Tucson talent rocks. Evidence includes funky trash cans on Fourth Avenue, mosaics on highway overpasses and now an animated music video produced by Tucson’s own Eric Heithaus with art by yours truly, Ryn Gargulinski.
Please enjoy watching “Everyone I Know Needs Love” as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Main character Dollie is a cartoon I drew years ago, inspired by Quint’s line in “Jaws” about a shark’s eyes being like a doll’s eyes.* Doggy is my standard dog image that resembles my dog Phoebe yet also works to embody every dog in the world.
Dollie and Doggy/Art Ryn Gargulinski
This is my first illustrated animation project and one on a long list of Eric’s successful music – and other – productions.
The only other time my artwork has moved around on its own was during a horrific nightmare where all creatures in my house and backyard started attacking me.
It is much more pleasant when such critters are captured in a little box on the screen.
Thanks! Eric for working with me and coming up with this idea while vacationing on a San Diego beach. The video, all told and in between day jobs, took about a year to complete.
I’m posting the full press release that goes with the video below, which gives you more on the story and where we’re both coming from.
P.S. If you cannot tell from the video, we are both avid animal lovers. The partnership mentioned at the beginning of the clip, “Sawyer and Mr. Angel Association,” is named after our dogs.
PRESS RELEASE:
PIGS ARE PEOPLE, TOO
Animal abuse, haters and worldly woes quashed in debut cartoon video
Animal abuse leads to people abuse – we don’t need a rocket scientist to tell us that. We don’t need a rocket scientist to come up with a way to stop it, either. We just need a wacky artist working with a creative music video producer to come up with a funky, fanciful story of two cartoon characters bent on saving the world.
Oh, yeah – we also need a bomb.
The story
Haters are everywhere – and our heroic cartoon duo of Dollie and Doggie make it their mission to stop it. The sweet team starts off thrown in a garbage can, from whence they scamper only to witness a litany of animal abuses. Horses pureed to pulp in a glue factory. Pigs slaughtered for sausage. A puppy mill. The animal abuse works as an analogy for the people abuse, maltreatment and general hatred that saturates the world at large. The video’s song, “Everyone I Know Needs Love,” offers a hint of the solution in store.
The cartoon video collaboration
Dollie and Doggie star in the video, a project born from the twisted collaboration between two Tucsonans. Producer Eric Heithaus worked on the music and animation end of the project. He produced the catchy “Everyone I Know Needs Love” song with pianist Sly Slipetsky and vocalist Angel Diamond, as well as toiled long hours making a stuffed pig fly. Artist Ryn Gargulinski worked equally as hard creating a cast of cartoon characters that always seem to look like they just got hit by a truck. We think it must be one of her trademarks.
The producer
Tucsonans Eric Heithaus and his wife, Amy, are the masterminds behind Heithaus Productions. While their company has produced everything from documentaries to news and features, it is now focusing on music videos. Eric’s music video production tops competitors as he not only produces the video portion, but he’s a talented music producer. His successes include Tucson’s colorful and creative street musician Black Man Clay, vocalist Laura Ward and his band Children of Gods. More at www.heithaus-productions.com
The artist
Ryn Gargulinski, Tucson resident, Michigan native and longtime New Yorker, has her own list of successes and talents. Writing and art have long topped the list, but this video marks her premiere animated project. Other credits include two illustrated humor books: “Bony Yoga” and “Rats Incredible,” both published by Conari, dozens of news and feature articles, a weekly column and myriad artwork published in a variety of newspapers and journals from New York City to India. Her current gigs include writing four blogs for TucsonCitizen.com and her art business of RYNdustries. More at www.rynrules.com and www.rynski.etsy.com
WATCH the video on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-oVcJf-yCI at Heithaus Productions at http://heithaus-productions.com/everyone-i-know-needs-love/ or on Rynski’s Blogski.
Contact producer Eric Heithaus at ericheithaus@hotmail.com and Ryn at rynski@tucsoncitizen.com
*Quint’s doll’s eyes quote: “And, you know, the thing about a shark… he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be living… until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin’ and the hollerin’, they all come in and they… rip you to pieces.”
[tnipoll]
What do you think?
Are you a fan of music videos? Of cartoons?
Is is just me or are today’s cartoons quite lame compared to the cool ones we used to get?
P.S. A cashier at Best Buy yesterday looked confused when I mentioned “The Flintstones.”
I voted for Bugs, but if Cartman was on the list, I might have voted for him.
Nice video- everyone I know, even “illegals” need love. 🙂
thanks for video compliment, tip! and your cartoon vote. we need to know where more people stand on such issues – hahahha.
was never a south park fan but must admit cartman is quite cute!
and alas, if we all had love, we have no boundaries, barbed wire and all that other jimmalajazz to begin with.
-pollyanna gargulinski (hahahhaahah)
Don’t forget Tom Terrific and his Wonder Dog, Manfred. Gumby and Pokey were pretty good too.
gumby and pokey tend to scare me.
and technically, aren’t they claymation and not cartoons? sorry i don’t know tom terrific – but i like him if he has a wonder dog!
