Animation History
January 27, 2025 posted by Orrin Scott

2025 Animation Book Preview

There’s already less than 50 weeks left in 2025 and there are so many books about animation to read and look forward to! Compiled for your perusing pleasure, check out a dozen of this year’s (and one from last year) slate of animation books that are ready to be added to your animation library!


Published December 30, 2024The Animation Smears Book: Uncovering Film’s Most Elusive Technique by Christian Avender and published by Routledge.

“Throughout cinema, there have been various techniques to depict motion, and one style in particular is the fascinating use of smears in animation. Incredibly popular and captivating to artists, these animation smears are frames that creatively replicate motion blur captured on film, which is the phenomena that we commonly observe in our everyday life.

The vast world of different techniques for smears is explored in this book, expanding way beyond their commonly believed starting point in the 1940s to their actual origins that date back to the beginning of art history with illustrations and prototypes that led to their usage in some of the earliest known theatrical animations.

The Animation Smears Book: Uncovering Film’s Most Elusive Technique is a comprehensive guide that provides extensive information on the stylistic and creative aspects of smears and their impact, on how they make use of the way we perceive motion. Additionally, this book also reveals the names of artists who helped develop smears and the original techniques that were used.

Thoroughly examined by a professional animator, the animation smear is highlighted as a versatile technique used in all forms of animation including 3D and stop‑motion. This book answers all of the questions that readers ever had about smears and brings clarity to this simple yet mysterious trick that has puzzled fans, scholars, and historians for centuries.”


Published January 2, 2025Walt’s People: Volume 30: Talking Disney with the Artists Who Knew Him by Didier Ghez and published by Chronicle Books.

Walt’s People: Volume 30 features appearances by SHARON BAIRD remembering ANNETTE FUNICELLO, CARL BARKS, BILL BERG, EDIE CARHART, CLAUDE COATS, WILL EYERSON, HAROLD HELVENSTON, RAY JACOBS, PHYLLIS LAMBERTSON-JACOBSEN, BILL SHEPARD, RUTHIE TOMPSON and PETER WOODS. Among the hundreds of stories in this volume: Storyman RALPH WRIGHT remembers how he pitched a sequence for Bambi that featured an anthill and which developed into a large series of highly creative storyboards.

Director DAVID SWIFT recalls how Walt Disney called him at home and admitted he cried after reading his script for Pollyanna. Imagineer, CHRIS BROWN gives a fascinating account of life and work in the Show/Ride Mechanical Engineering Department at WED (now Walt Disney Imagineering). TREVOR BRYANT explains how he helped set up Walt Disney Imagineering’s Research and Development Department.”


February 17th, 2025Animating the Victorians: Disney’s Literary History by Patrick C. Fleming and published by University Press of Mississippi.

“Many Disney films adapt works from the Victorian period, which is often called the Golden Age of children’s literature. Animating the Victorians: Disney’s Literary History explores Disney’s adaptations of Victorian texts like Alice in Wonderland, Oliver Twist, Treasure Island, Peter Pan, and the tales of Hans Christian Andersen. Author Patrick C. Fleming traces those adaptations from initial concept to theatrical release and beyond to the sequels, consumer products, and theme park attractions that make up a Disney franchise. During the production process, which often extended over decades, Disney’s writers engaged not just with the texts themselves but with the contexts in which they were written, their authors’ biographies, and intervening adaptations. To reveal that process, Fleming draws on preproduction reports, press releases, and unfinished drafts, including materials in the Walt Disney Company Archives, some of which have not yet been discussed in print.

But the relationship between Disney and the Victorians goes beyond adaptations. Walt Disney himself had a similar career to the Victorian author-entrepreneur Charles Dickens. Linking the Disney Princess franchise to Victorian ideologies shows how gender and sexuality are constantly being renegotiated. Disney’s animated musicals, theme parks, copyright practices, and even marketing campaigns depend on cultural assumptions, legal frameworks, and media technologies that emerged in nineteenth-century England. Moreover, Disney’s adaptations influence modern students and scholars of the Victorian period. By applying scholarship in Victorian studies to a global company, Fleming shows how institutions mediate our understanding of the past and demonstrates the continued relevance of literary studies in a corporate media age.”


February 20, 2025The Nightmare Before Christmas edited by Filipa Antunes, Brittany Eldridge, and Rebecca Williams and published by Bloomsbury Academic.

“This edited collection considers The Nightmare Before Christmas as a milestone in animation and film history, considering the different layers of meaning and history of the film from pre-production to the present day.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993) has become a key point of reference in negotiations of genre and the boundaries between mainstream and cult cultures, both on screen and in the spaces of fandom, and in original and retrospective reception contexts where it often becomes tangled with nostalgia. Contributors to this edited collection consider the film as a cultural object with significant impact on animation, representations of family and horror, and fandom and subcultures. Covering topics including representations of fairy tales, Christmas media, cultural appropriation, family horror, merchandise, theme parks, and food, this work explores the film’s ongoing cultural impact.”


February 28, 2025Mr. In-Between: My Life in the Middle of the Animation Revolution by Bill Kroyer and published by CRC Press.

