The 99.9% Action Movie: The Animated Movie Trailer Released!
Time is at risk…
I have so much to say about this. But I'll keep it brief for now. I started animating this over 3 years ago in an attempt to release it in the summer of 2024 for the 20th anniversary of the original movie. But I didn't quite make it. So to mark the belated anniversary, I decided to announce the project now and showcase what has been done. And a lot has been done. It's currently 52 minutes in length with my expectation being over an hour once every thing is done. Again, there's so much to say, so much thought has gone into this over the past 3 years that it's become a huge focal point for me. Only one other person knew what this project actually was. So it's a relief to finally announce it to everyone. I just hope that you enjoy what's here and watch the full release when it comes out in 2025.
The 99.9% Action Movie: The Animated Movie
Starring: Chad Troftgruben, Justin Payne, Nate Kostelecky, Brandon Pelling, Damian Winter and Josh Nichols
Directed, Written and Animated by: Chad Troftgruben
Premieres Spring 2025
Animation Tutorial Sale! Save 50% on both Toon Files and Udemy!
Hey there! I just wanted to let you know that there is a big sale going on right now for my tutorials on both Toon Files and Udemy. Almost all courses are $10 and with summer approaching, now is a good time to load up on some lessons and start animating your dream project! The discount for Toon Files runs all through May while the Udemy sale ends this Friday. So be sure to act fast!
To activate the coupon on Toon Files, simply click here. This link will activate a 50% discount sitewide on all courses and memberships.
If you’re a Udemy user, the coupon will have to be applied to each course you plan to purchase. Fortunately, I have created a list for easy access. Just click below on the course you want to purchase, and the discount will be applied:
Moho Courses:
Adobe Animate Courses:
Adobe After Effects and Character Animator Courses:
Design App Courses:
If you decide to watch one of my courses, I hope it helps you with your creative goals. Thanks for reading and have a great week!
Get My Book and 14 Others at a Huge Discount!
Humble Bundle is currently selling a bundle that contains 15 graphic design and animation books. All of these books are published by Packt and contain a wealth of information on a wide range of software. I am happy to say my new Character Animator book is among the 15 chosen to be in this pack!
So if you’re looking to learn some software on the cheap and give to charity, check out this Humble Bundle link!
Learn Character Animator with my new book!
For the past year I have been busy working with the awesome team at Packt Publishing to publish a new book that teaches how to use Adobe Character Animator. The book is titled “Real-Time Animation in Adobe Character Animator and contains 13 chapters and exercise files to help you build an animated scene from scratch. You can purchase it through one of the book vendors listed here:
Character Animator’s main strengths lie in using a web cam and microphone to animate or stream content. It’s a great app for content creators looking to add a bit more visual flare to their productions. Or perhaps you want to build a more traditional animated cartoon? Character Animator is a great app for these tasks.
As stated, the book comes with assets and step-by-step instructions to build a scripted scene. You can build the scene as I do in the book, or branch off and try your own techniques. And once you finish, you will have the knowledge you need to:
Organize a character rig in Photoshop for animation
Set up a properly tagged rig in Character Animator
Set up auto lip syncing
Track head and body movements
Create head turns
Animate multiple characters
Edit, trim and organize with the timeline
Export or stream animations live
And so much more!
The book is full of useful info for all users, especially beginners to animation or Character Animator. Be sure to grab your digital or physical copy from one of the vendors listed below:
ChadToons Holiday Hour
It’s that time of year where I reflect on some old shit and then recycle it as if it were new. Here we have an hour of holiday cartoons jam packed into one video. A couple of these are even unreleased. Details are below the video. Happy Holidays!
Mr. Binkee's Class: Christmas Special (2003)
Starts at 00:00
Description: Mr. Binkee and the gang must set out and save Christmas from the evil aliens!
