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animation/main #1, from hmccracken, 115 chars, Wed Oct 25 18:18:59 1989
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TITLE: This topic…
is the main gathering place here at the animation conference and focus of
general discussion.
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animation/main #2, from jimomura, 87 chars, Wed Oct 25 19:10:01 1989
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Which is a focus in no direction at all.
(A mercyless rip-off of “The Point” 🙂
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animation/main #3, from hmccracken, 734 chars, Tue Oct 31 19:28:09 1989
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TITLE: Favorites
Welcome to the animation conference, everybody. As a topic of conversation,
I’d be interested in hearing about some members’ favorite cartoons, bits of
animations, and so forth. I’ve mentioned some of mine over in animation/
characters; briefly, I’m a big Disney and Warner Bros. fan, and particularly
am alwayd eager to watch cartoons directed by the great Chuck Jones. I’m
not sure what my *single* favorite would be, but two candidates would be
Walt Disney’s Pinocchio — which certainly ranks in my top five favorite
films of all time — and Chuck Jones’s cartoon One Froggy Evening (the one
about a singing frog), which Jay Cocks rightly said came as close to per-
fection as any cartoon ever has.
— Harry
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animation/main #4, from jimomura, 1383 chars, Tue Oct 31 19:53:21 1989
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Thinking about that question I realize how much my taste has
changed over the years. I there was a major change in my likes
when I first saw Robotech. It was a major change in my life.
Prior to that I guess my favorite animated work was Fantasia.
I’d seen that one which slips my mind — Forbidden Planet?
I can’t remember it exactly and that was pretty good in its
day. Other major shows I liked were the early Johnny Quest
series and McLaren’s works which I used to see on CBC television
late at night.
Of the comedy works, my favorites were Popeyes I think.
I remember the New Years Eve story when Popeye takes out Olive’s
mother and when she eats his spinach they clear the floor at
the dance hall. I never liked the wilder, zanier types of
comic works. Things like the more crazy Woody Woodpeckers
or Daffy Ducks actually turned me off. I wouldn’t even watch
them when I was a kid.
I think I can watch just about anything with the Coyote
in it.
Marvel Super Heroes, the very first time they came on
TV were a revelation to me also. Krantz Films produced those.
They were simply adaptations from the Marvel Comics comic
books with little changed. I was amazed at the storylines.
I think I started to read Marvel comics *after* seeing those
first shows.
I guess no matter how good the artwork it, it’s the story
that ultimately stays with me.
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animation/main #5, from jimomura, 83 chars, Tue Oct 31 19:53:51 1989
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TITLE: Ghost Busters Halloween Special
I missed it I guess. Was it any good?
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animation/main #6, from mwmiller, 212 chars, Tue Oct 31 20:06:02 1989
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Anyone ever see Roger Ramjet and his American flyers.
There great little stories with simple animation.
There often quite funny, hard to believe there made for kids.
Well, off to take my protien pill.
Mike
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animation/main #7, from jimomura, 119 chars, Tue Oct 31 20:16:55 1989
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Yeah, yet another Jay Ward Production! Jay Ward produced
stuff for teens. Little kids didn’t really watch them.
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animation/main #8, from hmccracken, 214 chars, Tue Oct 31 22:53:41 1989
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Roger Ramjet wasn’t a Jay Ward production, though the mistake is easy enought
to make — the style is close to identical. Roger was done by Ken Snyder
Productions, who didn’t do any other shows that I’m aware of.
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animation/main #9, from hmccracken, 260 chars, Tue Oct 31 22:55:02 1989
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Roger Ramjet at its best is as good as any Jay Ward cartoons (which is to
say terrific). I especially like the theme song and Gary Owens’s readings
as Roger. There are several videotapes of the show out now by Rhino Video,
if anybody’s interested.
— Harry
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animation/main #10, from jimomura, 81 chars, Tue Oct 31 23:11:45 1989
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Amazing! I was sure it was a Jay Ward. I’ll take your word
for it though.
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animation/main #11, from hshubs, 513 chars, Wed Nov 1 00:14:19 1989
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My favorite character is Bugs Bunny. There didn’t seem to be
much that he couldn’t get away with.
My current gripe is that I saw a short a few months ago which
had been cut to ribbons. It was one of the “It’s rabbit season!”
“No, it’s duck season.” ones. Poor old Elmer Fudd keeps shooting
Daffy, until the end when they determine that it’s Baseball Season,
and off Elmer goes into the sunset, shooting a baseball.
Except for the shots at the baseball, all the shooting was removed.
Made no sense any more.
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animation/main #13, from hshubs, 129 chars, Wed Nov 1 00:15:44 1989
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TITLE: Another one
The Martian. You remember? “The Earth is in my way. It’ll have
to go.”
“Instant Monster: just add water”
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animation/main #14, from switch, 330 chars, Wed Nov 1 00:56:20 1989
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If someone was to ask me to name my favorite cartoons right now, I’d have to ask
them to categorize some, or else the task would be impossible.
Features: Fantasia, Akira
Shorts: Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening, Broken Down Film (this will probably
change after I enter this)
And that’s a broad bit of segmenting there…
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animation/main #15, from switch, 467 chars, Wed Nov 1 01:00:46 1989
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Funny you should mention that particular one. That was the *first* edited
Warner Bros. short I ever saw, back in April of ’85 (the same day I discovered
_Robotech_). Sickening. Mind you, not all of them have been similarly
hacked and you can still get them on video (sale or rental).
Besides, if memory serves, Massacheussets gets old Warner Bros. shorts on TV —
I remember seeing “Prest-O Change-O” and “The Great Piggy Bank Robbery” on the
tube at Noreascon.
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animation/main #16, from switch, 143 chars, Wed Nov 1 01:02:31 1989
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Nonono. It’s “I’m afraid I’m going to have to blow [the Earth] up. It’s
obstructing my view of Venus.” Gads, I haven’t seen that in *years*
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animation/main #17, from sstaton, 573 chars, Wed Nov 1 01:19:04 1989
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The fact is, most of the late 50’s and mid 60’s Warner Bros. material
makes up much of the Saturday morning comics I and many other Bixen now
in their late twenties, early thirties, watched in morbid fascination.
“Where is the space modulator?” still brings tears to my laughter. The
coyote is truly one of the funniest sight gags going. The gold-leaf thin
gag line never wore out…they just kept coming at you with more and more
bizarre variations on the theme.
This year has been rather hard on the animation world: we lost both Mel
Blanc and Jay Ward. Heavy sigh.
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animation/main #18, from wablock, 282 chars, Wed Nov 1 02:32:42 1989
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“Oh no! That Earth creature has stolen the Alludium Q-38 Explosive Space
Modulator!”
It’s been far, far too long since I’ve seen Martin Martian. And another one:
all I have to do is sing the phrase “Hello, my honey” and everyone I know will
crack up. Brings back fond memories.
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animation/main #19, from hmccracken, 500 chars, Wed Nov 1 18:37:09 1989
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Massachusetts gets Warner Bros. in every form from cut to ribbons to pristine
uncut glory — off the top of my head I can think of local channels 25 and
56. CBS, WTBS, and Nickelodeon as sources. That’s not couting TNT, which
I believe also plays them, although it’s not available here in Newton.
Of course, if the particular cartoon you;re looking for isn’t available,
you can probably find it on one of the umpteen Warner videocassettes. It’s
an amazing time to be an animation fan.
— Harry
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animation/main #20, from bsoron, 71 chars, Thu Nov 2 00:31:23 1989
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“What happened? There should have been an Earth-shattering kaboom!”
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animation/main #21, from bsoron, 726 chars, Thu Nov 2 00:37:15 1989
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TITLE: Bullwinkle Returns to Somerville Theater
For Boston-area Bixen, if you didn’t get to see the Rocky and
Bullwinkle Festival at the Somerville Theater a couple weeks ago,
it’s coming back starting Saturday. I don’t have any other
details right now — I just noticed it at the bottom of their ad
in today’s Globe — but the Globe Calendar and the Phoenix should
both have info. I did see it and didn’t stop laughing; even the
vintage early-Sixties commercials they showed brought back memories.
It also includes the very first Peabody and Sherman, a few Dudley
Do-Rights, and (believe it or not) a couple clunkers that just
couldn’t end fast enough. All of the regular R&B features are
included. A great time.
Bob
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animation/main #22, from hmccracken, 165 chars, Thu Nov 2 18:12:42 1989
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I’m told that the Bullwinkle festival will be all new stuff that
wasn’t shown in the first one a few weeks ago. (Great — I’ll
have reason to go again.)
— Harry
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animation/main #23, from switch, 76 chars, Thu Nov 2 20:12:50 1989
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Hmmmn. Hope it makes it up here. The first Bullwinkle fest was hilarious.
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animation/main #24, from ewhac, 219 chars, Thu Nov 2 23:34:35 1989
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“Shoot me again! I enjoy it! I like the smell of burnt feathers!
And gunpowder! And cordite!!! I’m an elk. Shoot me! It’s elk season!!
I’m a fiddler crab! Why don’t you shoot me??!! It’s fiddler crab season!!”
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animation/main #25, from ewhac, 32 chars, Thu Nov 2 23:36:04 1989
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“You’re making me very angry.”
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animation/main #26, from hshubs, 22 chars, Thu Nov 2 23:39:49 1989
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Yep, that’s the one.
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animation/main #27, from hshubs, 24 chars, Thu Nov 2 23:41:01 1989
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“Werry angry, indeed!”
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animation/main #28, from jshook, 1254 chars, Fri Nov 3 00:48:24 1989
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TITLE: Boston-area Showing of Rare Zeman Films
Those of you who live in the Boston area have an extremely rare
opportunity to see the seldom-shown work of Czechoslovakian animator
Karel Zeman. The screenings will be held at the Carpenter Center
for the Visual Arts at Harvard University (Harvard Square T stop
on the red line). Carpenter Center is the strange-looking
building on Quincy street a few blocks east of Harvard Square. I
belive the admission charge is $3.00.
Friday Nov 3
7:00 PM Inspiration (1949)–Zeman’s first color film using blown
glass figures
An Invention for Destruction (1958)–Jules Vernesque film
combining live action
and animation
9:00 PM Karel Zeman to Children (1981)–scenes from his films and
‘how-to’ segments
Baron Munchausen (1961)–Same literary source as recent
Gilliam film featuring experimental
and expressive use of color
Saturday Nov 4
7:00 PM Karel Zeman to Children
Baron Munchausen
9:00 PM Inspiration
An Invention for Destruction
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animation/main #29, from hmccracken, 154 chars, Sun Nov 5 11:35:55 1989
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TITLE: Boston area BIXen…
should investigate today’s Boston Globe book section for Hugh Kenner’s fine
review of Chuck Jones’s autiobiography.
— Harry
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animation/main #30, from hshubs, 85 chars, Sun Nov 5 14:05:58 1989
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you mean, I’ve got to go out and get a paper?
time to get dressed, I guess… :-,
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animation/main #31, from hkenner, 55 chars, Sun Nov 5 17:31:03 1989
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Well, thanks for word that it’s in print at last!
–HK
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animation/main #32, from hkenner, 726 chars, Sun Nov 5 17:39:58 1989
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TITLE: Grim Natwick
I learned from Chuck Jones 10 days ago that Grim Natwick–creator of
Betty Boop and animator of Snow White Herself–is 100 years old and
still drawing. He specialized in leggy women. Famous tour de force,
a Snow White sequence in which SW is viewed from an oblique high
angle, running down a spiral staircase, round & round. Thisa defeats
the normal animator / inbetweener process, where the inbetweens simply
make the small changes (leg & arm positions) that transform the opening
drawing into the closing one. Not only did SW get smaller with every
step (because receding from the spectator’s viewpoint), she *turned* a
little bit in every frame. Natwick simply did the whole thing single-
handed.
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animation/main #33, from hkenner, 191 chars, Sun Nov 5 17:41:03 1989
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TITLE: Natwick again
Chuck also credits Natwick with the statement that a competent animator
has a “vocabulary” of some 3,000 things he can do. Example–animate a
trotting horse, side view.
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animation/main #34, from hmccracken, 689 chars, Sun Nov 5 17:51:58 1989
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Ah, Grim Natwick. His career is incredible both for its excellence
and the fact that it has spanned (I believe) more than seventy years
and virtually every major studio. (I think the last film he worked on
as an animator was Richard Williams’s Raggedy Ann and Andy — which he
did about fifteen years ago at an already very advanced age. But
since he’s been teaching and writing since then, his career in the
business has clearly continued.)
A friend of mine, Shamus Culhane, has had a Natwick-like career that
started in the silent era and involved stops at all the major studios.
I’m extremely impressed by it, but Natwick was animating when Shamus was
in kneepants.
— Harry
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animation/main #35, from sharonfisher, 70 chars, Tue Nov 7 12:20:13 1989
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Actually, it’s “There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom.”
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animation/main #36, from hkenner, 276 chars, Tue Nov 7 12:28:06 1989
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TITLE: Chuck Jones
…is nicely interviewed in today’s *New York Times*, p. C-17. Dig the
banter about the Anti-Destination League, which is what creates traffic
james when you’re in a taxi. CJ could not understand a reporter for
the Times not knowing about that. …
–HK
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animation/main #37, from hmccracken, 144 chars, Tue Nov 7 18:07:53 1989
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…And I am told that Mr. Jones is also prominently featured in this week’s
People Magazine, although I haven’t seen the article yet.
— Harry
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animation/main #38, from hkenner, 807 chars, Tue Nov 7 19:33:05 1989
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Thanks for the tip. …
I forget if I’ve already posted this; if so pardon the repetition:
One of CJ’s most eloquent topics is the *weight* of the character,
a thing of which the animator requires a keen sense. Heavy quadru-
peds walk with less vertical displacement of the spine (& bipeds,
of the head) than do light ones. Exception: a cat “is built light
but walks heavy.” Once alerted to that, your eyes are sharper. Thus
in the Dino de L. King Kong II it was obvious which Kongs were a man
in a monkey-suit, because his head bounced like a 170-pounder’s. Dead
give-away. Willis O’Brien, who animated the original Kong with latex
models, understood the principle perfectly. His Kong is always
MONSTROUSLY heavy. [For more on Kong, see “Miltonic Monkey” in my
book MAZES. Advt. TINAR.]
–HK
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animation/main #39, from hmccracken, 508 chars, Tue Nov 7 20:13:14 1989
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Yes, the effective animation of weight is both very important and very
difficult — one of the many problems with limited TV animation is that
this isn’t taken into consideration (and obviously can’t be, given
time and monetary contraints).
Probably the the animator who mastered animating **very heavy** characters
best was the great Disney artist Bill Tytla, responsible for the evil
puppeteer Stromboli in Pinocchio and winged demon in the “Night on Bald
Mountain” segment of Fantasia.
— Harry
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animation/main #40, from sharonfisher, 111 chars, Tue Nov 7 20:28:11 1989
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Mel Blanc’s death probably scared them and they want to make sure they get
interviews with him before he dies.
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animation/main #41, from jimomura, 73 chars, Tue Nov 7 21:05:58 1989
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Nope. You didn’t mention it before. It’s a very important matter.
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animation/main #42, from switch, 209 chars, Wed Nov 8 00:25:43 1989
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And here’s a bit of trivia: What’s the name of that demon in “Night on
Bald Mountain”? I seem to remember reading the name somewhere as being
‘Chernobog’, but don’t remember where and haven’t seen it since.
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animation/main #43, from jshook, 48 chars, Wed Nov 8 00:51:14 1989
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Almost right…actually it was “Chernobyl”….
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animation/main #44, from switch, 44 chars, Wed Nov 8 12:27:54 1989
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Nah… he’s gotta be kidding.
Aren’t you?
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animation/main #45, from hmccracken, 357 chars, Wed Nov 8 21:25:16 1989
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TITLE: Just finished reading the People Magazine story on Chuck Jones…
and it’s first rate. Author Pope Brock clearly knows what he’s talking
about, and manages to create a general-interest article that still has
lots of meat in it. Pick this up next time you’re at the grocery store,
even if you’re not a regular reader of People (I’m not).
— Harry
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animation/main #46, from hkenner, 17 chars, Wed Nov 8 21:57:31 1989
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I confirm. –HK
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animation/main #47, from morganfox, 33 chars, Wed Nov 8 22:13:21 1989
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Tis true, he is there in People.
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animation/main #48, from morganfox, 76 chars, Wed Nov 8 22:15:44 1989
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Anyone remember “Astroboy” or “Col. Bleep”? Watched those on tv, loved it.
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animation/main #49, from jimomura, 104 chars, Thu Nov 9 09:14:53 1989
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I don’t think I ever saw “Col. Bleep”. I just started watching
“Astroboy” last year more or less.
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animation/main #50, from switch, 103 chars, Thu Nov 9 10:05:26 1989
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I’ve only glimpsed _Astro Boy_. _Col. Bleep_ sounds familiar, but I don’t
remember anything specific.
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animation/main #51, from dquick, 75 chars, Thu Nov 9 23:44:52 1989
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Wow, “Astroboy”! I don’t think I’ve seen that since the 60’s.
Dave Quick
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animation/main #52, from hkenner, 419 chars, Fri Nov 10 13:21:55 1989
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TITLE: Duck Amuck Redux
Chuck Jones called from Washington yesterday to explain how his schedule
had gotten so congested he couldn’t make it to Baltimore after all.
I asked about Duck Amuck Redux. It will be a theater (not TV) film.
He is presently storyboarding. That is all his present contract calls
for. But, says he, if he doesn’t get to direct as well, the storyboards
will be 3 times as expensive. ….
–HK
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animation/main #53, from hmccracken, 56 chars, Fri Nov 10 18:46:44 1989
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A scoop! Thanks for the information, Hugh.
— Harry
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animation/main #54, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Sat Nov 11 11:20:01 1989
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TITLE: Program Note
For those that receive the Disney Channel and are interested in such
things, there will be a special on the making of The Little Mermaid
tonight at 8:30 e.s.t. — Harry
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animation/main #55, from hmccracken, 259 chars, Sat Nov 11 21:07:48 1989
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Just watched the Little Mermaid special, which had lots of footage from the
film. TINAR (since I haven’t seen the film yet), but it looks neat.
Very visually inventive, with songs I’m already humming from having heard
only bits and pieces of. — Harry
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animation/main #57, from jenn, 564 chars, Sat Nov 11 21:26:26 1989
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The ‘demon’ you refer to in Fantasia’s Night on Bald Moutnains
(er, mountain) is supposed to be Satan. (If Chernobog is
a term for Satan, then I guess that’s right. I don’t know
every term for Satan, in every language…)
Satan is supposed to be releasing the spirits and witches ofr
(er, for) their ‘Sabbath’. Another bit of trivia about
that sequence in Fantasia: The Censors made the animators
put bras on the Centaurs. Well, if you look at
the spirits that Satan crushes in his hand, you’ll notice
that they’re naked women….that one got by the censors!
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animation/main #58, from jimomura, 578 chars, Sun Nov 12 01:20:06 1989
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TITLE: Gone With the Wind
The relationship between animation and special effects is always
very tight. They are the same art under different names and sometimes
with different goals. Tonight I saw a special on the making of Gone
With the Wind and though I’d heard the story before, it was amazing
to see all the work done in special effects. There was so *little*
that was actually real beyond the costumes and a few indoor sets
that it makes something like Dune or an Indiana Jones movie which
have such great reputations for special effects seem really very
ordinary.
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animation/main #59, from richard.pini, 1236 chars, Mon Nov 13 08:44:42 1989
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Ghod! Colonel Bleep! I haven’t heard from the Colonel in more years than
I care to admit. “Tick tick tick BLEEP tick tick tick BLEEP…” Zero-Zero
Island. Scratch and Squeak. What about the Japanese cartoons they brought
over before they started pandering to Western tastes with all the robot
stuff – things like Kimba and Eighth Man and Gigantor (I’m trying to
remember the Japanese names but it’s a cold Monday morning and nothing’s
working yet). And while we’re on it, someone mentioned tho old Fleisher
Popeye cartoons. Don’t forget the 17 great Superman cartoons that that studio
did. Some were only good, but some were marvelously done – and contained some
fine humor as well. One of my favorite bits is in “The Bulleteers” where
the bullet car is zeroing in on Superman, he gives it a sterling right cross
upside the headlights and it takes off at a 90 degree angle – at 200 mph.
Jellied crooks, anyone? Oh, and the bit in the first cartoon where he hauls
up and straightens the falling building by grabbing the flagpole at the top.
Wonderful physics! Used to watch them on WPIX Channel 11 out of New York for
years in black and white because that’s the TV we had. Only learned a few
years ago that many of them were in color.
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animation/main #60, from richard.pini, 595 chars, Mon Nov 13 08:49:33 1989
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The demon’s name is in fact Chernobog – now, all I have to is recall the
source of that, but I will stake a pair of tickets to the elves’ next orgy
that that is a fact. It may be in the big “Fantasia” book that came out in
the late 1940s which was reissued just a few years ago. (BTW, a wonderful
coffee table book – it’s probably available at discount any more.) And yes,
there are naked lady demons in that segment, nipples and all. Makes the fact
that the studio had to clean up the naked lady centaurettes in the “Pastoral”
segment all the more glaring. Where’s Bakshi when we need him?! 😉
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animation/main #61, from jimomura, 330 chars, Mon Nov 13 09:30:45 1989
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Kimba was another series I missed. I saw a couple of episodes for
the first time this year! Like most other Tezuka works it’s the sort
of series I would have liked to have grown up with. I still haven’t
seen an episode of Eighth Man or Gigantor at all, nor the Fleisher
Superman episodes. I feel culturally deprived.
🙂
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animation/main #62, from richard.pini, 977 chars, Mon Nov 13 19:07:06 1989
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I don’t know if this properly belongs in the ‘sources’ topic; if it does I
hope someone will put it there. I just received something called “The Whole
Toon Catalog” and it is 48 pages of available-for-purchase videotapes of
nothing but animation. Now be advised that this is legally purchasable stuff;
none of it is bootleg (which we all know exists in quantity). But it does
run from “Abel’s Island” to “Zoom the White Dolphin” (neither of which I’ve
ever heard of); there’s a load of Beany and Cecil stuff, Betty Boop, Bugs
Bunny (uncut), lots and lots of collections of esoteric stuff. It’s not
exhaustive; it doesn’t have, for example, the Asterix movies – but it is a
good source for lots of titles. Just the thing for culturally deprived
viewers! Write to:
Whole Toon Access
4710 University Way N.E.
Seattle, WA 98105 (phone) 206-391-8747
BTW, they will ship VHS if you don’t tell them you want Beta, but apparently
they will get Beta if you request it.
==========================
animation/main #63, from jstivaletta, 676 chars, Mon Nov 13 21:19:03 1989
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TITLE: Ub Iwerks Cartoons
A few years ago I bought two tapes containing 13 cartoons from Ub Iwerks.
“The Brave Tin Soldier”, “Happy Days”, “Fiddlesticks”, “Jack and the
Beanstalk”, “The Headless Horseman”, “The Little Red Hen”, “Summertime”,
“Tom Thumb”, “Jack Frost”, “Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba”,
“Sinbad” and “Spooks”.
The following is a quote from “The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons”:
“Iwerks’s greatest contributation to the art of animation came the following
year when he designed and developed the character Mickey Mouse (his work on
“Plane Crazy” was especially decisive). He also defined (and refined) the
concept of the early Silly Symphonies.”
==========================
animation/main #64, from hmccracken, 781 chars, Mon Nov 13 22:02:06 1989
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Yup. Ub Iwerks was certainly the first great animator to work with Walt
Disney. (He has sometimes been called Mickey Mouse’s true creator; although
that seems over-compensation, he did design the mouse and animate his first
films.) He was lured away from the Disney studio by backers who set up
his own studio for him, but he was no businessman (or storyman), and the
studio lasted only a few years, making cartoons that were pleasant but
no competition for Disney’s work as far as their artistic merits went.
His “star” character was Flip the Frog.
After his studio folded, Iwerks returned to Disney’s, where he did
some fine special effects work for many years, including work for
Mary Poppins and (off the Disney lot) Hitchcock’s The Birds. He died in
1971.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #65, from hmccracken, 460 chars, Mon Nov 13 22:09:00 1989
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TITLE: Jerry Beck…
Animation expert, co-author of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, and head of
Streamline Pictures, a distributor of Japanese animation in the U.S., will
be speaking at the University of Southern California’s Norris Hall on December
1st at 3 p.m. on the topic of Japanese animation. His presentation will
include 35mm and 16mm films. I can get more information on this if anybody’s
interested, or you might try contacting U.S.C.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #66, from jshook, 265 chars, Mon Nov 13 23:04:10 1989
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The Fleisher Supermans are gems–they have a sort of ’40s
film noir look (though they’re in color) and are very stylised
graphically. The movement is quite limited but very effective
use is made of unusual lighting and camera angles. They are very
fast-paced.
==========================
animation/main #67, from jshook, 187 chars, Mon Nov 13 23:06:30 1989
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“Abel’s Island” was a made-for-TV animation done by the
Michael Sporn studio a few years ago (a friend of mine
worked on it). It is based on a children’s book. I have
never seen it.
==========================
animation/main #68, from jshook, 119 chars, Mon Nov 13 23:07:57 1989
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The “Fantasia” book that dates from the ’40s and the book published
a few years ago are different (I have them both).
==========================
animation/main #69, from jimomura, 406 chars, Mon Nov 13 23:11:21 1989
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I should also note that Osamu Tezuka was just starting work on a
new set of “Jungle Taitei” (Kimba the Lion, Leo the Lion) and had finished
directing something like 5 episodes when he died this year. These are,
of course, in colour. I have no idea what happened after he died.
No doubt, if he had enough done on storyboard, they’d probably get
someone else to finish it up. But it’s hard to guess.
==========================
animation/main #70, from davemackey, 500 chars, Tue Nov 14 00:38:43 1989
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TITLE: An introduction
Hi, Folks…
This seems like a good place to introduce myself. My name’s Dave
Mackey, and I am a cartoonaholic. I looked far and wide for places to find
help. Brother McCracken found me in the gutter, and told me to clean myself
up and come here. My strengths are in the classic theatrical animation of
the golden age, particularly Warner Bros. I’ll check in as often as I can and
if I can be of some help, so be it. See you all later.
davemackey
==========================
animation/main #71, from switch, 493 chars, Tue Nov 14 11:43:22 1989
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Hi Richard! Nice to see you’ve joined us!
The Fleischer Supermans are available on tape — I’ve noticed a number of
different companies released them, but only one has all seventeen (plus an
old live-action ep thrown in) on the same tape. If you’d like, I’ll see if
I can find the name of the distributor.
Side note: IMHO, Japanese animation didn’t start pandering to Western tastes –
robots are hardly an exclusively Western fascination, and there are a lot of
nn-robot animations there.
==========================
animation/main #72, from switch, 216 chars, Tue Nov 14 11:45:21 1989
This is a comment to message 69.
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The studio did finish it up, and I think it’s either already been released, or
it’s going to be by the end of the year. I’d have to look at the latest
issue of NewType, where they’ve been covering it for a while…
==========================
animation/main #73, from switch, 47 chars, Tue Nov 14 11:47:05 1989
This is a comment to message 65.
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Any way to get transcripts of that discussion?
==========================
animation/main #74, from swestrup, 304 chars, Tue Nov 14 18:09:29 1989
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Zoom the dolphin plays semi-regularly here in Montreal, but in French. It
stars a dolphin, a sloth, and a little girl with the huge eyes that seem to
characterize japanese animation. I don’t think it is japanese though. If I
remember correctly (and I may well not), the closing titles were in dutch.
==========================
animation/main #75, from richard.pini, 161 chars, Tue Nov 14 21:12:04 1989
This is a comment to message 68.
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OK, I was going from memory – I have them both as well but they are buried
somewhere in a *big* pile of books that sorely needs sorting. When I get
caught up…
==========================
animation/main #76, from richard.pini, 516 chars, Tue Nov 14 21:16:17 1989
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I’ve seen ads for the 17 Supermans on one tape; don’t know about them. The
set I have is on two tapes; I think I got them from a fellow name of Rex
Miller, advertised in the Comics Buyer’s Guide. The quality is superb. The
comment about Westernization comes from the observation that the animation
that is coming over here “in bulk” is, IMHO, substantially watered down
compared to the animation that would never make it on American TV. We’ve got
a long way to go before we manage something like Dagger of Kamui…
==========================
animation/main #77, from switch, 267 chars, Wed Nov 15 00:37:25 1989
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Oh! I thought in your original message you were referring to the original
Japanese animations as pandering to Western tastes. What you refer to is more
a matter of the Americans, er, “modifying” the original stuff to make it better
suit their perceived audience…
==========================
animation/main #78, from wablock, 241 chars, Wed Nov 15 00:49:48 1989
This is a comment to message 62.
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An animation nut of a friend and I would like to thank you for that source!
Two catalogs are on their way, although the guy at the company was a little
surprised at the answer to his question of “Where did you hear about us?”
Thanks again!
==========================
animation/main #79, from hshubs, 48 chars, Wed Nov 15 08:38:59 1989
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Are we talking about censorship here, or what?
==========================
animation/main #80, from jimomura, 96 chars, Wed Nov 15 09:15:23 1989
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Only in part. You don’t know about the editing of “Battle of the
Planets” and “Robotech”?
==========================
animation/main #81, from switch, 1157 chars, Wed Nov 15 11:57:09 1989
This is a comment to message 79.
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Yes and no. In many cases, when a Japanese animation is brought to the States
(like _Macross_ as part of _Robotech_, or _Science Ninja Team Gatchaman_ as
_Battle of the Planets_), the overly violent and/or sexual content gets removed.
That can be construed as censorship, but considering our TV standards are a bit
different, I might have to let that pass. OTOH, there are some instances, like
_Nausicaa_, where movies are edited down from two to one and a half hours. The
reasoning behind that (it seems – I have never seen this confirmed) is that
people can only stand to watch feature-length animations for an hour and a half
(‘people’ in this case supposedly meaning ‘children’). In this case, usually
what gets edited out are non-action scenes (i.e. characterization).
These are the constants. It’s hard to think of an anime that didn’t have these
two facets edited when brought over to the States. Now, in other cases, the
person bringing it over has no thought for continuity at all, and is content
to hack and put together something to fit *his own* story — like _Captain
Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years_ and _Robotech the Movie_.
==========================
animation/main #82, from richard.pini, 181 chars, Wed Nov 15 17:53:22 1989
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Well, I’m still not certain that they’re (the Japanese companies) not doing
stuff these days with an eye toward this market, but that may simply be
cynicism talking. Who can say…
==========================
animation/main #83, from jimomura, 671 chars, Wed Nov 15 20:19:46 1989
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Actually, it’s not that hard to say who is and who isn’t aiming ath
the North American export market. They have 4 major *fan* magazines
in Japan with interviews with artists, producers, directors, actors,
singers and just about everybody and on just about every topic. These
guys have *star* status there. Mostly the North American market is
an after thought. The aim is to have a Prime Time hit or a Japanese
Saturday morning hit. Sunday morning is not a good time slot for
them. Things like Ranma 1/2 run in the dinnertime to evening slots
fairly often.
The theatrical productions likewise, and we don’t even *have* an
OVA market in North America yet.
==========================
animation/main #84, from switch, 124 chars, Thu Nov 16 00:40:34 1989
This is a comment to message 83.
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Right.
Most people tend to forget that what we (even the anime fans) see is but a
small fraction of what’s actually there.
==========================
animation/main #85, from ewhac, 197 chars, Fri Nov 17 04:56:24 1989
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So far, I haven’t seen any mention of Rankin-Bass (is that right?)
works. If I’m not mistaken, they did “Frosty The Snowman”, which gets
broadcast once a year ’round Christmas time.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #86, from richard.pini, 680 chars, Fri Nov 17 09:01:47 1989
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Of course, they did the “Parts One and Three” of the Great Lord of the Rings
Debacle (Bakshi having done Part Two as 1/2 of a real movie) by animating
first “The Hobbit” and then “The Rest of the Ring Cycle” both as TV specials.
Oy, the stories about that little mess! 🙂
N
==========================
animation/main #87, from sharonfisher, 279 chars, Fri Nov 17 12:42:47 1989
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We rented a bunch of cartoon videos recently and I saw my first Ub Iwerks
stuff. I had never heard of him. I believe the tape was something like
“surreal cartoons.” Anyway, he certainly had a distinctive style; I could
pick out his stuff after watching just a couple of them.
==========================
animation/main #88, from sharonfisher, 213 chars, Fri Nov 17 12:45:06 1989
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I love Thundercats. Silverhawks just seemed like a ripoff of it; same
thing, different appearances.
Anybody else watch BraveStarr? I think the people doing it are trying
to make a parody of a cartoon series…
==========================
animation/main #89, from rgswartz, 157 chars, Fri Nov 17 16:10:50 1989
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>Lord of the Rings pt3
Even though I thought the movie (pt2?) was pretty weak I would
still like to see the conclusion.
Is it (or pt2) on videotape????????
==========================
animation/main #90, from richard.pini, 210 chars, Fri Nov 17 17:31:30 1989
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They had a success with Thundercats. Nothing succeeds like excess, ergo,
Silverhawks, which did not do well at all. You’re right about Bravestarr,
though how one can parody that which is already a parody… 🙂
==========================
animation/main #91, from richard.pini, 982 chars, Fri Nov 17 17:37:20 1989
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Lord of the Rings (the Bakshi film which takes us from the beginning of the
first Rings book – not The Hobbit – up to the approach to Mount Doom) is on
vidoetape and has been for some time; it’s readily available for rental here
and, I suspect, all over. The two Rankin Bass films – The Hobbit and what us
er, is essentially the second half of the Ring trilogy, I don’t know. As I
said, they were made-for-TV whereas the Bakshi film was a theatrical release.
I recorded them off the air when first broadcast. Between the two studios,
one can see all of Tolkien’s epic, however de-epic-ified. Also note that
the ending that you’ll see on the video of LoTR is not the one that was
originally shown in the theatres. Seems that the original ending, a freeze
frame of Frodo and Gollum starting to ascend Mt. Doom was judged to be too
much of a non-ending, so for later releases things were switched so that the
big battle and its attendant victory end the movie. Neither is satisfying.
==========================
animation/main #92, from rgswartz, 165 chars, Fri Nov 17 17:42:23 1989
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i remember i wasn’t satisfied when i saw it in the theater. it was
a hell of a lot weaker than Wizards for instance.
but i’d still like to so it.
oh well…
-rich-
==========================
animation/main #93, from davemackey, 252 chars, Fri Nov 17 19:32:39 1989
This is a comment to message 85.
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Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass have been responsible for a number of fine
shows and specials throughout the year that have become family classics. They
are worthy of further mention, and you do have a good point.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #94, from davemackey, 602 chars, Fri Nov 17 19:37:23 1989
This is a comment to message 87.
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Iwerks had a couple of distinct styles. His early 30’s “Flip The Frog” cartoons
were more Disney-inspired than anything (as most early-30’s cartoons were)
but when he did his middle-30’s color stuff, he veered off in his own unique
direction. When people assimilate the cartoons of the 30’s and their style,
it’s probably Iwerks’ color stuff they’re thinking about.
Ub’s studio fell on hard times in the mid-30’s and he accepted subcontract
work from Leon Schlesinger (two Porky Pig cartoons) and Charles Mintz before
going back to Disney as an effects specialist.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #95, from davemackey, 236 chars, Fri Nov 17 19:39:04 1989
This is a comment to message 88.
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Bravestarr was the last series produced by Filmation. As far as I know it
was being done in deadly earnest, but the effect sort of reminded me of the old
Westworld movies — Western with parodic edge.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #96, from hmccracken, 349 chars, Fri Nov 17 21:50:39 1989
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Speaking of Elfquest and animation, Richard, it’s been a while since I heard
anything about any plans to animate the series — is anything going on in
that area right now? (And I should profess my admiration for your and
Wendy’s willingness to put off the prospect of animation rather than let
a studio wreak havoc with your creation.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #97, from richard.pini, 107 chars, Fri Nov 17 22:43:30 1989
This is a comment to message 92.
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Wizards was Bakshi’s test piece for LoTR – and you’re right. It stands a lot
better on its own than Rings.
==========================
animation/main #98, from richard.pini, 676 chars, Fri Nov 17 22:49:11 1989
This is a comment to message 96.
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Yeah, well… Not that we’re any less idealistic now than we were then, but
I’d have to say in all honesty that we are capable of seeing more solutions
to a given problem than we were able to see back then (and we’re talking, what,
anywhere from 2-6 years ago). Where things are now is that a producer has
the stories and is looking to adapt them to video, the plan being first to
ease a wedge into viewers’ perceptions that way, and then use that wedge to
try for something more ambitious. All the while we’re keeping up the publishing
side of things with new stories, and, one hopes, after a while the combined
momentum reaches a self-sustaining point. It’s a plan, anyway.
==========================
animation/main #99, from switch, 194 chars, Fri Nov 17 23:28:05 1989
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Passing through New York some time ago, I saw _Return of the King_ on
videotape. Never got a chance to take down the name of the distributor (or,
for that matter, check if the tape was legit).
==========================
animation/main #100, from switch, 60 chars, Fri Nov 17 23:29:22 1989
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Oh, yes, and _The Hobbit_ is definitely available on video.
==========================
animation/main #101, from sstaton, 76 chars, Sat Nov 18 00:01:15 1989
This is a comment to message 61.
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I watched _Kimba_ in L.A. in 1969. It was a kind of “Born Free” animation.
==========================
animation/main #102, from rgswartz, 21 chars, Sat Nov 18 05:36:04 1989
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there’s hope then…
==========================
animation/main #103, from richard.pini, 412 chars, Sat Nov 18 09:54:54 1989
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If memory serves, it was probably legitimate. There’s very little percentage
in a video store dealing in bootleg tapes (unlike some vendors at SF and/or
comics conventions who will happily sell you illegal copies of “Heavy Metal”
or “Rocky Horror” – the preceding opinion was brought to you by someone who
is *very* copyright conscious). “Return” would, of course, be the Rankin-
Bass end of the cycle TV movie.
==========================
animation/main #104, from switch, 114 chars, Sat Nov 18 22:30:24 1989
This is a comment to message 103.
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There may be little *percentage* of video stores/clubs that deal in
bootlegs, but there are still quite a few…
==========================
animation/main #108, from hmccracken, 239 chars, Sun Nov 19 23:31:10 1989
This is a comment to message 105.
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Thanks for uploading your fine review of Chuck Jones’s book, Hugh; I enjoyed
reading it when it came out and enjoyed re-reading it just now. I think its
length qualifies it for the long.messages topic, and I’ve moved it there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #109, from hmccracken, 747 chars, Wed Nov 22 18:08:19 1989
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TITLE: Notable quote
“It’s a neverending process the way they do pictures now. You might
think that the story is all locked down. but nothing really is. If there’s
something that doesn’t work, they’ll throw it out and reboard it all
over again…It’s much more of a live-action approach, I think. They
think in therms of shooting rations, how much stuff can be done over,
rewrites at the very last minute. It’s very different from traditional
cartoon-making.”
— Animator Mark Kausler on animating for Disney (specifically on
Rollercoaster Rabbit, the upcoming Roger Rabbit short). The quote is
drawn from an interview I did while researching an article on the Disney
Florida studios for the next issue of my magazine, Animato.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #110, from davemackey, 122 chars, Wed Nov 22 20:23:58 1989
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Harry–
Is Kausler down in Florida now, and is he still associated
with Warner Bros.?
_–Dave
==========================
animation/main #111, from hmccracken, 400 chars, Wed Nov 22 22:02:14 1989
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Mark was down in Florida for the purpose of working on Rollercoaster Rabbit
(he worked on both Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Tummy Trouble as a stoyboard
artist and animator and is therefore a Roger Rabbit expert). If the film
finished animation on schedule he’s probably left again fo L.A. He moves
around a lot from studio to studio and may be working for Warners now for
all I know. — Harry
==========================
animation/main #112, from hmccracken, 391 chars, Fri Nov 24 23:16:19 1989
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And I should also mention that besides being a fine animator, Mark Kausler
is one of the two or three people with some claim to being the most
knowledgable person in the world on the topic of American animated films.
(His collection of films and related materials is fabled and has been
drawn on by practically every book on the topic of animation written in
the last ten years.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #113, from davemackey, 366 chars, Sat Nov 25 08:25:34 1989
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It’s nice that some of today’s animators are grounded in the classics, an
advantage their forebears never had. For example, Greg Ford draws on his years
as a pioneer cartoon buff as writer/director for WB, which helps because he
could pick the classics apart and find out what made them tick and apply some of
that to his own work.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #114, from richard.pini, 278 chars, Sat Nov 25 10:54:53 1989
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And people wonder why so much of animation today is substandard. When will these
yahoos rediscover the fact that you’ve got to *start* with a story before you
put pencil to paper? Frankenstein patchwork shows on the screen! *pant, pant*
OK, I hadda get that out of my system…
==========================
animation/main #115, from hmccracken, 1051 chars, Sat Nov 25 11:08:43 1989
This is a comment to message 113.
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True. But it has also been argued (with, in some case, justification) that
today’s animators are **too** steeped in animation history, and not much
steeped in any other kind of art or literature that might help them
broaden their horizons. (The Bakshi Mighty Mouse cartoons have been brought
up as an example of this, but perhaps a better and more current one is some
of the character design in The Little Mermaid, drawn extremely closely from
Fantasia, Cinderella, and even Disney’s version of Peter and the Wolf.
Don Bluth does this as well — the main character in his upcoming cartoon
Rockadoodle is a dead-ringer for the Alan-a-Dale Rooster from Disney’s
Robin Hood, down to the guitar.)
None of the above refers in any way to Mark Kausler himself, BTW;
to hear him do what very, very few animation scholars can — identify and
critique animation sequences based on the work of the actual animator —
is an education and a delight. And the few pieces of writing he’s done,
including some reviews for Funnyworld, were terrific.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #116, from jimomura, 532 chars, Sat Nov 25 21:46:31 1989
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It’s not necessarily a bad way to work. Though I agree that good
stories are a big problem. But the problem with the stories are that
the only target audience for North American audiences is the little
kiddies and women’s social tea party set. Here, you can record this
phrase and keep in on a microcassette and play it for people whenever
you see an “animated special” on TV or North American targetted theatre
animation movie:
“Oh, wasn’t it *cute*!”
Cute’s nice. Kiddy stuff has it’s place. So have other anime.
==========================
animation/main #117, from bsoron, 429 chars, Sun Nov 26 00:49:18 1989
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TITLE: Any info on…
I once saw a wonderful animated film done by (I may have the names
a little wrong; it’s been years) Frank and Caroline Mouris, the folks
behind Frank Film. The movie I remember was done exclusively with
Avery labels. I saw this once a looong time ago at Cambridge’s late,
lamented Off the Wall; never saw it again anywhere. Anyone know
anything about it — like a source so I could see it again?
Bob
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animation/main #118, from davemackey, 259 chars, Sun Nov 26 08:27:10 1989
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“Frank Film” won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Outside of
that I couldn’t tell you anything more except to check with your library.
Inevitably they have source books for locating films on 16mm and video
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #119, from switch, 232 chars, Sun Nov 26 10:53:18 1989
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Couldn’t tell you the name, but Eastman/Kodak released a book on animated film
(and my fuzzy brain refuses to remember the title) which discusses “Frank Film”
and the second one being worked on. I’ll try to find it in the library.
==========================
animation/main #120, from richard.pini, 897 chars, Sun Nov 26 12:54:50 1989
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I think that your assessment of North American target audiences has been
mostly true, and is still largely true, but I like to think that’s changing,
though slowly. One of the hopeful signs of that is the tone of reviews of
The Little Mermaid, which in essence say it’s a film you don’t have to be
ashamed going by yourself to. (This aimed at adults, and wasn’t *that* a
grammatically screwed sentence!) We won’t talk about animated specials on
TV; I just ate and I want to enjoy the memory of the meal. Network mentality
(an oxymoron) has far longer to go to catch up with late 20th century ideas
of effective entertainment than studio film mentality. There certainly is
or seems to be a place for “cute” – look at how well stuff like the Care Bears
movies do – but it’ll be a happy day when American animation (like
American comic books) is taken the way European and Japanese couterparts are.
==========================
animation/main #121, from jimomura, 671 chars, Sun Nov 26 18:41:26 1989
This is a comment to message 120.
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They said that about Roger Rabbit, and RR was, well, cute. I’ve
seen one ad for The Little Mermaid and frankly, that looks “cute” too.
Let me say something about “Lord of the Rings.” I have a lot of
respect for that one. It was a good attempt. It fails, but it was a
respectable effort. “Heavy Metal” was too, though it doesn’t aspire
to much more than gore freaks and maybe giving a hint to the North American
audience that it was possible to try for something beyond Yogi Bear.
Actually, “Heavy Metal” pretty much succeeds. I may not like it much
but I admire the fact that it’s artistic goals were met. I should hope
to accomplish that much someday.
==========================
animation/main #122, from bsoron, 291 chars, Sun Nov 26 22:25:56 1989
This is a comment to message 119.
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————————–
Thanks (and thanks to Dave as well — somehow I keep forgetting that
libraries actually have reference books). I’m surprised that some video
company hasn’t put out a collection of the Mourises’ work. With hi-fi
video, the soundtrack to “Frank Film” wouldn’t even be too staggering.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #123, from davemackey, 124 chars, Mon Nov 27 07:38:33 1989
This is a comment to message 122.
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Thanks for the thanks, Bob, and I hope you find “Frank Film,” wherever it
may be hiding.
—Dave
==========================
animation/main #124, from jshook, 591 chars, Mon Nov 27 17:13:53 1989
This is a comment to message 117.
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The film you remember is called “Impasse.”
I don’t know what has happened to the distribution of F and C’s
films. I have not seen them in several years…the last I heard
they were living in upstate New York and were looking to work
on rock videos.
It would be ideal if all of their films (like “Frank Film,”
“Impasse,” “Coney Island,” “Screen Test” and the others) were
all available on a video cassette, but I have not heard if this
is true. If you really want to persue this you might start with
a call to Picture Start in Champaign Ill (sorry…don’t have
the number near to hand.)
==========================
animation/main #125, from hmccracken, 419 chars, Mon Nov 27 21:51:31 1989
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TITLE: Interesting Rumor
Don’t know the validity of this, but I am told that we may see no more of
our friend Roger Rabbit after the upcoming Rollercoaster Rabbit short.
Apparently Steven Spielberg wanted to run that short with Back to the
Future III next Summer, and Disney wanted to run it with one of their own
films. The upshot is said to be that Steve took his half of Roger and
went home. We’ll see.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #126, from bsoron, 251 chars, Mon Nov 27 22:47:15 1989
This is a comment to message 124.
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Many thanks for IDing “Impasse.” I vaguely remember that “Frank
Film” was on videocassette once, but I may just have seen a copy
off PBS or something. Can’t hurt to give Picture Start a call,
and maybe check in at a local video store or two.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #127, from bsoron, 78 chars, Mon Nov 27 22:48:00 1989
This is a comment to message 125.
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It hasn’t occurred to either of them that they could do another one? 🙂
Bob
==========================
animation/main #128, from hshubs, 82 chars, Tue Nov 28 00:04:59 1989
This is a comment to message 127.
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That might cost _money_ though. We all know they don’t have
enough of _that_…
==========================
animation/main #129, from hmccracken, 467 chars, Thu Nov 30 21:19:29 1989
————————–
TITLE: Whole Toon Catalog
This publication — a mammoth catalog of cartoon videotapes and other
animation related merchandise — has been mentioned here before by
others, but having just received a copy I am moved to urge anybody
interested in animation to call Whole Toon Access (206-391-8747,
in Seattle) and request a copy. I have no idea how the service on
orders is, but I suspect I will soon; there are scads of things in
here I’d like to have.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #130, from hmccracken, 740 chars, Mon Dec 4 18:18:00 1989
————————–
TITLE: CBIX Session this Wednesday
The animaton conference will be holding its first CBIX session this Wednesay
at 9:00pm est. Our guest will be Jerry Beck, an expert on almost every
area of animation who co-authored the recent book _Looney Tunes and Merrie
Melodies: a Complete Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons_ and served as
research associate on two books by Leonard Maltin, _Of Mice and Magic_ and
_The Disney Films_.
Jerry is also a partner in Streamline Pictures, a new company which
translates and distributes Japanese animated features in the U.S., including
_Laputa: the Castle in the Sky_ and _Akira_, as well as selling original
art from Japanese animation. It should be an interesting session; please
join us!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #131, from dyarbrough, 288 chars, Tue Dec 5 22:34:55 1989
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TITLE: WB short – NL: XMas Vacation
Just saw National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with the WB short. It
is a WB greatest “hits” 🙂 compilation, so there is nothing new for all
you fans
David () ()
( )
==========================
animation/main #132, from bsoron, 283 chars, Tue Dec 5 23:17:55 1989
This is a comment to message 131.
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————————–
While getting my nightly Green Acres dose on Nickelodeon, they
promoed a Ralph Bakshi Christmas cartoon to run this Sunday night
(8:30 Eastern time, I think). Unfortunately, I don’t remember its
title, so Check Your Local Listings. Anyone know if this is new
or a retread?
Bob
==========================
animation/main #133, from switch, 85 chars, Wed Dec 6 00:24:20 1989
This is a comment to message 132.
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————————–
Wasn’t Bakshi supposed to do a Christmas-story Tattertown? Or did he do it
already?
==========================
animation/main #134, from switch, 218 chars, Wed Dec 6 00:25:52 1989
This is a comment to message 132.
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Just found it in Animation Magazine #6: “Bakshi warns his followers not to
expect ‘Might Mouse humor’ in the first episode [of Tattertown], a Christmas
special to be aired in December [of 1988].” Guess it’s a repeat.
==========================
animation/main #135, from switch, 150 chars, Wed Dec 6 00:40:07 1989
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TITLE: Nelvana
Does anyone have the address for Nelvana’s studio in Ontario? I sat down to
write a letter and discovered I’ve lost their address…
==========================
animation/main #136, from jimomura, 125 chars, Wed Dec 6 01:44:58 1989
This is a comment to message 135.
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I’m not sure about this. I’m just looking in the phone book.
Nelvana
32 Atlantic
588-5571
(somewhere around Toronto)
==========================
animation/main #137, from switch, 59 chars, Wed Dec 6 12:41:54 1989
This is a comment to message 136.
————————–
Thanks, Jim. I’ll try to verify it before the week’s out.
==========================
animation/main #138, from hmccracken, 204 chars, Wed Dec 6 18:30:22 1989
This is a comment to message 133.
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————————–
He was supposed to do a whole *series* of Tattertown, but the Christmas
special was the only result that ever appeared. It was first broadcast
last year, and was quite poor in most respects.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #139, from hkenner, 107 chars, Wed Dec 6 18:45:40 1989
This is a comment to message 138.
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Hasn’t Bakshi a track record of being scheduled for a whole series of
which only one clunker ever appears?
==========================
animation/main #140, from hmccracken, 272 chars, Wed Dec 6 19:35:21 1989
This is a comment to message 139.
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Sort of. He did part one of a _Lord of the Rings_, and part two has yet to
appear a decade late. He recently did something called _Houndtown_ which
was a failed pilot for a weekly series. And he has announced many, many
projects which have never been made.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #141, from bsoron, 84 chars, Wed Dec 6 23:21:37 1989
This is a comment to message 133.
————————–
Thank you — yes, Tattertown is the Bakshi Christmas special on Nickelodeon.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #142, from jenn, 1092 chars, Thu Dec 7 12:24:06 1989
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
==========
sf/anime #570, from brennall, 991 chars, Thu Dec 7 05:33:48 1989
Comment(s).
———-
TITLE: Help for British Fan Needed
Hello folks,
Living in the motherland can be a problem at times, this is
mainly true if you like Anime. BUT I am coming to America (Didn’t Eddy
Murphy say that sometime ?) for my Honeymoon in May (staying in florida
for 3 weeks in the royal plaza on buena vista). During this time I wish
to get a few chances to pick up Videos, Comics etc.. The problem is that
I don’t know of any place in orlando (or florida for that matter) that
sells what I want. SO the question is can you fine folks give me any
clues as to where to start looking for what I want. Also if any of you
folks with tapes of all these lovely series you watch on TV want to
start up a lifelong friendship and send me a copy so that I could watch
something I would be eternaly grateful (I haven’t even seen Robotech !)
(but I did read the book/comics). Please contact me on BIX with any help
you can offer. Thanks for your time.
Dave “Brennall” Johnston
==========================
animation/main #143, from jenn, 110 chars, Thu Dec 7 12:24:41 1989
This is a comment to message 142.
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Er, David, don’t they use a different video system in
England? Or do you have both systems available to you?
==========================
animation/main #144, from switch, 742 chars, Thu Dec 7 21:12:43 1989
This is a comment to message 142.
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Part of the problem here is that Britain uses the PAL video system, and North
America uses NTSC. Unfortunately, the two are incompatible. There are two
solutions, though:
(1) Find a VCR that does both PAL and NTSC. Not easy to find and not cheap,
but they are available (I know Panasonic makes one and I’m currently trying
to find the model number) in both North America and Britain.
(2) Get anime from a country that uses the PAL system. Unfortunately, the only
place I know of that has sufficient anime is Hong Kong (VERY popular there),
but, well, there is the problem of knowing where to get stuff, or for that
matter reading the ads.
JIC, I’ll post a list of Florida-based anime retailers in animation/sources.
==========================
animation/main #145, from jshook, 88 chars, Thu Dec 7 22:53:34 1989
This is a comment to message 142.
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Won’t he have a problem if he buys tapes here and tries to
play them when he gets home?
==========================
animation/main #146, from switch, 199 chars, Fri Dec 8 00:49:13 1989
This is a comment to message 142.
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I’ve posted the address to the Manasota Anime Group in Sarasota, Florida —
it was the only Florida address I had. Best bet would be to write them and
find out what anime retailers are in the area.
==========================
animation/main #147, from dispintoh, 588 chars, Fri Dec 8 03:15:55 1989
This is a comment to message 146.
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That’s because Florida is not one of your better places to try and get anime
You should have tried California or New York.
For comics, that’s an easy one, Enterprise 1701. They have lots
of comics. They also have some tapes of anime that you might not
have seen, so just ask nicely if they have any 🙂
Only place other then there that I got anime from in FL was a fan
club down in Tampa that closed shop so to speak 🙂
Don’t have the address for 1701 memorized, but it’s in the phone
book. Real easy to find 🙂
Who knows, maybe if you stop by on a Friday we’ll run into each other 🙂
==========================
animation/main #148, from bsoron, 169 chars, Fri Dec 8 20:46:34 1989
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TITLE: Beck on BIX
Sorry I missed the CBix session Wednesday night. Any chance that
a transcript will be posted in /listings? (Do we have a /listings
section?)
Bob
==========================
animation/main #149, from jenn, 146 chars, Sat Dec 9 00:32:40 1989
This is a comment to message 148.
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I believe Jim is working on getting the transcript into
listings now! (I haven’t read my mail from him so…:-)
Yes, we have a listings section!
==========================
animation/main #150, from wablock, 293 chars, Sun Dec 10 03:58:48 1989
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TITLE: Looking For…
“Goofy Gophers,” it seems they are called, although I’m not sure.
Remember the two very polite gophers who explore the dehydrated food factory?
I’m looking for this cartoon–if it is on one of the collections in the
Whole Toon Catalog, could someone point it out to me?
==========================
animation/main #151, from rgswartz, 31 chars, Sun Dec 10 04:05:15 1989
This is a comment to message 150.
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————————–
“after you”
“no, after you”
:]
==========================
animation/main #152, from wablock, 360 chars, Sun Dec 10 04:10:46 1989
This is a comment to message 151.
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————————–
Yeah, I spent the afternoon looking through the catalog with a friend,
laughing like idiots at our memories of so many of those cartoons.
What I really want is one tape with “One Froggy Evening,” “What’s Opera, Doc,”
the “fiddler crab” one (Rabbit Seasoning?), and three or four Martin Martian
episodes. Kind of a “best memories of my childhood” collection.
==========================
animation/main #153, from hmccracken, 168 chars, Sun Dec 10 06:30:36 1989
This is a comment to message 150.
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————————–
I don’t know the name of this cartoon off the top of my head (although
Dave Mackey might), but I can easily find it out. I should have it for
you later. — Harry
==========================
animation/main #154, from hmccracken, 224 chars, Sun Dec 10 08:07:37 1989
This is a comment to message 153.
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I did my research: the cartoon is I Gopher You, directed by Friz Freleng in
1954. I’m not sure if it’s available on tape or not, but if there is a
volume devoted exclusively to the Goofy Gophers, it probably is.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #155, from hkenner, 172 chars, Sun Dec 10 13:59:43 1989
This is a comment to message 152.
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————————–
There is a tape with a title something like “Homage to Chck Jones” that
might be worth investigating. I don’t know the exact contents, but Jones
himself told me about it.
==========================
animation/main #156, from switch, 199 chars, Sun Dec 10 16:04:47 1989
This is a comment to message 151.
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Loved those guys, and I always forget what they were called. I have some
addresses for distributors of Warner Bros. shorts on video, tho — check
animation/sources and search for the word “Warner”.
==========================
animation/main #157, from switch, 507 chars, Sun Dec 10 16:07:28 1989
This is a comment to message 155.
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There is a collection of tapes (whose name I always forget, I’ll have to dig
the boxes out of my closet) of Warner shorts, and each one is centered round
a character or someone involved in the production. The ones that immediately
come to mind are the tapes on Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester,
Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, and Mel Blanc. The ones
centered on characters have blue boxes with gold rings, the ones on Real Live
People in purple boxes with gold rings.
==========================
animation/main #158, from sharonfisher, 292 chars, Sun Dec 10 16:22:28 1989
This is a comment to message 154.
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I check out the WB available at all the video stores I visit, and I doubt
there’s a whole tape on the gophers because there were only a couple of
animations featuring them. Try the tape of
Freleng’s work that’s available (there’s also one for Chuck Jones and
one of the other WB animators).
==========================
animation/main #159, from hmccracken, 285 chars, Sun Dec 10 18:10:58 1989
This is a comment to message 158.
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————————–
There were nine Goofy Gopher cartoons, I see by checking _Looney Tunes and
Merrie Melodies_ by Beck and Friedwald; enough for a tape, but only one tape.
Looking through _The Whole Toon Catalog_, I don’t see any Goofy Gophers
cartoons listed on any of the tapes they carry.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #160, from wablock, 162 chars, Sun Dec 10 22:53:47 1989
This is a comment to message 159.
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Yes, it appears that there’s nothing about the Gophers in the catalog, although
the “Salute To Chuck Jones” and “Salute To Friz Freleng” tapes look
interesting.
==========================
animation/main #161, from jimomura, 194 chars, Tue Dec 12 20:57:06 1989
————————–
TITLE: ‘beckcbix.txt’ Jerry Beck Special CBIX Session Transcript
I’ve just installed the above named file in our ‘listings’
area. It’s my final edit “and if you don’t like it, tough!”
🙂
==========================
animation/main #162, from davemackey, 123 chars, Wed Dec 13 07:25:17 1989
This is a comment to message 152.
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Wablock–
The three cartoons you mentioned are on “A Salute To Chuck Jones.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #163, from davemackey, 239 chars, Wed Dec 13 07:26:46 1989
This is a comment to message 153.