What’s changed most in your lifetime? The switch from landlines to cell phones? From snail mail to email? How about the transition from Bugs Bunny to Buzz Lightyear? Those Bugs and Daffy cartoons you loved as a kid look nothing like the PIXAR classics Toy Story or The Incredibles.

Mr. In-Between: My Life in the Middle of the Animation Revolution is the fascinating and hilarious saga of one of animation’s computer graphics pioneers, Bill Kroyer, making his way to Hollywood to end up as a key figure in the technical revolution of animation’s “Second Golden Age.” He provides an artist’s explanation of the fundamental principles of animation, from the basic mechanics of motion to the immersive, artful experience of visualizing and realizing the performance of an imaginary character.

Rather than a scholarly listing of films and filmmakers, the book is instead a captivating first-person journey through what may be the most important transition in the history of the arts―the transformation and renaissance of the animated film in the digital age. An important work for scholars, and an eye-opening and page-turning adventure for any film or cartoon fan, Mr. In-Between is a book that has the ultimate writing credit.

Bill Kroyer was there.


March 25, 2025Art of Amphibia by Drew Taylor and published by Disney Manga.

“Disney’s TV series Amphibia chronicles the adventures of three best friends who find themselves magically transported to the world of Amphibia, a wild marshland tropical island full of anthropomorphic amphibians and dangerous beasts. The three girls are separated when they arrive in Amphibia, and must go on their own fantastical journeys to reunite and save their new friends.

Following the success of Marcy’s Journal, TOKYOPOP presents The Art of Amphibia. Lovingly crafted by Matt Braly, the creator and showrunner of the Disney animated series, this hardcover book features behind-the-scenes artwork from the television series and written insights and testimonials from the crew.

Featuring a foreword by Anne Boonchuy voice actor Brenda Song, packed to the brim with never-before-seen character designs, location designs, and development art, this book is a must-own for any Amphibia fan!”


April 15, 2025The Oxford Handbook of the Disney Musical by Dominic Broomfield-McHugh and Colleen Montgomery and published by Oxford University Press.

The Oxford Handbook of the Disney Musical brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to interrogate an enduringly popular and influential cultural phenomenon. Broadening the purview of extant scholarship while also reflecting its methodological multiplicity, this collection takes an expansive approach to the Disney musical.

From animated musical shorts to Disney video games, the Handbook acknowledges that the Walt Disney Company uses the musical across a range of media and explores what that means culturally, commercially, and technologically. The chapters cover case studies from the classical (Alice in Wonderland, Bambi) and more contemporary (Aladdin, Frozen II) eras, acknowledge the importance of theme parks, television, and video games to Disney’s success, and explore cultural figures and themes. Contributors also unpack Disney’s complicated relationship with race, gender, and sexuality, and the company’s recent centennial provides an apt opportunity to reflect on the importance of the musical to the conglomerate’s evolution in diverse segments of the media industries. Taken together, the Handbook combines innovative original research, analyses of previously unexamined archival documents, case studies, topical discussions, and critiques of current knowledge and existing scholarship to give voice to new perspectives on this important topic. By including the perspectives of scholars from film, theater, television, musicology, children’s literature, and cultural studies, serving as a multidisciplinary resource.”


May 6, 2025The Art of Elio by Pixar Animation Studios and published by Chronicle Books.

“The next in the fan-favorite, collectible Disney and Pixar Art of series, The Art of Elio presents the story behind the out-of-this-world film from Pixar Animation Studios. Adventure across the galaxy with alien-obsessed Elio in this essential story of connection, friendship, and searching for your place in the world, or in this case, universe. This book highlights the stunning artwork from the film’s creation—including character designs, storyboards, color scripts, and much more—and features exclusive interviews with the creative team along with behind-the-scenes details. This book is the perfect gift for aspiring artists, animators, film buffs, and fans.”


June 17, 2025X-Men ’97: The Art and Making of the Animated Series by James Field and released by Abrams Books.

The Art X-Men ’97 takes fans behind the scenes of Marvel Animations’ Emmy-nominated revival to X-Men: The Animated Series.

Picking up where the original series left off when it aired its final episode in September 1997, this new series features returning cast members and a revamped but familiar art style.

Storyboards, character sketches, vehicle designs, new costumes, stills, animatic frames, cels, and so much more will show every step of the process that the talented team of animators, designers, and storytellers undertook to bring viewers the further adventures of Wolverine, Storm, Bishop, Beast, Jubilee, Cyclops, and the rest of Marvel’s most famous mutants.”


July 29, 2025Making Disney Magic … from a Mermaid to Moana: Tales of a Disney Animation Director by Ron Clements and published by Disney Editions.

“An engaging story of 40 magical years of Disney animation, featuring nearly 500 museum-quality, full-color pages and 1,000+ pieces of archival artwork and photos.

The corners of this smaller-than-typical coffee table book also serve as an animation flip-book celebrating Disney characters from the 1970s–2010s.

If your favorite Disney Princess is Moana or Ariel . . . if your favorite Disney magic comes from Aladdin’s Genie or Mama Odie . . . if your favorite Disney baddie is Hades or Professor Ratigan . . . then say, “thank you,” to Ron Clements. (He says, “you’re welcome”.)

