Update 3: Here’s a higher-quality version on Crackle.com

Update 2: Hey I won! Wow! Incredible. A big thank-you to Laura and the band for choosing my video. Thanks to all of you readers for the generous comments and kind words. Having never really done anything like this before, it’s very rewarding to me that it was a success – in the contest, and with all of you. Thanks! And be sure to visit Laura’s site to check out the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place videos!

Update: Fun facts about the making of the video.

The chickens make their animation debut today! This is my entry for the Laura Veirs music video contest. It’s for the song “Phantom Mountain” from the Saltbreakers album – a great album – go get yourself a copy!

Just click the video to start playing it. If you can’t see it for some reason, you can watch it on YouTube.

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131 Responses to Phantom Mountain

  1. country roads says:

    amazing! Simply amazing!!

  2. Phil Burchill says:

    Wow! That was just incredible! Most excellent!

  3. Marauder says:

    GORGEOUS!!!

  4. Eugen says:

    stunning!!! congrats, it’s really beautiful!

  5. Jen says:

    Now that’s fecking amazing. Fantastic work, Doug! Hope you win it. 😀

  6. Ian Ellis says:

    Awsome!

  7. Julie says:

    Holy mother of chickens! That was awesome…both the song and the video.
    Go go Chicken power!

  8. William says:

    That was great! I got so into it that when the butterfly flew down, I tried to scroll the page to follow it!

    Great job!

  9. Alyxx says:

    WOW! Ok, I’ve always loved pixilation in its many forms – and this is a great example! I love the way the chickens work with the 3d environment, and I think it goes brilliantly with the song.

    Kudos!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Very cool!!!! Love your chickens. Congratulations.

  11. Owen says:

    Very well done! Cool song, too. Gotta check her out.

  12. Derek says:

    This video is so amazing!!! you mixed the fabulous chickens with origami an d godzilla!! im pretty sure you’re going to win the contest!!!

    Keep it coming Doug! your chickens are awesome!

  13. Marti says:

    OMG this was so Great!!!! Do you think maybe there will be more animations in your future? I would love to see savage chickens on TV

    Have an awesome weekend!

    Regards Marti

  14. Tom says:

    absolutely brilliant…
    very innovative and catchy…
    song and even more your animation ..

    so, i’m gona watch it a third and fourth time now 😉

  15. Anonymous says:

    Fantástico, de verdad impresionante trabajo, muchas felicidades. Saludos desde México de parte de Krom.

  16. garricks says:

    Well done! Most excellent animatration!!

  17. Anonymous says:

    How much do you rock? That was SO cool. Nice work. I hope you win!

  18. Doris Sudduth says:

    That was great! I’ve read every single Savage Chickens comic and I really enjoyed the animation and the music. Thanks!

  19. Kat says:

    Wow, that was fantastic! 😀 I like them animated.

  20. Jim Pemberton says:

    Great job! Very creative. I love the idea where the medium becomes the art.

  21. Joseph says:

    That was really impressive. I would love to see some stats on it, like how many frames you shot, how long it took you, etc. Stop motion animation has always fascinated me.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Darn Firewall at work. Can’t see the comic today. Must skip work and rush home to see Savage Chickens. The power of the chicken compels me!

    C.

  23. grigorisgirl says:

    Superb! Glad to see Frued and the choocks getting animated:)

  24. hypnobee says:

    Awesome…excellent job!

  25. Hanako says:

    Doug, you have outdone yourself!! Post-it animation?? I love the little office supplies that move around the animation, like the cards to make waves. How long did it take you?

  26. Janice in GA says:

    Well done! I like stop-motion animation anyway, but you did a great job with this.

  27. Robert Williams says:

    Surreal!

  28. Anonymous says:

    Wow!! You did a great job, loved the music. Turning all my friends on to your site.

  29. jesirose says:

    That was absolutely brilliant.

  30. Daniela Berger says:

    That was absolutely beautiful.

    And I can’t begin to imagine how many hours you put into this work.

    Just plain awesome!