Bubba Has a Gun: Dinner at Mom's (2003 - Never Released)
Starts at 11:02
Description: Bubba's mom invites everyone over for a holiday dinner. The public release was altered. This one was meant for close friends and family but carries a similar theme
Bubba Has a Gun: Christmas Tree (2003)
Starts at 15:10
Description: Bubba tries to secure a Christmas tree but encounters an issue with a deranged Santa
Bubba Has a Gun: Cringle's Curse (2004 - Unfinished)
Starts at 19:44
Description: The unfinished sequel to 2003's Christmas epic
Bubba Has a Gun: Dinner at Bubba's (2005 - Unreleased)
Starts at 23:13
Description: Bubba invites the entire family over for a holiday meal... whether they like it or not. Originally meant as a cartoon for only family and friends, this is its first public showing
Walk'n with Walken - The Twelve Days of Walken (2007)
Starts at 33:16
Description: Christopher Walken delights us all with a classic Christmas melody
Dinner at Binkee's (2014)
Starts at 41:39 Description:
Binkee invites everyone, and I mean everyone, over for an epic Christmas dinner. Will everyone make it in time? This cartoon's script was written in 2007 and animated using old assets in 2014
Images from the Unreleased Episode 3 of Benik
A third episode in the Mr. Benik's Class series was well underway in the summer of 2019. It was meant to be a remake of an old 3dmm involving Australia and some asses. Here are some images from that unreleased episode.
It's Benik Time!
Two new unreleased cartoons now available for your viewing pleasure!
In 2019 I animated a coupe cartoons with the attempt to make a new series. But like always, crippling mental health and other obligations took its toll and these two episodes are the only ones I made. A third was in development, but never came to be. Below are the two episodes in question. Feel free to view them in the Other cartoons category as well.
New (Old) Cartoon Released! A Blast from the Past...
Written and recorded in 2007, this was meant to be the second episode of Walk'n with Walken. Here we see the birth of the "friendship" between Walken and Newman.
The Randy Newman Incident was first conceived during the launch of Walk’n with Walken back in 2007. Two episode scripts with almost full recordings were made and never produced. This cartoon is the first of two unreleased episodes from the 2007 - 2009 series.
The goal of the project was to go back and pick something up I deemed too hard to produce at the time. That’s part of the reason this one never got made back then. Taking audio from 2007 and matching it up with today’s standards was fun. But I also decided on a style reminiscent of the old flash series, with the intent to create a fresh retro take. While the old series was made with Flash/Animate, I used Moho for this one.
This episode is different in that it wasn’t scripted. Typically Josh and I would write a script, agree on it then record audio. With this one, I went over to Josh’s house one summer evening in 2007 and we did the whole thing on the spot. Well, I say we, but it was Josh that made the characters come to life. I just recorded and archived the audio, where it sat for a decade and a half.
In 2018 when we did the new Walken World Series, I started working on what I coined the Vintage Collection, which would include the two lost episodes. But as priorities shifted I put this one down, just to pick it up again three years later.
So here we are! This was a total joy to animate. Which is funny because I dreaded doing it when we first recorded it. But there’s a very fun manic energy to this episode. Maybe not having a script allowed Josh to tap into some things, it’s hard to say. What I do know is: there’s no way I could replicate that energy today. It was very much a in the moment thing. A thing I luckily saved and now it’s here, finally complete.
I may produce the second lost episode. This one took a bit of work, especially with no written blueprint. So I may need a little recuperation time before jumping into that one. But damn, was this fun! I hope you enjoy this lost episode!
An Incredible 2021 Update
Hey Guys, it’s been a while since I offered an update on my work. With the new year underway, I think now is a good time.
Hey Guys, it’s been a while since I offered an update on my work. With the new year underway, I think now is a good time.
First, I want to talk about my new project: Tokeoma (www.tokeoma.com). I started this website a couple months ago with the aim to educate and entertain local Washington residents on cannabis choices in the area
I am currently releasing one review, plus one overview video a week. It's been a lot of fun and has lead me to meet some awesome people in my area.
I understand this is more of a niche thing. So it may not be your cup of tea. But, honestly, I haven't had this much fun animating since... maybe a decade. I love the work, I love the process of reviewing (I mean I get to smoke weed, come on) and I feel I am tapping into a part of animation I haven't experienced for a long time: live audience reactions. I was even interviewed by a local newspaper about the project. On top of that, I feel I am on the verge of this becoming my next full time thing. But we will see!
