Walt Disney’s “Three Little Pigs” on Records
A big, good look at Disneyland Records’ album of stories from the 1933 Silly Symphony plus two sequels narrated by Sterling Holloway and soundtrack excerpts.
Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1955
If you weren’t Famous Studios or (surprise!) UPA you were not nominated this year. Everyone else: Nominated!
Popeye Goes Latin – Part 2
W’ere On Our Way To Rio was the third of the Technicolor Popeye’s – and one could argue the most lushly-animated cartoon Famous Studios ever produced.
The Jazz Biopic That Wasn’t
Steve Bosustow told a newspaper in 1959 that work on a feature-length cartoon about the African American jazz artist Jelly Roll Morton was underway.
Animation Anecdotes #316
“In most cases (the animals used as devices) were from the animated show. We worked with Hanna-Barbera and they had a great visual library of all the original creatures on the series.”
Oswald Rabbit in “The Keeper of the Lions” (1937)
I’ve always liked this cartoon, where somehow Oswald’s lip-sync didn’t manage to get on the exposure sheets – or for some other reason wasn’t animated.
May Reviews and Updates – Part 2
A few more reviews today: that new Taschen book on Disney Features, Jim Korkis on Disney’s Gremlins, and DePatie-Freleng on DVD and blu-ray.
“Strawberry Shortcake” on Records
Greg Ehrbar loves Strawberry Shortcake. Not the pastry – the cartoon! Humor him as he examines the soundtrack albums for her three animated prime time TV specials.
Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1954
Once again an overload of Paramount submissions, two really good Warner Bros. cartoons, a visually spectacular Donald Duck and an independent film from John Wilson.
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]
