Taylor Jessen at Animation World Magazine (who is obviously a smart and handsome person) has written a very generous review of Learn Self Defense. Here is an exerpt:

…This could have been very topical and on-the-nose, and like most timely satire destined to fade quickly from memory. Instead Learn Self Defense is one for the ages. In a classic homeroom-style educational film format, he lays out hilariously self-fulfilling arguments for war that would become standard in some alternate-universe, subversive American educational system….

 Read the whole article here.

Back from Austin! There were a lot of really great animated shorts in the program, and it was an honor to be among them. The crowd was wonderful. This was the first public screening of Learn Self Defense, and the audience seemed to really get it.

Here are a few earaly reviews and press mentions from the screening. We'll be logging all the reviews at the Learn Self Defense page, so check back there once in a while if you give a crap what critics think.

The best quote so far:
"These shorts definitely aren't the 'feel-good' type." from Audra Schroeder of the Austin Chronicle

Austin Chronicle, review of SXSW Animated Shorts Program
Sure, the last time you saw "animation" might have been as the opening act for Carrot Top at the Chuckle Bucket, but this collection of animated shorts has – gasp – a social message. … Most enjoyable, however, is "Learn Self-Defense," the story of a simple man named George who is a god-fearing husband and father, until he is robbed and beaten. He decides he must learn self-defense, and the final scene shows George in a 10-gallon hat, skipping down Main Street in Anytown, USA, and polishing off any person who gets in his way. These shorts definitely aren't the "feel-good" type, but the message should be applauded.

- Audra Schroeder, Austin Chronicle
March 18, 2005

Celluloid Eyes, on SXSW Animated Shorts Program
…This was a very nice collection. My favorite, which I think was an overall audience favorite too, was "Learn Self Defense." It is a parody of educational animated films, in which an average little man named George learns all about how to defend himself. After the first lesson, you start realizing that there's a reason why this character is named George, and that many of these lessons seem to be directed at another George we all know. The director, Chris Harding, was in attendance and he said that there are in fact people who don't make the connection between the main character and certain political figures. But this Austin audience got it and loved it. …Jette, Celluloid EyesMarch 14, 2005Hybrid Magazine, on SXSW Animated Shorts ProgramAnimated Shorts, o light of my life! Fire of my… No wait, that’s Lolita. Well anyway, the program of animated short films is always a festival treat and this year was no exception. Highlights include Tatia Rosenthal’s A Buck’s Worth, a talky, thoughty stop-motion film about a homeless man and a business man who meet on the street; the political hilarity of Chris Harding’s Learn Self Defense; and Backseat Bingo, Liz Blazer’s documentary about the sex lives of octogenarians.  

-Roxanne Bogucka, Hybrid Magazine
March 13, 2005

IndieWIRE, on upcoming Florida Film Festival
…The festival also includes 27 narrative competition shorts, 10 documentary competition shorts, and 14 animated competition shorts. Highlights include "The Old Man and Hemingway" directed by Hugo Perez; "Learn Self Defense," directed by Chris Harding; and the North American premiere of "The Intervention," directed by Jay Duplass, winner of a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last month…

- Shilpa Mankikar, indieWIRE
March 17, 2005

AltText, recap of SXSW and Animated Shorts Program
…I particularly liked: Learn Self Defense by Chris Harding, Binge and Purge by Ben MeinHardt, Awaken by Joey Ingram & Josh Mahan, Convenience by Ryan Kirkwood and my favorite Orpheus & the Underworld…

- Ben Edwards, AltText
March 17, 2005

If you're into reading quasi-monthly publications about design, check out the March issue of "Rough," put out by the Dallas Society of Visual Communication. In it, you will find an ignorant, rambling, incoherent diatribe by Chris Harding about big budget animation.

Aaron Simpson has a great Flash and 2D animation news site called Cold Hard Flash.

Everyone loves to talk about himself, and this week Chris Harding did an interview with Aaron.

READ IT HERE. 

Also watch for Aaron's upcoming show on KidsWB called "Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad"

Hell, why not?

The "Make Mine Shoebox," a video commissioned by a very large greeting card corporation, has been posted in its entirety in the Animation Section. 

Go to the Make Mine Shoebox page to see the entire 5-minute short online in glorious, crappy, web-compressed Quicktime.

We are proud to announce the premiere of Chris Harding's new short, "Learn Self Defense" at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March.

It's a wonderful festival of film, music, and interactive arts. It runs from March 11-19 in Austin Texas.

More details about screening times and locations will be posted as they become available. Hopefully this is just the beginning of the festival tour, so stay tuned. We may be screening in a theatre near you this year.  

Over the Summer and Fall, Chris Harding had a chance to work– sort of in an art director capacity– with the very talented Bunko Studios in New York on a series of eight very short animations, comissioned by a very large greeting card corporation.

The animations have been completed, sound added, etc. They came out beautiful. Bunko is outstanding, and a pleasure to work with. Call them if you ever need animation. They will blow your ass away.

still from interstitial series, "Snowmen"
animated by Bunko Studios,
art directed by Chris Harding

Make Mine Shoebox has been honored at the Kansas City AIGA 2004 Design Competition, in the Motion Graphics category. As everyone knows, AIGA stands for American Institute of Graphic Arts.

The short will be screening at the reception. 

For the Kansas City people, here are some details about the awards ceremony:

DATE/TIME:
Friday, January 21, 2005
6:30pm - 10:00pm

LOCATION:
Club 1000 Penthouse
1000 Broadway6th floor
Kansas City, MO
(above Tanner's)

ADMISSION:
$35 Members$45 Non-members
$25 Student Members
$35 Student Non-Members

RSVP: info@kansascity.aiga.org

The Robot Family Short "The Slick Salesman" has made the top ten in the Nicktoons Film Festival competition. What this means is… well, who knows. But it's an honor to be in the top ten amongst some great films.

Many thanks to Nicktoons and Frederator for holding the contest, and giving independent animators a little peek into television.

By the way, there was a really good little film in the early part of the series called "Attack of the Note Sheep." Very simple and clever. Worth checking out…

Time and location have been confirmed for Chris Harding and Tim Stout's presentation at FlashForward 2005. Please come on by if you happen to find yourself at the conference. It should be fun, in a painfully awkward sort of way. Chris Harding is, shall we say "uncomfortable" with public speaking.

Also, Matthew Carter, creator of (among many other things) the font Helvetica will be at the conference! One of our favorite fonts (we are also big fans of Futura) Also, Lawrence Lessig will be speaking. He's got a lot of interesting stuff to say about intelectual property, etc.

Here's the schedule:

Topic:
Chris Harding and Tim Stout will speak (on behalf of a very large greeting card corporation) on the topic of "Storytelling for Fun and Profit"

Time/location:
Friday, April 8th at 10:15 AM in the Seminar Room at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco