Renowned pin-up artist, Rock Baker is determined to put Cartoon Cuties on a whole new level. With the help of his faithful friend, Mark Holmes, he's doing just that. The legendary Creek Bend and its adorable Annies have entered the process of Static-Mation (a process wherein cartoon panels progress as music plays), and thus far, the results are an anthropomorphic triumph.
For the sake of commemorating these sensational, Static-Mation shorts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Baker to gain insight into his creative process and ultimate, Annie aspirations.
MH: The CARTOON CUTIES Static-Mation shorts are an excellent way of promoting your characters. At present, YouTube is their main showcase. Do you and your production partner, Mark Holmes, have further plans to publicize the Static-Mation venue? If so, in what ways and within what formats?
RB: God willing, my plan is to produce about 30 such shorts and have them burned to a DVD which can be shopped to potential distributors interested in releasing those same shorts to an official DVD. Once that has been accomplished and the foundation has been established, I want to use that as a springboard to more complex forms of animation. The Static-Mation shorts are ideally but a sample reel to interest production of a more traditionally animated episode. Though rudimentary, the shorts should provide a flavor of what the franchise is like and act as a preview of what sort of material a more complex production could feature.
MH: What are the general comments you've received from viewers on the Static-Mation shorts? (I suspect they're most satisfied, even if they're not familiar with your comic books and prose companion piece.)
RB: By and large, the response has been quite positive. Those commenting have seen that the focus is on sweetness and character, and some have even reported being moved emotionally by the stories and the relationships presented. As of this writing, the feedback has been fairly minimal, but it's been very encouraging.
MH: How many CARTOON CUTIES Static-Mation shorts are queued on YouTube? How many more do you and Mark plan to produce?
RB: As of this writing, there are 19 shorts currently "on the air" for viewing. I'm in the middle of doing coloring work for the 20th short, which could be published within the week. My aim, God willing, is to have a minimum of 30 shorts before having them burnt to a DVD. In addition, there is a behind-the-scenes video Mark put together, which I already planned to put on the disk as an extra. We also plan a special video to act as a sort of capstone to the series, one which will feature highlights of the run set to a piece of music that I own. The said piece of music was recorded by an old friend of mine, for another project which never worked out, and I've decided to make it the official theme for the CARTOON CUTIES. A sample of the tune can be heard to the soundtrack of the short, ANOTHER REASON, for those interested.
MH: Crissy Carrots and Minerva Mallen are beyond a doubt Annie superstars, no matter the format they occupy. Are there any characters beyond them who've gotten a boost through the shorts?
RB: I'm not sure they've proven more popular, but the Baxter sisters, Beverly and Jeannie, have taken a big step forward thanks to the cartoons. I so looked forward to featuring the characters that I made them a big part of the short stories I was writing to fill in the lag between the comic-book issues (the girls are set to appear in Issue 3 and finally grab the spotlight in Issue 4). I had to include them in the cartoons, although doing so proved an interesting challenge since from the start I found them more dialogue-based in their humor. They'd shine in a radio format, I think. As for the other characters who have benefited from the format, I was similarly able to introduce the world to Candy Sweeth prior to her comic-book arrival. She's set to appear in another short before it's over. Carole Corday is a character created specifically as a result of the shorts, developed for little more than the tag at the end of each video alerting viewers to the books being sold on Amazon. I liked the design and used her as the desk girl Candy Sweeth confronts in The SCIENCE OF LOVE. Feeling she had more potential, she finally headlined THE INVASION and has another short in the pipeline (one I'm currently doing the ink work for, actually). There are a few characters who will be first seen in the Static-Mation shorts or have been created specifically for the format to flesh out the world presented.
MH: Your "slide shows" are reminiscent of silent movies, particularly in their calculated scope and Mark Holmes' musical selections. For the sake this animation format, are there any silent movies and/or performers who've influenced your stories? (THE FAMILY WAY, for one, has a distinct, Chaplin feel about it, tugging at the heartstrings, while making one smile.)
RB: Laurel and Hardy have influenced me to some degree. MINERVA TAKES THE CAKE is very much a conscious recall of the all-time classic THE MUSIC BOX, albeit on a much smaller scale. Ironically given that I'm working without sound for the most part, I haven't spent as much time as you might think mulling over silent films in search of inspiration. It's mostly been mulling over characters themselves, wondering what they might get themselves into, and then just running with it. I'm on record saying that I work in such a slapdash manner that any resulting structure or cleverness is credited entirely to the Holy Spirit. So it is with these cartoons. I'll generally start with a scene and go from there. THE FAMILY WAY was built from a simple opening scene of Roger dozing off as he rests his head in Crissy's lap, she looking on with contentment and love. At that point, the scene could have been used as the ending of a cartoon rather than the starting point (which is essentially how A WALK IN THE PARK developed). The telephone ringing and Crissy trying to answer it without waking Roger came from there. Though as I was drawing Crissy reaching for the telephone, I had no idea what the party on the other end of the line was going to tell her. It was imaging Crissy's beaming smile when she's told she's "that way" that really solidified the direction of the short. I basically let the characters dictate the direction their stories go in, though I do acknowledge the work of Chuck Jones in informing me of how they get where they're going. Jones made his cartoons so that they could be followed even if there was no sound, so he's been more my model than anyone else in this respect.
