Lookin' boo-tiful for Halloween!

We're looking over our shoulders this year...did you hear that? Is something spooky creeping up? It's FableVision tradition every year to dress up -- this year is no exception! We're opening up old photo albums as we look into the past at former Halloween costumes.

FableVision's 2013 Halloween brought Dorothy, a spelling bee, Commander Chris Hadfield, Rigby and Mordecai from Regular Show, and more!

Be sure to check out our Facebook page next week to check out more pictures of this year's costumes. Now, go eat candy. We insist.

Expect more with National Braille Press

In her best duck voice my mother would read, “At the tone, the time will be one o'clock exactly. Quack,” and I, of course, would giggle knowing what came next.

The classic children’s book, Mary Alice: Operator Number 9, written by Jeffrey Allen and illustrated by James Marshall, follows the tale of Mary Alice and her unfortunate illness. When Mary Alice: Operator Number 9 catches a cold, my mother would change her tone to the best-congested duck voice she could muster. When Mary Alice is sent home sick, a cast of quirky animals – all with their own unique voices – attempts to fill in. From a hissing snake to silly dog, my mother did all the wacky voices. She also described the pictures making sure to point out the squinting armadillo that had a hard time seeing the clock, and Mary Alice’s bunny slippers. This was reading with my mother – a fully engaged experience. Something I thought all kids had.

So, when National Braille Press came to FableVision to develop the messaging behind its Great Expectations reading program, I was over the moon. We were being asked to help kids read. National Braille Press and Bridge Multimedia developed a suite of online activities that teach parents of visually impaired children how to read a picture in a book. Using a multi-sensory approach to reading, children learn to listen carefully to words, feelings, actions, scene, plots, and character development — elements that they would otherwise miss by not seeing the pictures.  

Starting with the first book Dragons Love Tacos, written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri, the Great Expectations program encourages activities that go beyond the act of reading. The 10 tips to read aloud is a great place for all families to start to really experience the “whole story.” Additionally, resources are available for after the last page has been turned: create 3D dragons, throw a taco party, and – a FableVision favorite – sing an original song.

Where does FableVision fit into all of this? Following a FabLab (our signature day-long brainstorming session) the team developed the look-and-feel for the Great Expectations program. Lead Artist Renee Kurilla created an amazing watercolor image of a little girl and her dog soaring through the clouds on a book. This image influenced the website and informational postcard design.

The entire Great Expectations program was launched last week at National Braille Press’ annual gala in Boston. Seated the table with the NBP’s publisher Diane Croft, the FableVisionaries in attendance were able to see the entire Great Expectations branding package in action. All attendees were able to read postcard explaining the program as it had been translated into braille. Renee’s little girl was shown on the big screen to a packed audience – flying high with her puppy pal, introducing the world to Great Expectations.

Meet FableVision's Extra Life team!

On your mark, gets set, GO! With three weeks left before Extra Life, Team FableVision is kicking its fundraising efforts into high gear. Still not sure what Extra Life is? Here’s the simple answer: Extra Life is a 24-hour gaming fundraiser for a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital of your choice. As a team we are playing for the Boston Children’s Hospital. Folks are encouraged to support the team as a whole, here. But you can also pledge your support to specific team members.

Now, there’s a bit of competition with some team members (**cough Gary Goldberger cough**). So we thought, why not level the playing field, introduce Team FableVision, and let them explain why they are fundraising.

Name: Gary Goldberger, President

Favorite game you played as a kid: I don’t know if there is one single game. I would play M.U.L.E. with my friends on the Commodore 64 for hours at a time.

Favorite game to play now: Currently my family and I are playing Settlers of Catan and I am diving into Don’t Starve…I love the look and feel of the game.

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: There were a ton of great memories…here are a few – I learned 4 or 5 new board games, enjoyed losing our voices playing Resistance, but the best was looking around at 3 a.m. at the team and feeling proud that we were all banding together to make a difference.

Why are you participating in Extra Life? The staff of Boston Children’s Hospital directly impacted my life when my son had a life-threatening medical emergency, and they were there for weeks after, during recovery. In some way, Extra Life is a small way to pay it forward to them and the children who are in need now.

Fun fact about yourself: I collect hobbies. Currently it's bee keeping and wood working (I am making a farm table for our dining room). 

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Name: Matt Brelsford, Developer

Favorite game you played as a kid: Super Metroid

Favorite game to play now: Super Smash Bros

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: N/A (Editor's Note: He's the new guy.)

Why are you participating in Extra Life? For the kids! And to beat John Groh as Megaman.

Fun fact about yourself: Majored in Theatrical Lighting Design.