Unfortunately, this does mean I had to put Bennick, among other animated projects, on the back burner again. I hope this new path allows me to swing back to it eventually.
What about my tutorials? Again, back burner. I may release some new content down the road but at this point, I feel my course lineup covers a bulk of what I do. Support may also be slower. This is just due to my own limitations of spreading to new areas. But I will try to answer questions when I can on currently released material.
Anyway, there's my first 2021 update. I hope you're having a great year so far! If you have questions or concerns, please sound off in the comments below.
Black Friday Sale! Save 50% On All Courses!
It's that time of year again! If you're in the mood to learn some animation, now is a great time to stock up on courses! From now until December 1st, you can save 50% on all courses! Simply click this link to apply the coupon and start shopping or enter the coupon code BF2020 when checking out.
I plan to start producing some new courses again soon. I will post more about that when I have news to share.
Take care, stay safe, and if you're celebrating Thanksgiving, have fun!
Chad
New Bennick: A Hasty Escape
My new episode of Bennick is here! This part takes place after the house episode and is a quick action sequence to transition our story to the next piece. I have embedded the video below or you can check it out on my YouTube channel or on the animation page.
New Bennick Pics: A Sinking Feeling
Here are some images from the new episode of Bennick I am working on. Planning to release this one soon! And with that, I really have nothing else to say. Enjoy the pics!
Watch Me Animate on Twitch!
I have decided to start streaming myself as I work on my animated series. After getting some feedback, I am discovering there is interest in simply watching the process of animation unfold. I am new to streaming and am still getting my feet wet. I don't have a schedule or anything yet. I mostly plan to do this when I get the itch to work on my project. Here's my Twitch page, you can watch me here whenever I go live: https://www.twitch.tv/ctroft. If you Follow me on there, you will be notified whenever I go live.
Thanks for reading and happy animating!
Not Sure Which Animation Software is Right For You? Check Out this Free Course!
Hey there,
I decided to record a short course where I overview the different pieces of software I currently teach. If you have an interest in learning Moho, Animate, After Effects or Character Animator, you may want to check out my course first before investing your time and money.
Click here to enroll in the course for free!
I have another premium course in the works and plan to release details on the soon. Thanks for reading!
New Animate Course on Building Reusable Animations
This month I am happy to launch my latest Adobe Animate course: Animating Reusable Library Actions in Adobe Animate.
This one builds off the rigging course and shows how to create reusable animations, like walk cycles, in addition to showing how to string animations together to create a cohesive sequence. This course is great if you're looking to keep building your knowledge in Adobe Animate, especially if you desire to produce an animated production.
If you're a Studio or Animator member on Toon Files, this course is already available for you! Just login to Toon Files and let the learning begin!
If you sign up as a Newcomer (the base free account on the site), you can access free select videos from the course. This is a great way to try things out before investing.
Anyway, that's all from me for now. I am already planning my next course, which I will be announcing soon. I also plan to send out more emails and freebies as I continue to work out more of my content.
Thanks for reading! Stay safe, wear a mask when going out and wash your hands!
New Bennick - A Reflection of the Past
Hi there!
I see it’s been a little over a month since I’ve last posted an update. I apologize for my silence. In addition to taking in all of the news coming in around the world about the pandemic, I’ve been working on a new animation, which took up a lot of my focus. Plus, I am about to jump into recording a new course.
While I do plan to lay down my road map for the next courses I plan to record, I am going to take this post to focus on Bennick first. I’ll be posting another update on my tutorials soon.
A few months ago I revealed I was planning to animate a new series based on my old Binkee Flash series. It was meant to be a direct sequel to the old series I animated in high school. The idea was to create a series that wasn’t as serious as my other recent work, Bennick. I started work on a new episode which was a direct remake of a 20 year old idea. For a time I was having fun with it. But something happened. I realized, while parts of it were fun, I ultimately wasn’t very satisfied with the direction I was taking. It felt like I was trying to go back to a time that has long past. And as world events have started to unfold, I started looking back to Bennick, which is a series more grounded in reality, and one that takes pieces from my life to create the narrative.