As a key filmmaker of some of the most beloved Disney movies of all time, Ron Clements shares his 40-year history at Walt Disney Animation Studios. His armchair-worthy memoir meets coffee table art book is an honest, fun, and eye-opening ride sure to delight every Disney fan!”


Autumn, 2025The Disney Afternoon: The Making of a Television Renaissance by Jake S. Friedman and published by Disney Editions.

“When The Disney Afternoon premiered in 1990, kids tossed their backpacks aside to watch their favorite Disney television characters. Unlike with feature films, these stars had a new adventure every weekday, and their audience journeyed with them on a daily basis. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Disney raised the bar with a lineup of innovative, high-quality television animation. The characters were endearing, the writing was clever, and the art was exceptional. Those who grew up with these characters have continued their love affairs for shows like Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, TaleSpin, and the irrepressibly beloved DuckTales, deep into adulthood. For the first time, learn the history of the Disney Afternoon shows, read interviews from the creative teams, and revel in rare, behind-the-scenes artwork, plus get the full making of story of the modern-day DuckTales series and its legacy connections to the past.”


Releasing in 2025The Only Woman Animator” Bessie Mae Kelley & Women at the Dawn of an Industry by Mindy Johnson.

“In the earliest days of the animation industry, one woman animated and directed alongside the men who later became titans of the artform, yet her name and work have been lost — until now. The discovery of this pioneer changes everything.

In a landmark premiere, this ground-breaking artist, and her surviving films, are finally introduced to the world, marking the debut of the earliest-known hand-drawn animation — animated and directed by a woman.

Author/historian Mindy Johnson once again transforms our animated past with the pivotal discovery of “the only woman animator” in the earliest days of animation as well as other women artists at the dawn of an industry.”

13 Comments

  • These selections show just how far animation scholarship has come over the years. Thirty or forty years ago, the subject of practically any book about animated cartoons would be just that, animated cartoons in general; and we’d be lucky if more than one or two titles were published in a year. Here, however, we have a full dozen covering an extraordinarily wide range of specific subjects, all coming out in 2025. It’s hard to imagine a more “niche” subject than the history of animation smears, but those of us who have worn out the pause buttons on our remotes to study them will no doubt find the book fascinating. Avender is quite right that the origins of the technique “date back to the beginning of art history”; even the Lascaux cave paintings use the superimposition of images to convey a sense of motion.

    • I wore out the remote’s pause button on a cartoon, can’t remember the title or much else, where a pack of dog’s in a jumble (same as a smear?) cross the screen a few times. When you pause it, you see that every third dog or so is giving us the finger!

  • That Disney Afternoon book has been in the works for a while. I can’t wait for its eventual release!

    • Well, there has been another Disney Afternoon book being composed by Tim Van Hal. I donated to his Kickstarter page almost a decade ago, and it’s been over nine years for that book to be released. All I’ve heard from Tim is that his personal life has been cutting into his work.

  • DISNEY DISNEY DISNEY ITS ALWAYS ONLY DISNEY…

    …the Bill Kroyer book really grabs my attention, though.

  • Of these I most want the Smears book, Ron Clements, and Disney Afternoons. I hope that last one becomes “available” on Amazon again.

  • Why does a book on animation smears have “multiples” on the cover?

    • I didn’t catch that–good eye! Nevermind, I don’t want to read it.

  • Last August I wrote “Dance of the Comedians: 75 Years of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote,” published by BearManor Media. It’s a complete history/cultural study of the Road Runner and Wile E., all the way up to the shelved “Coyote vs. Acme.” It has contributions from Bob Singer (who wrote the foreword), Willie Ito, Jerry Eisenberg, Eric Bauza, Dave Green, Mark Evanier, Fernando Llera, JP Karliak, David Alvarez, and family members of Abe Levitow, Ben Washam, John Dunn, Tom Ray, and Mike Maltese.

    If you’d like to learn more about the book, I made a website at http://www.danceofthecomedians.weebly.com. It’s also available on Amazon and at BearManor Media’s website. It’s my first book, and I’m struggling to get the word out. I was hoping Cartoon Research, Animation Scoop, or Cartoon Brew might feature it.

    • Well you got one sale 🙂

      • Wow, I appreciate you! Hope you enjoy it. 😀

    • It sounds good to me, too!

      My own book – BLUTO, BUSTER AND THE BLOB should be out from BearManor Media books, soon! I did several interviews with Jackson “Bluto” Beck and the second and third volumes contain interviews with the late Shamus Culhane, Dave Tendlar, Gordon Sheehan, etc. and “new kids on the block” like Jon McClenahan. I also interviewed film collector and dealer Veto Stasiunaitis – who was starting out as an animation “in-betweener” at Warner Bros. for a short time – just before the animation department closed for the first time. He had a few interesting things to tell me about the last of the Chuck Jones era ROAD RUNNER cartoons!

      • Oh my goodness, I love this! It sounds fantastic. Gotta love BearManor, they’re the best. 🙂

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