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Name: Renee Kurilla, Lead Artist

Favorite game you played as a kid:
I have a few favorite games that would be hard to choose from! When I was younger, I remember the magic of getting a Nintendo for the first time. I loved all the Mario games, I still do. When I was older, I played computer games…my favorite being Day of the Tentacle. A highlight of my adult life was having my floppy disks signed by co-creator Tim Shafer last year at PAX East!

Favorite game to play now: Animal Crossing, it’s just so adorable and relaxing.

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: I had a great time last year hanging out with co-workers and even sleeping over at FableVision…but I think my favorite part was the live stream thank-you speech from Extra Life founders in the morning after the 24 hours had passed. It made me really feel like I did a special thing. While it’s fun to play games for 24 hours, it was nice to remember why we did it.

Why are you participating in Extra Life? While I love to play games, I would not have the stamina to do it for 24 hours if it wasn’t for helping the kids at Boston Children’s Hospital. I’m hoping we can surpass last years fundraising goal!

Fun fact about yourself: I can beat Super Mario Bros. 2 in approximately 25 minutes. 

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Name: Jordan Persson, Production Assistant

Favorite game you played as a kid: The (Even More) Incredible Machine.  Or Mousetrap. Or Gizmos & Gadgets. I guess I really loved weird contraptions.

Favorite game to play now: Currently, the new Super Smash Bros. game has a lot of my attention.

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: Watching a group try to get through a game of Arkham Horror at 2 a.m. A character sprained an ankle, then later sprained the other one, which (according to the game's rules) meant that they were sucked through a hell portal on the spot. It's just like real life!

Why are you participating in Extra Life?  Fortune and glory. I mean, it's a win-win-win event! I get to hang out with fun people, play games, and raise money for charity all at once. Why wouldn't I participate in Extra Life?

Fun fact about yourself: My band once opened for Afrika Bambaataa.

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Name: Andrea Calvin, Brand and Development Strategist

Favorite game you played as a kid: Crackers in my Bed and The Bride Game

Favorite game to play now: Apples to Apples

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: This might not seem like a game, but the nail polish game was a ton of fun. We set up a nail station and folks of all ages took turns painting nails. When an 8-year-old asks to paint your fingers…that is a huge challenge! 

Why are you participating in Extra Life? Why not? Boston Children’s Hospital holds a special spot in the Calvin house. My husband had heart surgery as a kid at Boston Children’s Hospital. He still talks about the care and attention he received there. I want to make sure other kids, facing scary medical situations, have the chance to feel safe.   

Fun fact about yourself: I have a grumpy 17-year-old cat (see above) that likes to lick elbows and eat cheese.

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Name: Keith Zulawnik, Lead Artist

Favorite game you played as a kid: Zelda: Link to the Past 

Favorite game to play now: I'm really enjoying Luftrausers at the moment.

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: Attempting to play Arkham Horror for the first time at 3 a.m.

Why are you participating in Extra Life? It's a great cause, anything we can do to help Boston Children's Hospital. On top of that, it's just super fun. We don't all ever hangout for that amount of time, and this is a great excuse to all stay in one room and play games.

Fun fact about yourself: In my previous life I was a gnome. 

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Name: Sarah Ditkoff, Communications and Development Strategist

Favorite game you played as a kid: Flashlight tag

Favorite game to play now: Cribbage with my dad

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: I played Journey for the first time, which kinda blew my mind. I also enjoyed playing Dixit, where you get to make up stories based on an illustration.

Why are you participating in Extra Life? Doing a worth-while cause with a team to back you up is a really great experience.

Fun fact about yourself: I think my green thumb is better than it actually is. But I did successfully grow basil, cilantro, oregano, and parsley this summer. I want to try veggies next year. Baby steps, right?

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Name: John Groh, Creative IT and QA Specialist

Favorite game you played as a kid: Star Fox!

Favorite game to play now: Star Fox!

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: Being held hostage by a group of children who painted my fingernails and hands, rendering me unable to play any games without destroying their hard work. Dilemmas. 

Why are you participating in Extra Life? For the kiddos, duh! Oh, and games are cool. 

Fun fact about yourself: My life goal is to open a Karaoke Barcade, potentially in space.

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Name: Brian "Mentally AFK" Grossman, Technical Director

Favorite game you played as a kid: Pitfall

Favorite game to play now: Taboo

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: Playing games with co-works and my kids -- all together.

Why are you participating in Extra Life? Mostly because it's a great cause...but also because it's a ton of fun!

Fun fact about yourself: I consider myself a decent game player (and a native English speaker), but I am truly awful at word games. it's embarrassing!

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Name: Taryn Johnson, Production Artist and Animator

Favorite game you played as a kid: Pretend! The closest thing to video games in my house growing up were educational computer games, but a few of my favorites were The Oregon Trail, Zoombinis, KidPix! and Thinkin' Things.

Favorite game to play now: Dungeons and Dragons

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: Playing Journey from start to finish. It's such a gorgeous experience.

