Celebrating a Legendary Artist...

MAMORU OSHII

(Born August 8, 1951)

Happy Birthday to Mamoru Oshii

Director of Ghost in the Shell, Angel's Egg, 

and one of Japan's most influential filmmakers.

When Mamoru Oshii was offered the opportunity to adapt Masamune Shirow's "Ghost in the Shell". At first, the assignment held little appeal. A cyberpunk police thriller seemed an unlikely vehicle for his interests. But as Oshii immersed himself in Shirow's premise, he recognized something more compelling beneath its genre framework: an opportunity to examine how the rapid expansion of digital networks and information technologies was beginning to reshape the boundaries of human consciousness and identity.

As Oshii and screenwriter Kazunori Itō developed the adaptation, they quickly concluded that Shirow's irreverent sensibility was fundamentally at odds with the film they envisioned. The original 1989 manga balanced its philosophical ideas with manic comedy, punctuating tense action with slapstick, fourth-wall jokes, exaggerated chibi caricatures, and the playful antics of the Fuchikoma spider tanks. Nearly all of these elements were removed.

The most profound transformation was reserved for Major Motoko Kusanagi herself. Shirow's heroine is impulsive, outspoken, and often disarmingly playful; Oshii and Itō reconceived her as a figure defined by stillness, introspection, and profound existential isolation. Her emotional reserve became an extension of the film's central inquiry into the uneasy relationship between body, mind, and machine. Oshii reinforced this conception through the animation itself, instructing his artists to minimize Kusanagi's blinking, lending her an almost uncanny stillness that subtly underscores her distance from ordinary biological life. Oshii transforms what might have remained a conventional science-fiction thriller into something far more reflective: a meditation on memory, mortality, and the increasingly fragile distinction between the human soul and the digital systems that surround and ultimately redefine it.

Happy Birthday, George Jetson!

Here’s Why Fans Think ‘The Jetsons’

Character Was Born July 31, 2022

[Source: Yahoo!news] Roughly 50 years after the first episode of “The Jetsons” premiered, fans are gearing up to celebrate the birth of George Jetson, which according to lore, is July 31, 2022. But is that really his birthday?

On Thursday, a hawk-eyed fan pointed out that “someone is about to give birth” to the show’s main character, via a fan site listing the family patriarch’s exact birthdate.

The animated sitcom created by William Hannah and Joseph Barbera took place in the 21st century. Although no mention to a specific year was ever made in the show, promotional materials and articles from the time explained that it was set exactly 100 years in the future, according to MeTV.

Further evidence can be found in the episode “Test Pilot,” which aired Dec. 30, 1962. When Jetson’s doctor tells him he “should live to be 150,” he replies, “I’ve got 110 good years ahead of me!” – making him 40 years old.

The arrival of Jetson’s birthday six decades after “The Jetsons” debuted on ABC feels strangely fitting for a classic ’60s animated series that envisioned us all living in outer space by 2022.

If that makes you feel old, you’re not alone. In light of the news, the internet has been reflecting on their feelings about the show and how they wished reality mirrored its version of the future.

“This information about George Jetson’s birthday has me going through the five stages of a midlife crisis,” tweeted one user. “I hope Robot maids are invented soon.”

▶ Watch the TV Opening

Happy Birthday, Snoopy!

THE PEANUTS MOVIE

Snoopy’s birthday is on Monday, August 10, so The Peanuts Movie director Steve Martino is showing everyone how to #DrawSnoopy to get ready for the big day. We’d love to see your drawings! Post a picture of your penciled (or penned!) puppy to your favorite social channel using hashtag #DrawSnoopy.

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved “Peanuts” gang make their big-screen debut, like they’ve never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation. Snoopy, the world’s most lovable beagle – and flying ace – embarks upon his greatest mission as he takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis The Red Baron, while his best pal, Charlie Brown, begins his own epic quest. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day.

Visit the official site at: http://www.peanutsmovie.com/

Happy 90th Birthday, Stan Lee!

Hey, True Believers, STAN LEE, Turns 90!

[Source: TulsaWorld] Stan Lee turns 90 today, marking decades of amazing contribution to the comic industry. His characters are mentioned in pop songs, are displayed in every toy store, and have been seen in nearly every facet of American society. He's created some of the most iconic images in pop culture, and nearly anyone you meet can tell you who Captain America, The Hulk or the Avengers are.

Stan's contributions are nothing less than epic, and we're counting the great things Stan Lee did to change the industry.

Stan created the Fantastic Four and Avengers

Marvel comics was struggling to sell issues in the late 1940s and featured a usual 'monster of the week' comic as well as other less inspiring titles. When Stan took over, he came up with the idea of a 'superhero family,' and subsequently created the Fantastic Four. What was unusual about the Fantastic Four was their relationship to one another. They were all scientists, but they had other ties besides simply being NASA professionals. Three of the four were related, and the fourth member, "The Thing," was the archetype for societal outcasts. It was a new spin on the superhero genre which, to that point, had only shown loner superheros with sidekicks.

The Avengers was a culmination of Marvel's top-selling heroes in a 'super brand.' Essentially it was a brilliant idea co-written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to take their top-selling individual super heroes and make them a vibrant, cohesive team.

Stan created Spider-man, Thor, The Hulk and Captain America

Stan's character creations were excellent feels on the societal pulse of American society. Spider-man was a typical teenager with emerging abilities that made him heroic and dangerous, the Hulk had an anger problem that turned him into a super-powered Dr. Hyde, and Captain America was the idealization of the American way of life. These characters not only functioned as their own entities, but reflect society of the time with the deep issues they tackled.

Stan created the X-Men as the socially outcast superhero team

In keeping with this theme, Stan created the X-Men in 1963. These five teenagers were similar to Spider-man in that they were going through changes and realizing both their potential and danger. However, Stan decided to take it a step further and placed them as the underdogs, where they were continually hated for what they were and considered outcasts instead of heroes. There was a concerted effort in dialogue to reinforce the idea. There was even a throw-away comment by Cyclops who, when he saved a bus of kids, said "They're probably going to say it was Iron Man's repulsor beams that saved them." This set the stage for some great social commentary later on as the team expanded.

Stan hired Jack Kirby

When Stan Lee took over, Marvel was struggling with keeping its readers visually interested. Stan hired artist Jack Kirby to reinvigorate the characters and titles. Kirby is widely considered the father of modern comic book storytelling and sequential art. His characters would often jump from the pages and perspective was heavily used as well as classical art composition, which had been widely ignored previously.

Stan has had a knack for knowing who to surround himself with and who to hire to get the best quality of work possible for the project. Kirby was just one of the many people Stan hired to bring his ideas and titles to life and capture the imagination of entire generations.

Stan Lee has had one of the greatest impacts on our generation, and he shows no signs of stopping.

We raise a glass of Romulan Ale (Asgardian beer as well) to you, sir.

And just for fun, here's a clips reel of all the cameos Stan has made in comic book movies. Much like the man himself, it's pretty incredible.