I have just completed remastering all of Fritz’s older cartoons in high-definition. A lot of the artwork in Fritzkrieg received the George Lucas treatment, so you may notice a few changes when you check out the forthcoming Fritz Blu-ray/DVD. Now that the grunt work is done, I can begin work on the next cartoon. Once I finish with it, I will roll it out with the new hi-def collection, and the old DVD’s will go out of print. Stay tuned for more updates as work progresses. Happy landings!

I am currently remastering all of the Fritz the Fox cartoons in hi-def so that I can release them on blu-ray. So far, I’ve completed remastering everything except the cartoon that started it all, Fritzkrieg. Since it is the oldest cartoon, it has been neccessary for me to go through it shot by shot and fix minor glitches and polish or replace some of the artwork. One detail I’ve been attending to during the restoration is removing all of the swastikas from the Luftwaffe planes. Some of you may be appalled to hear of this particular fit of political correctness, but Fritz was always intended to be a family cartoon, and over the years I’ve had to reassure more than one parent that Fritz, being a cartoon fox, has no affiliation to the nazi party. It’s a nuisance, so I’m scrubbing the swastikas. I’ve decided to make the most of the situation by substituting joke signage and graffiti in place of the offending symbol (see sample below), and that’s where I can use your help.

You see, it’s hard to be funny on demand. On any given day, I’ve only got so many jokes in me, and for this task I need to be a veritable one-liner factory. So, in the spirit of the internet, I’m crowdsourcing the comedy. I’d like to hear YOUR ideas for funny stuff to paste on the planes. If I like your joke and decide to use it, I will include your name in the credits of the remastered cartoon, and you will receive a five dollar coupon good towards either a copy of one of Fritz’s current DVD’s (The Blue Fox…I’ve sold out of my personal copies of Fritzkrieg) or the blu-ray when it becomes available. (which could be over a year from now, since I’m hoping to make one more cartoon first)

E-mail your ideas to barry at fritzthefox.com.

A couple things to keep in mind:
1) This is a family cartoon, so no profanity or risque humor.
2) I rarely have a lot of space to work with, so the shorter the quip, the better.

I am currently remastering all of the Fritz the Fox cartoons in hi-def for eventual release on Blu-ray. Below is an actual size screenshot of a remastered frame from The Blue Fox (click on the image to view it full size). Look for Fritz to fly again soon…and look better than ever doing it!

Today marks the third anniversary of the launch of STS-119. Three years ago, NASA tasked the space shuttle, Discovery, with putting the finishing touches on the International Space Station. That particular shuttle mission carried with it an unexpected stowaway, a small, free-tailed bat who clung to the external fuel tank during lift-off. In memory of that event, I offer you the untold story of that launch, and the fate of NASA’s first bat-stronaut, in my latest Fritz the Fox cartoon…2009: A Spacebat Odyssey.

The latest adventure of Fritz the Fox is currently in the hands of the talented composer, Mark D’Errico, who will bestow upon it the gift of music, thus bringing it to completion. The cartoon itself will launch into cyberspace on March 15th…which is also the three year anniversary of historical events depicted in the cartoon. So mark your calendars and stay tooned!

Here’s another sneak peek at the forthcoming Fritz the Fox cartoon. The cartoon is on track to be completed sometime in April. This particular screenshot is of another obscure cockpit detail that will be too small to be readable on the screen…but YOU’LL know, because you saw it here first. Happy landings!

Happy Holidays from Fritz the Fox! Here’s your Christmas present: a sneak peek at Fritz’s new ride in his forthcoming cartoon adventure…

Well, I’m far enough along with it that I think it is safe to announce that Fritz the Fox will be flying again next year in a new cartoon. This one is being produced in hi-def, with a view to a Blu-Ray release down the road. Still lots of work to do, but a ton of artwork has been produced already, and I’m steadily producing a few seconds of animation a day. The new cartoon will introduce a couple of new characters to Fritz’s pantheon of furry friends. Of course, the million dollar question on your mind now is…what will Fritz be flying? For a hint, I leave you with this screenshot, of an obscure little cockpit detail from some background art in the cartoon that will probably be too small to read when it appears on screen. (It’s the sort of thing I do when I get bored animating) See if you can guess what Fritz’s new ride will be…

I’ve added a few more fun things for Fritz fans. You can refight the Battle of Britain in the ten-minute wargame, Wolfslair, check out some new cartoons, or buy the spiffy new Me262 t-shirt from the gift shop.

The Clothes Hangar keeps filling up with new planes. The most recent additions to the t-shirt wing of the gift shop are the B-29 Superfortress and the Hawker Hurricane…