Creating Animated Cartoons With Character:A Guide to Developing and Producing Your Own Series for TV, the Web, and Short Film

From the Emmy Award-winning creator of Rocko's Modern Life and Camp Lazlo comes Creating Animated Cartoons with Character, a comprehensive, fully illustrated guide to creating and producing a successful animated series for television, short film, and the Web. Joe Murray offers his substantial wisdom and expertise – honed from more than twenty years in the business – in creating and producing characters adn stories in an authoritative yet conversational narrative that answers such questions as: How do you create good characters? How do you conceive the world they inhabit and tell their stories? And once you've breathed life into your ideas, how do you successfully pitch your series to a network?
This book won't tell you what characters to create or how to draw them. What it will do is guide you in discovering and exploring your own creative sweet spots and help you to navigate the process that links your unique artistic vision with the realities of producing a commerical cartoon. Packed with art and photos from Murray's many film and television projects, as well as behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insider advice from such highly successful contemporaries as Steve Hillenburg (SpongeBob Squarepants), Everett Peck (Duckman), and Craig McCracken (The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends), this book explores in detail the importance of character and story hooks; how to put together pitch materials; what goes into producing a series pilot; and how to build the best creative team to produce your show. Whether you’re an aspiring cartoonist, experienced animator, hardcore fan, or you simply like to draw and tell stories, Creating Animated Cartoons with Character is the ultimate entree into the world of animated cartooning from a master of the craft.

JOE MURRAY is an author, illustrator, animator, and filmmaker most widely known for his two hit animated shows, Rocko’s Modern Life and Camp Lazlo, both Emmy winners and with global fan bases in the millions of viewers. He has written and illustrated three children’s books, including Who Asked the Moon to Dinner? His production studio in Southern California has been in business for over 25 years. Visit Joe online at www.joemurraystudio.com.