rest. Such creations have an undeniable impact on popular culture and a museum for them would serve as a top-notch compliment. After all, museums are supposed to be an abode for art - and what better way to honor animation than associate it with the finer arts? Here are a few potential cartoon character properties which pop in the top of my head when thinking of a museum:

The exhibits of museums should have some rich historical and archaeological background in order to radiate a sense of credibility. Looking back at all the popular television cartoon characters of the past decades, the common thread seems to be Hanna-Barbera Productions. While criticisms have been aplenty about Hanna-Barbera Productions falling into the trap of formulas and stereotypes in cartoon animation series, they have still been successful in giving us many of the best loved series of all time: the Flintstones, the Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Scooby Doo, and so on and so forth. Wouldn't it be nice to see all these iconic characters in one grand hall as though they were all exquisite paintings? Presently, the partnership of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and their body work are honored in a few museums such as the Los Angeles Museum of Radio and Television - but it's still nice to see a dedicated shrine for them.

To honor the tradition of stop motion animation, I would like to see the green clay cartoon character Gumby get its own museum to honor its run of 233 episodes in American television for over thirty-five years. During the 50th anniversary of Gumby, its creator Art Clokey was honored in the Museum of the Moving Image. Clokey is a pioneer of stop motion animation and described his work of Gumby as "massaging of the eye cells." A museum with Gumby at the forefront can also be a spectacle of all the other successful and emerging stop motion animation works. This could include Aardman Animations' Wallace and Gromit.

It is also tempting to put the lovable cartoon characters of Walt Disney and Warner Brothers in this search for a museum - but they already have established studio strongholds which serve as their museum/homes all in one. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig - sorry but museums should be able to expose cartoon characters which are of immense historic value and yet are less popular. An example of this kind would be Heathcliff the cat.

Heathcliff has black and orange stripes with a cranky attitude to boot. Sounds a lot like Garfield? Well, one will be surprised to find out that Heathcliff came first before Garfield but was lost in the consciousness of many people today. It was created in 1973 while Garfield was in 1978. Characters such as Heathcliff, which was very popular during the 1970s, can benefit well from a museum.

Moreover, just for fun, wouldn't it be fun to have a Where's Wally Museum where visitors would have to find his likeness inside the entire museum?

Aldric Chang is a creative entrepreneur who is at the moment building online games for kids and running a successful 3d animation studio. His creative accomplishments span across the production of several hundred animation projects, casual games, music compositions, cartoon animated series and a virtual world for kids.

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3D Animation Movie Maker - The Evolution of Making Animations at Home

2009-07-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

I guess a lot of people would like to make their own movies. By that I mean to go beyond editing together movie clips taken while on holiday, to making movies which tell a story. In most cases professional actors are expensive and most friends don't make good actors. This is why making a 3D animation movie is a satisfying low cost alternative.

I remember a holiday movie my father made in the 1950s. It had an animated title filmed, like the rest of the movie on 8mm celluloid film. When I asked him about it, he told me he had put his camera in a clamp pointing at the floor. He then created the first letter of the title using a piece of string and filmed it for a couple of seconds, then he created the second letter and so on. It was several days later, when the film came back from the developing laboratory that he discovered that his desk lamp had not really been adequate to illuminate his work properly.

Then along came computers. It took a while before computers got good at graphics, even stationary ones. But of course they did eventually get good, not only at rendering still scenes, but also animations. Unfortunately Hollywood studios being able to afford high powered hardware and software did not make it accessible to the amateur movie maker.

The high price of professional 3D animation software led to the concept of Machinima. In Machinima inexpensive computer games are used to record 3D animated movie clips. Some computer games have a camera or record function built into them, and for others which do not, there are additional utilities such as Fraps, which can be used for recording the game action.

Popular Machinima games include Quake, Unreal Tournament and SIMS 2. These games come with the ability to design your own sets and characters, either as part of the main game itself or using utilities, which are provided with the game. Admittedly getting exactly the movie clips you want from these games can be challenging. I never did find out how to part characters in Unreal Tournament or Quake from their guns, which meant unless you wanted to make a shoot 'em up movie, they were not ideal. No doubt obstacles like this could be overcome, but it seemed you could not get very far unless you were prepared to get immersed in scripting language.

