Adult Swim: Terrorists?

Ad campaign triggers bomb scare in Boston


BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Electronic light boards featuring an adult-cartoon character triggered bomb scares around Boston on Wednesday, spurring authorities to close two bridges and a stretch of the Charles River before determining the devices were harmless.

Turner Broadcasting Co., the parent company of CNN, said the battery-operated light boards were aimed at promoting the late-night Adult Swim cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." The devices had been placed around Boston and nine other cities as part of an "outdoor marketing campaign," a company statement said.

The devices displayed one of the "Mooninites," outer-space delinquents who make frequent appearances on the cartoon, greeting passersby with a raised middle finger. Nine were reported around Boston on Wednesday, sending police bomb squads scrambling and snarling traffic and mass transit in one of the largest U.S. cities.



I'm curious to see if they air one of thier typically snarky bumps about this tonight.



Well, they apologized. The bump said that as soon as they heard that the ads were being reported as suspicious, they contacted the police and "third party marketing company" to have them remove. They commended the Beantown police for doing a quick job.

*Looks like they are repeating the bump before each show. No music behind it, very silent.

I can picture all the 40+ year old Bostonites calling the local police going, "There's a bomb and it's giving me the finger!" I guess Cartoon Network thought enough people would recognize the Aqua Teen Mooninite character to plaster flickering lightboards of them all over town. Apparently not. I mean, we have those things here in New York, but they aren't under bridges and strange places like these were.

In the end it was handled pretty tastefully and I guess it's a sobering reminder of the times we live in. But it makes me wonder about Adult Swim's success and the kind of business they're hoping to make with the Aqua Teen movie.


Movie Trailer


The Suspects Speak!

*I take back what I said about this being handled tastefully - Boston police arrested Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens, the two men responsible for installing the light boards. Likewise, the police are unsatisfied with Turner Broadcasting's apology, calling it "outrageous" and the product of "corporate greed."

This is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, it was certainly an ill-advised marketing campaign, but there's no reason to arrest people. Go after the corporation, maybe, but jeez. It's a goddamn cartoon.

Didn't take long for someone to make T-Shirts about the whole mess.

Tales of the Brothers Quay

The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (1984)


Dramolet (Stille Nacht I) (1988)


Are We Still Married? (Stille Nacht II) (1991)


Tales from the Vienna Woods (Stille Nacht III) (1992)


Can’t Go Wrong Without You (Stille Nacht IV) (1993)


Played at the Film Forum
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19 - THURSDAY, JANUARY 25

The program included the following films:
The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (1984)
The Epic of Gilgamesh (1985)
Street of Crocodiles (1986)
Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies (1986)
Dramolet (Stille Nacht I) (1988)
The Comb (From the Museums of Sleep) (1991)
Anamorphosis (or De Artificiali Perspectiva) (1991)
Are We Still Married? (Stille Nacht II) (1991)
Tales from the Vienna Woods (Stille Nacht III) (1992)
Can’t Go Wrong Without You (Stille Nacht IV) (1993)
In Absentia (2000)



Masters of stop-motion, The Quay Brothers are known for their Freudian-influenced state of conciousness style imagery similar to that of Jan Švankmajer. Most of their films feature dolls, often disassembled, in a dream world of machine parts, meat, wood puzzles and other found objects. Their attention to detail is striking - you can see the layers of dirt, filth and ware on their materials, and their set designs are amazingly constructed. Their camera work is also well definied, utlilizing intense closeups, rack focuses, vertical and horizontal pans, and repetition to built a distinct rhythmic aesthetic. Their best known work is the haunting Street of Crocodiles, based on the short story of the same name by the Polish author and artist Bruno Schulz. The Film Forum retrospective may be over, but check out those videos and see for yourself.

Info on the Quay Brothers:
Senses of Cinema interview: Quay Brothers
2006 Suicide Girls interview: Quay Brothers

Cartoons are better than everyone

If you were to ask a cartoonist what they felt about animation, they'd probably tell you that it's the perfect art form: a masterful blend of the visual arts with sonic and cinematic techniques. In many ways, this is true - good animation not only requires artistic skill, but a knowledge of movement, editing and rhythm. Of course, not all animators have these skills and sometimes, at it's worst, animation can be crude, lifeless, and ugly. But it can also be one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring forms of expression; a truly unique way of understanding the world around us while bringing new ones to life.

The lack of academic study in the field of animation is astounding and, as animatophiles, it becomes our job to approach this art form and it's history with a critical eye. While artists like John Kricfalusi (who did that hot little number above) openly voice their aesthetic, the flat out dismissal of cartoons by academics is unsound. Likewise, as a field that is full of rapid change due not only to aesthetics but technology, it's important that we address all forms of animation and contextualize them without bias.

This new blog, as an addendum to Cinematikal will address the world of animation in full. So... let's get cartooning!