David Calcano created the series independently to showcase his passion for music and animation. He released comic strips every week and the series’ Facebook fanbase started to grow (now close to 40,000 fans). It slowly became one of the most popular comics amongst Rush fans in particular, and other rock bands including Mr. Big (Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan, Paul Gilbert and Pat Torpey).
Calcano approached Mr. Big – one of his favorite rock bands – with Fantoons under his arm and a dream to feature them in one of the series of animated shorts. The band loved the concept and immediately green-lit the project. After seeing the completed animated short, “Fantoons: Chasing Mr. Big,” the band not only selected the short to open their 2014 shows in Japan, but also hired Calcano and his team to produce six additional animated pieces to be used throughout the show.
“Chasing Mr. Big” (featuring the voice of Eric Martin) was shown before the band’s concert at the legendary Budokan venue on November 10 in front of 20,000 people.
Today, the feature is available on the web at Fantoons.tv and on the site’s official YouTube page. The clip has been garnering rave feedback from the likes of radio DJ Eddie Trunk, members of the animation industry media such as CartoonBrew.com, whose founder Jerry Beck called it, “completely crazy and very cool.”
Check out the complete “Chasing Mr. Big” animated short here
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Calcano is now preparing his next Fantoons animated short and is already getting offers to work with other bands to continue his creative path combining rock music and animation. His ultimate goal is to create a new revenue stream for the music industry using the boundless world of animation as a medium.
Fantoons gets featured constantly at comic conventions around the U.K. and the United States, where the critically acclaimed cartoon book, Fantoons: Rock, Sweat and Strips, is sold. Throughout Fantoons’ history, the animated shorts have earned more than 40 film festival nominations around the world, including screenings at San Diego Comic-Con and winning the “Best Animation Short” at London’s Portobello Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the world. The future is bright for this young series that is all about the comedy and passion for the world’s greatest rock bands.
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