Of the three games I have mentioned, SIMS 2, is probably the easiest to use for making Machinima, except that the characters, or in our case actors, tend to have minds of their own. So your movie star may wander off part way through filming, or someone else you don't recognize, might suddenly turn up and disrupt the scene you are shooting. With SIMS 2 you might even find your movie set spontaneously combusting during filming if you forgot to buy fire insurance. Perhaps this is like movie making in real life, but I would prefer not to have to put up with all of these uncertainties.

So you may wonder why no one has produced a budget software product, specifically for the purpose of making 3D animations at home. In fact Microsoft did exactly that in the mid 1990s with a product called 3D Movie Maker, which they targeted at the kids market. However the product was designed for early PCs, so it was pretty basic, on most home PCs it was slow, and it was soon discontinued.

Recently there has been recognition of this unfulfilled need. Reallusion in particular, has developed a 3D animation movie maker called iClone. This software is pretty much a dream come true for anyone who wants to tell a story using 3D animation. In its basic form it costs about the same as a new top end computer game, while the more advanced and more useful Pro version is still very reasonable.

Although you could make a whole movie in iClone, I find it is best to use it to construct a series of 3D animation movie clips and to then edit them together using Microsoft Movie Maker, which comes as part of Windows, or using a more advanced home movie editing suite such as Pinnacle Studio.

Other key points to note about iClone are that if you want to get up and running very quickly, there is a good library of actors, scenes and props, which you can purchase to add to the collection, which comes with the program itself. On the other hand if you are short of cash and prefer to build everything yourself and have plenty of time to spare, you can do that too using the tools included in the software.

One optional utility, which I recommend purchasing bundled with the iClone, is Reallusion's 3DXchange. This allows you to import content from other sources, including Google 3D Warehouse, which is a fantastic resource full of free models of buildings and other props, to enhance your 3D animations.

I find it amazing to think that with a budget of less than $1,000 I can now purchase a PC and the software required to make 3D animation movies, when twenty years ago I would have needed $ millions for less capable facilities.

The author is a Management Consultant who sometimes writes articles about his experiences, hobbies and interests.

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Rising Anime Popularity in The Western World

2009-07-14T19:44:00.002-07:00

The word Anime is an abbreviation of animation. In English, the dictionary defines it as a style developed in Japan. Since, anime describes all types of animation; Japanimation is applied to differentiate the Japanese work from the rest of the world. In the past few years, anime was recognized as manga in European countries. In Japan manga is considered both comics and animation (though use manga as animation is usually restricted to non- fans).

Anime usually takes influence from light novels, manga and other traditions and culture. Anime can be transmit on TV and is usually distributed through any type of media presentations such as video, DVD and internet. Anime is sometimes considered as Japanimation, but this term is not used now. When it comes to the countries except Japan, this word is referred to the animation that began in Japan.

Anime attract everyone from children to adults and deals with various themes in sports, science fiction, horror and romance. Unlike animation, anime also include few elements of realism like emotions, suffering and death which raises both its pedagogical and content value. Anime popularity is increasing both in terms of range and audience. The children's craze for the Pokémon movies including Pokémon products like different video games shows its wide appeal. One old argument in anime fandom was watching anime movies being redubbed in English.

Today, with the increase in popularity of CDs, most DVD disks include both subtitled and redub track. The rapidly increasing popularity of anime resulted in a large number of clubs, colleges, public libraries and high schools. Different meetings and convention are taking place in many western countries. Anime is taking great fans and sales than ever observed before.

Walt Disney production of Japanese movie "Spirited Away" which even beat "Titanic" in Japan was a great success in the western world. Director of this anime movie Hayao Miyazaki is being praised by the movie fans, for providing attention to the details of minutes relating crafts and arts in the film. Anime programs and movies in the western countries like Fox TV network and Walt Disney added a $2 billion annual profit in the anime film industry. Few years back, there were only few anime series and TV shows, but now every child is associated with Japanese movies and cartoons and is increasing in popularity among teenagers.

