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.)
Hanna-Barbera’s “Secret Squirrel” on Records
Our secret mission: figure out why, since most Hanna-Barbera Records were audio masterworks, this album isn’t quite as funny and fantastic as it could have been.
Chatting with Morey Zukor and Al Bertino
Morey Zukor and Al Bertino are two relatively unsung animation artists; the former’s career was overshadowed by his older brother, while the latter toiled in shorts and worked on various Disneyland attractions.
“Forgotten” Anime OAVs #25: “Mother” (1993)
Commissioned by a pro-ecology environmental group, “Mother” (aka “E.Y.E.S Of Mars”) was produced by Tōei Dōga. It was also apparently designed to avoid the traditional anime look and to look more “American”.
Soyuzmultfilm 1960s: Fairy Tales For Adults
Soyuzmultfilm, the largest animation studio in Russia, is best known for its fairy tale animation. Less familiar are its cartoons produced for adult audiences which were anti-capitalist civic propaganda.
Animation Anecdotes #269
“Spider-Man On The Move” was a half hour special, narrated by Stan Lee (“The only problem with comic books is that they don’t move… until NOW!”), that shows how an TV cartoon is put together from initial idea to final animation.
What is Thunderbean Working On Now?
Here’s a short run down on all the current projects I can legally announce… and there is a little news at the bottom of this post that many of you will be happy to hear.
Two Partial Drafts: “Magoo Goes Overboard” (1957) and “The Flying Bear” (1941)
This week’s breakdowns are a Pete Burness double feature. Burness directed the UPA’s Magoo and was an animator on MGM’s Barney Bear.
Mickey Discovers America (and Molly Ringwald) on Records
Several “before-they-became-famous” artists join Mickey, Donald and Goofy in this longtime favorite Disney collection of Fourth of July favorites from the late ’70s.
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]