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When Dave Mackey isn’t on line for a week, however, all bets are off. The
cartoon is “I Gopher You,” released very early in 1954 and regarded by
Beck and Friedwald as one of the best Gopher reels.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #164, from davemackey, 397 chars, Wed Dec 13 07:31:07 1989
This is a comment to message 158.
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Hi Sharon….
There is no tape of Gopher shorts, as there weren’t very many. If anything,
“I Gopher You” might be on the Freleng tape, but am not sure.
The series of tapes was called “Warner Bros. Cartoons Golden Jubilee 24
Karat Collection,” of which 12 were eventually released and they can be found
in K-Marts and the like for just $14.95 each.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #165, from jimomura, 146 chars, Wed Dec 13 17:34:03 1989
————————–
TITLE: ‘bgiani.com’ installed.
A small utility that does register flip style animation for 4 pictures
on IBM VGA register-compatible boards.
==========================
animation/main #166, from switch, 77 chars, Wed Dec 13 20:30:05 1989
This is a comment to message 164.
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Thanks, Dave! I’d just dug up my tape boxes and you beat me to it anyway…
==========================
animation/main #167, from wablock, 73 chars, Wed Dec 13 23:46:31 1989
This is a comment to message 162.
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Yeah, it’s already on my list. But no Martin Martian or Gophers, sniff!
==========================
animation/main #168, from brennall, 80 chars, Fri Dec 15 06:28:21 1989
This is a comment to message 143.
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Hi
yes they do use different video systems but I have a multi-system video.
==========================
animation/main #169, from davemackey, 607 chars, Fri Dec 15 18:12:03 1989
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TITLE: Sammy Lerner 1903-1989
Sammy Lerner, the co-author with Sammy Timberg of “I’m Popeye The Sailor Man,”
has died at the age of 86. ASCAP said Lerner died on Wednesday.
Lerner was responsible for many other songs during a long career,
collaborating with such other songwriters as Irving Caesar, Hoagy
Carmichael, Burton Lane and Richard Whiting, but none of his compositions
are as well known to this day as his theme for the Popeye cartoons,
commissioned by the Fleischer Studios when the cartoon series began in 1933
and used as his signature ever since.
–Dave Mackey
==========================
animation/main #170, from hmccracken, 221 chars, Fri Dec 15 22:31:29 1989
This is a comment to message 169.
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Thanks for the info, Dave. With the recent death of Sammy Fain
(who wrote Peter Pan’s songs with Sammy Kahn), we have had two
deaths of Sammys who wrote cartoons songs with other Sammys in
a very short time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #171, from jimomura, 176 chars, Mon Dec 18 21:19:07 1989
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TITLE: ‘anist.arc’ for Atari ST
This file is Jim Kent’s “Aegis Animator” program for the Atari ST.
This version is Public Domain. The Amiga version is NOT Public Domain.
==========================
animation/main #172, from jimomura, 84 chars, Mon Dec 18 21:20:22 1989
This is a comment to message 171.
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I forgot to say that it’s now available for download in *our*
‘listings’ area.
==========================
animation/main #173, from dtenton, 58 chars, Mon Dec 18 22:41:00 1989
This is a comment to message 172.
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Do I detect a certain sneer with that comment ? 🙂
Dan
.,
==========================
animation/main #174, from switch, 16 chars, Mon Dec 18 22:46:28 1989
This is a comment to message 173.
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Fierce pride 🙂
==========================
animation/main #175, from jimomura, 167 chars, Mon Dec 18 23:18:16 1989
This is a comment to message 173.
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Nope. It’s just that ‘anist.arc’ has been available in the
‘atari.st/listings’ for a while now and I thought that the message
I posted originally was confusing.
==========================
animation/main #176, from davemackey, 275 chars, Wed Dec 20 07:24:15 1989
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TITLE: Minor quibble
Say, I never brought this up, but did you know that on the Warner Bros.
Golden Jubilee tape of Daffy Duck, the cartoon “Porky’s Duck Hunt” is
grotesquely sped up? There’s nothing we can do about it now, just a caveat.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #177, from switch, 138 chars, Wed Dec 20 09:27:04 1989
This is a comment to message 176.
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I thought it was just me. I felt there was a difference between it and
what I saw on the big screen, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
==========================
animation/main #178, from wablock, 250 chars, Thu Dec 21 00:46:28 1989
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TITLE: The Raisins
Okay, so they’re last year’s news. But I recently re-watched the “Meet The
Raisins” special on tape, and the range of expression and some of the
physical movements (like the penguin) are just plain amazing. It’s a fun
half-hour.
==========================
animation/main #179, from davemackey, 317 chars, Thu Dec 21 06:59:07 1989
This is a comment to message 178.
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Love em or hate em, the Raisins (in Claymation by Vinton) represent the
state of the art in the form. The technical finesse ranks right up there with
the best of George Pal Puppetoons. The Saturday Morning version of the Raisins
is a sham. I will not accept cel-animated raisins!
Dave
==========================
animation/main #180, from mosheyess, 30 chars, Tue Dec 26 21:59:26 1989
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————————–
TITLE: main
.
?
==========================
animation/main #181, from jenn, 38 chars, Tue Dec 26 22:30:16 1989
This is a comment to message 180.
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Uh, moshe, confused?? 🙂
(Welcome!!)
==========================
animation/main #182, from davemackey, 144 chars, Mon Jan 1 06:52:05 1990
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TITLE: A toast
To all animation fans, past, present and future…
may 1990 be your most animated year yet!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #183, from davemackey, 222 chars, Mon Jan 1 07:03:01 1990
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TITLE: Did you know?
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has saw fit to nominate Disney’s
“The Little Mermaid” for four Golden Globe awards including Best Picture
(Comedy or Musical).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #184, from jimomura, 407 chars, Mon Jan 1 13:59:00 1990
————————–
TITLE: ‘gundam.1’ now available
This is the 3rd draft summary of the first part of Gundam. I took
it from ‘sf/long.messages’ and made some minor changes to it and uploaded
it to ‘animation/listings’. In so doing, I also removed the older version
in ‘sf/long.messages’. Anyway, if you’re interested in reading a description
of one of the classics of the anime field, this file should be of interest.
==========================
animation/main #185, from hmccracken, 99 chars, Mon Jan 1 14:11:59 1990
This is a comment to message 183.
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Hip, hip hurrah! Wonder when the last time an animated film received such
an honor was?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #186, from jenn, 90 chars, Mon Jan 1 16:06:32 1990
This is a comment to message 182.
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Happy New Year Dave! And Everyone!
May the following year be even better than the last..
==========================
animation/main #187, from switch, 23 chars, Mon Jan 1 16:59:28 1990
This is a comment to message 182.
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Happy New Year, Dave!
==========================
animation/main #188, from davemackey, 660 chars, Tue Jan 2 00:58:19 1990
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TITLE: Time Life/WB
I didn’t see enough of the ad to be able to answer specific questions, but
Time/Life Video is now making available collections of Warner Bros. cartoons
through television direct-response offers. The ads began appearing today on
at least Nickelodeon, a network on which you can see these cartoons for free
(more or less). If I find out more, such as what collections these are, I’ll
let you all know. The cost for the first volume is $9.99 which leads me to
believe these might be the Golden Jubilee and Cartoon Cavalcade collections.
I would imagine the Turner networks to also begin running these ads.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #189, from davemackey, 458 chars, Tue Jan 2 01:00:54 1990
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TITLE: Bugs’ Turtle Cycle
Did anyone notice today (1/1/90) that during TNT’s three-hour cartoon marathon,
they ran all three Bugs Bunny vs. Cecil Turtle reels? “Tortoise Beats Hare,”
“Rabbit Transit” and “Tortoise Wins By A Hare.” I saw that the turtle footage
was featured prominently in the promos for what TNT called “New Year’s Toons”
so I guess they more than covered their behinds. “..Wins..” is a wicked cartoon.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #190, from davemackey, 619 chars, Tue Jan 2 20:39:35 1990
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TITLE: A few program notes….
Couple of programming notes for Saturday morning aficionados…
(1) FLINTSTONE KIDS returns to the ABC lineup at 12 noon Eastern time, eff.
January 6. The show displaced is a live-action panel show, ANIMAL CRACK-UPS.
(2) RUDE DOG AND THE DWEEBS has been cancelled by CBS, and its replacement is
the old Marvel Productions show DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS, this also taking
effect January 6.
And a reminder… THE SIMPSONS, highly-rated in their Christmas special a few
weeks back, premieres their series on January 14 on the Fox Network, at
8:30 p.m. Eastern.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #191, from switch, 107 chars, Tue Jan 2 20:45:50 1990
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D&D started up this Saturday, according to a friend of mine. I’ve got to
go and buy a new box of tapes…
==========================
animation/main #192, from jstivaletta, 106 chars, Wed Jan 3 07:31:00 1990
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If you have the Disney Channel, they will be showing Superman cartoons on
5 January 1990 at 8:30 pm EST.
==========================
animation/main #193, from jshook, 2747 chars, Wed Jan 3 17:05:35 1990
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TITLE: How I Spent New Year’s Eve
In Boston we have an annual tradition (since ’76) called First
Night–a city-wide New Year’s Eve festival of music, parades,
art, performance and fireworks. This year an animator friend
of mine, Karen Aqua, and another artist, Jane Gillooly, did
an installation at the Boston Public Library. They projected
two 16mm animated films and two screens of 35 mm. slides in
a grid of large windows over the main entrance to the new wing
of the library. The two slide screen were in the middle, flanked by
the 16mm. The screens/windows were about 10 feet square and about
15 feet over the heads of the crowd.
The technical set-up inside the library was a sight to behold:
a monster 35mm mag. track reader for the soundtrack and synch
pulses which controlled the two 16mm projectors as well as the
computer controlling 6 slide projectors on a balcony to the rear of
the entrance hall. The 16mm projectors were on 12 foot scaffolding
and the films wound along tall ‘loop trees’–masonite panels with many
rollers at the top and bottom to keep the film moving along in a
continuous loop. Add to that the sound gear and it was cable city.
The piece was about images and rituals surrounding the idea of time
and the new year, using imagery from the past and present. At times
there was very tight co-ordination between the films and the slides:
one example was a sequence in which the film on the left-hand screen (film)
showed “1989” being written in sand and then blown across the two
slide screens (via quick dissolves from the slide projectors) to arrive
at the right-hand film screen and re-form as “1990.”
The music was by Ken Field (Karen’s husband, and who also plays in the
group BirdSongs of the Mesozoic) and percussionist extraordinaire Ken
Winouker. The crowd went crazy to their crazy Afro-Beat! The original plan
was to show the piece evry 15 minutes or so, but people seemed to like it
so much we stepped up the schedule to as fast as we could re-thread
everything (about 5 minutes).
The whole thing was an inspired way to bring color sound and movement
to a rather austere architectural facade. At one point a bus got stuck
for a few minutes on the way down Boylston street and the look on the faces
of the passengers as they stared at the images magically appearing in the
windows of the library and the snake line of dancers on the sidewalk below
was wonderful to see.
The whole thing was atremendous amount of work in a very short time from
Karen and Jane. We had excellent technical support from Boston Light and
Sound and a wonderful crew. I didn’t get to see much of the rest of the
First Night festivities, but it was worth missing all of that to be part
of this wonderful event.
==========================
animation/main #194, from davemackey, 219 chars, Wed Jan 3 18:06:32 1990
This is a comment to message 192.
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The Superman Cartoons are rejoining the regular Disney Channel schedule.
They will be running every Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern and
Pacific beginning Sunday, January 7th.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #195, from hmccracken, 354 chars, Wed Jan 3 19:04:23 1990
This is a comment to message 193.
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Gee, I walked by the B.P.L. and the show on my way to another First
Night event and was impressed both by the idea and by the show itself.
(I would definitely have stayed, except I was with a group.)
——–It’s not often that you see animation used, as it was in the show,
in a way that (to my knowledge, anyway) it’s never been used before.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #196, from switch, 149 chars, Fri Jan 5 13:36:46 1990
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I just installed jechard’s screwbas.arc in the listings area. Not having
Amiga VideoScape, I couldn’t try it out. Could someone tell me how it is?
==========================
animation/main #197, from switch, 559 chars, Fri Jan 5 16:17:23 1990
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I’ll assume we all know about how cartoon characters (good ones, anyway) are
supposed to act the ‘right’ way because kids might use them as role models,
and we can’t very well have our kids kicking animals off cliffs, now, can we?
Well, today I glanced at Duck Tales while waiting for my kettle of water to
boil. For some reason, there was a total eclipse. The characters looked at
it, shouted ‘yay’ or whatever, then put the welder’s smoked glass over their
eyes to look _directly at it_. Sheesh!
Kids, don’t try this at home. These are trained toons.
==========================
animation/main #198, from ewhac, 60 chars, Sat Jan 6 04:34:04 1990
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Why can’t you look at an eclipse through welder’s goggles?
==========================
animation/main #199, from davemackey, 551 chars, Sat Jan 6 04:39:04 1990
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I was always taught in school that under no circumstances should you
EVER look directly at a total eclipse. My teachers advocated using the
pinhole method (two cards, one with a pinhole lens projecting onto another
card without a hole). Sunglasses, overexposed photo negatives and welders’
masks were not recommended for direct viewing. The original poster of the
message had a pretty good point. The intensity of the light of a total
eclipse is such that even heavily filtered could cause severe eye damage.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #200, from jechard, 129 chars, Sat Jan 6 13:19:30 1990
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I thought it was the UV component that damaged your eyes, rather than
just intensity. If welder goggles filter UV, etc etc….
==========================
animation/main #201, from wablock, 135 chars, Sat Jan 6 17:45:45 1990
This is a comment to message 198.
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It’s a gamble: maybe the goggles will have enough filtering, maybe not. But
when gambling with your eyesight, it pays to be paranoid.
==========================
animation/main #202, from switch, 66 chars, Sat Jan 6 18:16:09 1990
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Supposedly, they don’t do good enougha job of filtering out UV…
==========================
animation/main #203, from rcrook, 278 chars, Sat Jan 6 20:28:11 1990
This is a comment to message 202.
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A technical note: a TOTAL eclipse can be viewed quite safely with the
naked eye. A PARTIAL eclipse is the dangerous one to look at (yes, it is
the UV that is damaging, and yes, welders goggles do filter out UV. It is
more a question of how dark the goggles are.)
= Argosy =
==========================
animation/main #205, from davemackey, 261 chars, Tue Jan 9 19:05:38 1990
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TITLE: Fun House
The game show “Fun House” is going to add a 5-minute cartoon segment beginning
in the fall of 1990. Executive producer Scott Stone says the cartoon will
feature an animated depiction of host J.D. Roth.
—Dave Mackey
==========================
animation/main #209, from davemackey, 685 chars, Thu Jan 11 07:11:47 1990
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TITLE: Fox SatAM
The Fox Network is set to become the fourth player in the SatAM programming
wars. The programming of what will be known as “Fox Children’s Network” is
going to be overseen by Margaret Loesch, who had been a top executive with
Marvel Productions, Hanna-Barbera Productions, and ABC-TV.
Beginning in September 1990, Fox affiliates will program three hours of
children’s programs (yet to be selected) from 8-11 a.m. (est) Saturday
mornings, plus a new half-hour cartoon series during the week from TMS
Entertainment called “Peter Pan.” Possibilities exist for expansion in the
seasons to come, as with the Fox primetime lineup.
–Dave Mackey
==========================
animation/main #210, from hmccracken, 388 chars, Thu Jan 11 16:28:12 1990
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TITLE: Hollywood Chronicles…
a show on the cable TV network The Discovery Channel, had quite a nice
episode on silent animation yesterday night, featuring interviews with
Walter Lantz and animation historian Harvey Deneroff. The show is hosted
by Jackie Cooper. I don’t know if TDC shows things more than once, but
if you can find the episode it’s certainly worth watching.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #215, from switch, 109 chars, Fri Jan 12 09:26:06 1990
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The discussion on screwbas and it’s possibilities has been moved to
animation/bit.by.bit, starting at #203.
==========================
animation/main #216, from davemackey, 705 chars, Sat Jan 13 03:54:09 1990
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Happy New Year, Harry….
I’d like to seek out this program, as our cable system now has Discovery
Channel. Also because Lantz was one of my boyhood heroes and one of the guys
whose work really turned me on to animation.
Incidentally, it bears mentioning that this April, Mr. Lantz will
celebrate his 90th birthday. Does it seem to you that animators, who surround
themselves with jocularity, live longer lives? J.R. Bray lived to be what,
100 or so? The Fleischer Brothers, Jones and Freleng, some of Disney’s
Nine Old Men, some of ’em kept working long past the traditional retirement
age of 65 — a case right there for the value of our older citizens.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #217, from hmccracken, 372 chars, Sat Jan 13 12:01:43 1990
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Let’s see… Grim Natwick, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Shamus Culhane,
Art Babbit, Art Davis (I think), Norm McCabe, Walt Lantz, Ward Kimball,
and others are still around… Max and Dave Fleischer both lived to very
ripe old age, too. Perhaps animation does do something for one’s
longevity. Incidentally, does anyone know if Carl Stalling is still alie?
— Harry
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animation/main #218, from switch, 144 chars, Sat Jan 13 18:38:35 1990
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TITLE: Trivia question
Can anyone tell me what the “I” in I. (Friz) Freleng stands for? Someone asked
me this recently, and I had no answer…
==========================
animation/main #219, from jstivaletta, 8 chars, Sat Jan 13 21:24:28 1990
This is a comment to message 218.
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Isadore
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animation/main #220, from davemackey, 295 chars, Sun Jan 14 01:23:22 1990
This is a comment to message 217.
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Harry–
No, Carl Stalling is no longer with us. And of those you mentioned, I know
that Art Davis and Norm McCabe are still active in the animation field. Davis
has got to be somewhere around ninety himself; he started with the Fleischers
in the 20’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #221, from davemackey, 520 chars, Sun Jan 14 01:26:08 1990
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TITLE: Hot rumor
The hot rumor is that Disney will release “The Little Mermaid” on videocassette
at sell-through price this summer. There’s a report in the January 20 Billboard
that says a wholesaler of videos says Disney is “deadly serious” about not only
“Mermaid”‘s release on home video but also the 1988 film “Oliver and Company.”
Disney would not confirm specific titles but a spokesman did say the company
would be “very aggressive” in the video sales market this year.
–Dave Mackey
==========================
animation/main #222, from davemackey, 503 chars, Sun Jan 14 01:29:22 1990
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I came in too late to be first with the answer, but I can give you a little
background: Freleng took screen credit as Isadore from 1930 to 1935, I. from
1935 to 1955 (exception: 1940’s “Porky’s Baseball Broadcast” credits as
Isadore), and Friz from 1955 to date. There were two other well known
animators who just used the initial I., both of whom had substantial careers
at Famous Studios: I. Sparber and I. Klein., with the I standing for Isadore
in each case.
–D. Mackey
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animation/main #223, from switch, 8 chars, Sun Jan 14 01:33:45 1990
This is a comment to message 219.
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Thanks!
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animation/main #224, from switch, 40 chars, Sun Jan 14 01:33:58 1990
This is a comment to message 222.
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Maybe I should change my name… nah…
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animation/main #225, from davemackey, 182 chars, Sun Jan 14 01:37:51 1990
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My comment to the guy who asked about Freleng included a reference to I.
Klein. Is HE still around? If so, he too is going to be 90 this year.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #226, from davemackey, 817 chars, Sun Jan 14 09:39:48 1990
This is a comment to message 188.
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Now I have seen enough of the ad to be able to answer these questions. Time/
Life is offering the “Golden Jubilee” tapes (of which there are twelve).
The first one is $9.99 and the subsequent ones are $14.99 + p & h. If I were
you, I would stay away from this offer because (1) you aren’t getting a break
on the price on any tapes after the first, since they list for $14.98, and
(2) if you already have some tapes (like I do) it’s not easy to pick and
choose. They’re shipped at the rate of once every two months, so it would
take you two years to get all the tapes (including the three tribute tapes,
I assume). My advice: go to your local K-Mart or similar and buy the tapes
there. The only extra you’re paying is sales tax.
Caveat Emptor,
Dave Mackey
==========================
animation/main #227, from hmccracken, 177 chars, Sun Jan 14 10:30:09 1990
This is a comment to message 217.
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Do you know when Stalling passed away? — Harry
(And add Alex Lovy to the list of old-timers who are still in the
business (at least last time I checked he was).
— Harry
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animation/main #228, from hmccracken, 363 chars, Sun Jan 14 10:32:54 1990
This is a comment to message 217.
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Yes, I. is still around and until recently was writing quite actively. Back
in the 1920s he was a contributor to the leftist journal The Masses; at an
exhibition of artwork from that magazine, I was quite proud when an identii-
cation of a drawing of his said that his birth and death dates were unknown,
and I knew that he was still alive and well!
— Harry
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animation/main #229, from davemackey, 49 chars, Tue Jan 16 07:09:39 1990
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Not offhand, but I will definitely look into it.
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animation/main #230, from davemackey, 667 chars, Wed Jan 17 17:58:45 1990
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Apparently, this is a tough one to figure out. I went to several libraries and
apparently the New York Times never ran an obituary on him. This would suggest
that he died during a wane in cartoon fandom. My guess would be it was somewhere
around 1970.
My research did turn up the fact that jazz saxophonist and Stalling disciple
John Zorn is working on an album of Carl W. Stalling cartoon music with the
help of Hal Willner, who is currently music coordinator for Warner Bros.
Cartoons. This was about nine months ago this factoid was published in FILM
COMMENT and am wondering if any further news has emerged re this project.
–Dave
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animation/main #231, from hmccracken, 308 chars, Wed Jan 17 18:36:11 1990
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Are you absolutely, positively sure he’s not around? He would be extremely
old if he were still alive. But I don’t recall ever seeing a death date
published for him, and I do vaguely recall reading that he was still
gettin residuals for his work at a point when I assumed he had passed away.
— Harry
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animation/main #232, from davemackey, 308 chars, Thu Jan 18 01:23:39 1990
This is a comment to message 231.
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Outside of his family, perhaps some of the higher-mucks at Warner would know.
But you consider that he goes back as far as Friz did, then there might be
an outside chance. Maybe some of the other big animation fans (the heavy-
weights like Beck, or Mark Kausler) would know.
–D.
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animation/main #233, from jechard, 317 chars, Sun Jan 21 15:44:39 1990
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TITLE: MODEL SHEETS
Does anybody know where I can find a book (or any source) of model
sheets for a fair number of cartoons? Disney, Warner, and H/B would be
appreciated.
BTW, I found an excellant book on basic animation technique at the
library. “The Animators’s Workbook” by Tony White. Great stuff!
==========================
animation/main #234, from hkenner, 224 chars, Sun Jan 21 15:52:57 1990
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TITLE: UTA
For What It’s Worth: Many airlines now use a video for the obligatory
how-to-fasten-your-seatbelts, how to use oxygen mask, segment. The French
airline UTA uses full animation for the whole 5-minute thing.
–HK
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animation/main #235, from hmccracken, 108 chars, Sun Jan 21 16:08:07 1990
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…And is the animation of a bear, mouse, duck, or bunny rabbit?
(It *is* of a human, isn’t it?)
— Harry
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animation/main #236, from hmccracken, 359 chars, Sun Jan 21 16:10:28 1990
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As far as I know, there’s no single source for a goodly number of model
sheets. Most big books on the history of animation or of a particular
studio will contain some model sheets; check out The Fleischer Story
by Leslie Carbaga, Tex Avery, King of Cartoons by Joe Adamson, and
That’s All Folks by Steve Schneider for a representative sampling.
— Harry
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animation/main #237, from switch, 214 chars, Sun Jan 21 17:03:45 1990
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The Animator’s Workbook is an excellent book for teaching the techniques of
animation. I’d rank it as one of the necessities, along with Preston Blair’s
book on how to animate and Edweard Muybridge’s photographs.
==========================
animation/main #238, from hkenner, 46 chars, Sun Jan 21 18:46:00 1990
This is a comment to message 235.
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It’s of a wiggly stewardess with purple hair.
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animation/main #239, from jechard, 105 chars, Sun Jan 21 19:10:29 1990
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Ah, yes, next question….Is there a book that has Muybridge’s photographs
in one convenient collection?
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animation/main #240, from jshook, 307 chars, Sun Jan 21 23:23:42 1990
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Dover continually keeps these in print. The most common
is the two-volum set “Human Figure in Motion” and “Animals
in Motion” (or something like that). They can usually be
found in paperback and hardcover.
If you can’t find in your local bookstore, try Dover
direct (sorry…don’t have address handy).
==========================
animation/main #241, from ewhac, 183 chars, Mon Jan 22 04:00:06 1990
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Alex Lovy? The guy who succeeded Bill Lava? If either of those guys
had talent, it never came through in the cartoons. The stuff from that era
is perfectly dreadful.
Schwab
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animation/main #242, from ewhac, 75 chars, Mon Jan 22 04:01:03 1990
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Lord, I hope that’s true. I’d snap up that album instantly.
Schwab
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animation/main #243, from ewhac, 249 chars, Mon Jan 22 04:03:14 1990
This is a comment to message 221.
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Dumb.
They could easily rake in several zillion more bucks by re-releasing
it next summer, and *then* going to video.
Why all this zeal to get films to tape? Does no one make *films*
anymore? (Apart from Mike Jitlov, I mean….)
Schwab
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animation/main #244, from ewhac, 94 chars, Mon Jan 22 04:05:06 1990
This is a comment to message 239.
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Yes.
I suppose I should call Reichart (who has a copy) and ask him the
title.
Schwab
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animation/main #245, from p.schmidt, 60 chars, Mon Jan 22 07:43:43 1990
This is a comment to message 234.
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Oh? How do they show the airplane making a water ‘landing’?
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animation/main #246, from davemackey, 573 chars, Tue Jan 23 04:36:19 1990
This is a comment to message 241.
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Harry is confusing you with apples and oranges here. Alex Lovy was a very
talented cartoonist who worked with Walter Lantz for many years and was also
one of the big wheels at Hanna-Barbera for many years, still working there,
a veteran of 50-plus years in animation. Bill Lava was the man who succeeded
the late Milt Franklyn as musical director at Warner Bros. and he was
followed by Walter Greene… both fairly good musicians but out of their
element thanks to the precedents set by Carl Stalling. Hope this sets you
back on track.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #247, from davemackey, 711 chars, Tue Jan 23 04:41:05 1990
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TITLE: In the new TV GUIDE…
Articles in TV GUIDE purportedly written by fictional characters are generally
quite dopey, but there’s a pretty good one in the January 27-February 2 issue
which is an “interview” with Fred Flintstone, Charlie Brown and Bugs Bunny,
each of whom are celebrating birthdays this year: 30th, 40th, and 50th
respectively. The wise move was made of going to the experts for the
interview answers: Fred Flintstone’s answers were provided by Bill Hanna,
Charlie Brown’s by Charles M. Schulz, and Bugs Bunny’s by Greg Ford and
Ronnie Scheib of the Warner Bros. Cartoon Studio. A pat on the back to
Larry Closs for pulling the whole thing together!
–Dave
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animation/main #248, from davemackey, 420 chars, Tue Jan 23 04:43:50 1990
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This sort of reminds me of a bit which was done for the Bugs Bunny Looney
Tunes 50th Anniversary Special done in 1985 in which Billy Dee Williams says
when he wants a little romantic music he puts on some Carl Stalling music,
then whipped out a Carl Stalling album. Hal Willner worked on that special and
probably thought a Stalling record would be viable. Best of luck in that
endeavor.
–Dave
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animation/main #249, from hmccracken, 391 chars, Tue Jan 23 18:31:09 1990
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This sounds sorta similar to an upcoming cartoon special that will be shown
simultaneously on all the networks and numerous cable stations: an anti-
drug show starring Daffy Duck, Winnie the Pooh, the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles, and lots of other cartoon characters you’d never expect to see in
one show. Sounds like it might be an artistic travesty, despite the noble
cause.
— Harry
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animation/main #250, from ewhac, 47 chars, Wed Jan 24 02:15:25 1990
This is a comment to message 246.
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Oops… Thanks for the course correction.
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animation/main #251, from ewhac, 54 chars, Wed Jan 24 02:16:30 1990
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Noble cause?
Don’t get me started….
Schwab
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animation/main #252, from davemackey, 309 chars, Wed Jan 24 05:15:22 1990
This is a comment to message 249.
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Harry–
The TV GUIDE piece was primarily written in connection with next week’s
CBS special, “You Don’t Look 40, Charlie Brown!” which will include new
animation by Bill Melendez. This is sort of a logical followup to the special
done five years ago for C.B.’s 35th anni.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #253, from ewhac, 129 chars, Sat Jan 27 02:54:41 1990
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I’m told The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences is voting
on the nominees for best animated short today.
Schwab
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animation/main #254, from switch, 138 chars, Thu Feb 1 12:22:31 1990
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[Copied from animation/anime #157 rgswartz 1Feb90 01:29]
TITLE: animation in Paula Abdul video
Does anyone know who did this animation?.
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animation/main #255, from switch, 134 chars, Fri Feb 2 11:14:07 1990
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The “Opposites Attract” video was designed and directed by Michael
Patterson, the animator responsible for A-Ha’s “Take on Me” video.
==========================
animation/main #256, from rgswartz, 65 chars, Fri Feb 2 16:15:23 1990
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Thanks. Do you know anything more about Patterson’s background?
==========================
animation/main #257, from switch, 50 chars, Sat Feb 3 07:35:55 1990
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Not really, I’m afraid. I’ll see what I can dig.
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animation/main #258, from hmccracken, 689 chars, Sun Feb 4 18:01:48 1990
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TITLE: CBIX Session This Friday
This Friday, February 9th, at 8:00pm e.s.t., the Animation Conference will
hold its second CBIX session. Our guest will be Steve Segal, whom many
of you will know as the creator of the award-winning Amiga animated film
_Dance of the Stumblers_; Steve also directed several upcoming interactive
children’s stories which will be released on CD-ROM; is co-creator of the
cult classic science-fiction comedy _Futuropolis_; and has worked as an
animator on projects ranging from _Pee Wee’s Playhouse_ to _The Brave
Little Toaster_ to the opening credits of the film _Earth Girls Are Easy_.
There should be a lot to ask him; hope you’ll join us.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #259, from jimomura, 111 chars, Fri Feb 9 23:44:14 1990
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TITLE: How’d it go?
Due to last minute oddities in my life, I had to miss the CBIX
session. How’d it go?
==========================
animation/main #260, from hmccracken, 227 chars, Sat Feb 10 02:24:37 1990
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Well, it could have gone better. We had some technical difficulties
that prevented Steve from participating fully or for very long.
We owe it to him and ourselves to schedule another session
sometime in the future.
— Harry
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animation/main #261, from jenn, 106 chars, Sat Feb 10 17:59:25 1990
This is a comment to message 259.
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Well, it didn’t. Steve had comm problems and got blown
off twice. We should be able to re-schedule RSN.
==========================
animation/main #262, from davemackey, 359 chars, Sun Feb 11 08:11:11 1990
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TITLE: Warner Repricings
In honor of Bugs’ 50th birthday, Warner Home Video is cutting the prices of
its video programs of Warner Bros cartoons. All five features will be
$19.98 and all 24 compilations (encompassing the Golden Jubilee, Cartoon
Cavalcade and Looney Tunes Video Show series) will be $12.98 as of March 28.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #263, from davemackey, 1198 chars, Thu Feb 15 03:55:30 1990
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TITLE: Did you see?
There was an interesting ad in the Philadelphia edition of TV GUIDE advertising
a collection of cartoons, six hours worth, for $9.95 plus $4 shipping and
handling. Judging from the ad copy this appears to be the same ol’ public
domain stuff we’re used to. The art for the ad shows Bugs Bunny (in what looks
like a still from FALLING HARE), Porky Pig (ditto PORKY’S ANT), and Mighty
Mouse (a stock pose) with no reference made to the characters’ ownership.
Now this brings up some curious points:
(1) The implication is that all six hours worth of cartoons are on
one six-hour VHS tape. Even “meticulously transferred” cartoons
lose a little lustre in the EP mode.
(2) Is $4 out of line for shipping one VHS tape within the continental
U.S.?
(3) Can they get away with depicting these characters who are still
protected by copyrights (Warner Bros. and Viacom are the involved
parties)?
(4) Anyone wanna bet the most ubiquitous p.d. cartoon of all time,
YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY is on the tape?
For purposes of consumer information, I have placed an order for said
collection and will report back.
–Dave
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animation/main #264, from davemackey, 151 chars, Thu Feb 15 03:56:58 1990
This is a comment to message 262.
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….of course, this makes the Time-Life offer somewhat ridiculous since
you can pay less for ’em off the shelf.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #265, from hmccracken, 1016 chars, Thu Feb 15 18:40:45 1990
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TITLE: May I Have the Envelope, Please…
The Oscar nominations are out, and for once an animated film is actually
nominated in some of the major categories. The film is _The Little
Mermaid_, and the categories are Original Score (for Alan Menken’s music),
and Best Song (for both “Kiss the Girl” and “Under the Sea.”) Since two
songs were nominated, I suppose that adds up to three nominations —
not bad.
The Best Animated Short Film nominations went to _The Hill Farm_,
_Cow_, and _Balance_; the first is a pretty good little film, the second
seems to me not at all deserving of even the nomination, and I haven’t
seen the third. This is the first time in several years that no computer-
animated film got a nomination, I think (well, maybe not — I don’t know
if ne was nominated in 1987). I’m surprised that John Lasseter’s _Knick-
knack_, which I prefer to either of the two nominees I’ve seen, wasn’t
nominated, and Pacific Data Images’ _Locomotion_ would have been another
worthy choice.
— Harry
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animation/main #266, from rgswartz, 253 chars, Thu Feb 15 20:24:04 1990
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_The Hill Farm_
Was that the one w/ the BIG bear, tourists w/ cameras, hunters, shepard, etc.?
If that’s the one, I like it, but thought it stretched on a little.
The names of the other two don’t ring any bells though. Can you describe
them a little?
==========================
animation/main #267, from jshook, 111 chars, Thu Feb 15 22:19:19 1990
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I found The Hill Farm absolutely bewildering. I couldn’t
figure out what it was about. And then it was over.
==========================
animation/main #268, from hmccracken, 381 chars, Thu Feb 15 22:25:02 1990
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_Cow_ is a Paul Driessen film, in his typically weird, blobby, gross style.
(Can you tell I’m not a big Driessen fan?) The other film title is not
familiar to me, and none of the listings I’ve seen gives the
name of the director.
(Incidentally, _Rarg_, which played in the recent _Animation
Celebration_ movie is another film very worthy of an Oscar
nomination.)
— Harry
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animation/main #269, from hmccracken, 696 chars, Thu Feb 15 22:29:52 1990
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I believe that it is in theory legal for the PD tape people to put an
illustration of a copyrighted character on their tape box, as long
as the picture is taken directly from one of the films on the tape.
Which is why these tapes usually have a note stating that this is the
case somewhere on the box.
Most PD tapes are of bad prints, poorly reproduced at less-than-
optimal tape speed. This is occasionally acceptable if the cartoons on
the tape are rare stuff; for the Warner stuff that’s available everywhere
it isn’t. Incidentally, there are two quite good Betty Boop PD tapes
available at Woolworths and elsewhere that are excellent values for the
$10 or less they cost.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #270, from davemackey, 628 chars, Fri Feb 16 04:57:36 1990
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Harry–
The only good thing about the PD tapes is that it does enable one to
acquire cartoons that aren’t available elsewhere. It’s the only place
you can find the work of Ub Iwerks’ studio and some of the more obscure
Famous Studios stuff that doesn’t get shown on television. The quality can
be horrid — I’ve seen some real butcher jobs on Warner’s cartoons.
And most of the material doesn’t change from manufacturer to manufacturer,
which explains the ubiquity of that Daffy Duck cartoon I mentioned.
Nevertheless, I’ll check out this 50 for 9.95 deal and let you know what’s
on it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #271, from davemackey, 575 chars, Fri Feb 16 05:01:32 1990
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TITLE: End of a Tradition
This is sad news. It’s been announced that Jack McCarthy has resigned as
television host of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City after over
forty years in the role.
What does this have to do with animation? In my youth (and many other people’s
youth) McCarthy hosted Popeye cartoons on Channel 11 and was right up there
with the other beloved hosts of our youth, Officer Joe Bolton, God rest his
soul, and Beachcomber Bill Beary among many many others.
May the road rise up to meet ya, Captain Jack.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #272, from hmccracken, 986 chars, Fri Feb 16 18:36:44 1990
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Thanks for the news, Dave. I have heard so many people speak wistfully of
Officer Joe Bolton that I would like to know more about him. The cartoon
hosts of my youth (in Portland) — Ramblin’ Rod, Rusty Nails, Mr. Duffy,
et al — were much talked about but not particularly beloved as far as I
can remember. (If any Portlanders are reading this, I would be interested’
in knowing if Ramblin’ Rod is still around, incidentally.)
The best cartoon hosts I know of were Des Moines’s Duane and Floppy —
Duane being a man and Floppy his dog puppet. They were actually witty,
and in later years Duane took to givng quite scholarly comments on cartoons,
with knowledge clearly derived from _Of Mice and Magic_. Duane was a Des
Moines fixture for several decades — mostly daily, only on weekends at the
end. I was genuinely shaken and personally saddened when I heard of his
death — one of the handful of times that has ever happened to me over the
death of a celebrity.
— Harry
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animation/main #273, from bsoron, 215 chars, Fri Feb 16 21:09:07 1990
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Do any of the Boop tapes have the Cab Calloway live/animated Bettys?
I’ve seen most BB cartoons many times over the years, but I don’t
remember the last time I saw the ones with Calloway, whom I’m a big
fan of.
==========================
animation/main #274, from hmccracken, 233 chars, Fri Feb 16 22:08:05 1990
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There are two excellent authorized Boop videotapes from Republic video, and
one or the other of these has the Cab Calloway cartoons. Beware, though,
of other Republic tapes that include the awful recolored Betty cartoons.
— Harry
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animation/main #275, from switch, 157 chars, Sat Feb 17 07:29:19 1990
This is a comment to message 265.
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Unfortunately, of the three nominees, I’ve only seen “The Hill Farm”, which
I always enjoy watching again and again. I prefer it greatly over
“KnickKnack”.
==========================
animation/main #276, from switch, 67 chars, Sat Feb 17 07:30:01 1990
This is a comment to message 266.
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>_The Hill Farm_
>Was that the one w/ the BIG bear…
You got it.
==========================
animation/main #277, from switch, 169 chars, Sat Feb 17 07:31:48 1990
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Paul Driessen has only made a few films that I really liked — one was
“Elephantrio”, and the other two’s names I’ve forgotten (ah, well ;).
Wasn’t “Rarg” made in ’88?
==========================
animation/main #278, from switch, 71 chars, Sat Feb 17 07:33:06 1990
This is a comment to message 274.
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O goody! I loved the rotoscoped Calloway performance in “Snow White”.
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animation/main #279, from hmccracken, 21 chars, Sat Feb 17 11:05:58 1990
This is a comment to message 277.
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Maybe so.
— Harry
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animation/main #280, from switch, 248 chars, Sat Feb 17 20:35:26 1990
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TITLE: Animation CBIX
This Wednesday, we’re going to have our first informal real-time chat in
animation/cbix, at 9pm EST. C’mon in and join us; the topic of conversation
is open and the cheese on the nachos will be less than a year old. Really.
==========================
animation/main #281, from rgswartz, 50 chars, Sat Feb 17 21:29:04 1990
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Thank you for not making that message a bulletin!
==========================
animation/main #282, from jenn, 145 chars, Sat Feb 17 21:53:31 1990
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Well, Rich, would it comfort you to know that I have already
set a bulletin to start monday evening?
What’s wrong with bulletins, eh? 🙂
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animation/main #283, from jshook, 298 chars, Sat Feb 17 22:22:50 1990
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What’s wrong with bulletins: is that you have to read them again
and again and again and again and again. They are never marked
as read, not even in each of the many many many conferences in
which they appear. I must have read the Steve Segal bulletin
approximately 30 times. 29 times too many.
==========================
animation/main #284, from rgswartz, 194 chars, Sat Feb 17 22:39:11 1990
This is a comment to message 282.
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I guess it does make sense if you want a reminder. The b*tch is that
if you try to break in the middle of it you get popped to back at top :
I’m just impatient I guess. I’ll live w/ it. :]
==========================
animation/main #285, from jenn, 935 chars, Sat Feb 17 22:39:14 1990
This is a comment to message 283.
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Well, James, the only excuse I can give, is that the
moderator bulletin commands are NOT user friendly.
They are hard to get used to. As a result, you end
up showing a bulletin again and again and again in the
beginning. Or, you end up not having a bulletin show
up at all. Or…..it’s very confusing the first couple
of times you post a bulletin.
I too get bugged when I see a bulletin every time I log
on. The first bulletin I posted ended up showing
to every newcomer to sf for about 4 months after
I posted it (and it was a timely event type bulletin, of
no use 4 months later). Someone FINALLY sent me mail (which
either tells me that there were no new members in those
4 months, or people didn’T want to point out a faux pas…:-)
and told me that I might want to take a look at that bulletin.
I then went into the bulletin system, and tried to figure
out what to do. I finally have it figured out. But it
wasn’t easy.
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animation/main #286, from jimomura, 495 chars, Sun Feb 18 00:08:20 1990
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Uh Jenn, the bulletin system has an option to only be
seen by a reader once. That should always be the option used
by the person posting the bulletin. At least that’s my own
opinion. There are some bulletins that warrant being seen
more than once, but they’re rare. The bulletin about BIX
not being available for a whole day due to maintenance is
one that I feel is acceptable for reminders of that frequency.
Or actually, I’m not sure I feel that those are a bad move
in that context.
==========================
animation/main #287, from switch, 131 chars, Sun Feb 18 01:53:10 1990
This is a comment to message 281.
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Um, well, I hate to tell ya, but I re-read some old BIXmail and it seems you
_will_ get that as a bulletin. You Have Been Warned.
==========================
animation/main #288, from hmccracken, 167 chars, Sun Feb 18 10:09:43 1990
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Gee whiz, that Steve Segal bulletin was set to pop up once each day for
four days — which is how often I saw it. Admittedly, this may still
be too often.
— Harry
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animation/main #289, from jenn, 50 chars, Sun Feb 18 12:34:12 1990
This is a comment to message 286.
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Yeah, I know that now!!
I agree with you.
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animation/main #290, from jenn, 235 chars, Sun Feb 18 12:37:28 1990
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What’s too often and what isn’t? I’ve set up a
bulletin for Wednesday’s session that starts monday
and ends wednesday. I don’t see a problem with a bulletin
showing 3 times, or 4. But…maybe some other folks
don’t agree with that?
==========================
animation/main #291, from rgswartz, 83 chars, Sun Feb 18 15:40:11 1990
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It shows up more often than that (I believe) when you log on more than once
a day.
==========================
animation/main #292, from jenn, 328 chars, Sun Feb 18 17:25:45 1990
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It shouldn’t Rich. It should only come up once a
day. Not once a log on.
We have three options to choose from, once every log on,
once a day, or once a week. The only way we can manipulate
when it shows is the release date of the bulleting.
er, bulletin. But, how much is enough? How much is too little?
That’s a toughie..
==========================
animation/main #293, from jenn, 69 chars, Sun Feb 18 17:27:34 1990
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Excuse me, we don’t have a once a week option. It’s
display once.
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animation/main #294, from wablock, 74 chars, Sun Feb 18 18:13:03 1990
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So why not use the “display once” option rather than “once a day” option?
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animation/main #295, from jimomura, 336 chars, Sun Feb 18 20:51:52 1990
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As I see it, the vast majority of bulletins should only be
set to be displayed once per person. If the information is important
to the person they can look it up in the old bulletin topic.
That was the idea behind the system. Only *very* exceptional
bulletins should be set to be seen more than once. But it’s
a judgement call.
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animation/main #296, from jenn, 175 chars, Mon Feb 19 01:35:53 1990
This is a comment to message 294.
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That’s a good point.
Now that I know that ‘display once’ stays indefinitely, I
can go into the bulletin command and delete it after
the special cbix event it advertised….
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animation/main #297, from jshook, 67 chars, Mon Feb 19 22:35:58 1990
This is a comment to message 288.
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4 days * (however many different conferences it was posted in) = ?
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animation/main #298, from davemackey, 436 chars, Tue Feb 20 06:50:56 1990
This is a comment to message 272.
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Joe Bolton was a policeman type who hosted showings of the old Our Gang
comedies on a set that looked like a police precinct. He also hosted the
Three Stooges and was always sure to tell his young charges not to try
any of the Stooges slapstick. He died about two or three years ago.
The grapevine says that McCarthy may be replaced on the parade
telecast by Ed Herlihy, the old Kraft announcer.
–Dave
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animation/main #300, from davemackey, 132 chars, Tue Feb 20 21:18:44 1990
This is a comment to message 257.
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Thought: might Michael Patterson be related to the legendary Patterson
brothers, Don and Ray?
–Dave
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animation/main #301, from richard.pini, 69 chars, Thu Feb 22 21:30:42 1990
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Ohmyghod! Officer Joe Bolton. I haven’t heard that name in… *snif*
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animation/main #302, from davemackey, 282 chars, Fri Feb 23 06:12:49 1990
This is a comment to message 301.
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Hi, Richard… haven’t seen you since the old days over on CI$… seems I’m
not the only one who misses Officer Joe, the man who stood for law and order in
the days when New York City wasn’t quite as insane as it is now. Thx for
the note..
–Dave
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animation/main #303, from hmccracken, 1243 chars, Fri Feb 23 19:21:45 1990
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TITLE: Cereal Commercials Volume II: Famous Animated Flakies…
is a weird videotape that will bore or bewilder most viewers, but lovers
of obscure animation (like me) wil probably go ga-ga over it. It’s
an hour-long collection of — as the name suggests — animated
cereal commercials, primarily from the 1950s and 1960s. (There
are around seventy spots in all.)
It’s a lot of fun to trace the differences that evolve, for
instance, in “Cheerios Kid” commercials that range over twenty
years; the Kid and other characters like the Trix Rabbit are
extremely long-lived creations, even though nobody pays any
attention to them in a historical or scholarly way. About the
only major gap in the tape’s selection is that it doesn’t have
any Jay Ward Cap’n Crunch commercials. It does include many
other Ward commercials, a lot of which are almost as good as any
of his shows. And there is a Tony the Tiger ad from 1964 on the
tape that’s remarkably well-written and animated.
Obviously, this is a tape for completists only, but completists
aren’t going to want to live without it. It’s available from
Whole Toon Access; the tape itself doesn’t seem to list a manufacturer,
although one Ed Finn takes copyright credit.
— Harry
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animation/main #304, from morganfox, 37 chars, Fri Feb 23 20:30:58 1990
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What!!???! No Cap’n Crunch!! heresy!
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animation/main #305, from davemackey, 187 chars, Sat Feb 24 04:53:46 1990
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What makes it all the worse is the dreck that passes for Cap’n Crunch commercials
today. The late Messrs. Ward and Butler are particularly missed!
–Dave
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animation/main #306, from davemackey, 518 chars, Sat Feb 24 05:00:01 1990
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I know for a fact that the ad agencies who produced these commercials drew
upon the talents of several particularly well-known animators on both
coasts, so we could be looking at the works of some of the greats on this
tape you speak of. Someone should put out a tape of animated commercial
classics with the Ajax Elves, Bert & Harry, etc. It’s amazing what guys
like Culhane, Avery, Deitch et. al. were capable of doing when their only
artistic motivation was to support themselves.
–Dave
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animation/main #308, from hmccracken, 182 chars, Sat Feb 24 10:48:51 1990
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I spoke recently with Doug Ranney of The Whole Toon Catalog, who says that
there will be some new tapes of classic animation commercials in the next
edition. Good news!
— Harry
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animation/main #309, from hmccracken, 850 chars, Sat Feb 24 10:55:06 1990
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Well, the standards for animated commercials have gone down a great deal
over the past couple of decades, as the commercials tape makes clear.
The Ward commercials, and the best commercials by other studios, are
funny, well-designed, and remarkably irreverent at types towards the
product — and all this when they’re usually for children’s products.
(They also have the luxury of usually being a minute long, which lets
them do something besides SELL, SELL, SELL, as today’s 30-second and
15-second spots must do.)
There aren’t many genuinely funny animated ads on today, but the
artistic standards do seem to be going up a bit…There is a recent
Trix commercial that’s clearly an attempt to return to the days of yore:
it’s a minute long and beautifully animated in a new wave/old-timey style
reminiscent of the new Mighty Mouse cartoons.
==========================
animation/main #310, from hmccracken, 771 chars, Sat Feb 24 10:59:04 1990
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TITLE: Speaking of commercials…
I have seen a Richard Williams demo tape, made mostly of commercials, that
is one of the finest demonstrations of a startling array of artistic
techniques by one animation studio that I’ve ever seen anywhere. One
of the ads is a British floor-covering spot done in a pseudo-Tom and Jerry
style that is a clear ancestor of Williams’s work for Who Framed Roger
Rabbit, and probably even better done.
Commercials by the Williams studio do turn up on U.S. tv, but much of
its work is done for British and German tv — meaning we don’t get to see
some of the best animation being done anywhere. There are also a legion
of small studios in London that have sprung from the Williams studio,
also doing fine work for tv ads.
— Harry
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animation/main #311, from davemackey, 169 chars, Sun Feb 25 04:19:22 1990
This is a comment to message 308.
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It just so happened that my brother was looking for the cereal commercial
tape, so once again, bix/animation comes through. Thanks, Har!
–D.
==========================
animation/main #312, from davemackey, 461 chars, Sun Feb 25 11:04:32 1990
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TITLE: Obituary
Norm Blackburn, who was an animator for Harman-Ising, Ub Iwerks and Walt
Disney who later became a programming executive with NBC, died on Wednesday
at the age of 86.
After his animation career ended, Blackburn branched out into
comedy writing, and his credits there included “Kraft Music Hall,”
“Charlie McCarthy/Edgar Bergen” and “Lux Radio Theater.” He was also a
staff writer for Hal Roach Studios.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #313, from hmccracken, 161 chars, Sun Feb 25 11:15:22 1990
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Thanks for the obituary, Dave. Norm Blackburn’s name is certainly familiar
to me from old Harman-Ising credits, but I didn’t know a thing about him.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #314, from hmccracken, 1309 chars, Sun Feb 25 11:25:16 1990
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TITLE: Cultoons Volume 2…
is another videotape for fanatical completists like myself. It’s a selection
of old, very rare animated films, with an emphasis on commercial work;
the lineup includes _Winky the Watchman_, a film made by Hugh Harman in
the late 1940s to promote dental care, _The Microbe Army_, a 1930s UB
Iwerks cartoon about health care, and _Duck and Cover_, a 1950s civil
defense film which, while mostly live-action, is an absolutely fascinating
cultural artifact, with its instructions to kids on how to dive under their
school desk and crouch in case of a nuclear attack.
Also on the tape are a very rare “Gran’pop” cartoon from a three-cartoon
series about an elderly monkey from the late 1930s; “Monkey Doodle,” an
absolutely bizzare cartoon so obscure that nobody knows what studio did it;
and an advertising film in which fuzzy wuzzy little animals cheerfully down
PM blended whisky. There are also a couple of other films. If all this
sounds as enticing to you as I found it, you shouldn’t hesitate to order the
tape — which is put out by Snazzy Video and available from the Whole Toon
Catalog. There is another volume of Cultoons, which I have on order and
will report on when I’ve seen it. If anything, it sounds rarer and more
wonderfully weird than volume 2.
— Harry
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animation/main #315, from davemackey, 293 chars, Mon Feb 26 06:44:26 1990
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The Gran’pop Monkey reel was produced by Ub Iwerks in the late 1930’s
during his association with Charles Mintz. (see OF MICE AND MAGIC, 2nd
edition, p. 196); three such cartoons were made but whether or not they
were released theatrically is up in the air.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #316, from hmccracken, 641 chars, Mon Feb 26 21:48:07 1990
This is a comment to message 314.
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Gee whiz…I watched the Gran’pop cartoon with a friend yesterday, and to
refresh our memories on the subject we consulted the Maltin book and its
somewhat vague information on the series. (This was the first edition
we looked at; the second has a bit more to say.)
I am in no way doubting that Iwerks was involved when the series
when I say that it bears no resemblance whatsoever to any other Iwerks
cartoon I’ve ever seen. I suppose he was in a supervisory, distanced
role of some sort. The only name on the print I saw wasn’t Iwerks —
it was, I think, presented by one Dave Biedermann, whoever he might have
been.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #317, from hmccracken, 507 chars, Fri Mar 2 21:39:53 1990
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If anyone wants to receive a copy of the excellent animation catalog,
THE WHOLE TOON CATALOG, feel free to BIXmail me with your name
and address, and I will add them to a list of animation fans I’ll
be sending the folks who put out the catalog shortly, after which
you’ll receive it on a quarterly (I think) basis.
You can give them a call or write them yourself to get it too, of
course, but this way is a wee bit easier.
— Harry
(And I do recommend you get the catalg one way or another; it’s great.)
==========================
animation/main #318, from hkenner, 63 chars, Fri Mar 2 21:42:21 1990
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Hugh Kenner
103 Edgevale Rd.,
Baltimore, MD 21210.
==========================
animation/main #319, from jshook, 1374 chars, Fri Mar 2 23:15:06 1990
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TITLE: Reading Suggestion
Animation fans will be amused by a short story by Ian Frazier which can
be found in the Feb. 26 issue of The New Yorker (it’s the cover with
Eustace Tilley that appears every year at this time–“The Beau and the
Butterfly” as Nabokov put it in a thinly-disguised reference to the
magazine).
The story is called “Coyote V. Acme” and is the opening statement by
the attorney representing “Wile E. Coyote, plaintiff” in suit against
“Acme Company” for “…compensations for personal injuries, loss of
business income, and mental suffering caused as a direct result of the
actions and/or gross negligence of said company, under Title 15 of the
United States Code, Chapter 47, section 2072, subsection (a), relating
to product liability.”
Not for the weak of stomach, these injuries are described in clinical
detail:
Repetition of blows along a vertical axis produced a
series of regular horizontal folds in Mr. Coyote’s
body tissues–a rare and painful condition which
caused Mr. Coyote to expand upward and contract
downward alternately as he walked, and to emit an
off-key, accordian-like wheezing at every step.
The distracting and embarrassing nature of this
symptom has been a major impediment to Mr. Coyote’s
pursuit of a normal social life.
==========================
animation/main #320, from davemackey, 112 chars, Sat Mar 3 06:10:14 1990
This is a comment to message 317.
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You already have my address, Harry, so send the flippin catalogue already!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #321, from davemackey, 312 chars, Sat Mar 3 06:13:19 1990
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I would have to imagine if Mr. Coyote would actually have his day in court…
sounds like something he’d do…. naah, likely, Mr. C would not pour his time
and money in a court case unless and until he caught the Road Runner.
But thanks for the tip — will check it out.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #322, from jshook, 71 chars, Sat Mar 3 09:26:49 1990
This is a comment to message 321.
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My theory is that Mr. Coyote has fallen into the hands of a
shyster.
==========================
animation/main #323, from bsoron, 240 chars, Sat Mar 3 11:48:46 1990
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One of the best things on Nickelodeon are the Acme ads in the interview
style, where Acme “employees” discuss the services they’re able to provide
for their clients. I’ve seen a couple with Wile E. and one with Sylvester.
Funny stuff!
==========================
animation/main #324, from wablock, 132 chars, Sat Mar 3 22:48:14 1990
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Those Acme ads were the best thing I’ve seen on TV in a long time!
And I’m surprised that R. Runner wasn’t named as a plaintiff…
==========================
animation/main #325, from davemackey, 329 chars, Sun Mar 4 00:00:05 1990
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As banal as some of the MTV Networks promotion of the Looney Tunes shows
is, the Acme employees spots were quite good.
This whole thing — translation of cartoon concepts to other “serious”
forms of expression — reminds me of that “Krazy Kat” novel that was out
a few years ago…
–Davenatz
==========================
animation/main #326, from wablock, 292 chars, Sun Mar 4 03:34:49 1990
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I particularly liked the Acme spots because they made such a big hole in the
AT&T commercials they spoofed, and I like anything that lets the air out of
AT&T. The Acme commercials had a much better concept than the similar ones
done on Saturday Night Live (the bank that just makes change).
==========================
animation/main #327, from tom.white, 215 chars, Sun Mar 4 04:46:42 1990
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I’ve read a Wile E. vs. Acme before, I think it was in National Lampoon a
few years ago. The decision went against Our Hero, as all trauma
was caused by his own incompetence during operation of the Acme products.
==========================
animation/main #328, from jshook, 17 chars, Sun Mar 4 17:00:03 1990
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Did you read it?
==========================
animation/main #329, from jshook, 90 chars, Sun Mar 4 17:01:32 1990
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Retrial! Retrial!
Wonder who was on the jury….I can picture Offisa Pup as the bailiff.
==========================
animation/main #330, from hkenner, 56 chars, Sun Mar 4 18:26:46 1990
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I wonder if they know about that one at the New Yorker.
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animation/main #331, from bsoron, 437 chars, Sun Mar 4 22:28:46 1990
This is a comment to message 328.
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I read it, thought it was OK. I’ve got a lot of affection for the
surreal (which is why I’m glued to Nick at Night for Green Acres every
night), so I didn’t mind the author taking the liberties he did. (And
any book set within walking distance of my apartment is OK by me. 🙂
I read it a few years ago, so most of my reaction has faded in my
memory. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I do reprints of Herriman’s work,
but I liked it.
==========================
animation/main #332, from mrodwell, 165 chars, Tue Mar 6 04:40:17 1990
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TITLE: GRASP
Does anyone know anything about GRASP Version 3.1 by Paul Mace.
I’d be interested to hear opinions. Thanks in advance,
Marianne Rodwell
==========================
animation/main #333, from hmccracken, 222 chars, Tue Mar 6 18:25:51 1990
This is a comment to message 332.
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I haven’t used GRASP, but there is a demo disk available called
“The Adventures of Ferguson Floppy” that shows off the package’s
capabilities. I believe the disk is available from Paul Mace
Software for free.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #334, from davemackey, 657 chars, Thu Mar 8 22:25:51 1990
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As I posted a week ago, Harman-Ising animator Norm Blackburn
died recently at the age of 86. Herewith are his screen credits for
Warner Bros. cartoons. He shared credit with either Isadore (Friz)
Freleng or Rollin (Ham) Hamilton in all cases.
HOLD ANYTHING (10/30, with Freleng)
AIN’T NATURE GRAND (2/31, with Freleng)
YODELING YOKELS (5/31, with Hamilton)
LADY PLAY YOUR MANDOLIN (8/31, with Hamilton)
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOIN’ (10/31/31, with Freleng)
BUDDY’S FOX HUNT (12/12/31, with Hamilton)
PAGAN MOON (1/23/32, with Hamilton)
BOSKO’S DOG RACE (6/25/32, with Hamilton)
RIDE HIM BOSKO (9/17/32, with Freleng)
BEAU BOSKO (7/1/33, with Hamilton)
==========================
animation/main #335, from hmccracken, 180 chars, Fri Mar 9 00:15:47 1990
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Excellent, Dave…
Incidentally, Hal Ambro, who worked at Disney and Hanna-Barbera, as well
as on Richard Williams’s _Raggedy Ann and Andy_, passed away recently also.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #336, from hmccracken, 1045 chars, Fri Mar 9 00:20:35 1990
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TITLE: Warner Bros. fans, be aware…
that the venerable Bugs Bunny comic strip has recently undergone a change
of creators, and is *excellent*! The art is a terrific recreation of the
1940s and 1950s Warner style, and the gags are quite good and very much
in character…and the characters involved are all the Warner Bros.
favorites. After many decades of being a kind of blah, bland thing that
bore little resemblance to the cartoons, it’s suddenly something that
every Warner Bros. fanatic will love.
