My Favorite Voices, Animated and Otherwise
I prefer voices that are not dogged put-ons. Voices that sound like people. Here’s some examples.
The 85th Anniversary of Fleischer’s “Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy”
The charm and whimsy of their stories made the characters a natural fit for animation.
Dave Kirwan (1951-2026)
The Weatherman, with commentary by Dave Kirwan. This is my tribute to a late, great friend.
Get With The Times (Part 12)
This is final installment. We’ll deal with a couple of features, a Garfield special, a recent Mickey Mouse, and a lot of up-to-date action from the Looney Tunes gang.
The Last Five “Screen Gems” Cartoons
The 1948-49 Season from Columbia Pictures consisted of just eight new cartoons: Three from the ground breaking UPA – and a final five from Screen Gems.
“The Man From Button Willow” 61 Years Later
On April 3, 1965, a low point in American animated films hit the theaters. We watched it so you wouldn’t have to.
The 30th Anniversary of “James and the Giant Peach”
A film celebrating its 30th anniversary this spring, where Selick’s passion for the arduous and beautiful art of stop-motion truly shines.
UPA’s “Christopher Crumpet’s Playmate” (1956)
It’s UPA Thursday as much as Thunderbean Thursday with this cute little film!
Get With the Times (Part 11)
After a six-week hiatus into the world of bullfighting, we return to the universe of cartoons attempting to keep up with popular trends, fads and crazes
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 USC in Los Angeles, CalArts in Santa Clarita, and UCLA in Westwood – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [Click Here]
