Toon Boom and FableVision Announce the Release of Animation-Ish
Montreal (May 27, 2008) – Emmy award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. and educational publisher FableVision today announced the release of Animation-Ish, an innovative software program that allows people of all ages to unleash their creativity through easy, “do-it-yourself” animation.
The program is hosted by New York Times Bestselling children’s book author/illustrator and creativity advocate Peter H. Reynolds, FableVision’s founder and chief executive officer. The program brings to life the “ish” philosophy that art pieces don’t need to create a mirror image of reality to effectively convey ideas, popularized by Reynolds in his best-selling books “The Dot” and “Ish” (published by Candlewick Press). The books are printed in over 20 languages around the world. Reynolds uses a playful, low-stress approach to coach children and adults to think “ishfully” about their art and be brave about expressing their creativity and originality.
“Too many people say, ‘I can’t draw.’ I constantly remind kids and adults that their creations don’t have to be perfect, they just have to be ‘perfect-ish,’ which is where the name Animation-ish came from,” said Reynolds. To help users overcome their possible reluctance toward drawing, Reynolds personally guides users through the program with dozens of video clips featuring drawing tips, and samples of his own artwork.
Animation-ish features:
- More than 50 “Inspire Me” video clips with Peter H. Reynolds
- Three animation skill-levels
- “Project Vault” with Reynolds’ drawings and starter ideas
- “Share” feature for exporting into multiple formats
- 24 lessons written by teachers for teachers
- Additional lessons written by teachers available online
- Additional tutorials by Reynolds and the animators of FableVision available online
“Working with FableVision on Animation-ish was fantastic, combining our expertise in developing easy-to-use animation technology with their inspirational approach and creative philosophy” stated Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer at Toon Boom.
Running on Mac and PC, Animation-ish is offered in two versions: retail and educational. The price for Animation-ish is $59.95 for a single copy. The Educational version which includes a printed Classroom Edition User’s Guide is offered at $499.95 for a 10-computer license, or $999.95 for a 25-computer license. Information and a preview of the program is available at http://www.toonboom.com/products/animationish/.