Hard-Boiled Horror! Two by Araki
I was asked in early September what I thought of the then-current, on Japanese TV, s-f anime series Attack on Titan that was getting such rave reviews? Well, my first…
“Plop-Plop Fizz-Fizz”: Animated Alka-Seltzer Ads
Seldom has there been a product that had the kind of savvy marketing that Alka-Seltzer has had. So many of their slogans have entered the American lexicon, like “Try it…
Animation Anecdotes #143
The Musical Flintstones. In 1988, The Screaming Blue Messiahs, a punk/new wave rock group, released a single titled “I Wanna Be A Flintstone” (peaking at number 28 on the charts)….
Cartoons Of Christmas Past
Today: The last vestige of Christmas Cartoons before putting them away for the year. Many years back, the landlord for the house we were renting stopped over just a week…
The Shock Of The New
Motion picture visuals worldwide underwent a transformation with the emergence of the popular styles of Art Deco and Art Moderne. Art Deco held sway during the 1920s and early 1930s;…
“Do The Bear”: Animation Legend Tony Benedict on Vinyl
Question: What do The Jetsons, Top Cat, and The Flintstones have in common – besides producers Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera? Answer: Animation writer/storyboard artist Tony Benedict – and in…
“Stuffy Durma” animated by Jim Tyer
The animation scene in New York City during the early 1960s were either feast or famine, depending on your point of view – and your talents as an animator. Terrytoons…
Christmasy Cartoonz, Part 6: Foreign Animation, J – S
Concluding our survey of international Christmas specials with an overview of various programs, features and shorts from Japan, South Africa and the Soviet Union. If I’ve left out a favorite…
Love-In: Commercials Animated by Ed Love
Where did Ed Love work? A better question might be: Where didn’t he work? A partial list of studios would include Disney, Iwerks, Lantz, MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Bob Clampett Productions, and…
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, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [Click Here]
