A Musical Up-Roar 1944-46
The MGM cartoons of the 1940s were no longer 30s cutesie-poo – being replaced by the fast-paced, gag oriented style of Avery, Hanna and Barbera.
An Interview With Ralph Bakshi
I interviewed Ralph Bakshi in late 2023 about queer representation in his films.
One Giant Step: Looking Back at the Anime “Jack and the Beanstalk”
This anime feature celebrates the 50th anniversary of its release in Japan – on July 20th, 1974.
Scrappy in “Yelp Wanted” (1931)
Anyone reading this column with any regularity knows that I love Scrappy. And his first cartoon is essential viewing.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 4)
The 1930’s continued to progress, as animated characters became more and more knowledgeable about their own world.
What’s the Score? The Unheard Music Cues of Carl Stalling
Now we can determine which music cues Carl Stalling used in the lost credits of several Warner cartoons, in their original release.
Barnyard Bluster: A Celebration of Foghorn Leghorn
The basic information on our favorite barnyard fowl.
Plenty of Horseplay: The 65th Anniversary of “Quick Draw McGraw”
It’s no surprise that the humor in Quick Draw McGraw is spot on, as writer Michael Maltese was behind it.
“Hunting in 1950” (1926)
There’s a lot of fun gags here to make an enjoyable but somewhat thin-plot-ed cartoon.
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]
