If you’ve ever completed a flipbook in the corner of your school copybook, you’ll likely have thought to yourself, “How can animators do this for entire episodes?”
Even given that backgrounds are reused, many animated shows use 24 frames per second ― the thought of drawing enough to last you, say, 30 minutes is enough to make me giddy.
Advertisement
Luckily, both TV writer Michael Jamin (formerly of King Of The Hill and Beavis & Butthead) and animator Butch Hartman (who’s worked on shows like Danny Phantom and The Fairly OddParents) have answers.
Unluckily, however, both their accounts mean I’ll never be able to watch a cartoon in the same way again.
It’s a lonnng time
According to Jamin, he spent about six weeks writing a 30-minute episode of King Of The Hill with his colleagues ― after that, they’d spend a couple of weeks making the episode’s soundtrack.
Animators needed the final cut of the track to ensure their characters’ mouths moved in time.
When those were sent to the animators, he said the storyboard (not the whole animated show ― just the storyboard) took “a month or so.”
Advertisement
A month or two after that, they’d watch an early “animatic” to see how it flowed ― but only “a few months after THAT” would they see the coloured-in version. This was still months before the final edit.
“From beginning to end, when it’s ready to air, it’s about nine months,” he added.
That seems to check out
Hartman agreed, saying Danny Phantom and Fairly OddParents both consisted of two 11-minute animated sections.
In the end, it would take “about ten months to do.”
That’s from conceiving the script to completion, though, he says.
However he adds “it’s sped up now with flash animation to about six months, but that’s about the time.”
Long gone are the days of ‘logging on’ to the internet, now we’re all interconnected via social media, our doorbells and even our food deliveries.
While there are pros and cons of this, one thing that’s unavoidable is our children’s interest in all things Online and recent studies have shown that by the age of 11 over 90% of children in the UK have their own smartphone.
Advertisement
Of course, this means that children have access to a wealth of information and education right at their fingertips, but it also means that their safety is potentially at risk from malicious users, harmful content and addictive social media apps.
Mobile phone and service provider EE said: “Being part of a healthy online community can be a really positive thing and lots of games, apps and websites have ways for users to get together and chat.
“However, these can also be used by malicious users who want to bully and manipulate others. Making your child aware of the warning signs of this type of behaviour can stop them falling victim to it or at least let them identify it and tell you if it happens.”
When children should get smartphones
Ahead of the new school year, EE, which is owned by BT, has set out guidelines which aim to improve children’s digital wellbeing after parents had requested guidance.
Advertisement
The service provider has urged that children under the age of 11 should be given phones that can be used to text and make calls but without access to the internet or social media apps.
Its corporate affairs director Mat Sears said EE wanted to help parents and caregivers “make the best choices for their children”.
He told the BBC: “Under-11s we feel should not be given access to smartphones. They don’t need the usage of a smartphone and, actually, a feature phone – or a dumb phone, as some people call them – is more suitable.”
Research from Ofcom earlier this year revealed that over half of under-13s were using social media, despite most of the big platforms having rules requiring that users are over 13.
Sears recommends that while social media is appropriate for 13-16 year olds, he recommends that parents exercise caution, saying: “We think it’s absolutely fine and OK for social media to be used [by over-13s] but various parental controls and privacy settings should be put in place, as well as screen locks for the amount of time that is being placed on these various social media sites.”
People facing a mental health crisis in England can now access support through NHS 111.
The service, which is available now, offers another vital lifeline to those experiencing mental health difficulties. A similar service is available in Scotland and Wales.
According to the BBC: “The number connects to a local team of call handlers with mental health training, alongside nurses and clinicians who are available around the clock.
Advertisement
“The team can organise a mental health assessment, send out a crisis team and flag up help available in the local area. A talking-therapy service is also available – people can refer themselves to it online via nhs.uk”
How to access the NHS mental health helpline
The mental health charity Mind estimates that around two million people on waiting lists for NHS mental health care and the latest NHS figures show that mental health services have treated an extra one million people a year compared with six years ago.
The new integrated service can give patients of all ages, including children, the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place, says NHS director for mental health Claire Murdoch.