The art is by Darrell Van Citters (an ex-Disney animator), Brett Koth
(who also works on Garfield), and Shawn Keller (who animated on The Little
Mermaid); among the writers is animation fan John Cawley. The strip,
unfortunately, is distributed by NEA, a syndicate which specializes in
selling to small, obscure newspapers, so it’s probably not in your
metropolitan daily. But check out your suburban or rural paper for it —
I know that it’s in a number of Boston-area papers. And it’s definitely
worth searching for.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #337, from mscoville, 721 chars, Fri Mar 9 02:03:02 1990
This is a comment to message 335.
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Harold (Hal) Ambro passed away February 1, l990. He joined Disney in
1939 and began his career there working on Fantasia. His other dDisney credits
include “Make Mine Music”, “Alice in Wonderland”,”Peter Pan”,”Lady and the T Tramp”,”101 Dalmations”, and “Gay Purr-ee”
. After drawing the”Sword and the Stone” he retired from Disny and then went to work for Hanna Barbera. Of note
he did “Charlotte’s Web” and was supervising animator for “Heidi’s Song
in 1982. Until his retirement he taught at Cal Arts.
Also, Henry Brandon passed away last month. He was a German born actor
who came to the U.S. and started in the movies as an Indian. Of note to
animation he was the animators model of Captain Hook. He was 77.
==========================
animation/main #338, from davemackey, 314 chars, Fri Mar 9 18:24:33 1990
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Sounds great! Mr. Van Citters has a number of Warner Bros. credits as
well so no question he knows how to draw the wabbit.
And, as with the more recent cartoons, it’s the animation historians
who know more about how the characters should be treated. Best of luck
to them all.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #339, from hmccracken, 363 chars, Fri Mar 9 23:37:40 1990
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Darrell Van Citter’s most unusual credit may be that he was in charge of
animation on the *original* version of _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_, which
Disney was working on in the mid 1980s, and which got shelved until
Spielberg picked it up. His designs and animation were quite different
from what reached the screen, but interesting in their own right.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #340, from bsoron, 155 chars, Sat Mar 10 00:51:58 1990
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Care to name a few of those Boston-area papers, Harry? We have ways
of making you talk… 🙂
Oh, for the days of the Menomonee Falls Guardian…
==========================
animation/main #341, from davemackey, 246 chars, Sat Mar 10 06:03:29 1990
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I remember reading that in the old Comics Scene, and have faint memories
of the “Who Censored Roger Rabbit” style Roger. Van Citters had sort of
a falling out over at Disney’s, eventually (gossip gossip gossip)…
–D.
==========================
animation/main #342, from hmccracken, 234 chars, Sat Mar 10 09:08:31 1990
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Well, there’s a paper called the News Tribune that carries it — and that
paper is one of a bunch of papers that are basically the same eccept for
local news for the particular city they cover. I think they all carry
it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #343, from hmccracken, 386 chars, Sat Mar 10 09:11:41 1990
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Well, in the Darrell Van Citters gossip department, I had the rather sad
experience of attending the San Diego Comics Convention in 1988 when
Roger Rabbit Mania was at its height, and having Darrell Van Citters
pointed out to me standing across the room by a friend, but being told
that he *did not like* talking about his experiences with the first
version of Roger Rabbit.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #344, from hmccracken, 462 chars, Sat Mar 10 09:14:08 1990
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TITLE: Did-You-Know-Department
Jerry Rees, an animation director who directed the fine little film _The
Brave Little Toaster_ and sume stuff for the Disney-MGM Studios Theme
Park is moving into live action by directing _The Marrying Man_, a new
Neil Simon film starring Kim Basinger and somebody else whom I forget.
Rees joins a long line of cartoon people who have ventured out into live
action, the most notable of which was probably Frank Tashlin.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #345, from sharonfisher, 50 chars, Sun Mar 11 13:57:00 1990
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Has anyone else seen Twilight of the Cockroaches?
==========================
animation/main #346, from jenn, 85 chars, Sun Mar 11 15:53:16 1990
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Kim Basinger? Oh yuck.
Er, anyway, when is it due for release, do you know, Harry?
==========================
animation/main #347, from hmccracken, 108 chars, Sun Mar 11 16:57:18 1990
This is a comment to message 346.
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I’m not sure when it’ll be out — I think it’s just filming now, so maybe
the Fall or Christmas.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #348, from hmccracken, 300 chars, Sun Mar 11 16:59:11 1990
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TITLE: Just for the record…
the list I was compiling of requests for The Whole Toon Catalog just got
finished to send to the folks who publish it, so anybody with an interest
in the catalog should contact them directly. Check out the ‘sources’
topic for their phone number and address.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #349, from jimomura, 69 chars, Sun Mar 11 19:50:00 1990
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I haven’t yet. It’s definitely become one of the “must” works.
==========================
animation/main #350, from richard.pini, 125 chars, Sun Mar 11 22:23:41 1990
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The…Menomonee…Falls…Guardian…? Good Lord *choke*!
“Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end…”
==========================
animation/main #351, from bsoron, 91 chars, Mon Mar 12 19:27:09 1990
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I have. Wasn’t impressed. Or, I was impressed by the idea, but not
by the execution.
==========================
animation/main #352, from bsoron, 142 chars, Mon Mar 12 19:28:22 1990
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If nothing else, I’d love to see some enterprising publisher tackle
The Complete Collected Conchy. Days like today, I could use a fix…
==========================
animation/main #353, from hmccracken, 432 chars, Mon Mar 12 21:04:49 1990
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Oooh, another Conchy fan! One of the great underappreciated strips of the last
twenty years. Do you have the two paperback reprint books (there may have been more,
but I’ve only seen two)? James Childress was a fine cartoonist; who knows how
far he might have gone if he hadn’t killed himself at a very young age.
— Harry
(Personally, my favorite Menomonee Falls Guardian strip was Gordo — also
in need of being collected.)
==========================
animation/main #354, from jshook, 68 chars, Tue Mar 13 09:38:51 1990
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I’ve seen the first half of it or so. Left sometime in the middle.
==========================
animation/main #355, from switch, 94 chars, Tue Mar 13 09:59:20 1990
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TITLE: So far I see…
…negative opinions about _Twilight of the Cockroaches_; any reasons?
==========================
animation/main #356, from sharonfisher, 210 chars, Tue Mar 13 10:21:58 1990
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Gee, I liked it, especially compared to Laputa and Akira, my other
experiences with Japanese animation. It had the usual problem I have —
it went on too long — but I noticed it less. The woman was *great*.
==========================
animation/main #357, from jimomura, 121 chars, Tue Mar 13 10:24:29 1990
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Re: “The woman was *great*.”
Hmm. That’s interesting. Haven’t all the negative comments come
from male writers?
==========================
animation/main #358, from sharonfisher, 138 chars, Tue Mar 13 10:25:13 1990
This is a comment to message 357.
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Given the few people who’ve commented at all, and the gender breakdown
on BIX anyway, I don’t think that’s statistically significant. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #360, from hmccracken, 719 chars, Tue Mar 13 18:41:41 1990
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TITLE: We’ve been discussing Darrell Van Citters’ work on the aborted
original version of _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ here lately, as well as
the new Bugs Bunny comic strip, and I’ve been bemoaning my lack of
knowledge about both of them. Oddly enough — and out of the blue —
I was today offered articles on both of them for the next issue of
my animation magazine, Animato. The Bugs Bunny article will be by
one of the strip’s writers; the Roger Rabbit piece will be by Darrell
Van Citters himself, who obviously is more willing to talk about it
than I thought. (I do not know Mr. Van Citters, and the piece came
to me in a roundabout way.) These should both be in our June issue —
more details later.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #361, from jshook, 359 chars, Tue Mar 13 20:55:34 1990
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Because I didn’t like it?
I was interested at first in the combination of live-action and
animation, which is done rather well. But after that, I became
rather bored with the film itself–bland characters, uninspired
animation and a peculiar ideology behind it all. I found I had
no interest in how it was all going to come out and life is short
so I left.
==========================
animation/main #362, from bsoron, 203 chars, Tue Mar 13 21:50:08 1990
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Never liked Gordo; I’d put it at the level of “Rose is Rose,” myself.
I do have the two Conchy paperbacks in my mother’s attic, although they’ve
been on my list of Things To Dig Out for a while now.
==========================
animation/main #363, from bsoron, 432 chars, Tue Mar 13 21:55:49 1990
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I agree for the most part, although I didn’t notice any peculiar
ideology. And I stuck all the way through. But I couldn’t help
but notice the bland characters and uninspired animation. It also
certainly was an ancient plot. I’m a bit surprised and offended
by the suggestion that I didn’t like it because it had strong female
characters, as if I couldn’t handle the thought that women can be my
equal or superior. Jeez…
==========================
animation/main #364, from hmccracken, 560 chars, Wed Mar 14 07:32:00 1990
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Ack! Gordo on the level of Rose is Rose…You have deeply wounded me,
sir… I’d place it closer to Pogo or Li’l Abner.
Seriously, I thought Gordo’s art was superb — at its end, it was
perhaps the last comic strip on the page to be a beautiful piece
of *design* — and the writing was often nearly as good. The strip
changed a lot over the years; my favorite period was the 1950s.
I’ve often wondered what a Gordo cartoon directed by Chuck Jones
would have been like. Arriola’s work reminds me of Jones’s stuff
both visually and in its humor.
— Harry
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animation/main #365, from jimomura, 350 chars, Wed Mar 14 10:14:34 1990
This is a comment to message 363.
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I didn’t say you might not like a “strong female character”.
Frankly, if you want to assume such, then I don’t care if you
are offended either. The thought I had was that what I as a male
might find attractive, or interesting might not correspond to
what a female might find interesting to see in other woman.
As always, read what I say.
==========================
animation/main #366, from hkenner, 160 chars, Wed Mar 14 13:44:44 1990
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When did it end? Used to run the the Santa BArbara News-Press, for
a readership that was Mexico-conscious. Haven’t heard of it since
I came east in ’73.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #367, from hmccracken, 209 chars, Wed Mar 14 18:04:33 1990
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Gordo was discontinued about three or four years ago, upon Arriola’s
retirement. It had sunk to a subscriber list of about thirty ot forty
papers — incredibly low for what was still a fine strip.
— Harry
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animation/main #368, from bcapps, 208 chars, Wed Mar 14 22:59:55 1990
This is a comment to message 353.
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I remember Conchy! Wow. My hometown morning paper (Fayetteville (NC) Times
) used to run Conchy figures for the front page weather description for a
lo-o-ong time after his death. I miss that strip!
Bob
==========================
animation/main #369, from richard.pini, 125 chars, Thu Mar 15 07:44:21 1990
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Agreed – it had, in a strange, gentle way, a lot of the surreal wackiness
(and I say that with only admiration) of Harriman.
==========================
animation/main #370, from hmccracken, 435 chars, Fri Mar 16 21:37:17 1990
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I would give anything if Fantagraphics or Kitchen Sink or seomebody reprinted
the complete _Gordo_. The only two reprint books I have, _Gordo’s Cat_
and the recent _Gordo’s Pets_, as the titles suggest, cover only one
aspect of the strip. (And one period: the 1970s and 1980s.) I have a
decent-sized stack of Gordo Sundays purchased from a dealer, but they
are not particularly easy to read and more are hard to come by.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #371, from richard.pini, 124 chars, Fri Mar 16 22:15:18 1990
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::sitting here being very happy to have found a Gordo original Sunday page
of art at a comic convention once, long ago…::
==========================
animation/main #373, from hmccracken, 161 chars, Fri Mar 16 22:19:43 1990
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:: Sitting here drooling, though Gordo originals are still fairly cheap and
I’ll probably snag one eventually… ::
(BTW, what period is yours from?)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #374, from dquick, 263 chars, Fri Mar 16 23:02:16 1990
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TITLE: Cheech Wizard
Anyone remember this strip? If so, can you tell me who did it, and if it is
still being published anywhere? Was it something like Zap comics or something?
I seem to remember reading this in the early 70’s but it’s been a while.
Dave Quick
==========================
animation/main #375, from switch, 341 chars, Fri Mar 16 23:07:22 1990
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Oh boy. The last time I saw good ol’ Cheech was in Epic magazine, some seven
years back. That was what hooked me on Vaughn Bode oh-so-long-ago.
(Incidentally, there’s a relatively new Bode book out whose name I’ve
forgotten, but it’s impatiently waiting for me on reserve at Nebula, along
with $75 of other SF/animation merchandise…)
==========================
animation/main #376, from dquick, 90 chars, Fri Mar 16 23:44:13 1990
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Vaughn Bode! Thanks Emru, I knew I’d recognize the name if I heard it again.
Dave Quick
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animation/main #377, from hmccracken, 183 chars, Fri Mar 16 23:47:51 1990
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For the record, Bode died fifteen or more years ago, in a meditation accident
(!?!) …Sort of the closest thing the comics world has to a Jimi Hendrix
or Janis Joplin…
— Harry
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animation/main #378, from richard.pini, 473 chars, Sat Mar 17 08:11:23 1990
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That was Vaughn Bode, who got Warholesque famous during the 70s for his
many odd and sometimes very touching characters (recalling in particular a
series of strips collected into an underground comic titled “The Man” about
a caveman). He died in a bizarre accident involving meditation and some weird
harness… At any rate, his son Mark is carrying on, though not quite so
well – Mark’s art style is 90% of his father’s, but Vaughn’s vision was
and is er, copy-protected.
==========================
animation/main #379, from richard.pini, 142 chars, Sat Mar 17 08:14:15 1990
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September 11, 1960 – a strange little self-referential episode in which
the animals discuss why there won’t be a joke in the strip that day.
==========================
animation/main #380, from grekel, 99 chars, Sat Mar 17 10:20:12 1990
This is a comment to message 374.
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If memory serves, Cheech also appeared in NatLamp’s “Heavy Metal” for
a while in the early days…
==========================
animation/main #381, from bsoron, 1169 chars, Sat Mar 17 12:02:03 1990
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I’ve got darned few brushes with greatness, but plenty of near-misses,
and Vaughn Bode was one of them. Back at the ’77 Julycon, I believe,
Bode was scheduled to do his cartoon show, which I believe essentially
consisted of him showing transparencies of his strips on an overhead
projector while he did the voices. It doesn’t sound like much as I
describe it, but it was very popular, and I was pretty psyched about
seeing it. To kill time before the show, I was wandering around the
dealers’ room, and passed by Bode’s table, staffed by his agent, I think,
who was a friend of a friend of mine, someone I’d met a few times. “Say,
Bob,” he says, “Can you do me a favor?” Whazzat? “I’ve gotta get over
and help Vaughn with the shCan you watch the table for me?”
“Well, I was really looking forward to seeing it myself…” “My
partner’s not here and I’ve gotta get over there.” Well, you can figure
out the rest. I was persuaded, the show went on, and Bode hanged himself
Ia few weeks later. I kinda thought that maybe after the show, Bode might
stop back at the table, but no such luck, and I was wrong about there
being more chances to see the show…
==========================
animation/main #382, from richard.pini, 254 chars, Sat Mar 17 17:38:31 1990
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Those Seuling cons were great, though, weren’t they? As far as I am concerned,
even now, they were top cons. All the dealer room action you could stand, but
also *good* programming and guest involvement – unlike other, more mercenary
cons now prevalent.
==========================
animation/main #383, from hmccracken, 296 chars, Sat Mar 17 18:22:10 1990
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Phil Seuling’s conventions certainly were excellent, and it is perhaps
significant that they did not outlive their founder. (My favorite
convention of all time, though, was the 1976 Newcon here in Boston —
Carl Barks and John Stanley in person, for the first and almost-only
times!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #384, from richard.pini, 151 chars, Sat Mar 17 20:52:02 1990
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I remember those too – when we lived there, Newcon was an annual staple! It
was at one of them I (unwittingly) booted Al Williamson out of the room…
==========================
animation/main #385, from hmccracken, 195 chars, Sun Mar 18 00:43:29 1990
This is a comment to message 384.
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And I recall you, too, Richard…From both the Newcons and (I believe)
the Sunday Funnies shows…The Frank Thorne Red Sonja shows were one of
the thins that made those shows special.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #386, from bsoron, 707 chars, Sun Mar 18 23:49:18 1990
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I guess the last out-of-Mass. con I went to was the ’82 or ’83
Julycon — whichever year Righetti pitched an Independence Day no-hitter
against the Sox. When my group went off to see the wiza — uh, fireworks,
someone near us had a radio and was updating the crowd as each Red Sox
batter was put out. The crowd was very rowdy and I didn’t dare express
any pro-Sox sentiment. Haven’t returned to the city since.
I haven’t gone to any local cons in a few years, mostly for the same
reasons I dropped out of CAPA-alpha and Interlac about the same time —
I owned everything I wanted, within reason, was trying to get rid of the
very large amount I didn’t want, and had little to say about any of it.
==========================
animation/main #387, from bsoron, 757 chars, Sun Mar 18 23:54:48 1990
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The best convention I ever went to was Fireball ’78, a very small NY
convention whose feature guest was Sheldon Mayer. I knew the con’s
sponsor, Ken Gale, and got to spend some time with Mayer thanks to him.
Unfortunately, I also had laryngitis that weekend — the only time I’ve
ever had it — but I didn’t mind listening.
This might be the cynical, jaundiced view of a gafiate, but the golden
age for cons seemed to be the late ’70s. I’m sure that if I had been
around earlier, I’d be amazed at how money-grubbing they were even then,
but the apa folks I hung around with in those days tended to blow off
the dealer’s room and party. Geez, now I want to head over to my mother’s
house and dig out the reams of con reports from those two apas…
==========================
animation/main #388, from tom.white, 109 chars, Mon Mar 19 01:31:52 1990
This is a comment to message 386.
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July 4, 1983, and it ended with Boggs _striking_out_!!!
He never does that.
Anyway, back to the topic….
==========================
animation/main #389, from hmccracken, 638 chars, Mon Mar 19 06:48:16 1990
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Whenever the golden age of comics conventions was, it doesn’t seem to be now.
The guest lists are dull and limited in variety, and the dealer rooms are
90% new or very recent stuff, and 10% old, interesting stuff that nobody’s
buying because the prices are so high. There’s not much joy to be found
at the places — which possibly is an accurate reflection of today’s comics
in general.
The above comments don’t apply to the San Diego convention; the one I’ve
been to so far, in 1988, was excellent in every respect, and huge. Its
only real flaw is that for some reason they choose to hold it 3,000 miles
from where I live.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #390, from dave.f, 802 chars, Mon Mar 19 14:45:39 1990
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re: I attended the Seuling cons from ’69 to
’75 without a miss. Great shows. One of those years, bsoron and I had a
rather infamous silly episode with toilet paper water bombs.
I met Bode at one of the shows. Saw his slide show, too. It was classic. He
seemed such a down to earth guy that the circumstances of his death were quite
a shock.
At one of the cons Gray Morrow was selling off some of his private art
collection in the auction. I got two framed pieces of Jack Gaughan work for
$25 for the pair. I think that was the minimum and noone bid against me. SF
art never sold well at comic cons, but I thought that was an absolute steal.
I made a comment to the crowd as I walked back to my seat to the effect of
“You just don’t know what you missed.”
D=
==========================
animation/main #391, from richard.pini, 658 chars, Mon Mar 19 17:45:36 1990
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True, true. There was a certain amount of spillover of SF and fantasy art in
the comicon dealer rooms, and no one knew (well, he said with a smug grin,
almost no one) how to deal with it, and so it often went real cheap. I was
never one to buy as a dealer and/or investor – mostly it was whatever I liked
that I could afford (small overlap there!). Time has done the rest – though
I would never sell any of what I’ve bought over the years. (Can you believe
two Burne Hogarth 3×4 FOOT anatomical drawings from his life classes…for
$10. each at auction? YOu’re absolutely right – it makes one want to jump up
and say “You morons! Look what you passed up!!”)
==========================
animation/main #392, from richard.pini, 346 chars, Mon Mar 19 17:48:17 1990
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It’s all relative, fellah…*I* feel the best cons were early 70s, and
pretty well petered out when the Seuling cons died. After that there were
only the Creation cons – mega-money oriented, and the big San Diego one,
which is too big, IMHO, to really enjoy. (Natch, I’m only talking comicons
here; my experience with SF cons is less extensive.)
==========================
animation/main #393, from richard.pini, 280 chars, Mon Mar 19 17:52:28 1990
This is a comment to message 389.
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Where *we* live. I think this deserves a vote…
San Diego’s problems (for me, anyway) are the same as the WorldCon’s – just
too doggone big to see the programming, do the dealer’s room(s), do business,
socialize *and* (for me) run an expo booth! Something’s got to go, usually.
==========================
animation/main #394, from hmccracken, 358 chars, Mon Mar 19 18:04:50 1990
This is a comment to message 391.
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At the ’75 Seuling Convention’s auction, a cel from Disney’s _Aristocats_
came up for bidding. There was no interest. A kid next to me urged me
to bid, and I did. I got the cel for $4, and the kid informed me that I
had just made a steal — I was too naive to realize what a bargain I
had gotten. Still the best buy I’ve ever made at a con.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #395, from bsoron, 816 chars, Mon Mar 19 19:54:06 1990
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I enjoyed the couple Chicago cons I went to back in the early ’80s, when
Mike Gold was still involved with them; despite my joking about not
returning to NY cons since the no-hitter, I just didn’t enjoy that last
one I went to in ’83. Although I still buy a couple dozen new comics a
month, I can’t rationalize spending time or money buying old ones (except
for the reprints of Little Nemo and Pogo); if anyone wanted to will me their
copies of the issues of Sugar & Spike and Scribbly that I need, I wouldn’t
turn ’em down, but beyond that…
Last night I did get over to my mother’s house and, while I didn’t find
my Conchy books, I did find a ton of old fanzines. Don’t be surprised
if I try to sneak a classified past the Topic Police one of these days.
Chances are I’ll reread ’em once and let ’em go.
==========================
animation/main #396, from bcapps, 1460 chars, Mon Mar 19 23:59:59 1990
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I haven’t really been to a big con. The one’s I got to were the little
monthly dealers’ show in Detroit over the past five years. I thought
there were too many of those for the Detroit market and it really killed
con interest there.
I should take back my earlier statement. My wife and I did manage to get
down to Atlanta for a fantasy fair in ’87, tho it wasn’t all comics. We
have been planning to go to San Diego for awhile but work keeps getting in
the way.
The con I have enjoyed the most was one last year in Troy, MI, put on by
Greg Theakson of Pure Imagination. It was a 3-D con, so natch, Ray Zone
was there and put on a neat slideshow of 3-D (RB analglyphs) images he
made on his Amiga.(I think that’s wahat he said he used.) And I got a chance
to meet the King, Jack Kirby. Wow. That was nice.
One other con I enjoyed was the Mid-Ohio-Con in 87. I got to meet Dave Sim
and get my Cerebus “phonebooks” auto’d. I wanted to get some of his &
Ger’s art, but some lady who had apparently gotten a business loan or
some big influx of $$$, kept outbidding everyone and I mean just about
everyone on everything! I mean, I just wanted one. I wasn’t going to be
too picky about it or anything, but I also wasn’t about to pay $250 bucks
to beat her bids either. It was fun meeting Dave and Ger, but the auction
just kinda left a bad taste in my mouth about some people with too much
money and not enough courtesy to fellow fans.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #397, from mbrashier, 47 chars, Wed Mar 21 01:06:38 1990
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So, how did you like the Atlanta Fantasy Fair?
==========================
animation/main #399, from hmccracken, 202 chars, Wed Mar 21 20:58:03 1990
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TITLE: Check out this month’s issue of _Premiere_ magazine…
for an interesting short piece on Disney’s plans for a possible sequel
to _Mary Poppins_. (A really bad idea, if you ask me…)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #400, from bcapps, 525 chars, Thu Mar 22 01:17:33 1990
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It was fun! I got to meet Bob Burden & Jean Giraud (Moebius) & pick up
the ’67 paperback of Krazy Kat. Mind you, it’s my only _really_ big
con, so I am apt to go off down superlative lane here…
The big 2 reps were there as were a number of the indies. Deals were
good (not like I was used to in Detroit). They had the standard line-up
of SF films Star Wars (IV, V, & VI) and the STTMP (I, II, III, IV).[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D
I would like to go again sometime when schedules allow. I always
did like Atlanta.
Bob
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animation/main #401, from richard.pini, 387 chars, Thu Mar 22 10:27:57 1990
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Unfortuntely, word is that the last couple of Atlanta Fantasy Fairs have gone
*way* downhill from those days (and I went to a bunch of them; they were right
on up there with San Diego for me). Something about hassles with hotels and
legal grumbles between two warring factions who run/ran the conventions. It
is a d*mned shame, too, because AFF was one of the premiere multi-media cons.
==========================
animation/main #402, from bcapps, 361 chars, Fri Mar 23 01:40:03 1990
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The one I went to was in the Omni (the CNN complex in downtown Atlanta)
and my wife was telling me about the previous ones and the trouble with
the hotels and such. It is a shame though. She was also telling me about
how the previous one faired what with WorldCon being held in Atlanta very
near the same time. Something akin to a fan being in “Con” heaven.
==========================
animation/main #403, from mbrashier, 195 chars, Fri Mar 23 02:17:36 1990
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It’s at the Hilton now and I had no problems with the hotel. They
apparently had a lot of new people running the events and they did not go
smooth at all. Also they dropped the general auction.
==========================
animation/main #404, from davemackey, 326 chars, Fri Mar 23 06:19:35 1990
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TITLE: Dan MacManus
Veteran Disney Studio animator Dan MacManus died on March 11
at the age of 90. Mr. MacManus was one of a separate unit of
animators whose specialty was effects animation, which usually
meant anything that wasn’t a character. He contributed to many
Disney features and short subjects throughout his career.
==========================
animation/main #405, from richard.pini, 615 chars, Fri Mar 23 11:14:14 1990
This is a comment to message 402.
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True, but the only problem with *that* arrangement was that I heard so
many people say they were going to stay away from Fantasy Fair and save their
sheckels for Worldcon, because it would be *too* good (read: expensive) to
go to both. I have a suspicion the same thing will happen (though on a
smaller scale) this year with the San Diego Comicon. The substitute World
SF con is also in San Diego, just a month later (the “real” one being in
Holland this year). I will go to Comicon for a few days to see friends and
do business, but there’s no way I can justify 2 cross-country trips in one
month! The pain… 🙂
==========================
animation/main #406, from hmccracken, 515 chars, Fri Mar 23 18:23:20 1990
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Disney aficionados in the Boston area should be aware that there will
be a “Disneyana Colector’s Show and Sale” this weekend at the
Dedham Holiday Inn, on Saturday from 5:00 to to 10:00 pm and on Sunday
from 9:00 am til 4:00 pm. Gues will include Gary Wolf (who wrote the
novel that _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ was based on) and Disney
expert Tom Tombusch. I attended a show put on by the same folks
during the Summer, and it was quite nice, even though almost everything
was out of my price range.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #407, from hmccracken, 691 chars, Fri Mar 23 18:34:33 1990
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Thanks for the information, Dave. Do you know what his tenure at the studio
was?
Incidentally, and relating to effects animation, it’s nice to see that it’s one
of those rarest of artforms: one that seems to die but then suddenly
returns to the pink of health. When Disney films had almost no effects
animatin in the 1970s, I thought the craft was going to vanish. I think
we have Don Bluth to thank for the fact that his films, and now Diseny’s,
are generally full of effects — lighting, water, sparkles, and so forth. In
fact, most of them have *too many* effects; they’ve got to learn a bit
of restraint. But it’s nice that they’re clearly capable of doing them,
anyway.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #408, from davemackey, 604 chars, Fri Mar 23 21:52:45 1990
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I only glanced at the obituary in Variety briefly at the book store, but I do
know his name was on many of the shorts released in the 1940’s and 1950’s as
well as some of the features of that period. I don’t even have enough info
on the Disney shorts to offer a complete list of Mr. MacManus’ credits.
I believe that Disney and Warner’s were the only two studios during the
golden age to give the effects animators proper credit. Disney primarily
had Josh Meador and Mr. MacManus, while Warner’s had Ace Gamer through the
40’s and Harry Love in the 50’s and 60’s.
–Dave
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animation/main #409, from mscoville, 660 chars, Sun Mar 25 20:53:13 1990
This is a comment to message 408.
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According to the Variety obituary column on Daniel MacManus, he worked for
Disney for 40 years. He started with Disney in 1935 after studying art in
Mexico City. Mr. MacManus worked on the following:”Alice in Wonderland”,
Fantasia,Peter Pan, The Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmations,
and The Jungle Book. He was known for his ability to create realistic effects
and reproduce nature in animation. Mr. MacManus, in 1956 worked on the MGM
live action sci-fi classic “The forbidden Planet”. Of other note, he and his
brother Louis conceived and designed the Emmy Award trophy for the Academy
of Television Arts and Sciences.
Mike S.
==========================
animation/main #411, from davemackey, 346 chars, Mon Mar 26 23:57:06 1990
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TITLE: Local Boy Makes Good
Friz Freleng was back in his hometown of Kansas City over the weekend, being
honored for his six decades of animation excellence by the Kansas City Museum.
Freleng told reporters that he’s presently working as a consultant to the
“Pink Panther” live action/animation pilot for CBS.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #412, from davemackey, 409 chars, Tue Mar 27 00:46:06 1990
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TITLE: Da winner is…
Ashman and Menken clean up at the Oscars. They win for the song “Under Da Sea”
and Menken for best original score for “The Little Mermaid.”
I wish I could tell you what won for best Animated short, though, but I was
asleep during that portion of the program, and for that I am truly sorry.
I’m sure Harry or someone will cover my tail on this one.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #413, from switch, 155 chars, Tue Mar 27 01:28:58 1990
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“The Hill Farm” did, from what I gather. My mother caught it, and I had to
formulate that from what she told me.
Apparently Bugs Bunny gave the award…
==========================
animation/main #414, from ewhac, 31 chars, Tue Mar 27 03:15:27 1990
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I thought Freleng was female.
==========================
animation/main #415, from wablock, 160 chars, Tue Mar 27 03:27:15 1990
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Why? Because the I stands for Isadore? I saw him on a special that Disney
had on their last free weekend deal; he looks like Roy Orbison without the
glasses.
==========================
animation/main #416, from jimomura, 285 chars, Tue Mar 27 09:48:29 1990
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Nope. Not Hill Farm. It was something about “balance”. It didn’t
look computer. It looked solid modelled. Mainly, it didn’t look good
enough to be computer, but it was 3D. If I find out it was computer
then I’ll be disappointed, because I expect better from computer stuff.
==========================
animation/main #417, from jimomura, 1823 chars, Tue Mar 27 10:07:43 1990
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TITLE: Nelvana — Are They Really That Stupid?
Last night while flipping through news broadcasts (trying to avoid
watching the Academy Awards, which pre-empted more than it was worth)
I heard one quote that really annoyed me. Nelvana is doing joint ventures
in France, which is smart, but in the report they quoted Nelvana as saying
that they wanted to produce good quality work which they feel will sell
in place of “low quality Japanese animation” (I may have the wording
wrong, but that was the gist of it).
I couldn’t believe the snivelling conceit of it. Nelvana should
be so good as to have things to point to beyond “Babar”. Babar is
a nice kiddy show. Very cute. It corresponds with what contemporary
parents think their kids should watch to grow up to become good people.
They may find that they are wrong about this, but that’s besides the
point. The animation is not wonderful. Characters and scenery tends
to be flat. The flip rate isn’t particularly high. All in all, as
animation goes, it’s run-of-the-mill and maybe a cut above Hanna-Barbera
at best. The stories are nice if you believe that these are the type
of stories that are “good for kids.” Otherwise they are boring and
soppy and not my idea of good writing. The voices, in keeping with
the characters and stories are bland.
I haven’t seen anything produced by Nelvana that rises far above
Babar. Where is artwork on the level of “Presence” or story telling
to match “Gundam” and “Z Gundam”? Where are the characters of the
range and depth of “Amuro Lai” and “Char Asnable” and “Nausicaa”
and “Fuke Aroz” (Rook Bartley of Robotech) and “Hikaru Ichijo”
(Rick Hunter of Robotech)? Where is an semblance of the real world?
Nelvana has some potential. But with thinking like theirs, they’ll
never rise above Babar.
==========================
animation/main #418, from sharonfisher, 481 chars, Tue Mar 27 10:37:19 1990
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Hill Farm was nominated, and at least some people really thought it was
going to win, but it didn’t.
Yes, Bugs Bunny gave the award, and it was very cute. I wish they’d
shown clips of each of the nominees, though.
Anybody else see the dance to the Under da Sea song? The song wasn’t
that great, but my God, what an athletic dance! It didn’t show very well on
the TV, but I saw stuff that I expect to see in the men’s gymnastics in
the Olympics. Choreographed by Paula Abdul.
==========================
animation/main #419, from switch, 758 chars, Tue Mar 27 12:32:35 1990
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I’ve always liked Nelvana for their older works — _The Devil and Daniel
Mouse_, _A Cosmic Christmas_, _Rome-0 and Julie-8_, and particularly
_Rock and Rule_. _Rock and Rule_ has all the qualities I like about some
Japanese animations.
OTOH, that denigration of anime is something I’ve heard over and over again,
and quite often by students in the animation program at Concordia (I’d
estimate it’s a 50-50 split between those who at least like it and those
who think it’s garbage). Most of those who snub Japanese animation are
either referring to American shows which are animated in Japan, or to
_Grendizer_ or _Battle of the Planets_.
You should have seen some of them shut up after we watched _Barefoot Gen_ in
our History of Animated Film class…
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animation/main #420, from jimomura, 791 chars, Tue Mar 27 12:49:13 1990
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Re: Under the Sea Song
Yeah. I saw that, and some other dance bits from the Academy
Awards. In general, some came off very well, but others didn’t.
That’s sort of to be expected in a “one-off” production of this
type. Broadway shows tend to change over time as people get a chance
to see the end product enough times to do some “tuning”. Actually,
this is the function of “off Broadway”, but that’s all the same.
This particular production came out overblown and “too busy”
visually. The girls on the swings didn’t do anything but wave their
tails, and the guys on the swings were likewise just doing semi-random
“swimming” motions. The stuff on the ground level was sort of
“exuberant but trite”. I think I’d have preferred just seeing a
clip from the film with the song.
==========================
animation/main #421, from jimomura, 331 chars, Tue Mar 27 12:55:08 1990
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Even Rock and Rule wasn’t much more than “cute”. The rest,
I’ve never seen, except for short clips. Kiddy stuff all, which
again, I don’t expect really rises above Babar for story content.
They have yet to produce anything that I would point at and say
“I wish I’d done that!” That’s pretty much my standard of excellence.
==========================
animation/main #422, from switch, 197 chars, Tue Mar 27 13:06:25 1990
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Odd. _Rock and Rule_ is the _last_ Nelvana film I’d consider “cute”, although
I could say that about the others. In fact, there are some things in _R&R_
where I have said “I wish I’d done that!”
==========================
animation/main #423, from richard.pini, 1717 chars, Tue Mar 27 17:22:21 1990
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Nelvana is a mindset as well as an animation company – I speak from experience.
Back in 1981 they optioned Elfquest as an animated feature. At that time, their
animation on such things as “Romey-0 and Julie-8” and other holiday shorts
impressed us as being a cut above what American companies, such as Filmation,
were doing at the time. We thought that the stories were kind of simplistic
and not often 100% cohesive, but all we were after was the animation. We
figured that since the story in Elfquest was already set down (and, IOHO,
pretty good) the studio wouldn’t need to worry about that, and could put their
effort into the visuals. We discovered, however, that the triumverate of
people at the top of Nelvana (we worked with Michael Hirsch most directly;
I’ve forgotten the other two and don’t know if all three are still there) had
and likely still has the attitude that they knew story better than anyone and
if they didn’t do it it wasn’t good. It was a very threegocentric attitude.
When we saw what they were planning to do with EQ, we got out of the option.
(Note to jimomura: No, we weren’t looking at Japanese animation at the
time because what was available for our viewing was the Americanized imports,
and frankly we were not impressed. Since then we have had our horizons
broadened considerably, with films like “Dagger of Kamui.” There are still
some stylistic differences we’d have to compromise on, or learn to live with,
but EQ could do a lot worse than Japanese animation. Now, if only we could
get them to pick it up…)
Anyway, it doesn’t surprise me – particularly if any of the three top guys
are still at Nelvana – that the studio’s attitude is one of superiority,
deserved or not.
==========================
animation/main #424, from jimomura, 375 chars, Tue Mar 27 18:02:15 1990
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Rock and Rule not “cute”? Sure it is. Pseudo-hip “cute” of the
Hanna-Barbera level. Cheech and Chong with “cute” characters for the
yuppies of the day to coo over and say “ahh, aren’t they adorable?”
Cheech and Chong themselves were not particularly adorable. Semi-gross
and fairly true “street-smart*ss” if they were reasonably straight,
but not particularly cute.
==========================
animation/main #425, from hkenner, 50 chars, Tue Mar 27 18:06:23 1990
This is a comment to message 420.
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I couldn’t agree more. A busy and colossal bore.
==========================
animation/main #426, from jimomura, 1755 chars, Tue Mar 27 18:23:29 1990
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Back in ’81 there wasn’t a whole lot of “wonderful” stuff in Japan
to see. That would have been right in the seminal period when the
art of animation was really just about to hit its stride. I’m not
entirely sure of the dates, but I think you *might* have been able
to see Gundam (which I think was ’79) and one of the Yamato series.
Gundam would have blown you away, but the fact that there was no solid
program following in its footsteps might have given you the impression
that it was an aberation and that animation was going to sink into
the pap level again. There’s sort of a “golden age”-ism already
wherein some people feel that things have sunk from about ’88 – ’90.
Television-wise they’re pretty much right. But the growth of the
OVA market throws the situation into one which is not directly
comparable. I really feel that the ’90s are going to be a “golden age”
in animation in North America. I think we’ll discover that the
OVA market can work “here”. I think when that happens, we’ll get
an influx of the *really* good stuff from Japan, and that in turn
is going to shake up Hollywood, when it’s realized that Hollywood==pap
in this field and that the alternative has already been *proven*
true. The Big 3 traditional animation houses won’t have anything
to do with it (Disney, Warner and Hanna-Barbera). Apparently, Nelvana
won’t either. Look for *new* companies with “hot” talent. Maybe
as egotistical as the Nelvana 3, but with Marvel and TS Eliot flowing
in their veins instead of baby’s-room-wall-paper-paste.
Hanna-Barbera, I have some respect for. They *did* try Jonny Quest
and it was a good shot. So was Fantastic Four really. As for Disney,
Warner and Nelvana, all I can say is “no guts, no glory, guys.”
==========================
animation/main #427, from hmccracken, 342 chars, Tue Mar 27 18:39:54 1990
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Roy Orbison without the glasses? I bet you’re thinking of the late Bob
Clampett, another Warner director who looks exactly like Roy Orbison.
He was interviewed in _Bugs Bunny Superstar_, a film which has shown
on the Disney Channel, and which also shows Freleng — a balding,
mustachioed man who is not particularly Orbisonesque.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #428, from hmccracken, 388 chars, Tue Mar 27 18:45:22 1990
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“…Didn’t look good enough to be computer?” OOoorg, Jim, as an animation
traditionalist I feel a bit like you feel about Nelvana’s Japanese
animation-bashing. I’ve seen lots of rotten computer animation,
if lack of imagination and an obsession with surface detail are signs
of lousiness. You *don’t* find computer animation inherently superior
to hand-drawn stuff, do you?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #429, from hmccracken, 821 chars, Tue Mar 27 18:51:38 1990
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I am speaking off the top of my head here, but I believe that Hirsch,
Patrick Loubert, and Clive Smith are the three guys who founded Nelvana
and run it to this day. Clive Smith I have had a bit of contact with
becuase he subscribes to my animation magazine; he’s a nice guy who’s
still an animation fan, as well as one of the heads of what has to be
the Hanna-Barbera of Canada.
The comparison with Hanna-Barbera works on several levels: both studios
started out with some talented people who made fine films, and gradually
built very large studios that churned out (for the most part) kiddie
pablum. Nelvana’s stuff is usually a bit better than average, but
I wish the Nelvana that made its early specials and _Rock and Rule_
showed up a bit more through the one that made all those _Care Bears_
movies.
— Harry
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animation/main #430, from hmccracken, 288 chars, Tue Mar 27 18:53:42 1990
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Bugs Bunny’s appearance didn’t live up to his one of two or three years
ago; he seemed a bit stiff and arthritic (no joke — his face was rather
rigid), and whoever did his voice was clearly no Mel Blanc.
(Although it may have been Mel’s son, Noel — anybody know for sure?)
— Harry
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animation/main #431, from hkenner, 72 chars, Tue Mar 27 19:00:51 1990
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Gad, if they’d had the wit to have Chuck Jones animate that segment …
==========================
animation/main #432, from davemackey, 125 chars, Tue Mar 27 19:23:54 1990
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That was Bob Clampett. I have a graphic file of him and Roy Orbison. It’s
a scary thing.
–Dave
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animation/main #433, from davemackey, 103 chars, Tue Mar 27 19:24:47 1990
This is a comment to message 417.
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If they’re doing a Roseanne Barr show, Nelvana really IS that stupid!
–Dave
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animation/main #434, from davemackey, 197 chars, Tue Mar 27 19:27:43 1990
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I didn’t hear it myself but would almost bet the ranch that Warner Bros.
preferred to “keep it in the family” and use Noel Blanc to do the voice.
M.W.H.W.I.T.W.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #435, from jimomura, 399 chars, Tue Mar 27 21:01:54 1990
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No, but one thing computer animation gets right with ease, by
its very nature, is smooth motion and proper accelerations and
decelerations — assuming that these characteristics are wanted.
A computer can throw all that out the window if it isn’t wanted
too. The clip I saw had “not terrible” motion control, but not
perfect. And it was erroneous in a way that I thought was not
intentional.
==========================
animation/main #436, from davemackey, 282 chars, Tue Mar 27 21:06:52 1990
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TITLE: Recap
Okay, class, to recap:
(1) Best Animated Short Academy Award went to “BALANCE.”
(2) Best Song was “Under Da Sea.”
(3) Best Original Score: “The Little Mermaid.”
(4) Friz Freleng is not female.
Any questions?
D.
==========================
animation/main #437, from hmccracken, 393 chars, Tue Mar 27 21:31:56 1990
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“M.W.H.W.I.T.W.?”
The voice may well have been Noel’s, but I am told he does not
have a lockhold on the mighty job of replacing his dad. Which
may be a good thing — the odd bits and pieces I have heard of
his work have been okay but far from perfect. I’m not sure,
but I believe on the upcoming _Tiny Toons_, Noel will be
doing some, but not all, of his father’s famous voices.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #438, from hmccracken, 444 chars, Tue Mar 27 21:36:06 1990
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Agreed. Jones’s recent work is sometimes disappointing, but there’s
no doubt that if he had done that Oscar piece, the guy on the screen
would have been *Bugs Bunny*… As the segment stands, the chap
up there might as well have been Roger Rabbit with a Bugs Bunny
mask on. The bit of animation Disney did last year, with Mickey
Mouse on stage and several of his friends seated in the audience
was much funnier and well-executed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #439, from hmccracken, 145 chars, Tue Mar 27 21:38:03 1990
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Wonder if Bob Clampett is a well-known enough figure for Spy magazine
to be interested in his resemblance to the late Mr. Orbison?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #440, from hmccracken, 582 chars, Tue Mar 27 21:41:37 1990
This is a comment to message 435.
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Okay, I see… Yup, that is one of computer animation’s strengths. As
John Lasseter has quite rightly said, computer animation’s strengths are
traditional animation’s weaknesses and vice versa. Mechanical motion
of that type is easy in computer animation and very tough when done
by hand. And more organic motion — like character animation — is
relatively easy in hand-drawn stuff and as of yet exceptionally hard
to do by computer. My guess is that we’ll be seeing more and more
work which combines the two media in order to use each’s virtues
to best advantage.
— Harry
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animation/main #441, from wablock, 142 chars, Tue Mar 27 22:21:56 1990
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Really? Musta been Clampett, then. He acted as a narrator in the film I saw,
and had lots of black hair (looked like he needed a haircut!).
==========================
animation/main #442, from switch, 85 chars, Wed Mar 28 00:17:58 1990
This is a comment to message 429.
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Incidentally, Harry, do you know if Nelvana made any animated TV series
around 1985?
==========================
animation/main #443, from switch, 273 chars, Wed Mar 28 00:19:45 1990
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Are we talking about the same film? The only “cute” thing about _R&R_ is
the fact that the main characters are all animals (I would presume this is
the result of whatever wars rendered the planet to the state it’s in).
The setting is too dark to be considered “cute”…
==========================
animation/main #444, from switch, 137 chars, Wed Mar 28 00:23:14 1990
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Does the Batman soundtrack count as a score (and what’s the diff if it
doesnt)? If so, then I know why I stopped watching the awards…
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animation/main #445, from ewhac, 254 chars, Wed Mar 28 02:11:27 1990
This is a comment to message 438.
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I saw a similar trick with Bugs Bunny and Tom Hanks (I think) on the
oscars a while back. When Bugs dropped the “envelope” and Hanks picked it
up, I cringed. I was hoping Hanks would say, “Some things are too stupid
even for television.”
Schwab
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animation/main #446, from ewhac, 106 chars, Wed Mar 28 02:16:00 1990
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I didn’t like the movie much, but Elfman’s soundtrack was excellent.
Was it even nominated?
Schwab
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animation/main #447, from davemackey, 71 chars, Wed Mar 28 07:22:02 1990
This is a comment to message 437.
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Mel Would Have Wanted It That Way. Another one out of the cliche book.
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animation/main #448, from davemackey, 259 chars, Wed Mar 28 07:23:31 1990
This is a comment to message 439.
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I’ll have to send in my file, which I could send you a copy of if you
have an Amiga capable of displaying such blather. It’s called “Roy and
Bob Separated At Birth?” so I was also thinking of SPY when I put the
thing together.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #449, from davemackey, 238 chars, Wed Mar 28 07:25:09 1990
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Almost certainly (I don’t generally like to gossip about deceased animators)
Clampett had been dying his hair near the end. You’d have to figure he was
about 60 or so at the time “Superstar” was made. Only his hairdresser knows
for sure.
==========================
animation/main #450, from davemackey, 306 chars, Wed Mar 28 07:26:46 1990
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There were two Batman soundtrack albums, one with the Prince songs and the
other with Danny Elfman’s orchestrations. I think the Academy takes into
consideration the orchestral score for the Best Score award and songs, if
any (like Under Da Sea or Partyman) for Best Song.
–Dave
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animation/main #451, from jimomura, 202 chars, Wed Mar 28 09:24:25 1990
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Ohhhh right! I *was* thinking of the wrong piece. I was thinking
of the whateveritwascalled (Edsel and Flattop?) piece. You know, if I
think about it, I never did see R&R running. Just stills.
==========================
animation/main #452, from jimomura, 165 chars, Wed Mar 28 09:26:24 1990
This is a comment to message 444.
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Yes, the Batman soundtrack counts as a score. But I never felt
it was a good one. The main theme piece for Batman is good, but
the Prince stuff really stunk.
==========================
animation/main #453, from jimomura, 444 chars, Wed Mar 28 09:31:12 1990
This is a comment to message 450.
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Best Score is supposed to include all the music used — even the
incidental stuff. This is proper since it all goes into the mood and
effect of a movie — and can be changed. If the wrong song turns up
on a transister radio in a guy’s hip pocket, spoiling the mood of a
scene, it has no business being in the movie! The Prince songs were
much more than just an accident. As such, to not count them as part
of the score would be silly.
==========================
animation/main #454, from richard.pini, 374 chars, Wed Mar 28 09:32:21 1990
This is a comment to message 429.
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Yep, those are the three. Now, before anyone gets the idea that I’m Nelvana-
bashing, we dealt almost exclusively with Hirsch, so the attitudes of the
other two fellows may be debatable. We were – and I guess still are, from
the comfortable position of time – impressed with how they got started (one
of those charge everyone’s credit card to the hilt Cinderella stories;).
==========================
animation/main #455, from richard.pini, 9 chars, Wed Mar 28 09:36:08 1990
This is a comment to message 446.
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Nope.
ad
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animation/main #456, from richard.pini, 84 chars, Wed Mar 28 09:37:10 1990
This is a comment to message 442.
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Weren’t they doing Lucas stuff around then? Ewoks and Wicket and Droids…
(oh my!)
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animation/main #457, from switch, 49 chars, Wed Mar 28 11:18:18 1990
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Wow, what was this other film?
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animation/main #458, from jimomura, 86 chars, Wed Mar 28 13:57:45 1990
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It was a short piece out of “Heavy Metal”, I think it used the
Cheap Trick song.
==========================
animation/main #459, from hmccracken, 921 chars, Wed Mar 28 18:29:24 1990
This is a comment to message 441.
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Bob Clampett in later life was definitely a guy who worked very hard to be
youthful and appealing to a younger set. …Which no doubt explains
the weirdly black Beatle Wig hairstyle, his nearly ominipresent jean
jacket, etc. He really was a very youthful sort of guy; I met him at
a comics convention in 1977 and had a ball talking briefly with him.
I imagine, Dave, that you know about Clampett’s controversial
relations with some of his co-workers in later years, and his reputation
for hogging credit for every conceivable Warner Bros. creation.
And yet he as enormously helpful to people like Mike Barrier,
providing documents and artwork for many magazine articles and
books on Warner Bros. (His collection of Warner art is legendary;
apparently he saved an awful lot of stuff, thereby preventing it from
being thrown out like most Warner artwork was.)
Clearly, the guy was a multi-facted personality.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #460, from switch, 218 chars, Wed Mar 28 21:48:06 1990
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I can’t think of any part of Heavy Metal that had Cheap Trick. Then again,
I haven’t watched/wasted money on HM in months, and haven’t looked at the
credits even longer.
There was a song by Cheap Trick in R&R tho…
==========================
animation/main #461, from wablock, 100 chars, Thu Mar 29 02:43:33 1990
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Which reminds me–was anyone else surprised that Heavy Metal was on Cinemax
a couple of months ago?
==========================
animation/main #462, from wablock, 181 chars, Thu Mar 29 02:45:36 1990
This is a comment to message 460.
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Cheap Trick was definitely on the soundtrack, but I can’t remember what part
of the movie it was in. Personally, I’ve wanted a CD copy of the Don Felder
stuff for some time now…
==========================
animation/main #463, from dave.f, 479 chars, Thu Mar 29 16:58:33 1990
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re:
>was anyone else surprised that Heavy Metal was on Cinemax a couple of months
>ago?
Not really. They’ve shown it several times over the years. The litigation
regarding use of some of the music in the show is over video distribution
rights. This does not preclude broadcast or narrowcast transmission, just
release on tape and disc. They want more money for the video release. TV
transmission is already covered in the original agreement.
D=
==========================
animation/main #464, from hkenner, 587 chars, Fri Mar 30 14:19:36 1990
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TITLE: A new series
… of short books (30,000 words), tentatively called *Portraits
of American Genius*, is to be launched next year by University of
California Press. I have just signed a contract to deliver the
lead-off title, subject, Chuck Jones. Suggestions re emphasis, etc.,
welcome.
Format will be that of California’s existing Quantum Books series,
which makes short hardcovers economically feasible–i.e. they can
be priced low enough that people don’t think they’re being offered
little for their money–by streamlining production, notably by
standardizing design.
–HK
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animation/main #465, from hmccracken, 383 chars, Fri Mar 30 19:28:16 1990
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Hugh, that is utterly fantastic news. One of the great omissions in ani-
mation literature — which until recently has been a very undernourished
genre in general — has been the lack of a book on Jones. (I believe
at least one unpublished manuscript for such a book does exist.)
If I can do anything to help, please let me know. And keep us
posted on your progress.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #466, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Fri Apr 6 22:44:59 1990
This is a comment to message 465.
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As an afterthought, of course there is one Chuck Jones book: his own
_Chuck Amuck_. But that’s from his view looking out; we still
haven’t had one from somebody else looking at him.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #467, from hmccracken, 2328 chars, Fri Apr 6 23:05:14 1990
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TITLE: XXII International Tournee of Animation
With a sense of timing unusual in a radio, my car radio unexpectedly
provided me with a half-hour interview with Chuck Jones that lasted
exactly the time it took me to drive to the new _Tournee_ and find
a parking space. The most memorable thing Jones said during the
interview was that (I’m paraphrasing) “art should be made up of
only two things — work and love — and only the love should
show.”
It was perhaps with this in mind that I found the _Tournee_ a
wonderful showcase of technique — work — but a little less
satisfying in the emotion — love — department. Two films in
particular struck me this way, the Yugoslavian _Pictures From
Memory_, which is done in serveral very different styles and
is graphically one of the most sophisticated cartoons I’ve ever
seen; and the Russian _Vykrutasy_, which uses a unique type
of animaton done by animating wire outlines of people and objects.
Both films are visual feasts that don’t seem to have a whole lot
going on underneath the impressive surface.
That was true of several other films, too, but there were enough
other worthwhile films to make the _Tournee_ a success.
The films I liked most tended to be the ones of more modest
ambtions — Bill Plympton’s funny spot gags, Olive Jar
Studios’ witty _A Very, Very Long Time Ago_, and
Jim Richardson’s student film _Cat & Rat_, for instance.
_The Bedroom_, by Maarten Koopman, is an unusual
recreation of a van Gogh done with stop motion animation,
but the idea is exceptionally clever and the film is short
enough that it doesn’t seem a work of empty technique.
_Kakania_, by Boston animator Karen Aqua and including
work by BIXen jshook, is another fairly traditional but
very good work.
Actually, I think I’m being unfair to _Pictures From Memory_,
which *is* a pretty sophisticated, subtle piece of work.
Maybe another Russian film, _The Cow_, would have been
a better example — every frame is a beautiful oil painting, but
the story is sentimental swill, and the story in inexplicably
outlined in a voiceover at the film’s end — which may be
the fault of the English-language packagers.
— Harry
(Oh, and this year’s Oscar winner, _Balance_, from
West Germany, is also included, and falls into the
impressive-technique-*and*-interesting-content
category.)
==========================
animation/main #468, from hmccracken, 672 chars, Sun Apr 8 13:29:13 1990
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TITLE: Check out today’s _New York Times Magazine_ for a fascinating
article on the Disney studio’s current involvement with some pretty grandiose
architecture projects. The article is not about animation per se, but Disney’s
approach to architecture is not unlike its current thinking in movie-making.
Michael Eisner says that company is not about subtlety, which is a shame;
in the old days, in its greatest works, it mixed subtlety with the corny and
broad so well.
The magazine’s cover, BTW, with a photo of a gigantic Dopey holding up
part of Disney’s new headquarters building, is worth going out of your
way to pick up the _Times_ today all by itself.
— Harry
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animation/main #469, from davemackey, 186 chars, Tue Apr 10 19:50:39 1990
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I have a videocassette copy of Heavy Metal, taped off cable back when I first
had it way back in ’82. Funny how long ago eight years can really be.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #470, from davemackey, 2103 chars, Wed Apr 11 01:35:29 1990
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Okay, get out your scorecards, because this is what I plunked
down $9.95 for: turns out the 50 Classic Cartoons is volume one
of a two volume set from United American Video called “Cartoon
Classics, Vol. 1” (catalogue no. 5340). Herewith the titles:
(1) The Wabbit Who Came To Supper; (2) The Wacky Wabbit; (3)
Wackiki Wabbit; (4) Case of the Missing Hare; (5) A Corny
Concerto; (6) Notes To You (recoloring, with incorrect opening);
(7) Porky’s Railroad (recoloring); (8) Ali Baba Bound
(recoloring, with incorrect opening); (9) Yankee Doodle Daffy (no
public-domain tape is complete without it!); (10) Daffy The
Commando; (11) All’s Fair At The Fair (good Fleischer); (12)
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur; (13) Crowing Pains; (14) A Tale Of
Two Kitties; (15) Presto Chango; (16) An Elephant Never Forgets;
(17) Volcano; (18) Underground World; (19) Mechanical Monsters;
(20) Terror On The Midway; (21) A Haunting We Will Go (Casper);
(22) There’s Good Boos Tonight; (23) Boo Moon (incorrect
credits); (24) Crazytown (Famous); (25) I Don’t Scare; (26) Greek
Mirthology; (27) Big Bad Sindbad; (28) Cookin’ With Gags; (29)
Pantry Panic (nee What’s Cookin’?); (30) Wolf! Wolf!; (31) The
Stupidstitious Cat; (32) The Talking Magpies; (33) The Magnetic
Telescope; (34) Jungle Drums; (35) Superman; (36) The Mummy
Strikes; (37) Pest Pupil; (38) A Day At The Zoo (no title!); (39)
Bars and Stripes Forever (do any copies of this cartoon exist
with complete main title?); (40) Teacher’s Pest; (41) The Three
Bears (Ub Iwerks; music by Carl Stalling); (42) To Spring; (43)
Hysterical History; (44) Dick Whittington’s Cat; (45) Old
MacDonald Had A Farm; (46) Comin’ Round The Mountain (partial
credits, which are incorrect, & no title); (47) Gobs Of Fun; (48)
The Emerald Isle; (49) Floor Flusher; and (50) Ancient Fistory.
Fairly standard p.d. stuff, but any time you can get fifty
cartoons on one tape for ten dollars — including some pretty
good examples of the form — that’s something good, in my
opinion. A very cost-effective way of assembling a cartoon
collection, especially if you don’t have cable TV.
==========================
animation/main #471, from hmccracken, 676 chars, Wed Apr 11 20:22:07 1990
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TITLE: Howard Lowery is a guy out in Burbank who puts on
some incredible auctions of animation art, the last of which he
held on April 2nd (no doubt to celebrate my birthday). To be
more specific, it is the animation art he auctions that’s incredible —
I haven’t been to any of the auctions. I’ve just been receiving an
drooling over the catalogs he puts out, which nicely reproduce
the art (mainly Disney) he has to offer. The catalogs are definitely
worth getting, even if you never bid on anything (and unless you
are a lot richer than me, you probably never will). I’m not sure
how much they go for, but Lowery’s gallery can be reached at
(818) 972-9080.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #472, from hmccracken, 144 chars, Wed Apr 11 20:27:54 1990
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Thanks for the report, Dave. Not a bad way to start out a cartoon
collection — how’s the quality?
