Osamu Tezuka's output was outstanding. He developed universes in a variety of genres for both animation and comics. Practically all of them were successful (Astro Boy, Kimba The White Lion, Black Jack). He singlehandedly established the manga and anime industries through his work. Yet beyond that, Tezuka and his team of animators found the time to do artistic animation that pushed the perceived limits of what anime can be. He is and always will be a great inspiration!Here's a clever piece he did in 1964 about man's methods of memory:

Back in 1993 Sam Kieth joined Image with a nifty book called The Maxx. Somehow that led to a really solid Animated adaption that debuted on MTV two years later (in 1995).The Maxx was really ahead of its time. I regard it as one of the first successful attempts at doing an American Anime. I'm super disappointed I never picked up a VHS copy of the series. Why isn't there an official DVD version?!

Here are some stills from a very interesting animated project being developed in France. PEUR(S) DU NOUR (or FEAR(S) OF THE DARK in English) is a collection of animated shorts overseen by Etienne Robial. The TRAILER is enough to get any animation enthusiast excited...but when you hear that cartooning masters BLUTCH and CHARLES BURNS are responsible for two of the animated shorts, it becomes a must see project.

Not much is known about Sigg Jones except for a TEASER of a website. This computer animated piece showcases a nice bit of action choreography with some fairly strong computer modelling. I dig the Gorillaz and Capcom influenced character designs. Check it out: