This Wednesday has been a difficult one; as I write this it’s hard not to think about a good friend and collaborator the world lost on Tuesday night. Rex Schneider was a brilliant artist. He painted and illustrated throughout his career, working on book, magazine art, spot art, in animation and more things than I could name. He collaborated on the Thunderbean Aesop’s Fables, Grotesqueries and others. He is already sorely missed. I’ll be writing more about him in the coming weeks.
Ok, enough of the sad news for now. Since it’s Thanksgiving here in the states, I think it’s essential viewing to see Scrappy in Holidayland, the first Columbia Color Rhapsody. Here’s a scan from a 16mm print I’ve had since I was 14. That’s a lot of Thanksgiving showings, and 56k here on Youtube. I love Scrappy, but that said, he’s really lazy in this cartoon and doesn’t deserve to have such a fantastic adventure. By the way, has anyone ever added up all the ‘it was all a dream’ cartoons that Columbia made?
For years, The Voice of the Turkey was shown on Thanksgiving on Channel 50 in Detroit. They very well may have run it over and over a few times, because, somehow, every year, when at relative’s houses, I’d manage to see it. I bought a beat red print of it at one point. I think it’s far from a classic, but in the spirit of showing a turkey cartoon, here you go:
So, now, onto that gratitude part of the article:
At this moment in the history of Thunderbean, there are more opportunities and more irons in the fire than ever— and while the organization of all of these things isn’t optimal, there are so many good things happening, in pieces, that I thought it would be a good sort of interactive use of this space to talk a little about some of the things directly related to Thunderbean and some things in the bigger picture happening. So, here are my top 5 things this year.—
1) MeTV and MeTV Toons.
On Friday, MeTV Toons is running Black and White’ Friday a whole day of just black and white cartoons. I’m incredibly grateful that a multiple Thunderbean library shorts are part of the offerings, with more to come in the coming weeks. The channel really is something special, and has such amazing potential to allow so many great films (and some not-so-great great ones) to find an audience once again.
2) The great improvements in technology in scanning, software, and most of all greater access and affordability
We’re at this magic moment in cartoon access and preservation history. Watching what’s happening right now (and having a part in it even) keep me on my toes looking for even more opportunities, and trying to help foster an expanding community that supports these efforts. Each era is different, but there are specific opportunities now that probably won’t exist in the same way.. and that leads to the next thing I’m grateful for…
3) The die-hard people that love classic animation and concentrate on getting great material out there.
The individuals vary in position and task, but all are committed to helping keep classic animation alive. From collectors to archivists to librarians, and to companies that champion a project to individuals who lend a land, we now have access to more films in good quality that any time in our lives, and it will keep growing.
4) This is an odd one- but I’m grateful, at this moment, for the mess that the streaming platforms have managed to get themselves in.
Competition is, in theory, supposed to drive innovation and create a healthy market, but I think all of us can see that the streaming services haven’t accomplished that at all really. If anything, the studios are left not really knowing what products are smartest to help increase sales, and the producers and artists working in animation are left currently without much work. It’s a terrible time in the industry, largely due to several large corporation’s inability to create cohesion in their product or consistency in their marketing, along with ham-handed use of the brilliant talent at their fingertips. In some (read: many) cases that problem is only further exacerbated by lack on imagination or risk taking, leading to a industry devoid of producing that takes risks in favor of well-known IPs that they assume are solid choices.
Now- I’m sure that doesn’t sound like gratitude, and that part, above, isn’t— but the thing I’m grateful for is that it’s coming to a low point, and when that happens, as we’ve seen many, many times, the companies finally take big risks, and those risks often involve younger people in higher positions in producing and creating new content. That’s what I’m grateful for- the ‘Coming soon’ part of that equation is closer than ever- and maybe this time, as it seems is happening, will have to rely on the little tiny producers to show them the way.
5) Lastly, I’m grateful for my great friends in animation that help Thunderbean produce the things we do.
Over these past few years, there’s a whole group of people I’m happy to know and work with. The gems of this industry are driven by mission and love doing a good job. If you ask me, I’ll name names, but there’s a lot, and while I get to sit beside the Thunderbean product, the reality is that I’m just the glue to all the pieces. But I’m happy glue. Thank you all.
