Spin Special: Remembering Hanna-Barbera Composer Jack de Mello
Renowned for helping to popularize music and artists of the Polynesian artists, Jack de Mello’s music could also be heard on The Flintstones, Magilla Gorilla and other cartoons.
Walt Disney Classified: The Layout Manual, Part 4 – Dimensional Models
Shooting models was not new to the Disney Studios, it was a technique used on Pinocchio for the gypsy wagon, bird cage and stagecoach.
Kid Kong
Multiple attempts have been made to translate the iconic King Kong character into animation. Here is the story of one aborted attempt by Filmation.
Thunderbeaning – and ‘The Popeye Club’
TV was once filled with cartoon hosts like Captain Don, Skipper Tom and Cousin Cliff. Did you have a favorite TV Cartoon host?
Hearts and Flowers – Part 5
A new movement among America’s youth briefly gave some theatrical animators a chance to express modern commentary, by spotlighting the signature personality of the 60’s – the flower child.
Merrie Melodies 1936-37: Building a Better Terrace
By the beginning of the 1936-37 season, many of the building blocks that would form the ediface of Warner Bros Cartoons were available to Leon Schlesinger.
A.C. Gamer: Captain (or Lieutenant) of the Clouds
A.C. Gamer was typically an effects animator on Warner Bros. Cartoons and in general, that is how he is remembered. Here’s his story.
The Scrooge McDuck Cartoon Never Made
Historian Mike Barrier, researching at the Disney Archives, discovered there was the possibility of an Uncle Scrooge theatrical short in 1955 – written by Carl Barks!
Van Beuren’s “Tom and Jerry” Blu-ray, part 1: Gathering Materials.
Here’s a pretty good breakdown, in chronological order, of where we’re at on the Van Beuren Tom and Jerry cartoons at this time.
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 Cal Arts in Valencia – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [Click Here]
