Excerpt from IMDb:
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"Michel Gagne was born in Quebec, Canada. As a young man, he studied animation at Sheridan College School of Visual Arts in Ontario, Canada.
In 1985, he began a highly successful career drawing characters, special effects and conceptual designs for companies such as Don Bluth Animation, Warner Bros., Disney, Pixar, Cartoon Network and many more. Gagné's work has appeared in films such as 'The Iron Giant', 'Osmosis Jones', the 'Star Wars: Clones Wars' animated short films, 'The Land Before Time', 'All Dogs Go to Heaven', 'An American Tail', and numerous others. His 3 ½ minute independent short film, 'Prelude to Eden', is a favorite among animation students and teachers, and has played in festivals throughout the world. Michel was honored by the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, with four Annie Award nominations. He continues to design and consult on major film projects."
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What an incredible pedigree! This game looks like a work of art and plays like a Metroid style game! August 3rd can't come quick enough! I didn't think Outland would be replaced --THIS-- quickly as THE artistic, Metroid-style game to get in the Downloadable-Scene, but, well, there ya go!
This is where the concept came from:
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Seattle, WA, March 2010 – Michel Gagne and Fuelcell Games are pleased to bring their independent video game, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, to Xbox Live® Arcade.
Michel Gagne and Joe Olson, CEO of Fuelcell Games, met in 2007 in Seattle’s Fremont district where they discussed the possibility of bringing feature quality 2d animation to the gaming world in a classic side-scrolling adventure. Shortly after, a production team was assembled and Fuelcell Games was born. Their mission: bring the vision of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet to life.
“This is one of the most thrilling projects of my career”, said Gagne. “I love working on ITSP with Joe and his team. It amazes me to see how they’re able to expand on my concepts and animations and create such a memorable interactive experience. Simply put, this game is going to rock!”
The Fuelcell team has been busy building a studio infrastructure and quietly working with Gagne on ITSP while exploring partnerships to develop the game. After months of negotiation with several entities, it was decided that Microsoft and Xbox LIVE Arcade was the best possible home for the project.
“The team here at Fuelcell is incredibly excited to be starting production in full force on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet”, said Olson. “We’ve assembled an extremely talented, dedicated, and passionate group of people around this unique project. The combined forces of our team of game industry veterans, Michel’s unique artistic style and vision, and Microsoft’s expertise in the downloadable game space is sure to make for a lasting impression on 2D gaming.”
“Microsoft is thrilled to have Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet heading to Xbox LIVE Arcade”, said Saxs Persson, Senior Director of Xbox LIVE Arcade. “We look forward to helping Michel and Fuelcell realize their creative vision, and continuing to support independent developers looking to drive innovation on our service.”
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