Artist Annemarie’s First Official Disney Custom Debuts at WDW

WDWNT on August 27, 2013

It was a very special moment. Sure I have been a collector (and browser) of fine Disney collectibles for a few years now, but never has it felt like it did when I walked into the Art of Disney at Downtown Disney in Walt Disney World on Tuesday.

I had heard that Disney recently put a 9″ custom by the artist Annemarie up for sale. It was a completely under the radar release that was not attached to any event WDW was holding (unlike most Disney commissioned customs). This custom was created at the request of Annemarie to Disney to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a cartoon character she loves above all others… Roger Rabbit. So I just had to rush over and check it out.

Over the past few years, Annemarie has become a great friend, not only of Destination Vinylmation, but personally. The funny part is, although I consider her one of my closest friends, we have yet to ever meet face to face. A fact we plan to rectify when I head over to Anaheim for the D23 Expo in August.

This custom is beautiful. Roger Rabbit is painted onto the head of the custom as he and Benny crash through a brick wall. Roger wears his familiar smile as he bounces out of his seat… still grasping the steering wheel in his hands. The bricks break away from the wall in little shaded squares to help give depth and movement to the canvas. They also have a caroony, non linear style to them. Green Dip splatters through the ears and covers the arms.

Benny the Cab is drawn onto the body. His cartoony curves wonderfully match the animated character. Annemarie did a fantastic job capturing the style of the original animated characters and bringing them to life on the nine inch Mickey.

The back features a black silhouette of Roger and Benny as they break through the building. Note the hands up in the air and Roger still sitting in the cab. As opposed to the front position which denotes a period of time that has passed while they traveled through the building.

All artists have their strengths and unique styles. And to a degree, art is in the eye of the beholder. But Annemarie has brought me to a new appreciation of art. I look at things a different way now. And that is a great gift she has given to me. I think all art can be appreciated by different people in different ways, but some art just has something special that makes it aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. Ever read a book about Imagineering the Disney Parks? Nothing is by accident. Everything is planned to elicit a desired emotion in the viewer. That is great art.

When I walked into the Art of Disney and saw Annemarie’s custom displayed for sale among other Vinylmation… among other great pieces of art that adorn the walls of this store… I was proud. Proud of a friend who is talented, hardworking and deserves this recognition. I was happy. Happy because I know what seeing her name on placard in a Disney store next to all these other talented artists means to her. I was also excited. Excited that hopefully that gift she has given to me can now be shared with all the guests who view her work. Hopefully there are many more to come.

Episode 129 WDW Road Sign

WDWNT on August 27, 2013

Ep. 129 WDW Road Sign

This week we review Muppets 3 and talk about all the D23 Expo Vinylmation news including a WDI series, the Blank web series and artist signings. We talk to Vinylmation Exchange about what’s hot in the hobby. And we begin a new segment with Matt from Vinylmation Kingdom to get his take on the latest news.

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Annemarie’s Custom Studio Ghibli Series

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

Beginning on April 1st, and continuing for the next twelve days, artist Annemarie will reveal a figure from her new Studio Ghibli custom Vinylmation series. It is a 12 figure series that will cover 9 different movies and will contain some wonderful surprises! Follow Annemarie at her Facebook artist page.

“My hope with this set is to reach the fans of Studio Ghibli but to also hopefully inspire many of you to check out these amazing films, some of which I believe are the greatest animated movies of all time.” – Annemarie

 Yubaba
“Spirited Away”
Proprietor of The Bathhouse and the main antagonist of the animated film.

Wow! The use of Frollo’s hat as her hair is innovative and just flat out amazing.

Howl
“Howl’s Moving Castle”
Mysterious, reclusive wizard.

This is my favorite Studio Ghibli film. This custom is full of color and life. The inclusion of Calcifer in the ear is a perfect way to add to the story. And the detail of the castle in the other ear is stunning.

Kiki
“Kiki’s Delivery Service”
A young witch

Annemarie uses the Minnie platform and Kiki is a perfect fit. Kiki’s cat Jiji is expertly drawn on that tiny space in the ear. And the sculpted broom isn’t half bad either.
Btw, some ? images below have now transformed 😉

Porco
“Porco Rosso”
WWI fighter ace and freelance bounty hunter

Part of what makes this series great is the shading, wonderfully done here bringing Porco to life. Also small details in the ears, like the plane here.