Concept Image from the now on hold “The Great Asscape”.
The problem with Bennick is it’s hard to release it in it’s current state. I designed the series to contain short standalone episodes all the while building towards a more cohesive narrative. While I had the main pieces in place, the idea was to make up portions of it as I went. This was done to help retain some of the chaotic energy from my previous works. And I actually feel it does benefit the process. But I am now jumping around with the narrative: animating pieces that come later without animating what’s supposed to occur prior. This would be fine if I wasn’t releasing the series publicly. But, I released all the stuff I animated three years ago, so it’s already out there.
This particular piece takes place right after when our heroes get stuck in the rain. But it’s more of a direct followup to what happened to Zach in the mysterious house.
Previously in Bennick, Zach finds a mysterious old Hi-8 tape.
This animation has been completed for about a week. I was reluctant to release it due to those narrative gaps. This new part in particular takes place roughly halfway through the narrative. The impact of this scene isn’t really strong right now without the context. But I felt compelled to complete it. I’ve had it in my head for two years and it was therapeutic to finally get it out.
Image from the new part.
I have come to realize, while the series in its current state is hard to follow, I need to release this. I have a luxury right now: my animated works aren’t very popular. That’s not a good thing by itself. However, I feel it allows me more freedom right now. The smaller audience makes it easier to experiment, explain myself like I am right now, and play around with more complicated ideas.
So, with that said, if you’re here, and interested in my work, I invite you to check out my new cartoon. The full impact of this scene may not make sense till later. But check it out, you may find something in it you like:
You can also check out the older episodes using this playlist or visiting the series page on this site:
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for a long awaited tutorial update!
File Pack Updates Plus Changes to Newcomer Goodies
Hi Guys,
I wanted to let you know that all courses on Toon Files now contain preview lessons! Not only that, select files from all file packs have free downloads. This is a great way to sample a course or file pack to see if it’s something you want to invest in. I used to have these only available to Newcomer members, but they’re now accessible to anyone. So if you were using the newcomer packs on your account, you will now want to direct your attention to the course pages and file packs for the previews. Just click Preview to check out free videos or Download to access the complimentary files.
I have also added some new files to the site. Again these files can be used in any business or entertainment production, animated or not. Here is a list for your reference:
Abstract Backgrounds
Outer space Inspired
Alien Intervention
Galaxy Piece
Star System
Abstract Explosions
Orange Blast
Other Colorful Creation
Digital Diversity
Neon Chaos
Digital Diversity
Cartoon Particles Pack
Carnage
Explosion
Explosion 2
Explosion 3
Laser 2
Electric Blast
Environmental
Falling Dust 4
Smoke and Fire
Smoke 3
Cartoon Props Pack
Food and Drink
Kitchen Foil
Halloween
Candle with Holder 2
Other
Glowing Vial
American Flag
Electronics
Cell Phone Back
Video Game Controller 2
CRT Monitor
Light Switch
Household
Hammer
Business
Paper Tower
Plants
Flowers
Grass blades
Drug
Tie Died Bong
Vehicles
Van
Alien Space Ship
Car - Front
Cartoon Scenes Pack
Exterior
The Sun
Interior
Alien Interrogation Room
Space Van Cockpit
Cartoon Textures Pack
Floors and Grounds
Wood 4
Red Wood
Green Grass 5
Carpet 3
Sketchy Cement
Green Grass 4
Lights and Effects
Disco Lights
Materials
Bloody Metal
Cloth - Tan
Cloth - Red
Dark Plastic
Cloth - Blue
Gray Metal 2
Plastic
Rainbow
Big Scales
Gold
Dirt, Dust and Smoke
Water Drops
Objects
Locker
Chalkboard
Cupboard
Disco Ball
Pirate Flag
Walls
Tan 2
Gray 2
Tan 3
Brick 3
Orange 2
Red and Brown
Sketchy Red
Sketchy Red 2
Sketchy Green
Sketchy Brown
Sketchy Blue
Learn How to Animate a Space Ship with this Week's Free Tutorial!
