| 11.07.08 Wow, it's been almost a full year since my last update! So this last year has been full of new and wonderful experiences working for Walt Disney Animation Studios on BOLT, which opens November 21st. Please go and see it open weekend, you won't be sorry! We're all extremely proud of the film and believe it is a big step forward for the studio - it's hilarious, exciting, sweet, and beautiful. But don't take my word for it, check out the trailer and sneak peaks HERE. For those that are curious, I've got about 50 shots in the film including 6 shots in the "TRAILER" clip , 10 shots in "THE CHASE" clip, and, well...zero shots in the "ANIMAL RESCUE" clip (but watch it anyway cuz it's still great!). |
| 11.20.07 Well, we're just now getting settled into our home in California. It's so crazy, there are boxes everywhere! Anyway, I wanted to let you know that The Mantis Parable is now available at Amazon.com! It's considerably better for me if folks purchase it directly from themantisparable.com, but for those that have wanted the film but are uncomfortable using paypal definitely use the Amazon site. ALSO, for those of you that have seen the film already, please stop by and leave a review on the Amazon page. Thanks! |
| 10.18.07 MAJOR NEWS!!! It's been a while since I posted here, but I wanted to let you know that after almost 14 years at Cyan Worlds (makers of Myst, Riven, URU) I will be leaving my day job as Art and Visual Design Director to move into animated film full-time. Last month, with work on Cyan's current project dying down for a bit I informed a select group of studios that for the right opportunity I would be available, and two weeks later I had two job offers - one from Blue Sky Studios in New York, and the other from Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, CA. After much deliberation, I accepted the Disney job. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to contribute my tiny thread to the fabric of Disney's storied animation history, particularly with the studio undergoing radical transformation under new creative head John Lasseter. At least initially I will be working in the Lighting Department, setting up the scene lighting and color to achieve the proper mood, compositing and making final visual tweaks, and working with the team of people responsible for the final visual touches to make sure every animated frame looks perfect before it hits the big screen. My wife and I are anxious but excited, and my kids are - of course - ecstatic. When I explained it to them the first words out of their mouths were "Woohoo! We're moving to Disneyland!" :) |
| 4.29.07 New Website! After much procrastination I finally created a new-and-improved portfolio website at jubileestudios.com. My previous and dusty-old portfolio site joshstaub.com (may it rest in peace) should now be pointing to jubileestudios.com as well. Comments are welcome! Enjoy! :) |
| 4.10.07 Many thanks to Chad and Ken for an amazing weekend in Banff! A couple years ago Ken and Chad invited me to speak at a storytelling summit at the Banff Media Center in Banff, Alberta (CANADA) and I was unable to make it, so when the opportunity arose again I jumped at the chance. WOW! How else can I describe spending every waking hour (and then some) with like-minded storytellers in such a beautiful setting - it really was a transformative experience. Thanks also to my co-presenters (and new friends) Ronnie del Carmen, Kris Pearn, and George Geargeadis. So inspirational! :) |
| 3.9.07 After receiving countless requests from teachers around the country, I have finally put up a freely downloadable "lesson plan" - available on the front page of the website. It's a simple assignment and can be easily modified for a variety of different ages and skill levels. And you don't NEED to be a teacher, it's fun for parents and kids to do together as well. Oh yeah, and thanks to teacher Larry Shurilla for his help in setting it up! |
| 2.1.07 Just a quick update to let you know that The Mantis Parable has won the Best Animated Short Film Award at the Beloit International Film Festival in Beloit, Wisconsin. This is the 17th award for The Mantis Parable! Woohoo! Also, last week I spent a couple days in Park City to screen The Mantis Parable at the Windrider Forum, and also got the opportunity to take in the Sundance Film Festival. What a blast! In just 2 days I saw 4 films, including the Jury Award Winner Padre Nuestro which is fantastic. |
| 1.9.07 Yikes! It's been almost 2 months since my last update! I'm ashamed. Actually, I've been really busy getting ready for the official launch of Myst Online: URU Live at Cyan. It's released exclusively on GameTap (where it's already available to subscribers!). In other news, I suppose I should update you on my last post regarding the 2D Or Not 2D Festival in Everett, Washington. It was a blast! The Mantis Parable screened immediately following a fantastic keynote presentation by Roy E. Disney (Director Emeritus of The Walt Disney Company and famous nephew of Walt) at the Historic Everett Theater in Everett, WA. Roy presented highlights from an enthralling history of the great, glorious and invariably ground-breaking Disney animated shorts… from "Steamboat Willie" to the studios last award-winning film, "Lorenzo"… with many a tale inbetween. It was an inspiring presentation, particularly in the way he described the future of animation. To a crowd of mostly 2D enthusiasts (of which I am one!) he commented on the sheer "stupidity" of Michael Eisner's comments regarding "2D being dead" and pledged Disney's support for future 2D feature films, while also fully supporting 3D and its unique storytelling aspects (yeah!). Basically, he described 2D and 3D as a choice specific to each and every project. YESSSS! Best of all, I got the opportunity to spend a couple minutes with him alone outside before his presentation. He's a very sweet, gracious, and humble man. And yes, I gave him a copy of The Mantis Parable. ;) Oh yeah, and for those that haven't received the Merry Mantis Christmas Card (digital only), HERE it is! I know it's late notice, but better late than never! Enjoy! :) |
