Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation
Encyclopedia
Spike & Mike's is a collection ("festival") of short animated films which annually tours theaters, film festivals, and college campuses in North America
. It was founded in 1977 by Craig "Spike" Decker and Mike Gribble.
The festival is presented annually in La Jolla and then tours to theatres, film festivals, and college campuses in about a dozen North America
n cities.
Decker and Gribble began by founding Mellow Manor Productions, Inc. in Riverside, California
in the 1970s as a means of promoting rock bands and special screenings of horror films as well as movie classics. After spending the summer of 1977 giving out flyers for the Fantastic Animation Festival, they decided to focus on presenting packages of animated films themselves, known as the Festival of Animation (now called "Classic Festival of Animation") in venues across the country.
The Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation began in 1990 at Wheeler Auditorium at UC Berkeley. This is an unrated, adult version of the regular program mainly featuring gross-out cartoons. In the Festival's early days, Spike and Mike would take the stage and introduce the films. Frequently Spike’s dog "Scottie" would take the stage and be driven to shred just about anything (up to the size of a two man inflatable raft) by the audience cheers and applause.
In the 1990s, Spike and Mike produced two annual tours - both Classic and Sick and Twisted - but by the early 2000s, the Classic Festival of Animation was entirely phased out by Sick and Twisted Festival.
Before the "Festival of Animation" it was difficult to see independent, experimental, and foreign animation. Spike and Mike went on yearly world-wide film hunting expeditions. They signed-on animation from the National Film Board of Canada, Cal Arts, Sheridan, Royal College of Art, Annecy, and select studios active amongst the art-house scene that did not have a public venue. This Festival has come to be known as destination avant garde. In the 1990s Spike & Mike screened early films from such animators as Nick Park
, Marv Newland, Tim Burton
, Barry Purves
, John Lasseter
, Andrew Stanton, Will Vinton, and more.
The shows have toured in theaters, film festivals such as (Cannes, Sundance, Annecy), college campuses, and dynamic events such as the Vans Warped Tour, the Winter X Games, and with the nu-metal band Korn.
Initially, Spike and Mike produced the Classic Festival and later both the Classic and Sick and Twisted simultaneously, but by the early 2000s the "Classic Festival of Animation" was phased into hiatus by the "Sick and Twisted Festival." The Festival (meaning the current show) premieres a new cavalcade of cinema fantastic annually. Spike & Mike's "New Generation Animation" was created in place of the Classic Festival to show films that did not fit into the category of "sick and twisted."
, Miles Thompson, Danny Antonucci
, Dave Smith, Steve Fonti, Craig Kellman, Mike Judge and many more. Several films under Spike and Mike's Mellow Manor Productions were funded either partially or entirely from concept to completion (such us Mike Judge's first Beavis and Butthead films). Working beyond their initial projects, many of these artists have become prominent in the industry and independent creatives, commercial artists, painters, screenwriters, and designers. Several notables and their work have gone on to be nominated for or won Oscars, Emmys, Annie Awards, and other honors.
Before the Festival of Animation it was difficult to see independent or foreign animation. Spike and Mike found animation from the Canada National Film Board and CalArts that did not have a public venue. In the 1990s they screened early films from such animators as Nick Park
, Marv Newland, Tim Burton
, John Lasseter
, Andrew Stanton and Will Vinton.
Spike and Mike would sometimes fund films to be shown in their festivals. After Mike Judge
’s first Beavis and Butt-head
became popular with the Sick and Twisted crowd, Spike and Mike funded his next shorts and brought other animator's creative concepts to the big screen.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It was founded in 1977 by Craig "Spike" Decker and Mike Gribble.
- The Festival of Animation, later renamed the Classic Festival of Animation, was the original format, started in 1977, and continued into the early 2000s.
- The Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation started in 1990 and ran alongside the original festival (which was renamed the Classic festival in this context), becoming the sole festival in the early 2000s as the Classic festival was phased out.
