Brad Bird’s “The Spirit” That Never Was
Things might have been different if Brad Bird had gotten to direct his first intended animated feature film, one based on Will Eisner’s newspaper comic strip.
Thunderbean New Year’s Resolutions
I have a few big Thunderbean New Years’ resolutions for the coming year 2020 – and I’m going to announce them here!
Countdown to 2020: More Tick-Tock Talk
We continue our survey of clocks as central figures in animation history, and of Father Time’s periodic visits to keep things in sync.
Big Changes For Merrie Melodies 1934-35
During the 1934-35 season, Warner found a new way of introducing their movies. They began throwing their shield at the audience out of a bank of clouds.
Gene Deitch on NUDNIK (Part 2)
The original Paramount release was for just 12 Nudnik films, which had the bad luck of coming out just at the time when U.S. movie theaters stopped showing cartoon shorts.
In His Own Words: Herb Sorrell and the 1941 Disney Strike
One of the most colorful and controversial figures of the legendary Disney Strike of 1941 was Herb Sorrell. For your enlightenment, here is a first hand account of the Disney strike while it was happening.
“The Dog Ate My Homework” Rambles— and “The Snowman” (1931/33)
I was especially excited to have a chance to scan the preservation negs that the Library of Congress had made for the Ted Eshbaugh short.
Countdown to 2020: Dance of the Cuckoos
We resume our timely survey of how animators “killed time” during the Golden era of the late 30’s and 40’s – in other words: More coo-coo clock cartoons.
Rainbow Brite and Friends Go for a Disney Holiday Spin!
A perfect storm of talent at Disney’s Buena Vista label turned Hallmark’s contribution to adorable ’80s character franchises into some of the most outstanding records of the era.
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]
