tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post6771504424822499757..comments2023-12-31T01:23:39.943-05:00Comments on Mayerson on Animation: Remembering Michael SpornMark Mayersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065971589878678848noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-71220670868043840402014-03-19T14:20:47.830-04:002014-03-19T14:20:47.830-04:00I met Michael Sporn once, very briefly, a few year...I met Michael Sporn once, very briefly, a few years ago, because I walked into his studio when I was visiting New York City. I was with a friend (who is much bolder than I) when I realized that I was not far from where he made his films. (I have always been an animation fan and much admired his films.) <br /><br />I told her I wanted to see the entrance to the place - I had been reading his "splog" for a while and had seen a picture of the entrance there, I believe. She agreed to go with me and when we got there, the door was open, and she insisted on going in. <br /><br />Micheal was the only one there, it was on a Saturday, and he asked us who we were. We introduced ourselves and I clumsily tried to explain my admiration for his films and his championship of hand-drawn animation. <br /><br />Michal seemed pleased, and, without any prompting from me, signed and gave me a DVD of a pre-release copy of <i>The Marzipan Pig</i>, which is now one of my treasured possessions. I have always been struck by his artistry and I now know of his generosity first hand.<br /><br />I'm sorry for posting this so much after the fact, but I have not had the time to keep up with animation news the past year or two.William Ansleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343891744186444179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-68336347384579019042014-01-30T19:52:07.704-05:002014-01-30T19:52:07.704-05:00Beautifully written. An awful loss.Beautifully written. An awful loss.Jenny Lerewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06668171465801333811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-58658708060900744692014-01-22T10:04:25.572-05:002014-01-22T10:04:25.572-05:00Abel's Island is terrific. Beautifully animate...Abel's Island is terrific. Beautifully animated. My favorite animated film ever.<br /><br />I didn't know Michael Sporn but he mentioned a blog of mine on his blog and I was in high spirits for that whole week.<br /><br />It's sad that his Poe project never came to be. Finances prevented me from contributing something and when I was finally ready to send the money my dog required an emergency operation, ending that. I always felt bad about it.<br /><br />You mention that he had low budgets. His films were so well designed that it wasn't noticeable. Maybe because his stories weren't flashy. One of the things I appreciated in his work was that it was never filled with dishonest moments and it didn't go for the easy emotional "moment" (unlike the majority of animated features that come out today).<br /><br />A great filmmaker. My condolences to his wife, to you, his friend and everyone else who loved him.<br />Oscar Solishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05266668061798353541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-25059729195391484172014-01-21T10:53:13.510-05:002014-01-21T10:53:13.510-05:00Terrific tribute to a terrific man, who didn't...Terrific tribute to a terrific man, who didn't even know the concept of being mean.Thad Komorowskihttp://whataboutthad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-83865803720606602542014-01-21T10:22:35.577-05:002014-01-21T10:22:35.577-05:00Terrific tribute Mark !Terrific tribute Mark !jjsedelmaierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07988785504284738090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-4396193916371162562014-01-21T09:06:58.117-05:002014-01-21T09:06:58.117-05:00Thanks for this thoughtful post. I didn't know...Thanks for this thoughtful post. I didn't know Michael, although I so often read his blog and his passionate words that it felt as if I did. I'll miss that blog (an amazing resource!) and that voice very much.Philip Streetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-34676543472550345482014-01-21T00:18:37.613-05:002014-01-21T00:18:37.613-05:00Of all of those who cared about hand-drawn animati...Of all of those who cared about hand-drawn animation; Mr. Sporn never came off as pompous, unlike some people on Newgrounds. (RTIL, Aaron McCray, and Nathan Malone come to mind.) His posts were very insightful in spite of numerous typos and one glaring HTML gaffe, and I was looking forward to more commentary from him. Alas, it was not to be.Shane Skekelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-42345175016625826902014-01-20T22:15:23.906-05:002014-01-20T22:15:23.906-05:00I didn't know Mike personally as you did, Mark...I didn't know Mike personally as you did, Mark. Though I can't say I always shared his tastes, I always admired his articulate critiques and blunt frankness in his opinions. And organic, hand-drawn animation had no greater champion than Mike Sporn, in that he dedicated his life and career to that noble art form.<br /><br />I knew something was up, as his blog posts had become few and far between of late, and somewhat off due to what he must have been suffering through. This news of his death came as quite a shocker, though. Quite a tragic loss to the world of animation.Pete Emsliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01451607722482352366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-74076849523020354372014-01-20T22:01:42.564-05:002014-01-20T22:01:42.564-05:00Well Said Mark.Well Said Mark.Tom Sitohttp://www.tomsito.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501132.post-18660548460080936882014-01-20T20:35:29.719-05:002014-01-20T20:35:29.719-05:00Well said. It's a shame a man like him never g...Well said. It's a shame a man like him never got to make a full length animated feature film. His critiques of many of the ones that have been made in the past few years have been excellent on top of providing an amazing blog with a wealth of knowledge behind it. Hopefully his legacy will live on and inspire others.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05166618601866526009noreply@blogger.com