A Japanese anime and toy company, Bandai entertainment said that they released 75 different anime movies and TV shows last year in the US, which shows a great increase in demand of anime films as compared to the movies released during the previous years.

Nowadays, anime is the fastest growing industry in DVD and video marketing. A D Vision was the first company developed in US in 1992, now there are more than 20 similar industries. Anime films or movies are comparatively cheap and low cost budget movies. If you think the overall cost of making movie in today's high risk industry then anime is affordable and cheap for example Titanic cost $100 million. Animation success in the west countries is gradual. The first turning point was the facility of internet during 1980's.

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The Eagerly Awaited Samurai Deeper Kyo DVD Volume 1 is Finally Hitting the Shops

2009-07-14T19:44:00.001-07:00

Samurai Deeper Kyo is a DVD series based on the manga series by Akimine Kamijyo which is set to be released in July 2009. Set in the 1600s, the Volume 1 DVD includes the first 7 episodes of the 26 that have been on TV. Samurai Deeper Kyo is about two characters by the name of Demon Eyes Kyo and Kyoshiro and they embark on an epic sword fighting tale.

The battle of Sekigahara in which Kyoshiro and Demon Eyes Kyo duel is the opening scene of the first episode. During the battle, a falling star crashes into the plains and consumes both Kyoshiro and Demon Eyes Kyo ending the duel in a massive cloud of debris.

Moving forward 4 years in time, the plot then turns to a young female bounty hunter by the name of Yuya. Yuya has been looking for Demon Eyes Kyo for all this time but eventually finds Kyoshiro instead. He is now a medicine man and has no memory of his life as a deadly warrior.

As Yuya takes Kyoshiro into custody, a fierce snake monster attacks them both and Kyoshiro being the kind hearted man he's turned into tries to help Yuya and joins the fight, only to discover that he has the soul of Demon Eyes Kyo inside him and wins the fight with his powers and saves Yuya.

After this discovery, Kyoshiro notices that every time he enters battle or a fight, Demon Eyes Kyo takes over to destroy his enemies. He learns that Demon Eyes Kyo is trying to find his earthly body and return his soul to it's rightful place.

The story of Samurai Deeper Kyo embarks on many twists and turns in the plot and is full of epic sword fights and wonderous fantasy tales. With the looming release of the UK DVD, British audiences will be able to enjoy this story on their screens whenever they like. The Samuari Deeper story has also been released as a game on Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS - both of which have been very successful.

Further volumes of the DVD are expected to be released but as of now, the dates of release are unknown. The DVD series is directed by Junji Nishimura (Ranma 1/2) and because of this you can expect a high quality animated story with plenty of epic battle scenes and heart stopping moments.

The Samurai Deeper Kyo DVD of volume 1 (episodes 1-7) will be released on the 13th of July 2009 and is rated PG. If you want to buy the DVD by MVM, it'll set you back £15.99, which in our opinion is totally worth it.

Writer Kian A Wilkins discusses the highly anticipated release of Samurai Deeper Volume 1 on DVD. You can watch the Samurai Deeper trailer here.

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Famous Cartoon Families in Modern America

2009-07-14T19:43:00.002-07:00

Who is your favorite cartoon family? It's not an easy question. Is it? When I ask it of myself I am reminded immediately of The Simpsons. Other ideas that pop into mind are The Family Guy family and some from South Park, like Stan's. Let's take a stroll through these classic depictions of suburban life in the 21st century and see what they have to say about us today. They are actually more telling than anyone would know from first glance.

The Simpsons burst onto the scene very strongly in the late 1980's. No one would ever be able to forget the rebellious Bart, the symbol of every little boy who just wants to have fun - and not do his homework. But their cartoon family as a whole is very broad and even. For instance, Lisa balances out Bart by being a hard-working, saxophone-playing do-gooder. And Homer's crack up antics as a lazy nuclear plant employee contrast endearingly to his wife, Marge's awareness of her family as a whole. She is always effortlessly taking care of her baby Maggie. It's just great.