  31. Anonymous says:

    doug, you are the only person i feel safe recommending this to… Quit your day job!

  32. Hillary says:

    VERY cool! You just may have found your new niche! Wow! 🙂

  33. SeriousCat says:

    THAT is so cool.. love the animation muchly!

  34. coneja says:

    That was awesome! ^^

  35. Julie D says:

    Absolutely awesome! Great job!

  36. Anonymous says:

    omg, doug that is awesome, how long did that take to shoot and make?

  37. Kath says:

    It’s incredibly awesome, but you know that. You will totally win.

  38. Spring Dew says:

    Awesome!! Completely made of win.

  39. Jason says:

    Well done! How long did it take to film all that stop frame animation?

  40. aly says:

    Loooove the animated chickens, especially the one that “flew the coop”! And the butterfly and office supply montage was way fun! You must have spent weeks on this, if not months. Go Savage Chickens!!

  41. Sarah says:

    Not only did the chickens make their video debut, but Dead Dog and Godzilla, too! Very esoteric video and well put together.

  42. Goodness Gracie says:

    That was brilliant!

  43. Mike says:

    That was amazing. Hopefully you’ll do some more of these animations again.

  44. Tyler says:

    Did I see Dead Dog Bob make an appearance?

    Fantastic video! Be sure to let us know if you win.

  45. Doug Savage says:

    Wow thanks everybody! I’m really glad you like it!

    It took 2 weeks to make, with about 500 sticky notes, and 1500 photos. I’ve put up some other fun facts about the making of the video here on the behind the scenes page.

  46. Jeff says:

    Bravo! You’ve taken chicken art to a whole new level!

    How did you manage to suspend the butterfly in air while you took the shots?

  47. PodSquadHQ says:

    Amazing – great work!

  48. Jenny says:

    Hands down, best chicken cartoon EVER!

  49. Hunter says:

    That was…really cool.

  50. chikzrkul says:

    AWESOME! I’m beyond impressed!!! You have just made my depressing morning a whole lot brighter!

  51. the erudite baboon says:

    Hey! That’s awesome!

  52. StrangeRover says:

    …What’s th’ punch line?

  53. Hekateris says:

    That was awesome! Great tune, too.

  54. belphebe says:

    Wow, Doug. That was fantastic! I definitely need to check out the behind the scenes information.

    I loved how the animation worked with the song, especially the butterfly.

  55. Rayni says:

    Oh my goodness! You must have spent so much time on it! And it was amazing! Amazing! Amazing!!

  56. newsong says:

    I quite like it 😀

  57. WhizGidget says:

    Doug, what a fabulous job you did! That was incredible!

    I showed it to my youngest daughter and she loved the part where the chicken was “roasted” by lightning. I have to say, that *was* pretty cool.

  58. Anonymous says:

    i read the behind the scenes stats. your film is both creative and entertaining. you spent more time planning it than a lot of shows that are on tv today. the fact that you storyboarded puts you above many kids shows i’ve worked on. best to you

  59. Samantha says:

    Brilliant! Made my day 🙂

  60. jenmoocat says:

    That was wonderful and very creative. I, too, am interested in how you suspended the butterfly in the air while filming.

  61. S.Castor says:

    Superb.

  62. Gafguru says:

    that was amazing..
    do you still have a day job ???

  63. Anonymous says:

    Don’t like the song, but the visuals were awesome. I must say, the multi-color papclip was my favorite character 🙂

  64. Raquel says:

    That was awsome!!! You did a fantastic job. 🙂

  65. Katie says:

    WOW. I know you’ve heard it already but WOW!

  66. Amy says:

    Wow, that’s absolutely amazing!

  67. Ian Castruita says:

    Great song, and awesome work!

  68. andy says:

    i agree with everyone else. this was simply fantastic! i was really getting excited to see it, and the hype you created was worth it! great job!!

  69. Dev_chieftain says:

    That was so amazing! I’m completely in love! <3!!

  70. Pedro Villalobos says:

    Really amazing! One of the best stop-motions i have ever seen 🙂

  71. Girion says:

    That was awsome!!!