“So, if you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, please call 111, and select the mental health option.”
Advertisement
The mental health option is option 2, so those looking for support can simply call 111 and choose option 2 to be directed to the support that they need.
Rethink Mental Illness chief executive Mark Winstanley said: “A mental health crisis is traumatic and disorientating, and getting help as quickly as possible is vital. The last thing people need when they or a loved-one is in crisis, is uncertainty about where to turn.
“The NHS have made it easier to access urgent support via 111, building on provision already in place through crisis lines. We welcome this important step.”
Help and support:
Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
Volodymr Zelenskyy has made a fresh plea for help from western nations – including the UK – after a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president said “the time for decisive action is now” as he urged his country’s allies to “help us stop this terror”.
Advertisement
Moscow launched around 200 missile and drone attacks on targets across Ukraine, including a reservoir, amid warnings that “millions” could die as a result.
In a video posted on X, Zelenskyy said: “Like most Russian strikes before, this one was equally insidious, targeting critical civilian infrastructure.”
Keir Starmer has insisted that the UK will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine, and British tanks were used earlier this month during Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
However, the government has so far rebuffed Ukrainian pleas to use British-made Storm Shadow missiles to launch attacks against Russian targets.
Advertisement
But Zelenskyy said it was now time to allow Ukraine to use western arms in any way they see fit to defeat Russian president Vladimir Putin.
He said: “Putin can only act within the limits the world sets for him. Weakness and inadequate responses fuel terror.
“Every leader, every one of our partners, knows the decisive actions required to end this war justly. Ukraine cannot be constrained in its long-range capabilities when the terrorists face no such limitations.
“Our defenders cannot be restricted in their weapons when Russia deploys its entire arsenal, including “Shaheds” and ballistic missiles from North Korea.
“America, Britain, France, and our other partners have the power to help us stop this terror. The time for decisive action is now.”
Advertisement
Currently, across the country, efforts are underway to eliminate the consequences of the Russian strike. This was one of the largest attacks – a combined strike, involving over a hundred missiles of various types and around a hundred “Shaheds.” Like most Russian strikes before,… pic.twitter.com/0qNTGR98rR
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 26, 2024
Among the Ukrainian infrastructure targeted by Russia was a dam north of Kyiv.
Yaroslav Trofimov of the Wall Street Journal said: “If the dam breaks, millions of people downstream can die.”
Keir Starmer will compare the job of rebuilding Britain to the clean-up operation which followed the riots.
Hundreds of volunteers came together in the wake of the recent disorder to repair the damage done by far-right thugs.
Advertisement
That included rebuilding walls outside a mosque which was targeted by racists in the wake of the Southport killings.
Three young children were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last month.
Misinformation spread online about the identity of the alleged killer – amplified by the likes of Nigel Farage – resulted in widespread disorder across England and in Northern Ireland.
In his first major speech since becoming PM, Starmer will tomorrow tell voters that “things will get worse before it gets better” as Labour tries to repair the damage done by 14 years of Tory rule.
Referring to the aftermath of the riots, he will say: “I feel real pride in the people who cleaned up the streets — rebuilt walls, repaired the damage.
Advertisement
“I thought about the obvious parallels. Because imagine the pride we will feel as a nation when after the hard work of clearing up the mess is done, we have a country that we have built together. Built to last.”
The prime minister will also say that the rioters exploited the “cracks” which had developed in the country since the last wave of civil unrest which hit the UK in 2011.
“When I think back to that time, I see just how far we’ve fallen,” he will say. “Because responding to those riots was hard, but dealing with the riots this summer was much harder.
“Not having enough prison spaces is about as fundamental a failure as you can get.
“And those people throwing rocks, torching cars, making threats – they didn’t just know the system was broken. They were betting on it. They were gaming it. They saw the cracks in our society after 14 years of populism and failure – and they exploited them. That’s what we have inherited.”
Britain’s top civil servant has been urged to investigate how a top Labour donor was given a No.10 security pass.
In a highly unusual move, Lord Alli was given the pass within days of Keir Starmer’s landslide general election victory on July 4.
Advertisement
He has previously donated a total of £500,000 to Labour, as well as paying for £16,200-worth of “work clothing” for the prime minister.