Blue Totoro
“My Neighbor Totoro”
  Leads a Mei to find Totoro asleep.

A wonderful depiction of the small blue creature from the film. Annemarie previously made a 9″ large grey Totoro. 

Mei
“My Neighbor Totoro”
Little girl who meets and befriends Totoro.

Great seamless use of the top of the Minnie canvas between the ears and the bow. Her dress and shoes also fit perfectly onto the Minnie.

Baby Boh
“Spirited Away”
Yubaba’s baby.

Again, a wonderful use of shading and minimal lines in the face to really bring the character across. Nice detail in the ear and the perfect Junior companion.

Baron
“The Cat Returns”
Young girl on the way to the Cat Kingdom.

A wonderful representation capturing the face and suit really well. The large top hat and sculpted cane give this piece added character.

Arrietty
“The Secret World of Arrietty”
A borrower who lives under the floorboards.

Another custom on the Minnie. Very smart use of the bow for her hair clip. Wonderful use of layers for the clip, hair and greenery backdrop. And yes, that’s a real pin accessory.

Ponyo
“Ponyo”
A fish-girl who floats away on the back of a jellyfish.

The idea to use the buzz helmet is great and she even painted on it. Everything just fits for a very pleasing design. The jellyfish painted on the body are beautiful.

No Face
“Spirited Away”
A spirit who attaches himself to Chihiro.

A seemingly simple addition to the series actually has intricately drawn ears, both Mickey arm removed and a sculpted upside down arm attached to represent his giving of gifts.

San
“Princess Mononoke”
A woman raised by the wolves

So good, I had to post both the front and the back. How incredibly rich and detailed are both sides of this vinyl! Again, on a Minnie shaped canvas, the design perfectly takes the form head to toe. The inclusion of a junior with a few Tree Spirits painted on is a great bonus.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Annemarie

WDWNT on December 31, 2012

We want to give an update on artist Annemarie. First, she has a new Facebook page where she displays all of her latest work. When you get the chance, go LIKE that page to get updates on all of Annemarie’s customs. Next, we want to share with you some of her latest work. This first one may be my personal favorite of her customs yet:

 
3″ Furry Friends Figaro and Cleo
 
Front
Back

Totoro! With Satsuki and Mei detail
Country Bear Jamboree Master of Ceremonies, Henry… with Sammy Jr.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Annemarie

WDWNT on December 31, 2012

Annemarie is back with her latest custom, Locke from the TV show Lost.

Destination Vinylmation: Were you a fan of the Lost TV series?
Annemarie: I was (and still am) a HUGE fan of the series. It’s scary, actually. I’m a bit crazy about it.

DV: Why Locke? Was he your favorite character or just the most fun to design a custom based on?
AM: This was actually a custom order, so I didn’t choose the character. I was always more of a Jack fan. 🙂 But Locke lent himself well to the vinylmation form, he’s got the perfect round-shaped bald head for it.

DV: Tell us about some of the details on this figure.
AM: The figure was created for a fan, so I wanted to include as many details as I could on the figure. I knew I’d include the Smoke Monster (since SPOILER ALERT Locke eventually became the smoke monster) but I decided to take it a step further and design it in a way that would indicate sort of the “bad Locke” on the back. So I painted the countdown clock in the hatch on one of the ears, and the same clock on the back but in a more dire consequence (after the button fails to get pushed. Non Lost-fans, bear with me; I know you’re terribly confused already.) To make it more ominous, I made the Smoke Monster a bit bigger and closer to Locke, as if it’s part of him. Throw in a compass and Locke’s ever-important, trusty knife, and he was done!

The Truth is Out There

WDWNT on December 21, 2012

A wonderful Vinylmation set designed by Annemarie caught my eye recently. It is based on one of my all-time favorite TV shows, The X-Files.