- The New Generation Animation Festival was introduced in February 2010, and is a new show that is distributed along with the Sick and Twisted. "For years now I've had films that didn't quite fit into the Sick and Twisted category, films that are more sophisticated and artistic but at the same of high production value, over-the-top humorous and really an introduction on what's new on the pop cult landscape.
The festival is presented annually in La Jolla and then tours to theatres, film festivals, and college campuses in about a dozen North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n cities.
History
Mellow Manor Productions, Inc. was founded by Craig ‘Spike’ Decker and Mike Gribble, popularly known as “Spike & Mike". Mellow Manor is named after the famed Victorian house in Riverside where Spike, Mike and many others lived in a communal setting. Although Mike Gribble died from cancer in August 1994, Spike continues to produce touring theatrical festivals of animated short film collections.Decker and Gribble began by founding Mellow Manor Productions, Inc. in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
in the 1970s as a means of promoting rock bands and special screenings of horror films as well as movie classics. After spending the summer of 1977 giving out flyers for the Fantastic Animation Festival, they decided to focus on presenting packages of animated films themselves, known as the Festival of Animation (now called "Classic Festival of Animation") in venues across the country.
The Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation began in 1990 at Wheeler Auditorium at UC Berkeley. This is an unrated, adult version of the regular program mainly featuring gross-out cartoons. In the Festival's early days, Spike and Mike would take the stage and introduce the films. Frequently Spike’s dog "Scottie" would take the stage and be driven to shred just about anything (up to the size of a two man inflatable raft) by the audience cheers and applause.
In the 1990s, Spike and Mike produced two annual tours - both Classic and Sick and Twisted - but by the early 2000s, the Classic Festival of Animation was entirely phased out by Sick and Twisted Festival.
Before the "Festival of Animation" it was difficult to see independent, experimental, and foreign animation. Spike and Mike went on yearly world-wide film hunting expeditions. They signed-on animation from the National Film Board of Canada, Cal Arts, Sheridan, Royal College of Art, Annecy, and select studios active amongst the art-house scene that did not have a public venue. This Festival has come to be known as destination avant garde. In the 1990s Spike & Mike screened early films from such animators as Nick Park
Nick Park
Nicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep....
, Marv Newland, Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
, Barry Purves
Barry Purves
Barry J.C. Purves is an English animator, director and writer of puppet animation and also a designer and director of stage plays, primarily for the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse in Manchester...
, John Lasseter
John Lasseter
John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....
, Andrew Stanton, Will Vinton, and more.
The shows have toured in theaters, film festivals such as (Cannes, Sundance, Annecy), college campuses, and dynamic events such as the Vans Warped Tour, the Winter X Games, and with the nu-metal band Korn.
Initially, Spike and Mike produced the Classic Festival and later both the Classic and Sick and Twisted simultaneously, but by the early 2000s the "Classic Festival of Animation" was phased into hiatus by the "Sick and Twisted Festival." The Festival (meaning the current show) premieres a new cavalcade of cinema fantastic annually. Spike & Mike's "New Generation Animation" was created in place of the Classic Festival to show films that did not fit into the category of "sick and twisted."
Popular contributors
In the 1990s, Spike and Mike showed work from animators such as Craig McCrackenCraig McCracken
Craig McCracken is an American animator and creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.-Biography:...
, Miles Thompson, Danny Antonucci
Danny Antonucci
Daniel Edward "Danny" Antonucci is an animator,director producer and screenwriter best known for his 1999 animated series Ed, Edd n Eddy, which has ended its run, but airs on Cartoon Network every weekday at 2:30 and 3:00pm EST...
, Dave Smith, Steve Fonti, Craig Kellman, Mike Judge and many more. Several films under Spike and Mike's Mellow Manor Productions were funded either partially or entirely from concept to completion (such us Mike Judge's first Beavis and Butthead films). Working beyond their initial projects, many of these artists have become prominent in the industry and independent creatives, commercial artists, painters, screenwriters, and designers. Several notables and their work have gone on to be nominated for or won Oscars, Emmys, Annie Awards, and other honors.