You must be too young. Tom Terrific was a cartoon series that was run during episodes of Captain Kangaroo.
hey! i used to watch capt kangaroo – i still don’t remember tom terrific, though.
i DO remember wondering why the capt’s face was so round and why he had a bowl cut…
i also recall wondering if mr green jeans liked being named after his pants….and what would happen if he ever wore BLUE jeans instead…
Bob Keeshan, the actor who portrayed the Captain (as well as Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show), realized that if he made the title character old to begin with, he could star for years, as he did, during its entire 30-year run from 1955-1984. Which explains the perpetual bad coif and jowliness.
hahahah! thanks for insider info, maxload.
i was a HUGE capt kangaroo fan – jowls and all! …also very clever of him to come up with a way to star for 30 years.
Winnie the Pooh! I loved Winnie the Pooh. It’s a very gentle cartoon. No ray guns, no supervillians, just gentle Winnie, Eyor and Tigger.
ahhh, good ole winnie. that is a very gentle one, perfect to quell kids after reading them the unabridged versions of brothers grimm fairy tales – hahhahah.
i know a lot of folks who simply ADORE tigger!
eyor is a bit too negative for me, but the lack of supervillians and ray guns is a fine element.
Cool, nicely done! Rynski, you and Eric have put together a fine message video here.
Am I mistaken or does Dolly resemble a schoolgirl Rynski? 😉
PS- Didn’t Pig Floyd jam at the Rialto earlier this year? 🙂
thanks, radmax!!
eric and i had a heck of a fun time creating the video – and it ended up an animal thing on accident – just goes to show what’s really in our hearts.
hey! you got me on the dollie schoolgirl rynski. dang. how could i be so transparent? hahahhahahahaha.
not sure if pig floyd was at rialto – hahhahaha – but i did see their flying pig concert in late 80s in michigan’s (now defunct) silverdome.
…and i did see krishna das earlier this year at rialto.
Great job Ryn and Eric. Great video and message. Keep up the great work.
thanks, charlie!!!
…and i’ll talk to you this next week about the next project….yaaay!
Where is Zippy the Pinhead in the list?
I had a friend in Ohio that would always state that if you don’t like my animals, you don’t like me. I would rather deal with Shadow, the giant grey cat, than to deal with most people.
hey alan in kent wa,
i would have put zippy the pinhead on the list – except he happens to be horrifying (hahahahahhahahah).
i WHOLLY agree with your pal in ohio – what insight! and folks in general who don’t like animals are often quite crotchety…
OK, I watched the video and I liked it very much. The graphics, the music and the message – all great. Just one thing missing, Ryn. Can you guess what is missing; the essential element that will make the Oscar people say, “Yes, it’s good, but…”.
what, pray tell, what is missing? sawyer? sharks? shakespearean quotes?
i will not be able to sleep until you fill me in!!
(glad you like it – thanks for compliments – although i’m scared of the what’s missing question…hahahhaha)
Shame, Ryn. I watched the whole video and I didn’t see one chicken in there!
At very least I hoped that there would be an image of Col. Sanders who is then covered with chickens. When the chickens depart and we can see the Colonel again, his eyes are gone, ala Hitchcock.
aww, i AM chagrined!
hey – can’t the little bird atop the eiffel tower count as a chicken?
…but i do like you idea muchly – having the chickens devour the colonel’s eyeballs – we MUST keep it in mind for a future project!! thanks! hahahahah.
does col sanders remind you of capt. kangaroo?
Somewhat; in appearance at least. But I always think of the Captain as a kindly Mr. Rogers-type figure. The Colonel just makes me think of bad food and the KKK. The Captain was probably a closet communist; the Colonel, not so much.
hahahhahahahahha!
and the colonel has curly hair – not that cool straight-as-a-board bowl cut….
Don’t forget Droopy! The little dog.
droopy rocks, fraser007 – absolutely!
gorgeous color, offbeat humor, permanent malaise – what more does a cartoon character need? hahahha
isn’t he part of the woody woodpecker and pal gang?
He had his own cartoons. Dont think Woody appeared with him. Now you have me looking him up on the internet!!!! LOL
let me know what you find! – i could have sworn droopy was part of a bigger ‘and pals’ set….maybe that moose guy bullwinkle?
Looking it up right now, Droopy was an MGM cartoon well before Bullwinkle. BRB
Droopy was in effect from 1943 to 1958. I checked out Wikipedia and there are many other You Tube sites with Droopy’s work. Lots of good data. Wikipedia is good for stuff like this but maybe suspect for other material. In any case there it is.
BEFORE bullwinkle? wow – that droopy is an old lil puppy. would have guessed he was much more recent than 1943 to 58. he holds up VERY well for his age – hahahhahaha.
thanks! for add’l info fraser007!
Foghorn Leghorn, I say, I say.
Right now, Ryn, I am home nursing a very sick chicken who has to be hand fed and carried around in a little basket with me today. Seems my little friend ate a scorpion last night. Sometimes it takes them two or three days before they can walk and eat on their own again. In the meantime, we get to spend a lot of quality time together.
Usually, after the experience they learn not to eat them, but this girl is getting up there and I don’t think her memory is what it used to be.
oh, how sad! to hear of scorpion eating. how sweet of you to tend to her so dearly. that’s pretty scary stuff – but am glad to hear they do recover.
please wish her well from myself, sawyer, phoebe, bobo, pierre, fran and mike, lazlo the lizard.
we’ll be pulling for her!
tell her, too, about the little bird on the eiffel tower being a chicken!
Ryn! You were always meant to draw the Eiffel Tower – of course. It was lovely to see you animated, nice job. Ren & Stimpy- the first 10 episodes are my favorite cartoon. I love animals, especially ones in the wild, even though Ren & Stimpy are pets. xox jane