Fred’s Musings: Laika Studio and “Noah’s Ark”
The Laika Studio – and Their Trend Towards Horror I have recently seen Laika’s new trailer for The Boxtrolls, due in theaters on September 26, 2014. I enjoyed the stop-motion…
Playhouse Revisited
Once again we delve into the Playhouse Pictures files to bring you a selection of stupendous spots and stills, along with a very special surprise. The spots are from 1957…
Animation Anecdotes #155
The Spirit of Christmas. In 1994, Brian Graden was the head of Fox Broadcasting’s Foxlab television development program with such shows as “Cops”. He wanted a memorable Christmas card and…
The Cult of “Noveltoons”
There seems to be a special place in animation fan circles for Paramount’s Noveltoons cartoons, produced by Famous Studios. One of the things that always amazed me was how much…
For Sale: “Poor Papa” (1928)
Bonhams is having another Entertainment Memorabilia auction on May 4th and 5th, once again featuring “artifacts from animation history”. Among the items for sale is a 16mm print of Poor…
Tom & Jerry on Record
Tom and Jerry on Records? Tom and Jerry sure made a lot of records for cartoon characters that don’t (usually) speak! Nevertheless, MGM Records found a way and their records…
Paul Fennell’s “This Changing World” (1941)
Today we take a look at two obscure but important shorts released by Columbia in 1941 – a two-part set labeled This Changing World. These are two subjects were designed…
The Last Days Of Mushi Pro
By the end of 1970 Osamu Tezuka was gone, leaving the wreckage of Mushi Productions behind him. It was no secret that Tezuka’s feature Cleopatra had doomed the studio; but…
Public Relations, Education, and Animation
Today we will be looking at a quartet of animated sales and educational films. Hopefully, some of these shorts will be new to you – the names of their animators…
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]
