Happy Birthday, Daws Butler!
Voice acting giant Daws Butler would be 105 today and he’d still be doing voices, teaching and adding joy to the lives around him.
A Fievel Revival: The 35th Anniversary of “An American Tail”
A perfect time to look back at the film that showed that competition in animation was most definitely a healthy thing.
The Animation of Gahan Wilson
While similar in approach to cartoonist Charles Addams, Wilson’s work was singularly distinctive and was generally considered impossible to animate.
Absolutely a New York cartoon: “Trouble” (1931)
This is the third Tom and Jerry short and I don’t think another cartoon has them drawn quite like they’re drawn in many shots here.
Back to School (Part 8)
Two of today’s batch had the distinction of being nominated for an Academy Award, making today’s lesson of particular historic import to a study of the art.
The End of the “Talkartoons”
In this instalment we cover these final episodes, as the Talkartoons became virtually indistinguishable from the “new” Boop series which would immediately follow.
The 70th Anniversary of “Rooty Toot Toot”
It tells a darkly comedic tale that would seem daring even for live-action films of the time, that creatively stretched the possibilities of the medium.
In His Own Words: Noel Blanc on Mel Blanc
In 1993, for an upcoming auction of some of Mel’s belongings, Noel talked a little about his father.
Wrapping Up a 6-year Restoration Project: Reflections on the Flip the Frog Blu-ray
I thought I’d talk a little about the Flip the Frog Blu-ray project this week since it’s about to round a major corner.
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]