–(Print quality, that is.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #473, from davemackey, 631 chars, Wed Apr 11 23:53:04 1990
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The print quality is very, very good. Some of the soundtracks sound quite
crisp, and most of the material is first-state. The Supermans lack a little,
though, but they did something interesting to the Popeyes — they took
pre-1955 AAP prints and doctored them to convincingly resemble Paramount
originals, with correct opening and theme music. There’s the odd splice
here and there, but that’s to be expected. Oh, and the Warners are a little
fuzzy, but that’s to be expected with P.D. stuff. And my guess was right —
“Yankee Doodle Daffy” is right there on the tape, just like I pictured it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #474, from richard.pini, 273 chars, Thu Apr 12 09:29:01 1990
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The latest one (and, if memory serves, the last one too) went for $9. Which
made it a bargain to get two of them – one to drool on and the other to keep
as quality reference. Participate in the auction itself? Hahahahahahahahahaha.
Banks get finicky about 5th mortgages…
==========================
animation/main #475, from hmccracken, 58 chars, Thu Apr 12 18:20:41 1990
This is a comment to message 474.
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Nine bucks? That’s a lot, but still worth it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #476, from hmccracken, 708 chars, Fri Apr 13 17:27:08 1990
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TITLE: Notable Quote
“When it came to Baby Herman, we resisted the temptation to contrast his
baby-like appearance with a tough-guy voice. This had already been
explored quite successfully in Chuck Jones’s _Baby Buggy Bunny_.
Our intent was to pay homage to the past, not steal it. We chose to play
against his appearance with a rather haughty Ronald Colmanesque voice —
an elitist actor who resented his typecasting in films and lived, instead,
for “the theater.”
— Darell Van Citters, director of animation for the early, aborted attempt
at making _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_. This is from an article on his
version of the film that will be in the next issue of my magazine, _Animato_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #477, from hmccracken, 1695 chars, Sat Apr 14 00:58:50 1990
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TITLE: Just returned from a trip to the Somerville Theater, a Boston
institution that had been closed for a while and which reopened tonight
with an animation show called “The Best of the Festival of Animation.”
Upon arriving at the theater, we discovered that its former projectionists
had been let go and replaced with non-union folk; the former employees
were picketing the theater, urging people not to go in and issuing
complaints to those who *did* go in — and there were hundreds —
that seemed a bit unmannerly even given the circumstances.
Not a particularly pleasant way to start the evening, and the show inside
proved pleasant but not all that exciting. The highlight was the first
film — the incredible Flesicher Betty Boop cartoon _The Old Man of
the Mountain_ — which, as a good print projected onto a large
screen, was astonishing. I’ve seen it many times on TV and liked
it very much, but seeing it in a theater was far better. I’ve had the
same experience with classic Warner Bros. cartoons, too.
Woven in among a fair number of dull cartoons were some excellent
ones, most of which (oddly enough) were clay-animation jobs:
a Will Vinton commercial film about energy; an excellent new British
cartoon in which zoo animals criticisze their habitat, and the old
but still funny _Jimmy the C_, in which Jimmy Carter lip-synchs
to Ray Charles’s recording of “Georgia on My Mind.”
I haven’t ever crossed a picket line to be entertained before; I’m not
sure I’ll ever do it again…but the Somerville Theater is an excellent
neighborhood resource whose unexpected rebirth is definitely
worth supporting by attending the show, if you can bring /yourself/
to do so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #478, from bsoron, 608 chars, Sat Apr 14 21:23:04 1990
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I agree with your review of the package of cartoons, and I’ll leave
any merits the picketers’ arguments may have had aside (except to note
that I’ve never understood why people will fight for the right to work
for someone they consider a slimeball), but I think the jury is still
very out on the theater itself. I’ll say more in new.england/mass.,
but I thought the owner spent money in all the wrong places.
(One quick comment: I’d never seen “One of those Days” before,
and thought the scene with the second slice of toast was one of
the funniest scenes I’ve seen in years. I just died laughing.)
==========================
animation/main #479, from hmccracken, 861 chars, Sat Apr 14 22:29:10 1990
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One thing I forgot to mention in my comments is that I regret the
fact that all Boston-area animation festivals now seem to come with a
guy on the stage who drones on…and on…about what a great
asset to the community the theater in question is, makes obvious,
uninteresting comments about the cartoons just seen or about to
be seen, etc. Both currently-running festivals have their own
version of this guy. (The Somerville’s version was especially
annoying, with his reference to the audience as “twisted”
animation fans when _Lupo the Butcher_ — a really unpleasant
cartoon — was shown at the end of the program, supposedly
to quench our thirst for weird animation. Whoever put together
this package of films seems to have a peoples-limbs-falling-off
fixation; _Lupo_ and at least a couple of other cartoons in the
show dwelt on the topic.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #480, from bsoron, 350 chars, Sun Apr 15 20:35:40 1990
This is a comment to message 479.
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I don’t have any objection to being tagged as “twisted,” but I do
object to people who equare “twisted” to “abnormally violent.” Being
twisted isn’t an inherently negative trait — it can be a sign of
spectacular creativity. By the same token, I don’t have anything
against shock value if there’s something behind it, but Lupo offered
nothing.
==========================
animation/main #481, from morganfox, 743 chars, Sun Apr 15 22:28:43 1990
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TITLE: new from old?
Today I had, what for me was a pleasure. While watching PBS TV with my nephews,
I watched the show(sorry I don’t know the name) That has Ringo Starr as a
featured person. The show included live action and still-action with some
animation(hey..I am such a novice, you can call me dumb!) stuff. But what *really* tickled me was a put together of ver
y old, vintage cartooning, cut and
spliced to form a new idea to a song. The theme was way Bullies are not a good
thing to be. It was so carefully and tenderly done. Very old, very good and very beautiful animation was repackaged. An
d I *liked* it. It was good. And my
very young nephews got to see the beauty of some great animation in a new
form that looked real good!
==========================
animation/main #482, from rconner, 140 chars, Wed Apr 18 09:41:28 1990
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*** Moved from animation/tie.ins #41 of Wed Apr 18 04:48:47 1990
TITLE: Panther name in The Jungle Book?
Anyone recall it? Thanx,
-Richard
==========================
animation/main #483, from tom.white, 174 chars, Wed Apr 18 19:29:56 1990
This is a comment to message 482.
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Bagheera. Tiger was Shere Khan, bear was Baloo, wolf pack leader was
Akela, and the mancub was Mowgli. Naturally, I forget the name of the
elephant. But I can look it up.
==========================
animation/main #484, from switch, 938 chars, Thu Apr 19 01:46:39 1990
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TITLE: Bugs Bunny
The Cinematheque Quebecoise shows various animations every Wednesday night
for the paltry sum of $2. I rarely get a chance to go, but tonight was
a compilation of 12 Bugs Bunny shorts, so I decided to go and relax for a
change (given the extremely comfortabe seats, it’s fairly easy to fall
asleep before the show starts). The audience, as usual, was receptive —
during _The Wacky Wabbit_ and _Rabbit of Seville_, the audience’s laughing
caused someone to decide to turn the volume up a notch since we were
drowning out the soundtrack.
The films shown were _A Wild Hare_, _The Heckling Hare_, _The Wacky
Wabbit_, _Falling Hare_, _Corny Concerto_, _What’s Cookin’, Doc?_,
_Rhapsody Rabbit_, _Hair Raising Hare_, _Rabbit of Seville_, _What’s Opera,
Doc?_, _Hareway to the Stars_ (which I haven’t seen in at least five years),
and _Baton Bunny_.
I was going to say more but I think I’ll go fall asleep instead.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #485, from ewhac, 135 chars, Thu Apr 19 03:07:27 1990
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_Rabbit of Seville_ is one of the best musical visualizations I’ve
ever seen. It’s also one of my favorite WB cartoons.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #486, from tom.white, 154 chars, Thu Apr 19 04:21:50 1990
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Uncut versions, with all the Dangerous, Child-Corrupting violence left in?
Ooh, what a deal! Even the largest home tube doesn’t match the silver screen.
==========================
animation/main #487, from davemackey, 162 chars, Thu Apr 19 07:45:19 1990
This is a comment to message 484.
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If theatre owners only knew the wild reception Bugs shorts are given to
this day, they’d go out of their way to book them. But this ain’t 1946
any more (sigh)…
==========================
animation/main #488, from switch, 166 chars, Thu Apr 19 12:36:40 1990
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Same here, and apparently for most of the audience as well. That and
_What’s Opera, Doc_ were the only two that drew rounds of applause when
the title showed.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #489, from switch, 304 chars, Thu Apr 19 12:38:17 1990
This is a comment to message 486.
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Yeah. Watching _Rabbit of Seville_ on the big screen, I noticed something
I’d never seen on the tube; when Bugs, er, “shaves” Elmer with the razor
and proclaims that his face looks like “it’s been through a machine”,
the next two shots of Elmer have him with all these red cuts all over his
face.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #490, from dave.f, 408 chars, Thu Apr 19 15:30:53 1990
This is a comment to message 481.
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re: The program is called SHINING TIME STATION.
My kids like it a lot. In a broad way I would put it in the same category
with PEEWEE’S PLAYHOUSE, in that it takes a bunch of unrelated vignettes —
some done for the show, some PD, some small features that may have run on
their own elsewhere — and sprinkles them through the story that the main
characters are engaged in.
D=
==========================
animation/main #491, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Thu Apr 19 23:17:59 1990
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Definitely. Bugs starred in several of the finest interpretations of music
ever done in animation, most of them by Chuck Jones. Besides
_Seville_ and _What’s Opera, Doc?_, there are the lesser known but
excellent _Long-Haired Hare_ (a personal favorite) and _Baton Bunny_.
Friz Freleng’s _Rhapsody Rabbit_ is also wonderful.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #492, from wablock, 245 chars, Fri Apr 20 00:27:04 1990
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I think I actually preferred the version with the cat and the mouse, rather
than the version starring Bugs. But they were both good. I noticed that
Bugs has something of a different “look” in that cartoon than he does in most
of the others…
==========================
animation/main #493, from davemackey, 352 chars, Fri Apr 20 18:09:56 1990
This is a comment to message 491.
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That’s one of the genres that Jones always scored big with, though
Freleng is more noted for what he’s done with music (“Pigs In A Polka,”
“Rhapsody In Rivets,” “Three Little Bops”). Not only the cartoons you
mention but he did one in 1959 called “High Note” that’s pretty neat;
it’s on the Golden Jubilee Jones tape.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #494, from hmccracken, 952 chars, Sat Apr 21 13:27:40 1990
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TITLE: Random notes that aren’t quite worth messages of their own…
* _Animation Magazine_ (not the animation magazine I edit, but the larger one
published in California) has been sold by Expanded Entertainment to a
video distribution company.
* Streamline Pictures, the company that distributes _Akira_ and other
Japanese animated features in the U.S., is also distributing _Akira_
videotapes and posters now.
* Don Bluth Productions’ U.S. office has wrapped animation on its
project for Universal Studios’ Hanna-Barbera t atrraction at its Florida
theme park. Interestingly, it’s hard to get information on this project;
they don’t particularly like to talk about the fact that H-B was not
deemed capable of doing animation good enough for the attraction.
* In a related matter, Universal has called in a commercial studio
called Film Fair to punch up H-B’s _Jetsons_ movie, which
Universal doesn’t think is funny enough.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #495, from davemackey, 473 chars, Sat Apr 21 16:14:18 1990
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“Animation” magazine can be very entertaining reading… sometimes. Other
times you wonder if anyone there really knows animation well enough to not
let errors slip through, like in the most recent issue where a transcription
of a Mel Blanc lecture included a reference to Trent (sic) Brown; I’m sure
he was talking about Treg Brown. (Just getting that off my chest. I never
see anything that blatantly wrong in that “Animato” mag, though.)
–D.
==========================
animation/main #496, from hmccracken, 391 chars, Sat Apr 21 16:28:32 1990
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I’m obviously biased on the topic of animation magazines…But I am glad
that _Animation_ has evolved into something of a trade journal, while
_Animato_ is happy to be, as we call ourselves, “The Animation Fan’s
Magazine.” Our relations with Terry Thoren and crew at Expanded Enter-
tainment have always been cordial, and I’m interested in finding out
more about the new owners.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #497, from hmccracken, 1678 chars, Sat Apr 21 21:30:34 1990
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TITLE: I have been remiss in not mentioned _America’s Great Comic
Strip Artists_ (Abbeville Press), a book by Richard Marschall that
came out last year for the Christmas season. (Then again, I wouldn’t
have had much to say about it before; I just got it as a birthday present.)
This book is an unusually fine, very large and imposing coffee-table
volume with essays on a dozen or so important comic-strip artists,
ranging from Rudolf Dirks and Winsor McCay up to Capp, Kelly, and
Schulz. (The implication being that there aren’t any contemporary
comic strippers worth celebrating in a lavish art book, an implication
I might be inclined to agree with. Even Schulz’s work, as wonderful
as it often is, looks a little pallid graphically in comparison with
McCay or the remarkable but underappraciated Cliff Sterrett.)
Marschall’s essays are well-written and often quite insightful — these
are not (for the most part) groundbreaking works of scholarship,
just good introductions to each cartoonist covered. (Marschall, for
those who don’t know, is one of the very most knowledgable folks
in the world on the topic of American comic strips.) The illustrations
are mostly excellent, with plenty of color and fine examples of
each cartoonist’s work. (There are some examples of strips printed
too small or in rather blurry form, but they’re rare.)
All in all, a good book that, surprisingly enough, is fairly conservatively
priced at $55. (Other similar cartoon-related books usually seem to go
for more, anyway.) Fifty-five bucks is still a lot of money, of course,
which is why I had to wait until a generous benefactor (my sister)
provided me with a copy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #498, from davemackey, 187 chars, Sun Apr 22 03:40:52 1990
This is a comment to message 496.
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Well, that explains all the ads for the various animation houses and computer
facilities that your magazine doesn’t run. It does seem to be more trade-
oriented, now that you mention it.
==========================
animation/main #499, from switch, 202 chars, Tue Apr 24 18:28:43 1990
This is a comment to message 494.
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According to an ad I saw, the _Akira_ video Streamline is selling is the
_Akira Production Report_; sort of a “making of Akira” video. The movie is,
I think, still making the theatrical rounds.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #500, from hmccracken, 706 chars, Tue Apr 24 18:40:46 1990
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TITLE: Quakers Unhappy With Popeye
Today’s _Boston Globe_ has quite a long article about this. It seems that
members of the Quakers (the religion) are upset with Quaker (the oatmeal
company) over a series of ads for Quaker Oatmeal featuring Popeye.
It seems the Quakers find Popeye’s aggresiveness and Olive Oyl’s
submissiveness offensive, as well as the commercial’s tagling of “I’m
Popeye the Quaker Man” (I can almost see their point there). One
complaining Quaker proposed that the ads be replaced in one in which
Popeye and Bluto realize that their fighting has never accomplished
anything, and pool their resources to build a shelter for the homeless.
Somehow I don’t see it happening.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #501, from davemackey, 92 chars, Tue Apr 24 21:09:03 1990
This is a comment to message 500.
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Dunno, Harry… I always regarded Popeye as a good Friend.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #502, from switch, 288 chars, Wed Apr 25 02:39:09 1990
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TITLE: I’ve finally gotten around…
…to uploading and installing the rec.arts.anime digests in /listings. We’re
up to the twelfth right now, and the last message I archived was somewhere
around March 30th. Time for a break; I’ll be continuing my attempt to catch
up next week.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #503, from hmccracken, 334 chars, Thu Apr 26 21:18:08 1990
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TITLE: Did you know…
that merchandising and licensing of the Garfield character is so massive that
there is an annual convention — called the “Big Deal” — of Garfield licensees?
It features speeches, seminars, banquets, golf and tennis, and other stuff, all
focused around making money off of the Fat Cat’s popularity.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #504, from tom.white, 62 chars, Thu Apr 26 21:36:11 1990
This is a comment to message 503.
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No doubt held at one of the hotels in that chain he endorses.
==========================
animation/main #505, from hmccracken, 620 chars, Sun Apr 29 11:39:56 1990
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TITLE: Today’s _New York Times_ has two articles of interest
to cartoon fans. The Arts & Leisure section has a piece on Disney’s
plans for theatrical animated shorts — it says the studio intends to
eventually run a cartoon with almost all of its feature films. The
other article, in the Business section, is on the licensing of The
Simpsons. Looks like there’s going to be a *ton* of Simpsons
merchandise out; be prepared to become thoroughly sick of the
characters. It’s an interesting contrast to Bill Watterson’s handling
of his _Calvin &Hobbes_; the only C&H merchandise is the books
and calendars.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #506, from bcapps, 286 chars, Sun Apr 29 11:49:14 1990
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… and 1 t-shirt. But that’s about it. C’mon Bill, all we want is a
reversible Hobbes doll and then the coffee cups and the pen & pencil sets
and the sweat bands and the frisbees and the useless stickers and …
[sorry, must’ve been watching too many toy-based shows lately]
Bob
==========================
animation/main #507, from hmccracken, 218 chars, Sun Apr 29 15:18:57 1990
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Are there even Calvin & Hobbes T-shirts? I believe the few I’ve seen have
been bootleg ones.
— Harry
(Who might be tempted by a quality Hobbes doll, the one product Watterson
has been most emphatic in ruling out.)
==========================
animation/main #508, from dquick, 128 chars, Sun Apr 29 21:44:25 1990
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Darn! My pet tiger has his little heart set on a Calvin doll. He did want
an imaginary playmate *so* much. 😉
Dave Quick
==========================
animation/main #509, from tom.white, 777 chars, Sun Apr 29 21:45:36 1990
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Likewise, Breathed kept the Bloom County merchandise limited:
t-shirts (a wide variety, though), calendars, the books, Opus
dolls (another wide variety), and the Bill the Cat doll.
The only other thing was the Opus phone, which can be set to
turn its head when the receiver is picked up. Breathed authorized
it because he thought he’d like one. It’s cute.
This summer’s Roger Rabbit/Baby Herman cartoon, Rollercoaster Rabbit,
is being shown with Dick Tracy. Like I needed the extra incentive
to go see it….
What C&H shirt? Never saw it. The main reason Watterson cites for
resisting the most obvious merchandise, the Hobbes doll, is that
he refuses to choose which version Hobbes to make, and doesn’t want
to make both. It’d be like proving which Hobbes is “real.”
==========================
animation/main #511, from bcapps, 380 chars, Sun Apr 29 23:53:26 1990
This is a comment to message 507.
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Yes, there was 1 authorized t-shirt [Graffiti, I believe] right after the
first book came out. It shows the cover of the book with Calvin & Hobbes
flying out of the wagon.
I think Watterson wants to preserve the fantasy quality of Hobbes, so he’s
not authorizing any dolls. Which would tend to fire up black market copies.
Or so Berke Brethed tried as much to tell him.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #512, from bcapps, 232 chars, Sun Apr 29 23:58:45 1990
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Right, sorta what I replied earlier [before I read this msg].
Just went and got the shirt. Hmm… maybe Graffiti didn’t do it, but it
does have the Screen Stars (R) label. I got it at a local show while
living in Detroit.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #514, from hmccracken, 800 chars, Mon Apr 30 21:40:58 1990
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For me, Breathed has folowed an even nobler path than
Watterson when it comes to merchandising. All the Bloom
County products really are well done neat, and they’re all
closely tied to the strip (no Opus air fresheners or Steve
Dallas pencil sharpeners). Watterson’s refusal to do even a
Hobbes doll strikes me as…well, a bit prissy. That a
stuffed doll in the likeness of Hobbes exists is no more a
sign that Hobbes *is* a stuffed doll than would be the
case with Charlie Brown or Garfield. (Of course, maybe
Hobbes *is* a stuffed doll — it’s just that whether there
are Hobbes dolls has no effect on this.)
Of course it’s Watterson’s creation to do with as he will.
But somehow calendars strike me as a tackier merchandising
product than dolls or T-shirts. Just me, I guess.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #515, from bsoron, 709 chars, Mon Apr 30 23:11:23 1990
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Disagree on a few counts. The calendars present the strips more-or-
less as they appeared; it’s a way to have some of the better strips
on your wall without tearing the books apart or watching the clippings
yellow. I might choose others, but in the perfect world, all of them
would be on my wall…
As for the doll, you can buy any doll in the world and have the
same relationship with it that Calvin has with Hobbes… or that you’d
have with your Hobbes lookalike. I haven’t seen Watterson say as much,
but I surely think one reason he’s refused to allow a Hobbes doll is
that everyone ought to find her or his own. And if it’s a human friend
rather than an imaginary friend, so much the better.
==========================
animation/main #516, from tom.white, 60 chars, Tue May 1 00:13:27 1990
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I’ve always considered calenders a natural cousin to books.
==========================
animation/main #517, from wablock, 162 chars, Tue May 1 01:15:09 1990
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TITLE: Daffy Doodles
…was on TNT this afternoon, but I either missed the credits or there weren’t
any. Can someone tell me who directed this? (It was great!)
==========================
animation/main #518, from ewhac, 150 chars, Tue May 1 04:55:48 1990
This is a comment to message 505.
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NewSightem: The Simpsons T-Shirt featuring Bart with the quote,
“I’m proud to be an underachiever,” has been banned from Ohio schools.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #519, from ewhac, 208 chars, Tue May 1 04:59:03 1990
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In last Sunday’s Calvin & Hobbes, Hobbes manipulated reality.
Calvin put a phony dummy of himself in front of the door for Hobbes to
attack. Instead, Hobbes picked it up and carried it inside.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #520, from switch, 143 chars, Tue May 1 13:55:18 1990
This is a comment to message 519.
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Trouble is, that could still have been Calvin moving things around and
“inserting” dialogue to suit. Kids are reeeeeal good at that…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #521, from davemackey, 432 chars, Tue May 1 18:34:47 1990
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Daffy Doodles was not only the first cartoon to carry a Robert McKimson
direction credit, but it was one of his best.
As far as the credits, there weren’t any, because it’s a Blue Ribbon
reissue. The only other credits listed in Beck/Friedwald are for writer
Warren Foster and musical director Carl Stalling, and I assume the
animation and layout/background credits have become lost to the ages.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #522, from davemackey, 289 chars, Tue May 1 18:37:03 1990
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Though, to further expand, he did have Dick Bickenbach, Art Davis, Don
Williams and Cal Dalton in his (actually Tashlin’s) crew. Richard H.
Thomas was definitely the background artist because some of his work
from this cartoon appears in “Thats All Folks.”
–D.
==========================
animation/main #523, from hmccracken, 108 chars, Tue May 1 22:17:50 1990
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_Daffy Doodles_ is definitely Robert McKimson at his best — very
Clampettesque and very funny.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #524, from wablock, 221 chars, Tue May 1 22:44:03 1990
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It *was* good! I was impressed with some of the actions; the scenes of Porky
chasing Daffy around the ledge on the building was very original. I can’t
recall seeing anything else like it anywhere.
Thanks for the info!
==========================
animation/main #525, from richard.pini, 330 chars, Wed May 2 09:11:51 1990
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Which T-shirt? I recall buying one in Michigan last year that was a very
funny swat at all the Batmania that happened, only to find out it was a
bootleg. I was told by Mark Evanier, that walking encyclopedia, that
Watterson had licensed *no* T-shirts…
(Not that I’m gonna give this one back, though…it really is too funny!)
==========================
animation/main #526, from richard.pini, 64 chars, Wed May 2 09:14:54 1990
This is a comment to message 516.
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I dunno…books can be timeless. Calendars are dated. (ducking)
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animation/main #527, from bcapps, 533 chars, Sat May 5 21:21:50 1990
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Richard,
This shirt shows “the wagon” [a major character, I understand]
apparently in mid-air [since there is no reference to the ground] with
Hobbes hovering over the wagon and Calvin, tethered to the wagon with a
rope, holding an umbrella and wearing rollerskates. It is in all probability
a bootleg. There is no (C) or TM and no Watterson signature.
BTW, when are you folks releasing the Xanth books [my wife WANTS them, being
something of a appreciator of Piers Anthony]? I misplaced the CBG which
mentioned it.
Bob
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animation/main #528, from morganfox, 215 chars, Sat May 5 21:41:38 1990
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Bob, while I have *no* idea what sort of t-shirt Richard has, for the rest, may
I (with the permission of the Mods here) point you to the new Conference, Elfquest?
But be assured, you will be answered here.
==========================
animation/main #529, from richard.pini, 1212 chars, Sat May 5 23:37:52 1990
This is a comment to message 527.
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Last first – the first volume of the Xanth stuff *should* be out the latter
part of June, but maybe early July. (New Elfquest, plus cramming for the ABA
and assorted trade shows is taking its toll.) But if I may say so, it looks
real good; the artists are having fun!
The C&H shirt I got – now that I think on it – must be a bootleg taken
from some existing shot… Hobbes is standing, back to CAlvin, looking over
his shoulder with a smug look on his face, arms folded. Calvin is standing,
shoulders a bit hunched, glaring back up at Hobbes. The difference is that
Hobbes is in a Batman suit and CAlvin is dressed up as Robin, mask and all.
Hobbes is saying “Nice panties…” to Calvin; the reply is “Shut up,
Bat-Dork!” I admit I cracked up when I saw it (the world was up to its
nostrils is Batmania at the time) and had to buy one. At the big San Diego
comic convention last August I wore it to the DC party – so whoever said I
was reverent? – and it was a hit. Mark Evanier asked me, “Now what would *you*
do if Watterson walked in here wearing a bootleg Elfquest T-shirt?” I said
I’d walk up to the man, introduce myself, and converse about the joys of
bootlegged merchandise. If ya ain’t got humor…
==========================
animation/main #530, from richard.pini, 29 chars, Sat May 5 23:38:55 1990
This is a comment to message 528.
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Really? Where???? (ducking!)
==========================
animation/main #531, from sharonfisher, 265 chars, Sun May 6 00:38:22 1990
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TITLE: Lasseter doing commercials?
I saw a commercial tonight for Tropicana orange juice that looks like
Lasseter either did it, or else they stole his style — straw bouncing
around, trying to jump into an orange. Great big bulgy eyes on the straw.
So is it him?
==========================
animation/main #532, from switch, 308 chars, Sun May 6 01:22:14 1990
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TITLE: Speaking of commercials…
The National Film Board of Canada has two excellent ads promoting Canadian
animation. Included are scenes from Babar, Bambi Meets Godzilla, The Big
Snit, and The Cat Came Back. Very well done, but then I’m biased 😉 Pity
there were no scenes from Rock & Rule
Emru
==========================
animation/main #533, from wablock, 78 chars, Sun May 6 03:16:11 1990
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I saw that ad today and it stuck in my mind. Whoever did it, it looks great!
==========================
animation/main #534, from sharonfisher, 757 chars, Mon May 7 10:34:48 1990
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TITLE: Animation Festival
Went to see this last night in San Francisco. Several of the pieces — The
Housekeeper, The Chore, Knick Knack — I’d seen before. Lots of attention
on fecal products this year for some reason. One by Pacific Film Images about
a train, that was all computer-generated; looked very much like people
trying to be Lasseter. One dance thing that reminded me a lot of the
Brazilian dance one of last year. Anybody else see this?
I got really annoyed by the people behind me, one of whom had
apparently seen it before, and was alerting the person next to her about all
the upcoming good parts, which they’d then discuss. I finally turned around
and asked them to please wait until they got home to talk about it. Didn’t
help much.
==========================
animation/main #535, from switch, 435 chars, Mon May 7 10:39:14 1990
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I’ve seen The Housekeeper, Knick Knack, and several dance animations, but I’m
not sure I’ve ever seen them all at the same sitting; these festivals
sometimes show shorts they hadn’t advertised, and I only recently started
taking note of the extras. Do you know for sure which festival this was?
It sounds like it could have been Mike and Spike’s Festival of Animation, or
Expanded Entertainment’s Second Animation Celebration.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #536, from sharonfisher, 704 chars, Mon May 7 12:04:19 1990
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It was Mike & Spike’s.
There was another one that seemed terribly familiar but which I hadn’t
seen; I wonder if I’ve heard it as a joke, or seen another version, or
something. It’s called The Chairs. 3 chairs in a row. Character 1 sits
in first chair, something bad happens. Character 1 sits in second chair,
something bad happens. Character 1 convinces Character 2 to sit in third
chair, something bad happens. Character 3 laughs at Characters 1 and 2,
sits in second chair, backwards. Nothing happens. Characters 1 and 2 sit
in first and third chair, backwards. Nothing happens. Character 3 gets
up from second chair and explodes. Characters 1 and 2 look at each other
and don’t move… T
==========================
animation/main #537, from switch, 270 chars, Mon May 7 12:34:54 1990
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Huh. I’d dug up my program for Mike and Spike, and I _still_ don’t remember
half of what you’re speaking of (or it just ain’t there). Either they added
in some different shorts for yours (not unlikely), or they’ve released another
compilation (which I doubt)…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #538, from sharonfisher, 147 chars, Mon May 7 13:02:39 1990
This is a comment to message 537.
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It may well be another one. It’s different from last year’s. Unfortunately,
I don’t have my program with me, so I can’t compare notes very well.
==========================
animation/main #539, from hkenner, 48 chars, Mon May 7 13:05:20 1990
This is a comment to message 536.
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The Chairs sounds like Poor Man’s Beckett.
–HK
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animation/main #540, from hmccracken, 193 chars, Tue May 8 01:22:24 1990
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I don’t know if the commercial is by Lasseter, but Pixar has recently begun doing
commercial work, in conjunction with Colossal Pictures, so there’s a good chance
it’s a Pixar work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #541, from jshook, 175 chars, Tue May 8 02:06:36 1990
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Are you referring to “Feet of Song”? At least I think that’s the
dance film…. If it’s the same one, I have seen this several times.
I want a recording of that soundtrack!
==========================
animation/main #542, from ewhac, 60 chars, Tue May 8 04:11:41 1990
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They didn’t do the recent California Lottery ad, did they?
==========================
animation/main #543, from switch, 103 chars, Tue May 8 06:49:39 1990
This is a comment to message 541.
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How could I have forgotten “Feet of Song”? That was easily one of my favorites
of the Festival.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #544, from hmccracken, 156 chars, Tue May 8 18:15:47 1990
This is a comment to message 542.
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I don’t know; I just heard, a while ago, that they were going to get
into commercial stuff. I don’t know of any specific things they’ve
done.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #545, from sstaton, 242 chars, Fri May 11 21:29:17 1990
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TITLE: The Chairman
A Canadian animation I have on video from 1983 called “The Chairman” mixes
architectural imagery with pixelated charaters in a weird, grim world-view
that climaxes with a bauhaus Thing taking over. Anyone else seen this?
==========================
animation/main #546, from jshook, 413 chars, Sat May 12 00:45:37 1990
This is a comment to message 545.
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Yes, if the film you are describing is the English title for
“L’Age de [du?] Chaise [?]” which the animator (whose name
I am ashamed to say escapes me for the moment) explained is
a pun in French meaning something like “The Age of Rocks”
or “The Stone Age.”
Anyway, if this is the same film, I have seen it several times
and like it very much. A production of the National Film Board,
French language section.
==========================
animation/main #547, from ewhac, 915 chars, Sat May 12 05:00:18 1990
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animation/main #567, from grekel, 158 chars, Wed May 16 13:11:31 1990
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TITLE: Henson
Just heard Jim Henson died. I believe he was 53, and died of a
bacterial infection. Must’ve been a sudden thing.
Anyone have any other details?
==========================
animation/main #568, from jimomura, 72 chars, Wed May 16 13:37:53 1990
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Disney stocks dropped something like $.50 when the news was heard.
==========================
animation/main #569, from morganfox, 122 chars, Wed May 16 16:00:40 1990
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Very little more, just that he died of an acute bacterial infection this am in
a NYC hospital which he entered yesterday.
==========================
animation/main #570, from davemackey, 154 chars, Wed May 16 17:56:35 1990
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I can’t even hold a pencil and draw a straight line but would love to be
a part of the neoclassical cartoon explosion!
–Dave
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animation/main #571, from davemackey, 405 chars, Wed May 16 17:58:47 1990
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This was indeed sudden, and I am aggrieved. His contributions to the worlds
of children’s television (and animation by logical extension) are multiple
and ubiquitous. It only seemed logical that Disney would swallow up the
Muppet empire, since Henson, in his own way, was the Disney of a generation
too hip for Mickey and Donald and their like. Lord knows he’ll be missed.
–Dave
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animation/main #572, from davemackey, 194 chars, Wed May 16 18:02:00 1990
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TNT, in preface to its 6 p.m. broadcast of “Fraggle Rock,” ran a brief
tribute to Henson. “TNT remembers the man behind the Muppets, the face
behind the Fraggles… Jim Henson, we’ll miss you.”
==========================
animation/main #573, from sharonfisher, 224 chars, Wed May 16 18:13:23 1990
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Oh, my God! Somebody mentioned this in passing in one of the other fora
and I thought I’d misunderstood. I didn’t think that type of thing could
kill people these days. Jeez, he was just on Arsenio a couple of weeks ago.
==========================
animation/main #574, from hmccracken, 579 chars, Wed May 16 18:54:57 1990
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Sudden? It sounds like it, but the guy had a magnificent sense of timing.
When he sold out to Disney in the Fall, I wondered, along with numerous
friends, why the money he’d get would be worth giving up complete
artistic power and control of his own destiny. But as things turned
out, he assured the Muppets would outlive him, lost no control, and
(presumably) made sure his family would have no money problems
after his passing. I don’t mean to sound callous; I have a keen sense
of loss, and am sure we won’t see his likes again. But I am fascinated
by it all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #575, from tom.white, 139 chars, Wed May 16 19:11:22 1990
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That’s too sad. This was the man who made Kermit speak at
Harvard’s Commencement exercises a few years ago.
Say hi to Walt for us, Jim.
==========================
animation/main #576, from jimomura, 198 chars, Wed May 16 19:52:55 1990
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Could be, that’s why it happened. Apparently he’s an extreme
workaholic and it’s possible that no matter how bad it got, he just
kept pushing himself. Maybe he just didn’t take it seriously.
==========================
animation/main #577, from hmccracken, 397 chars, Wed May 16 20:17:26 1990
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TITLE: The other show-business legend who died today — Sammy
Davis, Jr. — also had animation connections that are worth noting.
He performed the voice of the Cheshire Cat in a 1960s Hanna-Barbera
TV adaptation of _Alice in Wonderland_; and his musical number as
a rat in H-B’s 1970s/1980s animated feature _Heidi’s Song_ was
marvelous and one of the few good things about that movie.
— Harry
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animation/main #578, from davemackey, 893 chars, Wed May 16 23:16:22 1990
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Right, Harry! “What’s A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This”
was one of my childhood classics.
It was noted on one of the news programs here in New York (it may have
been the network news) that Jim Henson had been ill for a few days and that
if he had gotten to a doctor in time, he might still be with us.
And talk about timing — PBS aired a tribute program tonight to Joe
Raposo, one of the other creative geniuses behind “Sesame Street”; the
program carried a notation at its head that Henson had passed. Hopefully
his tribute show will come later, because the man did as much to advance
the art of puppetry as people like Bil Baird (one of Henson’s inspirations
) and Burr Tillstrom.
(The Raposo show, by the way, had footage of “Raggedy Ann and Andy,”
the 1977 Richard Williams feature for which he had written several songs.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #579, from davemackey, 157 chars, Wed May 16 23:19:55 1990
This is a comment to message 574.
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It’s been speculated in one of the other forums that Henson may have had
some foreknowledge that his time was running out.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #580, from hmccracken, 172 chars, Thu May 17 00:00:36 1990
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And don’t forget that Henson is the cover subject of the current
issue of _Animation_ magazine, talking, ironically enough,
about his plans for future projects.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #581, from hmccracken, 250 chars, Thu May 17 00:15:24 1990
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Just found out — the author of the Lampoon Coyote story is suing
Ian Frazier, the author of the New Yorker one. The similarities
between the two stories are remarkable, but it’s hard to believe that
it’s not just a very big coincidence.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #582, from hkenner, 114 chars, Thu May 17 00:57:43 1990
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Did that 1977 Raggedy feature ever get shown? I have a book about it
but never heard that the film emerged.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #583, from grekel, 323 chars, Thu May 17 01:06:24 1990
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Harry;
What sort of projects was Henson in the middle of?
Does anybody else miss “The Jim Henson Hour” on NBC? I have a tape of
“Dog City” that my 3-year-old daughter and I pull out about monthly and
laugh our buns off…
“Oh, he will all right.”
“But what if he doesn’t?”
“Oh, he will all right.”
“But what…. etc. etc.
==========================
animation/main #584, from switch, 114 chars, Thu May 17 01:31:56 1990
This is a comment to message 573.
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My sister told me when I came home this evening. I was in utter shock.
Last I’d seen, he was quite hearty.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #585, from switch, 75 chars, Thu May 17 01:33:28 1990
This is a comment to message 570.
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If it happens, I’ll be one of the first in line to apply for work…
Emru
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animation/main #586, from jshook, 190 chars, Thu May 17 02:20:09 1990
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You’re not alone in having missed that feature-length animation.
I was not aware of it’s ever having played anywhere near me (and
I live in a fairly large city). I have the book, also….
==========================
animation/main #587, from sharonfisher, 209 chars, Thu May 17 10:17:09 1990
This is a comment to message 581.
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That suit was filed a while back. The author of the Lampoon story is Joey
Green, who’s written for Rolling Stone, too, I believe. Anyway, he was the
editor of the Cornell humor magazine about ten years ago.
==========================
animation/main #588, from dave.f, 495 chars, Thu May 17 11:30:02 1990
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I certainly miss THE JIM HENSON HOUR. I thought it was wonderful. I have
a few episodes on tape. Unfortunately I had technical problems when
“Dog City” was on and did not get it tape. I saw it and thought it was the
best and funniest piece to come from Henson’s company in quite a while.
Well deserving of his directorial Emmy. I really liked the “Storyteller”
segments. I found them to be much more satisfying video fairy tale
adaptations than the self-indulgent FAERIE TALE THEATRE.
D=
==========================
animation/main #589, from dave.f, 859 chars, Thu May 17 11:51:22 1990
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**COPIED FROM: ==========
television/general #456, from dave.f, 731 chars, Thu May 17 11:20:28 1990
Comment to 453.
———-
As you all have no doubt heard by now, Henson died of what is being termed
“galloping pneumonia”. In other words, he had a bacteriological pneumonia
for three days and did not get it treated, assuming it was just the flu.
Consequently, the infection spread throughout his body to the point where
numerous organs were involved. By the time he checked into the hospital,
he was beyond the help of anibiotics. The doctors tried to revive him
three times when his heart stopped. The third time was not successful.
Jim is survived by his wife and five children. His daughter, Diana, is the
current president of the HARVARD LAMPOON. One of his sons was listed as
a puppeteer in the credits of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.
D=
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animation/main #590, from davemackey, 417 chars, Thu May 17 18:52:24 1990
This is a comment to message 582.
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The film did see some theatrical release, though I don’t remember to what
degree. The film’s quite interesting in that its animators were credited
with the characters they were largely responsible for. This included guys
and gals like (this is off the top of my head right now) Tissa David,
Art Babbitt, I think Grim Natwick was there too, and the Warner Bros.
veteran Gerry Chiniquy.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #591, from hmccracken, 220 chars, Thu May 17 21:03:41 1990
This is a comment to message 583.
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Well, there was just a Muppets show on as part of the
Disney network show, and a feature film called _The
Witches_ was also mentioned, I believe. Henson
always had a *lot* of projects on at any given time…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #592, from hmccracken, 516 chars, Fri May 18 18:55:49 1990
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TITLE: Third-hand gossip dept.
Spoke today to a friend who spoke to a friend of *his* who is a general
all-around animation bigshot who says that a shakeout is in progress
in the animation biz — everybody’s underbiddng everybody else
(the DIC studio is notorious for this), and nobody’s making any money.
His prediction is that two well-known studios will soon be out of
business. Unfortunately, my friend would not pass on the names of
those two studios — wonder which ones his friend is thinking of?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #593, from richard.pini, 611 chars, Fri May 18 20:11:37 1990
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TITLE: Land of the Lost
I am desperately seeking a source for any of the “Land of the Lost” cartoons
that the Fleischer studio did, I guess in the late 40s. These were short
cartoons about the place under the sea where things humans have lost go to
live, overseen by Red Lantern, a wise old fish. I remember several of the
episodes only sketchily, and would love to see them again. In the latest
Whole Toon Catalog, I notice that in one collection there is one cartoon
mentioned (sorry, I don’t have the catalog in front of me) but would be
in heaven if there were an entire tape of the things. Anyone? Anyone?
==========================
animation/main #594, from hmccracken, 341 chars, Fri May 18 21:44:04 1990
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Are you sure there were more than one? The only one I know of
is _Land of Lost Watches_, which is certainly one of the best
cartoons ever made by the Famous (not Fleischer, BTW)
Studios. (And one that I’ve more than once heard fondly
remembered by a non-cartoon fan). The cartoon was based
on the Land of the Lost radio show.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #595, from hmccracken, 680 chars, Fri May 18 21:48:36 1990
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TITLE: Jeff Bergman, the guy who is doing the lion’s
share of replacing the late Mel Blanc as voice of the Warner’s
characters, was on the Larry King radio show yesterday
night, and did most of the voices. His Bugs and Elmer
are *extremely* good; the rest merely *very* good. He
even performed two historically-different Bugses — an
early forties one and a 1950s J{_ir’@jR9iy[mones one. I think that
early forties one and a 1950s Jones-type one. I think that
we and the Warner’s characters are lucky to have the guy.
The upcoming _Box Office Bunny_ theatrical short will
be the first big showcase for his talents; he’s doing the
voices of Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #596, from jimomura, 1348 chars, Fri May 18 22:53:40 1990
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TITLE: Bakshi’s “Wizards” (1977)
Tonight was a strange night. For now, I’ll start in at the point
where I ended up at my freind’s place and we watched “Wizards”. Now,
Joe and Natalie have been watching a fair bit of Japanese animation
with me over the last year. Joe is very picky. There’s a lot he
likes in some of the Japanese animation now, but he’s *very* critical.
He’s never too happy to see anything in pure Japanese anyway. Even
if it’s a really good one and I’m there to translate, he doesn’t really
like it. He hates seeing anything re-used. He has a excellent eye
for that. He hates artistic shortcuts in general really.
But we’ll get on with it. He *really* cut down “Wizards”. He
really hated the mixing of art styles, he disliked the use of stills
and limited animation. He liked, maybe about 15 – 20 min. of the movie.
All in all, there wasn’t much I could do to make him feel better about
having seen it. On the otherhand, I think if I saw it by myself, I
probably would have liked most of it. Then again, I’m more tolerant
of things like limited animation and I find the mixing of artistic
styles interesting. It’s not a fast paced film by any means. They
left a lot of time for people to say “oooh ahh, lookitalltheprettypictures!”
But it’s a good film to relax with with a bottle of something or other.
==========================
animation/main #598, from davemackey, 265 chars, Fri May 18 23:17:02 1990
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The frightening thing is he’s almost as exactly as old as Mel Blanc was
when he started his career — 29. Have you caught the Holiday Inn radio
spot with Bugs and Yosemite Sam? In spots the Sam is a little off, but
Bugs is there.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #599, from davemackey, 565 chars, Fri May 18 23:27:50 1990
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There were three cartoons released by Famous Studios inspired by the
“Land Of the Lost” stories by Isabel Manning Hewson: “Land Of The Lost,”
directed by I. Sparber and released 6/7/48; “Land Of The Lost Jewels,”
also directed by Sparber and released 1/6/50, and, of course, “Land Of
Lost Watches,” directed by Seymour Kneitel and released on May 4, 1951.
These cartoons would more likely than not pop up on those public-
domain cheapies Whole Toon Catalog doesn’t want to deal with, but I have
never run across any of them.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #600, from davemackey, 537 chars, Fri May 18 23:30:53 1990
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TITLE: DIC Studio Tour
Nothing’s finalized, of course, but those enterprising folks at Hollywood’s
most prolific animation house, DIC Animation City, are planning either an
on-premises or off-premises animation tour which would be somewhat more
interactive than the Disney MGM Studios Animation Studio tour.
A report in a trade journal states that computers would play some part
in such an interactive tour to give young would-be animators a chance to
put together some sort of animation themselves.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #601, from wablock, 131 chars, Sat May 19 02:38:30 1990
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I saw that and thought that the Bugs voice was too high. But it was too
short a spot to really tell. Elmer sounded good, though.
==========================
animation/main #602, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Sat May 19 04:23:08 1990
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I’m not sure if Bergman is the new, official Sam, although he
did do him on the radio show. I recall being told that Joe Aslaskey
(who did Sam in Roger Rabbit) may hold that title.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #603, from hmccracken, 273 chars, Sat May 19 04:29:20 1990
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Do the tour visitors get to learn how to make cheesy, tacky
TV cartoons? (DIC has got to have one of the lowest
batting averages for quality of any animation studio, ever.
It’s not a very popular place in the industry either,
even among folks who work there.)
— Harry
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animation/main #604, from davemackey, 229 chars, Sat May 19 07:00:08 1990
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Alaskey is a very good impressionist, but the thing about him that I have
a question about is why he didn’t do the last three weeks of “Couch Potatoes”
the syndicated game show from last year.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #605, from davemackey, 385 chars, Sat May 19 07:03:13 1990
This is a comment to message 603.
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How do they do it? Volume! You’ve gotta give them some credit, though,
for being enterprising enough to repackage some of the marginal series they
have produced for basic cable.
I think with those computers the tour guests could make cartoons surpassing
DIC’s in quality. I have to dig up the article (it was in Broadcasting) for
more details.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #606, from switch, 481 chars, Sat May 19 08:29:54 1990
This is a comment to message 596.
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After watching _Wizards_ far too many times, I’ve gotten from the
“Wowwhatagreatfilm” opinion to “Lemme see some of the scenes I like and we’ll
call it a day”. After watching it (n+1) times, it seems to drag on forever;
then again, I’m starting to get tired of quest stories.
My favorite scenes, which I will watch many times over, are “They killed
Fritz!”, the scene with the two soldiers and the priests, perhaps our
heroes in the elf domain, and the ah final battle.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #607, from hmccracken, 570 chars, Sat May 19 11:02:14 1990
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One of my favorite animation events I’ve ever attended was an appearance
by June Foray and Bill Scott in Boston at which they performed a Bull-
winkle script live; the voices of the narrator, Boris Badenov and various
others were provided by Joe Alaskey and Billy West (the guy who did
the voice of Cecil on the new Beany and Cecil cartoons). Alaskey and
West did a great job and were clearly having the times of their lives;
in partciular, West seemed so overwrought with joy that I sincerely
wondered what the chances were that he might pass out with joy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #608, from jimomura, 906 chars, Sat May 19 11:30:18 1990
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Who did the voice for that Fritz part? It sounded like Martin Short.
I didn’t ask him, but from his reactions, I think he liked the bit
where the soldier is talking to the other one to go fight, the Fritz
scene, the “prayer” scene (though it went on too long and I think liked
the “Plan B”, but he didn’t), the point where Avatar sort of goes
nuts and starts “shooting flowers around” and that’s about it. For
myself, I’d add the final confrontation between Avatar and his brother.
The writing for that and the voice acting were excellent. It was
the animation that fell down. It was dull art at best. Avatar
just sort of stood there talking. I’d have had him moving around
more.
Joe’s reaction was so bad that I didn’t ask him to keep running
through the credits. He switched it off almost as soon as they started
to roll. If you have a list of credits, I’d like to see who was listed.
==========================
animation/main #609, from davemackey, 446 chars, Sat May 19 20:37:45 1990
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Billy West is a sometime performer on the Howard Stern show in New York.
Among the voices he does is Larry Fine (of the Three Stooges) and I think
at one point he was up for some of the coveted Looney Tunes parts.
It’s clear that the kids who grew up with these characters know how
to make them sound like they were in their prime, and this explains
guys like Frank Welker, Dave Coulier, Jeff Bergman et. al.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #610, from hmccracken, 254 chars, Sat May 19 20:43:10 1990
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Who’s Dave Coulier? Speaking of Billy West doing Larry Fine,
Bergman does a splending William (Fred Mertz) Frawley — I
love that sort of oddball impression of somebody who we
civilians would never think worthy of an impressionist’s skills.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #611, from richard.pini, 149 chars, Sat May 19 21:45:24 1990
This is a comment to message 594.
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Oh yes, there were a bunch of them. As well as 9 issues of the comic that
was done by EC (before they got into horror), adapted from the radio show.
==========================
animation/main #612, from richard.pini, 163 chars, Sat May 19 21:46:57 1990
This is a comment to message 599.
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Hm. I recall very specifically one about a little lost jack knife who comes
to the rescue of Princess Spoon or some such – was that one of the ones you
mentioned?
==========================
animation/main #613, from richard.pini, 21 chars, Sat May 19 21:49:12 1990
This is a comment to message 596.
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Especially other. 😉
==========================
animation/main #614, from richard.pini, 156 chars, Sat May 19 21:54:28 1990
This is a comment to message 608.
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Believe it or not, but I am told and have no reason not to believe (having
heard the voice “in the flesh” so to speak) that that is Bakshi
himself. Hm?????
==========================
animation/main #615, from hmccracken, 154 chars, Sat May 19 23:26:04 1990
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Should be pretty easy to tell — Bakshi has a distinctive voice that’s
great for cartoons. He also did at least one voice in _Fritz the Cat_.
— Harry
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animation/main #616, from bsoron, 180 chars, Sat May 19 23:29:25 1990
This is a comment to message 607.
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I remember that. It was a wonderful night; Alaskey and West weren’t
the only ones having the times of their lives. Might’ve been Off the
Wall’s crowning accomplishment, too.
==========================
animation/main #617, from hkenner, 171 chars, Sun May 20 00:52:16 1990
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Switch–
Do you (or does anyone out there) know of any bio sources
on Grim Natwick? I may devote the September *Art & Antiques* piece
to him in honor of his 100th.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #618, from switch, 98 chars, Sun May 20 01:31:30 1990
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I’m afraid not. But a hunt through Nebula’s book racks on Tuesday might
turn something up.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #619, from davemackey, 290 chars, Sun May 20 09:03:45 1990
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Dave Coulier does some of the voices for “Muppet Babies” and briefly did
the voice of Popeye on his most recent TV series; he is also one of the
stars of “Full House” and just took on the chore of hosting “America’s
Funniest Home videos, Part 2”.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #620, from richard.pini, 71 chars, Sun May 20 09:20:24 1990
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If memory serves, he was one of the cops – Phil Seuling was the other.
==========================
animation/main #621, from hmccracken, 109 chars, Sun May 20 10:25:48 1990
This is a comment to message 620.
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Yep, and they made a great pair — rather similar voices and personalities
in some ways, I think.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #622, from hmccracken, 906 chars, Sun May 20 10:32:21 1990
This is a comment to message 617.
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There are bits and pieces on Natwick almost everywhere, but not all that
much in any one place. You said you had the Raggedy Ann and Andy
book; that’s one good source. You might also try to find the current
( I believe) issue of Comics Scene magazine (which is fairly easy to
find on newsstands) with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the cover —
it has an interview with Natwick.
Beyond that, the most productive approach might be to find a library
with a good animation section and look him up in indexes; since he
worked almost everywhere, he should be referred to constantly.
Try _Disney Animation: the Illusion of Life_ for his time at
Disney’s; _The Fleischer Story_ for his work at Fleischer’s;
_Talking Animals and Other People_ for his work at Iwerks;
and _The Walter Lantz Story_ for his Lantz work. Natwick
also for a time a columnist for a magazine called _Cartoonist
Profiles_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #623, from hmccracken, 548 chars, Sun May 20 20:38:14 1990
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BTW, the Childrens’ Television Workshop, producers of _Sesame Street_,
announced quickly after Henson’s death that Ernie — whom they, and not
Disney, hold the copyright to — will not be used anymore on the show
except in old segments produced before Henson’s passing. I would
like to think that Disney would do the same thing with Kermit, but I’m
not holding my breath. In fact, they are trying to have their purchase
price for Henson Associates reduced, on the grounds that much of what
they were paying for was Jim Henson himself.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #624, from tom.white, 399 chars, Sun May 20 20:47:53 1990
This is a comment to message 623.
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If the deal was finalized, I say tough noogies to Disney.
In today’s world of digital processing, I think they could manage
to voice Ernie accurately, the only restrictions being cost and
whether or not Henson WROTE Ernie’s dialogue.
How was Kermit handled in the deal anyway? I know the Sesame Street
characters were not included in the Disney sale, but Kermit is
a crossover (the only one?).
==========================
animation/main #625, from rfranzen, 62 chars, Sun May 20 21:27:08 1990
This is a comment to message 623.
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Accountants and Lawyers are wunnerful people, aren’t they?
==========================
animation/main #626, from dyarbrough, 1140 chars, Sun May 20 22:28:41 1990
This is a comment to message 624.
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First your question. Kermit was created several years before the Street
In fact I think Kermit was one of the first, if not the first muppet (I
am sure Harry will correct me if I am wrong on this. 🙂 Jim Hensen
had a local TV show in a city in the Northeast (the city’s name escapes
me at the moment) several years before the street went on the air. So
Kermit was owned by Hensen, whereas the other characters on the street
were created for the show and they were probably signed over at the time.
The deal with Disney was not finalized at the time of h
Hensen’s death. It would be within Disney’s rights to renogiatiate the
deal since there has been a substantial change in what is being bought.
OTOH Hensen also signed a 7 – 9 yr (I forget the exact length of time)
contract at the time the sale was agreed on. It basically depends on
how much of the price was listed as “Intangibles” in valueing the
property. If the “intagible” amount is large Disney could argue they
were buying Hensen’s creative genius of which they would now not recieve.
W/O knowing anymore details any further speculation is just that, speculation.
david
==========================
animation/main #627, from dave.f, 96 chars, Mon May 21 17:40:20 1990
This is a comment to message 619.
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re: Dave Coulier is also the host of OUT OF
CONTROL on Nick.
D=
==========================
animation/main #628, from dave.f, 460 chars, Mon May 21 17:40:27 1990
This is a comment to message 624.
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re: According to an interview with one of the
CTW folks I heard several month ago, all scripting is done by the SESAME
STREET writers, Henson’s people are just performers. Ernie’s style and
personality are such that I cannot imagine anyone else, including the
muti-voiced Jerry Nelson, being able to carry him off convincingly. He was my
favorite. I think it’s that he’s such a lovable trouble-maker that really got
to me.
D=
==========================
animation/main #629, from davemackey, 133 chars, Mon May 21 17:54:22 1990
This is a comment to message 627.
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Absolutely right, and those now six-year-old shows are still running
on the weekends on Nickelodeon!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #630, from bcapps, 356 chars, Mon May 21 22:21:55 1990
This is a comment to message 626.
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On the day of his death, Channel 4 here in Wash. DC commented on Henson
before mentioning Sammy Davis Jr.’s demise, since Henson got his start at
that station in its early days by doing a little puppet skit at the end of
the news telecast. In accompanying photos, one can see the early Kermit
evolving and there is also a shot of Henson pre-beard.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #631, from rfranzen, 344 chars, Tue May 22 19:28:25 1990
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TITLE: Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 1990, page A-5
Disney (apparently) took the whole page. It said:
Jim Henson
———
1936-1990
———
In the lower left corn, there is a 1.5″ Mickey with a tear rolling down his
cheek. This quiet tribute was extremely effective; I had a tear or two join
Mickey’s. Classy.
Rich
==========================
animation/main #632, from hkenner, 40 chars, Tue May 22 19:36:45 1990
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Likewise in yesterday’s New York Times.
==========================
animation/main #633, from hmccracken, 325 chars, Tue May 22 20:12:48 1990
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Classy indeed, though crying cartoon characters are perhaps getting a wee
bit tired as a device in such tributes. Two of the best are one of the first —
_Paris Match’s_ crying Mickey when Walt Disney died, and Warner Bros.
‘s morose (though not actually sobbing) Bugs and company when Mel
Blanc passed away.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #634, from hmccracken, 268 chars, Tue May 22 20:25:47 1990
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TITLE: Does anybody’s newspaper carry a new strip called
_Queen of the Universe_, by Sam Hurt. It’s previewed in the
current _Comics Buyer’s Guide_, and I curious both as to how
good it is (beyond CBG’s samples) and whether it’s in any
papers of any size.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #635, from tom.white, 972 chars, Tue May 22 21:12:00 1990
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The Austin American-Statesman is running Sundays of Queen of the Universe
(apparently at the expense of Making It, about which I must complain).
The local hyper-cool weekly freebie, The Chronicle, also runs the week’s
worth of strips when it publishes on Thursday, though at rather small size.
The Chronicle will continue this until University of Texas’s daily Texan
resumes publication sometime over the summer, when QotU will move it’s
dailies to there.
Of course, this figures since Hurt still lives here.
This week’s CBG has a preview of Queen of the Universe, including
a Sam Hurt chronology of how he got started in the business.
If you cannot find Eyebeam books locally, I can probably track them
down here in Austin.
My general impression is that Hurt is still getting back into doing
a daily (he continued Eyebeam as a weekly panel in The Chronicle, but
it was wildly non-sequitur), but will find his feet and his cutting teeth
quickly. The man is sharp.
==========================
animation/main #636, from switch, 176 chars, Wed May 23 02:09:58 1990
This is a comment to message 633.
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I never saw the Paris Match ad (of course), but I felt a pang when I saw
the mourning Warner characters. I’ve got a copy of that out of Animation
Magazine on my wall…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #637, from davemackey, 207 chars, Wed May 23 18:30:42 1990
This is a comment to message 592.
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I read somewhere that Great American is thinking of selling off its two
animation studios — Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears. Possibly to MCA.
(Broadcasting, 5/21, p. 72)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #638, from hkenner, 49 chars, Thu May 24 00:57:49 1990
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TITLE: Art Babbitt …
… is he still with us?
==========================
animation/main #639, from hmccracken, 46 chars, Thu May 24 18:13:39 1990
This is a comment to message 638.
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Alive and (as far as I know) well.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #640, from richard.pini, 918 chars, Sat May 26 08:58:04 1990
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TITLE: Uncut Japanese animation?
I just picked up, at the local Kay-Bee toy store, a bunch of “Family” label
video (don’t know the exact logo, but easy to spot) versions of a bunch of
Japanese feature-length animations – “Spe
a(let’s try that again with hitting the return key…)
“Space Firebird” (“Phoenix 2772” originally), “Locke the Superpower” (origin-
ally “…the Superman”, I can see DC’s lawyers getting on that one), some
Harlock, some robot films. Having seen “Phoenix” before uncut, I could tell
that these have been edited, I suspect, both for time and for younger
audiences. I’d never seen “Locke” before and we both enjoyed it, given that
we knew we were seeing an edited version – some of it is pretty obvious, as
to where and why things are cut. Can anyone on here put me on the track of
either an uncut, translated or just an uncut version? We’d love to see what
the entire film looks like. Thanks.
==========================
animation/main #641, from jimomura, 500 chars, Sat May 26 09:14:21 1990
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Uh, well, it wouldn’t be particularly cheap. I remember seeing
the price for “Locke” and passing on it. How were the voices and
dialogue for “Space Firebird”? I’ve seen the box for that one in
a rental store up here in Toronto, but I haven’t rented it (or bought
it either — something like $80.00 I think).
It’s funny you should mention “Space Firebird”. This was the
tape I *wanted* to see the night I saw “Wizards”. Somebody had already
rented “Space Firebird” before I got there.
==========================
animation/main #642, from davemackey, 414 chars, Sat May 26 09:37:02 1990
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TITLE: If you can find a copy….