MH: I see aspects of I LOVE LUCY and LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY in the Static-Mation submissions. Perhaps this stems from a focus on females in humorous (and on occasion, madcap) situations. Are there any sitcom scenarios or characters who may have impacted CARTOON CUTIES in a specific way?
RB: I think there's a bit of GREEN ACRES present. I realized that the influence of Oliver and Lisa Douglas has been something of a model for the way I write my married characters. Oliver and Lisa, whatever loony situation they found themselves in, were always very affectionate, playing out a relationship that never lost its honeymoon tingle. That's very much on display with Roger and Crissy. Though I don't think it comes through as strongly, I credit Alvin and the Chipmunks for much of the tone found in the Baxter sisters. Although Beverly and Jeannie owe much in their design to later era Disney characters, their relationship as sisters is influenced by the Chipettes (though this may not be as up front in the shorts as it is in the prose stories). I was quite taken by the way the Chipettes interacted. They have their differences and their own motivations, but that all ultimately takes a back seat to their bond as sisters. I like that and use it as a model for the way these sisters live.
MH: I've compared CARTOON CUTIES to Disney and Warner Brothers' animated shorts and their comic-book tie-ins, but in watching the YouTube submissions, it hit me that your stories also hold a Hanna-Barbera vibe, with possible, implied references to Augie Doggie, Top Cat and Yogi Bear. Were you at all inspired by HB?
RB: Certainly to some extent. I approached the Static-Mation shorts early on as if they were being produced for 1950's television. Without doubt, that era of Hanna-Barbera is the go-to model for 50's TV animation. Their reliance on humor growing from domestic situations most certainly served as a model for how to approach the CARTOON CUTIES. I had hoped in fact we could dig up music cues which would be reflective of those shorts. Happily, our first short, PICNIC PRETTY, captured that sound and feel rather well, I thought.
MH: Though CARTOON CUTIES projects an old-fashioned, carefree innocence, the set-ups are also darn sexy (BEACH BARED immediately comes to mind). Sometimes that sexiness feels otherworldly. There's a Trixie episode, for example, in which she turns blue and displays her exotic pigmentation in wearing a bikini. The moment brings to mind the likes of Susan Oliver and Yvonne Craig covered in green as the Orion Slave Girls on classic STAR TREK. Is that the effect you intended to emulate (give or take)?
RB: Absolutely this was an influence. That particular short was based on a story I'd originally intended for use in a comic book, though my original concept involved a married woman with a husband rather delighted by her new hue. That idea sprung from Susan Oliver's green skin, as I found myself thinking that if women could (temporarily, of course) take on a similar hue it would be much to the delight of the men in their lives. If green looks good, I had to imagine blue would look even better. (The whole affair was the result of my suddenly being allowed to develop stories with color in mind, as my earliest published work was all black and white.) It hit me that this might make a good subject for a cartoon, and it seemed a good fit for Trixie Hope. It would have more impact happening to her, since her cartoon friends already come in a variety of wild shades and they might feel they could cope with it a bit better. Basically, the entire cartoon was motivated by trying to find a scenario which could take advantage of the fact that we're working in color.
MH: Mark Holmes does a wonderful job arranging the music for your stories. His choices seem to enhance their emotional elevations and pacing, thus enriching the flow. Does he choose the music with any input from you?
RB: Largely, Mark selects the music himself. I let him know that I want a period sound, but it's more or less in his hands once I turn over the plates to him. He likes to find a hook upon which to frame the musical selection, provided that he can track down a public domain soundtrack that he likes. It's largely out of my hands at that point, though I did direct him to the piece of music I actually own for ANOTHER REASON, which I mentioned earlier.
MH: Getting back to CARTOON CUTIES' further expansion, would you ever consider a longer (beyond three minutes) adventure for YouTube or DVD? Considering the in-depth nature of your Annie/Creek Bend foundation, there seems to be more than enough content for a feature-length version.
RB: Oh, yes, certainly. I want to use these shorts as a spearhead for the production of an animated special for DVD and television. From there I want to do a Christmas special and an animated feature. Actually, two or three features at least. Following that, possibly a television series. God willing, this is only the beginning.
MH: Thanks for the fulfilling insights, Rock. Much appreciated, my friend.
RB: Thank you very much, Mike! I really enjoyed it.
The CARTOON CUTIES Static-Mation shorts are quite an accomplishment. I encourage all my readers to give them a view:
