St. Paddy’s Special: The Wild Rover

To help you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a contemporary interpretation of the famous song “The Wild Rover” by The Pogues, with an NMA twist. This is an intoxicating-ly heartwarming story of a poor Irish son’s journey as he travels the world to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Next Media Animation! Lyrics: I’ve been a wild rover for many a year And I spent all my money on whiskey and beer, And now I’m returning with gold in great store And I never will play the wild rover no more. And it’s no, nay, never, No nay never no more, Will I play the…

Presidents’ Day 2012: Washington vs. Lincoln

Today is George Washington’s Birthday, a day that has come to unofficially honor Abraham Lincoln, too, under as Presidents’ Day. Though George Washington, America’s first president, was born on Feb. 22, his birthday has been observed on the third Monday of each February since 1968 when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Washington had been honored with a federal holiday, on his actual birthday, since 1879. While debating the 1968 act, lawmakers considered officially renaming the holiday Presidents’ Day, honoring not only Washington but also Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, born on Feb. 12. Support for the provision dried up in committee, and it was dropped from the bill. However, Presidents’ Day has…

Why there’re firecrackers during Chinese New Year

Why are fireworks and the color red associated with Chinese New Year? According to legend, a monster called the Nian monster would emerge from the ocean around the Lunar New Year and eat villagers and their livestock. To avoid him, the villagers would head for the hills each year. Until one day a bad-ass monk arrived and sorted the Nian monster out. Monica explains more as she introduces this animation. ENGLISH:

2011 animations you may have missed

It’s the end of the year and other than opening our arms to welcome 2012, we’ve also compiled a list of animations from 2011 that you might have missed or just loved it so much you gotta watch it again! We’ve got cats, nerds, geeks, racoons, Mario Brothers, music, lonely Chinese men, apples falling out of the sky, guava growing from man’s cavity, Hollywood’s fight against Silicon valley, Rupert Murdoch, phone hacking scandals, fantasy books, George R. R. Martin, the Royal Wedding, and more. Ready…. GO! No.10: Lolcats can haz $30 million Cheezburger Remember the good ol’ days when all you needed was some cat macros and you’d be satisfied to get back to work?…

We wish you a merry Chinese Xmas

Christmas is approaching, but will the poor people in the US get anything from Santa this year? Unfortunately, Santa also suffered in the economic crisis. He moved to the South Pole, Mrs. Claus is divorcing him, and the elves are all hooked on coke and snow. Who will come save Christmas? The Chinese! So what does the Chinese Santa bring? There’s no Elf on the Shelf to scare naughty kids, there’s no gun show from Santa, there’s only bunch of gifts and red envelopes that are filled with cash. By combining the Chinese new year’s tradition, the US and the rest of the world will be saved by the generous Chinese wealth. Hurrah! If you…

Elf on the Shelf all the rage for Christmas 2011

A doll and accompanying book called The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is rapidly becoming a seasonal favorite among American families. The rub goes: moms and dads shell out US$30 for the package, and hide the infant-sized elf in a different part of the house each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas for their children to find. The elf keeps careful watch over the little ones throughout the season, supposedly reporting any naughty behavior directly to Santa Claus. The Elf on the Shelf is the brainchild of Carol Aebersold and her two daughters, who self-published the book locally in Kennesaw, Georgia in 2005 under the label, Creatively Classic Activities and Books. Word slowly spread,…

NMA threatened over ‘Elf on the Shelf’ satire

On Dec. 12, Next Media Animation released a satirical animation about The Elf on the Shelf, a doll marketed by Georgia book publisher CCA and B. It got attention of the company’s lawyers, who sent a letter to NMA threatening legal action for alleged defamation and trademark infringement. “Elf on the Shelf all the rage for Christmas 2011″ drew upon a publicly expressed sentiment that the infant-sized elf doll — which, according to the accompanying storybook, keeps careful watch over a household on behalf of Santa Claus — is nothing more but a creepy way to coerce children into behaving and parents into buying Elf on the Shelf products. These ideas were taken to their…

NMA sings ‘Deck the Halls’

Still haven’t done all your Christmas shopping? How do you think Santa’s elves feel?!?! Whether it’s a flat-screen TV, iPhone 4S or martial aide, those presents don’t get manufactured and put under your tree all by themselves!!! At Santa’s workshop in Guangzhou, China, little elves are working around the clock to make sure this year’s Christmas is a joyous one. Next Media Animation is here to provide a special, behind-the-scenes look. Enjoy! Grease the press with motor oil Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra Tis the time for Chinese toil Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra Cos’ Americans are buying Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra…