A little bit of history here this week about a little company you may have heard of… called Thunderbean!
First, in brief Thunderbean news, we’re reissuing / repressing the ‘Mid Century Modern 2’ and ‘Noveltoons’ Blu-rays. If you missed them, they’re available at the Thunderbean Shop, and will ship in February, along with a special bonus disc for each.
I’ve been writing in this space for a while, and, as I’m reflecting on the things that Thunderbean has done and I think about the current projects, I really have to smile. There’s been so many little triumphs in running the tiny Thunderbean business, and I’m so incredibly grateful that I’ve been so lucky to get to do all the things we’ve done and continue to do. I thought I’d do an article that works almost like a conversation about a bunch of things related to the last 22 years running Thunderbean, with some of the highlights along the way and some of the things I’m really enjoying working on right now. To me, the what’s to come is super exciting, and I always wish I could get there so much faster than we manage to. Still, there’s so many things happening that there are days where I don’t know what to tackle first.
My full time job, teaching animation at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, is lovely, and working with a new generation of artists is a nice balance to all this old cartoon stuff. It’s definitely related though. Here’s a little video we did some years back at the college as we were working on the Flip the Frog set:
The Thunderbean office is located in Saline, Michigan, not too far from my house. It’s a small space that functions as the packing and shipping, as well as dubbing the titles that are BDR and DVD-R. It’s a space that has a good amount of the toys from my childhood on shelves along with stuff we’ve collected over the years. Small, like all the other stuff in the business, but somehow appropriate I think.
I can’t go over there without having the super 8 prints of cartoons I first had go through my mind. The black and white Niles film print of ‘Felix and the Goose that Layed the Golden Egg’. Les Brooks’ Canterberry Films print of ‘Small Fry’, the Reel Images print of ‘Popeye Meets Sindbad’, and so many more. I bought most of them used from the Big Reel and Movie Collector’s World. Those early experiences, along with watching so many cartoons on UHF stations in the early 70s, have everything to do with what Thunderbean is doing.
Thunderbean, as a company, started in 1998 as a small animation studio. We started doing DVDs of classic cartoons in 2004 as a sort of resurrection of a little company I ran from 1988 through 1993 called ’Snappy Video’. Snappy stopped when I started my career working in animation. The return to doing sets in 2004 gave me the opportunity to do a lot of things I never thought I’d be able to. Many of the early DVD sets were made from the scans I did in the late 80s and early 90s, on 3/4” Umatic tapes. One of the very last things Snappy Video did was a set of Cubby Bear cartoons. Being able to revive that set, first on DVD, then on Blu-ray, was the first
Over these years, we’ve been doing two types of sets: ‘Official’ sets, with cartoons restored from the best possible elements, and ‘Special sets’. The Official sets of course take most of our time,but I’ve really enjoyed doing the special sets over these years a lot. They’ve given us a great excuse to scan a lot of things we always wanted to. There’s a whole bunch that are still waiting to get finished, and this year we’re attacking that project to see if we can finish all of the outstanding ones.
High definition really pulled things forward in great directions. At the Columbus Convent in 2013, my friend, artist Stewart McKissick, along with John McElwee of Greenbriar Picture Shows, convinced me to try and make a Blu-ray version of Gulliver’s Travels. I was obsessed with the idea of getting a good version of Gulliver available, something I always wanted. I had scanned a 35mm print, and it looked so much better than anything available, so from that day on Blu-rays and higher definition copies really took over what we do. McKissick would eventually illustrate the cover. By the way, Greenbriar Picture Shows is a lovely blog-type site, with great pictures and writing posted all the time, If you scroll back to January 5th, you’ll see the catalog for United Artists Cartoons, available in 16mm, Illustrated by Leslie Cabarga. Also note that this, as well as so many other things in the cartoon stratosphere, has a direct tie back to our favorite cartoon hero, Jerry Beck (he put this catalog together while working for UA16 at the time). It’s a small circle of people!
NEW YORK – SEPT 8: Robert Osborne hosts Turner Classic Movies with guest Steve Stanchfield at HBO Studios in New York, New York on September 8, 2014. (photo by David S. Holloway/ TCM)
That same year, having a chance to produce a program for TCM was a lovely surprise. Tommy Stathes of Cartoons on Film was pivotal in making this happen, and I’m happy to say we still work together on projects all these years later.