That’s right, it’s time for more free tutorials! This week we look at how to animate a simple establishing shot in Moho Pro.
Interested in viewing the course? It contains close to 11 hours of content with numerous exercise files breaking down how to create this sequence:
Now Available: Assembling an Animated Moho Production
After three months of planning, recording and editing, my longest course is now available for purchase! Assembling an Animated Moho Production contains almost 11 hours of content showing how to build an animation in Moho from start to finish. This course acts as the final piece to my Moho courses as it shows how to take everything and put it together in a cohesive package.
Halfdan: A Troftgruben Production
On Monday, January 13th, at around 10 pm, my wife’s water broke. We expected this, not only because of my son’s due date (the 16th), but our doctor earlier in the day swiped her membrane to get her body ready for labor.
When her water broke, I must admit confusion. I had this idea I would be comforting and driving her to the hospital in a rush. She called my name since I went into the bathroom opposite of our room. Her voice exhibited excitement, and for good reason, but no contractions. Regardless, I pulled out my to-do list, collected our essentials, put down extra food for the cats and we left.
Even after living in Tacoma for three years, I can find navigating certain areas to be a challenge. We had gone to Tacoma General a couple weeks prior when Stephenie experienced intense contractions. The difficulty of that trip amplified because of me being unfamiliar with the area. But this time I could get us there.
We get into a room; she gets tested, and she’s not far dilated, around 2.5 cm. But her water broke, which meant staying at the hospital.
We get into our first birthing room. I am ready, man. Let’s get this kid out! Stephenie’s non-eventful pregnancy hit a new level in the last couple months. That’s when the contractions started and increased in intensity. There would be times where I’d be with her for two hours, timing with my app, and she would endure painful and exhausting contractions. He’s baked. She’s ready. I’m sweating. Let’s go!
Our first birthing room.
First, we waited. She needed to dilate more. The room had a couch with a hide a bed and that’s where I set up camp. Played Mario Maker 2 to help past the time. Laid back and tried not to feel the discomfort of the couch below me. Leaping up often, I would help Stephenie with drinking water and such. And to pace.
The amazing nursing staff clashed with my introverted sensibilities. It’s difficult for me to interact with people without a break. They tended their duties, coming in every 30 to 60 minutes. I tried the hot tub in the room and passed out on the glorified Klingon slab.
The slab.
After a few hours, with a little over a centimeter more dilated, they administered Pitocin to speed up contractions. We held off on this because we wanted the natural process to progress. Also, Pitocin is rough on the body. But we trusted our doctor.
This process continued until Tuesday evening when Stephenie requested an epidural. It’s something she didn’t want to do in the beginning but made the right choice as she had already endured close to 24 hours of contractions and medical staff digging around in her.
With hat and mask equipped, I had to look away when they did the epidural. There’s no way I could’ve viewed such a thing without passing out. But I held her hand, looking away, and everything seemed OK. Until she needed oxygen. And then her blood pressure spiked and crashed. This scared me. Several nurses worked calmly and quickly and everything was restored as fast as humanly possible but in that moment I realized that this was not going to be easy for her.
The mask gives me +10 medical with level up perks. I was able to walk out and deliver a baby after this.
We got wheeled into another room due to computer equipment in the one we were in needing replaced. The new room was pretty much identical to the first. Back-breaking Klingon-inspired couch bed and all. When Stephenie woke up a bit more I was able to talk to her. I started to panic. There was no use in even trying to control it and the tears rolled out. I hugged her as best as I could and somehow passed out for two or three hours, sleeping and listening to the nurses talk in and out.
During these hours Stephenie’s dilation seemed to have stalled. Talk began of a C-section. It was always the last resort and at this stage we were closing in on 30 hours of Stephenie’s body enduring stress.
When the doctor came in later, close to the 32 hour mark, she remarked if she could get the baby to turn, Stephenie could fully dilate and, hopefully, give birth. We all agreed and she began. Stephenie yelled in pain with each push and twist from the doctor’s procedure. But it happened. He turned! Suddenly my anxiety started to lift a little. This is finally going to come to an end, she’s endured so much. And we don’t have to put her into surgery.
