Rochester's Animatus Studio Releases Cartoon Compilation on DVD

Animatus Studio, the premiere animation house in Rochester, New York, is celebrating its 15th year with the release of "It Came From Animatus" on DVD.

(PRWEB) December 4, 2004 -- IT CAME FROM ANIMATUS collects an hour and a half of Animatus cartoons that have screened at film festivals around the world, including four "Best of the Fest" selections. These cartoons have "PG" style humor and appeal to old and young alike.

Animatus president Fred Armstrong sees this release as a milestone for the studio. "This disc is a culmination of independent work we've produced between commercial jobs. Once we had enough material for a feature length release, we decided to put it all together in one deluxe package," says Armstrong. The studio's renegade attitude carries through to the off-the-wall animation and its presentation.

The DVD collects three distinct series of cartoons. THE DERF THE VIKING TRILOGY follows a bumbling adventurer who gets into predicaments when the Nordic gods meddle with his life. FRESH TOONES take the viewer on a musical journey with upbeat songs and social commentary from creator Dave Puls. Finally, SU & MO, the world's only wrestler-stripper-animators, voyage to the Tokyo-Jokio film festival with unexpected results.

As for presentation, IT CAME FROM ANIMATUS stands out from other indie releases. "I've seen enough DVDs to know what works and what doesn't. I wanted our compilation to have a professional look, with attractive but easy to navigate menus," says Mike Boas, lead animator with Animatus. The package includes a wide array of extras such as pencil tests, storyboard comparison, two Derf featurettes, and a commentary track on Derf's "Search for the Great White Ale." The insert booklet features character info and Fresh Toones song lyrics.

Armstrong hopes to appeal to animation fans this holiday season. "IT CAME FROM ANIMATUS is something unique, outside of the mainstream. It should click with audiences looking for offbeat, independent material."

IT CAME FROM ANIMATUS is for sale at AnimatusStudio.com. For more about the DVD, including an online trailer, visit http://www.animatusstudio.com/dvd

Animatus Studio provides traditional animation for film and video, web animation, CG graphics, and video editing. Animatus is also home to The Animation Workshop, where the knowledge and joy of animation is taught to students of all ages.

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