| 11.15.06 I'm honored to announce that The Mantis Parable has been requested by the director of the 2D Or Not 2D Festival to screen immediately following a keynote presentation by Roy E. Disney (Director Emeritus of The Walt Disney Company and famous nephew of Walt) this Saturday night at 7:00pm at the Historic Everett Theater in Everett, WA. Roy will be presenting the highlights from an enthralling history of the great, glorious and invariably ground-breaking Disney animated shorts… from "Steamboat Willie" to the studios last award-winning film, "Lorenzo"… with many a tale inbetween. Too cool! |
| 10.30.06 The Mantis Parable has won another award, winning Best International Animated Short Film of the PIAFF in Italy! Woohoo! This is the 16th top festival award for the film. Amazing! Also, I would like to commend Toni Powell on what sounds like an amazing festival - The Heart of Gold Film Festival in Queensland, Australia. Oh how I wish I could have attended! From everything I've heard it was a wonderful event, and sure to be a major stop on the Australian (and worldwide) film festival scene in the coming years. Nice work Toni! :) Finally, my family and I went to the IMAX yesterday and saw a wonderful (and educational) film about insects titled BUGS: A Rainforest Adventure. We all loved it - amazing footage of mantises, caterpillars, butterflies, all sorts of amazing insects. If you've got an IMAX theater in your area, it's really worth the trip. |
| 10.21.06 So, while I wasn't able to attend the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) screening of The Mantis Parable in New York, all reports are that it was fantastic! My Dad and sister were there and word is that MoMA had a wonderful audience and that there was lots of great discussion afterwards. If you were in attendance, please drop me a note and let me know what you thought! Oh, how I wish I could have been there! :) |
| 10.9.06 Long time no post! Sorry! I've had to work out a bunch of kinks with my new hosting service so I haven't wanted to update anything in case my changes didn't "stick." So this past weekend I spent a few days in LA at the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival and had a wonderful time. It was GREAT to meet a bunch of other filmmakers (you know who you are) and I saw several wonderful films. Special thanks to Dan Bennett for his generous work with the festival, and for securing such a great venue (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). The Mantis Parable had a fantastic screening on in front of a large very enthusiastic crowd. Awesome! |
| 9.18.06 First of all, I'm thrilled to be receiving your kind messages regarding the film - it's so nice to be able to share it with you! For those of you who haven't ordered a copy of the DVD, what are you waiting for? ;) Simply click on the "Get the DVD" link in the top right corner of any page on this site to access the Mantis Shop page. In other news, I've been having MAJOR web and email problems this past week, so if I haven't responded to an email or you haven't been able to get on the site my apologies. Please keep trying! It's horrible timing to be having all these problems, and I'll probably end up with an ulcer because of it. As I write this now, the front page of www.themantisparable.com is down so I assume very few are able to order the DVD! :( I'm working to move over all of my web stuff to a different host to avoid such problems but it may take a couple days to get it sorted out. Until then, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that everything will hold together reasonably well...it feels like my entire online world is being held together by chewing gum and popsicle sticks right now, and it's all out of my control. I don't like things that are out of my control. Aargh! |
| 9.9.06 Finally, the time has come - THE MANTIS PARABLE SPECIAL EDITION DVD IS NOW AVAILABLE!!! Simply click on the "Get the DVD" link in the top right corner of any page on this site to access the Mantis Shop page. MORE ABOUT THE DVD: This professionally replicated DVD contains the 8 minute film (NTSC* / 1.85:1 / Stereo), 3 Director's Commentaries (1 Creative and 2 Technical), 17 Making Of "Featurettes" including WIP images and clips from the film, and more! The DVD is just $15 USD**, and is currently only available at the Official Mantis Parable Website. Also available is an 11x17 Poster for just $5 USD, which I will personally sign before shipping unless you request otherwise. Thank you again for your support and encouragement, and please spread the word to anyone you think may enjoy the film (or better yet, purchase additional copies for them as gifts!). I'm so excited to share my labor of love with you - you have been so incredibly patient...for many of you this is 3 years in the making! :) MORE INFO: *The Mantis Parable Special Edition DVD is a professionally replicated region 0 NTSC DVD which will play on both NTSC and PAL players. Click HERE for more info. **All purchases are handled by PayPal - however you don't need a PayPal account, just a credit card. Please EMAIL me if you have any questions. |
9.4.06 |
| 8.28.06 THE MANTIS PARABLE is NOW AVAILABLE for VIEWING on iTUNES! Shorts International, Apple's provider of independent short films on iTunes, has handpicked The Mantis Parable to participate in the launch of a new section on iTunes delivering award-winning independent animated shorts In addition to The Mantis Parable, this shortlist of award-winning animated shorts available for viewing includes John Canemaker's Academy Award winner The Moon and the Son, academy nominee and Annecy favorite The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello, and legendary animator Bill Plympton's The Fan and the Flower. GO VIEW THE FILM! Don't forget to leave a review! Woohoo! :) BTW, The Mantis Parable Special Edition DVD is currently being replicated and should be available for purchase in about a week! |
| 8.25.06 Okay, so the BIG, FAT, EXCITING NEWS hasn't happened quite yet...should be any minute now! |
| 8.22.06 BIG, FAT, EXCITING NEWS coming VERY SOON (like hopefully today!) Stay iTuned for more details! ;) Also, The Mantis Parable has a myspace page! Check it OUT! |
| 8.12.06 Putting the finishing touches on the DVD graphics for the Special Edition DVD...HERE is a sneak peak of the cover! Enjoy! :) |
| 8.5.06 THE MANTIS PARABLE SPECIAL EDITION DVD coming end of August! The Special Edition DVD will include 3 director commentaries, 17 making-of featurettes with never before seen "work-in-progress" footage, never before "heard" alternate music themes, and more! Stay tuned for more information VERY SOON! |
| 7.27.06 MAJOR MANTIS PARABLE NEWS! Exciting information coming soon for those interested in finally seeing the film! Stay tuned! :) |
| 7.14.06 A "Google Alert" on The Mantis Parable notified me this morning to the fact that the film will be showing tonight as part of a "Best of the 2005 Palm Springs Short Film Festival" (the top short film festival in the US and debatably the world) at the Gardens on El Paso in Palm Springs, CA. The Palm Springs Desert Sun ran a nice article on tonight's screenings, including calling TMP perhaps the "Highlight of the Highlights". :) |
| 7.13.06 Long time since my last update...sorry! :( Last weekend I attended the Festival of Visual Effects where The Mantis Parable screened in Hollywood at the Egyptian Theater. It was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of insightful panels and great speakers, many of whom I was able to chat with, including Dennis Muren who I had previously met at the Hollywood Film Festival last fall, and Tim Johnson, the director of Over the Hedge. The final night of the festival included a preview screening of Monster House, the upcoming animated feature film by Sony Imageworks which I really enjoyed. It's a bit too scary for little kids, but a lot of fun for older ones (and big kids like me). All in all, a great trip! ALSO, I will have VERY exciting news about an opportunity to view The Mantis Parable in the coming weeks. So stay tuned! :) |
| 6.29.06 Things are happening fast and furious folks! Here are a few of the hilites: ...A couple days ago I got word that The Mantis Parable won the award for BEST SHORT FILM at the Solstice Film Festival. Cool! ...TMP will be screening TONIGHT in Austin, TX at Screen Door Film. It's screening in a program of 5 shorts including a really hilarious short film I saw at Tribeca called K-7 and the cost is only 5 bucks. If you live in the Austin area, you've gotta go! ...TMP will be screening at the Smithsonian Institute Hirshhorn Museum next Thursday night, July 6th! ...TMP will be screening in a program put together by Animation World Network at the Festival of Visual Effects for the Visual Effects Society next week. It screens every day for the length of the festival (July 6th - 8th) at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, CA. I think that's it for now. Of course if you can't make any of the upcoming screenings, why not take a few minutes and read the FEATURE ARTICLE on The Mantis Parable at CGNetworks.com, then go and sign the guestbook, and then purchase a copy of The Mantis Parable at Short Film Central? :) |
| 6.23.06 FEATURE ARTICLE on The Mantis Parable at CGNetworks.com! Woohoo! What are you waiting for? Go there NOW! :) ***UPDATE*** BTW, after months of having to lock up the guestbook due to incessant spamming, it's back open and ready for your comments (just don't tell the spammers!). I'd love to hear from you! :) |
| 6.20.06 The Mantis Parable is NOW AVAILABLE for purchase through Short Film Central! It's a very slick service and I'm really excited to see how it works out - simply select it for your own compilation (along with other short films if you so desire), Short Film Central puts together your customized DVD, and ships it to you. The service just got going a couple weeks ago, and already there are close to 20 award-winnings short films available, many of them Academy Award winning and/or nominated. The bad news is Short Film Central is in Australia (!), so you'll pay 4 bucks for shipping to the U.S., but even with the shipping it's only 12 bucks or so. I'm still planning on putting together a "Special Edition DVD" with commentary and other bonus features, but it may be a little while still until I get the chance to do that, so go get your copy TODAY and help support me, your friendly neighborhood independent filmmaker! ;) |
| 6.9.0 |