Meeting George Willeman, and subsequently working with the Library of Congress has been another great highlight. Being able to see Ted Eshbaugh’s “The Snowman’ in color and make a good scan of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was a huge dream. Now if only Goofy Goat would rear his head and hoofs in color….
Over these years I’ve really enjoyed working with so many cool people on these sets, from collectors to artists to people that have helped restore the films, including a lot of former students from the art college. Mark Kaulser, Jerry Beck, Dave Gerstein, Tommy Stathes, Jeff Missinne and Collin Kellogg have been long-time friends and colleagues.Thad Komorowski and his company, Cineste, is largely responsible for the great Fleischer restorations happening, and I’m happy to say he got his start in restoration working on things for Thunderbean.
Other friends like Milton Knight and Mike Kazaleh have provided art for covers and commentaries. Early on, the group commentaries we did for the Cultoons sets are some of my favorites. They’re pretty out of control, but so much fun, like going to a cartoon party.
Over these years, working with the National Archives, UCLA, Blackhawk Films, Disney, and lots of other places keeps making the journey really interesting. A new venture, one I’m sworn to semi-secrecy about, involves over a thousand reels of film (pictured at left), and they all stink! I can’t wait to take that project further in the coming months.
We have a deal with MeTV/ MeTV Toons for a part of the Thunderbean collection, and it’s honestly pretty thrilling to know that there’s people seeing these classic (and not so classic) animated films that have never seen them before. I’ve been spending a lot of time in these last weeks prepping films for broadcast. The ones on the newer sets we’ve done look just fine, but since they wanted some things from the older sets, I can’t help but want them to look as good as we can. Pretty soon we’ll have all they’ve requested to them in this first round.
One this next year, we hope to get a good amount of the projects started finished, if not all, and start the next phase of this little business. Thanks everyone for keeping the lights on against all odds through these years- we’ll keep burning!
Steve Stanchfield is an animator, educator and film archivist. He runs Thunderbean Animation, an animation studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has compiled over a dozen archival animation DVD collections devoted to such subjects at Private Snafu, The Little King and the infamous Cubby Bear. Steve is also a professor at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
Since we’re looking back at Thunderbean’s history, I’d like to share a story about one of my early interactions with the company.
Nearly twenty years ago (!), I ordered a DVD of Van Beuren cartoons titled “Uncensored Animation”. After a couple of months had passed with no sign of it in the post, I emailed an inquiry and immediately received an apology and a promise that the order would be filled immediately. When the DVD arrived, I was disappointed to find that it was a “bad burn” and wouldn’t play. I then sent off another email, and again received a prompt reply promising a replacement disc. When it arrived, it was accompanied by two other DVDs that I hadn’t ordered: a volume of Aesop’s Fables and another of Cartoon Commercials.
I was deeply touched by this gesture. For a small, new company operating on a shoestring, the occasional glitch in filling orders is bound to happen; but this act of generosity went far beyond anything I would have expected. The years have not dimmed my appreciation and gratitude, and I thank you once again for those extra discs. This level of service proves that we who support Thunderbean are not only customers, we are part of a community. May you and Thunderbean enjoy continued success and greater triumphs in the future.
Speaking of Noveltoons and Thad Komorowski, I am really looking forward to that upcoming Famous Studios collection from both “Cartoon Logic” and “ClassicFlix” coming sometime this year!
Thank you, Steve for all you do! I know I said that a lot, but I mean it! You’ve brought a lot of animation to me that I thought I would never see again, and you’ve made a number of dreams come true. I hope you can continue to do that on a larger scale not only this year but in years to come and I think that is what you’re working toward. Again, thank you.
My earliest Thunderbean encounter was with two DVDs–“Popeye Classics from the Flesicher Studio” and “Attack of the 30’s Cartoons.” I was very impressed with both sets, before I ever knew anything else about Thunderbean. Another cherished collection is “Technicolor Dreams and Black-and-White Nightmares.” Also, the Oswald Rabbit collection is first-rate. In recent years, I have especially enjoyed “Flip the Frog.”
I am consistently delighted with the quality and variety of the material, and I greatly appreciate this weekly post as well. All of this is to say I have greatly enjoyed your past efforts and look forward to future ones! Keep up the excellent work!
…Nice….but what ever happened with a bunch of long due “Special Discs”…Harman Ising rarities, Walter Lantz. 1929 Cartoons etc…already paid but never gotten!!!…and that’s the reason why I stopped putting my $$$ on your preorders…
They all come out eventually. I have had dozens of preorders open at times, dating back years. It’s how I support the company. If you’re not comfortable waiting, that’s fine and understandable. But the company only exists because of those preorders.