Then with The Family Guy we again see some similar dynamics. For instance Peter the dad is a whole lot like Homer, without being so annoying. And he also has his trustworthy wife Lois. The kids are a little weirder though. I don't really get what's going on with their older boy.

And finally with South Park we see some hilarious American family stereotypes playing out. From white trash Kenny's family, where his mom is always wearing her "I'm With Stupid" t-shirt to Stan's Jewish family, it's all so over the top that it's hard to take offense. There are many funny cartoon families at play here.

But what do these all say about us? Well, since they are caricatures they really highlight a lot of the silly things we assume to be true on a daily basis. But in the Simpsons in particular there is always some sort of an uplifting moment at the end of the episode. This ties it all together so nicely that you almost accept our imperfections as being endearing. So be it. We're not God after all.

There will always be a new cartoon family coming up on the horizon to show us ourselves. Maybe next time it will even be a cartoon fish who is mocking suburbia. You can always bet that this will remain a great medium for hilarious expression.

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My Favorite Anime Downloads

2009-07-14T19:43:00.001-07:00

I am adapt to alot of anime categories. I like action series (sci-fi, ganster, suspense, ect.), and I also am endowed to the softer less violent anime (romance, comedy, ect.). This gives me variety. The one important factor in anything I do for fun - variety is the key.

From a top 5/6 of my favorite anime:

#5.) Blue Gender - It has a very touching story and ending. It also is action packed and creatively designed. This is definitely in my top 5/6.

#4.) Aquarion - The past to present content alligned to make 2 stories out of 1. More or less the meaning behind this particular work of art is by far an intriguing glimpse of what conflicts occur when human's excessive behavior toward their ideals reaches an impact on their lives. The drama is welcome for a great outlook in this matter.

#3.) Please Teacher - If you want a laugh out of a romantic comedy, this is the best one I can offer. Intelligenly funny, good edge of your seat fun, and very colorfully created.

#2.) Bleach - I am still currently checking out the rest of the series from episode 69, however the part that makes this show my second favorite anime is episodes 1-60. Humorous, action-bound, and overall sweet in every genre of selection in the anime world.

My #1.) favorite manga is a tie. I like the first series and movie of ghost in the shell. The story, the artwork, and pretty much the whole package was an example of what i call entertaining. It just kept me on the edge of my seat. However Ghost in the Shell first saga was evened with the suspenseful dramatic movie Straight Jacket. Another in my opinion exceptional, dramatic story. These overall cartoons I've watched and are my very favorite.

This concludes my anime that I like.

expert on finding anime for 3 years http://morereads.blogspot.com

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How to Draw a Nose - A Quick Guide

2009-07-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

Next to the eyes, perhaps the most distinctive feature of a person is the nose. In fact, you can change the entire look of someone by altering the way his or her nose looks like (think about those who have undergone plastic surgery). Because it's an important facial feature, you have to make sure that you know how to draw a nose properly.

To help you out, here are the basics that you can start with:

1. Know the kind of nose you want to draw. You can have a huge catalog of noses, so you do have several choices. Unless you already have a human model with you, you have to begin from scratch--that is, imagining how you want a character to look like based on his or her nose.

2. Create a sketch. When you already have a good idea, you can already grab a piece of paper for your sketch. A sketch is not the actual image itself. You're just trying to create outlines for the nose you want. This is so you have more room to make certain improvements on the image. As expected, you have to use a pencil for your sketches, so you can just immediately get rid of flaws with an eraser.

3. Draw the parts of the nose. Besides the frame of the nose, you can also include its different parts on your sketch. Normally, all you need is just the two nostrils. Perhaps for fun you can also add some nose hairs.

4. Shade your drawing. You can start shading the drawing if you're already satisfied of how it looks like. Shading gives the nose more form. You can emphasize the bridge, the shape, and the presence of the nostrils.

It may take some time to perfect the techniques in drawing a nose, but as they say, patience is always a good virtue.

