Happy Trails Animation

12/09/2025

Another fun MTV music video project for Freezemachine!

Freezemachine's video for their single "Give Up The Ghost". Stream the song today - https://linktr.ee/freezemachinemusicFOLLOW FREEZEMACHINE AT: Instagram: ...

04/08/2025

We just received our Telly Award so I thought I would share some after thoughts about working with Ai. I started in the animation world painting cells moved into the computer and now playing with Ai. I do feel the best results come from a hybrid of physical and digital interfaces.

Here is an Article I wrote after the second MTV music video.

https://open.substack.com/pub/growingupaspen/p/digital-organics?r=2g93c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

04/08/2025

Great animation has to do with bringing something to life, and it could be a simple as a line. Giving line the expressions of life!

Animated short film by Marcell Jankovics from 1974. Many thanks to Beltesassar for being a hero.

29/07/2025

While we are waiting for our Telly Award to arrive I thought I would share some after thoughts about working with Ai. I started in the animation world painting cells moved into the computer and now playing with Ai. I do feel the best results come from a hybrid of physical and digital interfaces.

Here is an Article I wrote after the second MTV music video.
https://open.substack.com/pub/growingupaspen/p/digital-organics?r=2g93c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

15/07/2025

While we are waiting for our Telly Award to arrive I thought I would share some after thoughts about working with Ai. I started in the animation world painting cells moved into the computer and now playing with Ai. I do feel the best results come from a hybrid of physical and digital interfaces.

Here is an Article I wrote after the second MTV music video.

https://open.substack.com/pub/growingupaspen/p/a-new-world-for-music-videos?r=2g93c&utm_medium=ios

01/07/2025

What’s old is new!

As our world dives into technology with Ai I find myself trying to land in a happy hybrid place something I am calling Digital Organics. While Ai is crushing it on the production pipeline it still needs a creative driver.

Back in the day when times were slow our studio would have fun coming up with short films and commercial spoofs. Here is a spot we mocked up over 20 years ago. From the pencil storyboards and a created sound track we revamped that old spot.

https://youtu.be/mU2j3_2MJbY?si=s4GCp_blaDvOAA4Y

Thanks to:

Storyboards: Steve Hess
Voice Over: Sam Mowry
Concept: Andy Collen
Visual Artist: Josh McMahon
Edit: Andy Collen
Soundtrack: Travis Hanour

What is Digital Organics?

https://open.substack.com/pub/growingupaspen/p/digital-organics?r=2g93c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Check first comment!

Possession ShoesEvery once in a while our studio has fun with creative concepts and techniques. This is a spot we created many years ago and using the old st...

02/06/2025

Since a lot of studios use music videos to play with techniques and styles I thought it would be fun to compile a collection of music videos that I know helped push new boundaries. A great song can create new worlds.

Hope you enjoy these Music Videos that changed animation.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJPhfKWpSA_bUm1gaGKYMQAk4hQymZP8q&si=at7A37h8F5jd45s-

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02/06/2025

Congratulations to another fun project!

Happy Trails Animation took on the challenge of creating with Ai in a collage like environment creating our own whimsical worlds. In the music video "Edge Of A Knife" the challenge was to pull from the Japanese styles of MANGA and Anime creating our own original styles. This music video is a fun exploration into these popular styles as we cut back and fourth between them. The only thing liner is the journey of the story. What a fun time we had and obviously the Telly folks thought so.

More about the process:

https://open.substack.com/pub/growingupaspen/p/a-new-world-for-music-videos?r=2g93c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

25/05/2025

Ai is not the solution but Artist Assisted Ai is. The true fear artists have about Ai stealing their styles are right on track because right now Ai is working off of major systems considered open to anyone who wants to plug in which means you are working in a big vat of image goo.

However, now with the new Nvidia unit you can create your own closed Ai brain and train it only with promptings within your own art creations. Right now Ai is open which is why I used it with these music videos … they are not for sale, plus we did create our own unique styles.

I believe the answer to creating with Ai lies in the hybrid world. It’s up to the creative folks to take the lead. Our team is developing a new project and will be posting some teasers soon.
Here are a few hybrid style snippets from the fun things we are playing with.

23/05/2025

Over the years we have had many fun projects come through our studio. As I was recently looking through the vault I found what I think would make for some pretty fun and simple social media blast today.

This was something we(Happy Trails Animation) did while we were exploring with puppeteering in After Effects. This was another studio exploration project we did before we bumped into Jeff Krelitz and built a few great years of cutting edge motion comics. My how times have changed. Just fun to be part of the process.

22/05/2025

Perspective:

Remaining creative in a technology world!

By Andy Collen