Eat, Drink, And Be Merry…
Nothing goes together like eating and watching television! Except maybe eating and showering. Some of you older folks might remember what a big deal it was to make a tray…
Animation Anecdotes #182
Celling Peanuts. “We used to throw the cels away (from the Peanuts specials),” stated animator and director Bill Melendez in 1995 at the height of the market for buying animation…
Van Beuren Cartoons on TCM
Editor’s Note: Due to a technical snafu, Steve Stanchfield’s segment on Van Beuren cartoons was accidentally omitted from Monday’s broadcast on TCM. It has been rescheduled to air on Sunday…
Bray Studios On TCM
It’s been a busy year of researching, collecting, archiving and publicly screening silent cartoons here at Stathes headquarters. New projects are in the works as well, and they have kept…
Woody Woodpecker on Records
A peek through the knothole at two record albums featuring classic Walter Lantz characters – Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, Andy Panda – as well as the radiant Mrs. Lantz. WOODY…
Fleischer Promo Art #18: “At Their Peak!”
Jan.-Feb. 1937 This week we have a bit of sidebar from animation director Bob Jaques. He has noticed a dip in the quality of the Popeye promo art that I’ve…
My Top Ten Anime Features (Part 4)
Continuing my list of favorite anime features with two from the best modern directors of anime, Satoshi Kon and Hiroyuki Okiura. 9. Perfect Blue. Produced by Studio Madhouse. Director: Satoshi…
When Animators Walked The Earth
It’s fast becoming history, but once upon a time people made magic out of pencil, paper and paints. It was a time of 35mm film, clattery green moviolas, and giant…
Animation Anecdotes #181
Donald’s Fighting Pose. In the earliest Donald Duck cartoons, the little quacker was quite pugnacious and audiences immediately laughed when he took his fighting pose. That pose was created by…
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]