…check out this week’s weekly Variety for a 24-pg. special section on the
resurgence of animation. Talks about works in progress (“The Thief and
The Cobbler” for Christmas 1991??? ’bout time if so!) and two nice articles
on the elder statesmen of Warner Bros. Cartoons, Chuck Jones and Friz
Freleng, both of which I duly note contain the word “active” in their
first paragraph.
==========================
animation/main #643, from switch, 265 chars, Sat May 26 12:40:26 1990
This is a comment to message 640.
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Do you have access to a laserdisc player? If so, Wok Talk, Nikaku Animart, or
Laser Perceptions would do nicely. If not, Books Nippan probably has it
available, if at an expensive price.
I’ll go through my list when I get home and see what I can dig up.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #644, from jenn, 73 chars, Sat May 26 15:15:42 1990
This is a comment to message 634.
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Haven’t seen it anywhere here in Seattle, Harry.
I’ll keep an eye out…
==========================
animation/main #645, from steven_edwards, 830 chars, Sat May 26 16:33:27 1990
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TITLE: Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” on Videocassette
I bought a copy of “The Little Mermaid” video that was released last
week. The list price is $26.99 and there is a mail-in rebate good for three
dollars; I purchased my copy at The Disney Store in Nashua, NH for $19.99.
The recording was done quite nicely. Of course, home video is never
as nice as the big screen, but the reframing for tv turned out really well
and the stereo playback was almost as good as the CD version. It really is
worth seeing more than once just to catch the nuances of the animation work.
Also, when the end credits roll (something occasionally cut in the theaters),
one is rather impressed with the numbers of the “ink & paint” troops – clearly
Disney has no hesitation to employ small armies of artists to get the job
done right.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #646, from davemackey, 329 chars, Sat May 26 18:27:13 1990
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TITLE: Peter Pan Release
Disney’s next big video cassette release is now official. “Peter Pan,”
released in 1953, hits stores on September 21. Both it and “The Little
Mermaid” will be withdrawn on April 30, 1991.
The rebate tie-in for “Pan” will be $5.00 and will be sponsored by
Nabisco.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #647, from hmccracken, 197 chars, Sat May 26 20:59:08 1990
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Right — my copy (at least) of Mermaid unexpectedly came with an ad inside for
Peter Pan. I’d forgotten to mention that! Two Disney animated features on tape
in one year — gee whiz.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #648, from richard.pini, 254 chars, Sat May 26 21:49:43 1990
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Believe it or not, all of these Americanized, familyized videotapes were on
sale for $3.99 each – even for cut versions it’s a very good price. The
voices/dialogue on “Firebird/Phoenix” were decent, given what I know of the
story/dialogue for “Phoenix.”
==========================
animation/main #649, from jimomura, 95 chars, Sat May 26 23:41:44 1990
This is a comment to message 648.
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Huh? $3.99? Hey, Richard, do you think you can get me one?
I’ll pay you back of course!
==========================
animation/main #650, from davemackey, 256 chars, Sun May 27 00:00:43 1990
This is a comment to message 647.
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————————–
I think the next one in the queue, given the fact that it’s being reissued
to theatres this summer, is “Jungle Book.”
Also, I wonder if Disney’s entertaining thoughts of video-releasing
their DuckTales feature film?
–D.
==========================
animation/main #651, from davemackey, 330 chars, Sun May 27 00:02:38 1990
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Steven–
Imagine having to transcribe all those names. It’s a far cry from the
early days, when only about 50-80 artists were credited on a Disney feature.
Now it’s hundreds upon hundreds. I think I can find out exactly how many
names there were on those credits. I’ll get back on this.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #652, from davemackey, 208 chars, Sun May 27 00:04:28 1990
This is a comment to message 642.
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Comment to my own message: Is the new CEO of Hanna-Barbera’s name not
spelled Kirchner? Throughout the section it’s spelled as if he was one
of Don Kirschner’s relations.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #653, from hmccracken, 219 chars, Sun May 27 10:28:15 1990
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I can’t imagine that they would lovingly put the DuckTales movie back in the
vault, saving it for theatrical release for future generations…I’m sure it will
be put out on video at the earliest opportunity.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #654, from hmccracken, 175 chars, Sun May 27 10:29:32 1990
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They also refer to one “Jeffrey” Beck, co-author of a book on Warner
Bros. cartoons — whom I suspect is a close relative of BIX CBIX
session guest *Jerry* Beck.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #655, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Sun May 27 10:32:31 1990
This is a comment to message 653.
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It’s still must-readin for cartoon fans, and an excellent snapshot of the
state of animation at this time. I especially liked the list of prime-time
cartoon shows in the works.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #656, from davemackey, 332 chars, Sun May 27 15:47:51 1990
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TITLE: Jetsons Feature
Noteworthy aspect of the Jetsons feature film which will be released shortly:
Hanna and Barbera are directing this one themselves. I don’t think they’ve
taken director credit on anything since the early 1970’s, turning those
duties over to Nick Nichols and others at that time.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #657, from hmccracken, 99 chars, Mon May 28 01:17:21 1990
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Really? I thought an ex-Disney man was directing the movie…
Dave Somebody-or-other.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #658, from davemackey, 280 chars, Tue May 29 18:22:31 1990
This is a comment to message 657.
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That Dave something or other (I don’t even remember) is credited, I believe,
with animation direction or supervision. H&B are credited as “Produced and
Directed by…” which is the way they were credited from the earliest
days of their own studio (and the final days at M-G-M)…
==========================
animation/main #659, from switch, 137 chars, Tue May 29 19:57:48 1990
This is a comment to message 648.
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*$3.99*?!? Hey, Richard, if’n ya can send me a tape or three, I can pay ya
back!
Durn, and my dad was just in NY this weekend…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #660, from hmccracken, 198 chars, Wed May 30 18:40:52 1990
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TITLE: Odd But True…
_The Little Mermaid_ is still playing at the local theater here in Newton, six
months after it opened and several weeks after the movie was released on
videotape!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #661, from steven_edwards, 374 chars, Wed May 30 22:57:32 1990
This is a comment to message 660.
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I guess that means that there are still some people who don’t yet
have VCRs, or just enjoy the theater experience.
By the way, did you know that on _The Little Mermaid_ CD, Disney
left off the names of the vocalists? Authors Ashman and Menken are credited,
however. I really enjoyed Jodi Benson’s Ariel – perhaps we’ll hear from her
again in a future title.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #662, from hkenner, 640 chars, Fri Jun 1 14:10:32 1990
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TITLE: Grim Natwick
… will be 100 on Aug. 16, as I think everyone here knows. He will
be the subject of my “Inside Story” column for the September *Art &
Antiques* (there is no August issue, alas). I have written him asking
for the loan of a drawing we can reproduce. On Sunday I leave the
country for 2 weeks. If by Monday June 18, when I pick up accumulated
mail, there is nothing from Grim, I’ll turn to you BIXEN for help: a
source, any source.
Meanwhile, any Natwick anecdotes are welcome. Post them here or send
me BIXMail.
Circulation of *A&A* has reached 150,000, which makes it the most-read
art mag in the world.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #663, from davemackey, 377 chars, Fri Jun 1 18:00:01 1990
This is a comment to message 662.
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I forget what magazine Howard Beckerman used to write a column for, but he
once printed the following exchange between Natwick and Tissa David:
Natwick: “What do you think of animation?”
David: “Animation is animation.”
Natwick: “You can’t argue with that.”
Have to check my notes (which I have someplace) for the proper attribution.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #664, from jshook, 62 chars, Sat Jun 2 00:30:15 1990
This is a comment to message 663.
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That must have been the late, lamented Filmmakers Newsletter.
==========================
animation/main #665, from ewhac, 45 chars, Sat Jun 2 01:49:48 1990
This is a comment to message 645.
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Since when are end credits cut in theatres?
==========================
animation/main #666, from davemackey, 311 chars, Sat Jun 2 08:48:39 1990
This is a comment to message 664.
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Now that you mentioned it, that’s probably where it was. I’d have to go
back to my college library and read through all those again. Beckerman is
a very interesting crusader for the art and science of animation both;
he got his start as an animator for Paramount Cartoon Studio.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #667, from steven_edwards, 453 chars, Sun Jun 3 01:08:14 1990
This is a comment to message 665.
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I don’t think the film is actually physically cut; what commonly
occurs is that the house lights are brought up (and sometimes the soundtrack
is attenuated) to facilitate the quick emptying of the theater. It is
difficult, if not impossible, to read the credits under the resulting low
contrast visual conditions. I have found this to be a common occurance in
those movie houses that try to jam as many performances as possible in a day.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #668, from switch, 109 chars, Sun Jun 3 13:40:03 1990
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TITLE: Total Recall
Okay, how many people noticed the “Botco” ad in the background in “Total
Recall”?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #669, from grekel, 63 chars, Sun Jun 3 17:44:56 1990
This is a comment to message 668.
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sorry, Emru — what’s “Botco”?
BTW, whadja think of the movie?
==========================
animation/main #670, from switch, 1077 chars, Sun Jun 3 18:09:30 1990
This is a comment to message 669.
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Total Recall was fun, I suppose. The violence really got to me, because, as
in any movie with a lot of action, you reach a point of saturation, after which
it all becomes absurd. Unfortunately, TR hit that level fairly early. In the
scene where the “doctor” tells Quaid to look at himself, at his super-agent
acheivements, and asks him how probable that is, I said, “yeah, how probable{
_is_ this?” But I check my disbelief in at the door when I walk into these
kinds of movies.
To keep this on-topic — when Kuato helped Quaid to remember, I was thinking
of how much the memory of the alien reactor site resembled the area under
Laputa that Muska discovered in Miyazaki’s film. Then, towards the end, the
reactor acted almost _exactly_ as Laputa did when Pazu and Sheeta used the
final Word of power.
“Botco” (not the full name, if memory serves) is a computer animation that was
done in the mid-80s, and can be found on the tape “State of the Art of
Computer Animation”. Pretty funny. The tail end of it was shown just before
the Total Rekall ad Quaid saw.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #671, from ewhac, 48 chars, Mon Jun 4 01:36:35 1990
This is a comment to message 670.
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“Botco. Tomorrow’s fuels, tomorrow’s prices.”
==========================
animation/main #672, from grekel, 74 chars, Tue Jun 5 08:28:25 1990
This is a comment to message 670.
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okay. “botco” — yah, I’ve seen that piece. I’ll keep an eye out for it!
==========================
animation/main #673, from davemackey, 541 chars, Tue Jun 5 18:07:01 1990
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TITLE: Jack Gilford
Mention must be made here in the animation conference of the recent passing
of Jack Gilford at the age of 82, for two reasons:
(1) He was the star of a successful series of commercials for Cracker
Jack. These spots which cast Gilford in a variety of roles (though I seem
to remember him as a kindly school bus driver) were quite well written.
(2) He played the crusty veteran animator, Brooks Carmichael, on the
short-lived sitcom set in a cartoon studio, “The Duck Factory.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #674, from hmccracken, 403 chars, Tue Jun 5 19:48:07 1990
This is a comment to message 673.
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Jack Gilford is dead? Oh, my. I will remember him for
many wonderful performances, but perhaps above all
for a record he recorded as the voice of Winnie-the-Pooh
that I listened to dozens of times in my childhood.
(Wonder if I still have it?) I believe the Gilford Pooh
recording preceded the Disney cartoons, and possibly
inspired them: his voice is very similar to Sterling
Holloway’s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #675, from sharonfisher, 77 chars, Tue Jun 5 20:33:03 1990
This is a comment to message 674.
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I recognized the guy for *years* in various things, but never knew his name.
==========================
animation/main #676, from davemackey, 141 chars, Tue Jun 5 20:54:44 1990
This is a comment to message 652.
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Comment to my own comment: It is spelled David Kirschner. My apologiez
(whoops) for the misinformation.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #677, from davemackey, 404 chars, Tue Jun 12 18:31:12 1990
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TITLE: For those who prefer…
….the complete, unexpurgated, un-Bugs and Elmer-ed version of Wagner’s
Ring cycle, PBS will be airing the Metropolitan Opera productions on
next Monday through Thursday nights. “Das Rheingold,” “Die Valkure,”
“Siegfried” and “Gotterdammerung” will be performed in their entireties
on consecutive nights, as was Wagner’s original intent.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #678, from hmccracken, 72 chars, Tue Jun 12 18:43:05 1990
This is a comment to message 677.
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Yeah, but who wants to watch opera without Bugs Bunny in it?
— Harry
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animation/main #679, from tom.white, 71 chars, Tue Jun 12 20:27:25 1990
This is a comment to message 678.
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More to the point, who wants to watch without “kill the wabbit” in it?
==========================
animation/main #680, from hmccracken, 270 chars, Wed Jun 13 18:36:30 1990
This is a comment to message 593.
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Are you still looking for Land of the Lost cartoons? I note that
on the back cover of current Harvey comic books (I admit it —
I was flipping through _Hot Stuff_ at the newsstand) there is an
ad for a tape that includes one of them, _Land of Lost Watches_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #681, from davemackey, 232 chars, Wed Jun 13 21:34:30 1990
This is a comment to message 678.
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Well, regardless, I dragged out the old Chuck Jones tape and got my
monthly taste of Wagner just for the fun of it. Don’t know if I’ll
watch the whole Ring cycle. They’ll probably slip in pledge phone
numbers amongst the subtitles.
==========================
animation/main #682, from richard.pini, 105 chars, Wed Jun 13 22:19:21 1990
This is a comment to message 680.
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Yes! Definitely still looking! Thanks for the tip – I’ll hit the local shop
tomorrow to see what’s what.
==========================
animation/main #683, from davemackey, 585 chars, Fri Jun 15 21:17:19 1990
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TITLE: Freberg alert!
The digital age is now getting a taste of Freberg. Capitol Records is
soon to be releasing a 21-track compact disc of the best of Stan Freberg,
which heavily emphasises the records he made in the 50’s such as “St. George
and The Dragonet” (with the late Daws Butler). Hooray!
To recap for those coming in late, Freberg did voices for Warner Bros.
Cartoons for about a decade including Junyer Bear, one of the Goofy Gophers,
and that all-time fave, Pete Puma. He later narrated “Wuzzles” for Walt Disney
Television Animation.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #684, from jshook, 280 chars, Fri Jun 15 23:09:31 1990
This is a comment to message 683.
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Freberg also had a radio show (Good God! am I *that* old?) of
which I have fond memories. I remember seeing a book he wrote…
I think it came out last year or so. As I recall, it dealt mostly
with his commercial work (“Who put eight great tomatoes in that
itty-bitty can?”)
==========================
animation/main #685, from hmccracken, 266 chars, Sat Jun 16 00:13:21 1990
This is a comment to message 684.
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Freberg’s commercials are undoubtedly the funniest of all time,
especially a soup one with Ann Miller and a Ray Bradbury spot
for prunes. He does have a current series of ads for Encyclopedia
Britannica (starring his son) which are not especially funny.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #686, from davemackey, 203 chars, Sat Jun 16 08:50:32 1990
This is a comment to message 685.
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Then that’s gotta be daddy being the omniscient narrator in those spots,
right? I had no idea that was Freberg and his kid. Thanks for the
info! Ooh ye cool!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #687, from hmccracken, 125 chars, Sat Jun 16 10:28:58 1990
This is a comment to message 686.
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Yup, that’s Freberg narrating the commercials. Mildly amusing,
but no competition for his great sixties work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #688, from davemackey, 206 chars, Sat Jun 16 23:11:43 1990
This is a comment to message 687.
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After the fact, it does sort of sound like his Wuzzle’s narration. But
thousand-dollar encyclopaedias ain’t Jeno’s Pizza Rolls and require a
different selling approach.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #689, from hmccracken, 1232 chars, Sun Jun 17 07:47:33 1990
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TITLE: They did it again..
When Disney was releasing _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ two years ago,
the movie was set to be promoted as a “Walt Disney” production
(rather than a “Touchstone” — i.e., for grownups — one) up until
a very short time before it reached theaters. (I saw posters and
other stuff that promoted it as a Disney film). The same thing
seems to have happened with _Dick Tracy_ — I saw an article
somewhere that explained that the film would be a “Disney” one,
but at the last moment it became a “Touchstone” one. They were
nervous about the (stylized, non-blood) violence and Madonna’s
low-cut gowns and one or two very mild sexual innuendos. (_Roger
Rabbit_ was probably a racier film, really, all things considered.)
I am a purist when it comes to such things, but I would have liked
to see _Tracy_ promoted as a Walt Disney film. Except for the Roger
films, all the studio’s animation goes out under that banner, but
very little else. (_Honey, I Shrunk the Kids_ being the only live
action Disney film of recent vintage.) It would be nice to see a
“Disney” live-action film be really widely popular, but if they
reserve the monicker for the most purely kid-oriented stuff it’ll
never happen.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #690, from hkenner, 200 chars, Mon Jun 18 17:14:18 1990
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TITLE: Grim
OK, folks, I’m back from 2 weeks abroad, and no letter from Grim
Natwick. So somebody please point me to a source for a pic *Art &
Antiques* can use. Need it within about 10 days.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #691, from hmccracken, 46 chars, Mon Jun 18 18:41:09 1990
This is a comment to message 690.
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A picture of Grim or of his work?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #692, from hkenner, 143 chars, Mon Jun 18 20:31:04 1990
This is a comment to message 691.
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Sory, I should have been more specific. Of his work. Snow White is
likely tied up in Disney copyrights, but a BBoop should be findable.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #693, from davemackey, 799 chars, Tue Jun 19 22:01:17 1990
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TITLE: Coincidence?
The very day that a number of production art pieces were to be auctioned
off at Christie’s East from the cartoon “Duck Dodgers in the 24-1/2th
Century,” Channel 9 in New York gives us a chance to see the cartoon
on its 8 a.m. Bugs/Porky show! Weird!
Incidentally, Mr. Jones held court for about an hour or so at Christies
last night, and the stories he tells in “Chuck Amuck” are much better
coming straight from the source than set into type. IMHO, the experience
of meeting Mr. Jones in person was well worth driving two and a half
hours in raging thunderstorms.
Also on hand were Chuck’s brilliant layout man Maurice Noble, and
animator Shamus Culhane, who briefly worked at Warner’s in the early
1940’s with Jones.
Such a night.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #694, from hmccracken, 217 chars, Wed Jun 20 18:34:50 1990
This is a comment to message 693.
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Wow! Any interesting Jones/Culhane stories come out of the night?
Meeting Jones would be worth a drive of almost any length; it really
is the equivalent of meeting, say, Chaplin in the live-action world.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #695, from hkenner, 62 chars, Wed Jun 20 22:28:25 1990
This is a comment to message 694.
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—And I’ve met Jones twice, and once dined witj Chaplin. …
==========================
animation/main #696, from hmccracken, 615 chars, Wed Jun 20 23:31:53 1990
This is a comment to message 695.
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I’m sorry that I’ll never have the chance to meet Chaplin, at least
in this lifetime. He is one of my heroes, and I think that animation
owes a tremendous debt to him, as well as Lloyd and Langdon. Silent
comedy’s influence on animated cartoons, even those with dialogue,
is much greater than the impact it had on live-action sound comedy.
(While I never met Chaplin, I have seen Le Cirque Imaginaire, a
fascinating two-person circus performed by his daughter Victoria and
her husband — and Victoria has much of her father’s genius and
*exactly* the same smile, so I feel I’ve compensated somewhat.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #697, from davemackey, 262 chars, Thu Jun 21 01:33:05 1990
This is a comment to message 694.
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I didn’t see Culhane; his presence was pointed out to me. But I did notice
Mr. Noble and kicked myself thereafter for not giving him a hearty cheerio —
since his design work made lots of Jones successes that more palatable.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #698, from switch, 88 chars, Thu Jun 21 12:16:19 1990
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TITLE: Just installed…
…UseNet digest #16. Still on the road to catching up.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #699, from bcapps, 298 chars, Fri Jun 22 23:38:33 1990
This is a comment to message 696.
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I too, regret that these folks are no longer around and are becoming less
and less remembered and appreciated. I would also add Keaton to the list
of those silent stars to whom animation owes a debt. Some of the scenes
from his films that he choreographed, are nothing short of magical.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #700, from switch, 183 chars, Sat Jun 23 00:07:39 1990
This is a comment to message 699.
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i spent a lot of time saying, “Buster _who_?” Then I took a FIlm
Aesthetics course. We were doing comedy, and watched “One Week”
and “The General”. Hooked me almost at once.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #701, from davemackey, 686 chars, Sat Jun 23 06:27:25 1990
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TITLE: A Tale of Two Ali Babas
I purchased a PD cassette with the Ub Iwerks version of “Ali Baba” and
was surprised to the similarity to “Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s
Forty Thieves.” The overall design and plotline are quite similar, and some
gags are almost identical — the camel being filled with gasoline, the
closing gag of Ali and the thieves pulling the wagon in the desert, even
the opening atmospheric shots of the thieves riding the desert.
Consumer advocates should note that the two PD tapes I bought both
had cartoons that were listed on the box but weren’t on the program.
These were Star Classics tapes I bought at Caldor.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #702, from davemackey, 315 chars, Sat Jun 23 06:30:08 1990
This is a comment to message 470.
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Update on the 50 Cartoons for $9.99 scam: I am now told that
the company that was selling these tapes through the mail, U.S.
Buyer’s Network, is under investigation by a number of government
agencies and I was quite lucky to get the tape as many customers were
never shipped them.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #703, from jdow, 278 chars, Sat Jun 23 18:27:55 1990
This is a comment to message 700.
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I think of Peter Sellers or Woody Allen and have to admit they were great.
But IMHO the two greatest movie comics of all time were Buster Keaton and
Charlie Chaplain. From time to time I swap who I think was the best. So far
I have seen nobody come up to their standards.
{@_@}
==========================
animation/main #704, from hmccracken, 450 chars, Sat Jun 23 19:32:02 1990
This is a comment to message 699.
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Leaving out Keaton was a ridiculous oversight on my part. While
I must admit that in someways my regard for him is more intellectual
than emotional, _The General_ has got to be one of the most
remarkable motion pictures ever made. And much of the rest of
his stuff is extraordinary. Harry Langdon, on the other hand, who
is much less well-remembered, is someone I love even though most
of his films aren’t as “great” as Keaton’s work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #705, from hmccracken, 336 chars, Sat Jun 23 19:34:26 1990
This is a comment to message 701.
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Gee, I didn’t even know that Star Classics was still in business.
When they were one of the only el cheapo PD tape companies around,
I bought a tape that didn’t match the cartoons listed on the box,
and was a wee bit embarassed in trying to explain to the clerk
why I was returning it. (Hey, a cartoon’s a cartoon, right?)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #706, from davemackey, 403 chars, Sat Jun 23 22:26:37 1990
This is a comment to message 705.
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Sure. To the untrained eye, that is. But I find it a little weird to be
watching a Walt Disney cartoon in PD form (one of the tapes included the
Jack Hannah cartoon “Hooked Bear” from 1955).
Caldor just got a whole bunch of new ones in, and now there’s a brand
of PD tapes that encloses free Gummi Bears in the package. (A little
food with your entertainment.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #707, from jshook, 141 chars, Sat Jun 23 23:01:36 1990
This is a comment to message 703.
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Next time you are confused about which of the two was greater, repeat
this phrase to yourself “Chaplin was theater, but Keaton is cinema.”
==========================
animation/main #708, from hmccracken, 387 chars, Sun Jun 24 00:17:23 1990
This is a comment to message 707.
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Does that mean you are a Keaton fan? I think the idea that Chaplin
was “theater” is overrated. Have you seen the PBS documentary
_The Unknown Chaplin_? He really did work awfully hard, as a
director, to create his stuff. I think there may be something to
the theory, which I’ve heard more than once, that Chaplin is the
greatest *film* actor in the history of the medium.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #709, from davemackey, 442 chars, Sun Jun 24 08:30:24 1990
This is a comment to message 708.
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I did see “The Unknown Chaplin.” When I was a teenager, PBS used to show
the Chaplin shorts during the summertimes and I went to see revivals of
“The Great Dictator” and “Modern Times” in my local theatre. I wasn’t
aware until I saw “The Unknown Chaplin” that he strove so hard to get his
message on the screen — which may have been unusual in those lackadaisical
days of filmmaking in the 1910’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #710, from hkenner, 476 chars, Sun Jun 24 12:21:02 1990
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Opinions sought: is it fairly safe to say that Grim Natwick (at
present 99.85 years old) is the first animator to have boasted
formal art school training? (Chicago Art Institute, National
Academy of Design, Vienna National Academy). Winsor McCay for
instance seems to have been self-taught. Max Fleischer was
briefly at Art Students’ League and Cooper Union, but that sounds
bush-league.
Also, does anyone remember the name of the singning crow ensemble
in Dumbo ?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #711, from mscoville, 557 chars, Sun Jun 24 15:14:30 1990
This is a comment to message 710.
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In response to hkenner’s question concerning the crows in Dumbo,
They were named Fat Crow, Jim (or Dandy)Crow and he was the leader of
the group, Glasses crow who was the smallest and obviously shortsighted,
preacher crow and finally Straw Hat Crow. It should be noted that the
names changed throughout the production. Other information on the crows:
The voices of the crows were done by Cliff Edwards and Jim Carmichael.
The singing vioces were provided by the Hall Johnson Choir. They were
reportedly drawn by Ward Kimball. Hope this helps.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #712, from hmccracken, 149 chars, Sun Jun 24 16:42:05 1990
This is a comment to message 711.
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And to expand a little, I don’t believe that either the group or
the individual members had names that were referred to during the
movie.
— Harry
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animation/main #713, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Sun Jun 24 16:45:01 1990
This is a comment to message 710.
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I will do a little research on this question, but you may well
be right. Certainly serious art schooling was unusual until
the mid-1930s, when Disney both raided art schools for talent
and sent employees to art school at night, as well as conducting
classes at the studio. (All of which led to him organizing
CalArts, one of his least-appreciated accomplishments and a
useful rejoinder to those who say that Disney knew nothing of
and cared nothing for art.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #714, from jenn, 56 chars, Sun Jun 24 17:35:43 1990
This is a comment to message 683.
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“Let’s see you do THAT on television!” — Stan Freberg
==========================
animation/main #715, from jshook, 1302 chars, Sun Jun 24 23:26:58 1990
This is a comment to message 708.
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Chaplin was indeed a great film actor. What I meant by my
remark is that Chaplin did not exploit the film frame and other
filmic devices as Keaton did. Chaplin’s filmmaking technique
was quite conservative–the camera does little more than record
a series of performances which are essentially theatrical in
nature. This is obviously an over-simplification, but I
believe there is a grain of truth in there….
Keaton on the other hand was far more filmic in his approach.
He had a mesterful sense of how to present himself as a graphic
element in the frame so that his actions were always immediately
legible, no matter how far away he was (example: the scene in
“Our Hospitality ” [I think] where he runs down the street, stops
franticallyt in front of the church and slides a good 10 or 20
feet before he can change direction and charge up the stairs– all
shot from about 300 feet away!) He also was far more inventive in
using filmic techniques like cutting, multiple points of view and so
on to present the situation. And of course he liked to draw attention
to the medium itself, “Sherlock, Jr.” being only the most well-known
example.
I have often thought that Keaton’s famouse stone face was his way
to ensure that the viewer would be compelled to read him from body
language alone.
==========================
animation/main #716, from hmccracken, 560 chars, Sun Jun 24 23:48:42 1990
This is a comment to message 715.
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I guess we pretty much agree…No doubt Keaton was the greater
user of film’s bag of tricks in many ways. But Keaton’s excellence
in this area doesn’t mean that Chaplin was excessively conservative
or “of the theater” in his approach; as I say, I think this theory
is overrated. (I would rate _The Gold Rush_ with most of Keaton’s
work in its use of cinematic technique, for instance.) For me,
Chaplin’s body of work is greater than Keaton’s — and certainly
had much more to say — but one’s preference between the two is a
very personal thing.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #717, from jshook, 286 chars, Sun Jun 24 23:57:20 1990
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————————–
I agree…Chaplin/Keaton preference is personal, and probably
indicative of an underlying characteristic of personality,
like people who like cats rather than dogs and so on. My
experience is that you can never convince those cat people that
they’re wrong–it’s just the way they are.
==========================
animation/main #718, from hkenner, 233 chars, Mon Jun 25 00:04:48 1990
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————————–
Finally: has anyone a clear memory of the scene where (Disney’s) Snow
White runs downstairs? Natwick recalls animating it frame-by-frame
Years since I’ve seen it. Is it a *spiral* staircase, and is the
“camera” angle oblique?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #719, from switch, 93 chars, Mon Jun 25 11:46:59 1990
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But how can you convince us (cat people) that we’re wrong when we’re most
clearly not?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #720, from hkenner, 108 chars, Mon Jun 25 17:57:27 1990
————————–
See writers.talk/hk.stuff #336 for a draft of the Grim Natwick
tribute. Factual corrections welcomed.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #721, from switch, 287 chars, Mon Jun 25 19:44:16 1990
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Only one such scene: Joan Crawf– er, the Queen running down a spiral
staircase. The camera is facing straight at the staircase itself (which
is ‘wrapped’ around a pillar about five-six feet in diameter). This takes
place somewhere around the time she prepares the poison apple.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #722, from mscoville, 145 chars, Mon Jun 25 23:18:33 1990
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————————–
This is actually a comment to #720. The question is are you asking
The Queen or Snow White? Let me know and I will check my sources.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #723, from steven_edwards, 655 chars, Tue Jun 26 00:04:00 1990
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————————–
There is also a staircase scene of note in _The Little Mermaid_. The
scene takes place in the castle with Ariel running down a wide, orthogonal
stairway after she is (mistakenly) told of her upcoming wedding. If you
watch this carefully, you’ll see a combination rotation and zoom from the
camera’s veiwpoint. Additionally, the zoom movement rate is kept just on
the upper limit to avoid frame sampling aliasing. A similar rate limitation
can be seen on the rotation speed of the horse-drawn carriage wheels that
keeps the spokes from travelling backward. Obviously, there was some computer
assistance on these and several other scenes.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #724, from hkenner, 185 chars, Tue Jun 26 00:21:10 1990
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I had Snow White in mind, because Grim named her re the animation of
the staircase sequence. But switch has indicated that it may well have
been the Queen. *Any* light welcomed.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #725, from hmccracken, 143 chars, Tue Jun 26 01:26:20 1990
This is a comment to message 723.
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…And unless I miss my mark there is a similar spiral staircase
scene in _Cinderella_, which probably inspired the _Mermaid_ one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #726, from hmccracken, 146 chars, Tue Jun 26 01:27:29 1990
This is a comment to message 721.
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Correct — it’s an excellent scene, but it’s not Snow White. And
there isn’t any scene in which Snow runs down that spiral
staircase.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #727, from bcapps, 1919 chars, Tue Jun 26 23:31:05 1990
This is a comment to message 717.
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It’s amazing to see the responses triggered by plucking the right memory
“string.” 😉
The thing that always attracts me more towards Keaton’s films is that there
is an underlying complexity to the work as a whole, yet, it seems so
comically simple and spontaneous. Keaton planned everything and then
wrapped it up with characters.
Chaplin, however, had the gift for pathos and portraying the “Everyman.”
Where Keaton took the scientific and complex and utilized them, Chaplin
blissfully went about his way in life, involving himself in affairs and
having fun. Keaton never really had fun. Chaplin danced and pranced
around, taking great delight in whatever havoc he could wreak.
Hmm. But then Keaton usually found himself holding the short end of the
stick. Maybe I’ve attached the “Everyman” label to the wrong guy. I guess
what I meant to say is that Chaplin appealed to masses more because he was
having fun (something just about everyone likes to do) and he was more
emotional (and usually had more “Happy Endings,” a “requirement” in American
cinema). We can identify with Keaton, but we yearn to be Chaplin, is
probably the best way to put it.
And then again, I still find it hard to forgive Chaplin for his merciless
cuttings of Keaton’s better moments in “Limelight.” Apparently from
the historical texts I’ve read, Chaplin, peeved at being outstaged,
cuts out the scenes himself and only leaves in a few appearances,
those in which Chaplin himself, was funnier. Then, IBM picks up
the Chaplin character as their mascot for their PC line. Cute,
immediately identifiable and strong appeal, but morally nauseous.
These have soured me on Chaplin. Don’t get me wrong. I like
Chaplin films. Always have, always will. But, I _admire_ Keaton’s
works far and above those of Chaplin, for entertaining me and also
“tickling” those scientific and technical parts of psyche at the
same time.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #728, from davemackey, 868 chars, Wed Jun 27 20:32:37 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Cartoons in the classroom
The New York Post of June 26, 1990 reported on P.S. 91, in a depressed
area of the Bronx. The upshot of the article: when they can’t get
substitute teachers, they march the kids into the auditorium and make them
watch Bugs Bunny cartoons for 45 minutes! School officials defend the
practice, saying “…throughout the country, schools probably show
cartoons at one time or another when teachers are out sick… it’s
only a problem if it gets out of hand.”
The only time I ever got to see anything somewhat resembling a cartoon
in school was when my 9th grade geometry class got to see “The Dot and The
Line” — and what a cartoon! I can remember later hearing that cartoon
won the 1965 Oscar for Chuck Jones and being very impressed that the first
place I ever got to see it was in school.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #729, from switch, 168 chars, Wed Jun 27 21:03:00 1990
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I saw _The Dot and the Line_ in class as well. Can’t remember when,
though. I like the idea of showing cartoons for 45 minutes, though.
But then, I’m biased 😉
Emru
==========================
animation/main #730, from steven_edwards, 993 chars, Wed Jun 27 22:01:42 1990
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As regards non-educational cartoons in the classroom, I would think
that the children get enough of that at home without the taxpayers’ assistance.
I recall seeing _The Dot and the Line_ as a filler in a movie theater
back around 1965 when I was eight. Having not seen it since, it obviously
made quite an impression at the time as I can remember it fairly well.
I have seen a few educational cartoons in the classroom. I recall
a number of Disney films with extensive animation that described basic science
to the grade school crowd back in the Sixties. I seem to remember a number
of films with a Jiminy Cricket narration that taught about the five basic
senses. Perhaps others here could fill in the details.
There is also the classic “Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land”, which I
saw in an eleveth grade analytic geometry class as a sort of comic relief.
I also think that the animated version of George Orwell’s _1984_ was
shown as part of a high school civics class.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #731, from switch, 95 chars, Wed Jun 27 23:08:11 1990
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————————–
There was an animated _1984_? The only animater Orwell work I know of is
_Animal Farm_.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #732, from hmccracken, 117 chars, Wed Jun 27 23:10:13 1990
This is a comment to message 728.
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What, you never saw _Hemo the Magnificent_ or _Donald in Mathemagic
Land_? You led a deprived childhood.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #733, from grekel, 264 chars, Wed Jun 27 23:24:47 1990
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>Jiminy Cricket flix…
I recall one (or more) called “I’m No Fool.” First place I ever heard,
“Don’t put anything in your ear larger than your elbow.”
great stuff. Now Disney chops them up and tries to fit new dialog to the
bits to make “new” cartoons.
==========================
animation/main #734, from jshook, 117 chars, Wed Jun 27 23:59:28 1990
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Geee…everything I know about physics I learned from watching
Road Runner cartoons. But I did that on my own time.
==========================
animation/main #735, from rgswartz, 136 chars, Thu Jun 28 01:35:07 1990
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TITLE: Cartoons in the classroom
Ok kiddies, today we’re going to watch a cartoon. It’s called Fritz the Cat.
yeah, that’s the ticket
==========================
animation/main #736, from davemackey, 363 chars, Thu Jun 28 07:06:20 1990
This is a comment to message 730.
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I remember seening “Donald in Mathmagic Land” in Jr. High School, and we had
a whole course back in Jr. High which I think was called “History Through
Films” or “Literature Through Film” in which we sat around and watched movies.
One of which was the film adaptation of “Fahrenheit 451” which really made an
impression on me.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #737, from davemackey, 424 chars, Thu Jun 28 07:08:42 1990
This is a comment to message 733.
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Disney produced the “I’m No Fool” and “You” series originally for the Mickey
Mouse Club back in 1955, which eventually spawned a whole educational division.
In fact, the Disney Channel shows a revised version of “I’m No Fool With
Fire” which incorporates a considerable live-action segment about fire safety
in the 1980 So they’re still involved with updating and freshening these
films.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #738, from steven_edwards, 197 chars, Thu Jun 28 10:18:11 1990
This is a comment to message 731.
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Of course, it was _Animal Farm_. Although, now that I think about it
(always a good thing to do prior to posting), an animated _1984_ would
certainly be worth watching if it existed.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #739, from switch, 221 chars, Fri Jun 29 01:17:51 1990
This is a comment to message 735.
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Well, we did get to watch some of _Barefoot Gen_ in class last semester.
Now that produced some shocked faces. Almost as many as when I showed
_Area 88 Act III_’s opening combat sequence in class the year earlier.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #740, from hmccracken, 329 chars, Mon Jul 2 18:40:04 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Check out the current _New Yorker_ for
interesting reviews of _Gremlins II_ and _Dick Tracy_ that say
the former’s good because it’s like a live-action Warner Bros.
cartoon and the latter’s bad because it’s like a live-action
Disney cartoon. I agree with the comparisons — except that
I *liked* both movies.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #741, from steven_edwards, 823 chars, Mon Jul 2 22:54:17 1990
This is a comment to message 740.
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Yesterday I went and saw _Dick Tracy_ in Cambridge, Massachusetts on
a rather rainy Sunday evening, and I didn’t expect too much of a walk-in crowd
due to the poor weather.
The theater was packed. Furthermore, listening in on others’
conversation, it was obvious that it was not the first viewing for many of the
somewhat soggy audience. During the film, the biggest laughs came during the
various literary references spouted by Al Pacino. Definitely worth seeing, in
my opinion.
The biggest applause came during the showing of the attached cartoon,
_Roller Coaster Rabbit_, which I thought compared somewhat favorably to the
earlier _Tummy Trouble_. Incidentially, has anyone noticed the (subliminal?)
reference to another Disney effort (its on a carnival poster) early on in
_Roller Coaster Rabbit_ ?
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #742, from jimomura, 575 chars, Tue Jul 3 22:35:44 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Norm McLaren
Living in Canada means that on occasion, while flipping through
the channels you occasionally see some of the works for McLaren, like
“Blinkity Blank.” I just saw this about an hour ago. I’m always impressed
by what he produced. I understand that this piece was one of several
in which he worked directly on film stock. Despite this he achieved
great fluidity of movement.
I may have mentioned before that if you wanted to, you could watch
his life’s work in 1 day.
I think I’d give him the title for pre-computer-era-lava-lamp
king.
==========================
animation/main #743, from davemackey, 1107 chars, Tue Jul 3 23:47:08 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Noel Blanc
There’s a Noel Blanc piece about his dad in the July 7 TV Guide. We found
a little bit of truth-bending on Noel’s part that Dad would be quite proud
of. Noel says that Mel did the first 65 episodes of “The Flintstones”
from his bed in a horizontal position with a mike suspended over his bed.
Since “Flinstones” went on the air in September 1960 and Mel Blanc’s
car crash was on January 24, 1961, there had to have been at least a season’s
worth of “Flintstones” dialogue already recorded. And there are several
“Flintstones” episodes from about the era of Blanc’s accident in which Daws
Butler did the voice of Barney Rubble instead.
Most telling, IMHO, is Noel’s statement that only someone who’s lived
with the characters (read “lived with dad”) can do ’em well in the absence
of the great one. Call me crazy for reading into this, but I sense some
professional jealousy directed toward one Mr. Jeff Bergman, who’s already
proved to the Warner’s brass that he can do the voices better without benefit
of being a blood relative of Mel Blanc.
–Dave M.
==========================
animation/main #744, from hmccracken, 209 chars, Wed Jul 4 08:38:31 1990
This is a comment to message 742.
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Interesting. Come to think of it, I’ll bet you could watch the
life’s works of *most* independent animators in one day…at
least as long as you were willing to stay up kind of late in some
cases.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #745, from hmccracken, 218 chars, Wed Jul 4 08:40:38 1990
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————————–
I wonder if Warner’ was involved with preparin that article? It’s
almost like they were trying to have it both ways…getting Bergman
to do most of the voices, while perpetuating the Mel/Noel Blanc
legacy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #746, from davemackey, 174 chars, Wed Jul 4 08:44:59 1990
This is a comment to message 745.
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Good morning, Harry… The article probably came from the bowels of Mr. Blanc’s
soul and Warner’s most likely had nothing to do with it.
-Dave
==========================
animation/main #747, from davemackey, 654 chars, Wed Jul 4 09:38:24 1990
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> … album of Carl W. Stalling cartoon music…
Great news. In late July, Warner Bros. Records is releasing “The Carl
Stalling Project: Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons, 1936-1958,” produced
by Hal Willner.
The album features soundtrack classics spanning Stalling’s entire
Warner career, from “Porky’s Poultry Plant” (1936) to “To Itch His Own”
(1958), with many stops in between. Willner and aides are said to have
gone over one thousand hours of material to cull this album, which
features state-of-the-art electronic processing techniques.
The album will be issued on cassette and compact disc.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #748, from hmccracken, 228 chars, Wed Jul 4 12:56:39 1990
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————————–
Wow! Now all we need is a Scott Bradley album…Actually, come
to think of it, we also need discs devoted to the works of some
of Disney’s 1930s composers, too.
(But *nothing* devoted to Terrytoons’s Phil Scheib!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #749, from davemackey, 592 chars, Wed Jul 4 14:12:14 1990
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————————–
I should have a list of tracks from the Stalling album later today and
will post same. My brother manages a record store and breathlessly
called this morning — too many tracks to list over the phone. But
there’s stuff like Duck Dodgers, Scent-imental Romeo, and some of the
Raymond Scott pieces like “Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals.”
I, too, am a fan of what Scott Bradley did at M-G-M. With the exception
of one cartoon (“The Missing Mouse” scored by Ed Plumb), he was musical
director of every M-G-M cartoon, 1934 to 1957. Remarkable.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #750, from davemackey, 55 chars, Wed Jul 4 14:13:03 1990
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————————–
No Phil Scheib? Would you settle for Winston Sharples?
==========================
animation/main #751, from hmccracken, 132 chars, Wed Jul 4 17:08:12 1990
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Sharples was a much better composer than Scheib, in muy mind at
least…Too bad he rarely got to score a decent cartoon!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #752, from richard.pini, 410 chars, Wed Jul 4 17:51:28 1990
————————–
TITLE: The quest goes on
*sigh* I called the 800 number to order that video cassette advertised on the
back cover of recent issues of Harvey comics (the video included a “Land o9f
the Lost” episode) and was told that the tape had been pulled from distrib-
ution. The person on the other end of the phone could give no details. Foo!
Anyone know anything about this? And still looking for other LOTL cartoons…
==========================
animation/main #754, from ewhac, 37 chars, Wed Jul 4 18:18:04 1990
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————————–
They have one guaranteed sale here.
==========================
animation/main #755, from davemackey, 2044 chars, Wed Jul 4 20:06:45 1990
This is a comment to message 749.
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Information on “The Carl Stalling Project”
As noted earlier, Warner Bros. Records will soon be releasing
“The Carl Stalling Project: Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons,
1936-1958.” Here is the tracking and other information.
Produced by Hal Willner
Catalogue #: 4-26027 (cassette), 2-26027 (compact disc);
not available on vinyl
Side One:
Putty Tat Trouble (part 6, 1951)
Hillbilly Hare (1950)
Early WB Scores: The Depression Era (1936-1941)
a) Porky’s Poultry Plant — Stalling’s first WB score
b) Milk and Money
c) Porky’s Romance
d) Daffy Doc
e) Porky’s Midnight Matinee
The Good Egg — vintage Merrie Melodie
Various Cues from Bugs Bunny Films (1943-1956)
a) Rabbit Fire
b) Robot Rabbit
c) Half Fare Hare
d) Beanstalk Bunny
e) What’s Cookin’ Doc
f) Bewitched Bunny
g) Windblown Hare
h) Hot Cross Bunny
There They Go Go Go — complete Road Runner
Stalling Self-Parody: Music from Porky’s Preview (1941)
Anxiety Montage (1952-1955)
a) Tree For Two
b) Claws For Alarm
c) Jumpin’ Jupiter
d) Duck Dodgers in the 24-1/2 Century
e) Hyde and Hare
Stalling: The War Years (1942-1946)
a) Nutty News
b) Puss N’ Booty
c) I Got Plenty Of Mutton
d) Behind The Meatball
e) Mouse Merized Cat
f) Book Review
Side Two:
Medley: Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals (1941-1950)
a) Caveman Inki
b) Porky’s Ant
c) Robinson Crusoe Jr.
d) Which Is Witch
e) Gorilla My Dreams
Carl Stalling with Milt Franklyn in session recording “Putty Tat
Trouble (1951) and piano effects (1956)
Speedy Gonzales (1955) meets Two Crows From Tacos (1956)
Powerhouse and other cats from the early 50’s
a) Turntale Wolf
b) Early To Bet
c) Drip Along Daffy
d) Bear For Punishment
e) Scent-Imental Romeo
f) Feed The Kitty
g) Beep Beep
h) Corn Plastered
i) A Hound For Trouble
Porky In Wackyland (1938)/Dough For The Do Do (1949)
To Itch His Own (1958) — Stalling’s last score
==========================
animation/main #756, from davemackey, 238 chars, Wed Jul 4 20:08:22 1990
This is a comment to message 751.
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Sharples had a tough act to follow at Famous Studios: Sammy Timberg. I wish
the Fleischer bros. had been a little more generous with music credits,
but think Timberg did most of ’em near the end.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #757, from hmccracken, 264 chars, Sun Jul 8 19:54:41 1990
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TITLE: Check out this month’s issue of _Wigwag_, that
_New Yorker_-by-way-of-_Spy_ new magazine, for a lengthy
article on Disney World in which the author indulges in a
fair amount of Disney-bashing before admitting, grudingly,
that he liked the place.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #758, from davemackey, 335 chars, Mon Jul 9 18:07:22 1990
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————————–
TITLE: New WB merchandise…
(1) “Chuck Amuck” is to be published in paperback in November, courtesy of
Avon.
(2) “Happy Birthday Bugs: 50 Looney Years” is going to be released on home
video sometime in August.
The Bugs anniversary propaganda machine picks up steam as it heads
toward July 27….
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #759, from sharonfisher, 105 chars, Mon Jul 9 18:22:07 1990
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If you’re in BOMC, you can get the “old gray hare” Bugs Bunny book for about
$10 plus some bonus points.
==========================
animation/main #760, from steven_edwards, 269 chars, Mon Jul 9 18:28:58 1990
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————————–
Yes, I ordered a copy for a friend. I think the cost was about
$10.75 plus two Dividend Credits plus two to three bucks for shipping. The
full title is _Fifty Years Old and Only One Gray Hare_.
I’ll let you folks know what it looks like when it arrives.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #761, from hkenner, 89 chars, Mon Jul 9 19:36:35 1990
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>>Chuck Amuck paperback–
Yup, I have a copy of the cover, handed me by CJ himself.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #762, from hkenner, 28 chars, Mon Jul 9 19:37:28 1990
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————————–
Qu’est que c’est que BOMC ?
==========================
animation/main #763, from steven_edwards, 31 chars, Mon Jul 9 20:09:52 1990
This is a comment to message 762.
————————–
BOMC = Book Of The Month Club
==========================
animation/main #764, from hmccracken, 494 chars, Mon Jul 9 21:14:03 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Folks who get the _New York Times_ and who haven’t
thrown out yesterday’s papers may want to read the article in
the Arts section on _Tiny Toon Adventures_, the upcoming TV
series starring infantized (well, childized) versions of the
Warner Bros. characters. The article casts the series in a
favorable light, and based on that, having looked at the press
kit for the show, and having spoken to a friend who’s seen a
couple of episodes, I’m actually looking forward to it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #765, from hmccracken, 342 chars, Mon Jul 9 21:18:53 1990
This is a comment to message 758.
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————————–
Is July 27th *the* great day for Mr. Bunny? How appropriate, then,
that the big Bugs Bunny issue of my magazine _Animato_, which will
be back from the printer later this week (I hope, I hope) will hit
the stores just about that time! An utter coincidence — I really
didn’t know if Bugs’s birthday was tomorrow or December 31st.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #767, from davemackey, 105 chars, Tue Jul 10 07:18:15 1990
This is a comment to message 765.
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Based, of course, on the release date of “A Wild Hare,” July 27, 1940.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #768, from davemackey, 290 chars, Tue Jul 10 22:20:28 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Anniversary
This is a sad anniversary. It was one year ago today that we lost Mel Blanc.
I refuse to believe it’s been that long, but it has.
But since most of his work is still very much a part of us, it’s
somehow as if he has never left.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #769, from hmccracken, 640 chars, Tue Jul 10 22:35:45 1990
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A moment of silence, then…
You’re right, though: as much as anybody I can think of,
Blanc will never leave us, really. It’s probably worth
considering the fact that 95% of the work we remember him for
was done between fifty and thirty years ago already; while
his death formally ended his career, it was the death of
the Hollywood cartoon short that ended his twenty years of
brilliance. One of the side benefits of the rebirth of
theatrical animation that seems to be going on may be the
emergence of some new young Mel Blancs — TV animation has
never quite provided such artists with the showcase you’d
think it would.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #770, from switch, 330 chars, Wed Jul 11 00:18:21 1990
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A friend (a clone, really) dropped by this afternoon and we spent
a good deal of time reciting Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons at
each other (Bugs and Daffy are my first and second favorite chaarcters
respectively; he’s the opposite), and drank a toast to the memory
of Mel. We hadn’t realized it was one year today…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #771, from steven_edwards, 327 chars, Wed Jul 11 10:21:49 1990
This is a comment to message 768.
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I heard a report on one of the cable news stations yesterday that Mel
Blanc’s son is replacing his father’s somewhat conventional tombstone with a
brightly colored new one that has the inscription:
“That’s All, Folks!”
It has been claimed that these were also Blanc’s last words, and so
make a fitting epitaph.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #772, from davemackey, 255 chars, Thu Jul 12 00:27:07 1990
This is a comment to message 771.
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Actually, “That’s All Folks!” were Mel Blanc’s last RECORDED words, and the
tombstone is made of white marble. The cemetery he’s buried in is the
Beth Olam cemetery in Hollywood.
–Dave (as reported in
Usa Today)
==========================
animation/main #773, from davemackey, 141 chars, Fri Jul 13 00:54:23 1990
This is a comment to message 760.
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Steve, you will not be disappointed. TINAR, but it’s one of the best
animation books in recent memory.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #774, from davemackey, 180 chars, Fri Jul 13 00:58:35 1990
This is a comment to message 757.
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I was too busy playing the scavenger hunt to notice. Is that 13 cabins
at Aspen, and where’s the great grandson of the first Vice President?
–D.
==========================
animation/main #775, from davemackey, 326 chars, Sat Jul 14 20:38:20 1990
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TITLE: Bugs #2
Second issue of the DC Comics “Bugs Bunny” miniseries written by Joey
Cavalieri and drawn by Chuck Fiala is now in comics shops. Featuring
appearances by Pepe le Pew, The Goofy Gophers, Rocky & Mugsy and other
delights. But in this issue, Daffy seems to take center stage.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #776, from bcapps, 1293 chars, Sun Jul 15 00:25:42 1990
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I was just listening to the Howard Stern morning radio broadcast last
week (it’s also brdcst in DC) and I heard the tease that they were going to
be talking to Noel Blanc. Naturally, I didn’t go immediately into the
office and lingered for awhile in the parking lot to listen. Seems he and
another person (sorry, the name just doesn’t want to come back) are doing
Bugs alternately for WB now and just got through doing 1400 name-oriented
birthday messages for a 900 service (1-900-VIP-BUGS, I remembered that, also
the $6.95 cost!) which delivers personalize messages from Bugs for . He also talked about Dad quite a bit. Seems that Noel can
only do some of the voices (he doesn’t do Yosemite Sam) his Tweety was
_really_ reaching, but his Bugs was good. Pretty much right on, your
harmonic decipherings may differ. But they also talked a little about Mom
who also used to help do voices. This kid grew up in an interesting
household. Seems that Dad also helped him drill on the voices too. But
he didn’t get all of them. And that’s the tragic, but wonderous, thing about
creative talent such as Mel’s; You can replace such talent, but you’ll be
very hard-pressed to ever find it again in one individual, even his son.
Rest well, Mel…
Bob
==========================
animation/main #777, from davemackey, 347 chars, Sun Jul 15 08:50:37 1990
This is a comment to message 776.
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The interesting thing about that is that one of Stern’s pseudo-regulars,
Billy West, can do some of the Warner’s characters better than either
Noel Blanc or Jeff Bergman.
Are you sure you heard this show this past week? Stern was in reruns
in New York City all week getting ready for his television show.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #778, from switch, 271 chars, Sun Jul 15 23:22:08 1990
This is a comment to message 776.
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At the Chuck Jones: Comedy in Animation show this weekend, someone
asked Jones about his opinion of Noel Blanc’s voices versus Jeff
Bergman’s. His opinion is the same as mine (well, he put it into
words): Noel can imitate Mel doing Bugs, but he can’t _be_ Bugs…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #779, from dave.f, 355 chars, Mon Jul 16 18:22:52 1990
This is a comment to message 777.
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re: Billy used to be a regular with Charles
Laquidara on WBCN in Boston. I was highly impressed with his range. He did
get tapped to do the voice of Cecil in the briefly resurrected BEANY AND
CECIL, but I can’t believe he’s not doing any cartoon voices on a regular
basis. He really has a gift for characterizations.
D=
==========================
animation/main #780, from davemackey, 261 chars, Mon Jul 16 21:11:58 1990
This is a comment to message 779.
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I don’t see why he’s not doing more voices, either. This week on one of
Stern’s pre-recorded commercials he did before his vacation, he had Billy
do an almost flawless Daffy Duck. And yes, that was Billy doing Cecil on
the very bad B&C show. It wasn’t too bad.
==========================
animation/main #781, from bcapps, 79 chars, Tue Jul 17 00:15:27 1990
This is a comment to message 777.
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Dave,
It was the Wednesday before the reruns. It was the live stuff.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #782, from davemackey, 465 chars, Fri Jul 27 00:09:52 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: This is the day
As I’m sure everyone knows by now, it’s Bugs Bunny’s 50th anniversary.
And today is the actual day. It was 50 years ago today that a Fred Avery
supervised Merrie Melodie called “A Wild Hare” hit theatre screens, introducing
the latest variation on the rabbit who had appeared in several previous films.
No need for further variations, this was the one. And so today we
raise our glass in toast.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #783, from hmccracken, 114 chars, Fri Jul 27 00:13:43 1990
This is a comment to message 782.
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Well, happy birthday to Bugs! And I hope the glass we raise in
toast contains some fine carrot juice!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #784, from sharonfisher, 230 chars, Fri Jul 27 03:20:05 1990
This is a comment to message 783.
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I just returned from a theater where they showed a bunch of Bugs Bunny
cartoons, including Porky’s Hare Hunt and A Wild Hare, the first two Bugs
cartoons (although they weren’t called that then).
I hadn’t seen Porky’s before…
==========================
animation/main #785, from tom.white, 196 chars, Fri Jul 27 13:46:32 1990
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Local theatre is running The Brave Little Toaster. Local reviewer
said it was pretty good. The theatre is a pain to get to; any
first-hand opinions on this film, if I should go see it or not?
==========================
animation/main #786, from hmccracken, 374 chars, Fri Jul 27 18:18:29 1990
This is a comment to message 785.
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Yeah, I’d probably go… It’s a cute little movie that’s most
certainly one of the better non-Disney animated features of
the past few years. (Though as you may know, it began as a
Disney film…After it was canceled as a Disney project, it
was picked up by a new studio, and even then Disney invested
some money in the project in return for the cable rights.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #787, from sharonfisher, 20 chars, Fri Jul 27 20:21:06 1990
This is a comment to message 785.
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Well, I liked it…
==========================
animation/main #788, from bcapps, 40 chars, Fri Jul 27 23:46:51 1990
This is a comment to message 782.
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Happy boithday you sthilly wabbit!
Bob
==========================
animation/main #789, from davemackey, 492 chars, Sat Jul 28 17:28:02 1990
This is a comment to message 783.
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Holiday Inns last evening acknowledged the official 50th birthday of Bugs
by serving complimentary carrot cake with their dinners. And I celebrated
with lots of other partygoers at a nightclub called Taylor’s in Cherry
Hill, NJ, where they were doing a cross-promotion with AMC Theatres.
They showed a six-minute featurette which included film clips of Bugs
and interviews with Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Maurice Noble, Terry
Lennon and Darrell Van Citters.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #790, from davemackey, 237 chars, Sat Jul 28 17:29:30 1990
This is a comment to message 784.
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Hopefully you saw “Porky’s Hare Hunt” in black-and-white and not ghastly
redrawn color! “Hare Hunt” was nothing more than a variation of Avery’s
“Porky’s Duck Hunt,” the cartoon that introduced Daffy Duck.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #791, from davemackey, 231 chars, Sat Jul 28 17:31:10 1990
This is a comment to message 785.
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I’ve seen it on cable a number of times… a pretty nice little film. It
was produced by the Kushner-Locke organization and directed by Jerry Rees,
whose wife Rebecca also worked on the film.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #792, from hmccracken, 360 chars, Sat Jul 28 19:54:17 1990
This is a comment to message 791.
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I am told by a friend of mine, Steve Segal, who traveled to
Taiwan to work on the film, the Rebecca Rees is extremely
talented. Jerry Rees has worked on a bunch of projects for
Disney, including the excellent film that combines live
action of Walter Cronkite with animation of Robin Williams
which is shown at the Disney-MGM Studios animation tour.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #793, from davemackey, 485 chars, Sun Jul 29 18:53:43 1990
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TITLE: Mermaid pulled
A supermarket chain in Phoenix has pulled the videocassette release of
“The Little Mermaid” off its shelves. The reason: if you look closely
at the castle in the background, one of the castle’s spires bears a
striking resemblance to an erect male genital.
This is true; it was in Billboard. No one knows how the penis got
there, but it’s there all right: I checked my copy just to be sure,
and they’re absolutely right.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #794, from hmccracken, 107 chars, Sun Jul 29 19:24:37 1990
This is a comment to message 793.
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According to, I believe, _Entertainment Weekly_, a disgruntled
Disney artist did the dirty deed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #795, from steven_edwards, 599 chars, Sun Jul 29 20:22:36 1990
This is a comment to message 794.
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I don’t see how the painting can be too suggestive if it has taken
this long for the symbolism to be noted. After all, all towers are at least
a little bit phallic, and the ones one _The Little Mermaid_ aren’t even
remotely comparable to those on St. Basil’s in Moscow, or on most mosques I
have seen.
Incidentially, this week’s _TV Guide_ discusses various newly released
home videos including _Peter Pan_ and _All Dogs Go To Heaven_; there is also
a suggestion that Disney is going for a second press run on the Mermaid tape.
— Steve (who recently spent five bucks on a mermaid coffee mug)
==========================
animation/main #796, from ewhac, 27 chars, Mon Jul 30 05:17:21 1990
This is a comment to message 793.
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————————–
Instant collectors’ item.
==========================
animation/main #797, from sharonfisher, 58 chars, Mon Jul 30 17:45:48 1990
This is a comment to message 790.