The doctor leaves to tend to other affairs. The room has a different feel. My stomach, which rejected a tuna sandwich from lunch the day prior, was feeling less nauseous. Migraine was still there but with only 5 - 6 hours of “sleep” in the span of 32 hours, I could deal with that.
A couple more hours pass and things progress as anticipated. The moment is close. We all feel it.
Before I know it the doctor is back in and is coaching Stephenie to push. This goes on for about two hours. We were closing in on the finish line. And then something happened, Stephenie screamed out in pain and pleaded for the doctor to remove her hand. The doctor complied as Stephenie continued to cry out from a pain so intense the epidural stood no chance. In tears, she repeated over and over that something did not feel right. As this all unfolded and the doctor started ordering nurses. I honestly cannot recall what the orders were as my chest tightened, nausea intensified and tears started to flow.
A nurse came up to me and handed over a gown and cap. The doctor then approached me. We discussed what I would do in this moment hours prior when the c-section was first mentioned. As stated above, I am very squeamish when it comes to any sort of gore. While I wouldn’t see those details, I am still very sensitive to smells and sounds. Given I was already having issues, I looked at the doctor with teary eyes and just said, “I can’t”. She reassured me. She knew more than anyone in that room the dangers of me passing out. She witnessed my near death experience at the clinic two years prior, an allergic reaction to the flu shot.
The next thing I knew, the doctor was gone as the nurses gathered what they needed, including Stephenie, and wheeled her out.
I sat down in the rocking chair completely lost. I did the only thing that came to my mind, I texted my mom to update her. After a kind nurse finished cleaning up and left I called my mom. I needed a distraction as the panic attack was getting worse. Talking to my mom helped and was able to calm myself a bit.
And then a nurse came in. She said I have a son. I asked if he was ok. She said he was. Then I asked about Stephenie. She was bleeding a bit from the surgery, it was going to take longer to see her because they put her under anesthesia but recovering.
A few minutes later I was brought out to the hallway. At this point I was chatting with my dad on the phone as he shared a story about how my grandpa had to take a massive dump right before my grandma gave birth the first time (massive dumps are a Troftgruben staple). Then I was asked by a nurse to follow her. As I followed her I was told my son looked just like me. That’s when I asked if he has red hair. She confirmed.
We stopped in front of a door and she explained to me he was having a little trouble breathing but it was nothing out of the ordinary based on what was happening with Stephenie and all the trauma she went through.
Suddenly the nurse got a call and was told he was coming out right now. Apparently he was already breathing fine, which was a great relief.
When I saw him roll out, the first thing I remember seeing were his eyes. When I held him for the first time, as it was the first thing to do since Stephenie was still recovering, I couldn’t help but keep staring at those eyes. I realized that’s because he reminds me a lot of his mother. I know those eyes. And those lips. And I love them. The ass chin he inherited is a Thompson trait from my mom’s side. Well done, genetics.
Welcome, Halfdan.
I took my shirt off, cradled and fed him donor milk. I knew the importance of this moment and felt bad Stephenie wasn’t the one to be doing it first. But I did what I could. And I’m grateful for that moment.
He was the first baby I ever held. In fact, he’s going to be many firsts for me. I have absolutely no experience with children beyond him. I applied a similar technique to my marriage. I didn’t have as much dating experience as most people, yet I knew what I wanted and built an amazing life with someone. Make no mistake, I’m under no illusions. The baby is in charge. But I feel if Stephenie and I can be together this long and continue to love each other this much, Halfdan is only going to add that much more to our lives.
That is one hell of a chin.
I am also eternally grateful to Dr Stearman and the amazing staff of nurses and CNAs that tended to my family at Tacoma General. I know I’m forgetting some people but shout outs in no particular order: Tina, Robyn, Anna, Hope, Annie, Shandy, Kate, and Kristy. The camaraderie between Stephenie and these fellow nurses was real and special.
Nap time.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go work on my Chad dad bod.