Get more help on how to draw a nose and discover how easy it is to draw your own cartoons.

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Dragonball Kuririn Characters

2009-07-13T20:25:00.001-07:00

Kuririn is a fictional character in the Dragonball anime series who first emerged in the 3rd issue of the series. Kuririn was initially a very fierce rival of Goku, the main character of the series, however he quickly became Goku's best friends as the series unfolded. Kuririn is rather short compared to Goku and has a bald head. Apart from his fighting role in the Dragonball Series, Kuririn has often been seen giving other characters a laugh even when the going gets tough. Like is martial arts master, Master Roshi, he has a vast amount of interest in beautiful women.

Prior to joining Goku for training under Master Roshi, Kuririn served as a monk at the Orin Temple. After being mocked and ridiculed by other monks for his height and lack of fighting capabilities, Kuririn decided that it was time to leave the Temple to seek Master Roshi for training and to subsequently prove a point to his Temple peers. Although his fighting abilities pales in comparison to Goku and other characters, it is assumed that Kuririn is the the strongest pure blooded human being. In a series shown in the Tournament Saga, Kuririn was seen beating his competition who is more than twice his size with only his index finger.

In the later part of the series, Kuririn eventually ended up marrying an android, No.18, who he wished for the Dragonball to convert No.18 into a human. No.18 subsequently gave birth to her daughter, Marron. Kuririn's character evolved from a main character in the early part of the series to a bit part character who is seen motivating others during a battle.

In a nutshell, Krillin is an important character in the Dragon Ball series. He is powerful, loyal, brave and is second only to Goku for being the character with the most appearances in the series.

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Dragonball Bulma Characters

2009-07-13T20:24:00.002-07:00

Bulma is a fictional character in the Dragonball Series. Bulma is known for her flowing purple hair and her cranky and temperamental character. She would always be seen in the series making complains and would get extremely grumpy when things go wrong for her. Despite her controversial character, Bulma is very high intelligent and is good in inventing and repairing electronics. Bulma made her first appearance in the very first episode of Dragonball anime in 1986.

In that particular episode, Bulma was finding for a Dragonball using her self invented Dragonball radar and was driving her car when she accidentally knocked down Goku who was on his way home. Goku, who lives deep in the jungle and have never seen a car mistook the car for a monster and decided to destroy the car. Bulma was amazed of the boy's strength that she decided to bring along Goku in her quest to unite all the seven Dragonballs.

Bulma has a power level similar to a human being thus making her a non-fighting character in the series. In the later part of the series, Bulma's role descended from a main to a secondary character. Initially, Bulma was seen to be fond of Yamtcha, who is another character of the series, however due to bizarre circumstances, she ended up marrying to Vegeta, in which she subsequently gave birth to a son, Trunks, and a daughter, Bulla.

It is known that throughout the entire Dragonball series, Bulma has changed her hairstyle about 17 times. Apart from her trademark purple hair, Bulma has also been seen in the series sporting a light blue hair.

Bulma is also known to be very fond of strawberries. She is the few characters who appeared in all four of the Dragonball series.

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Dragonball Vegeta Characters

2009-07-13T20:24:00.001-07:00

Vegeta or sometimes referred to as Prince Vegeta is a fictional character in the Dragonball series. Vegeta is originally a Saiyan warrior and under the command of an inter planetary warlord named Frieza. Vegeta was born on planet Vegeta where he was an offspring of King Vegeta, however an agreement was being made between the king and Frieza that Vegeta was to be taken away as a boy to serve him. The planed was destroyed but Vegeta and three other Saiyans, which includes Goku was spared from that incident.

Vegeta's is a proud and arrogant person. He seems to be filled with a large amount of hatred and bitterness which was contributed when he discovered that Frieza had blown away his home planet. His ruthless demeanor would mean that he does not think twice when it comes to taking someone life during a battle. In his first appearance, Vegeta was defeated by Goku however his life was spared at the last moment, in which he struggled back into his spaceship and escaped. He made a promise to return to defeat Goku before leaving the planet.

