Bumbling The “Boogie”
Another piece used in Melody Time that the Disney people did not “own” was Bumble Boogie. In fact, most people already knew of it as the Rimsky-Korsakov composition “Flight of the Bumblebee”.
The Animated Worlds of “The Wizard of Oz”
In my new Cartoon Research mini-book I focus on the land of Oz in cartoons. The starting point is the 1933 Technicolor cartoon short by Ted Eshbaugh.
Animation Anecdotes #378
Somethin’s Cookin’ is the official name of the animation short film that opens the movie 1988 ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. But very few viewers will notice all the ACME products therein.
Back To School!
The forthcoming Rainbow Parade set is full of challenges. Over the weekend I spent a lot of time cleaning up ‘Parrotville Post Office’ from the only known 35mm print.
Robert McKimson’s “Daffy Duck Slept Here” (1948)
Thanks for casting your votes, readers! Hillbilly Hare (1950) ran a very close second, but Daffy Duck Slept Here (1948) is declared the winner this week. And here it is!
Walt Disney’s “Snow White at Radio City” on Records
The first full-length Disney feature brought to life on the New York stage—a show that helped save Radio City Music Hall–was preserved the last music LP with the Buena Vista label.
Cartoon Actors In Live-Action Spots: Automotive Edition
I am always delighted when I stumble upon a live-action car commercial featuring one of my favorite cartoon voice actors on camera. Commercials like these…
“Time” For Some Disney “Melody”
Joyce Kilmer had written a short poem around 1913. Nine years later, it was set to music by Oscar Rasbach. “Trees” was already a well-known standard by the time Melody Time was being planned.
A Forgotten Disney Short: “Back To Neverland” (1989)
Perhaps the most popular part of the tour at the now extinct Magic of Disney Animation pavilion at Disney Hollywood Studios was the short film entitled “Back to Neverland”.
Jerry Beck is a writer, animation producer, college professor and author of more than 15 books on animation history. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies and Disney, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He has curated cartoons for DVD and Blu-ray compilations and has lent his expertise to dozens of bonus documentaries and audio commentaries on such. Beck is currently on the faculty of CalArts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [Click Here]
