Forgotten Anime #36: “Dragon Century” (1988)
Dragon Century was a strange pair of OAV’s. They were very cheaply produced with extremely limited animation – but there were several things that I liked about them.
The Lost Disney Animated “Figment” Films
When Epcot Center theme park opened in Florida, the Journey to Imagination pavilion featured two characters who captured the heart of audiences: Dreamfinder, and his little purple dragon companion, Figment.
Animation Anecdotes #281
“Columbia did not like the cartoon at all,” said Bill Scott of UPA’s Rooty Toot Toot. “They really would have liked for us to go back to just doing more Fox and Crow”.
Evaluating the Iwerks “ComiColor” Cartoons – Part 1
I went out to the UCLA archives to evaluate the materials on the Iwerks ‘Comi-Color’ series of cartoons. Happily, the series exists in 35mm with all original titles intact on every film.
Walt Disney’s “The Goddess Of Spring” (1934)
This film posed a challenge for the studio, in animating two human characters in a delicate fashion, but the results reveal a problematic struggle.
Walt Disney’s “Fun and Fancy Free” on Records – Part 1
This is, in a way, the record that Jiminy Cricket rolled out of its album and played when he appeared in the first half of Disney’s 1947 “package feature.”
‘Needle Drop’ Recordings in Classic Fleischer & Iwerks Cartoons
In the early sound era it was apparently easier to use, on occasion, “Needle Drop” music from commercial records to score a cartoon. Here’s a list of several I’ve identified.
“Forgotten” Anime #35: “Sword For Truth” (1990)
Dezaki must have been slumming when he directed this feature. It has gotten several reviews as “the worst OAV ever made”.
The Avant-Garde Arrives
If revolution has a color, it’s red. Like the fiery topknot of Woody Woodpecker, who will appear soon in this unique exhibit.
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]
