Early Anime Features: “Animal Treasure Island” (1971)
This week we conclude our look at Tōei Dōga’s earliest anime features with a focus on “Dōbutsu Takarajima” aka Animal Treasure Island. The film was originally released on March 20th,…
Weird Ads I Know Nothing About
As embarrassing as is to admit, I don’t actually know everything. Sometimes a fellow cartoon buff will ask me if I can tell them something about a particular spot, and…
Animation Anecdotes #150
The Animated Calloway. A rotoscoped version of scat singer Cab Calloway appeared in the Betty Boop cartoon shorts Minnie the Moocher (1932), Snow White (1933) and The Old Man of…
“Old MacDonald Had A Farm” (1945) with the Original Titles!
Today on Thunderbean Thursday: The Lure of “Noveltoons” (and the farmer that must not be named). I have to admit: I was never into the Paramount’s Noveltoons or Screen Songs…
In His Own Words: Jack Hannah Remembers Donald Duck’s Foils
John Frederick (Jack) Hannah was born in Nogales, Arizona on January 5, 1913. He passed away on June 11, 1994 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California. He was honored…
Shirley Temple Does Disney
This week we pay tribute to the greatest child actress of all time, Shirley Temple, who passed away last week, February 10th 2014, at age 85. During her vast and…
BOOK REVIEW: “Jacky’s Diary” by Jack Mendelsohn
Why am I reviewing and recommending you buy a hard cover reprint book featuring a comic strip that looks like crudely drawn child’s scrawl? Because you need it. And because…
Early Anime Features: Two 1960s Classics
In 1961, after the American box office failure of Tōei Dōga’s first three animated features, Japanese theatrical animation was relegated to being sold as children’s cartoons in the U.S. –…
Playhouse Potpourri
This week we bring you an assortment of miscellaneous goodies from the Playhouse files. Playhouse Pictures was founded by Ade Woolery in 1952. Ade had worked at Disney, Screen Gems,…
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]
