Beginning Sunday October 6th and running through January 5th, 2014, the Detroit Instutite of Arts (DIA) will exhibit Watch Me Move: The Animation Show. This is a must-see art show and film festival for all who appreciate animation, its varied forms and its rich history.
The installation is one of the most extensive animation shows ever mounted, coming to Detroit directly from the Barbican Centre in London (who originally curated it). The DIA has added an extensive film program (curated by our Steve Stanchfield) and invited guests (including yours truly). The exhibit features original animation art representing both iconic pieces and lesser-known discoveries from over the last 100 years. It covers animation’s great inventors, innovators and artists, from Georges Méliès and Chuck Jones up through Tim Burton, as well work from animation studios such as Walt Disney, Aardman, Studio Ghibli and Pixar.
The films and lectures include (film programs are planned to run multiple times, see schedule for all dates and times):
TALES OF THE NIGHT
Friday, October 04, 2013 – 8:00 PM
WATCH ME MOVE: PIONEERS OF ANIMATION
Thursday, October 10, 2013 – 2:00 PM
EARLY EAST COAST STUDIOS
Friday, October 11, 2013 – 4:00 PM
WATCH ME MOVE: GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD ANIMATION
Saturday, October 12, 2013 – 2:00 PM
WARNER BROS. ANIMATION
Saturday, October 12, 2013 – 4:00 PM
AVANT-GARDE ANIMATION
Sunday, October 13, 2013 – 2:00 PM
WATCH ME MOVE: THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA
Thursday, October 17, 2013 – 2:00 PM
WATCH ME MOVE: EARLY TELEVISION ANIMATION
Friday, October 18, 2013 – 4:00 PM
WATCH ME MOVE: POST-WAR EUROPEAN ANIMATION
Saturday, October 19, 2013 – 2:00 PM
WATCH ME MOVE: ANIMATED ODDITIES AND UNEXPECTED PLEASURES
Saturday, October 19, 2013 – 4:00 PM
LECTURE: THE WARNER BROS. SUPERSTARS – with Jerry Beck
Saturday, October 19, 2013 – 7:00 PM
WATCH ME MOVE: COMPUTER ANIMATION
Sunday, October 20, 2013 – 2:00 PM
Tezuka’s METROPOLIS (2001)
Friday, October 25, 2013 – 7:00 PM
THE FILMS OF LADISLAW STAREWICZ WITH LITTLE BANG THEORY
Friday, November 01, 2013 – 7:00 PM
LECTURE: MICKEY MOUSE TO BUZZ LIGHTYEAR – with Leslie Iwerks
Saturday, November 02, 2013 – 3:00 PM
DUMBO
Saturday, November 02, 2013 – 7:00 PM
STEAMBOY
Saturday, November 02, 2013 – 9:30 PM
CHICO AND RITA
Friday, November 08, 2013 – 9:30 PM
THE IRON GIANT
Sunday, November 10, 2013 – 4:30 PM
SUMMER WARS
Friday, November 15, 2013 – 9:30 PM
LECTURE: BAM! PIFF! POW! – with Paul Dini and Alan Burnett
Saturday, November 16, 2013 – 7:00 PM
FRANKENWEENIE
Friday, November 22, 2013 – 9:30 PM
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
Friday, November 22, 2013 – 7:00 PM
A TOWN CALLED PANIC
Sunday, November 24, 2013 – 4:30 PM
LECTURE: OUT OF THE INKWELL, OUT OF THE VAULTS! with Steve Stanchfield
Saturday, November 30, 2013 – 3:00 PM
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
Friday, December 20, 2013 – 9:30 PM
For more information about this incredible animation exhibition, check the Detroit Institute of Arts website. Be there!
This exhibition has been organized by Barbican Centre, London. The Barbican Centre is provided by the City of London Corporation as part of its contribution to the cultural life in London and the nation. In Detroit, generous support has been provided by the GM Foundation and Honigman. Additional support has been provided by Quicken Loans & Rock Ventures LLC.
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 Cal Arts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [
At least the Barbican is getting some exposure.
I have seen the exhibition and the one thing I would say is remember the Barbican is an arts centre. So the exhibition is from a modern art point of view.
Although a fine largely rotoscoped documentary film, “Waltz with Bashir” makes for one hell of a downer with which to end this major animation retrospective.
So many great programs running, gonna try to catch as much as I can.
Spoke to Steve Stanchfield the other day, and he mentioned that you were looking to visit local comic stores in the Detroit area.
Our modest little store, Green Brain Comics, is just a few miles from the DIA.
We’re not big on the old timey stuff, but we’ve got a pretty diverse selection of small press comics and graphic novel.
Hope I get a chance to shake your hand and thank you for all your hard work.