    It was great all the way through but it really got me smiling when the dog tackles the lighter to save the butterfly.

  72. jag says:

    I don’t think I realized you were left-handed?! Doesn’t matter – this is frickin’ amazing. And thanks for the related Fun Facts. You always bring a smile to my day!!

  73. Anonymous says:

    Wow! Excellent, really! That’s the best thing I’ve seen on the internet in a long time. I freaking love those chickens!

  74. awestruck by doug's amazing amazingnessocity says:

    wow. Wow. WOW.
    a steaming pile of awesome!!!!
    [:
    you have lots of time on your hands, don’t you?

    ps: lefty’s rule!

  75. Sami Koivu says:

    Wow, Doug. Superb. First animation? Two weeks? Incredible.

  76. Anonymous says:

    It was ok- maybe i missed some deep meaning.

  77. Katherine says:

    That was simply amazing!

    Love love love the butterfly. 🙂 That’s my favorite origami diagram!

  78. Justice~! says:

    I feel bad leaving nothing but a “me too” comment, but I pretty much had to
    CHANGE
    MY
    PANTS

    after seeing this! It was absolutely nuts. I’m so glad other people felt the same way because this definitely deserves animation!!

  79. LeAnna says:

    I see no reason why you wouldn’t win this competition. That was completely mesmerizing!

  80. Dawn says:

    This is a big leap in your work. I didn’t realize you were an artist of so many mediums! I’m very impressed =)

  81. Edric Hsu says:

    WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!! I love this super duper special animated edition! Well done, Doug!!! 😛

  82. Anonymous says:

    Good God you’re talented!

  83. Anonymous says:

    THAT. IS. AWESOME.

  84. Claudia says:

    that was unbelievable!!!!! you’re awesome. -highfive- it HAS to win that contest.

  85. UWYO says:

    Amazing work! I enjoy the day to day escapades of the chickens, but this was just wonderful! What software did you use? Camera? Good luck!f1r35T0rm

  86. jean says:

    Great job Doug! I love it!! I hope you win!

  87. Warren Criswell says:

    Truly amazing, Doug, especially if this is really your first animation!!? But listen– Do you know about Xuangzi, the monk who dreamed he was a butterfly, then woke up and wondered if he was a butterfly dreaming he was Xuangzi? Your interplay of drawings with reality reminded me of that Taoist story. Way cool.

  88. Anonymous says:

    Out of the videos I could find that were done for the contest I think yours is the best, you’re so gonna win this.

  89. el jefe says:

    beautiful!

  90. lioness says:

    Fabulous! GO CHICKEN GO! Great work. Really nice flow.

  91. Sbyllek says:

    FANTASTIC!

    Ever since I discovered your chickens a year ago they have been a part of my morning routine.

    I’ve always been impressed with your talent…your video just blew me away!!

    Awesome work!

  92. CaySedai says:

    And it’s Doug Savage for a first-place win! Yay Savage Chickens!

  93. Doug says:

    very first thing I’ve seen of yours was the blank page cartoon.. I love it. I just emailed it to several other writers…
    now this great video! I turned off the sound because it was breaking up, but still was riveted by the story.
    really Doug you’re doing me a great service….
    people googling me will find your cartoons and think they’re mine. good thing they’re great! haha
    btw I’ve been a writer director on & off for 30 years. great animation.great story.
    I found you googling myself. a lost friend found me a couple of weeks ago through google. so curious I followed through. and here you are.
    I’ve just signed up for your cartoons. best of luck.
    Doug Savage

  94. Doug says:

    second comment
    just watched it again. too awesome, no three awesome.
    and I agree, quit your day job.
    Doug S

  95. Habi says:

    wow! brilliant!
    can’t wait to see more of those.

  96. Skaoot says:

    froudo9
    Wow, so very wow. I did some animationshorts myself, and I know it’s an awful lot of work to get. Respect for getting it done in two weeks. It looks amazing. No wonder you won the contest 🙂
    And I love your chickens, I’ve been visiting them for over a year now, and won’t stop any day soon.

