Animation News & Events Blog for Happy Trails Animation

Film Festival Flashbacks – Telluride Style

The Telluride Film Festival is great — it’s good to check out for a long weekend and watch a bunch of films; I inevitably get ideas. I’ve attended numerous festivals from many points of …

Reaching New Heights via the Art of Animation

Greetings from Happy Trails — it’s been a while! We’re done shaking our heads at 2020. With our infamous mix of “innovation meets the art of animation,” we’re ready for our next creati…

Kubo with his instrument facing the waves and full moon

Kubo And The Two Strings Review

“Kubo and the Two Strings is the story of a young boy, Kubo (voiced by Game of Thrones’ Rickon Stark, Art Parkinson), who has a very special ability: the powerful inherited gift of magic-infused s…

Avatar XPRIZE by ANA Airlines

After 25 years in marketing and branding with our boutique animation studio, it’s always a blast when we get to be part of launching truly revolutionary concepts — be they films, commercial work o…

Telluride Film Festival 2014 with Andy Collen

2014 Telluride Film Festival Predictions

Here comes the 2014 Telluride Film Festival (TFF). I am sure this year’s selections will be both wonderful and wrenching. We’ve been going with family to this festival for more than 15 yea…

New England Film: Filmmaking Interview with Andy Collen

Andy Collen talks about filmmaking and the short animated film ‘Winter,’ recent winner of the Boston Motion Picture Award. Animation has taken many forms over the past century. “Snow…

Sustainable Corporate Culture

Now that pretty much most of the world agrees on some form of “Global Warming” the green movement has made sustainable farming a household term. We now have cities turning Joni Mitchell…

Wacom Promo: “Meet Happy Trails Animation”

PROJECT: Cintiq CLIENT: Wacom PRODUCER: Michael Marcum STUDIO: Happy Trails Animation Every once in awhile, an opportunity to adventure into a new technology comes across your path. For us it started …

2015 Telluride Film Festival Predictions

Greetings Telluride Film Festival Fans… or as we like to call it “To Hell You Ride”. So every year I try to predict some new and interesting films that have been running through the ci…

Transmedia Marketing by Happy Trails Animation

APPS • TABLETS • SMART PHONES What is Transmedia? The technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies. Transmedia …

Motion Posters At Last!

MOTION POSTERS — IGNITE! How do you get a movie poster to stop acting like innocent bystanders, skimmed over by thumbs and eyeballs? Isn’t it time your posters went into the ring with …

Cleco Hot Informational by Happy Trails Animation

New Cleco “Hot Spot” Safety Production

LOOK OUT KIDS ~ THAT’S A POWER LINES “HOT SPOT!” Title: “Hot Spot” Client: Cleco Corporation Hot Spot is a 30-minute production about power lines safety. Character design…

HTA Interview: Advice for Aspiring Animators

Happy Trails Animation’s Andy Collen – Advice for Aspiring Animators Written by Robin Wilding | May 13, 2011 View this Article from Animation Career Review site Andy Collen has been an…

“Gideon The Great” Wins Platinum!

Gideon The Great Wins Platinum! Happy Trails Animation is thrilled to announce that its independently produced short film “Gideon The Great: The Flying Ace” is a 2010 Pixie Platinum Award …