The Original “Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers”
There was mixed-reaction this week to the release of the trailer for the upcoming Disney+ Chip N’ Dale movie. So I figured we should take a look back at where that idea all began.
Van Beuren’s “Old Hokum Bucket” (1931)
Van Beuren proves that if a cartoon is cute enough you can have drugs and death go unnoticed.
Flights of Fancy (Part 9): Battle Stations
Even in the most lighthearted of films, topical wartime references were likely to pop up, leading to the inevitable coverage of wartime air activity turning up in the unlikeliest of places.
Whatever Happened to Huckleberry Hound?
Huckleberry Hound is the classic showbiz story of a top star who was upstaged by one of his supporting players.
TRANSFILM – The Biggest Little Studio
Transfilm originated as a way of supporting the war effort and went on to become the east coast’s most profitable commercial studio.
Disney Animation in IMAX
How the Disney Company experimented with re-presenting some of their animated features on a mammoth theater screens – using one of the most technologically advanced theater systems in the world.
UPA’s “Trees and Jamaica Daddy” (1957)
The UPA Ham and Hattie shorts are unique in theatrical cartoon history since they are composed of two seemingly unrelated musical shorts.
Flights of Fancy (Part 8): The Shadow Looms
After rushing to the screen a hasty salute to the Army in 1940, it was time for equal-time for the Navy and Air Corps in 1941.
Max and Dave: Betty Boop 1933-34 – Betty Meets Her Match
As the 1933-34 season began, Betty Boop seemed to be holding her popularity. However, she was about to meet a character that would knock her for a row of spinach cans.
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]