The set is made up of a 9 inch “I want to believe” poster with a junior grey alien with a three inch Mulder and three inch Scully. Annemarie auctioned this set off for charity.

She even gave Mulder some sunflower seeds on the inside of his left hand. After all  what would he do without them. Annemarie also posted a photo of a 3 inch “Partridge in a Pear Tree” for the Christmas season.

Any ideas for a 10 Lords a Leaping figure? Follow her work by going to Facebook and liking her page, Vinylmation by Annemarie.

Finally, Furry Friends 2

WDWNT on October 29, 2012

After a long time of speculation and no comments by Disney, a photo of a tray of the second series of Furry Friends was leaked onto the Facebook site Vinylmation Exchange.

There is one change, the name. Series 2 will be called Whiskers & Tails. Vinylmation Kingdom reports that Disney Store Cast Members are pointing to January 21 as the release date. Now let’s see what we can gather from the box art. First, it looks like the figures will follow in their predecessor’s wake with specially crafted arms that look like paws. I’m sure all the custom artists have been looking for these for a while and will be happy to know they are back (I know I have been looking for over a year for a personal present). Other sites are also reporting that because of the size of the tray, we can expect the cool packaging from Furry Friends 1 (a 2012 DeeVee nominee for Best Packaging.)

Based on the box art we also know the 11 non mystery figures:

Lucky, from 101 Dalmations. Soon we will have all 101 represented!

Lucifer, from Cinderella. Looks pure evil.

Lambert, the sheepish lion. “Yes! Finally. There was a pin of him at Mickey’s Circus that I really wanted and now there’s a Vinylmation! I will be coming for that one, you bet ya.” – M.C.

Bolt, from Bolt. We already had a 9″ version but it’s great to see a 3″.

Figaro, from Pinocchio. Perfect. Many people felt this was one of the most obviously absent figure from Furry Friends.

Nana, from Peter Pan. It also looks like Nana’s long face will be spread over the head and the top of the body. Well done the artist.

Lady, from Lady and the Tramp. This is a great pairing for those who managed to get a Tramp from Furry Friends.

Flower, from Bambi. Another good choice. Although we’ve already seen one as part of Animation 2. When do we get a Thumper?

Dinah, from Alice in Wonderland. There was already one as the chaser from the Alice series, but I think this one looks better and the paws are always an added bonus.

Hen Wen, from Black Cauldron. He is the magical pet pig of Taran and Dallben in Disney’s 1985 feature film The Black Cauldron.

Tito, from Oliver and Company. Nice movie choice with a cool hair accessory.

There will also be a chaser of course. Any wishes for character selection?

No look at Whiskers & Tails would be complete without comparing them to Annemarie’s Furry Friends 2 from earlier this year.

Lady, Figaro, and Nana were all part of her custom 12 figure set. As for Figaro and Lady, they look almost exactly the same. With Nana, I actually think I prefer Annemarie’s better. The Disney one looks less energetic then hers. Also worth noting is that Annemarie included a set of the Fox and the Hound in her 12 piece series. This set will be part of the upcoming LE from the Animation 3 line.

Annemarie’s Catbus

WDWNT on September 12, 2012

We have not seen many Monorail mold customs yet, but Annemarie took a shot at one recently. She posted this Catbus Monorail on Instagram this weekend.

Catbus is a character in the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. And I think she nailed it…

 

Annemarie’s LOST Custom Making Of Video

WDWNT on August 30, 2012

Last week we showed you the LOST custom that artist Annemarie made for an online charity auction. Which is still on going by the way with a leading bid of $750! The auction ends on August 29. But today, Annemarie released this time lapsed video of the custom’s creation from start to finish. It is simply a fascinating look into the making of a wonderfully detailed Vinylmation. It was actually picked up by the official LOST Facebook page… and now by DV. Here you go:

Episode 085 Blackout

WDWNT on August 30, 2012

Ep. 085 Blackout

This week we of course talk about the price hike for Star Wars 2. We also discuss the new series, I Love Mickey and run down the silent auction catalog for Mickey’s Circus. Park 10 is reviewed. The Mystery Mail Bag is also full of great questions and comments. And if you listen to the end, you might learn some physics! 

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