A few days ago, Michel Gagné posted the first 12 Flash-animated interstitials that he recently created for Nickelodeon's Halloween Shriekin Weekend. The shorts ran throughout this past holiday weekend, and his site now features what he's calling 'Director's Cuts.' Each short stars Michel's 'Insanely Twisted Shadow Puppets,' which come off as anything but flat.

From the 25-second 'Call of the Wild' to the 5-second 'The Juggler,' each of these shorts are highly engaging, often frightening eye candy. Michel brought on 2 strong Flash-animators to help carry the load. Michael Hogue and Jayson Thiessen, two highly-skilled artists, added their touches to the project. You might know Hogue's 'Jinx the Black Cat' site, or maybe you've seen him on G4TV's 'Call for Help' show, where he often gives Flash tutorials.

Jayson Thiessen, a graduate of the Vancouver Film School, has enjoyed quite a bit of attention for his Chubby Dee short 'Stale Sale,' which moves as well as any Flash-animation I've ever seen.

Michel Gagné, the creator of the shorts, is a much-celebrated artist, having worked on such high profile projects like 'Iron Giant,' 'Osmosis Jones,' 'The Incredibles' and 'Star Wars: Clone Wars.' He's worked as an Effects Animator, a Character Animator and now Director on his own shorts. His numerous books have gained Michel a worldwide following, with 'Insanely Twisted Rabbits' being perhaps his most famous.