French Animation – Part 18: TV series
Significant French TV animation began in the mid- to late-1980s. It has generally gone unnoticed in America. I covered Moi Renart, the 26-episode 1986 modernization of the medieval Reynard the…
Japanese Color Animation 1907 to 1945 – Part 1
Broadly speaking, Japanese color animation is seen as a post-World War II phenomenon. Only beginning in 1958, with Tōei Dōga’s 東映動画 Hakujaden 白蛇伝 (Legend of the White Snake; US title:…
Animation Anecdotes #202
The Secret Origin of Chip’n’Dale’s Rescue Rangers. I have always been fascinated with how animation projects develop, sometimes evolving into something significantly different than the original concept. After the continuing…
Behind the Scenes of Lou Bunin’s ‘Bury the Axis’ (1943)
This week, a little look behind the scenes of Lou Bunin’s Bury the Axis (1943) – courtesy of Kodachrome! Lou Bunin was a wonderful stop motion animator. Lou had a…
“The Wizard of Id” (1970)
I always considered The Wizard of Id to be one of my big cartooning influence. I always had a thing for Johnny Hart’s dry sense of humor, and I consider…
Other “Little Mermaids”
Before 1989, there was another animated mermaid swimming in the heads of animation buffs—from a CBS primetime special by the director of Heavy Metal. THE LITTLE MERMAID Complete Original TV…
Paramount Sales News #40: Twilight Time For The Fleischer Studio
November-December 1941 As America entered World War II, the Fleischer studio faced its own upheaval. By the end of December 1941, Dave Fleischer had left the studio, and Max was…
French Animated Features – Part 17: 2015
2015 has just started. There may be other French-language animated features this year that have not been announced yet – but this is where the country is at as of…
The First Japanese Animation Films in 1917
In this research note I intend to discuss some aspects of the history of the earliest Japanese animation films for the cinema. The first task is to assemble from the…
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]
