Panda Panther has been busy these days, and they’re quickly building a distinctive motion portfolio. Their new series of show opens for MTV are full of jubilant, madcap fun that combine 2D and 3D elements in a psychedelic tidal wave of visuals. As a campaign, they link the three disparate shows with a youthful, rebellious exuberance.

The Big Ten | TRL | Sucker Free

It’s not all blips and zzwooyahs. They can tell stories, too. Check out Defense Shield and Chimney Sweep, two clever eco spots for MTV Amsterdam.

Panda Panther is young, but I really like where they’re going. (I like where they came from, too. I remember digging the Nike Art of Speed project they did way back in the Tween days, before Panda Panther even existed.)

Reader and tipster Shaun Collings recently pointed out this gem for St. Jean Baptiste over at Carlo Vega’s site. I’m not sure how new it is, but I’m pretty certain it wasn’t there a week ago, and I haven’t seen it anywhere else.

Like much of the work on Carlo’s site, the spot was created in collaboration with Adam Gault. I’ve probably said this elsewhere, but Carlo and Adam have consistently been two of my favorite animators for quite some time now. Starting with the amazing CMT IDs they did together a couple years ago, I have been astounded and inspired by their work ever since.

Their animation is silky smooth and polished to a high shine. They bring still, flat 2D imagery to life with ever shifting compositions that never fail to surprise me—even after I’ve seen them a few dozen times.

Notice how in this new St. Jacques Baptiste spot they aren’t afraid to throw in a couple cuts? I love that. They do the same thing in “All Star” for Nike. Despite the flowing animation and “one long shot” approach, Carlo and Adam use cuts to add a little unexpected dynamism. They really milk the compositions for everything they’re worth.

Adam Gault’s site | Carlo Vega’s site

Classic mograph from Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson

Eoin Duffy made Kopek’s Stop

The 20 new 20 / 120 films presented during BDA last week are now online. They run the gamut from full-on live action short films to fake infomercials and documentary to hand-animated music video …

My three favorites above are from Ben Radatz, Saiman, Sean and Chad, and Matt Tragesser.

Jonas Odell (Nexus Productions) has created another music video in his signature style, this time for The Hours.

I think one of the reasons Jonas’ work is so interesting is because he juxtaposes unexpected imagery in ways that seem to make some kind of strange sense. Skulls and flowers and absurd machinery all seem to work together, dancing a macabre jig choreographed by a madman.

And the level of detail really pulls you into his work. Even on a full screen, you find yourself straining to catch everything. This new promo for The Hours is perhaps his most detailed work to date.

Fontself: beliveable automated handwritten typography

Apple IIe animation from 1985 (with commentary)

If you haven’t yet seen it, check out Devoid of Yesterday’s Things Fall Apart. It’s just the first film in a new collaboration by Rob Chiu / The Ronin, Chris Hewitt / Dstrukt, and Ben Lukas Boysen / HECQ that promises to create a series of original, non-commercial work. The evocative and dark short film premiered a few weeks ago at the ICA in London and came together in only three weeks. It’ll be interesting to see what else comes out of this collaboration and where they take this story next … Stay tuned.

Rezn8’s open to the 2007 BDA is beautiful and well rendered while maintaining a very brooding (almost tribal) nature. This is the result of a very powerful audio choice and the pacing to go with it.

Its interesting that both this year’s BDA and Boardsmag Awards have such a similar concept behind their branding and title sequences. They both involve collaged-out bean stalks extending upward which culminate in the development of the logo. While the concept is similar, the design and execution are entirely unique.