“Cartoon Carnival: The Documentary”

Cartoon Researchers, this year has simply been a fantastic one when it comes to special projects that have been realized in our circles. I really do think the wonderful Turner Classic Movies animation programming, for me at least, was the highlight of the year–save for the mix-up that omitted Steve Stanchfield’s presentation of Van Beuren cartoons. Be sure to catch that program this coming Sunday night 12/7 at midnight(EST)/9pm (PST), when Steve will finally get his due!

Now that the holiday season is here and the end of the year is nearing, I’m pleased to say that I’ll be ending 2014 on a couple of high notes, both of which involve (and depend on) all of you animation history enthusiasts. The first is a documentary project, and the second is the official release of my first Blu-ray collection, which will be announced here at CR next week. First, on to the documentary…

Cartoon Carnival: The Documentary is a project spearheaded by British filmmaker Andrew T. Smith, best known for his work on Filmed in Supermarionation. Mr. Smith and I had been friends on social media for awhile before Andrew, inspired by my postings, came up with the fabulous idea of creating a brand-new documentary that explores the world of silent-era animation. This is an area of film and animation history that is, as we all know, severely under-research and under-represented in archival and preservation related projects among scholars and archives. The film project aims to include historical and technical information about cartoons from the period, as well as featuring some shorts in their entirety, and would also document some of my work in action…which will probably include a typical moment in my work day as well as scenes from a 16mm Cartoon Carnival screening here in New York City.

I don’t want to spoil much more about the project itself here in this post, except to say that this film cannot come to fruition without the support of the general public. A Kickstarter campaign is currently running to help fund this undertaking and I’m graciously requesting any and all assistance readers here can give us, whether it be financial contributions (great perks!) or simply sharing the news and the Kickstarter link.

Cartoon Carnival: The Documentary on Kickstarter:

And now, a word directly from Andrew T. Smith:

“For years, I’ve been following Tommy’s work with interest and I’m very pleased to now be working towards bringing the animated shorts he has amassed and that we both love to a wider audience than ever before. We’ve had a great response to ‘Cartoon Carnival: The Documentary’ so far, which is fantastic as we simply can’t make the film we want to without the support of generous backers.”

As a bonus, here’s the sample reel that got Andrew excited and inspired to do this project… seeing such early material in sparkling HD!

We only have until December 28th to get our funding and make this a reality. Andrew and I thank you all in advance for your generosity! After all, it is the season of giving. Stay tuned for news about the Cartoon Roots Blu-ray next week!