So, now it’s your turn! please list some of your classic cartoon-related things you are grateful for too. There’s a lot this year, and this next years there’s all sorts of things coming- some known, some not.
Have a good week everyone!
Steve Stanchfield is an animator, educator and film archivist. He runs Thunderbean Animation, an animation studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has compiled over a dozen archival animation DVD collections devoted to such subjects at Private Snafu, The Little King and the infamous Cubby Bear. Steve is also a professor at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
There have been many years when I almost felt as if I should refuse a celebration of Thanksgiving for any number of reasons. I guess I could say that this year might be an example, but there are things we should be thankful for, frivolous things perhaps, but definitely raise of hope.
At the top of my list, of course would be the WarnerArchive and THUNDERBEAN animation, for continuing to restore, classic cartoons, films of all types, just being there. These blessings, I hope never cease, because we definitely need these bits of hope here and there. The fact that you can still buy music, I mean, physical discs, to enjoy and play over and over again to me is a blessing and I hope that never ceases. Generations upon generations should become music fans because of it. I hate to see music or art as background to something more raucous and unentertaining. I remember being in a club to see an artist, I cherish, and that artist was playing while the crowd laughter and talk, continued to get louder and louder. I really almost felt like standing up and screaming. “shut up! Can’t you hear that somebody playing music on stage?“ Having physical media means that we all can still enjoy it. That we all will cherish it for years to come in our respective houses. Thank you, Steve, Jerry, George, and anybody who continues to restore and keep those cherished things.
Of course I don’t want to dismiss family celebration. Thanksgiving means so much to many people, and I don’t want to reject that. I hope all of you are celebrating in some kind of “family“ together. Even that phrase means something different these days, but celebrate well and be happy. Let’s just show love for being alive! Be well and here’s to the forthcoming expansive holiday season and the new year ahead.
One other thing the streaming services have inadvertently helped with is a resurgence in physical media. People have begun to realize that your favorite thing won’t necessarily always be available on streaming and that the only way to insure access to it is to own it on physical media, since people are also beginning to realize that “buying” something digitally doesn’t mean you own it.
I agree with you, Mr. Stanchfield, and Tony T., about the lovely and wonderful mess that streaming services have gotten themselves in. I hope it lasts forever…
Absolutely grateful to Warner Archives. Although I’m still waiting for the Tom & Jerry set I pre-ordered awhile back. And soon. I hope, Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault Vol. 2.
Happy Thanksgiving, folks!
I’m thankful to have a new Cartoon Research post to read every weekday. I’d be thankful for MeTV Toons if it were available in my country, but, like Thanksgiving itself, it’s not.
My condolences to Rex Schneider’s friends and colleagues. I look forward to reading about his life and work in the coming weeks.
Steve, I cannot tell you how much of a thrill it was to see your restored Tom and Jerry represented right along with Porky, Daffy, Popeye, Betty and others on MeTV Toons’ Black and White Friday extravaganza. It was like an endless Saturday Matinee Kartoon Karnival of yore; you never knew what the projectionist would put up next! Wonderful, and Thunderbean was an important part of it.
I’m really thankful for Thad Komorowski and Charlie Judkins, in conjunction with Blackhawk Films, first volume of silent Aesop’s Fables on Classic Flix! What a delightful disc that is. May many more follow. Charlie is especially knowledgeable about East Coast studios and animators and is a first rate ragtime pianist besides.
MeTV and the Toony/tuna Duo continue to surprise me with the range of vintage animation they have been showing. I need to see what modern recording devices there are to get the intros before they start showing the cartoons, because I want to study the set and see the Vintage TVs in the back of the set. Also Steve I’m wondering what the time frame is for the completion and distribution of the two ComiColor Blu-ray sets that I pre-ordered on November 3rd 2024. The last update I saw was in this space in May 2025. Did I miss an update? I am very much looking forward to those, sad to say every single Super 8 print I ever bought that was done on Eastmancolor stock from Blackhawk, Ken films with the Terrytoons, and Castle Films/Universal 8 have all faded to pinkish purple in the last 40 years. I have both of the LaserDisc sets of Cartoons That Time Forgot, the Iwerks andVan Beuren sets. So I am practically drooling at the prospect of receiving the ComiColor Blu-ray sets!