  97. Derek says:

    congratulations Doug!! well deserved!! enjoy your super prize 😀

  98. Warren says:

    Congratulation on the win! You deserve it.
    Warren

  99. Ellie T says:

    congratulations on the win, doug! you definitely deserved it. the video is amazing.

  100. belphebe says:

    Congratulations on winning, Doug. I am so happy for you.

    However, unlike other commenters, I don’t want you to quit your day job, but that is because of purely selfish reasons. 🙂

  101. grigorisgirl says:

    Many congratulations Doug!! We knew you’d win!!!

  102. Anonymous says:

    That was wonderful!! I was most impressed!

  103. MedStudentWife says:

    Congratulations !!!

    Its a truly awesome video !!!

  104. tangled says:

    CONGRATULATIONS!!!

  105. Tofu Ali says:

    Love the stop-motion vid and congrats on the competition!

  106. Paula says:

    Doug! ! viewed this when you posted it and thought it was great and wonderful! I’m so glad you won!!! 🙂
    And yes…this is Paula H.

  107. snacktime says:

    All Kinds Of Awesome.

  108. bluecat says:

    That was a totally awesome video! It’s no wonder that you won. Love the chickens!

  109. funspirit says:

    The first time I’ve left a comment when over a hundred were already there – but man was that a blast! I LOOOOVVVEEEEDDD IT!

    When are you going to do another?

  110. Michael says:

    Congrats on winning, that was an awesome video.

    Here via someone’s blog, and now cannot remember who as I have been checking out the chicken cartoons.

  111. Ashurii says:

    Congrats on winning, Doug! That was awesome! Nice Origami, too!

    Savage Chickens are a good joke in our family. Especially the irrational fears.

  112. Nick says:

    Wow! That was excellent. Really cool animation 🙂 I heard ‘Galaxies’ from Laura Veirs a while back and love this song as well…

  113. Aviatrix says:

    Very creative.

    I definitely want to see more chickens on rollers coasters.

  114. Gail says:

    that is pretty darn amazing! congrats

  115. Anonymous says:

    I’m just back from seeing Laura Veirs play in Edinburgh (30/01/08). Great gig. She was full of praise for the videos and for the enormous effort you and the other winners put into the competition. She urged us all to check out the vids. So I did. I’m impressed. Congratulations.

  116. Polysmack says:

    Wow, cool stuff!

  117. Axxle says:

    Just wow! That was amazing. such an outstanding style to it!

  118. Anonymous says:

    I had the best time watching this! As a matter of fact, I watched it twice. Couldn’t view it when you released it last Sept due to bandwidth issues, but tried again today and it WORKED! Amazing job. Bravo!
    Now I’m going over to Itunes to pick up Laura’s cd.

  119. jean says:

    have loved the chickens since we were first introduced – but the animation just brings them to life – perhaps that’s the point – loved song props dimension jumps – entire production just brilliant

  120. kile says:

    yeah awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome dude you rule!!!!!!!!!

  121. […] check out the interview I did with WNYC about creating the Phantom Mountain music […]

  122. crow says:

    the story behind it is SO amazing! how did make it on time? the whole thing is great! good job.

  123. gamer says:

    Great work, Doug. Congratulations!

  124. […] video will be stop-motion animation (like Phantom Mountain) but it will be visually very different from anything I’ve done before. I’m still at […]

  125. FramtonM says:

    Hey, I’ve just seen “Phantom Mountain” and I thinks it’s great. Have been following the chooks (I live in Australia) for some time now, and I always look forward to the new drawing.
    Congratulations (sorry it’s late)!
    Framton,
    Adelaide, South Australia

  126. danineteen says:

    well done! and congrats on winning the competition! 😀

  127. […] It’s quite different from anything I’ve done before, but see if you can spot the brief chicken cameos at the beginning. I’ll post some behind-the-scenes stuff soon! And if you haven’t seen my previous music video yet, check it out: Phantom Mountain […]

  128. noel says:

    …wooooooowwwww……

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