“Flip the Frog” Sneak Preview and Preorder
I’ve completed the inspection of the Flip materials here, and they’re overall just beautiful. The MGM fine grains are things of beauty.
Harman-Ising’s “Toyland Broadcast” (1934)
Here’s a special “Christmas in July” post for this week’s breakdown! MGM’s Toyland Broadcast bears a strong likeness to the cartoons Harman-Ising produced for Leon Schlesinger.
Bugs Bunny and His Friends on Capitol Records
A bonanza of Bugs, a plethora of Porky, a feast of Fudd and a little dab o’ Daffy to celebrate Warner’s wascally wabbit’s “official” birthday later this month.
A Chat With Johnnie Vita and Ed Aardal
Today’s postings of chats from the The Animation Guild’s 1986 Golden Awards Banquet focuses on two veterans who made their name in areas often ignored: background art and special effects animation.
“Forgotten” Anime OAVs #26: “A Wind Named Amnesia” (1990)
This was one of the most popular OAVs of the 1990s, based on a 1983 s-f novel by Hideuchi Kikuchi, author of the novels on which Vampire Hunter D and Wicked City were adapted.
LaVerne Harding: Drawing with Resolve
Harding was part of a collective effort by the Universal animators that resulted in Walter Lantz taking his studio fully independent, just one of the many understated accomplishments of this remarkable woman.
Animation Anecdotes #270
RKO’s publicity department put eleven little people in Pinocchio costumes. Affected by alcohol, they started to remove their itchy outfits until they were all completely naked, belching, peeing and shouting obscenities at the crowd below.
VIDEO: Evaluating Nitrate “Flip The Frog” Elements
Something unusual this week. A batch of original Flip the Frog nitrate film elements arrived here from UCLA archives a handful of days ago, so I’ve shot a video of my evaluating some of them.
MGM’s “The Yankee Doodle Mouse” (1943)
Get out the firecrackers and Roman candles, it’s an Oscar-winning Tom and Jerry this week! (Yes, I’m aware it is after the Fourth of July, but it still fits the occasion.)
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]