Vegeta is known to be a fierce rival of Goku and his dislike for Goku was shown throughout the series due to the fact that Goku is a better fighter than him. He would never accept the fact that Goku is much better than him as he is the Prince of Saiyans and claimed that it was his destiny to be the strongest fighter in the universe. In an unexpected turn of event, Vegeta married Bulma and thus his son Trunks was born.

Vegeta's change of character was developed throughout the series. From becoming a carefree ruthless character, Vegeta developed into a caring father towards the end of the series.

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Dragonball Piccolo Characters

2009-07-13T20:23:00.002-07:00

Piccolo is a fictional character in the Dragonball series. Piccolo, also known as Piccolo Jr, was born when King Piccolo was defeated by Goku. During his last moments, King Piccolo spat out his last and final egg which contained Piccolo. His initial purpose in Earth is to avenge the death of his father. Piccolo trained alone in preparation for the World Martial Arts Competition, to which he knows that Goku will be competing and that will be his best chance to exact revenge for his father.

As 3 years passed and when Piccolo finally got the chance to fight Goku, he lost the battle however he was spared by Goku at the very last moment. Goku even gave him the Shenzu Beans, a bean which could fully restore someone's energy when eaten. After recovering fully, Piccolo flew off but not before telling Goku that he would regret not finishing off Piccolo.

Both Piccolo and Goku had to form an alliance to repel a strong force that has been threatening earth. Eventually, Goku died in the battle. Piccolo took Goku's son Gohan into his custody and trained him to fight after seeing his hidden potential in the earlier fight. Both Piccolo and Gohan developed a strong friendship in the end. In an episode, Piccolo sacrificed his life to save Gohan from a blast.

Piccolo's role in the series developed from a fighter to more of a mentor's role to Gohan. He is also a Nemek, which he only discovered later on in the series and when he decided to return to the planet to do battle with Frieza, the Planet Namek was blown away by Frieza.

Piccolo, like all his other friends in Planet Namek only consumes water to survive. Although he does not require food to survive, he is seen in some episodes eating away.

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Dragonball Master Roshi Characters

2009-07-13T20:23:00.001-07:00

Master Roshi, also known as the Turtle Hermit, is a fictional character in the Dragonball series. Master Roshi is a very skilled fighter and is the first master to train the Dragonball series hero, Goku. Roshi lives in a tiny island called Kami Island with his 1000 year old friend, the turtle. During his free time, he is always seen sitting by the beach and reading magazines of women clad in bikini. In a moment of excitement especially when involving a woman, Roshi's nose will bleed.

Master Roshi holds the distinction to wield the "Kamehameha" wave, the technique in which fascinated little Goku. Goku subsequently copied and perfected the technique to its destructive level. While training both young Kulilin and young Goku for the World Martial Arts tournament, he realized that both his students possesses great powers and would easily win the tournament.

Not wanting to win the tournament as he foresee that they are too young to be the best, Roshi disguised himself as Jackie Chun and entered the tournament himself. Master Roshi subsequently won the tournament after defeating Goku in the final match. The Turtle Hermit is often beaten up by Bulma for being a pervert and for his unusual request from a woman.

Roshi was also seen in his younger days already sporting his trademark sunglasses. His rival is his former partner Master Shen. His role in the series is just being a mentor to Goku and Kulilin. Apart from his known fondness in beautiful girls, he spends most of his time in the series lazying around his small island.

It is not known what's the exact age of Master Roshi, however it has been estimated at around 500 years old.

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Dragonball Goku Characters

2009-07-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

Goku, who is also known as Son Goku, is the main protagonist of the entire Dragon Ball series. Sporting a trademark black and spiky hair and is usually seen donning a red and blur martial arts uniform. Goku is well liked by his viewers for his energetic personality, cheerful and a forgiving nature towards his beaten enemies. Goku first appeared in the first episode of Dragonball where he was seen as a 5 year old boy with a monkey tail and surviving alone in a secluded area.

