Just got back from the annual animation gathering (and highlight of my year) CTN Expo in Burbank! Not being one to make a lot of posts to my blog while on the go (what does this blog look like, twitter?!) I finally have a chance to post my thoughts on the overwhelming-but-fun convention that comes but once a year.
CTN has become almost a "family reunion" of sorts, a chance to see friends and colleagues that I may keep touch with via Facebook but rarely get to spend time with face to face. I think it's that and a lot more for many of us animation artists, both professional and aspiring. Comic-Con long ago became an overwhelming orgy of all manner of pop culture, comics and animation seem almost secondary to all the big tentpole movie hype, cosplay, and toy & game exclusives. None of that goes on at CTN (despite some feeble attempts by marketers to do so on occasion.) This is a place, an ever-more-crowded place, for people who care about the art of animation and storytelling to learn, network, and party with their own kind.
It may only be three days a year, but in a way it is the longest weekend of the year. I only wish it could take place in a venue that can accommodate all of us, the tents and small rooms just don't cut it anymore! But for whatever frustrations and failings there may be, CTN still remains the best place to meet and learn from other animation artists. I hope it continues to be the gathering it has been for a long time.