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Yes, it was in b&w, and yes, I noticed the resemblance…
==========================
animation/main #798, from davemackey, 409 chars, Mon Jul 30 19:19:11 1990
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TITLE: Time
Nice article on the animation Boom in the Aug. 6 Time. About the only
real news is that Steven Bochco, who’s given us such series as “Hill
Street Blues” this fall’s police musical “Cop Rock,” is developing
an animated series for ABC in which White House politics are seen through
the eyes of mice, bugs and other creatures roaming under the First Couple’s
feet.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #799, from davemackey, 214 chars, Mon Jul 30 19:21:14 1990
This is a comment to message 796.
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And millions of ’em out there. Remember that Disney embargoes most
of its video releases after a while and “Mermaid” is scheduled to go
off the schedule after it, um, peters out.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #800, from hmccracken, 71 chars, Mon Jul 30 19:27:34 1990
This is a comment to message 799.
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Wonder if they’ll alter the picture on any future printings?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #801, from hmccracken, 724 chars, Mon Jul 30 19:40:10 1990
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TITLE: If any of you are planning to be in the L.A. area on August
5th, you should definitely plan on attending the animation art
auction being put on by Howard Lowery at the Burbank Hilton at
(I believe) 6:00 PM. I’ve mentioned before the excellence of
the stuff he comes up with for his auctions, and his new catalog
is crammed with fascinating things, including an original greeting
card drawn and signed by Tex Avery’s animation staff in the late
1930s for presentation to their boss. (The card is actually going
to be sold at a future auction, BTW).
The artwork offered is not cheap, and even the catalog itself is
twelve bucks…But it looks like a classy affair. Plus, Lowery is
a nice and decent guy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #803, from hmccracken, 915 chars, Tue Jul 31 21:38:58 1990
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TITLE: Ever open a paper and read the obituary of someone you would
have thought died thirty years ago? I just found out that Margaret
Winkler died on June 21st. Miss Winkler distributed Walt Disney’s
“Alice” cartoons in the mid 1920s; her husband was Charles Mintz,
whose raiding of the Disney studio for talent and the character of
Oswald the Rabbit led to the creation of Mickey Mouse. (Mintz also
ran the Columbia studio during the 1930s.)
Miss Winkler, who was 95 when she passed away, certainly deserves
credit for being one of the first people to recognize Disney’s
talent (she also distributed the works of several other studios,
by the way). I’d also imagine her to be a pretty early example of
a successful businesswoman in the film game. As we mark her
passing, we can blame, for the moment, her company’s eventual
mistreatment of Walt Disney on her husband; he *did* die decades
ago.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #805, from tshim, 1229 chars, Tue Jul 31 23:04:16 1990
This is a comment to message 3.
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Hello, Mr. McCracken.
I’m quite impressed with your Animato! journal. Are there any plans to
reprint the out-of-print digests?
(P.S. Not to ruffle any feathers, but how often do you publish? I wonder
because the frequency of issues seems (unfortunately) few-and-far-between.)
One more question: I’ve tried to obtain info on Cartoon Quarterly, a virgin
publication from your colleague and staff member Jim Korkis, but it’s as
elusive as catching Michigan J. Frog singing. Any address or phone number
will be appreciated, thanks.
As for my favorite pieces of animation, I would have to say the “Rabbit Fire”
trilogy, and Clampett’s “Old Grey Hare.” I have this weird affection
for Arthur Davis’ work, and also for Bob McKimson’s earlier stuff.
Avery’s “Bad Luck Blackie” gets honorable mention, as does Disney’s “101
Dalmations (if only for sentimental value, sorry). And one guilty pleasure:
“Watership Down,” if only for some good Hubley stuff, and the one time a
non-Disney script for an animated feature surpassed the animation (which I
guess could be damning with faint praise … but I digress). The voices were
good too. Too bad “The Plague Dogs” — which had superb animation — wasn’t
nearly as well-written.
==========================
animation/main #806, from tshim, 605 chars, Tue Jul 31 23:10:48 1990
This is a comment to message 11.
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There are a lot that ABC cuts.
“Rabbit of Seville” and “Bugs Bonnet(s?)” have various direct shots to
characters cut out. The fact that some of these cuts are rather invisible
makes them more insidious than clever.
I recall that when CBS ran the WB stuff, there were even more cuts. The head
of CBS Saturday morning programming said something to the effect of, “Well,
if Warners didn’t make them so violent in the first place …” Uh … yeh.
Considering the number of people who grew up healthy on this stuff, and not
into Son-of-Sam maniacs, this kind of paranoid editing completely stupifies
me.
==========================
animation/main #807, from tshim, 582 chars, Tue Jul 31 23:15:05 1990
This is a comment to message 19.
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Here in New York, about three years ago, you got about an hours’ worth
of post-’48 stuff on ch.5 (Fox’s flagship station now) and about an hours’
worth of pre-’48 stuff on ch.9, every day, seven days a week. Then ch.9
bought out ch.5 and showed that plus an extra hour on Sundays.
Now all the pre-’48 stuff is only on TNT, and post-’48 stuff reduced to
a half-hour a day on the weekdays. MGM stuff, which used to be shown
on ch.11 here, is now only on TBS and TNT also.
(By the way, ch.9 here is WWOR, the superstation on most cable systems around
the nation.)
— Thomas Shim
==========================
animation/main #808, from hmccracken, 1360 chars, Wed Aug 1 00:14:25 1990
This is a comment to message 805.
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Welcome, Thomas!
To try to answer your questions in no particular order, _Animato_’s
publishing schedule is irregular. We get it out as often as we can,
and quite intentionally avoid stating frequency in places like our
masthead. The new issue, #20, is just out — it hasn’t reached stores
or most subscribers yet.
Secondly, there aren’t any plans to reprint our out-of-print issues.
*I* think it’s a swell idea, but our publisher, Mike Ventrella, would
rather let these less-slick magazines stay out of print. Since he
was largely responsible for all the digest issues save the last two,
I haven’t pressed him all that hard on the matter. Mike is, however,
planning to put together a “Best of Animato” special which would
reprint the best material from those issues. And if you really want
to see them reprinted, it couldn’t hurt to write Mike at our PO
Box and tell him so.
Thirdly, _Cartoon Quarterly_ has seen only one issue, and is unlikely
to resume publication anytime soon. But then again, Jim Korkis and
John Cawley say that it’s not entirely dead, either, so I wouldn’t
close the book on it altogether — there may be future issues if they
can get together with a publisher. The new issue of _Animato_
includes several features that were planned for the second issue of
_CQ_.
And many thanks for the kind words about _Animato_!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #809, from ewhac, 338 chars, Wed Aug 1 05:39:43 1990
This is a comment to message 806.
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I recall one Sylvester cartoon where he is caught on a streetcar
powerline being chased by a streetcar. As the streetcar reaches him,
he gets zapped by 376 skillion volts.
Except you don’t see him get zapped. Some BOZO cut that sequence
out. (I wonder if this will get applied to “The A Team” when it gets
syndicated.)
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #810, from ewhac, 180 chars, Wed Aug 1 05:42:08 1990
This is a comment to message 793.
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Just checked this out at the Wherehouse at the mall. Took me
about 45 seconds to find it in the picture. It’s well-hidden, but once
you find it, it’s unmistakable.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #811, from switch, 86 chars, Wed Aug 1 06:54:25 1990
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TITLE: Latest in listings…
Rec.arts.anime digest #20 has just been installed.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #812, from tshim, 292 chars, Wed Aug 1 10:06:35 1990
This is a comment to message 809.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Exactly my sentiments.
How stupid do the censors think kids are these days? Can you imagine some
child seeing Sylvester getting zapped, and going, “Gee, that looks fun, I’ll
go and stick >< finger in that wall socket there too!” Er, yeah.
But it seems the networks believe this to be so.
==========================
animation/main #813, from tshim, 533 chars, Wed Aug 1 10:11:55 1990
This is a comment to message 808.
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Not to beat a dead horse, but …
Three quick things: Can you give me an address to obtain the lone issue
of ?
Second: So how many letters >did< you get for saying that Friz Freleng tends
to be “taken for granted” by most Warner Bros. fans?
Third: Is Dave Bastian taking out life insurance and has he hired P.I.’s to
keep an eye out for lanky animators with goaties out for literary revenge?
(Heh ehe — personally, I think maybe you should have printed a re-rebuttal
from Bastian to explain himself somewhat.)
==========================
animation/main #814, from tshim, 492 chars, Wed Aug 1 10:17:02 1990
This is a comment to message 21.
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The Museum of Broadcasting is likewise showing their (apparently) bi-decade
tribute to Jay Ward (with 60s commercials intact). Loads of fun on a 100″
projection television, from Crusader Rabbit to George of the Jungle, with
healthy amounts of Dudley, Fractured Fairy Tales, and R&B too, of course.
“Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat …”
“Again?”
“Nothing up my sleeve …”
“… Presto!” “Time to get a new hat …”
(“And now for something >really< amazing …”) ========================== animation/main #815, from tshim, 266 chars, Wed Aug 1 10:24:27 1990 This is a comment to message 814. ————————– The Museum of New York is in New York City (Manhattan, 1 East 53rd St., just off Fifth Avenue). They have private viewing booths too, if anybody comes here after the festival and wants to see old stuff like “The Bugs Bunny Show” as well as “Rocky and Bullwinkle.” ========================== animation/main #816, from tshim, 118 chars, Wed Aug 1 10:25:42 1990 This is a comment to message 34. ————————– Actually, isn’t Natwick working on segments for Dick Williams’ “The Cobbler and the Thief” (20 years in the making!)? ========================== animation/main #817, from tshim, 1211 chars, Wed Aug 1 10:35:34 1990 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Trivia that has driven me crazy for years. I know Tom McKimson is Bob’s brother, and an animator with him before Tom left Warners soon after (before?) Bob took over as director, but who’s Charles McKimson, the long-time animator of Bob’s unit into the 50s? And is he related to the others? Second: I know that stop-motion monsters like King Kong, those of Ray Harry- hausen, and those Tauntauns and walkers in Empire Strikes Back, always move kind of stiffly, and with a strobe effect (likewise clay animation, as done by Will Vinton and his Calif. Raisins). The strobing is unavoidable due to the fact that each exposure is frozen and in perfect focus, and does not include the blurring that makes live-action so smooth looking. Moving the tauntaun in the Star Wars films slightly while exposed helped alleviate the strobing somewhat, but not much. But!!! Cels of animation are >also< likewise in perfect focus, but a well- animated film will >not< show strobing at all! Look at any golden-age cartoon: Although there are distortions in very fast action (double eyes, smear animation, etc.), in most sequences, the individual frames are in perfect focus. So where is this obligatory strobing?? ========================== animation/main #818, from switch, 280 chars, Wed Aug 1 12:52:44 1990 This is a comment to message 817. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 817. ————————– I had always thought the ‘strobe’ effect was due to the fact that every time you moved a figurine, you unavoidably move the whole object marginally, and in uneven bursts (for want of a better word). OTOH, I’ve as yet to work in pixellation, so this is pure speculation… Emru ========================== animation/main #819, from tshim, 33 chars, Wed Aug 1 13:33:14 1990 This is a comment to message 801. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– How does one obtain the catalog? ========================== animation/main #820, from tshim, 564 chars, Wed Aug 1 13:39:36 1990 This is a comment to message 818. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 818. ————————– I also figured that cel animation was likewise more precise than stop-motion/claymation, and like you say, that must contribute to the strobing effect. But ILM at Lucasfilm employs go-motion in attempts to decrease strobing due to what they apparently believe is the sharp focus of objects. Go-motion blurs the object’s movement during exposure, but from what you see on the screen, it still strobes, probably due to what you say in your message. In any case, wouldn’t the sharp focus of cels cause some unrealistic effect as well, if not necessarily strobing? ========================== animation/main #821, from switch, 39 chars, Wed Aug 1 14:04:25 1990 This is a comment to message 819. ————————– Check out animation/sources #77. Emru ========================== animation/main #822, from switch, 248 chars, Wed Aug 1 14:07:21 1990 This is a comment to message 820. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Yes. Ever seen a human being stand absolutely rock solid? Or with all of his body in constant, minute motions? With cel animation it’s fairly easy to fall into that trap. Whoops. I’d go into more but they need this line (I’m at work)… Emru ========================== animation/main #823, from morganfox, 170 chars, Wed Aug 1 16:30:45 1990 This is a comment to message 812. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Well…..after TNMT cames out, various cities reported greatly increased incidents involving kids getting hurt, trapped etc. in sewers…so go figure. (That is the film) ========================== animation/main #824, from hmccracken, 802 chars, Wed Aug 1 18:27:50 1990 This is a comment to message 823. There are additional comments to message 823. ————————– CQ #1 is $6.00 from Cartoon & Comic Company (that’s Jim and John’s company) at PO Box 1458, Burbank, CA 91505. The only letter we got berating me for saying that about Friz Freleng (and I still think it’s true) was that one we published. Although Dave Bastian and Shamus Culhane both live in NYC, I don’t think Dave has anything to worry about. Shamus tends to express himself in the most forceful way possible on whatever topic he’s discussing, as he did in his response to Dave’s review of his book. I have had trouble convincing a few people that Shamus is a good friend of _Animato_ after that letter he wrote, until I show them a kind comment he made about the magazine. The lack of a response or a refusal to respond to Shamus’s letter, by the way, was Dave Bastian’s own choice. — Harry ========================== animation/main #825, from tshim, 221 chars, Wed Aug 1 20:46:14 1990 This is a comment to message 823. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I find that hard to believe. Are kids stupid enough to try some of the things that go on in these cartoons? If so, they make a great case for juvenile asylums. MorganFox, from what source did you get this information? ========================== animation/main #826, from tshim, 199 chars, Wed Aug 1 20:49:47 1990 This is a comment to message 822. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– It seems that with animation, it almost never strobes (if done well). Does an animator have that fine a control to prevent strobing due to precise focus? (Please continue when you get a free line.) ========================== animation/main #827, from tshim, 431 chars, Wed Aug 1 21:22:21 1990 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: The Animation Forum I’m new here, so if this is a naive question, say so. When is the Animation Forum open? I’m speaking of the CBix choice here. I understand you’ve had Jerry Beck on once, but I was under the impression people could converse “live” here anytime, but the joint seems closed. If it’s only open for celebrities, when is the next one? And, for that matter, who others besides Jerry Beck have we had here? ========================== animation/main #828, from switch, 223 chars, Wed Aug 1 21:33:07 1990 This is a comment to message 827. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 827. ————————– We’re working on it, we’re working on it… As soon as I get my schedule worked out, we will probably start having a regular CBIX. Probably not weekly for starters, but there will be something. Watch this space… Emru ========================== animation/main #829, from jenn, 208 chars, Wed Aug 1 21:53:05 1990 This is a comment to message 827. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– >Well, we tried to have regular animation/cbix’s…but it
got kinda lonely with Harry, switch, and me there by ourselves. 🙂
We are discussing starting it up again. Not weekly at first,
maybe bi-weekly.
==========================
animation/main #830, from tshim, 127 chars, Wed Aug 1 22:18:37 1990
This is a comment to message 828.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I hope I didn’t give an impression of impatience. If so, I apologize.
Just wondering, but is Jerry Beck the only one so far?
==========================
animation/main #831, from tshim, 408 chars, Wed Aug 1 22:22:18 1990
This is a comment to message 829.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Really? I was thinking maybe with all these people here, there
would be more participants. I was mildly shocked that so few were
in on the Jerry Beck CBix. (I can kill myself, I have so many questions
for the dude.)
I have four weeks vacation, and an unlimited account on BIX and Tymenet,
so I’ll be more than happy to be in on the fun.
P.S. Like I asked switch, has Beck been the only celeb thus far?
==========================
animation/main #832, from jenn, 260 chars, Wed Aug 1 22:24:29 1990
This is a comment to message 831.
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————————–
Beck has been the only celeb so far. We actually did have
a pretty good turnout for that. It was just the
get-together cbix’s that left something to be desired.
He is also certainly not the only celeb we hope to
get online.
Btw, welcome to the conference!
==========================
animation/main #833, from hmccracken, 291 chars, Wed Aug 1 22:52:12 1990
This is a comment to message 832.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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You are forgetting (or probably blocking out of your memory) the
session with Steve Segal, Jenn. (Which you might not have been
present for — I don’t quite recall.) There were scads of tech
problems, but for the fleeting moments that everything worked it
was quite interesting.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #834, from hmccracken, 121 chars, Wed Aug 1 22:53:28 1990
This is a comment to message 831.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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————————–
Do you have any specific questions for Jerry? I will be seeing
him this week and might be able to relay them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #835, from hmccracken, 176 chars, Wed Aug 1 22:54:51 1990
This is a comment to message 817.
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Charles was brother to Bob and Tom. Tom left animation to become
a prolific comic-book and childrens’-book cartoonist (doing lots
of work on the Warner characters).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #836, from switch, 594 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:15:04 1990
This is a comment to message 826.
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All I was going to do was point up the basic differences between
a drawing and a living, breathing person, really. Animated characters
tend to work in “segments” usually, even counting a segment as,
say, half of the body. A real human body shifts imperceptibly with
almost every movement.
Also, animated characters tend to work a bit differently when they
make gross movements. Watch a walking animated character coming to
a stop and a walking person coming to a stop.
Sorry if this doesn’t come out right; I usually have a hard time
describing something I see almost intuitively…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #837, from switch, 155 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:16:24 1990
This is a comment to message 830.
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There was a CBIX with Steve Segal, but BIX and the telecom gods
conspired against that one. There might be a second try in the
future, who knows…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #838, from switch, 226 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:17:50 1990
This is a comment to message 831.
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If you have any questions with respect to Streamline Pictures,
check out the rec.arts.anime digests in animation/listings. Or
ask here, as I lost a number of files destined for the digests
when my UUCP feed went down.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #839, from davemackey, 535 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:33:52 1990
This is a comment to message 806.
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Hi there, apparently you’re new and just catching up on our vast library
of messages, otherwise there wouldn’t be 36 new messages in this section
since last night. So welcome aboard.
Now as to your message, there are lots of cartoons — Warner’s and
otherwise — in which the firing of weapons are deleted. If you saw the
piece on the revived Bugs Bunny comic strip in the latest Animato!, you
would learn that they can’t show weapons, either. So I guess it’s more
a pacifist thing than anything.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #840, from davemackey, 541 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:40:36 1990
This is a comment to message 817.
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Elaborating on what Harry already gave you on Los Bros. McKimson…
Tom and Robert had been working there since the Harman-Ising days and
might have started work on the same day. Charles, who I believe was
the oldest, joined later and stayed until about 1953. Tom aligned with
the Harman-Ising group when it moved to M-G-M and later returned as an
animator/layout man for Clampett and later Art Davis. All three McK.
brothers received their earliest art training from Mother McKimson.
Hope this helps ya!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #841, from jshook, 959 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:42:10 1990
This is a comment to message 817.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Don’t know about the McKimsons.
Strobing in animation: This is an interesting question, and I have
never considered it fully before. The short answer is that you can
in fact get strobing in cel animation. Horizontal camera moves past
a picket fence will sometimes give you on-screen strobing. That’s
why all camera moves are shot on ones even if the cels animate on
twos or threes. And most automated cameras that I have worked on
allow you to make the exposure while the camera or table is moving
so that you get a natural blur during camera moves. Bu these effects
come from motion of the background, not the characters, which is
really what you are asking about. This is just a guess, but perhaps
it’s a perceptual effect caused by the nature of te imagery itself:
cel animation, no matter how complex or detailed will always be visually
flatter than dimensional animation. And this flatness may work to surpress
the strobing.
But I don’t know.
==========================
animation/main #842, from tshim, 74 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:49:49 1990
This is a comment to message 833.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Will you be posting this CBix (w/Segal) in the files section too, Harry?
==========================
animation/main #843, from jshook, 989 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:50:17 1990
This is a comment to message 818.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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No, it’s simply the fact that usually what you are seeing is
a scuccession of perfectly-sharp images. That’s why systems
like GoMation (?), not sure if this is the right name) wrerere
devised. Parts of the figures are attached to stepper motor
and the figure is moved slightly during the exposure. This
technique was used widely (though not for the first time) in the
dimensional animation for “Dragonslayer.”
The effect is also exploited by means of stroboscopic
cinematography. Instead of each frame accounting for the
1/50th of a second or so that normal cinematography uses, each
frame is exposed to intense light for a much smaller fraction of
time (although 24 are still exposed each second). This produces
individual frames that are razor sharp, even when there are objects
in motion within the scene. You have seen this effect in tv
commercials (even if you have not realised it) when they show things
like individual salt crystals bouncing in closeup of off ears of corn.
==========================
animation/main #844, from hmccracken, 304 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:56:23 1990
This is a comment to message 842.
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Wouldn’t be too informative — it was 50% Steve being unsuccessful
in getting on, 25% him getting bounced out of the system by BIX,
10% him wandering around other conferences in a fruitless attempt
to find this one, and maybe 15% disjointed questions and answers.
(And 2% butterscotch ripple.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #845, from tshim, 1038 chars, Wed Aug 1 23:57:53 1990
This is a comment to message 834.
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Sure, I sent him a letter just today, with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
I’m not sure how busy he’ll be, or if he’ll write back, so if you can verbally
ace him out, great.
Three questions, mainly: Why is the 50s section in LT and MM’s (his book)
more profuse in subjective statements than in other sections?
And — in the Scarecrow edition of The Warner Bros Cartoons, he (or Will F.)
praise Rod Scribner for the loose-limbed animation of Foghorn and the Genie
in A-Lad-In his Lamp, two early McKimson classics. But Scribner (credited
as animator in “A Wild Hare”) didn’t join McKimson’s unit until after the 50s
when McKimson’s style was much squarer. I was wondering if Jerry/Will
meant either John Carey or Manny Gould (who were left when Scribner and
Herb Cohen came in) [Charles McK. and Phil DeLara stayed on].
Like I said, the letter was more comprehensive, and has a SASE, so if this is
a mouthful, you can let the letter do the job. But if you two have the time,
I’d appreciate the forwarding of the above. Thanks!!
==========================
animation/main #846, from tshim, 257 chars, Thu Aug 2 00:00:28 1990
This is a comment to message 840.
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This sure does — so little is written about McK, it’s a boon to find
such a wealth (and >>speed<<!!) of knowledge just a modem away. Awww, I’ll come out and say it now — youse guys are de best! (Now imagine what I’ll say when I get to really know you!) ========================== animation/main #847, from hmccracken, 471 chars, Thu Aug 2 00:01:22 1990 This is a comment to message 845. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 845. ————————– I know that Will and Jerry divided their work on the book into decades, with each handling certain ten-year spans. That might explain why the 1950s stick out from the rest of the book. (I can’t remember offhand if Will or Jerry handled that section, but the book notes who did what.) I don’t know much about Scribner’s career after the Clampett unit closed — he didn’t move into the McKimson unit, at least for a while? I will try to ask Jerry about this. — Harry ========================== animation/main #848, from tshim, 983 chars, Thu Aug 2 00:05:49 1990 This is a comment to message 841. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 841. ————————– Thanks for the comments … they give me an explanation I never would have imagined. Speaking of camera pans — the fact that the camera >accelerates< and >decelerates< naturally, although the pan is obviously shot frame-to-frame: Is this all calculated out? Same with zooms and pans — are the decelerations and accelerations of the movements actually calculated? Also: In the 1975 Film Comment devoted to Animation — When Greg Ford/Richard Thompson asked Chuck Jones if Warners used a multiplane camera for some of their landscape shots (visible in some shorts), Jones answered absolutely not, but that an effect of depth was achieved by a technician (forgot his name) who knew how to choreograph layered backgrounds to achieve a multiplane effect. Does anyone have any info on this? It seems multiplane when you view the shorts, but I would think the calculations (or smooth ones at least) are almost impossible (but then I think calculated pans and zooms are impossible). ========================== animation/main #849, from hmccracken, 156 chars, Thu Aug 2 00:08:36 1990 This is a comment to message 848. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 848. ————————– Check out the opening of Clampett’s _Wabbit Twouble_ for a panoramic canyon scene that looks very much like it was done with a multiplane camera. — Harry ========================== animation/main #850, from jshook, 2432 chars, Thu Aug 2 00:26:42 1990 This is a comment to message 848. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 848. ————————– Accelerations and decelerations are/were indeed calculated. (By the way, these are more commonly referred to as “ease in” and “ease out” and, in Britain, “fairings”). I used to do it in manner that cannot be even charitably referred to as calculation: I used to divide the total distance by number of frames to get the distance I needed to travel for each frame (by “distance” I mean the difference between the beginning and ending numbers on the dials connected to the cranks that move the compound or camera). If I needed to move, say, 7 units per frame, I would say this was a peak speed of 10 per frame (and 10 is a much easier number to deal with than 7). Then I would fiddle with the beginning and end of the move to end up travelling the right distance. This is no fun. You may have to figure a move on three or even more axes over hundreds of frames. Once I was groaning about this to a friend of mine who is good at math, and he thought for a few seconds and wrote out a formula that I used from then on to get it perfect the first time. With computer-controlled cameras you don’t have to do anything except tell it where you want to start and end and how many frames to use for the eases. The simplest controllers have one built-in contour; more expensive ones allow you to select from several or even specify a custom contour. The hardest move I ever had to do was to try to get the effect of a continuous zoom from a cell to strands of DNA. To do this in one move I would have had to make artwork about the size of a football field in order to keep the relative scale correct. So insetead I made a series of drawings. I zoomed in on the first one, then, just at the bottom of the zoom, did an in-camera dissolve out. Then I took the camera all the way to the top again and dissolved in on the next artwork which was visually registered to the first. And so on. I think I had about ten drawings. The hard part was figuring the numbers, since as I got closer to the artwork, the on-screen effect is that the camera is speeding up. So I had to try to figure out how much to decelerate to maintain the effect of a constant velocity. I utterly lack the mathematical skills needed to perfom such a calculation. I ended up shooting lots of test of HiCon film (which you can easily develop yourself in any reasonably dark room). I never did get it exactly right, but after a while it was close enough. , ========================== animation/main #851, from switch, 409 chars, Thu Aug 2 00:27:50 1990 This is a comment to message 848. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 848. ————————– I don’t know how Real Animators (is there such a thing? 😉 do it, but at Concordia we either have perfectionist ex-physics students like Greg, Ted and myself who work it out on paper, or really good blind-guessers like Alison who just sort of do it. (This is referring to calculated acceleration.) Re calculating multiplane effects: no idea why not. It’d be hell, but it should be able to be done… Emru ========================== animation/main #852, from jshook, 1161 chars, Thu Aug 2 00:36:04 1990 This is a comment to message 848. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 848. ————————– Fake multi-plane shots are fairly easy to do. You just create a forground element (like a tree or lampost or whatever would be closer to the viewer in the scene) and whenever you move the background, you move the foreground element a little faster. The relative motion is what makes it seem closer. This can be very effective when you begin a zoom–pan the forground element away from the center of the frame as you zoom. This can look a lot like you are actually moving into the scene as the fg element slides past you at a faster rate than the bg. It’s a fake, of course, because the fg would grow larger at a faster rate than the bg, and, being flat artwork, it won’t. But you can see this used in lots of cartoons, usually in a shot that establishes a scene. I once did this for a sequence where I was zooming into a kitchen table. I made a wall section with a clock on it and as I did the zoom, I slid the wall out of the frame. However, I hadn’t realised that by moving the wall section I would be uncovering hither-to-unseen parts of my background, which had no artwork on it! So every few frames I had to stop and draw in some more stuff…. ========================== animation/main #853, from grekel, 276 chars, Thu Aug 2 01:05:46 1990 This is a comment to message 810. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– okay… is the “spire” in question in the wide establishing shot of the underwater castle, just past the main title, on screen for maybe 4 seconds? Lower right third of the screen? If so, I -think- I found it, but VHS is such a crud-o format, it’s har/ er, difficult to tell. ========================== animation/main #854, from grekel, 522 chars, Thu Aug 2 01:14:15 1990 This is a comment to message 841. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 841. ————————– > cel animation… will always be visually flatter…
exactly! If this were not the case, we would have trouble distinguishing
between the real folks and the toons in “Roger Rabbit”. Your brain
just -knows- that cartoons can’t be real, so it doesn’t send the “aw,
come on” message. Now try to fool me with Harryhausen or Go-Motion, and the
warnings trigger, but things are getting very sophisticated.
I’ll be at SIGGRAPH next week, and I bet I see a lot of computer-generated
imagery that doesn’t look “wrong.” 🙂
greg
==========================
animation/main #855, from ewhac, 96 chars, Thu Aug 2 02:59:53 1990
This is a comment to message 853.
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I think you misunderstood (or I didn’t express it right). It’s
on the box cover.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #856, from davemackey, 682 chars, Thu Aug 2 03:34:50 1990
This is a comment to message 845.
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Rod Scribner was not the credited animator on “A Wild Hare” — Virgil Ross
was. But good eye on some of the other stuff you mentioned in this message.
As you may know, Beck and Friedwald traded off writing about certain
decades. As it happens, there was quite a bit more to say about the cartoons
of the 1950s than any other era — it was sort of a crossroads period for
the studio, with the staff continually flexing its creative muscles in
an era when there was increased competition thanks to the flowering of UPA.
Any discussion on Warner Bros. cartoons of the 60’s centers on how horrible
they are compared to that which went before.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #857, from davemackey, 673 chars, Thu Aug 2 03:39:59 1990
This is a comment to message 848.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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To my knowledge, Warner’s never owned an authentic multiplane unit, but
the background artists could create multi-dimensional scenes by putting
the different levels of depth on long cels. When photographed, the cels
moved relative to their position in the shot: anything in the foreground
moved very rapidly, and the background itself remained almost static as the
camera panned.
The beauty of multiplane, as used by classic Disney shorts such as
“The Old Mill,” is the ability to be able to zoom into these different
depths of field and have more actual camera movement than what the
tightly-budgeted Warner’s crew could simulate.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #858, from morganfox, 307 chars, Thu Aug 2 06:44:13 1990
This is a comment to message 825.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I read a couple of articles in the Boston Globe. Some kids being rescued, that
sorta thing. And I seem to recall part of one of those or a separate one
connecting it to the popularity of the movie.
One would hope kids would know better…but it seems as in all things there
are a few out there who don’t.
==========================
animation/main #859, from tshim, 76 chars, Thu Aug 2 09:51:20 1990
This is a comment to message 747.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Hallelujah! When’s the Stalling album coming out! I’m buying five copies!
==========================
animation/main #860, from tshim, 307 chars, Thu Aug 2 09:55:26 1990
————————–
TITLE: Gerald and Danny Peary
Does anyone know where I can get a copy (and I literally mean a copy — I’d
settle for xerox’s of the articles) of the Pearys’ _The American Animated
Cartoon_?
For that matter, does anyone own an original (I have xeroxes) copy of the
1975 _Film Comment_ devoted to animation?
==========================
animation/main #861, from tshim, 215 chars, Thu Aug 2 19:33:28 1990
This is a comment to message 858.
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I didn’t realize you meant TNMT and not TNT — what movie are you referring
to.
Oh, someone next to me tells me that you’re talking about the Turtle
movie. Your TNMT messed me up (it’s TMNT, but who cares …).
==========================
animation/main #862, from tshim, 131 chars, Thu Aug 2 19:38:40 1990
This is a comment to message 843.
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If the strobing is due to rock-solid images, then why isn’t there
likewise strobing in cel animation, also with rock-solid images?
==========================
animation/main #863, from tshim, 200 chars, Thu Aug 2 19:41:12 1990
This is a comment to message 849.
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Like I said, Jones contends that no such things was available from
tight-fisted Leon, and that a guy over there at the Terrace knew
how to align the backgrounds to simulate depth.
But who knows …?
==========================
animation/main #864, from morganfox, 75 chars, Thu Aug 2 20:03:19 1990
This is a comment to message 861.
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Yeah, TMNT, yeah, that’s the ticket! Guess ya can tell I’m a big fan…;)
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animation/main #865, from grekel, 299 chars, Thu Aug 2 20:52:28 1990
This is a comment to message 862.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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There IS strobing in cel animation. But EVERYTHING strobes at
the same rate. In Harryhausen-type animation, the backgrounds
run with normal blurring action, and the strobing you see is the
beating of the solid animation against either the blurry
backgrounds or against other “real” objects.
maybe?
==========================
animation/main #866, from bsoron, 281 chars, Thu Aug 2 21:20:02 1990
This is a comment to message 841.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I noticed strobing all through Watership Down — and commented
on it when I wrote a review for a zine back then, since I’d never
seen it so bad before. Especially visible in landscapes, I remember,
though it’s been way too long since I’ve seen the movie to remember
much more.
==========================
animation/main #867, from davemackey, 212 chars, Fri Aug 3 07:45:33 1990
This is a comment to message 859.
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It should have been out by now. I’ve been scouting record stores for it
but I’m wondering where most stores are going to put it. Classical?
Instrumental? Soundtracks? Kiddie?
–D.
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animation/main #868, from tshim, 347 chars, Fri Aug 3 21:23:25 1990
This is a comment to message 865.
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This is an interesting theory, and old b&w animation shot at 16 frames/sec
seem to hold this one up. Again, who knows — my original wonderment
sprang from hearing that stop-motion strobing was due to rock-solid images,
and wondering aloud why cel animation, with rock-solid images, didn’t strobe
(visibly at least) at all.
Thanks for the stab!
==========================
animation/main #869, from tshim, 368 chars, Fri Aug 3 22:57:33 1990
This is a comment to message 867.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I would think Soundtracks would be the category that would come most
immediately to mind.
I called about ten stores, from massmarket outlets to specialty dives. Tower
Records’ buyer had no clue, and the Footlight Records, where I found an old
Watership Down soundtrack just five years ago, claims ignorance.
Where’s Warner Records’ PR? On vacation in the Bahamas?
==========================
animation/main #870, from bsoron, 282 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:05:44 1990
This is a comment to message 869.
There are additional comments to message 869.
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Incidentally, while I was in Austin last week, I picked up a CD called
“Like a Version” by the band Two Nice Girls — I mention it here because
it has a cover of the theme to Speed Racer. I haven’t listened to it yet
(don’t have a CD player) but others may want to look for it.
==========================
animation/main #871, from tshim, 561 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:12:57 1990
This is a comment to message 866.
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Speaking of Watership Down, I know the Hubley stuff (really UPA jazz, graphics
music, art, everything) was excellent, and even the Rosen-supervised
drawings were exceptional for half the movie, and then the animation
fell bottom-out. Especially with the wide-angle dog attack — it made
the Crusader Rabbit look downright lavish.
But! I didn’t notice much strobing. Or maybe I’m looking for the wrong thing.
Anyway, does anyone know the specifics of why Hubley up and quit? Maltin,
Solomon, no one seems to mention anything other than creative differences.
==========================
animation/main #872, from tshim, 344 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:16:45 1990
This is a comment to message 857.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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As I’m talking to hands-on animators (a dream I can only hope to achieve),
let me ask y’all something: Seeing multiplane scenes (and simulations there-
of), I kind of make them akin to ye ole 3-D processes. The effect is nice
and all that, but instead of reality, things turn out looking like
ViewMaster ripoffs.
Comments? Cheers or flames?
==========================
animation/main #873, from tshim, 317 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:21:04 1990
This is a comment to message 854.
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Has anyone seen the computer animation for Tropicana Orange Juice?
Grekel, this might be something you inadvertantly meant in your previous msg.
For a while, I thought, “Hey, how’d they get a straw to bounce that freely
in slow-motion.” Once I saw the eyes, the computerization was given away.
But it impressed me.
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animation/main #874, from tshim, 1411 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:37:47 1990
This is a comment to message 847.
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I know he was with Virgil Ross and Richard Beckinbach (?), plus others,
in Clampett’s later stuff. When McKimson took over the reins, and full
credits began to be shown, Scribner was notable in his absence. McK
basically started with Gould, Carey, DeLara, and C.McK., with variations
brought around by Art Davis’ unit folding (which, of course, took over when
his boss, Tashlin, left again, this time for good). It’s been mentioned
that Davis/Tashlin stuff is awfully Columbian-in-style (the studio, not the
nation, and pre-UPA to boot), and not surprising considering both came back
to Warners after their brief sojourn with the Fox and the Crow.
Anyway, the point of all this is that the melding of Clampett and
Davis/Tashlin’s units produced the really great McK stuff in the pre-50s.
It is only after McK went into his rather stuffy style later on that Scribner
and Herman Cohen (who also worked with Clampett) were listed in the credits.
Gould and Carey left, while DeLara and Charles McK stayed.
That seems to say that Gould and Carey did those grand posturings seen by
the earlier (lower-pitched by Blanc) Foghorn Leghorn, the Genie from A-Lad-In
His Lamp, and that great Senate scene from Rebel Rabbit (“That hare must die!”
BB: “Hare! Die! Hair dye! That’s a joke son, you missed it! Admit it son,
I’m too fast for you!” <slap, slap, slap, slap, big mooch on the lips>).
But I don’t know. …
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animation/main #875, from switch, 540 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:47:28 1990
This is a comment to message 872.
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In my opinion, multiplane effects shouldn’t be used with certain
camera movements, depending on how it’s done. I really don’t like
most of the shots where we advance between two trees, which seem to
just walk off sideways. In fact, the two areas where I _do_ like
them are when there is no camera movement and one object is in
focus while another is blurred, or when something is moving *very*
fast, and the different foreground and background objects are
zooming by at different rates.
But that’s this bizarre person’s opinion…
Emru
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animation/main #876, from tshim, 710 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:50:28 1990
This is a comment to message 850.
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This is absolutely amazing stuff, James. Thanks for taking the time
to lay it out in layperson’s terms.
This really gives me some respect for the tranverse and diagonal pans
I’ve seen used, especially when it involves animation going on in those
movements. Today, as you say, computers can be used, but back in the 40’s
and 50’s, it must have been pure instinct.
(The person that comes to mind is Tashlin. Although his later stuff really
stressed sight gags based on nearly stock-still figures (almost limited
animation in a way), his verves and caroms throughout his career really
show the guy did things the hard way. Then again, maybe it was his animators
were the ones who had to worry about this!)
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animation/main #877, from tshim, 255 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:52:38 1990
This is a comment to message 851.
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I can imagine how people can have “a feel” for it. That’s amazing in and of
itself, but to think that some of you “less gifted” (“cursed?”) actually
go out to work it manually is mind-boggling.
P.S. I’m a bit out of the inner circle, Emru. Greg? Ted?
==========================
animation/main #878, from tshim, 560 chars, Fri Aug 3 23:57:22 1990
This is a comment to message 852.
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I had no ideer that such things could be rendered expertly enough w/o
real multi-plane. It’s quite an eye-opener.
With WB stuff, it seemed to be used at least one in every (as you say)
establishing shot, but past 1946 or thereabout, it wasn’t used except
some notable times when McK used in as far into the late 50s. Of course,
Disney just had the multiplane to go to anytime.
I know “Daffy Doodles” has a chase scene with a moving background (Porky
and Daffs on a building ledge, rounding corners and such).
Was that an animated background like Gertie’s?
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animation/main #879, from switch, 385 chars, Sat Aug 4 00:00:52 1990
This is a comment to message 877.
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Working out acceleration and deceleration isn’t too difficult, really.
There’s the mathematical way (Physics 101), and there’s the graphic
way (with an arc and a ruler). It really depends on what I’m doing.
Greg and Ted are the only other two people in last year’s class who
had some kind of a science background. We’re also the three who tend
to get it right the first time.
Emru
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animation/main #880, from tshim, 278 chars, Sat Aug 4 00:04:40 1990
This is a comment to message 875.
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Agreed: such shots like the first Road Runner, where the Coyote paces
back and forth against two differently scanning backgrounds, and such extreme
shots as the moon or sun standing still as the background goes past the
characters, are the best ones to make use of multiplane.
==========================
animation/main #881, from ewhac, 95 chars, Sat Aug 4 06:25:42 1990
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TITLE: I Give Up
I should know this, but I don’t:
What’s a multiplane camera?
Schwab
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animation/main #882, from davemackey, 242 chars, Sat Aug 4 07:14:45 1990
This is a comment to message 869.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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As I said, it should have shipped by now. I have a couple of pieces of
Warner Bros. Records (WEA) publicity (my brother is a record store manager)
that said the album was definitely coming out in July.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #883, from davemackey, 771 chars, Sat Aug 4 07:22:02 1990
This is a comment to message 881.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Good question. The multiplane camera was developed by Disney in the mid-30’s
though evidence suggests that his ex-compadre Ub Iwerks was working on
a primitive version of same in the early 30’s. Where a regular animation
camera has just one plane for photographing cels and backgrounds, the
multiplane has a number of different levels on which larger cels can be
staged. Each plane can move independently of the others and the camera can
truck in and out of these different levels of depth. “The Old Mill,” Disney’s
Oscar winner from ’37, was the first cartoon using multiplane footage.
It took at least two or three men to operate and several mathematicians on
hand to calculate the precise adjustments this camera was capable of.
–Dave
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animation/main #884, from switch, 346 chars, Sat Aug 4 07:34:19 1990
This is a comment to message 883.
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Disney didn’t actually develop the multiplane — someone else had
created and used a multiplane beforehand, but Disney refined it.
I really should know the name of the person who first created
the multiplane — I aced that question all through History of
Animated Film. Oh, well. I’ll have to look it up once I get to
my reference books.
Emru
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animation/main #885, from tshim, 130 chars, Sat Aug 4 22:03:48 1990
This is a comment to message 884.
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As a tangent to this, Emru, what colleges have the best animation courses
for serious and not-so-serious animators, respectively.
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animation/main #886, from tshim, 71 chars, Sat Aug 4 22:05:04 1990
This is a comment to message 882.
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Well, then I guess the real answer is, is anyone >buying< this record? ========================== animation/main #887, from tshim, 948 chars, Sat Aug 4 22:14:05 1990 This is a comment to message 230. ————————– The 50th Anniversary Bugs Bunny Magazine lists Carl Stalling as dying around 1972 [(1888-1972)]. That would put him about 40 when he joined Disney, 50 when he joined Warner Bros., and 70 when he composed his final score! I’m not surprised The New York Times didn’t run an obit on him. As late as 1980, even after the publication of “Of Mice and Magic,” the following was written of Tex Avery: “Fred (Tex) Avery, maker of cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, died yesterday. He is survived …” I’m not even sure if they mentioned cancer, and the blurb was from UPI. Even more recently, when Mel Blanc died, the Times seemed to take everything from his autobio, saying he dubbed Bugs’s name and other inaccuracies, and many other factual errors. Read your local library’s microfilm to see the travesty. Luckily, Glenn Collins, cultural affairs reporter, is learning fast. Hope- fully he’ll not repeat mistakes like this. ========================== animation/main #890, from tshim, 513 chars, Sat Aug 4 22:31:20 1990 This is a comment to message 749. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I have the deepest respect for Bradley’s longevity, but remember, MGM came out with a maximum of 12-16 shorts a year. Warner Bros. once topped forty (count ’em: forty) shorts in 1946 (or around then), and averaged at least 20-30 shorts every year. That’s around 400 shorts between 1936 and 1954, when Milt Franklyn eased in. Bradley didn’t do more than 300, if that many. It also follows that although Bradley had to churn out maybe a score per month (still amazing), Stalling had to do the same each >week<. ========================== animation/main #891, from tshim, 140 chars, Sat Aug 4 22:38:32 1990 This is a comment to message 764. ————————– The fact they are using a 26-piece >orchestra< for the soundtrack bodes well. The fact that the director is from hanna-barbarian does not. ========================== animation/main #892, from tshim, 216 chars, Sat Aug 4 23:57:23 1990 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Policy Change? This is a nitpick, but is it possible to arrange the read order of the topics so that, say, memos come first, then bulletin.old, then main, etc.? The current read order is a little non-ordered. ========================== animation/main #893, from tshim, 173 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:14:41 1990 This is a comment to message 473. There are additional comments to message 473. ————————– You have to be kidding. I got this tape, and although I’ll admit the price is right, the quality of the shorts, all in all, is poor to fair, and far from “very very good.” ========================== animation/main #894, from tshim, 284 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:21:14 1990 This is a comment to message 309. ————————– It seems the General Mills people are doing good things for animated ads. All their cereals have old-style animation full of secondary movements. You mention the Trix rabbit, but the CoCo Puffs bird, Lucky Charms elf, and even the Honey Nut Bee all seem to have been done with class. ========================== animation/main #895, from tshim, 52 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:23:03 1990 This is a comment to message 310. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Where is this Richard Williams demo tape available? ========================== animation/main #896, from tshim, 198 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:24:08 1990 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Hook cartoons The latest fad seems to be getting the entire Snafu series from WB, but why is it that Hook’s seem to be neglected. They’re not even mentioned in MM and LT’s (Beck/Friedwald). ========================== animation/main #897, from tshim, 204 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:38:02 1990 This is a comment to message 415. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Is Friz Freleng’s health a current concern? I remember him in the early 80s being rather heavy-set, but now I saw recently and he seems to have lost about 50 lbs. Does anyone know if the ol’ guy is ok? ========================== animation/main #898, from switch, 1050 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:38:21 1990 This is a comment to message 885. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Is there such a thing as a serious animator? 😉 To tell the truth, I can only really go by what I’ve heard from attendees (whose testimony is usually heavily biased) and hearsay (which is never really that accurate). Concordia is very good at allowing the students to do what they want. Most of the teachers encourage experimentation of any kind, and occasionally we have “animation blitzes” where we get to go wild and do whatever we want, with free 16mm film stock. Sheridan art college in Toronto has produced some very interesting animators/animations, but hearsay says that they force you into a house style. This is corroborated by my cousin who is in fine arts there — she came and visited Concordia and was very surprised at the freedom we had in what we did. Universite de Montreal is supposed to have a program, but I know nothing about it, if it exists… CalArts has an amazing rep but considering the supposed flow of students from there to Disney, I begin to wonder if it also suffers from conforming to house style… Emru ========================== animation/main #899, from tshim, 707 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:42:14 1990 This is a comment to message 449. ————————– Clampett, as most people will attest, was insufferably egotistical. It doesn’t surprise me that he would dye his hair an embarrassingly jet black color, just like it didn’t surprise me when I saw him taking over “Bugs Bunny Superstar” and almost stealing credit for his creation. The fact that Blanc and him didn’t get along is also not earth-shattering. And of course, despite Chuck Jones’ reticence, I think most people know a >little< about Clampett’s malabuse of his most famous animator in the early
days. (I for one have the thinnest of clues.)
His cartoon are the best, but his personality may have left a lot to be
desired.
(And one wonders why he ever so quietly hoarded so many collectibles.)
==========================
animation/main #900, from tshim, 389 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:47:18 1990
This is a comment to message 248.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Speaking of the Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary Special: Does anyone
have a tape of this? I would be interested in borrowing it, please send me
mail if anyone does. (This’s the one from 1986, not Bugs’s B’day (1990).)
P.S. I’m still looking for any semblance of _The American Animated Cartoon_
by Gerald and Danny Peary. Xeroxes would suffice — you will be handsomely
paid!
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animation/main #901, from switch, 290 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:49:03 1990
This is a comment to message 892.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I’m afraid not, Thomas. I’d prefer for ‘memos’ to come first as well,
but there’s no such moderator function.
You _might_ be able to rearrange the order yourself by resigning
a topic (say, ‘memos’) and rejoining it. I’ve never tried it,
though, so I’m not sure if that would work.
Emru
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animation/main #902, from tshim, 256 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:50:03 1990
This is a comment to message 413.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Bugs Bunny certainly did give the award for best animated short.
It was a preview of what Darrell Van Citters’ “Box Office Bunny
will look like, and it looked spectacular. Bugs hasn’t looked this
good since the late 50’s.
I’m surprised no one saw this!
==========================
animation/main #903, from switch, 91 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:51:22 1990
This is a comment to message 902.
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Sigh. One of those things. I was in a Film Aesthetics class, and
couldn’t tape it.
Emru
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animation/main #904, from tshim, 329 chars, Sun Aug 5 18:52:53 1990
This is a comment to message 430.
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Hmmm, difference of opinion here, but I thought this year’s Bunny was
better than the 1986 Oscar bunny, although the personality may have been
better.
I think the voice was Jeff Bergman’s. Speaking of which, why is Noel Blanc
all over the press and media hocking himself as Mel’s successor? Is there
a war of the voices here?
==========================
animation/main #905, from tshim, 930 chars, Sun Aug 5 19:08:11 1990
This is a comment to message 492.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Adamson’s version maintains that although both projects were independent
in their creation (both “Rhapsody Rabbit” and “Concerto Cat” were probably
weaned in part from both Disney’s “The Band Leader” (?) and Freleng’s
“Rhapsody in Rivets”), Freleng’s Bugs version was slated to premiere almost
a year earlier. Technicolor, which during the war had an awful time getting
prints done on time, sent a copy of Freleng’s work to MGM accidentally.
Avery backs up the story that when Hanna-Barbera saw the short, they
stepped up work for “Concerto.” When the lots were drawn for Oscar showing,
Concerto came out before Rhapsody, and people thought Freleng copied from
MGM. Freleng has maintained that H&B played unfair, and H&B claim that
Freleng stole their idea (although “Rhapsody in Rivets” outdates both
by a good three years).
Anyway, Concerto won the Oscar, maybe deservedly so, but I think 1946 should
have gone to Rhapsody.
==========================
animation/main #906, from tshim, 114 chars, Sun Aug 5 19:18:54 1990
This is a comment to message 901.
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Nice try, Emru, but you can’t resign from topics, only from conferences.
(So when’s the next CBix? <hint, hint>)
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animation/main #907, from switch, 154 chars, Sun Aug 5 19:25:05 1990
This is a comment to message 906.
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Yes, you can resign from topics. Try, for instance, ‘resign animation memos’.
Definitely keeps me from going completely insane over in tojerry…
Emru
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animation/main #908, from tshim, 265 chars, Sun Aug 5 19:53:00 1990
This is a comment to message 907.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Holy moly, you’re right. Sorry for doubting you.
I thus ask you this question: Considering that resigning from a topic
renders that topic invisible, are there other topics I might be missing?
In other words, how many topics are there in animation (I see 13 now).
==========================
animation/main #909, from tshim, 179 chars, Sun Aug 5 20:30:28 1990
This is a comment to message 901.
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For those waiting for the news: Yes, Emru is correct (once again) …
Topics can be rearranged by resigning and joining them. Last ones joined
get added to the end of the queue.
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animation/main #910, from switch, 208 chars, Sun Aug 5 20:44:56 1990
This is a comment to message 908.
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Best way to check all the topics in any conference is to enter
“show “. Yes, there are 13 topics (not counting listings and
cbix) here.
Don’t worry about doubting me. I do it all the time.
Emru
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animation/main #911, from morganfox, 64 chars, Sun Aug 5 21:58:11 1990
This is a comment to message 906.
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One can resign from topic within a conference…I have done it.
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animation/main #912, from jshook, 532 chars, Sun Aug 5 23:52:42 1990
This is a comment to message 898.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Last time I heard, CalARrts had two separate animations programs.
Program A (my terminology) is oriented towards character animations,
and is presumably the sourcefrom which the Disney studios get their
new talent. Program B is directed by Jules Engel, and is oriented
more towards animation as a fine art and means of personal expression.
Most of the CalArts grads that I know come from Program B.
However, the school is extremely flexible about students setting theirt
own programs, so I would guess you could mix ‘n match….
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animation/main #913, from switch, 172 chars, Mon Aug 6 00:15:58 1990
This is a comment to message 912.
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See what I said about hearsay?
I’ll have to keep that in mind, although right now I don’t see myself
heading down to CA… the Montreal women keep me busy enough 🙂
Emru
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animation/main #914, from tshim, 1269 chars, Mon Aug 6 21:07:05 1990
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TITLE: The Cutting of WB shorts
There seems to be a lot of cutting, and I don’t mean only on television.
For example, has anyone >really< seen a print of “The Big Snooze” that contains the scene with Bugs Bunny actually >taking< the sleeping pills
just before he gets into Elmer’s dream?
Also, in Frank Tashlin’s “Hare Remover,” there is another abrupt cut where
after Elmer captures Bugs and starts whooping it up about catching him, the
scene suddenly skips to a rather ornery-faced Elmer carrying off a laughing
Bugs. What happened?
Thirdly, there is a cut in Clampett’s “Baby Bottleneck.” It occurs during
the newspaper headlines shown with illustrating skits of babies getting
their wrong parents, specifically the one where the baby alligator gets
sent to Mrs. Pig. Just as the babigator is about to snap (and I mean snap!)
up a teat, there’s an abrupt cut to Mrs. Pig scolding the reptile for a
split second before the next skit just as suddenly invades, in turn.
Now we all know about the scene cut from Avery’s “The Heckling Hare,” and
most of us know about the replacement of Yosemite Sam’s claim, “And I ain’t
Mahatma Gandhi” to “And I ain’t no mamby-pamby,” in “Bugs Bunny Rides
Again.” But what the heck used to be in the cuts in the above shorts??
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animation/main #915, from tshim, 474 chars, Mon Aug 6 21:12:04 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Typo in Animato
There is no storyman credited with “The Old Grey Hare” and “The Big Snooze”
in the recent (#20) issue of Animato! magazine. While this is so in
“The Big Snooze,” Michael Sasanoff does get screen dues for “The Old Grey
Hare.” Thought you might like to know, Harry.
In all other respects, a fine, fine issue, featuring some of the regulars
right here on BIX/animation. Bravo.
One thing tho: Who the heck is Thelma Crumb???
Is it Harry McC in drag?
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animation/main #916, from davemackey, 228 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:07:07 1990
This is a comment to message 890.
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It says in the latest Animato! that Warner’s put out forty shorts in
1940, and that was the record setting year.
I think the M-G-M cartoons of Bradley required more individual
virtuosity from the musicians in the orchestra.
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animation/main #917, from davemackey, 383 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:09:25 1990
This is a comment to message 473.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Well, you get what you pay for, and it beats hunting down pristine 16mm
prints at multiples of the price.
I was told recently that the company had gone under, but they’re
back — they’re currently pushing that awful-looking Cat and Mouse watch.
(Which would be nice if it were Tom and Jerry — but it’s just a generic
real-type cat and mouse.)
–Dave
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animation/main #918, from davemackey, 150 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:10:39 1990
This is a comment to message 896.
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They do seem to be glossed over in every written history of Warner’s that
I’ve ever read, and my curiosity is similarly piqued. Are these lost
films?
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animation/main #919, from davemackey, 354 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:13:12 1990
This is a comment to message 897.
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I saw Friz a couple of weeks ago at a Circle Galleries appearance (at the
Seaport), and he appears to be OK, but please remember the man is going to
turn 84 this month. I think we should be extremely fortunate that the man
is still with us and able to bask in the adulation we’ve recently lavished
on his creations.
–Dave
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animation/main #920, from davemackey, 233 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:16:18 1990
This is a comment to message 900.
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Yes, I do — please E-mail me your address and we can work out dub
arrangements. Incidentally, Warner’s has just released the Bugs 50th
special “Happy Birthday Bugs: 50 Looney Years” on videotape.
–Dave
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animation/main #921, from davemackey, 122 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:17:55 1990
This is a comment to message 905.
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The other day, TNT showed “Rhapsody Rabbit,” immediately followed by
“Rhapsody In Rivets.” What you’d call a theme set…
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animation/main #922, from davemackey, 253 chars, Mon Aug 6 22:21:53 1990
This is a comment to message 915.
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I give thanks for the plaudits and add a bit of a mea culpa of my own:
the correct MPPDA certificate for “Tortoise Beats Hare” is 6620. (Whoops)
I don’t know who Thelma Scumm is, probably just a vain ol’ bird.
–Dave
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animation/main #923, from switch, 248 chars, Mon Aug 6 23:33:17 1990
This is a comment to message 918.
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You’re referring to the Private SNAFU films? Those were done
exclusively for soldiers overseas during WW II, and were only
recently (relatively speaking) released to the public. Even so,
they’re hard to get to. I’ve only seen two to date.
Emru
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animation/main #924, from davemackey, 273 chars, Wed Aug 8 09:57:31 1990
This is a comment to message 923.
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Emru, we’re trying to track down a similar second series of cartoons
which was called “Hook” produced for the U.S. Navy. There are plenty of
cartoons of Snafu’s on homevideo; check out the Whole Toon Catalogue.
But I’ve never heard of a Hook cartoon being released on vid.
==========================
animation/main #925, from davemackey, 187 chars, Wed Aug 8 09:59:22 1990
This is a comment to message 755.
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My source in the record retail racket, known only as Deep Bob, tells me that
“The Carl Stalling Project” has been delayed but should be in stores soon.
–Dave
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animation/main #926, from switch, 66 chars, Wed Aug 8 13:55:41 1990
This is a comment to message 924.
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Hmn, yeah, Whole Toon. I never did receive my catalogue…
Emru
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animation/main #927, from tshim, 1069 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:20:46 1990
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TITLE: Many Questions, mainly to Harry
Concerning ANIMATO! #20:
1) The Contents Page lists under Short Subjects a teaser for a review of
“Roger Rabbit’s latest …” which I presumed was a critique of “Tummy
Trouble” or at least “Roller Coaster Rabbit.” Nothing doing. Are there
(or will there be) reviews on these shorts?
2) What happened to the Staten Island comics that used to be listed as a
distributor? A New Jersey store has quietly taken its place.
3) Whatever happened to Toons on Tape? Did Matthew Hasson finally burn out?
4) I really love your new typography and layout — little did I realize how
much of a difference those little open and closing quotes make. But one
really nitty pick: Don’t keep two spaces between sentences, make it one
space. Two spaces only work with computer displays and typewriters.
5) What’s the origin of the title: Mail from some Flounder?
6) How scientific is the ANIMATO! Toon Poll? In other words, do you
check for repeat entries or do you throw the whole batch into the
computer?
Thanks for any answers!!
==========================
animation/main #928, from tshim, 162 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:25:15 1990
This is a comment to message 922.
————————–
Welp, someone has to write up those witticisms … cheers to whomever
you are. And if you need your anonymity to keep your bite, welp, no
complaining here then.
==========================
animation/main #929, from tshim, 460 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:29:06 1990
This is a comment to message 916.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 916.
————————–
I agree — Bradley put his people through hell, but what results!
Speaking of cartoon composers, one of the qualms I have against Milt Franklyn
is that he seems to hate anything brassy. Whereas Stalling loved to interject
some harsh trumpets into most anything, Franklyn seemed to stay with strings,
almost maddeningly so.
Then again, for some odd reason, the mixing dept. at WB seemed to play the
music at such low levels, this seems to be a moot protest.
==========================
animation/main #930, from tshim, 505 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:33:53 1990
This is a comment to message 917.
————————–
This is true, and I’m glad that some Fleischer Popeye’s are thrown in.
(By the way, Dave, as an aside, your msg somehow got tagged as a comment to
your original #473 … I guess you “comm”‘d right after viewing an “orig” from
my msg (#893), which you were really replying to.
To remedy this, I usually go back to the newer msg after doing any “orig”‘s to
refresh my (failing) memory. That way the comm’s come out right. But I’m
really nitpicking — just a hint! <Okay, okay, I’ll shut up already.>)
==========================
animation/main #931, from tshim, 278 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:36:42 1990
This is a comment to message 918.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The least “MM and LT” could have done was mention them in the intro to
“That’s Not All Folks!” section, wherein the Snafu’s are meticulously
synopsed. ENCHANTED DRAWINGS is the only source that mentions them,
and only in passing (but it shows a nice lobby card of the series).
