Epic Films, an independent film group operating in Adelaide, South Australia, has released a trailer for a project entitled Wastelander Panda.

The pilot for an in-development television series, Wastelander Panda features an anthropomorphic, machete-wielding panda wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The trailer has been likened to a hybrid of "Mad Max, Kung Fu Panda, and The Book of Eli".

The project began when when film students Victoria Cocks and Marcus McKenzie outlined the story of a young girl, Rose, who is raised by a panda. The 24-minute pilot features a $2000 mechanical panda head designed by Lion of the Sun Productions. [Trailer after the cut]

… if you read Chinese.

There has been a recommendation of this one-minute TV commercial from Hong Kong, for the Mannings Plus pharmacy chain. It was first posted on YouTube on January 3; we presume it first appeared on TV this year.

The Recommended Anthropomorphics List tries to give credit to not only the sponsor of recommended TV commercials, but also the advertising agency that produced the commercial and, if possible, the ad agency’s director of the commercial. In this case, all the information is in Cantonese, which we cannot read.

We have asked the recommender and on YouTube, but we do not have a reply yet. Can anyone help? Are there any credits here for who made the commercial?

People, including scientists, have wondered for ages how intelligent crows are; alternately, under what conditions crows (or other animals) ever use tools as humans do. A recent video, shot at long distance in an uncontrolled situation, shows striking evidence of this. A crow finds a jar lid and takes it up to a snowy rooftop, where it stands on the lid and sleds down the roof. It then picks up the lid, returns to the rooftop, and sleds down again. Repeatedly.

Nat Geo sees fursuiting as a fit subject for Taboo, according to this three-minute preview:

The program spins furries as "people who enjoy wearing animal costumes in their adult life", calling the behaviour "bizarre", and quoting regular media commentator Dr. Sudeepta Varma:

Furries can be considered greatly taboo because we look at people dressing up in furry costumes as child's play, and it's something that should have been left in the past, and not brought into adulthood.

Update (24 Dec): The episode is to air January 3 at 9PM Eastern, and again at midnight. [cloudchaser_s/furrymedia]

One fursuiter profiled on the show is Nuka (Courtney Plante), a social psychology graduate student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

When Mayer Hawthorne needed a backup band, he looked no further than his pizza joint.

Animatronic band The Rock-afire Explosion used to entertain diners at Showbiz Pizza Place, as described in a previously reviewed documentary. Now, they are employed in music videos.

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have combined non-contact motion detection with animatronics to build a fursuit head which reacts to a performer's facial movements.

The technology, exhibited at the 19th International Collegiate Virtual Reality Contest, allows the wearer to control the eyes and mouth; ear and eyebrow control is planned. [scottbob3]

The 12th Meerkat Manor dance and Disneyland Paris Halloween 2011 trip, organized by Timduru, took place last weekend. The latter had 60 planned attendees from nine countries.

The fursuiters were reportedly asked to leave the park for 30 minutes after stealing the show from the Disney character performers. [video: Djem; tip: Pegla]

See more: Video and photos and reports from prior Halloween trips.

As foretold by ancient lore, a race of anthropomorphic pandas – and their homeland – are to feature in World of Warcraft's new expansion, Mists of Pandaria.

The game also raises the level cap and adds a monk class, combat methods, and pet battles.

Bitter Lake, the Fursuit feature that was announced as premiering at this year's Eurofurence (and which has done so to generally favorable reviews) was also made available there on a region-free DVD, making it theoretically available for purchase by all Furry fans.

Where the DVD may be purchased outside of Eurofurence's dealers' den is not yet known, but it is said to include behind-the-scenes footage and English, German and French subtitles.

Reuters has published a short video from last weekend's Eurofurence, focused on fursuiters.

The segment includes a clip from Sesame Street's Jim Martin (this year's guest of honour), who explained furry fandom as an expression of animal spirit, saying that "a lot of us grew up with cartoons, and comic books, and loving our pets."

One wolf emphasized the open-minded nature of the fandom, noting that "you can't run around in a giant dog costume without a good sense of humour."

Pittsburgh radio personality Jim Krenn spent some time with furries at this year's Anthrocon.

The message from 102.5 WDVE's co-host? Furries like to party. (As do the production staff)

Fur, a July 2011 4-minute French film student animated cartoon, has been posted on YouTube.

This has started to be talked about by Furry fans, but it hasn't been mentioned on Flayrah yet.

The five-minute animation Out of Sight tells a touching story of Chico and her dog. [earthfur]

Read more: The making of Out of Sight

EZwolf has released a preview trailer of Bitter Lake, a live-action movie written and directed by Shay, and scheduled to premier at Eurofurence 17 this August. [Cheetah/furrymedia]

The roughly one-hour film, shot in France and the Netherlands, features fursuits from Clockwork Creature Studios and a soundtrack by Fox Amoore (trailer material).

Actors include EZwolf, Rin, Forfaox and Stoelbank, aided by the voices of Shay, Dylan Nagel and Lucy RedPanda, with sound provided by KwisA. Nikoshi acted as best boy.

See also: Bitter Lake creators answer questions from FNN

In Franz Kafka's classic 1915 short story The Metamorphosis, travelling salesman Gregor Samsa awakes one morning to find he has turned into a giant insect. In furry fandom, the story is often considered a pivotal work by lovers of transformation fiction.

The story is now being given a fluffy makeover in Cook Coleridge's The Meowmorphosis. Instead of an insect, Samsa finds himself turned into an adorable kitten.

Published by Quirk Classics (whose previous mashup novels include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Android Karenina), The Meowmorphosis will be available from May 10. [Trailer video after the cut]