Good Morning Steve! Thanks for the shout out.
This really jogs my memory too –
I think we have now known each other for nearly 35 years! I first did things for disc release thanks to you.
Now in my dotage I’m still doing work for small labels such as yours, and that’s still really thanks to you.
I have always been amazed at your dedication to what you do. I don’t think people really appreciate just how much hard work and sacrifice you have put into saving our animation history (not to mention money!) Or how much you are really just a one man army doing all this work!
So glad for your recent success getting your stuff on MeTV, and here’s to many more years of Thunderbean!
Best my friend –
Stewart
Dual questions here; is the bonus disc for Noveltoons/MCM2 available separately if you previously bought the Noveltoons set?
More boring-ly, suppose Thunderbean has a better copy of a WB owned cartoon in the public domain, like your very nice copy of Insect to Injury. Would you be allowed to substitute WB’s unrestored AAP print with it on Toons or would they shake an angry fist at you and mutter something about owning half the network?
My first encounter with Thunderbean was a little over ten years ago, puttering around on the internet randomly looking for any information on the Willie Whopper cartoons that weren’t on the old Image DVDs. I was in an Iwerks mood, and lo and behold, I stumbled upon Cartoon Research and this company called Thunderbean Animation that was restoring the Willie Whoppers! I saw a few images of the restored films and immediately preordered it.
When it came in the mail, not only was I blown away by how good it looked, but I noticed on the shipping label that Thunderbean Animation is located in Ann Arbor, MI, which is only a few hours from my house. I took a chance and emailed Mr. Stanchfield and asked if he would possibly give me a tour of his facilities, as I have always had a keen interest in film restoration. He admitted it was just a small office, but welcomed me to come anyway. It was one of the most delightful afternoons I can recall. He was very generous and, amongst other things, gifted me several discs which gave me an introduction to the Van Bueren Studio.
Now, I’m a lifelong customer and I’ve even had a chance to do a little final cleanup on some of the films. It’s an honor to be able to have helped a little and support this little company over the last decade. It’s even more of an honor to get to call Steve a friend. If you’ve ever been on the fence on whether or not to pick up a Thunderbean Blu-Ray, don’t hesitate! The products are of excellent quality and Steve Stanchfield is one of the kindest, most generous, and talented men in the animation industry.
Hello Stave Fieldstanch and Jerry Bach!
Thanks for the great post today on the history of Theanderbird!
Your Pal, Mark Kaulser
“Hello Stave Fieldstanch and Jerry Bach!
Thanks for the great post today on the history of Theanderbird!”
I don’t get the joke here, Mark.
Steve has accidentally misspelled Mark’s surname a few times in these columns over the years. Mark, who is very fastidious in these matters, sometimes ribs him about it. That’s all.
OHHHHHHH!
I see. Thank you.
I remember my first encounter with “Bunderthean”. This was about 2008. I was looking for some cartoons on Amazon – probably Warner Bros. cartoons – and I happened to notice the Van Beuren Tom & Jerry cartoons from Thunderbean. So I hadda try ’em. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Felix Felix Felix, Felix Felix Felix, and Felix. I’m more interested in Felix than Bunin, but I’ll buy just about anything from Stanchy Stevefield.
“Bunderthean”
“Stanchy Stevefield”
Where are all of these misspelling jokes coming from all of a sudden?
After reading this article, I was drawn to pull out my DVD of Cubby Bear. At the time, I was only just becoming aware that Steamboat Willie didnt start the Animation industry. After far more exposure to early animation, due in large part to Thunderbean, today I saw what Steve has always championed.
Nice history there, Steve! I think you and I go back on our friendship for over 35 years – if I’m not mistaken? I think the first time I met you was at one of Veto S.’s film shows in the suburbs of Chicago and you were selling ATTACK OF THE 30’s CHARACTERS on VHS? I also seem to remember that animator Gordon Sheehan was there as well!
You’ve done fantastic work in those 35 or so years, Steve. Keep it up!
I have been a Thunderbean customer since the very beginning, and have pretty well everything they have done. There have been some rocky times in the past with late shipments, and one must get used to long waits on preorders, but overall I am thrilled with the work that Steve and Co. have been doing. They are a godsend to the animation community. Can’t wait to see what’s next.