Why are you participating in Extra Life? Coming together to play games is a lot of fun, but I really like that Extra Life encourages the gaming community to give to others.

Fun fact about yourself: I was part of a wildlife rehabilitation program, where I raised an opossum named Oscar, cared after birds, squirrels, and tortoises, and learned how to give monkeys baths (it's not easy). I also rock at singing The Little Mermaid at karaoke.

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Name: Ryan McNulty, Game Designer and Developer

Favorite game you played as a kid: Stop Thief!

Favorite game to play now: Mission: Red Planet (OK, I've never actually played, but the rule book is fantastic).

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: Settlers of Catan, first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee. More days should start like that.

Why are you participating in Extra Life? Helping kids by binge-gaming for 24 hours straight? Yes, please!

Fun fact about yourself: This took me an hour to answer.

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Name: Hannah O'Neal, Artist/Animator

Favorite game you played as a kid: Earth Worm Jim tied with Sonic the Hedgehog 

Favorite game to play now: Legend of Zelda Series, Sword and Sworcery, FEZ, Walking Dead game...sooo many....

Best memory from last year’s Extra Life: Waking up early with everyone and getting coffee and donuts and recounting all the stuff we did. It was a happy/groggy/heartfelt end to the 24 hours. I can't wait to do it again!

Why are you participating in Extra Life? I love games, and I love helping people, especially kids! So if playing games can help a kid in need, I definitely want to be a part of that.

Fun fact about yourself: I used to live on a farm where we raised Ostriches for a time!

FableVision celebrates National Dessert Day

I just learned that National Dessert Day is a real thing. Which begs the question…isn't every day National Dessert Day? For me, most days include the mini-luxury of a sweet treat. I remember running in the door from school to the smell of my mom’s freshly baked Tollhouse cookies, cupcakes, or whoopee pies. The next day my brown bag lunch would have a tin-foil wrapped treat from the day before.

My grandmother passed her passion for baking along to my mother who passed it along to me. Gramma Helen whipped up delicious cream puffs at the drop of a hat. And I remember that she served bouchee a la reine as part of many holiday dinners. I remember thinking, where did she learn to do that?

In 2012, the series I had been producing went on hiatus and I had a decision to make. Would I continue in my media career or should I take a chance to pursue my passion? After a little bit of research, my future became clear: I applied to pastry school in Paris...and got in! My year was filled with butter and sugar, tartes aux pommes, pate a choux, and chocolat.

In the Ferrandi kitchen, I met new friends from all over the globe. We took our pastry mission very seriously and could often be spotted around the city doing pastry "research."  

In the Ferrandi kitchens we spent our days rolling out dough, creating chocolate sculptures, and occasionally burning our eclairs. When we made mistakes (or a big mess) Chef Thierry would sidle up to our stations, shake his head sadly and say, “Ooh la la la la.” (Note the extra la las). As Americans we think of “ooo la la” as being a compliment for something fancy, but in France the popular phrase has many meanings…not all complimentary.

Over the course of the year I learned that my passion for baking (and eating dessert) didn't quit translate into a career change. So I've happily returned to media, meeting wonderful new people at FableVision and learning about the digital side of educational media. And every now and then, when the mood strikes, I bake a little something for all the FableVisionaries to brighten their day and show them I appreciate all their hard work. I even made them cream puffs, just like my grandmother, to treat them to a mini-luxury straight from Paris. 

Animation spotlight on Sky Color

There’s something special about Sky Color. Maybe it’s the unique creative approach to the story, gentle music, or empowering character of Marisol. It’s probably a combination of it all.

We’ve received a lot of requests from film festivals to show our animated film Sky Color. It has screened internationally at revered children’s film festivals, including the New York International Children’s Film Festival, TIFF Kids, Boston International Kids Film Festival, and – this week – at the Milwaukee Film Festival.

The production of Sky Color completes FableVision founder Peter H. Reynolds’ Creatrilogy. Peter worked with the FableVision team to create an animated version of his book Sky Color, published by Candlewick Press in 2012. Narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson, with original music composed and arranged by Ernest Troost, Sky Color is a whimsical tale about seeing the world in a new way.

Sky Color soars with colorful interludes. Most of scenes use muted earth tones allowing the colorful moments to shine in a vibrant contrast. The animation enhances the original story, showing colors missing, and character transformations.

To bring the book to life, the FableVision team scanned in original watercolors for the backgrounds, and handpicked a handful of powerful scenes that enhanced the heart and essence of the film. Weston Woods was particular about not adding anything to the film that wasn’t in the book, which allows Sky Color to remain simple and clean.

Have you watched Sky Color? What is your favorite part? Leave a comment below. Curious about other FableVision animation projects? Check out the full list in our project gallery.