Downing Street sources have told HuffPost UK that the Labour peer was given the pass on a “temporary” basis and had handed it back “weeks ago”.
Senior ministers have also said they have “no idea” why he was given it in the first place.
Shadow paymaster general John Glen has now written to Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, urging him to probe who signed off on Lord Alli’s pass, which gave him unrestricted access to No.10.
He wrote: “A Downing Street pass should be a privilege reserved for those that require access for work, including civil servants and special advisers, not those requiring occasional access.
Advertisement
“It is therefore deeply concerning that a pass was granted to a Labour donor providing unfettered access to the heart of government after significant cash and non-cash donations were made to the Labour Party.”
North Korea has claimed the US is to blame for the concept of the “nuclear threat” in a bizarre statement.
It comes after reports US president Joe Biden approved a classified strategic plan back in March, calling for a focus on China instead of Russia, as a strong nuclear opponent.
Advertisement
Supposedly US forces were urged to prepare for a possible coordinated attack between Russia, China and North Korea.
In a statement reported by the Russian state news agency TASS, North Korea’s foreign ministry appeared to respond by saying it “keeps a close eye on the behaviour” of the US.
It claimed Washington DC “continues to fabricate someone else’s ‘nuclear threat’” while being “obsessed with ensuring unilateral nuclear superiority”.
The ministry said: “We express concern about it as we strongly oppose and reject it.
“The move to update the nuclear policy of the US – a country that has the largest nuclear weapon arsenal in the world – will have a significant negative impact on the security situation and the nuclear disarmament system.”
The US comes in second, with 5,224 nuclear weapons.
All other countries known to have nuclear weapons – including the UK and North Korea – have under 500 in comparison.
China comes in third place, with 410 nuclear warheads.
Still, the North Korean foreign ministry claimed: “The US likes to speak about ‘nuclear threats’ from others without any context, while it is the US that is the most irresponsible player and the rogue state provoking a nuclear arms race and increasing the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict.
“Had the US refrained from creating and using nuclear weapons, the concept of nuclear threat would never have emerged.”
Moscow has repeatedly threatened to deploy nuclear weapons against the West ever since invading Ukraine in 2022 – the US and Europe have offered financial and military backing to Kyiv over the last two years.
Advertisement
At the end of July, Vladimir Putin said it would take just 10 minutes for Russian missiles to hit their intended target.
As Reuters reported, the president claimed: “We will take mirror measures to deploy, taking into account the actions of the United States, its satellites in Europe and in other regions of the world.”
One of Vladimir Putin’s top allies has claimed agreeing to any kind of truce with Ukraine “is certain death for our children”.
According to the UK’s ministry of defence, Dmitry Rogozhin – Russia’s installed “senator” in the occupied Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia – warned against any kind of settlement to end the Russia-Ukraine war in a social media post.
Advertisement
He also “boasted of having burnt Ukrainian books and called for all Ukrainianess’ to be ‘burnt out at the root’,” according to the MoD.
The British intelligence added: “These comments are the latest in a long line of Ukrainophobic sentiments by senior Russian officials that undermine and threaten Ukrainian identity and culture.
“There are likely many individuals within the Russian state who retain maximalist objectives for the war, including the destruction of Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood.”
The MoD noted that such a sentiment is at odds with the “alleged Russian willingness to negotiate” expressed by presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov only last month.
Advertisement
However, since Peskov’s remarks, Ukraine launched its surprise incursion into southern Russia, breaching the country’s borders for the first time since World War 2.
It now occupies 1,000 sq km of Russian land – that’s just a fraction of the Ukrainian territory Russia currently holds, around 109,000 sq km.
Still, Kyiv’s bold move has enraged the Kremlin and so far does not appear to have pushed it towards negotiating an end to the war.
According to the state news agency TASS, Russia’s ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov released a threatening statement on Thursday.
Advertisement
He said: “I tell you sincerely that the president has made a decision.
“I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what has happened in the Kursk region.”
And, as the MoD noted, the Kremlin has been questioning Ukraine’s sovereignty for years.
