Graeme Base: Got to meet Graeme Base tonight, and he was as delightful and full of creative energy as I had hoped.

I got quite a grin out of him when I asked if Kit Williams had been an influence on The Eleventh Hour. He told a fun story about the time he met Kit Williams through a mutual friend.

Apparently, he's in the LA area for the next few months trying to wheel and deal some film sales. When I brought up Finding Nemo, he put down his pen and said, "Finding Nemo has killed Sign of the Seahorse. Sign of the Seahorse has been in various stages of development for twelve years, but now nobody wants to touch it. It's dead."

He was a fun, friendly, intelligent guy, and I hope he doesn't have to wait for the people who loved his books as kids get into positions of power in the studios before his films get made. There's so much story and vision to be found.

It sounds like his new one, Truck Dogs, would make a terrific animated feature.