I purchased this book as a creative inspiration tool, and in that regard it does succeed. I was hoping for a little more background in the artists, or a list of influences in the creation of the illustrations. Some of course weren't to my taste, but almost all were masterful in their craft.

This is a really fun little package. It's a 100 page, full color picture book of awesome animation stills, all in the size of a DVD case. Heck, it is a DVD case! Most (not all) of the videos on the DVD are mind-blowing, full-motion versions of the stills in the book. Definitely worth having if you're a fan of animation.

Relatively speaking of course...(If its in a book, then it is not going to be new in the revolutionary sense.) In any case, I would recommend the this book for the lover of character design, character animation and those who are obsessive about continually finding different styles and inspiration from which to draw. Be mindful that because this book has pretty niche stuff and characters of a quirky flavor that you will most likely find yourself absolutely adoring some of these characters and completely cringing your brow in confusion with others. I did buy this book, knowing full well that I might only like 50% but would appreciate the other simply because of the artistry. Having said that, this hardcover should find a place on your bookshelf or in your backpack for a while. It is a collection of quirky, colorful and curious characters and though the book might be light on pages (at 90 or so), it more than makes up for that with its accompanying DVD of short films and commercials. With more than 60 - 70% of the artists/studios coming from countries other than the US/Canada, there is a good chance that North Americans and the World over haven't seen half of these styles or designs... You might be able to find some of this on the internet but most of it would not be in the full form it is on this DVD. I find it to be a good brain starter (one of many in my back pocket) when looking for inspiration on character movement or character stylings. Just remember it is very niche...and you might not like all of what it has to offer.