The Houston, Texas Health Museum Gets Animated with Cartoon Network's Animation Exhibit

Houston's Health Museum is a member of the world renowned Texas Medical Center and located in the ever popular Museum District at 1515 Hermann Drive Houston, TX 77004. In addition to their exhibits on your body and you, and Houston's only 4D IMAX experience on "Planet You" they are currently host to the Cartoon Network's interactive exhibit "Animation."

Animation is a 6,000 square foot interactive exhibit featuring popular Cartoon Network characters, some even adults know and love like The Jetsons and Scooby Doo and developed by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in collaboration with Cartoon Network and partially funded by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

In this exhibit visitors can explore the world of animation from beginning to end by being involved in interactive doing activities like; creating a storyboard/storyline, drawing, design, movement, timing, filming and sound. Other not to be missed parts of the Animation exhibit at Houston's Health Museum includes larger than life graphics, a screening room, and a cartoon museum.

"In Animation, it's about exploring, questioning and experimenting with the science behind the art of animation in a way that makes learning fun," said Jon Iszard, President and CEO of The Health Museum. "Research has shown that animation has proven to be a powerful and effective tool for engaging and teaching people of all ages about science concepts such as perception, illusion, geometry and measurement."

Dennis Adamovich, senior vice president of marketing, Cartoon Network. "What this exhibit reveals in full interactive detail is the number of different skills involved in creating animation, from voice-acting and recording to computer programming and scoring, from screenwriting and storyboarding to sound-effects and editing."

"There truly is a science to this colorful, engaging art form. Animation will offer visitors a more complete understanding of it, and hopefully inspire young people to consider animation as a future career," Adamovich added.

The exhibit also shows the connection between many important basic academic skills like knowledge of history, English (writing and creating stories) science and technology, sounds, phonetics and history. I have to admit that while attending the exhibit's preview, I was most entertained and educated by these exhibits:

Sound stage: where I learned how different sounds can evoke different reactions even though the pictures and motions remained the same;

Screening room: where I could sit down for a few minutes and be a kid again by viewing The Jet sons and Scooby Doo;

Creating a movie video: enter the room and perform and action, then watch it on the screen outside of the room and;

Careers in animation: where I could "meet" through video someone who has a career in animation and learn how they were educated and what they can do with their education and experience now through animation and cartoons.

Plan your visit to Animation at the Houston Health Museum?

Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Museum is open Mondays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., June through August. For information about the Museum or its programs, please call 713-521-1515 or visit www.thehealthmuseum.org.

General Admission tickets are: Adult (13-64) $8; Senior (65+) $6; Child (3-12) $6; Museum members and Children 2 and under free.

The Animation exhibit will be included in the price of General Admission, except on Free Family Thursdays when the charge for Animation will be $3 per person. The Animation exhibit is available from May 29-Sept. 6^th, 2010.

Whether you are living or visiting the Houston area, The Health Museum is a must see and do adventure for the whole family, and with changing exhibits and specials you will never be disappointed.

Sources:
Personal Experience
Media Preview Event, May 27