He has in his possession one of the seven Dragonballs. When all seven of the said Dragonballs are collected, it is said that a Dragon will appear and would grant one wish to anyone who collected the Dragonballs. Goku guarded he ball with his life as he initially thought that the Dragonball that he possesses was his grandfather, who had passed away. His grandfather, Gohan, discovered Goku in a spaceship when he crashed into earth. Goku comes from another planed deep in space called Vegeta, whose inhabitants there calls themselves a Saiyan. Saiyans are very well known for their fighting capabilities in space as well as conquering other planets.

The reason that Goku crash landed on planet Earth is that he is supposed to conquer planet earth, however that changed when he fall off a cliff in which he inflicted a damage on his head, making him lose his memory. Goku's tail is also not for decorative purposes as Goku will evolve into an Ape like beast with enormous powers during a full moon. Goku once transformed into that beast and unfortunately stepped on his grandfather, which led to his grandfather's demise.

Goku is also seen as a savior of earth in the series and is a major influence to his peers and as the series unfolds, the other characters dependence on him to save them out of tight situations grows.

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Dragonball Gohan Characters

2009-07-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Gohan is a fictional character in the Dragonball series. He is the first son of Goku and Chi-Chi, which makes him a half Saiyan. Gohan is named after Goku's grandfather and he made his first appearance in the first episode of the DragonballZ series, whereby Goku brought him to Master Roshi's island during a reunion with Goku's friend. Gohan's initial appearance was seen as a 5 year old monkey tailed boy, just like his father when he was a boy. Although Goku wanted to train him to be a fighter, Chi-Chi has other plans, preferring her son to be a scholar and achieve success in studies instead.

As a boy, Gohan possesses an unlimited amount of power however it can only be seen whenever he is in a moment of rage. At times, his power level could even surpass that of Goku and Vegeta. After Goku's death, Gohan was forced to train under Piccolo, who initially frightened his due to his intimidating appearance, however Gohan soon embraced Piccolo as his own father and acquired his fighting skills from Piccolo. Gohan's character in the series changed as time goes by. His first appearance as a boy followed him to become a man and which he eventually got married.

During his teenage years, Gohan developed an alter ego called "The Great Saiyaman". The idea was first conceived when he felt that he needed to disguise himself after turning Super Saiyan, thus he approached Bulma to invent him a device which would enable him to change clothes at the push of a button.

In the Dragonball series, Gohan plays an important role in the battle against Cell and Buu. During that time, he has mastered the ability to control the limitless amount of power that he possesses and could defeat his enemies at ease.

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Dragonball Characters

2009-07-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Frieza is a fictional character in the Dragonball series. He is known to be a ruthless interplanetary warlord and a planet destroyer. He first mentioned in the series by Vegeta and stated his intention to seek the Dragonballs at Planet Namek and to ask the Dragon to grant his wish of eternal life. Frieza is the most significant villain in the series and the person responsible for destroying Goku's and Vegeta's home planet, Planet Vegeta. The reason to why Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta was revealed that he fears that a Super Saiyan from that planet would rise and eventually kill him. Knowing that the Saiyans are already a formidable fighters, he foresee that a Super Saiyan is going to be a threat to his empire, thus the destruction of Planet Vegeta.

Frieza is a character who possesses 4 different transformations. After each transformation, a significant rise in his power level could be seen. During the battle in Planet Namek, Frieza manages to kill Vegeta and some of the Dragonball characters with ease. Frieza however had trouble finishing off Goku, who eventually turned Super Saiyan after witnessing his best friend Kuririn exterminated by Frieza. Eventually as Frieza was about to be defeated, he managed to send a powerful blast to the core of Planet Namek, which made the planet implode.

Although Frieza does not possess the ability to regenerate like some of the villain in the series, he has the special ability to live in space. After the planet exploded, Frieza's body was seen floating in space and was subsequently rescued by his father, King Cold. Frieza's body was fitted with mechanical parts and he went to Planet Earth to seek revenge on Goku. Upon reaching Earth, Frieza and his father was killed by a character from the future with ease.

At his peak, Frieza is known to have ruled 79 planets across the universe. The mentioning of his name alone was enough to send those known to him into cold sweat.

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