The UK intelligence also noted that in 2017 Putins said Russia is committed to the “extirpation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
A minister has confirmed that the biggest personal donor for Keir Starmer did have a security pass to 10 Downing Street, but claims it has now been removed.
It comes after The Sunday Times reported that millionaire TV mogul Lord Alli, who was at the forefront of Labour’s fundraising for the general election, had unlimited access to the head office of government.
Advertisement
He reportedly organised post-election reception drinks in Downing Street’s gardens.
A No.10 pass is an honour usually granted only to political advisers, civil servants, and the immediate families of the PM and the chancellor.
But the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, told Sky News that Lord Alli – who has given £500,000 to the party since 2020 – has not got his pass “anymore”.
He said: “I don’t think it’s unusual for people to have passes to attend political meetings, if they need to do so.
“I don’t think he has a pass now but I believe he may have had one in the past.”
He added: “He won’t have been involved in any governmental decisions, he’s not someone who holds a policy responsibility.
Advertisement
“I don’t think he’s got the pass anymore, he may have needed it for a short time in that period immediately after the election.”
McFadden also told Times Radio that the peer “does bring a huge amount to the Labour Party”.
He said: “He was an important part of the election campaign. And as I say, he’s a very highly respected peer.
“I don’t believe there’s anything being done here that’s in conflict with the rules.”
Party sources told HuffPost UK Lord Alli’s pass was removed “weeks ago”.
However, The Sunday Times’ columnist and senior political correspondent Patrick Maguire posted on X that No.10 said the peer still had the pass on Friday.
There is no indication that Lord Alli is looking for a role or has broken the rules, but it remains unclear why he needed the pass in the first place.
The tension comes as Labour have only been in power for seven weeks.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was “suspending” his independent presidential bid and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump on Friday, a day after Kennedy withdrew from the ballot in Arizona.
Kennedy was expected to announce he was withdrawing from the race at a speech in Phoenix on Friday afternoon, but a Pennsylvania court filing earlier in the day confirmed he would withdraw from that state’s ballot and endorse Trump.
Advertisement
In a bit of a twist, Kennedy said he was not “terminating” his campaign, only “suspending” it, and encouraged his supporters who are not in battleground states to nevertheless vote for him.
In 10 battleground states, however, including Arizona and Pennsylvania, he’s removing his name from the ballot and urged voters not to vote for him, fearing he would play the role of a spoiler candidate by siphoning votes away from Trump.
“In an honest system, I believe I would have won the election,” Kennedy told the crowd. “In a system with open debates, with fair primaries … and with a truly independent media untainted by government propaganda and censorship, everything would be different.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Arizona. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
via Associated Press
Advertisement
Kennedy thanked the campaign’s volunteers for helping the ticket make the ballot on a state-by-state basis, navigating an “insurmountable tangle of arbitrary rules for collecting signatures.”
Then, veering into conspiracy, Kennedy embarked on a long attack accusing the Democratic Party of colluding with the media to undertake a ”systemic attack on democracy.”
Kennedy also returned to familiar themes from his campaign, criticising ultra-processed foods and toxic chemicals for causing a wide variety of physical and mental health issues, from diabetes to various cancers to attention deficit disorder.
“We are mass-poisoning all of our children and adults,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy’s endorsement was immediately disavowed by his extended family, who called it “a betrayal” and endorsed the Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Govenor Tim Walz.
“We believe in Harris and Walz,” Kennedy’s siblings said in a statement. “Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
Advertisement
Rumors about the campaign had swirled since Tuesday, when RFK Jr.’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said on a podcast that the two were exploring their options for the race.
“One is staying in, forming that new party but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump or we draw somehow more votes from Trump,” Shanahan told Tom Bilyeu, the host of “Impact Theory.”
“Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump, and we walk away from that, and we explain to our base why we’re making this decision,” she continued.
The Washington Post previously reported that Kennedy asked for a high-level role in the Trump administration in exchange for his endorsement. Trump signalled an openness to the possibility in a CNN interview earlier this week.
The long-shot candidate saw national polling numbers as high as 16% this spring, though they’ve fallen below 5% in recent months as the campaign failed to find purchase.
