Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation & Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation is not your typical film festival. It tours to over 100 markets annually, making submission deadlines an ongoing process. No Prizes are awarded.
Spike and Mike premiered works in the Classic Festival of Animation by Tim Burton (Vincent), John Lasseter of Pixar & Disney (First screened his student films Lady and the Lamp and Nightmare. Additional Pixar titles screened include Luxo Jr., Red’s Dream, Nick Nack, Tin Toy, Geri’s Game, For the Birds, The Adventures of Andre & Wally B.), Nick Park (A Close Shave, Wrong Trousers and A Grand Day Out), Will Vinton (Closed Mondays) David Fine and Allison Snowden (Bob’s Birthday), Bill Plympton (Nose Hair, Your Face) and many others. Spike and Mike produced the student films of Pixar’s Pete Docter (Monster’s Inc., Toy Story I & II) We produced & premiered the first 3 films (Winter, Next Door & Palm Springs), and Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc., Toy Story I & II and A Bug’s Life) We produced his 1st 2 films (A Story & Somewhere in the Arctic), we screened Brad Bird’s Family Dog, Frederic Back’s Crac, Chris Wedges (Ice Age) Bunny, Mike Johnson (Corpse Bride) The Devil went down to Georgia, Danny Antonucci (Ed, Ed & Eddie) Lupo The Butcher and Marv Newland’s Bambi Meets Godzilla.
The Sick and Twisted Festival began in 1990 as a home for animated pieces which are simply too revolting or adult in nature for the prestigious and tasteful Classic show. The Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation is the birthplace of Beavis and Butthead (Mike Judge, creator of King of the Hill) - Spike and Mike also produced the first two Beavis and Butthead shorts long before the characters debuted on MTV. Spike and Mike also theatrically premiered Spirit of Christmas, the original uncensored South Park short by Matt Stone and
Trey Parker and Mutilator by Eric Fogel (creator of MTV’s Celebrity Death match) as well as Whoop Ass Stew by Craig McCracken, the first short film featuring the Powerpuff Girls (No Neck Joe is a staple of the show) we also premiered Na Na & Lil puss from DNA studios the people responsible for Jimmy Neutron. Least we forget Breehn Burns & Jason Johnson’s Beyond Grandpa, Dr. Tran & Roybertito’s as well as Happy Tree Friends by Mondo Media.
The Sundance Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival, Australia’s Flickerfest Short Film Festival, and the International Festival of Animation in Annecy, France, Slamdance and San Diego Comic-Con have hosted Spike and Mike shows over the past years. In the spring of 2000, Spike and Mike’s Sick & Twisted animations were featured on tour with the rock band KORN. Abrams Books have recently released an in- depth book on the history and evolution of Spike and Mike entitled “Outlaw Animation: Cutting-Edge Cartoons from the Spike and Mike Festivals” by Jerry Beck, now available in bookstores. Spike and Mike have teamed up with Shout Factory to release “Full Frontal” and “Unprotected”, two brand new DVD’s now available, featuring the very best ‘toons of the 2001, 2002 and 2003 festivals. Contagious (2006) is another edition to the Spike & Mike collection and Caught in the Act (2005) just came out a few months before. Recently released were Repulsive (2010), Depraved (2010), Immoral (2010) and Blow Me Down (2011), Slash and Burn (2012) & The 30th Anniversary DVD (2013). Currently, Spike and Mike’s premieres a new Sick and Twisted show every summer at the San Diego Comic-Con. Each Festival plays in over 150 cities across the United States and Canada.
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