So, I watched Madagascar take 2. I recall watching take 1 and not feeling very good about the show.

The characters were cute, actors were great (Chris Rock can have a strong voice presence as Eddie Murphy) animation was nice and visuals (background drawings) were spectacular. But the movie like the original lacked punch. The story was bland, gags were predictable and timely, dialogues were corny and editing and flow if the movie was patchy.

As is typical with studio run shows, they take the average of what works with test audiences and string them together. Throw in some spectacle and hope it works. I suppose it does work for a certain (large) portion of the paying public, else they would not be making money.

Enough bitching, the movie is worth watching for the sake of sidekicks – the penguins did their thing and the Meercats were good. There was a sequence where king Julien does a lovely monologue about how be will negotiate with the rain god. Oh well, take a look.

The movie runs like a Sitcom with a sequence of gags punctuating a nearly non existant storyline. At least for the $, you get very beautiful animation.

In case you were interested, you can check out some of the visuals in the Art of Madagascar book.

Found another tutorial here. very nuce step-by-step procedure for drawing a face. I think I am generally getting the structure of the face but have not nailed the eyes. I think I am getting to see how the perspective affects the eyes and in this attempt, I have managed to retain the gaze but I think the symmetry is lost. Well a lesson learned and I will keep it in mind.

I am also slowly getting used to the concept of drawing and erasing is getting to be a core component of the drawing too… I am less afraid now to draw what needs to be drawn and then do some fixing by eraser. The concept of detailing through the negative space seems to be central to drawing and more importantly when it comes to lighting. if it is just time to master techniques, I am more than willing to spend it… However, creativity may remain elusive. duh…

Following their earlier test (which incidentally hit the nail on its head), London Transportation Authority has come out with another nice video… Watch and re-watch to find out what you missed. 

Direct Link: http://blog.guerrillacomm.com/2008/11/cyclist-awareness-updated.html

As the caption says, it is easy to miss what you are not looking for. This is true for all road users, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. I think Cyclists should pay more attention since they are potentially at the receiving end of someones lack of attention. I know I will be pretty careful out there and assume no one can see me when riding on the roads. Extra careful when crossing junctions.