==========================
animation/main #932, from tshim, 164 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:38:14 1990
This is a comment to message 923.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
To add to Dave’s reply, Bosko Video is coming out with the unedited
and “definitive” series of all Snafu’s. Check out the inside cover
(front) ad in ANIMATO! #20.
==========================
animation/main #933, from tshim, 589 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:42:15 1990
This is a comment to message 919.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Really?! How do you find out about these appearances in the tri-state area,
Dave? I wish I could find out too — I think I’ll give Circle Galleries a
call. (ARGHHH!!!!)
What usually happens at these appearances, by the way, Dave?
Speaking of “lucky that [Friz] is still with us and able to bask in [our]
adulation”: This is one reason I feel bad for Bob McKimson, dying possibly
on the brink of all this animation resurgence. Bob Clampett, Tex Avery —
Mike Maltese, Tedd Pierce. My God, if they had lived longer … or if the
rest of humanity weren’t so damned slow on the uptake.
==========================
animation/main #934, from davemackey, 200 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:43:35 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
*** Moved from animation/characters #77 of Mon Aug 6 22:04:41 1990
I’d be happy just to see the REAL ending to “the Heckling Hare!” Just
once before I die…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #935, from tshim, 560 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:43:35 1990
This is a comment to message 934.
————————–
*** Moved from animation/characters #80 of Wed Aug 8 22:03:25 1990
Re: The REAL ending to “The Heckling Hare.”
Does such a copy with the missing footage exist? (I can imagine how it would
look like — BB: “Fooled ya, didn’t we?” DOG: “Yeah …” BB: “C’mon Rover,
I’ll buy you a chaser …” DOG: “G-gee, thanks Mr. Rabbit …” [Both fall
over second cliff.] BB: “Welp, here we go again …” DOG: “Yeah …”)
ATTN: Moderators — I believe both #77 and this msg (#80) should be moved to
Animation/main, with #77 as a comment to #914. Is this possible?
==========================
animation/main #937, from switch, 150 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:46:44 1990
This is a comment to message 932.
————————–
Actually, I was thinking hard to get to on film. I haven’t seen any
of them on video as yet, so can’t comment on any beyond the two I’ve
seen.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #938, from tshim, 694 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:46:56 1990
This is a comment to message 920.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hi Dave — my address is readily available in my resume, but if we need
to send packages through the mail, please use “P.O. Box 1131” (everything
stays the same). I’ll Email my phone number to you, just in case.
Re: “Happy Birthday Bugs” — Is it the same exact thing shown on CBS?
I have that on tape, but Larry King recently said that he did a whole
skit on why he loves Bugs, but it was cut out. Is the released WB video
padded with more stuff?
P.S. On that call to King, I suggested he call up Leonard Maltin and
get guys like Jerry Beck and Greg Ford to do a roundtable on Bugs for
one of his shows. King is mighty forgetful, so don’t hold your breath,
but it could get interesting.
==========================
animation/main #939, from tshim, 284 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:49:28 1990
This is a comment to message 921.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TNT shows surprising sensitivity to the shorts they own. I wish
WB did the same.
God, can you imagine if the MGM/UA and WB could pool their prints together?
They worked in conjunction with the CBS Bugs Special, almost because they
had to, so this is not as impossible as it sounds.
==========================
animation/main #940, from tshim, 467 chars, Wed Aug 8 22:52:53 1990
This is a comment to message 925.
There are additional comments to message 925.
————————–
I called Tower Records (both branches), and both have the same story:
WB has pushed back the release date from August 5th to September 8th.
The stuff will possibly be in stores as early as September 5th.
By the way, “The Carl Stalling Project” is going to get a major publicity
boost by Tower, at least. The buyers I spoke to said that requests were
phoning in off the hook, and that a major display was being worked on.
So bring your cameras to Tower, if you can!
==========================
animation/main #941, from switch, 251 chars, Wed Aug 8 23:04:06 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: ‘anirec01.arc’
Just uploaded and installed Jim Omura’s update to his previous listing
of anime-related CDs. The current listing has topped 400 entries, and
he figures to have over 600 by the time he sends me a disk for another
update…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #942, from switch, 57 chars, Wed Aug 8 23:17:21 1990
This is a comment to message 941.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Correction: the current listing has 373 entries…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #943, from tshim, 166 chars, Thu Aug 9 00:04:38 1990
This is a comment to message 942.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Not to hedge (and certainly I’ve placed things in main that shouldn’t
be here), but shouldn’t this stuff be in memos? Just a little voice
in the wilderness here …
==========================
animation/main #944, from switch, 196 chars, Thu Aug 9 00:13:55 1990
This is a comment to message 943.
————————–
Not really… ‘memos’ is more or less for far-reaching changes. (Addition of
topics, moderators’ birthdays, restructuring of the conference due to
rebirth of Walt, Mel, Osamu, and Jim…)
Emru
==========================
animation/main #945, from davemackey, 274 chars, Thu Aug 9 22:58:54 1990
This is a comment to message 927.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 927.
————————–
I can answer one of Harry’s questions right away for you; the man himself
can handle the rest of them when he returns from vacation.
#5: Rocky: “Hey, look! A message in a bottle!”
Bullwinkle: “Fan mail from some flounder?”
–D.
==========================
animation/main #946, from davemackey, 181 chars, Thu Aug 9 23:00:11 1990
This is a comment to message 929.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Try the main titles of “Ducking The Devil” (heard under some of the titles
of “Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters”) for some untypically brassy Franklyn.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #947, from davemackey, 172 chars, Thu Aug 9 23:02:08 1990
This is a comment to message 931.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Schneider mentioned the Hook series by name in his book; Maltin included
a quote from Jones saying Warner’s also did films for the Navy.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #948, from davemackey, 743 chars, Thu Aug 9 23:06:40 1990
This is a comment to message 933.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You can add Frank Tashlin to that sorry list, too. But I think that Clampett
and Maltese, who both left us in the early 80’s, did get a little of it.
McKimson, though, died in the line of fire, as he was still directing cartoons
on a regular basis for DePatie-Freleng at his death and deserves a little
credit for durability; Freleng directed his last short in 1968, remember.
At the Freleng appearance, which I read about in the Daily News, he
sat at a table and made himself available to pose with lucky purchasors of
limited-edition cels. They have had them recently for Chuck Jones and
Hanna and Barbera in this area. It might be a good idea to get in touch with
the Circle Galleries people.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #949, from davemackey, 337 chars, Thu Aug 9 23:10:34 1990
This is a comment to message 938.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Haven’t seen the video yet but will definitely check it out for added or
deleted footage when I do. But it is the same special that recently
aired on CBS.
IMHO, and I may be a little biased towards the creator of Saturday
Night Live, but I enjoyed the Lorne Michaels special from ’85 a lot more.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #950, from davemackey, 439 chars, Thu Aug 9 23:12:34 1990
This is a comment to message 939.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t think so, because both Turner (the current owner of the pre-48
package) and WB are both in business for themselves as competitors. But
if either bought the other’s library, then they could set themselves
up exclusively. Not to speak of the cartoons licensed to ABC and Nick…
it could get extremely complicated if one distributor wanted to set himself
up as Sole Purveyor of Looney Tunes.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #951, from hmccracken, 131 chars, Fri Aug 10 18:39:47 1990
This is a comment to message 895.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The Williams demo tape is not, as far as I know, available for
purchase; it was put together to woo prospective clients.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #952, from hmccracken, 323 chars, Fri Aug 10 18:46:49 1990
This is a comment to message 915.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thanks for the correction…Nope, I’m not Thelma, although on
occasion I provide her with information for her column.
If I might ask, where’d you find the issue? I ask because
I’m interested in who’s carrying us and the lag between us
sending off the copies and them getting into stores. (Or
do you subscribe?)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #953, from hmccracken, 910 chars, Fri Aug 10 18:53:53 1990
This is a comment to message 927.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
1) Whoops! I was going to review _Roller Coaster Rabbit_, but ran out
of space. Guess I forgot to correct the contents page.
2) Comics Unlimited still offers _Animato_. But since they actually
are a branch of Diamond Comics (another distributor) and I was running
out of space, I didn’t list them. The fact that we picked up another
distributor in the area is coincidental.
3) _Toons on Tape_ only appears when Matt feels he has important releases
to cover. It’ll be back.
4) I think I disagree, but I’ll consider the matter.
5) As someone else may have told you by now, it’s a reference to a
Bullwinkle bit that doesn’t seem to be shown anymore on the
syndicated episodes.
6-) Not all that scientific, mainly because the pool of voters is
fairly small. (You can help fix this by voting.) The poll is
compiled by Mike Ventrella and I am unsure of the precise methods
used in tabulating.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #954, from hmccracken, 648 chars, Fri Aug 10 22:19:20 1990
This is a comment to message 379.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Ha! After stating a few months ago that I would probably buy a Gordo
original eventually, my plans came wonderfully true at the San Diego
Convention, where I bought the 1954 Halloween Sunday page — a
beautiful example — at a very good price after some pretty easy
haggling over the asking price. It was my main purchase of the con,
and cost probably four or five times more than I’ve ever paid for
a piece of comic art before (which doesn’t mean much, since I’ve never
bought anything expensive at all). Got quite a nice original drawing
from _Bambi_ — a small figure of the adult Bambi leaping — for a
incredibly low price, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #955, from davemackey, 384 chars, Sat Aug 11 22:18:45 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Comics Scene 15
Above now in comics shops. Great cover story on “Tiny Toon Adventures.”
The more I read about this show, the more I’m looking forward to it. Also
for animation fans, a couple of Jetsons-related features, a tribute to the
late George O’Hanlon and a little piece on Hanna-Barbera’s longtime art
director, Iwao Takamoto.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #956, from davemackey, 184 chars, Sun Aug 12 01:02:50 1990
This is a comment to message 955.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 955.
————————–
Oh, yeah… there’s also an article on “Rollercoaster Rabbit,” the latest —
and maybe last — Roger Rabbit short. (Article reveals no sequels are on
the drawing boards at this time.)
==========================
animation/main #957, from davemackey, 461 chars, Sun Aug 12 01:05:46 1990
This is a comment to message 955.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 955.
————————–
Nicest surprise when reading the Tiny Toon article: one episode will be
a sequel to Duck Dodgers with Daffy Duck taking on Plucky Duck (the Tiny
Toon variation of Daffy who will be voiced by Joe Alaskey) as his eager
young space cadet. Here’s the important part: Layout and backgrounds
will be by Maurice Noble.
Incidentally, one of the show’s directors will be Art Leonardi, who
was a Warner Bros. animator in the 1960s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #958, from hmccracken, 280 chars, Sun Aug 12 02:12:16 1990
This is a comment to message 955.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m looking forward to the article — I know it will be good
since it’s by my friend Bob Miller, who also writes for
_Animato_ and works at the Bluth studios. Incidentally, I
saw a few moments of _Tiny Toon Adventures_ at the San
Diego Con and was favorably impressed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #959, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Sun Aug 12 02:13:21 1990
This is a comment to message 956.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Not true anymore, from what I hear. Disney and Spielberg have
kissed and made up, and at least one more Roger short will be
done, to be released with a Spielberg-Disney feature film.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #960, from bmaguire, 127 chars, Sun Aug 12 12:16:07 1990
This is a comment to message 924.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
“The Whole Toon Catalogue”? Is this (dare I dream) a mail order source
for animation on video? If so, how do I find a copy??
==========================
animation/main #961, from hmccracken, 386 chars, Sun Aug 12 16:20:17 1990
This is a comment to message 960.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
See message #50 in animation/sources for more information on the
Whole Toon Catalog, which includes scads of videos, books, and
other cartoon-related stuff. Give ’em a call for a catalog, and
tell them that BIX sent you! By the way, their address has
changed since the message was posted: it’s now PO Box 369 in
Issaquah, WA (ZIP 98027). The phone number remains the same.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #962, from richard.pini, 107 chars, Sun Aug 12 18:06:12 1990
This is a comment to message 911.
————————–
Yeah, all you need to do is ‘res conf/topic’ instead of ‘res conf’ and you’ll
keep the rest of the topics.
==========================
animation/main #963, from bmaguire, 50 chars, Sun Aug 12 20:30:11 1990
This is a comment to message 961.
————————–
Thanks — I’m heading right over to check it out.
==========================
animation/main #964, from davemackey, 322 chars, Mon Aug 13 06:52:00 1990
This is a comment to message 958.
There are additional comments to message 958.
————————–
It is a very good article. There are some nice drawings there, and the
show appears to be very colorful. I’m particularly excited about the
scoring of each individual show (rather than the use of stock music)
and the fact that there’ll be more drawings than the usual animated
show.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #965, from davemackey, 214 chars, Mon Aug 13 21:55:52 1990
————————–
TITLE: Jetsons movie on video
MCA Home Video has announced the videocassette release of “Jetsons: The
Movie.” It will be out on October 22, and will be priced at $22.99 list.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #966, from davemackey, 442 chars, Tue Aug 14 20:47:05 1990
————————–
TITLE: Hampton
I find it quite amusing, with the premiere of “Tiny Toon Adventures” a month
or so away, that New York Giants player Rodney Hampton would already
cite a preference for one of the Tiny Toons on his uniform.
One of the New York papers noted that the “P” fell off the back of his
uniform, thus changing it into the name of the Porkyesque character from
Spielberg’s gang of toons: Hamton.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #967, from hmccracken, 467 chars, Tue Aug 14 21:50:33 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: We had a nice CBIX session last night in this conference.
A lot of you stopped by, and we discussed diverse topics including
animation software for the Amiga, giant-robot animation videotapes,
animation books and magazines, and the rebirth of Warner Bros.
animation. If you missed it, you really *missed* it. These get-
togethers will become a regular function of the conference: watch
this space — or the bulletins, at least — for more details.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #968, from tshim, 80 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:05:01 1990
This is a comment to message 945.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Wow. It’s been >so< long since Bullwinkle and Rocky were on television.
==========================
animation/main #969, from tshim, 281 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:08:53 1990
This is a comment to message 953.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Frantic Followups:
1) Was Tummy Trouble ever reviewed (and if not, what did you think?)?
5) “Fan mail from some flounder” I now recall from the short time
NBC showed R&B on the network a few years ago, and earlier times too.
6) I will send in my vote entry for the poll pronto.
==========================
animation/main #970, from tshim, 82 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:10:28 1990
This is a comment to message 946.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Is “Ducking the Devil” a Franklyn original, or a Stalling or Scott
transposition?
==========================
animation/main #971, from tshim, 119 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:11:49 1990
This is a comment to message 947.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Sharp eyes! Still, no further light shed on this … we’ll have to wait
I guess for the third Beck/Friedwald edition.
==========================
animation/main #972, from tshim, 542 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:18:44 1990
This is a comment to message 948.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, Freleng >was< actively directing (albeit not shorts) well into the
80s, and both he and Jones are “supervising” (deja vu?) Tiny Toons.
(Speaking of which job, Jones was kind of ticked at Spielberg and
Zmeckis basically dissing his suggestions to make Bugs less Clampettian
than he appeared in Roger Rabbit, so we’ll see how big his (and Friz’s)
voice is this round.)
As for Tashlin, well, people knew him at least from his live-action
stuff. And Avery at least has a book on him, and a loving one at that.
I feel bad for Bob.
==========================
animation/main #974, from tshim, 501 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:23:55 1990
This is a comment to message 949.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 949.
————————–
But Michaels was the guy who also did that awful Superman Turns 50
Special. (The one where Jan Hooks claims her son is a bastard of
Supes. Ugh.)
When I saw the Looney Tunes 50th Ann., it was a clever concept, and
historically accurate (due a lot to Ford and Lennon), but the concept
wears thin after 30 minutes, and some of the actors couldn’t deliver
the lines without hamming it up. The best bits were done by people
like Candice Bergen, who really looked like she had tete-a-tete’s with
Porky.
==========================
animation/main #975, from tshim, 307 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:27:30 1990
This is a comment to message 950.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m not sure what you mean, Dave. I understand about WB and Turner
being rivals in the entertainment business, but what do you mean by
“they could set themselves up exclusively” if the two libraries were
pooled? As for dist. rights, I don’t see your point: ABC and Nick
both get their stuff from Warners.
==========================
animation/main #976, from tshim, 209 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:29:34 1990
This is a comment to message 951.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 951.
————————–
I’d like a view, if possible, of the Williams demo. (Put me at #305 on
your to-do list — heh ehe.)
By the way: Does anyone have a tape of the Camera 3 Special (about 1975)
on “The Boys of Termite Terrace”?
==========================
animation/main #977, from tshim, 330 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:32:50 1990
This is a comment to message 952.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I subscribe, as you probably know by now. I haven’t seen the issues in
stores, but I’ll try to get to Forbidden Planet(s) this week.
I’m not really interested (well, maybe a little) on >who< Thelma really is. I guess what I’m basically getting at with the question is: Is Thelma Scum a real name, and if not, why the pseudonym? ========================== animation/main #978, from tshim, 78 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:36:46 1990 This is a comment to message 954. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Hmmm, could, er, someone tell me what Gordo is/was? (It sounds interesting.) ========================== animation/main #979, from tshim, 292 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:39:21 1990 This is a comment to message 959. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Why are all the juicy parts left out?: I didn’t even >know< Spielberg and Disney were in a spat, much less
had to make up. Could someone fill me in with even half-truths?
(And while you’re at it, tell me why Jones and Clampett are so
hush-hush? All I know is culled from pure intuition.)
==========================
animation/main #980, from tshim, 355 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:42:17 1990
This is a comment to message 957.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How old is Noble?
As for Leonardi, remember: Ken Harris, Phil Monroe, Gerry Chiniquy, Maurice
Noble, and Hawley Pratt all tried to be directors too, and turned out less
than satisfactory results. Abe Levitow was decent, but Art Davis seems to
be the only one who approached the magic (Norm McCabe maybe too).
(Add Richard Thompson next to Monroe …)
==========================
animation/main #981, from tshim, 151 chars, Wed Aug 15 01:43:40 1990
This is a comment to message 958.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Bob Miller works at the Bluth Studios? Wasn’t he the one who scathed
Land Before Time, complete with unflattering caricature of the title character?
==========================
animation/main #982, from sharonfisher, 80 chars, Wed Aug 15 16:48:54 1990
This is a comment to message 968.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 968.
————————–
Only since Saturday, for me. In the Bay Area, it’s on Channel 2 at 9 am or
so.
==========================
animation/main #983, from hmccracken, 203 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:18:18 1990
This is a comment to message 969.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
We didn’t ever review _Tummy Trouble_ in _Animato_…I *did* review
it for _Cinefantastique_, though. I thought it was pretty good, if
redundant. _Roller Coaster Rabbit_ I liked much better.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #984, from hmccracken, 264 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:20:15 1990
This is a comment to message 972.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Is Jones really “supervising” _Tiny Toon Adventures_? He may have
offered some advice — ain’t no Warner’s animator going to turn
away Chuck Jones’s suggestions off-handedly — but I don’t think
he’s taking anything like an active role in production.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #985, from hmccracken, 77 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:21:08 1990
This is a comment to message 951.
————————–
Sorry, I don’t have a copy of the Williams demo reel. Wish I did.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #986, from hmccracken, 409 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:23:47 1990
This is a comment to message 977.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Actually, I’m not all that informed on who subscribes. Mike Ventrella
handles that.
Thelma is — well, put it this way. While I know of few psedudonymed
writers whose publications will openly discuss the fact, Thelma’s
column has always been accompanied by a portrait of her. She has
a beak, feathers, and wings. So it’s safe to say that Thelma is
not a human being. At least under that name.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #987, from switch, 119 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:29:49 1990
This is a comment to message 984.
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Jones didn’t have anything particularly nice to say about _Tiny
Tunes_ when we saw him in Montreal last month…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #988, from hmccracken, 481 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:30:02 1990
This is a comment to message 978.
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_Gordo_ — which we discuessed in these parts some months ago —
was a wonderful, underappreciated comic strip about a Mexican
bachelor by Gus Arriola. It ran for around forty-five years and
different moments remind me of _Li’l Abner_, _Krazy Kat_, and
_Pogo_. Arriola was an MGM studio veteran who was heavily
influenced by animation, and as a cartoon fan you should try
to check his stuff out. A collection of his strips about
animals was published fairly recently.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #989, from hmccracken, 459 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:33:00 1990
This is a comment to message 979.
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Roger’s future was in peril because Disney liked the idea of releasing
RR shorts with Disney features, and Spielberg wanted to release them
with his films. This all happened during the production of _Roller
Coaster Rabbit_, and that’s why that was almost the last Roger film.
Clampett vs. Jones…Well, I can’t say much because I don’t know
much. The guys just rubbed each other the wrong way. Hkenner may
know more about the subject than I do.
— Harry
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animation/main #990, from hmccracken, 27 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:33:27 1990
This is a comment to message 981.
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Yup — same guy.
— Harry
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animation/main #991, from hmccracken, 201 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:35:02 1990
This is a comment to message 990.
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He is a harsh (well, not harsh — honest) critic on such matters.
His analysis of the wonderful current Bugs Bunny strip, delivered
to its authors, was that Bugs’s ears were the wrong color.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #992, from davemackey, 205 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:41:27 1990
This is a comment to message 967.
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Sorry I missed it! Will you be uploading a transcript for those of us
who couldn’t tear themselves away from their adorable 13-month-old
nieces visiting from Florida?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #993, from davemackey, 394 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:43:29 1990
This is a comment to message 970.
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“Ducking” was entirely Franklyn’s, though it utilized lots of pop
tunes on the soundtrack, including “It’s Magic,” “Sweet Georgia
Brown” and many others played in an unusually raucous style for
Franklyn.
As you may know, Milt Franklyn had also been Carl Stalling’s
primary arranger since at leathe 1930’s, so he had a lot to do with
the Stalling sound.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #994, from davemackey, 193 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:45:39 1990
This is a comment to message 974.
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I find the special historically significant because it marked the
first associations of Greg Ford and Hal Willner (music coordinator)
with Warner Bros. cartoons. And that’s good enough for me.
==========================
animation/main #995, from hmccracken, 179 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:47:27 1990
This is a comment to message 992.
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I captured the session, so a transcript is a definite possibility.
It would require a bit of editing to render it intelligible, but if
people are interested I’ll do it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #996, from davemackey, 294 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:47:36 1990
This is a comment to message 975.
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Instead of many different sources, if either Warner OR Turner was
enterprising enough and deep-pocketed enough, they could buy the
rights to every other package on the market and make themselves
an exclusive distributor of anything having to do with WB. You want
Bugs? You gotta go through US.
==========================
animation/main #997, from davemackey, 218 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:48:37 1990
This is a comment to message 976.
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Hear hear! I’d really like to see that one again as well. Great show,
and my first real inside look at WB, just having gotten interested in
serious study of the cartoons at the time.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #998, from hmccracken, 333 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:49:55 1990
This is a comment to message 996.
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Warner’s has probably kicked itself black and blue for ever having sold
the cartoons that Turner now owns (which they did back in the 1950s).
They must have also considered the possibility of buying them back…
but those cartoons must be a very safe and easy source of revenue for
Turner (something he could use more of).
— Harry
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animation/main #999, from davemackey, 839 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:52:31 1990
This is a comment to message 980.
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Art Leonardi had an amazing career with DePatie-Freleng after leaving WB
as designer, animator, writer, and eventually director. He also directed
and animated those Owens-Corning Pink Panther commercials and was also
responsible for the poster art for the final Pink Panther features.
I believe for one that Leonardi has that legitimacy as a director.
As for the others mentioned, disregarding those obvious fill-in
stints, I think that Gerry Chiniquy and Hawley Pratt were capable
directors, but they didn’t have that distinctive style — they were
merely extensions of the style of Freleng, having worked with him for
many years at WB. And I’ve gone on record as saying that Norm McCabe
would have been a hell of a director if he hadn’t been out of the
big-time Hollywood studios for 1943 to 1964.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1000, from davemackey, 99 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:54:42 1990
This is a comment to message 998.
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Turner did take that awful loss on The Goodwill Games and could use a
little ready cash right now!
==========================
animation/main #1001, from hmccracken, 71 chars, Wed Aug 15 18:55:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1000.
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So let’s everybody here pool our money and buy the cartoons!
— Harry
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animation/main #1002, from tshim, 914 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:15:48 1990
This is a comment to message 916.
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By the way, the forty shorts a year in 1940 as being the record is false.
WB put out 44 (wow!) in 1939, and this doesn’t include the Snafus and Hooks.
1938 had 36, and leapt to 44 the next year, and went from 40 in 1940 to
41 in both 1941 and 1942. Production fell to the mid-20s during the climax
of the war during 1943-45, but by the late 40s, with four units, output was
back up to around the low 30s. When Art Davis’s unit closed down, output
fell back to the 20s, but in the 50s, with each of the stable three units
averaging 10 a year, thirty or so was the norm for the decade.
Clearly, there can be no dispute that a cumulative total of 166 shorts in a
mere 4 year span (with only Jones, Freleng, Avery/Tashlin/McCabe, and Clampett
as the four units) is an impressive feat. Scoring all of them in that period
is almost inhuman, which casts serious doubt on Stalling’s qualifications
as a mortal.
==========================
animation/main #1003, from tshim, 379 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:17:55 1990
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TITLE: Hanna-Barbara Goes Full-Animation?
What’s the word on this $14-million “epic” that HB seems to be working on
for a Christmas ’91 release? Is this the same studio that spawned Auggie
Doggie? That had to farm out work for the Jetsons movie to “punch up the
look”? That was forced to contract Bluth Studios to do animation for their
own Universal Studio Tours attraction?
==========================
animation/main #1004, from tshim, 185 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:24:59 1990
This is a comment to message 989.
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Speaking of releasing shorts with films, on the flip side, I thought
that Dick Tracy was tailormade to be released with the Great Piggy Bank
Robbery. Ah well … the winds of fortune.
==========================
animation/main #1005, from tshim, 1822 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:36:16 1990
This is a comment to message 999.
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aha! You’ve opened up a Pandora’s box for me here, Dave.
But first question: Norm McCabe … “out of the studios” from ’43 to ’64?
Now for the meat: I’m having a hell of a time trying to sort out the
feature career of PP. I know DeP-FF did the animation for the original
“The Pink Panther,” and also for the second “sequel”: “Inspector Clouseau”
(which did not feature the feline). I >believe< “A Shot in the Dark,” released almost simultaneously, had no animation. When Peter Sellers returned in the appropriately titled “Return of the Pink Panther” (he had passed over “Inspector” — trivia quiz, who played Clouseau there?), Richard Williams, with Ken Harris!, took over the reins. This opened up what I consider the two best credits sequences in film history: The first being the one featuring PP in a hilarious spoof of the Mickey Mouse stroll, and the second (“The Pink Panther Strikes Back”?) placing PP in a whole manner of filmic parodies, incl. “Caberet,” “Dracula,” and “The Sound of Music.” In the “Revenge of the Pink Panther,” Blake Edwards returned to the DeP-FF studios (I assume with Art Leonardi at the helm), and went back to the rather dry stuff of the original film. So far, so good. Now, by this time, Peter Sellers had died. However, if I’m correct, two more features were slapped together, “The Curse of the Pink Panther,” and “On the Trail of the Pink Panther,” not necessarily in that order. I do know that the earlier one concerned David Niven (voiced by Rich Little due to throat cancer) eluding the last performance by Sellers. The later (and last) film involved a younger detective attempting to “find” Clouseau with Sellers in outtake footage. I can’t seem to find videotapes of those last two! Who did the animation? Plus, any correction of the order of the titles will help. ========================== animation/main #1006, from tshim, 417 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:39:26 1990 This is a comment to message 991. ————————– Speaking of which: Is it just me, or does it seem that Bugs used to be bluer? I know in the early days, he was a bit brown, “taupe” as people like to say (I didn’t even know what shade that word was). But now, it seems that the newer Bugs’s (like the ones in the features) are given literal “gray” — when in his Golden days, he was >not< grey, but almost
bright blue, or cyan (for those of you with EGA monitors).
==========================
animation/main #1007, from tshim, 221 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:44:06 1990
This is a comment to message 995.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I’ll say — I captured that last few moments, which were a bit more focused
in topic, but if I recall correctly, three or four diverse subjects (from
those you mentioned) were held simultaneously. It was almost surreal!
==========================
animation/main #1008, from tshim, 144 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:45:18 1990
This is a comment to message 982.
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Ch.7 (WABC) here in NYC has Hippety Hopper, which has tweening stuff by
R&B, but since NBC canceled R&B about three years ago, nothing.
==========================
animation/main #1009, from tshim, 188 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:47:06 1990
This is a comment to message 983.
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I don’t know how the effect will be diminished by the small screen,
but the effect of climbing over the top of a major coaster was
done with incredible realism. An exceptional pull-off.
==========================
animation/main #1010, from tshim, 790 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:52:28 1990
This is a comment to message 993.
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Okay, yet another Bixen misunderstanding: I know realize you’re
talking about the >short< “Ducking the Devil,” a rare late-50s McKimson treat, and an effective one at that. If I recall, that was the one with Daffs singing his head off to keep Taz calm enough to bring him into a zoo with a reward. You’re right, lots of opportunity for big band-music, and Franklyn didn’t waste it. Aside from the Stalling-Franklyn relationship (I didn’t know they went all the way back to the 30s!), what do you know about Eugene Poddany’s connection in all this? He gets some credits. Furthermore, if Milt goes that far back, why is he credited only >very< sporadically as “Orchestrations” … in other words, what
certified his inclusion (considering (I assume) he did almost all of the
arranging).
==========================
animation/main #1011, from tshim, 209 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:54:27 1990
This is a comment to message 984.
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I use supervise speciously — in the mode it should have been used
when directors in the old days were stuck with that term.
I guess you can call Jones and Freleng “consultants,” and occasional
ones at that.
==========================
animation/main #1012, from tshim, 422 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:56:34 1990
This is a comment to message 987.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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What exactly did he say?
I don’t know about Jones, but Freleng stated favorable things in the
Adamson interview in the Bugs Bunny mag, going so far as to say that
some of the stuff was “better than ours, in some respects.” Tiny Toons
on the other hand, Spielberg has gone on record to say, is intentionally
going for the type of Avery/Clampett/early-Freleng wackiness, and Jones
may have disdain for that kind of stuff.
==========================
animation/main #1013, from switch, 230 chars, Wed Aug 15 23:58:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1007.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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The, ah, fluid nature of CBIX can be daunting if you’re not used to it.
It can be controlled to some degree, but I think that’s largely something
to avoid, except for special events where you want to keep things on-topic…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1014, from tshim, 871 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:04:06 1990
This is a comment to message 1001.
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In any case, for the animation fan, Turner’s involvement with WB is only
good news. Overall, as I mentioned, I believe MGM/UA treats its library
with more respect and caring than does WB. Putting “China Jones” on the
latest Daffy collection and never releasing Water Water Every Hare are two
of many faults. (I winced when I read Beck’s obviously trying liner notes
on the box re: China Jones.)
And showing the cartoon credits letterboxed is a check on Turner’s side.
Plus showing over four hours of shorts every day.
(Albeit that many duds, like Pink Panthers and the Jones’ Tom & Jerry’s
are also shown, not to mention the Famous Studio Popeyes, but no one’s perfect)
By the way, I know both Beck and Maltin wrote liner notes, but didn’t both
or either also write liner notes for MGM? (I know Maltin does various
live-action+animation special cassettes for MGM.)
==========================
animation/main #1015, from tshim, 72 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:05:00 1990
This is a comment to message 997.
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A mere 10 minutes are shown at the Schneider exhibit, too short for me.
==========================
animation/main #1016, from tshim, 289 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:06:38 1990
This is a comment to message 997.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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By the way, speaking of Camera 3’s “The Boys of Termite Terrace,” I just
found out that John Canemaker (host of the show and Renaissance animator
as all of you here must know) was the resident doodler of a show here in
NYC (on ch.2, the CBS affiliate) called “The Patchwork Family.” wow!
==========================
animation/main #1017, from switch, 447 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:07:24 1990
This is a comment to message 1012.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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His first comment was a response to a _Tiny Tunes_ question: “Anything
made to specifically fill 65 episodes can’t be all that good.” He made two
other comments during his second show, in which he said he said that
_Tiny Tunes_ was not the same as what they did at the Terrace. Now, it
‘s (oops) generally known that Spielberg isn’t aiming to imitate what was
done before, but Jones’ tone suggested that he wasn’t all that happy with
it.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1018, from tshim, 153 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:08:29 1990
This is a comment to message 986.
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Okay, understood regarding Scumm.
As for subscribing to Animato! — I just got issue #20 … again.
Can you afford sending double copies to all?
==========================
animation/main #1019, from switch, 145 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:09:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1014.
There are additional comments to message 1014.
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I believe he said he also did MGM work — that was when he was our first
CBIX guest, so you may want to check the transcript in /listings.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1020, from tshim, 144 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:11:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1013.
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Oh, most indubitably. Controlling free-for-all chats kills the spontaneity
like >that< — and spontaneity is essential to a good chat session. ========================== animation/main #1021, from tshim, 142 chars, Thu Aug 16 00:13:27 1990 This is a comment to message 1017. ————————– However, Jones and Freleng (and McKimson) did do a rather effective television show (The Bugs Bunny Show) — so let’s not get too hasty here. ========================== animation/main #1022, from hmccracken, 139 chars, Thu Aug 16 01:07:39 1990 This is a comment to message 1008. ————————– That’s “Hoppity Hooper.” Not to be confused with “Hippety Hopper,” which is the kangaroo (“giant mouse”) in Sylvester cartoons. — Harry ========================== animation/main #1023, from ewhac, 479 chars, Thu Aug 16 05:15:45 1990 This is a comment to message 1014. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 1014. ————————– > Cartoon credits letterboxed
Yes, but the rest of the film is clipped against the edges of the
bezel on the TV set.
In partiuclar, I’m thinking of Yankee Doodle Daffy. At one point,
Sleepy holds up a card with with rebus icon ‘screwball’. Except that you
can’t see it; half the card is clipped off the edge of the screen.
I distinctly remember this cartoon from years ago, and remember
being able to see the whole card clearly. So someone is screwing up.
Schwab
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animation/main #1024, from ewhac, 118 chars, Thu Aug 16 05:18:03 1990
This is a comment to message 1005.
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Alan Arkin played Clouseau in the ‘other’ film.
“A Shot In The Dark” did indeed have animated titles.
Schwab
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animation/main #1025, from ewhac, 64 chars, Thu Aug 16 05:19:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1003.
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Maybe they bought a copy of Disney Animation Studio?
🙂
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animation/main #1026, from tom.white, 91 chars, Thu Aug 16 09:45:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1005.
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I believe the film in which Little did Niven’s voice was
a Disney film titled Candleshoe.
==========================
animation/main #1027, from hkenner, 55 chars, Thu Aug 16 11:25:12 1990
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TITLE: Grim Natwick …
… is 100 years young today.
==========================
animation/main #1028, from cchilds, 256 chars, Thu Aug 16 16:53:12 1990
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*** Moved from animation/anime #299 of Thu Aug 16 16:25:56 1990
TITLE: Fantasia cel
Just dropping in on this conference, but is anyone here interested in obtaining an original cel from Fantasia??? I’ve
got one that’s going up for auction in
September.
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animation/main #1029, from switch, 17 chars, Thu Aug 16 16:53:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1028.
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Which cel?
Emru
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animation/main #1030, from hmccracken, 179 chars, Thu Aug 16 18:35:58 1990
This is a comment to message 1026.
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Maybe there, too, but I’ve also heard the story that Little
dubbed Niven’s voice in the last Panther films. Candleshoe
was made several years before the Panthers, too.
— Harry
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animation/main #1031, from hmccracken, 83 chars, Thu Aug 16 18:36:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1027.
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Happy birthday, Grim! May the art of animation age as well as you
have.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1032, from tshim, 2646 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:14:04 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Questions Answered.
In a previous message, I outlined some questions I had for Jerry Beck.
Well, he did answer back. Below are abridged question and answer letters,
which I’m sure (read: hope) Jerry wouldn’t mind my posting.
August 1, 1990
Dear Mr. Jerry Beck:
I just finished reading the transcript of the CBix session you
guested on the ANIMATION conference in BIX. I hoped to send you
mail at BIX, but it seems you haven’t been on since last December,
about the time the CBix session took place.
So … I’m send you this. I basically have three questions, and
I hope you have the time to answer them. A self-addressed stamped
envelope is enclosed so you can start saving up for that Corvette
with the 30 cents you save.
1) Why didn’t include the “Hook”
cartoons (Navy versions of the “Snafu” shorts)?
2) As I understand it, you wrote up the shorts from the 40’s and
60’s, while Will Friedwald wrote up the shorts from the 30’s and 50’s.
Is this true, or was it actually the reverse? I can’t seem to see
any change in style!
Also: It seems most of the subjective commentary resides in the
30’s and 50’s section — I cite Frank Tashlin’s first short and the
Rabbit! Duck! trilogy. Except for a few exclamations, the 40’s
section seems, er, somewhat dry. (So does the 60’s section, but
that’s due more to the subject matter that had to be viewed, no
doubt.)
Furthermore, the whole book is “dry” compared to your and
Will’s first book from Scarecrow Press. Was there a conscious
effort to tone down the subjectiveness? And why all of a sudden
does there seem to be a shift back to the (temporary)
subjectiveness during the 50’s descriptions (as mentioned above)?
3) In the Scarecrow Press edition, much mention is made of Rod
Scribner’s “loose-limbed” animation in Bob McKimson’s earlier
(pre-50’s) shorts. However, Scribner (who gets credit for “Falling
Hare” in 1944) didn’t get listed until after 1950, when McKimson’s
style became rather stiff and square. So who >did< do the
transiently loose-limbed Foghorn Leghorn, the Genie from “A-Lad-In
His Lamp,” and the Senator and Game Commissioner from “Rebel
Rabbit” (if not Scribner)? Was it Manny Gould? John Carey?
(Those two left when Scribner and Herman Cohen joined Charles
McKimson and Phil DeLara in Bob McKimson’s unit.)
I hope I haven’t put you to sleep! Thanks for staying with me
through this rather lengthy tome. I hope you can find the time to
write back — these trivial questions have bothered me since I
began reading your excellent reference book.
Thanks,
Thomas Shim
==========================
animation/main #1033, from tshim, 3471 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:21:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1032.
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Reply to the letter in the previous message:
August 14, 1990
Dear Mr. Thomas Shim:
Thank you for your letter. I will answer your questions to the
best of my ability. (By the way, I grew up in Flushing.)
1) The “Hook” cartoons: To the best of my knowledge and research,
the “Hook” cartoons were either never produced or do not exist.
I have seen model sheets, and in Charles Solomon’s book, , there is a painting from a title card for one of the
films. In 15 years of research, I have never seen one or found
anyone who has. Chuck Jones says they were never made. I went to
the Army-Navy film depository here in California to see the
recruitment films listed in my book. They also had the “Snafu”
cartoons — but no “Hook” cartoons.
We did mention them in our book, but the brief mention was
edited out. Please know that except for that mention, I firmly
believe that just about everything (except some TV commercials)
that Leon or Warners ever produced is cited in the book. Also know
that the editors did a very sloppy job of proofreading and editing.
2) It’s funny you say you can’t seem to see a change in the style
in the write-ups of Will’s (30’s & 50’s) and mine (40’s & 60’s),
but you notice more subjective commentary in the 30’s and 50’s.
This book was under heavy scrutiny by Warner Bros. so any negative
comments were left out or taken out by the editors. For the most
part Will Friedwald wrote the 30’s and 50’s cartoons, I wrote the
intro, the 40’s, the 60’s, and everything from page 368 to 390 (the
end), including the index. (For the record, I wrote about 30
entries for the 30’s & 50’s, and Will wrote a few for the 40’s and
60’s — some that I wrote in the 30’s were “The Isle of Pingo
Pongo” and “Count Me Out”; Will wrote “The Hep Cat” and “Ali-Baba
Bound” in the 40s; and we split the year 1950 about 50%/50%.)
Our original Scarecrow book was actually a collection of notes
on each cartoon, and was not intended to be a book. These notes
were compiled while working with Leonard Maltin on his book . We hadn’t actually seen every cartoon when we did
the first book, maybe about 75%-80%. We had always wanted to redo
that book, with pictures. But those pictures cost a price — the
commentary. When we started this new book, Will was in New York,
and I in Los Angeles dealing with WB. I let Will start on the 30s
and 50s section without supervision. When it was determined that
the book was going to be a 300-page, small-format book, Will had
already written many pages containing subjective commentary. I
edited his writing down to size and we determined to just make this
a reference book — mostly dry descriptions. We kinda had to —
we didn’t have enough room or pages to do what we wanted >and< have illustrations. 3) Rod Scribner was the studio’s resident “wild” animator. Even in McKimson’s later square stuff, Scribner contributed some great animation. I’m not exactly sure who did what in those late 1940s McKimson’s (we’d have to watch particular scenes to identify particular animators), but you can count on any ex-Clampett animator for the wilder stuff (I. Ellis, J.C. “Bill” Melendez, and Manny Gould). I hope I have answered some questions. If you like our book, then it was worth doing (you wouldn’t believe the resistance we’ve had over the years from different publishers). Give my regards to Main Street and Shea Stadium! Stay TOONed, Jerry Beck ========================== animation/main #1034, from tshim, 689 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:28:30 1990 This is a comment to message 1023. ————————– I’ve always wondered about this. Not the clipping of the rest of the short; I guess those borders still annoy most people, so the letterboxing is restricted to the credits. No, what befuddles me is why the earlier shorts (mostly MGM/UA, but the earlier WB library (1948-50) have so much more clipped off at the edges than the later stuff. The effect is most pronounced during the credits, but it shows up too in the film. Take a look at Inki and the Lion, and it always seems like the middle third of the film is the only part shown. The later WB shorts don’t have this claustrophobic feel, so I wonder: If they can letter box credits, why not pan back a bit in those earlier shorts? ========================== animation/main #1035, from tshim, 817 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:33:44 1990 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: A Question about Greg Ford For those of you who’ve read his discourse in Film Comment, jan/Feb 1975, I think it’s not too much of an exaggeration to say that the man, God love his enthusiasm, is a bit long-winded. At the least, his sentences go on a bit (about ten of his >sentences< make up the entire paragraph in his article),
and his structure, depending on your patience, is either comprehensive and
complex, or unbelievably convoluted and at times, intelligible.
Was he trying to impress someone with 24-word sentences with 5 dependent
clauses? I was panting after finishing his work.
And much of that was due to having to re-read a lot of his stuff
after losing the point somewhere along the sentence.
(It kind of reminds me of German class — with all the verbs at the
end of the sentence! )
==========================
animation/main #1036, from tshim, 165 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:37:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1024.
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Really? If there was animation to “A Shot in the Dark,” I believe that
neither the Inspector nor the PP was in it — was it kind of abstract
shapes and lines, Leo?
==========================
animation/main #1037, from tshim, 512 chars, Thu Aug 16 23:45:32 1990
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TITLE: Pepe Le Pew
In Beck and Friedwald’s , it is said of “Scentimental Romeo”
that this is the “last ‘generic’ Pepe Le Pew,” (following “Odor-able
Kitty” (Pepe with no accent), “Scent-imental Over You” (Pepe chases a
dog, not a cat [the no-accent one chased a male cat of all things]), and
“For Scent-imental Reasons” (the Oscar winner with Pepe in a perfume shop).)
Does anyone know what they meant by “generic”? They go on to say that
subsequent entries “mixed in other elements, mostly scenery.”
==========================
animation/main #1038, from grekel, 606 chars, Fri Aug 17 00:16:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1003.
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I haven’t heard about the H-B “epic” you mentioned, but I -did- see the
Universal Studios/Florida “Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera” sequence
at SIGGRAPH last week. Bluth’s studios did the character and effects work,
but the really exciting part was the rest of the show: a five-minute,
high-speed breakneck flight thru Bedrock, Jetson-land, a cemetary and
spooky castle, and a roller coaster unlike any other — all computer
generated! I assume it’s designed to be viewed by people strapped to
hydraulic platforms that pitch and roll in sync with the “flight path”.
Pass the dramamine! It was wild!
greg
==========================
animation/main #1039, from sharonfisher, 121 chars, Fri Aug 17 03:36:40 1990
This is a comment to message 1037.
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They probably mean “the last one that wasn’t set in some sort of weird
situation, like ‘Pepe Joins the Foreign Legion.'”
==========================
animation/main #1040, from ewhac, 324 chars, Fri Aug 17 04:23:58 1990
This is a comment to message 1036.
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The Pink Panther wasn’t in the opening credits.
It opens with a dark figure with three heads wearing a trenchcoat
and hats. Bombs explode. Clouseau wanders about in surreal-ville. It
ends with a large bird which lays an egg, Clouseau inspects it, and it
explodes.
The music was really really good, too.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #1041, from davemackey, 627 chars, Fri Aug 17 07:44:57 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Bugs vs. the Arabs
With the growing tensions in the Middle East, our Arab community seems
concerned over a 1949 Bugs Bunny cartoon in which he’s seen purchasing a
flying carpet from Madman Hassan.
The reel in question is “A Lad In His Lamp,” and there were pieces
about the film (fifteen prints of which are in rotation at AMC Theatres)
in yesterday’s “USA Today” and last night on “Entertainment Tonight.”
Warner Bros. executive Ed Bleier says there are no plans to pull the
cartoon, stating that the coincidence just acts as more proof of the
timelessness of Looney Tunes.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1042, from davemackey, 101 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:17:20 1990
This is a comment to message 1002.
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I will have to check my records on that; thanks for the mathematics.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1043, from davemackey, 641 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:21:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1005.
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Norm McCabe did no work for civilian studios for twenty years. I believe
he was still working with the military, working at Fort Roach in Culver
City supervising a MoPic unit. He joined DePatie-Freleng as an animator
in 1964, marking his return. In fact, his post-Army career has been
more prolific.
You’re right about the fact that Richard Williams took over the main
title animation on the Panther films, but I lost track of the series
just as Sellers passed away and could not tell you about those final
two movies, the one with David Niven and the other in which Ted Wass
starred as the detective.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1044, from davemackey, 421 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:23:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1010.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Eugene Poddany was a music copyist for Carl Stalling who filled in for
some scores in the early 1950’s with Franklyn doing the arrangements,
which is the same as “Orchestrations”… for you non-musicians, that
means that Franklyn took Stalling’s piano score and determined which
instruments should play what notes.
Poddany was also a full-fledged musical director for both Walter
Lantz and Chuck Jones (while at MGM).
==========================
animation/main #1045, from davemackey, 245 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:25:22 1990
This is a comment to message 1014.
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Far as I know, the liner notes on the MGM/UA cassettes are anonymously
written. But Maltin has hosted (and produced) several compilations for
MGM/UA and I belive enlisted the aid of his longtime friend and research
assistant Jerry Beck on them.
==========================
animation/main #1046, from davemackey, 461 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:27:23 1990
This is a comment to message 1016.
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And up until a few years ago, Channel 2 was still showing the almost-20-
year-old episodes every Saturday morning.
It’s really strange when you meet people like Canemaker on kids shows
and they turn out to be titans of other professions. It was years before
I found out Joya Sherrill, who hosted “Joya’s Fun School” on Ch. 11, was
a vocalist for Duke Ellington, and her music director, Luther Henderson,
was a respected accompanist and arranger in cabarets.
==========================
animation/main #1047, from davemackey, 106 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:29:13 1990
This is a comment to message 1027.
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I clean forgot! Happy birthday, Grim! And may he have a century more!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1048, from davemackey, 349 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:33:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1036.
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“A Shot In The Dark” not only had DePatie-Freleng main title animation,
the theme music to the film eventually became the theme to the “Inspector”
cartoons D-F produced from 1965-1969, and certainly a rough version of
what eventually became the Pat Harrington-voiced Inspector character
appeared in those titles.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1049, from davemackey, 409 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:36:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1037.
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I’ve always felt that the only things that changed in the LePew films were
the way that the cat got the stripe painted on its back. But during
the 1950’s and 1960’s they did change the format around a little bit
… the one LePew that Abe Levitow directed, “Really Scent,” sort of
de-emphasized Pepe and told things from the feminine viewpoint (with its
June Foray narration).
–D.
==========================
animation/main #1050, from hmccracken, 151 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:47:20 1990
This is a comment to message 1035.
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————————–
Greg Ford’s writings is shaggy and convoluted — but observant and
witty, too. I love his stuff and wish there was more of it, like a
book.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1051, from hmccracken, 140 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:54:24 1990
This is a comment to message 463.
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BTW, Streamline Pictures is considering re-releasing _Heavy Metal_
to theaters, with new music to prevent the copyright problems.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1052, from switch, 133 chars, Fri Aug 17 18:55:43 1990
This is a comment to message 1051.
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Hmn. Might consider seeing it one last time to support Streamline and see
what new music’s been chosen… Hope it works out.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1053, from hkenner, 92 chars, Fri Aug 17 20:44:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1046.
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I remember seeing an LP jacket back about 1957:
Sammy Davis Jr.
Jumps with Joya
==========================
animation/main #1054, from tshim, 272 chars, Fri Aug 17 23:51:37 1990
This is a comment to message 949.
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I checked out the tape’s cover (didn’t buy it) and it says that it’s 43
minutes long, which definitely means nothing was added to the television
broadcast version of the Bugs 50th Birthday special.
Which makes the $14.95 for a previously aired special kind of ludicrous.
==========================
animation/main #1055, from tshim, 896 chars, Sat Aug 18 10:13:45 1990
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TITLE: Greg Ford/Terry Lennon’s Bugs
I just saw the public service ad extolling the U.S. Constitution,
the one featuring Bugs, Daffy, and Yosemite Sam. It really surprised
me how well animated it was, and how downright >right< they got Daffy’s personality. Even Sam’s surprise appearance caught me grinning. Their success with Daffs explains their use of him as the star in their projects. Nonetheless, Bugs is as well animated as I’ve seen him since the 50’s. And the enjoyability of the ad is greatly enhanced by an expert job by none other than Mel Blanc. He is >really< missed. And for a change, it seems that the WB sound dept. did a great job of playing around with Blanc’s voice: Sam, Bugs, and esp. Daffy sound >much<
better than they do in .
Which reminds me — when are they going to repeat that one Ford-Lennon
Special I missed: Bugs Bunny Wacky World of Sports?
==========================
animation/main #1056, from tshim, 309 chars, Sat Aug 18 10:59:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1038.
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How was the Bluth animation, and who were the characters?
(I was introduced rather sloppily to a likewise ride called
Questor at Busch Gardens. What a disappointment, and the wait
was about 1-1/2 hours.
A friend who went to Disney said that Star Tours is much better,
as I suspect Funtastic World will be.
==========================
animation/main #1057, from tshim, 270 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:18:45 1990
This is a comment to message 1055.
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Considering which, why are the opening sequences to the current
Bugs and Tweety show (basically retracings of the old Bugs Bunny
show) so terribly rendered and strobe like there’s no tomorrow?
The original sequence by Virgil Ross was almost beautiful by
60’s standards.
==========================
animation/main #1058, from tshim, 127 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:30:00 1990
This is a comment to message 1050.
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The man obviously knows what he’s talking about. It’s just an
exercise in linguistics, but a book by him would be incredible!
==========================
animation/main #1059, from tshim, 235 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:33:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1040.
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Most early Mancini stuff is, I agree.
Wasn’t the sequence you described similar to the one for “Inspector Clouseau.”
Anyway, I recently saw a tape for “Trail of the Pink Panther,” so I’ll
let you know what I see in way of animation.
==========================
animation/main #1062, from tshim, 88 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:37:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1039.
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Sometimes, I’m so dense that I surprise even myself.
thanks for the explanation.
==========================
animation/main #1063, from tshim, 193 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:39:27 1990
This is a comment to message 1049.
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Is that the one where the two really love eachother, and where the cat
is born with the stripe?
That’s also the one that I think really stands out as the truly innovative
entry in the series.
==========================
animation/main #1064, from tshim, 87 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:41:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1041.
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Aside from the fact that Hussein is about as mad as you can get, what’s
the complaint?
==========================
animation/main #1065, from tshim, 114 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:50:33 1990
This is a comment to message 1048.
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Is this the same Pat Harrington from “One Day at a Time” (which featured
Mark Hamill in a very early appearance)?
==========================
animation/main #1066, from tshim, 200 chars, Sat Aug 18 11:56:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1043.
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————————–
The Owens-Corning PP’s look >very< much influenced by the Williams’ PP — did Art Leonardi do this in conjunction with DeP-FF? Didn’t McCabe get canned when Tashlin came back to WB? Or did he quit? ========================== animation/main #1067, from tshim, 418 chars, Sat Aug 18 12:02:36 1990 This is a comment to message 1044. ————————– Yes, I knew Franklyn did all/most of the arrangements, which makes me wonder: a) why he sometimes got credits, and (most of the time) did not, and it seems randomly at that, and b) why when Stalling composed the scores, lots of brass was used, vs. when Franklyn composed the scores, strings were the primary instruments. (Well, I guess Stalling would make recommendations or fill in key mandatory instrumentations.) ========================== animation/main #1069, from tshim, 733 chars, Sat Aug 18 12:17:10 1990 This is a comment to message 1046. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– No kidding! I remember that show, along with Magic Garden, which featured what I used to consider two hot babes (read: I had a crush on them, esp. Carol — ladies, don’t take offense; “babes” is facetious up there). Sherlock, Flapper, and the Storybox, not to mention the Chuckle Patch. Were these shows commissioned directly by WPIX? They made an awful lot of references to the Bronx Zoo and NY Aquarium. Same with the Patchwork Family, although I would guess CBS deleted them for syndication (the show was originally done in WCBS’s studio here in NY, if I recall correctly). P.S. The doodler for Joya’s show was a notable comic strip artist/ writer, but I can’t recall his name at the moment. He wrote many kids books too. ========================== animation/main #1070, from dopheim, 106 chars, Sat Aug 18 12:32:43 1990 ————————– TITLE: BIXIE Animation If McGH assigns the BIXIE rights to a producer, can we see a BIXIE Cartoon series? ========================== animation/main #1071, from hmccracken, 364 chars, Sat Aug 18 15:42:54 1990 This is a comment to message 1056. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 1056. ————————– I haven’t seen the Hanna-Barbera/Bluth animation yet (hope there’s some way to see it without going to Florida), but I’m told it’s excellent. Star Tours I know is terrific — I waited for over an hour when I rode it a couple of years ago, and it was well worth it. Definitely a contender for the single best thing at either Disneyland or Disneyworld. — Harry ========================== animation/main #1072, from hmccracken, 409 chars, Sat Aug 18 15:45:59 1990 This is a comment to message 1065. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Same Pat Harrington — also the same guy who appeared on the old Steve Allen show and who (I think) voices the safety dummy who isn’t voiced by Lorenzo Music in those public-service spots. Speaking of Mark Hammill, by the way, we should add him to the list being discussed in a different topic of famous folk who are into animated cartoons. He seems to be interested in both animation and comics. — Harry ========================== animation/main #1073, from hmccracken, 541 chars, Sat Aug 18 15:50:44 1990 This is a comment to message 1055. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– If you’re referring to the spot I saw this morning for the first time in which Bugs sings a song about how “The constitution is splendid, but was meant to be amended” (clearly not with lyrics by Judge Bork, I agree that it was very good. Blanc sounded fine, and I am more and more convinced that much of the problem with his later recordings had as much to do with the recording practices as with the man himself. The nadir was probably _Quackbusters_, in which they seem to have forgotten to speed up his voice for some scenes. — Harry ========================== animation/main #1074, from tshim, 432 chars, Sat Aug 18 16:54:38 1990 This is a comment to message 1073. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– If someone has the time, I’m sure that with the technology available today, the voices on Quackbusters can be altered without resorting to physically speeding up the tracks. As I understand it, Roger Rabbit’s voice tracks on various levels were raised, lowered, and otherwise played around with, not necessarily speeding things up (all the voice work, not specifically Roger’s). Will this mean it >will< be done? … Ah, well …
==========================
animation/main #1075, from tshim, 331 chars, Sat Aug 18 16:57:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1071.
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I want to try both that and Body Wars, which though medically
laughable, is just as exciting.
I wish the wait was a bit less. I’m going to Disney World soon,
and I’m wondering when are the least crowded days of the week, and
seasons of the year. Also, between Disneyland and Disney World,
who has which screen/hydraulics rides?
==========================
animation/main #1076, from tshim, 176 chars, Sat Aug 18 16:59:33 1990
This is a comment to message 1072.
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I know Jennifer Tilly (buxom sister to likewise Meg) has an incredible
collection of Spider-Man comics that she claims to have kept current.
I’d like to trade with her.
==========================
animation/main #1077, from grekel, 151 chars, Sat Aug 18 17:53:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1056.
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the Bluth characters were -very- faithful to the classic appearances
of H-B faves like Fred & Barn, Scooby, Elroy, et al. Voices were great as
well…
==========================
animation/main #1078, from hmccracken, 485 chars, Sat Aug 18 18:41:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1075.
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The various official and unofficial Disney World guides have information
on the optimum seasons, days, and times to visit the park. My favorite
time of day to tour DW is late in the day, when it’s relatively
uncrowded and quite attractively lit.
Star Tours has been open for several years at Disneyland, and just
opened recently at Disney/MGM in Disney World. Body Wars is at
EPCOT, and probably isn’t a candidate for Disneyland, since there’s
no parallel to EPCOT there.
— Harry
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animation/main #1079, from hmccracken, 133 chars, Sat Aug 18 18:44:37 1990
This is a comment to message 1077.
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BTW, Greg, any other interesting SIGGRAPH tidbits you might want to
comment on in animation/bit.by.bit would be welcome…
— Harry
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animation/main #1080, from davemackey, 252 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:22:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1057.
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Just to put it against new backgrounds, I guess. It looks like it’s
really bad matte work rather than retracing the animation. Would
someone please get a hold of Kathleen Helppie and tell her just
how awful this looks?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1081, from davemackey, 95 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:23:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1063.
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That’s it. “And that is love in old New Orleans… laugh a little, cry a
little… au revoir!”
==========================
animation/main #1082, from davemackey, 149 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:26:22 1990
This is a comment to message 1064.
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I’d have to go back and study the tape, but he said something about not
wanting to inflame further an already inflammatory situation in the
Mideast.
==========================
animation/main #1083, from davemackey, 217 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:28:14 1990
This is a comment to message 1066.
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As far as I know, Norm’s military work was taking up more and more of his
time. I wouldn’t imagine Tashlin coming back to WB for a third go-round
unless he was specifically asked.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1084, from davemackey, 241 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:29:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1069.
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The cartoonist you’re thinking of was Brumsic Brandon Jr., who drew
the “Luther” comic strip. (Not to be confused with Morrie Turner and
“Wee Pals.”) WPIX did produce all the shows you mentioned on their own,
as WCBS did “Patchwork Family.”
==========================
animation/main #1085, from davemackey, 166 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:31:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1072.
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No, the voice of the other dummy is that of Jack Burns, who was half
of the Burns and Schreiber team, with Avery Schreiber from the old
Doritos “crunch” commercials.
==========================
animation/main #1086, from davemackey, 366 chars, Sat Aug 18 21:34:00 1990
This is a comment to message 1074.
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I’d have to go back and watch the film to see if this was feasible.
