It’s CTNX time.
The Creative Talent Network’s Animation shindig started today. Photos and fun will be had at the Burbank Marriott until Saturday evening, when whatever’s left over is packed up. It’s also a terrific opportunity to support artists by buying their art. Dare I say it’ll make a lovely and unique gift?
I helped grease the production’s wheels under this gathering in 2019. One bonus was getting to meet excellent human and multi-talented artist, Aaron Blaise. Plenty of other animation royalty will also be giving presentations and/or casually wandering the aisles, as artists look at artists.
It’s thrilling to be surrounded by artists of this calibre!
A jewel will descend from the skies to dazzle me if I get the chance to meet Floyd Norman. He’s rightly the star of his own documentary and that’s only partly because of his many contributions to Disney animation as its first black artist. For me he’s enshrined as a person who helped bring the first, animated Jungle Book to life and drew Mogli. I can only hope he and the team got to flip through their pinned sheets of paper while the soundtrack featuring Phil Silvers and Scatman Caruthers played in the background. Such a gorgeous movie.
It’s said you should never meet your heroes – but clearly, people don’t have my list, who’ve been lovely. Living in Los Angeles, it’s been my great thrill to meet and talk with Stevie Wonder, Richard Dreyfuss, CCH Pounder, and longtime wish-come-true, that clever, gallant gentleman, Mr. Ed McMahon. Meeting Dick Orkin was a 2-in-1, because this man was the legendary creator of “Chickenman.” Bok-bok-bok-bokkkk!
Floyd, however, is King of the Swingers. It’s concerning that his last @floydnorman tweet* was a year ago.
Hugely selfish of me, and still – I hope the great artist can dodge the damn viruses whirling around us, and come to CTNX. I just want to say thank you. Perhaps he’ll sign my vintage Jungle Book comic.
Update: Got an answering email from someone in his camp: Mr Norman will attend CTNX! No info on which day this will be.
*dang, Elon. Settle down.
Cosucoe 