Before the Festival of Animation it was difficult to see independent or foreign animation. Spike and Mike found animation from the Canada National Film Board and CalArts that did not have a public venue. In the 1990s they screened early films from such animators as Nick Park
Nick Park
Nicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep....
, Marv Newland, Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
, John Lasseter
John Lasseter
John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....
, Andrew Stanton and Will Vinton.
Spike and Mike would sometimes fund films to be shown in their festivals. After Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Michael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
’s first Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
became popular with the Sick and Twisted crowd, Spike and Mike funded his next shorts and brought other animator's creative concepts to the big screen.
Prominent animators and contributions
- Danny AntonucciDanny AntonucciDaniel Edward "Danny" Antonucci is an animator,director producer and screenwriter best known for his 1999 animated series Ed, Edd n Eddy, which has ended its run, but airs on Cartoon Network every weekday at 2:30 and 3:00pm EST...
(creator of Ed, Edd n EddyEd, Edd n EddyEd, Edd n Eddy is an original animated television series created by Danny Antonucci and produced by Canadian-based a.k.a. Cartoon. It premiered on Cartoon Network on January 4, 1999. Ed, Edd n Eddy was one of Cartoon Network's longest running and most successful franchises and the longest-running...
): Lupo the ButcherLupo the ButcherLupo the Butcher is a 1987 animated film directed and written by Danny Antonucci. Gary Lambeth is credited as being the ink and paint artist.-Plot:... - Don HertzfeldtDon HertzfeldtDon Hertzfeldt is the creator of many short animated films, including the Academy-Award nominated Rejected and Everything Will Be OK. His animated films have received over 150 awards and have been presented around the world. Before the age of thirty, his films were already the subject of several...
: Ah L'amour, Genre, Lily and JimLily and JimLily and Jim is a 16mm animated short film by Don Hertzfeldt. It is Hertzfeldt's third student film from UC Santa Barbara, for which he single-handedly animated over 10,000 drawings. In the film, an awkward blind date between a hopeless couple goes from very bad to much worse...
, Billy's BalloonBilly's BalloonBilly's Balloon is a 16mm animated short by Don Hertzfeldt. It was his 4th and final student film at UC Santa Barbara. Similar to his other cartoons, he utilizes a minimalist stick-figure technique....
, RejectedRejectedRejected is an animated short comedy film by Don Hertzfeldt that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2000. It received 27 awards from film festivals around the world.... - Mike JudgeMike JudgeMichael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
: Beavis and Butt-HeadBeavis and Butt-HeadBeavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
: "Frog Baseball" - Bill PlymptonBill PlymptonWilliam "Bill" Calvin Plympton is an American animator, former cartoonist, director, screenwriter and producer best known for his 1987 Academy Award-nominated animated short Your Face. and his series of shorts Guard Dog, Guide Dog, Hot Dog and Horn Dog.- Biography :Bill Plympton was born in...
: Your Face (film)Your Face (film)Your Face is a 1987 animated short film by Bill Plympton. It involves a man seated in a chair crooning about the face of his lover, and as he sings, his own face starts to distort in various ways...
, 25 Ways to Quit Smoking, EatEATEAT or eat may refer to:* Eating, the process of consuming food, for the purpose of providing for the nutritional needs of an animal* To take a loss in a transaction. The one who absorbs the loss is said to eat the cost of that loss... - Craig McCrackenCraig McCrackenCraig McCracken is an American animator and creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.-Biography:...
(creator of The Powerpuff GirlsThe Powerpuff GirlsThe Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
and Foster's Home for Imaginary FriendsFoster's Home for Imaginary FriendsFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an American animated television series created and produced at Cartoon Network Studios by animator Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls. It first premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minute television movie, which led to a series...
): No Neck Joe - Marv NewlandMarv NewlandMarv Newland is a filmmaker who specializes in animation.Newland began a career making animated motion pictures in Los Angeles with the creation of the short Bambi Meets Godzilla...
