Comments on: Dick Van Dyke, CG Animator

Dick Van Dyke, CG Animator

GriffX — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:29:38 -0800

Guess who's really into computer animation, and is also a professional CG animator? Dick Van Dyke.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:44:24 -0800

That's just super-cool. This post made my day. His name was one of my first, um, "words". I love Dick van Dyke. I hope he gets to make an xmas special. Before it's, uh, too late.

By: kenko

kenko — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:57:51 -0800

That's awesome.

By: substrate

substrate — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 12:03:14 -0800

That's pretty cool. My favourite movie when I was a kid was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. My folks even recorded the audio track from it off of the TV to keep me occupied on long trips. (Hey, my parents were music pirates before piracy was cool!). I hope I'm still learning new skills when I'm that age.

By: Peter H

Peter H — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 12:05:46 -0800

I knew that show was fake. I know it's 1950s CGI but you can totally see the keyframes, and it buffers whenever there's more than four actors in a given scene.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 12:05:53 -0800

By the way, do y'all know who wrote the book "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"? If you don't, you'll be surprised. :)

By: wendell

wendell — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 12:10:42 -0800

Oooh, oooh! *waves hand Horshak-like* I know! I know! Ian "James Bond" Fleming!!! What do I win? Back on topic... Great link, great story. But you'd have to expect he'd be more up to date on media technology than most stars his age; after all, his initials are DVD. (I'm adding "Jim Hill Media" to my list of Hollywood Insider sites... Thanks, Griffx)

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 12:42:18 -0800

Dick Van Dyke is one of my comedic heroes. To learn that he is interested in tech, too, makes me like him even more.

By: dodgygeezer

dodgygeezer — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 12:46:13 -0800

TV Cream: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Nowadays everyone points to this as proof of Ian Fleming's versatility and how he didn't just write about sabotage, unhinged business moguls, kidnapping, aggressive foreign governments, renegade spies, extraordinary inventions and gadgets and heroes falling for unlikely glamorous women... is it just us?

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 13:00:45 -0800

As a former NYU animation student, I'd like to verfiy that yes, this is the coolest thing ever.

By: grabbingsand

grabbingsand — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 13:07:42 -0800

I love Dick Van Dyke. After all, he did teach us all how to "Stop, Drop & Roll."

By: LairBob

LairBob — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 15:33:45 -0800

How cool is that? I grew up on the Dick Van Dyke show--my dad's an older guy, and so that show was one of the relatively few cultural connection points that we could just sit back and enjoy together without trying to figure out what the other one saw in it. Even senior year in college, my roommate and I would arrange our daily schedules around repeats of the show on some local UHF channel. Now my kids are totally into CCBB and Mary Poppins, and I don't care how lame his Cockney accent is, or that he's become the baby boomer's Matlock [WAV file]. DVD is awesome--a born entertainer--and it's great to see that he's such a techno-freak.

By: steef

steef — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 16:09:25 -0800

[Mind blown, reality shattered. Thanks, GriffX!] Did anyone else see that episode of "Dinner for Five" where Peter Berg told his 'Dick Van Dyke is down' story?

By: shotsy

shotsy — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 16:10:12 -0800

That was the cutest thing ever. Way to go, brave sir.

By: superchris

superchris — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 17:20:07 -0800

Batman's Robin is also big into 3d. Burt Ward- Robin from the tv show- has a 3d animation company and has been active on 3d mailing lists. He's actually a legit 3d guy now who runs a legit 3d company for a couple of years. Very cool too see some of these tv stars keep doing something creative. He's not trading in on his stardom either. I think he's quite reticent about talking about Batman and wants do focus on his 3d. Good for him.

By: NortonDC

NortonDC — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 20:21:20 -0800

They're all just riding Wil Wheaton's coattails.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 22:21:52 -0800

He's no Kiki Stockhammer...

By: Hackworth

Hackworth — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 22:40:14 -0800

omg kiki. it's been years...

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 23:39:05 -0800

Funny, I just saw Mary Poppins again after years and years. I didn't mind DvD's dreadful English accent... what I had forgotten is what a splendidly loose and energetic and creative dancer he is. My hat is off to him... what a fantastic human.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 23:45:44 -0800

Dear God. According to this Kiki tribute page, she's now singing in a Star Trek-themed punk band in California. That's a long way from the original Video Toaster demo tape (with music by Ken Nordine, no less)...

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Fri, 20 Aug 2004 23:53:49 -0800

Er, to continue the derail, that should have been "this Kiki tribute page."

By: AstroGuy

AstroGuy — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 10:57:49 -0800

In that horribly bad recent Dick Van Dyke Show reunion show on CBS (and now re-running forever on TV Land), Dick's character, Rob Petrie, is a work-at-home computer animator now. (Laura runs a dance studio.)

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 11:04:48 -0800

it really was awful, and the little bit of animation they showed (of him dancing?) wasn't good.

By: zoogleplex

zoogleplex — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:03:48 -0800

Yeah well... this is still super cool. If anyone actually follows the suggestion about Dick making a show or film using his characters, I totally want to work on it. :) And when I'm 79 I hope I'm into the "latest" cool creative things... as opposed to scrounging dinner wherever I can.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:09:23 -0800

when you're 79, early-bird specials are usually the coolest thing going, unless you're a healthy millionaire, like DVD, who can afford good equipment and good training. good luck.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:23:24 -0800

amberglow, I have to say I'm fascinated at the sheer physical ability for one to apparently actually dislike Dick Van Dyke. Did you run out of kittens to smash with hammers or something? ;)

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 16:12:22 -0800

: > It annoys me--just because an old celebrity is doing something doesn't mean it's any good, nor are they remarkable for doing it. (see Tony Bennett's paintings, daddy Bush skydiving, and other things like this.) These celebrities have every advantage over the rest of people their age, and are blessed with wealth, health and time, as well as excellent medical care and media attention. I like Dick Van Dyke as an actor (always have, always will), but am not impressed.

By: tomplus2

tomplus2 — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 19:12:34 -0800

The first time I miss Siggraph in 10 years and Dick Van Dyke was there! I'm so bummed! I thing he's great, and his brother is goofy.