Happy New Years Eve, Bloggerfolk!
And what a year it has been! For me, 2023 started off with a bang, going to Disney World nary six days into the new year and to be frank, I think I was chasing that high for the remaining twelve months (even going BACK to DW for another, significantly hotter trip in August.) I think I really needed some time to play this year, to experience the wonder of entering a cartoon world, and to care very, very deeply about the silliest of things, re-energizing my heart in the process. This had the potential to be a somewhat dis-heartening year. I found myself constantly pushing off my grand expectations for the future (traveling the world, trying out for exciting opportunities) while realizing that so much of my life is just totally out of my control. However, my present situation was full of unexpected goods (advancement at my current work, being with the best of friends, new apartment in Nashville.) Like George Bailey, my unwitting role model/cautionary tale, I’ve found that things really are wonderful, even if it’s not in the way I would have planned. I think it all comes down to surrendering to God WITHOUT being defeated by my circumstances.
Still, in the day-to-day doldrums of meetings, traffic, and the dozens of other things I don’t particularly want to do, I find myself forgetting the dreams, hope, and curiosity I once had. The kind of radical derring-do that feels essential to making art, and being a lively human being in general. So is it too much of a exaggeration to say that for the betterment of my SOUL I needed to cheer loudly for the Bear Band of Grizzly Hall, delight in the imagination of the imagineers (and Figment), and ride Slinky Dog Dash with fireworks exploding in the distance? NO! NO EXAGGERATION IN THE SLIGHTEST!
This was also a year of looking back, becoming fascinated by the analog artifacts of a pre-digital life. It’s hopelessly nerdy of me, but I love the tactile-ness and playfulness of the 80s-00s. Through movies, old blogs, and even 3D experiences (like at Disney World, built mostly during this period) I loved studying the aesthetics and themes that made this period remarkable for those who lived it (and also for me, for some reason.) The dinomania that gave us Jurassic Park and Dinosaur (the ride, long may it live). The pinnacle of classical 2D animation with Bluth and Disney. The animatronics that couldn’t quite make it out of the uncanny valley, yet I applaud their effort. The necessity of real world, in-person experiences. The music of John Williams and Phil Collins. Maybe I’m weary of the dull convenience of the Internet, or am nostalgic for a dusty corner of my own past, but it was an era that really peaked my curiosity this year. Which you miiiiight have been able to tell given this year’s Big Work, Arte’s Curio Shop, a celebration and encapsulation of all this study and interest. (Check it out! Again! Or for the first time!)
But of course there was a lot THIS present year had to offer, which I’d like to share with you in my customary, year-end, best-of list. As also is customary, I’m putting both 2023 releases and older titles in here since I want to support new work, yet I also want to celebrate any title that made the year special. 2023 releases are in bold.
Watch (Movies)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse
- Gassy’s Gas’n Stuff
- RRR
- Paddington 2
Big movies! Loooooong movies! I think I spent a combined 13 hours watching/rewatching just the picks on this list. RRR gave me some of my favorite theater experiences in addition to being an incredibly inventive spectacle movie (something I’d forgotten could be a thing.) Spiderverse smashed my already high expectations for it, a totally mind-blowing movie. Gas’n Stuff is my short film pick for the year, probably since I’ve watched it an absurd amount of times, and it captures character so quickly and effortlessly. Paddington 2 made me a genuinely better person and its soundtrack kept me company through many a drawing session.
Watch (TV)
- Andor
- Joe Pera Talks with You
I finally watched Andor this year, and yeah, anyone who tells you to watch it is right. And I’d like to give Joe Pera my “Best Thing to Watch While Eating Breakfast” award for capturing the beauty of simple joys. And for having an episode about breakfast.
Read
Gonna plug two newsletters here since I didn’t make the time to read many books. But I do get genuinely excited to see both of these show up in my inbox.
Listen
- A Night at the Symphony - Laufey
- A Symphonic Celebration (Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki) - Joe Hisaishi
A good year for the symphony, it seems. Both of these are springtime favorites, orchestrated cover albums, and arguably the definitive versions of the tracks they cover. And they are almost good enough to dull the pain caused by missing BOTH of Laufey’s Nashville shows. *shakes fist at every ticketing system and the leagues of tiktok fans*
Ride
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Dinosaur
- Runaway Railway
- Cosmic Rewind
Did you think I was gonna start this post talking about Disney and NOT end the list with a special theme park section??? I discovered this year that I do in fact love rides that are 0% thrill, 100% fantasy, a sentiment which would have embarrassed my teenage self to no end. When I think of some of my favorite memories this year I’d include swirling through the cosmos listening to “September,” running across the park in the rain to ride Dinosaur, and becoming arguably the biggest Bears fan, as testified by the people seated in the rows around us.
(And before we get too far away from lists here’s one more with stuff I couldn’t fit into any other paragraph:)
Happenings
- Moved into new apartment
- Finished watching every Don Bluth movie
- Got to learn about the business side of show business at a producers’ conference
- My Bluey artwork was featured by Disney Junior
- Camped overnight at the zoo
- Found 5 shark teeth fossils
- Watched A Goofy Movie with Bill Farmer (voice of Goofy) in the row directly behind me
- Got to see my celebrity crush in concert uwu
My goal for 2023 was to “find a way to make art sustainably.” Art-wise, most of my time this year was spent working on Curio, which I recorded here on the blog (see the substack archive). I experienced some big strides forward when it came to my abilities with traditional media and animated performance, but was especially pleased to create an animated project, however short, within the span of a single year. Curio, for all its unexpected difficulties, was a more sustainable project than Bearpuncher. Its length and animation load meant that I could exercise, spend time with friends, and travel during its production. And thanks to the support of paid members here at the Roost, I could also bring in friends/dream collaborators (like Sam, Brandon, Kennoniah, Clay, Kosperry, and Louie Zong) to take the short to a higher level of quality than anything I’ve made so far. While I’m still aways off from making 2D animated projects as a full-time gig, I’m so thankful to have another animated short out into the world and being enjoyed by real people. Thanks for your help!
What’s next for 2024? I don’t quite know! I’m excited to continue directing at Wingfeather, drawing at the zoo, learning about dinosaurs, decorating my home, reading books, and traveling to who knows where. I don’t quite know if it’s time to dive fully into another short, or if I need more time to experiment and learn first. But nevertheless I want to make more things, spend more time with the people I love, and see more of this wonderful world we live in. Basically I want like two more months added to next year, but so far all I have been able to secure is one extra day in February. Will keep you posted.
So I guess I lied. I do have some ideas for what’s next. But as with any year, it will probably be all the things I didn’t expect that will shape the year into something grand (or horrible! But I’m hoping for grand.)
Before I go…
Thanks to my travel companions who risked limb if not life (you know who you are) to make every trip (Disney and elsewhere) a great one.
Thanks to the artists and artist friends who inspire me every day.
Thanks to all who supported my work this year, read this silly blog, and gave your attention (and in some cases money) to help me tell these stories that are on my heart. I’m grateful, and you’re the best!
To 2024!
-dh
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