: Bambi Meets GodzillaBambi Meets GodzillaBambi Meets Godzilla is the title of the cartoon created entirely by Marv Newland. Less than two minutes long, the film is a classic of animation—#38 in the book The 50 Greatest Cartoons .... - John R. DilworthJohn R. DilworthJonathan Robert Dilworth is an American animator. He is best known as the producer, director, writer, and creator of the animated television series Courage the Cowardly Dog....
(creator of Courage the Cowardly DogCourage the Cowardly DogCourage the Cowardly Dog is an American animated television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. Its central plot revolves around a somewhat anthropomorphic dog named Courage who lives with his owners, Muriel and Eustace Bagge, an elderly, married farming couple in the "Middle of...
): The Dirdy Birdy - Matt StoneMatt StoneMatthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
& Trey ParkerTrey ParkerTrey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
(creators of South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
): The Spirit Of Christmas - Nick ParkNick ParkNicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep....
(creator of Wallace And GromitWallace and GromitWallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
) - Breehn BurnsBreehn BurnsBreehn Burns is an American writer, director, voice artist and animator.He co-created the popular Dr. Tran franchise which has aired on G4TV, is staple of the Spike & Mike Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation and has become a popular internet meme...
(creator of Dr. TranDr. TranDr. Tran is the main character of several short animated films by Lone Sausage Productions. "Here Comes Dr. Tran" is the first in the Dr. Tran series. It is a 7-minute, 46 second long animated short film that has become a viral video...
) - Kenn NavarroKenn NavarroKenn Navarro is a Filipino American animator known for creating the popular internet cartoon Happy Tree Friends. He did a one-time role as a green derby-hated man from the Dick Figures episode "Kitty Amazing".-Happy Tree Friends:...
(creator of Happy Tree FriendsHappy Tree FriendsHappy Tree Friends is an American Flash cartoon and made by Mondo Mini Shows, created and developed by Aubrey Ankrum Rhode Montijo Kenn Navarro and Warren Graff. The show has become a popular Internet phenomenon and it's since debut and has also won a cult following.As indicated on the official...
) - Gregory EcklundGregory EcklundGregory Ecklund is the director of animation at THQ's Heavy Iron Studios.He got his start in animation by screening his Lloyd's Lunchbox series at Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation...
(creator of the Lloyd's Lunchbox series) - Eric FogelEric FogelEric Fogel is an American director, writer, producer and voice actor who is best known as the creator of the TV series Celebrity Deathmatch. He also created the cult series The Head and Starveillance and also directed several episodes of Daria....
(creator of Celebrity DeathmatchCelebrity DeathmatchCelebrity Deathmatch is a claymation television show that depicts celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the loser's gruesome death. It was known for its excessive amount of blood used in every match and exaggerated physical injuries...
): Mutilator - John LasseterJohn LasseterJohn Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....
(director of Toy StoryToy StoryToy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...
): Red's DreamRed's DreamRed's Dream is a short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by John Lasseter, which was released in 1987. To date, this is the only short that has not been attached to one of Pixar's feature films in some form, the only Pixar short to be rendered on the Pixar Image Computer, and...
, Tin ToyTin ToyTin Toy is a 1988 short film using computer animation. It was directed by John Lasseter and produced by Pixar. It was the first testing of PhotoRealistic RenderMan... - Andrew StantonAndrew StantonAndrew Stanton is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional voice actor based at Pixar Animation Studios. His film work includes writing and directing Finding Nemo and WALL-E; both films earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.-Life and career:Stanton was...
(director of Finding NemoFinding NemoFinding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
): A Story - Barry PurvesBarry PurvesBarry J.C. Purves is an English animator, director and writer of puppet animation and also a designer and director of stage plays, primarily for the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse in Manchester...
(animator, director, and writer of Screen Play) - Pete Docter (animator, director, and writer of UpUp (2009 film)Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
, Monsters Inc.): Winter, Palm Springs, Next Door - Jim LujanJim LujanJim Lujan is an animator and cartoonist based in the LA area. He is the creator of many short animated films that are primarily featured online and in film festivals. One of Jim's films, "Mama, I'm a Thug", was featured in the Sick n twisted film festival in 2006...
(animator, director, and writer, founder of "Ghettomation")