But now you’re talking the same rosy-colored language that Ted Turner
used when he threatened to color “Citizen Kane.” Improvements to a film
not made by the director themselves or without consulting with said
director or his estate aren’t a very nice thing.
–Dave
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animation/main #1087, from tshim, 117 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:21:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1077.
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I’m interested in your comparison between Bluth’s animation of
the Jetsons vs. the animation in H-B’s movie version.
==========================
animation/main #1089, from tshim, 109 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:24:44 1990
This is a comment to message 1078.
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Thanks a lot Harry, for the info.
One last general question: Has anyone seen Captain EO, and how’s the 3-D?
==========================
animation/main #1090, from tshim, 166 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:29:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1085.
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Speaking of Doritos commercials, who does the great new ones with
the Leopard/Jaguar? That stuff, though 80s in style, is definitely
an homage to classic animation.
==========================
animation/main #1091, from hmccracken, 66 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:31:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1085.
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Whoops! A nearly identical voice to my untrained ears.
— Harry
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animation/main #1092, from tshim, 639 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:33:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1086.
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I didn’t leave out the possibility that Terry Lennon or Greg Ford themselves
could do it!
This is a bit of a sticky situation with me, as I’m a strict interpreter
of the “If you own a copy of the Mona Lisa, who is anyone to say what you
can or should not do to it?” Please explain to me why Turner can’t do
something to a >copy< of something he owns? The opposition’s viewpoint seems to close to what Gene Siskel said: “People say that people can make the choice between a colorized version and a b/w version. I say that people shouldn’t be forced to make that choice!” Hmmm, sounds a bit like the Ministry of Culture to me!! ========================== animation/main #1093, from hmccracken, 463 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:34:24 1990 This is a comment to message 1089. There are additional comments to message 1089. ————————– _Captain EO_ is pretty good — though my main memory of it is how *loud* it is. There is one stunning 3-d shot of a meteo which seems to float out of the screen and into the audience: it has half the folks in the audience reaching out to touch it. That’s the best 3-D effect I’ve ever seen. The rest of the effects are good, but a little blurry as movie 3-D almost always is. The story and costumes are cute in a Disney-Michael Jackson kind of way. — Harry ========================== animation/main #1094, from tshim, 466 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:35:40 1990 This is a comment to message 1086. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Another comment: Considering how terrible the recoloring process is, and if color is >that< important to distribs, why not recolor the
b/w cartoons using colorization techniques for live-action films?
At least that way the original animation is retained.
Speaking of which, how is the recoloring of cartoons done. Are they
actually repainted cels traced from each frame? I can’t imagine that
being less expensive than computer colorization, but I could be wrong.
==========================
animation/main #1095, from hmccracken, 798 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:40:52 1990
This is a comment to message 1092.
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While I think that colorization should probably be legal in all
caes, it’s still terrible, whether done to one of thousands of
prints of a film or the only one. It’s changing somebody else’s
work of art. If Thomas Shim wrote a novel which Ted Turner
somehow acquired the copyright to, and Ted rewrote large portions
of it to make it more commercial and republished it, your
original vision would be comprimised. Colorization is much the
same way.
Besides, it just looks godawful! I’ll reconsider my opinion
when the technology advanced to the point that recolored films
are eyesores, but til then I don’t even have to consider the
moral implications of recoloring. Recolored films are just
eyesores (the hand-recolored cartoons moreso even than
computer-colored stuff, of course).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1096, from tshim, 292 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:41:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1080.
————————–
On the other hand, the end logo to the series, the 50th with Bugs
snacking on a carrot, is rather beautiful an airbrush job.
But — why is William Hendricks given music credit? And why are Carl Stalling
and Milt Franklyn near the bottom of the list? Something’s really screwy
here on ABC.
==========================
animation/main #1097, from hmccracken, 497 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:43:25 1990
This is a comment to message 1094.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t have the actual figures handy, but computerized color is
still quite expensive (partially because it’s done by skilled
technicians), and hand-recoloring is very cheap (because it’s
done assembly-line style in Korea). I believe that an entire
cartoon short can be recolored for not much more than the price
of recoloring a second or two of footage by computer. They do
indeed create new cels for every frame — actually every other
frame — of film, as well as new backgrounds.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1098, from tshim, 356 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:47:11 1990
This is a comment to message 1095.
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————————–
But directors compromise screenwriters all the time, and producers
directors. And God knows how editors muck up visions constantly.
As long as notification exists of the change, I don’t see the hub-bub.
But it’s one man’s opinion.
(But I do think there should be a capital punishment for the
hatchet-murderers who took on those b/w Looney Tunes.
==========================
animation/main #1099, from tshim, 165 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:48:27 1990
This is a comment to message 1097.
————————–
It’s strange, but if real care was undertaken to trace each
cel pristinely, the results wouldn’t nearly be so bad. At least
the animation would be retained intact.
==========================
animation/main #1100, from hmccracken, 360 chars, Sat Aug 18 22:53:13 1990
This is a comment to message 1098.
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————————–
True, true…But they’re all compromising each other before the film
is finished. Turner is compromising the films years later with
nothing more than profit in mind. I doubt that the folks who made
_Casablanca_ or _Miracle on 42nd Street_ really expected to have
him as a collaborator on their films…And if it happened to me
I’d be really upset.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1101, from tom.white, 100 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:06:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1090.
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————————–
You’re probably thinking of Cheetos’ Chester the Cheetah.
“It’s not easy being sleazy, er, cheesy.”
==========================
animation/main #1102, from tom.white, 463 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:10:37 1990
This is a comment to message 1092.
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————————–
The thing with Citizen Kane is, Welles owned ALL the rights to it
at the time of his death. The film could NOT be changed without
approval from him. Now, Turner is free to slaughter his personal
copy with a box of Crayolas if he wants, but his networks cannot
then broadcast it.
Given that Welles is dead, change approval is unlikely forthcoming.
The film has also been designated as a national treasure or something
by some Archive branch of the government.
==========================
animation/main #1103, from tshim, 140 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:30:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1100.
————————–
I guess we’ll just have to wait until the colorization process
is perfect enough to make it look passable.
Seriously, it makes me gag too.
==========================
animation/main #1104, from tshim, 184 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:32:00 1990
This is a comment to message 1101.
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That’s the one. The whole series is a professional job, and some
of the gags are LOL-type. Real hoot, that Cheetah. (notice how
I got the animal wrong twice, as well as the brand!)
==========================
animation/main #1105, from tshim, 137 chars, Sat Aug 18 23:33:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1102.
————————–
Now that’s not a bad idea, the gov’t holding landmark status for certain
films — but I thought that act was still pending in committee?
==========================
animation/main #1106, from switch, 119 chars, Sun Aug 19 00:09:18 1990
This is a comment to message 1084.
————————–
Wow! I never knew what Brumsic Brandon, Jr. did aside from _Luther_ —
which I reread several times as a child.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1107, from davemackey, 106 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:53:14 1990
This is a comment to message 1090.
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————————–
I don’t like the imitation of the Trombone Gobble he does at the end, but
do recognize the homage intent.
==========================
animation/main #1108, from davemackey, 202 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:54:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1092.
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————————–
Turner may own it, but he didn’t do it in the first place. It would be
like if you purchased a Chevrolet and put a Ford engine in it. It ain’t
a Chevrolet any more, the way Chevrolet intended it to be.
==========================
animation/main #1109, from davemackey, 117 chars, Sun Aug 19 18:55:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1098.
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————————–
Fred Ladd, unfortunately, lived to murder again: when’s the last time
you saw a Fleischer Popeye in black and white?
==========================
animation/main #1110, from tshim, 172 chars, Sun Aug 19 19:00:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1107.
————————–
They probably couldn’t get the original, and thereby had to improvise.
But that, the dripping out of the faucet turned on by himself, the drain,
and especially the takes.
==========================
animation/main #1111, from tshim, 559 chars, Sun Aug 19 19:04:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1108.
————————–
Well, I’ve commented elsewhere, but let me say that nothing
prevents me from doing it, as long as I make the change
apparent in any description I make of the vehicle.
I was just expressing my dissatisfaction against the arguments
initially brought out by the anti-colorization contingent,
basically that legally it was wrong, people shouldn’t be forced
to make a choice, blah-blah-blah.
If you hate it (and I do too), then say it looks ugly, stage
boycotts, protests, set up a Congressional equivalent of a
landmark status committee … that makes sense.
/
==========================
animation/main #1112, from tshim, 120 chars, Sun Aug 19 19:05:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1109.
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————————–
I saw one recently on an independent station while on vacation in
Virginia, but they’re colorizing them too? Geez. …
==========================
animation/main #1113, from grekel, 634 chars, Mon Aug 20 08:05:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1087.
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————————–
…comparing Bluth’s Jetsons with the movie…
tsk. Sorry to say I haven’t seen the movie yet. But a true comparison would
be tough, since in the Bluth sequence, some characters are on screen for
only a second or two as you scream by them, and the others are in the
spacecar ahead of us, bobbing and weaving and inducing nausea.
Yogi and BooBoo are driving the car “we” are in, but we only see them
at the beginning and end.
“We” are chasing the car ahead, containing The Bad Guy (from “Penelope
Pitstop”?) who has kidnapped Elroy.
Everything else whips by at about 120mph.
uh oh, the motion sickness returns… (whulp) (gak)
greg
==========================
animation/main #1114, from davemackey, 329 chars, Mon Aug 20 20:55:56 1990
This is a comment to message 1112.
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————————–
They were all colorized in the summer of 1988 in preparation for the
short-lived syndication run through Access syndication, which Channel 9
used to run at 6:30 a.m. and were horribly sped up to fit four into a
show. Though the Access people went out of the syndication business,
the Color Popeyes remain on the Turner networks.
==========================
animation/main #1115, from davemackey, 237 chars, Mon Aug 20 20:57:03 1990
This is a comment to message 1113.
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————————–
The Hooded Claw a child molester? Now I have seen everything. Speaking of,
anyone know why Paul Lynde WASN’T credited as the voice of that character
on “The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop” back in 1969?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1116, from hmccracken, 96 chars, Mon Aug 20 21:58:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1114.
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————————–
And are without a doubt the worst recolored cartoons ever — quite
an accomplishment.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1117, from dyarbrough, 633 chars, Mon Aug 20 22:40:16 1990
This is a comment to message 1075.
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————————–
I enjoyed Star Tours better than Body Wars, but they are both tied for
my favorite rides in all the parks. Believe it or not Friday and the
weekend are slower. This is because they are major travel days.
If by soon, you mean the Sept to early Nov time frame the parks should
be relatively empty. There has been times in Sept that the wait for
Space Mountain has been less than 10 minutes. One word of warning
the reports that I have been getting back from Disney-MGM is that it is
the most crowded park. You should try to hit the animation tour first
thing in the morning, because the lines can get EXTREMELY long for it.
David
==========================
animation/main #1118, from dyarbrough, 306 chars, Mon Aug 20 22:45:18 1990
This is a comment to message 1089.
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————————–
I like Capt EO. Some fairly decent affects. The 3D is not quite as
good as the original 3D movie, but then that one didn’t have lasers. 🙂
One other thing to keep in mind is that there is talk of changing Capt EO
for something else, so if you think you might want to see it, you should
do it now.
David
==========================
animation/main #1119, from tshim, 84 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:07:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1113.
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————————–
Who did Elroy’s voice in the movie, by the way, since Daws Butler died
a while ago?
==========================
animation/main #1120, from tshim, 76 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:09:06 1990
This is a comment to message 1113.
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————————–
By the way, did you take the ride, GREKEL, or did you just see the footage?
==========================
animation/main #1121, from tshim, 146 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:09:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1115.
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————————–
Perhaps it was an impersonation of Paul Lynde?
I was shocked when his death, by the way, was treated almost like an after-
thought by the media.
==========================
animation/main #1122, from tshim, 59 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:11:16 1990
This is a comment to message 1116.
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Worse than the Vitaphone ones? Holy gosh, that >is< bad!.
==========================
animation/main #1123, from tshim, 66 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:13:39 1990
This is a comment to message 1117.
————————–
Thanks for the advice, Dyar … will take all into consideration.
==========================
animation/main #1124, from tshim, 107 chars, Tue Aug 21 00:14:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1118.
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————————–
What is “the original 3D movie”? Doesn’t Captain EO at Disney World
(Disneyland?) use the original movie?
==========================
animation/main #1125, from hmccracken, 456 chars, Tue Aug 21 01:30:38 1990
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Nope, it was Lynde in the original show, although I believe later somebody
else did the voice. Maybe Lynde didn’t want the world to know he was
slumming in cartoons (though it was certainly clear enough from his
voice), or was signed to some exclusive contract which in theory
his cartoon work violated. Then again there are cases of folks
refusing credit just to stir up attention — like Daren McGavin did
with his part in _The Natural_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1126, from tom.white, 153 chars, Tue Aug 21 02:17:46 1990
This is a comment to message 1125.
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————————–
Hmm. I remember in Airport 77, Jimmy Stewart and George Kennedy,
clearly the biggest names in the film, had bottom billing. Must
be something similar.
==========================
animation/main #1127, from ewhac, 1127 chars, Tue Aug 21 05:31:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1089.
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————————–
Captain E0 is worth seeing once. I do not recommend repeating the
experience. The music is LOUD. Michael Jackson is totally out of place as
a spaceship captain.
There were only two good 3D effects on the whole film. One was the
swirling galaxy at the very beginning. The other was the holographic video
transmission (the floating image of the face looked like it really was
floating there). Other than that, the 3D was bad. LucasFilms, great as they
are, did not at that time know how to handle 3D. As a result, there was
excessive parallax just about everywhere. I was sitting at the very back
of the theater at DisneyLand, and there was a lot of stuff I couldn’t
focus on, since it was just too far out of whack.
The key to doing 3D right is subtlety. You don’t need more than 2.5
inches of parallax at *any* time. (You can use 3 if you *really* want
something to leap off the screen.) I learned this while working for UmeCorp
under the tutalage [sp?] of Michael Starks, one of the top five people
working in stereoscopy today. (He didn’t like Captain E0, either.)
Flame, flame, flame….
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #1128, from tshim, 276 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:13:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1125.
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————————–
Someone like Bill Murray not accepting credit to get more mention
makes sense — why did McGavin want no name intact? I certainly
didn’t pick this up!
(BM, of course, did likewise for “Tootsie” — and it seems people
are more forgiving of a performance if it isn’t listed.)
==========================
animation/main #1129, from tshim, 135 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:15:25 1990
This is a comment to message 1127.
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————————–
A recent article on 3-D motion pictures was featured in Starlog.
I don’t know, but it seems it’ll never come out of the novelty
stage.
==========================
animation/main #1130, from tshim, 61 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:17:32 1990
This is a comment to message 189.
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Bugs sounds more like Curly of three stooges fame in “Wins.”
==========================
animation/main #1131, from tshim, 39 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:23:25 1990
This is a comment to message 565.
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It’s a nice … er … tail she’s got.
==========================
animation/main #1132, from tshim, 54 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:35:35 1990
This is a comment to message 598.
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Did you also know that Blanc died on Jeff’s birthday?
==========================
animation/main #1133, from tshim, 31 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:36:45 1990
This is a comment to message 609.
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Frank Welker? Dave Coulier?
==========================
animation/main #1134, from tshim, 58 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:37:37 1990
This is a comment to message 619.
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Oh, I know him — he does a killer Bullwinkle impression.
==========================
animation/main #1135, from tshim, 49 chars, Tue Aug 21 20:44:15 1990
This is a comment to message 693.
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————————–
Argh — where do you hear of these things, Dave?
==========================
animation/main #1136, from dyarbrough, 396 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:21:56 1990
This is a comment to message 1124.
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————————–
Before Captain EO was at Epcot Center there was another 3D movie that
used the same theater that Captain EO does now. I can’t remember the
name (all of my WDW brochures are packed away) but it was about some kids
out in a field and there are faded to carosels and other things. All
in all I like Captain EO more, but I think the older more conservative
crowd prefers the other movie. 🙂
David
==========================
animation/main #1137, from davemackey, 211 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:29:58 1990
This is a comment to message 1116.
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————————–
I laughed the first time I saw them try to do one of those 3-d backgrounds
with a conventional background instead. The recolorings completely destroy
the unique character the brothers Fleischer gave their work.
==========================
animation/main #1138, from davemackey, 206 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:31:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1121.
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No, it was the man himself… he did get credit when he did the voice of
Claude Pertwee on “Where’s Huddles” a few years later. He was the nasty
next-door neighbor who always called Ed and Bubba “savages.”
==========================
animation/main #1139, from davemackey, 242 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:33:00 1990
This is a comment to message 1125.
————————–
At the time he did the show, he was just embarking on his career on
“Hollywood Squares,” so I wouldn’t exactly call working in cartoons
“slumming” compared to reading ad-libs and discerning probable answers.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1140, from davemackey, 178 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:34:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1129.
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————————–
Any sidebar on the handful of 3-d cartoons that were made at the time
3-d was just making its splash? (“Lumber Jack Rabbit,” “Popeye The Ace
Of Space,” “Hypnotic Hick,” et. al.)
==========================
animation/main #1141, from davemackey, 199 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:39:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1135.
————————–
I have to admit that our friend mscoville tipped me off on this one the
night before. I’m sometimes quite in the dark on these things myself, so
don’t feel left out.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1142, from tshim, 170 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:42:23 1990
This is a comment to message 1137.
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————————–
So how did they do these? Did they attempt to move the backgrounds,
or did they just use one for the whole shot? (Boy, the disasters
wreaked on these innocent shorts!)
==========================
animation/main #1143, from tshim, 176 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:44:56 1990
This is a comment to message 1140.
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I’m not sure, I didn’t want to buy the magazine, and it seemed
more interested inthe technology today and the failures (live-action)
of the past. I don’t recall any cartoons.
==========================
animation/main #1144, from davemackey, 335 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:45:01 1990
————————–
TITLE: Woody’s 50th
Say, folks, “guess who” is also having a 50th birthday? It’s Woody Woodpecker,
whose first cartoon, “Knock Knock” was released in 1940. And in honor, two
volumes of Woody’s best work have been released in “Woody Woodpecker 50th
Anniversary Edition.” Ha ha ha HA ha! So long, kids!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1145, from davemackey, 220 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:46:37 1990
This is a comment to message 1142.
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————————–
Just one regular background. Nothing special. By the way, one of the Turner
channels showed “Adventures Of Popeye,” which is part live action, this
morning. I’m surprised they didn’t try to hand-color the live footage!
==========================
animation/main #1146, from erethakbe, 490 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:47:06 1990
This is a comment to message 1136.
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————————–
The “other 3d film” was called Magic Journeys, and has been moved over to the
Magic Kingdom, near Peter Pan and Mr Toads Wild Ride. Since the Kodak
“Making Memories” intro was being used for EO, they had to come up with
another “short film” to keep you waiting while Magic Journeys is going on.
In that regard they chose the only 3D cartoon Disney ever did, “Working
for Peanuts” starring Donald Duck and Chip and Dale. The cartoon is
terrific, and worth the trip to the Magic Kingdom.
.\
==========================
animation/main #1147, from tshim, 105 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:50:31 1990
This is a comment to message 1145.
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————————–
Is that the one where the kid learns to eat Popeye if he wants
to assault the bully in his neighborhood?
==========================
animation/main #1148, from davemackey, 152 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:51:13 1990
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————————–
Disney made another 3-D cartoon: the special “Melody,” a collaboration
between Ward Kimball and Charles A. Nichols.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1149, from davemackey, 12 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:51:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1147.
There are additional comments to message 1147.
————————–
Yes, it is.
==========================
animation/main #1150, from tshim, 224 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:52:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1146.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Is the 3-D Donald short viewable in 3-D?
I always wondered, cartoons like LumberJack Rabbit were in color,
so how did they accurately do those red and blues?
(P.S. What is Making Memories about? An ad for Kodak?)
==========================
animation/main #1151, from tshim, 98 chars, Tue Aug 21 21:53:17 1990
This is a comment to message 1148.
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Another 3-D question: How did they make them?
Multiplane, painstaking readjustment of cels, what?
==========================
animation/main #1152, from hmccracken, 176 chars, Wed Aug 22 01:19:56 1990
This is a comment to message 1150.
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I don’t know much about 3-D technology, but the color 3-D cartoons
of the 1950s used polarized glasses, not red-and-blue ones, so
color shouldn’t have been an issue.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1153, from davemackey, 552 chars, Wed Aug 22 17:55:08 1990
This is a comment to message 896.
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————————–
Adding to our Snafu/Hook thread, I sometimes wonder if the Snafu cartoons
were used for experimenting with new gags and bits of business that were
eventually used in the civilian cartoons.
Reason: I discovered recently that one Snafu cartoon was the first
use of the booby-trapped piano gag which Freleng later picked up for
use in things like “Ballot Box Bunny” and “Show Biz Bugs.” (Snafu
in question was “Booby Traps” directed by Clampett, and the song in all
cases was the same: “Those Endearing Young Charms.”)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1154, from hmccracken, 153 chars, Wed Aug 22 18:05:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1153.
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————————–
…And the Snafu short _Target Snafu_ got remade into an insect-
oriented civilian Warner’s cartoon the name of which I don’t
recall just now.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1155, from hmccracken, 464 chars, Wed Aug 22 18:10:08 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Just received an interesting package in the mail from,
of all people, the editor of internal publicatins for the
California The Broadway department store chain. Enclosed was
a 1931 Christmas magazine for employees which includes several
cartoons by, and a brief article on, a very young Bob Clampett!
These have to be seen to be believed — this is one of those times
I wish I had a scanner so that I could put a graphic image into
the listings.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1156, from davemackey, 55 chars, Wed Aug 22 20:40:40 1990
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————————–
How about “Of Thee I Sting”? That seems to be the one.
==========================
animation/main #1157, from davemackey, 178 chars, Wed Aug 22 20:41:33 1990
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————————–
Wasn’t Clampett stuffing the Charlotte Clark Mickey Mouse stuffed
dolls at this time and just getting his start at Harman-Ising at
the time?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1158, from tshim, 147 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:24:16 1990
This is a comment to message 1152.
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————————–
They had polarizing technology back then? Hmm, sort of makes you wonder
why they bothered with the red-and-blue scheme with live-action pictures.
==========================
animation/main #1159, from tshim, 69 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:27:15 1990
This is a comment to message 971.
————————–
For those ff. this thread, see #1032 and #1033 for answers re: Hook.
==========================
animation/main #1160, from tshim, 357 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:28:58 1990
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TITLE: Warner Bros. or Nelvana or ?
In the Bugs Bunny 50th Birthday Magazine, a section is written
on WB animation projects. Included are Beetlejuice and a series
based on Brad Bird’s “Family Dog.” From what I gather, the former
is done by Canada’s Nelvana, and the latter is a studio (headed by
Bird?) apart from WB’s animation studio. Hey, what gives?
==========================
animation/main #1161, from tshim, 222 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:30:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1153.
————————–
I wouldn’t be surprised if this were the case — gags are
often repeated between WB shorts, not necessarily Snafu’s.
But I guess a case could be made for Snafu’s being less-restricted
in terms of trying racier things out.
==========================
animation/main #1162, from tshim, 40 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:31:55 1990
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————————–
Can you describe the drawings somewhat?
==========================
animation/main #1163, from tshim, 122 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:33:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1152.
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(An aside: there >were< color 3-D live action films done with the red/blue
process … so I guess it can be done, anyway.
==========================
animation/main #1164, from hmccracken, 21 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:52:35 1990
This is a comment to message 1156.
————————–
That’s it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1165, from hmccracken, 314 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:54:35 1990
This is a comment to message 1158.
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————————–
Perhaps someone will correct me, but I think the association of
red-blue three-D glasses with the 50s three-D craze is kind of
misleading. I believe most of the 50s three-D movies were in
color and utilized the polarizing glasses. The red-and-blue
glasses were most commondly used with three-D comics.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1166, from hmccracken, 304 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:57:07 1990
This is a comment to message 1160.
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Well, Warner’s is involved with several “non-Warner’s” cartoon
projects. Another is the animated _Police Academy_ series.
Nothing wrong with that…It’s just like the varied role they
take in their live-action pictures: producing some themselves,
financing and distributing others, and so on.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1167, from hmccracken, 155 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:58:07 1990
This is a comment to message 1162.
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They’re some column headings and some gag cartoons about the
Christmas season at the Broadway (one of which includes a
drawing of Mickey Mouse).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1168, from hmccracken, 208 chars, Wed Aug 22 23:59:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1157.
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That’s right, I think. The brief article mentions that he had
graduated from Glendale High and gone to work at Harman-Ising
recently, and one of the cartoons involves a stuffed Mickey Mouse
doll.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1169, from jtrindle, 164 chars, Thu Aug 23 00:26:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1158.
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I think the reason is that polarized 3D required 2 prints and 2 projectors
kept in sync, where the red/blue could be combined into 1 print on 1
projector. …John
==========================
animation/main #1170, from grekel, 1599 chars, Thu Aug 23 01:04:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1120.
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Only saw the footage, but it was a teensy part of the absolutely
stunning SIGGRAPH 90 Film & Video Theater. Other highlights:
— Pacific Data’s simulation of a holographic display showing an
Earth-threatening solar flare (from the upcoming flick “Solar Crisis”).
— “The Audition” from Apple. A worm auditions for a bulldog at the circus.
All computer generated.
— Pixar’s “Decco” California State Lottery spot: A deck of cards comes
to life. All the tricks, including motion blur.
— “Grinning Evil Death” by Mike McKenna and Bob Sabiston. Combines
2D cel and cutout work with 3D animation — really funny stuff!
— Tokyo’s Polygon Pictures did some incredible morphing of chrome
primitives, giving them actual “muscles” which flexed in “In
Search of Muscular Axis”
— ILM rendered a set of hummingbirds that looked SO REAL it was scary.
— Randy Bauer of Austin, Texas gave a nod to John Lasseter with
“Lava Jr.”
— A MIDI control stream was used to trigger the motions of a computer-
generated set of bizarre instruments in “More Bells and Whistles” by
Wayne Lytle of the Cornell National Supercomputer Facility.
— “A Passing Shower” showed a computer recreation of rainy nighttime
drive, right down to prismatic light streaks from passing streetlights
and an appropriately wet road. Absolutely floored me.
Jeez, there was SO much in that show that I’ve only scratched the surface.
It’s a shame most people will never see some of the neatest stuff —
research projects, tests, foreign work — but it was certainly worth the
$20 and the hour-and-a-half wait in line…
greg
==========================
animation/main #1171, from bfitz, 222 chars, Thu Aug 23 02:30:12 1990
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TITLE: TI makes real 3D
Apparently Texas Instruments demoed a real 3D holograph technique
(3D as in you could walk all around it) at SIGGRAPH. Did anyoone see
this? I’m just going by a press release. It sounds incredible.
==========================
animation/main #1172, from jtrindle, 489 chars, Thu Aug 23 07:30:25 1990
This is a comment to message 1171.
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I didn’t see it, but I read the blurb in PC-Week. The display is a hollow
cylinder with a transparent helix rotating within. Lasers draw the 3D
image on the surface of the helix, and since the helix is rotating, the
image can fill the volume of the cylinder. Cool, but I remember reading
something about the research into it about a year ago. I don’t think it
is commercially viable yet, and since it has a large mechanical component,
probably doesn’t last as long as a CRT. …John
==========================
animation/main #1173, from richard.pini, 28 chars, Thu Aug 23 08:54:20 1990
This is a comment to message 1147.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hey! This is a family conf!
==========================
animation/main #1174, from davemackey, 176 chars, Thu Aug 23 18:48:46 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Birthday greeting…
…although a couple of days late. Friz Freleng marked his 84th birthday
on Tuesday. Happy birthday, Friz!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1175, from hmccracken, 251 chars, Thu Aug 23 20:18:16 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Readers of Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald’s book
_Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies_ may be interested to know
that Will has a new book out: _Jazz Singing_, from Scribner’s.
It was reviewed in last Sunday’s _New York Times Book Review_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1176, from tshim, 148 chars, Thu Aug 23 23:50:27 1990
This is a comment to message 1173.
————————–
Ha! I didn’t notice that typo, and dave and the others must have just
ignored it! Ha! — one of those classic bloopers.
(Man, I’m LOLing here.)
==========================
animation/main #1177, from tshim, 123 chars, Thu Aug 23 23:51:12 1990
This is a comment to message 1174.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Happy Birthday!
Does anyone know of any other famous birthdays, or where to find them?
(In the animation field, that is.)
==========================
animation/main #1179, from tshim, 63 chars, Thu Aug 23 23:52:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1175.
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————————–
Is it anything about animation, or does the title tell it all?
==========================
animation/main #1180, from hmccracken, 128 chars, Fri Aug 24 08:00:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1177.
————————–
John Cawley will be publishing a _Who’s Who of Animation_ next
year — that should be a good place to find birthdays.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1181, from hmccracken, 33 chars, Fri Aug 24 08:01:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1179.
————————–
The title says it all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1182, from hmccracken, 219 chars, Fri Aug 24 19:19:37 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Now available in the listings is a videotapeography of
the newly-available _Dick Tracy_ TV cartoons of the 1960s.
Thanks to Dave Mackey for contributing the file, which is
there under the name _Dick1_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1183, from tshim, 172 chars, Fri Aug 24 19:45:27 1990
This is a comment to message 1182.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If I insult someone, forgive me, but does anyone
actually watch these things (Tedd Pierce notwithstanding),
much lay out hard-earned cash for their videotape counterparts?
==========================
animation/main #1184, from davemackey, 335 chars, Fri Aug 24 20:28:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1183.
————————–
Well, they are kind of funny to watch, but not examples that I’d
want to show if someone wanted an example of what, say, Ray Patterson
was capable of in his prime.
Incidentally, on vol. 1, check out the cartoon “Red Hot Riding Hoods”
for some wild alternate animation of Tracy in his office!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1185, from grekel, 238 chars, Thu Aug 30 00:29:27 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Grim Natwick article
looks like a nice writeup of Grim’s 100th birthday in the Aug.17th issue
of “Back Stage Shoot”, pp.69 and 70.
Even includes a Fleischer model sheet for Betty Boop (no date, tho)
The author is Howard Beckerman.
==========================
animation/main #1186, from tshim, 121 chars, Fri Aug 31 20:15:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1185.
————————–
There was also a Leonard Maltin piece on Entertainment Tonight.
Chuck Jones, Walter Lantz, etc., were all there. Great!
==========================
animation/main #1187, from erethakbe, 1102 chars, Fri Aug 31 22:14:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1150.
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Making Memories is a short film and song about taking pictures. While it
is not specifically an ad for Kodak, it does entice you to take pictures
and you ARE in the Kodak exhibit, so the connection is obvious. All EPCOT
exhibits have some sort of hidden commercial for their sponser. Making
Memories is one of those slide/films where most of it is done with
overlapping slide projectors in sequence. It contains some absolutely
wonderful snapshots, many of which are famous, and some other boring
tedious shots (how many babies can you look at while waiting for EO?)
The animals and children pictures are generally enjoyable, and if it
weren’t so darned long, might leave you feeling good. As it is, you
end up simply greatful it’s over.
They have recently changed it, and it now shows a man’s life through
pictures with voice-overs of him as a baby while his father tries to get
him to smile, and follows him growing up until it ends with him trying
to get his own son to smile for a picture. While I enjoyed it less, I
was greatful that it wa different from the LAST umpteen times I had been
there!
==========================
animation/main #1188, from davemackey, 416 chars, Mon Sep 3 14:14:51 1990
————————–
TITLE: “DuckTales” movie family affair
This point was brought home by a Disney channel between-show’s feature.
The director of the DuckTales movie, Bob Hathcock, is the son of
veteran Disney animator Jerry Hathcock, who was one of the animators on
the cartoon which precedes the film in theatres, “Dude Duck.” Both
Jerry and Bob appear in the featurette airing between shows on TDC.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1189, from dispintoh, 367 chars, Mon Sep 3 17:34:42 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Hmmmm….
I was wondering…. where, or from whom, could I get a synopsis of
any/all Ranma 1/2 episodes, for as cheap, or preferbly free as possible?
I’m interested in the series, but can’t afford the super high prices for
the videos, and it seems it will never be published as a comic…. any
and all help would be GREATLY appreciated ::smile::
Mike 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1190, from switch, 234 chars, Mon Sep 3 19:59:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1189.
————————–
join animation/listings
browse keyword ranma
That’ll give you a bunch of the raaxxx.arc files, most of which have
Ranma Nibbunnoichi/Nettouhen synopses.
You can get the Japanese comic at nearly any branch of Kinokuniya
Books.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1191, from davemackey, 398 chars, Tue Sep 4 18:54:55 1990
This is a comment to message 968.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Tom, it may interest you and the other New York area Bixen that
Channel 5 will begin airing Bullwinkle weekly, beginning Saturday,
Sept. 8, at 11 a.m., right after the Fox network programs.
Channel 7 has already replaced “King Leonardo” with “Dudley
Do-Right” as of this past Saturday. So New Yorkers can again
enjoy the works of the late, great Jay Ward.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1192, from richard.pini, 1186 chars, Tue Sep 4 19:41:21 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Animation art show
I recently received an invitation to RA Salute to Disney Animation Art –
the Early Years 1931-1942″ at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St,
Philadelphia, PA 19103. It runs from September 8 through November 3 (there
is, apparently, a member’s private reception on the 7th). Special events
include:
9/22 – Childrens’ Studio/Gallery Workshop – kids get the tour and learn
how a cartoon is made
10/6 – National Auction of animation art – catalog available for $10.
10/6 – the 4 surviving of the 9 old men (Kimball, Davis, Johnston, Thomas)
will do a roundtable discussion on what it was like to work at the
original Disney studio – plus Johnston and Thomas will have copies
of their new book on Bambi to sell and sign
10/27 – another kid’s day, this time with clay animation
Also, the catalogue of the exhibit is available for $15.
I hereby issue the plea to anyone who decides to go to this – particularly
on Oct 6th to hear the talk – can I PLEEEEEEEEZE pay you to get a copy of the
Bambi book, with signatures, for me? I will be in Virginia that day – and
might just drive up anyway! But just in case…
==========================
animation/main #1193, from switch, 165 chars, Tue Sep 4 20:43:13 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Animation CBIX
I still have a transcript of our last CBIX chat on a disk – anyone
want me to upload it to /listings, or is it safe for me to delete
it?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1194, from hmccracken, 167 chars, Tue Sep 4 21:46:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1192.
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————————–
Gee, the stuff on October 6th sounds like it’s not to be missed.
All the surviving nine old men. Wonder how long a drive it is
from Boston to Philadelphia?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1195, from davemackey, 184 chars, Wed Sep 5 00:31:06 1990
This is a comment to message 1192.
There are additional comments to message 1192.
————————–
As much as I’d like to pay you back for a recent favor, I too am going
to be out of town that day (on Long Island, in fact); otherwise I’d go
myself.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1196, from hmccracken, 78 chars, Thu Sep 6 18:46:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1192.
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————————–
Richard, do you know what times the events on October 6th will be??
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1197, from richard.pini, 73 chars, Thu Sep 6 21:04:09 1990
This is a comment to message 1194.
————————–
You’re prolly looking at about 6 hrs – 3 1/2 to NYC and 2 1/2 to Philly.
==========================
animation/main #1198, from richard.pini, 95 chars, Thu Sep 6 21:05:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1196.
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————————–
I’m not at my desk as I reply, so I don’t have the invite, but I will check
and post tomorrow.
==========================
animation/main #1199, from mscoville, 422 chars, Thu Sep 6 22:07:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1198.
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————————–
The round table discussion with the “Four Old Men” begins at noon. At two
p.m. there will an auction of animation art. The catalog for the auction
is available for $10.00. Possible note: I was talking to the publisher of
the Bambi book and was informed that it might not be available until the
middle of October. I hope that it will be available at the Art Alliance, but
there the possibilty that it might not make it.
==========================
animation/main #1200, from mscoville, 365 chars, Thu Sep 6 22:11:09 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The drive to Philly
Harry, the drive, depending upon the pressure to the accelerator is about
6 hours. It takes about 4-5 hours to NYC and then 90 minutes to Philly.
The train takes about the same amount of time, the plane-about an hour.I hope
that we will get a chance to meet you at the exhibition. BTW, the exhibition
runs from Sept. 8th until Nov. 3rd..
==========================
animation/main #1201, from mscoville, 252 chars, Thu Sep 6 22:14:47 1990
————————–
TITLE: Hanna-Barbera
For those who like to view or purchase animation cels, Hanna and Barbera are
traveling the country promoting the cels from Jetsons: THe Movie. They will
be in NYC on Sept. 13, 1990 at The Circle Gallery on 7th Avenue from 7-9p.m.
==========================
animation/main #1202, from hmccracken, 58 chars, Thu Sep 6 23:20:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1199.
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————————–
Thanks! Sounds like an event not to be missed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1204, from hmccracken, 150 chars, Thu Sep 6 23:24:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1200.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Right — I was checking train schedules today, as a matter of fact.
I thought the tran might be a bit faster than driving, but I was
wrong.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1205, from davemackey, 77 chars, Fri Sep 7 06:46:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1204.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If only the Metroliner stopped in Philly, but that would defeat its purpose.
==========================
animation/main #1206, from hkenner, 180 chars, Fri Sep 7 08:28:37 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Jay Cocks
Does someone here have on file the issue date of a TIME article about
Chuck Jones, “The World that Jones Made,” by Jay Cocks? Some time in
’70’s as I recall. …
==========================
animation/main #1207, from hmccracken, 299 chars, Fri Sep 7 18:26:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1206.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hugh, I don’t have that article, but as I recall it was titled “The
World That Jones Made,” and was published in late 1973. Fine piece, and
one of the first to bring Jones’s name before the general public.
I can probably find the exact date (and maybe a copy of the article)
if you like.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1208, from mscoville, 86 chars, Fri Sep 7 20:56:10 1990
This is a comment to message 1205.
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Dear Dave et al,
The Metroliner does stop in Philly. Always has since its inception.
==========================
animation/main #1209, from davemackey, 100 chars, Fri Sep 7 21:01:37 1990
This is a comment to message 1208.
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Thanks, Mike… it just goes so darn fast the rest of the time, you
can hardly tell the difference.
==========================
animation/main #1210, from hkenner, 43 chars, Fri Sep 7 21:23:24 1990
This is a comment to message 1207.
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If you could get me the exact date …
-HK
==========================
animation/main #1211, from switch, 262 chars, Fri Sep 7 23:36:24 1990
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TITLE: I’ve uploaded…
…raa025.arc and astuff13.arc. We’re now up-to-date on Anime Stuff,
and the Net stuff is very close to up-to-date (I’m in the middle of
compiling raa.026, and I’m up to a week ago). I’m very tired
and I think I’ll go to bed now.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1212, from davemackey, 1018 chars, Sat Sep 8 18:00:45 1990
This is a comment to message 205.
————————–
Well, here we are, nine months after the announcement that “Fun House”
would go to a combination live/animated format. Guess what, kids?
It DIDN’T!
In the interim since my original posting, the following happened:
(1) The show became a once-a-week entry in the Fox Saturday morning
lineup, which premiered today. It is no longer appearing on a 5-day-a-week
basis (save for next week, where it will do a special run).
(2) Creator/executive producer Bob Synes passed away. Whether this
had anything to do with the scrapping of the cartoon content is open to
conjecture, but I might guess that the cartoons were vetoed out of
respect to Mr. Synes, who had been battling health problems for the last
decade or so and succumbed on August 5th of cancer of the liver. Synes had
been a game show man primarily and may not have liked the idea of cartoons
intruding into his baby.
The show continues as originally conceived and acts as the only live-
action show in the Fox canon.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1213, from tshim, 59 chars, Mon Sep 10 14:51:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1191.
————————–
Yes, I noticed! Wow, Bullwinkle, Dudly and Hippity. Wow!
==========================
animation/main #1214, from tshim, 46 chars, Mon Sep 10 14:54:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1196.
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Mike Scoville has all the details, i believe.
==========================
animation/main #1215, from tshim, 20 chars, Mon Sep 10 14:55:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1199.
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Welp, there you go.
==========================
animation/main #1216, from tshim, 59 chars, Mon Sep 10 14:56:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1193.
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sure, upload it. I have a damaged copy that’s incomplete.
==========================
animation/main #1218, from dopheim, 130 chars, Thu Sep 13 22:09:04 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Little Mermaid indictments?
Does anyone know if there are going to be federal
indictments ijn the Little Mermaid scandal?
==========================
animation/main #1219, from bcapps, 690 chars, Fri Sep 14 00:20:02 1990
This is a comment to message 925.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I just saw a nice article on “The Stalling Project” in Pulse!, the freebie
mag available at Tower Records in DC. This is the Sept. issue with Los Lobos
on the cover. They have a small shot of the cover which is filled with
character studies (sketches and such, some colored). They also express the
faith that the release of this compiliation will raise Stalling to the status
of being one of the truly original composers of the 20th century. Also, if
you want to be complete, get the cassette version since it has “Stupor Duck”
since the cassette could hold more than the CD, which is limited to 78 mins.
Don’t know if it’s out yet, only saw the mag at a co-worker’s desk today.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #1220, from cmattern, 120 chars, Fri Sep 14 01:33:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1218.
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Little Mermaid scandal? Somebody want to clue me in on what the heck this
is?
Chris
==========================
animation/main #1221, from davemackey, 256 chars, Fri Sep 14 07:13:56 1990
This is a comment to message 1219.
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Bonus track on the cassette? That’s weird, since usually CD’s take advantage
of the fact that the average album is duped onto a 45-min. tape.
I don’t think it’s out yet, either. Believe me, I’ve looked and looked.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1222, from davemackey, 51 chars, Fri Sep 14 07:15:45 1990
This is a comment to message 1220.
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Junk bonds and money in S&L’s. Poor Ariel… (Sob)
==========================
animation/main #1223, from bsoron, 229 chars, Fri Sep 14 21:34:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1221.
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I’ve spotted a few other releases whose cassette versions were
longer than the CDs — essentially what would have been, in the
good old days, double albums. Those could easily stretch to 90 or,
in extreme cases, 100 minutes.
==========================
animation/main #1224, from dopheim, 110 chars, Sat Sep 15 14:21:22 1990
This is a comment to message 1220.
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If you take a decibelmeter and measure the loudness of Ursula’s
shriek,you will find it to be a bit TOO loud.
==========================
animation/main #1225, from bcapps, 275 chars, Sun Sep 16 23:22:45 1990
This is a comment to message 1221.
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Well, the manager @ the Sam Goody’s in The King of Prussia mall in the town
of the same name in PA (right near the C= show this weekend.) He said that
they received a couple of copies, but they were sold out now. Guess who’s
hitting the record stores tomorrow night?
Bob
==========================
animation/main #1226, from bcapps, 922 chars, Mon Sep 17 23:51:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1225.
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—-====<<<< IT’S HERE!! >>>>====—-
And I got it, i got it, i got it!
The cassette version of course. Some of the earlier tracks sound a little
scratchy, but then I might not be hearing it that well since I do have a bit
of hearing loss. The liner notes for the cassette are seven panels longs
plus the lip. There are there are three remembrances of Carl by Hal Willner,
John Zorn and Dick Blackburn. Hal produced the album and John was the prod.
consultant. On the other side of the panels, there’s a picture of Carl
composing at the piano, a “Texas” background with a rabbit hole and a carrot
top and Marvin Martian’s Martian Matomic Masher background. There are
a few complete scores on the compilation with the familiar opening melody
right down to the close out for the “That’s All, Folks!” shell. I haven’t
finished listening to it yet, but it’s a fun tape that’ll have you laughing
at the music.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #1227, from davemackey, 431 chars, Tue Sep 18 17:54:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1226.
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————————–
Gee! Oww! Ooh! I went to three record stores last night. No dice! Did you
ask for it by name or did you find it in a specific section?
This is one I’m probably going to wind up buying both in cassette
and compact disc formats. I like the durability of CD’s and like the
cassettes for my car. (Imagine going to work every day to the strains
of “Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals!”)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1228, from hmccracken, 152 chars, Tue Sep 18 18:07:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1227.
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————————–
Yes, I’d love to know what section to look in…Novelty? Children’s?
Soundtracks? It didn’t seem to be at Tower Records in Boston on
Sunday.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1229, from bcapps, 680 chars, Tue Sep 18 23:18:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1228.
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Soundtracks under ‘S’ is where I found it. They were either out of or didn’t
get any CD’s. And my earlier estimates were incorrect; (I need to clean my
car cassette player) but some of the earlier tracks either have very low
bass or they didn’t pick up cleanly. And I repeat my earlier opinion:
It’s fun! BTW, TINAR on this and my previous message, just-in-case.
It’s also amazing how certain pieces, quotes, themes (whatever!) are used
all over the place. Scott’s “Powerhouse” is the one set that comes to mind,
but you also hear little snippets all over the place. Harry, did you get the
Pulse magazine over at Tower? Might be a good reprint piece for Animato!.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #1230, from davemackey, 822 chars, Wed Sep 19 07:13:58 1990
This is a comment to message 1229.
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I got my copy last night, and what I’ve heard so far is choice. Only
complaint is the general sloppiness of the liner notes (Carl S. Stalling,
indeed! And these are men who should know better!). Also, the opening
to “You Ought To Be In Pictures” is preceded by the wrong version of
the Looney Tunes opening theme. There’s a bad edit on that cut that
gives it away, and the LT theme used was the version that Warners
used from 1941-1945, not correct for a 1940 cartoon.
I think the 1956 Liszt piano solo might be from “Wideo Wabbit.”
The album identifies only “Production No. 1425,” and “WW” seems to
be the only one in that time frame that would qualify (the Liverace
bit)? Can anyone confirm my detective work?
I’ll be listening more carefully this morning on the way to work.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1231, from hkenner, 116 chars, Wed Sep 19 15:56:08 1990
————————–
TITLE: What’s Opera,
Doc?
Has any fanatic a listing / breakdown of the Wagner music in that
classic cartoon?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1232, from davemackey, 732 chars, Thu Sep 20 07:23:52 1990
————————–
TITLE: Who’s #1?
The Sept. 17 issue of “Advertising Age” summarizes the results of a
Gallup poll in which 1000 adults were asked “Which one is your
favorite cartoon or animated character?” The top five were Bugs Bunny,
Mickey Mouse, Road Runner, Donald Duck, and Garfield.
Both men and women named the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as their
least favorite characters. And when asked which advertising campaign was
the most remembered within the last 30 days, it was the Holiday Inn
promotion with Bugs Bunny and “Stay with someone you know, Doc.”
A licensing executive said though the Ninja Turtles are hot right
now, classic character are more popular with adults since they grew
up with them.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1233, from davemackey, 229 chars, Thu Sep 20 07:26:00 1990
————————–
TITLE: Coming soon (wrong category, but what the hell)
…to a Listings near you, the updated list of known errors (!) to
Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald’s “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1234, from tshim, 70 chars, Fri Sep 21 12:16:46 1990
This is a comment to message 1224.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Wait, I’m totally lost — what’s this about a Little Mermaid scandal?
==========================
animation/main #1235, from tshim, 419 chars, Fri Sep 21 12:19:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1221.
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Tape came out at Midtown Manhattan Tower Records on the 11th (a whole display
version!) and the CD came out yesterday (the 20th).
As for bonus tracks on cassette, this happens more often than you think.
Especially considering the lack of vinyl these days, 90-minute cassettes
sometimes have more tracks than 78-min CDs. Even when vinyl was still around,
CDs had more or the same amount, but cassettes had even more.
==========================
animation/main #1236, from tshim, 212 chars, Fri Sep 21 12:22:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1226.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Is there “Toy Trumpet” on the Carl Stalling Project? I have a copy of that
song on a Christmas album by Arthur Fiedler`s Boston Pops — does anyone know
if thePops did anything more with Stalling/Raymond Scott?
==========================
animation/main #1238, from dopheim, 45 chars, Fri Sep 21 21:55:16 1990
This is a comment to message 1234.
There are additional comments to message 1234.
————————–
it began with a shriek…
a Too loud shriek.
==========================
animation/main #1239, from davemackey, 340 chars, Sat Sep 22 01:45:46 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Merrie opening
To those who commented about the opening animation on the Warner Bros.
Merrie Melodies series (can’t find the original message), it’s Darrell
Van Citters at work again; watch carefully as there are variations
in the opening from day to day, with different character interplay.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #1240, from davemackey, 301 chars, Sat Sep 22 01:47:33 1990
This is a comment to message 1236.
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————————–
I think there’s a brief snatch of it, but “Powerhouse” and “Dinner Music…”
get lots more play. If you haven’t gotten the album yet, Tom, grab it.
It is a major achievement and the music really does take on a life of its
own stripped of voices and sound effects.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1241, from richard.pini, 124 chars, Sat Sep 22 16:35:01 1990
This is a comment to message 1234.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If I’m not mistaken, it has to do with a rather, um, Freudian tower as part
of the palace on the cover to the LM video box.
==========================
animation/main #1242, from richard.pini, 507 chars, Sat Sep 22 16:38:00 1990
This is a comment to message 1236.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Can anyone please say what the exact title of this album is? Or any other
info that would help in searching it out? I’ve tried all the stores in this
area and no luck. BTW, there are (to my knowledge) two very nice, though
spare, CDs out of the original soundtracks to Snow White and Pinocchio, taken
from the original 78 rpm discs (though cleaned up). The CDs themselves are
quite handsome, as they’ve been printed in black and gold to resemble the
old RCA 78 discs. Only about 20 minutes on each, though.
==========================
animation/main #1243, from davemackey, 380 chars, Sat Sep 22 18:40:20 1990
This is a comment to message 1242.
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————————–
Richard:
The title of the album is “The Carl Stalling Project: Music From Warner
Bros. Cartoons, 1936-1958.” There’s a track listing somewhere in this
conference which gives the catalogue number. It’s a little slow in getting
to the stores. If you ask, the people in your favorite local record store
might be able to special order it for you.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1244, from hmccracken, 380 chars, Sat Sep 22 19:03:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1192.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Richard, you and anybody else who wants an autographed copy of the
Johnston and Thomas _Bambi_ book should know that they are available
by mail. Howard Lowery is sponsering an autographing party for the
authors on October 13th and 14th, and you can order inscribed copies
of the book at $37.00 plus $6.00 postage from him at 3818 W. Magnolia
Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1245, from bsoron, 316 chars, Sat Sep 22 19:05:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1243.
————————–
Picked up the tape today and listened to it as soon as I got home.
It’s just wonderful. I laughed out loud at a number of Stalling’s
arrangements; as you say, it’s wonderful without the voices and
special effects.
Local record stores seem to be putting it in the soundtracks area,
in the collections section.
==========================
animation/main #1246, from richard.pini, 223 chars, Sat Sep 22 19:13:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1244.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hm. I got that announcement, and I recall reading something to the effect that
only copies bought at the autographing would be autographed. I’ll have to
reread that. If it’s so, you will hear the sigh of relief from there!
==========================
animation/main #1248, from hmccracken, 196 chars, Sat Sep 22 22:39:11 1990
This is a comment to message 1246.
————————–
Nope, the coupon I got lets you specify who you want the book
autographed to and everything. Lowery’s holding an autographing
party for Hank Ketcham’s _The Merchant of Dennis_ as well.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1249, from davemackey, 396 chars, Sun Sep 23 13:02:43 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Worth the wait?
If you were scared off by the original high price of the hardcover “That’s
All Folks! The Art of Warner Bros. Animation” by Steve Schneider, you
will be happy to know that Henry Holt has just published the book in
paperback for $19.95. Should be in your local bookstore right about now.
“Chuck Amuck” is also soon due in paperback.
–D.
==========================
animation/main #1250, from hmccracken, 126 chars, Sun Sep 23 13:09:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1249.
————————–
And there’s also a new hardcover book about _The Musical World of
Walt Disney_ out. Doesn’t look too interesting.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1251, from hmccracken, 703 chars, Sun Sep 23 23:12:49 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Does anybody out there happen to watch the PBS mathematics-
oriented kids’ show _Square One Televison_? I happened to
catch it this morning, and one of the segments was an extremely
funny cartoon, entitled something like “Dirk Niblick of the Math
Squad” that was *very* much like a _Roger Ramjet_ cartoon, from
using Gary Owens’s voice for the main character (and using other
_Roger_ voices as well, I think), to using silent movie-type
title cards, as _Roger_ often did, to capturing the odd humor
of the _Roger_ cartoons almost exactly. I’m wondering now if
the cartoon is a regular segment of the show, and if it was
done by Ken Snyder Productions, the studio which did _Roger_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1252, from davemackey, 635 chars, Thu Sep 27 07:06:33 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Fall Disney News
The fall issue of Disney News, which is sold primarily at Disney Stores,
contains a rather hefty article on the upcoming reissue of “Fantasia” on
October 5, as well as a too-short interview with Disney animation writer
Joe Grant.
Disney takes great pride in the fact that the film is being rereleased
in its complete, two-hour form and original aspect ratio; some cities will
be showing it in 70mm and “modified Fantasound.” Just the fact that
the Stokowski soundtrack has been restored should be impetus enough for
anyone to see the music and hear the picture again.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1253, from richard.pini, 313 chars, Thu Sep 27 10:10:42 1990
This is a comment to message 1252.
There are additional comments to message 1252.
————————–
And don’t forget the siren song of the Disney stores, now that Fantasia is
coming back – went in there a little while ago and literally felt the tugging
of the Amex card as it tried to eat its way through the side of my wallet.
There are some wonderful (and expensive) bronzes, as well as a slug of other
stuff.
==========================
animation/main #1254, from tshim, 163 chars, Fri Sep 28 15:46:52 1990
This is a comment to message 1241.
There are additional comments to message 1241.
————————–
Oh, that I know about. I think Disney is trying to deny that it looks
like what it is, and hopeit will go away.
What threw me off was the punningin the thread.
==========================
animation/main #1255, from tshim, 152 chars, Fri Sep 28 15:48:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1240.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’ve heard it, and my dad, who is a strict anti-animation fan, couldn’t
believe how someone “as talented as this guy couldn’t get better work.”
Hmmmm.
==========================
animation/main #1256, from tshim, 57 chars, Fri Sep 28 15:50:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1242.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
For tracking info of the Carl Stalling album, seee #747.
==========================
animation/main #1257, from tshim, 252 chars, Fri Sep 28 15:53:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1239.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Mostly what happens to Daffy as he gets it. How many variations?
Five? For each day of the stripping?
The Disney influence is definitely there in Van Citter’s work, and for
all it’s fluidity, it just doesn’t seem “Warners”. Am I makeing any sense?
==========================
animation/main #1258, from tshim, 275 chars, Fri Sep 28 15:55:18 1990
This is a comment to message 1251.
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I don’t know about etiology, but that is one funny cartoon, and
educational to boot.
“What, mother? Two trains came in at both ends of the tunnel!
`Oh no, were you killed? Oh, they came twentyminutes apart?
Ha!hA! Mother, you were tryuing to fool your offspring!”
==========================
animation/main #1259, from hmccracken, 217 chars, Fri Sep 28 18:38:01 1990
This is a comment to message 1256.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The album is great, but it reopened a controversy in my mind that I
thought had been closed: when Carl Stalling died. The Bugs Bunny
birthday magazine said 1972, but the liner notes for the album say
1974.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1260, from davemackey, 197 chars, Fri Sep 28 21:33:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1255.
————————–
I’m certain Stalling, in modest midwest style, was happy just being the
foremost composer of music for animation and had no ambitions to displace
Franz Waxman.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1261, from davemackey, 320 chars, Fri Sep 28 21:34:59 1990
This is a comment to message 1257.
————————–
Since VanC. did work for Disney for a while, there is an bit of a Disney
bent in his work. But if any one Warner’s director informs his work, it
has to be Chuck Jones.
There are five different variations to the opening, and the credits
for the opening sequence are shown on Friday.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1262, from davemackey, 285 chars, Fri Sep 28 21:36:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1259.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m not in the mood (or the clothes) to run out to my car to get the cassette
but would swear on a stack of Stalling scores that the album says 1972.
Remember, the liner notes also claim Stalling’s middle initial to be
S., so anything goes here.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1263, from davemackey, 403 chars, Fri Sep 28 22:31:04 1990
————————–
TITLE: More tape toons from WB
Just when you thought WB had no more toons to release on home video…
just in time for the holidays, it’s “Bugs Bunny’s Looney Christmas Tales,”
becoming available this fall. The special was made in 1979 and features
three all-new shorts directed by Jones and Freleng, including a Road
Runner cartoon taking place in a winter setting!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1264, from hmccracken, 75 chars, Sat Sep 29 08:20:03 1990
This is a comment to message 1262.
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Gee, I’ll check again — maybe it’s the magazine that said 1974.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1265, from steven_edwards, 1206 chars, Sun Sep 30 23:00:54 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Peter Pan
I recently bought a copy of the video _Peter Pan_ (Disney, 1952) for
$19.99 at the Nashua, NH Disney Store. Viewing it was quite a treat for me
as I had never seen the picture in a theater. An enjoyable experience of
classic Disney style animation, with clear, crisp music and dialog. I would
point out that the video cover art is done with 1980s style shadowing which
does not appear in the film.
There is a $5.00 rebate offer coupled with the purchase of a Nabisco
product, something I will defer because of their connection with R. J. Reynolds
tobacco.
The video is prefixed with two “coming attractions”: some backround
work on _The Rescuers Down Under_ and _The Little Mermaid_. While I don’t
object to the appearance of these, and find them MUCH less irritating than
third party advertisements, I feel that a much better approach is to put these
at the end of the video and just insert a reference to them up front. That
way, those interested will hang on after the main feature credit roll.
My favorite part of the picture is the “Clockwork Crocodile” and the
accompaning music. I also note the relatively few style changes in mermaid
design from 1952 to 1989.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #1266, from richard.pini, 189 chars, Mon Oct 1 01:03:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1265.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Now see, if you’d bought the video at a Disney Store, it woulda cost $21
and change, but you also woulda got a neat, glow-in-the-dark Tinkerbell
watch! (Am I a collectorweenie or what?) 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1267, from steven_edwards, 289 chars, Mon Oct 1 02:22:08 1990
This is a comment to message 1266.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I did buy it at a Disney Store, and no mention was made of the
Tinkerbelle (sp?) watch; maybe they had already experienced a run of
collectorweenies before I got there. I would have wanted a crocodile watch
anyway; you know, one with pulsing eyeballs instead of a second hand. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1268, from richard.pini, 310 chars, Mon Oct 1 08:13:13 1990
This is a comment to message 1267.
————————–
Or one with a flying Peter Pan on one of those clear plastic dials to mark the
seconds, above a scene of Big Ben – or something. WED should hire us for
ideas. The free watch was one of those “prebuy the tape by such and so date”
kinds of things – the cutoff was some days ahead of the 9/17 video release.{xD
==========================
animation/main #1269, from dopheim, 147 chars, Mon Oct 1 22:45:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1241.
————————–
Actually,richard,
if you measure the loudness of ursula’s shriek when she is hit by one
of her wrecks, you will notice that it is a tad TOO loud.
==========================
animation/main #1270, from davemackey, 506 chars, Wed Oct 3 20:23:48 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Discovery
One of the tracks from the Stalling album, “There They Go-Go-Go!” played
on Nickelodeon tonight. I noticed when A/B’ing the cartoon to its
soundtrack that there are a few scenes out of sequence. I wonder if this
is Jones changing scenes around after the soundtrack is recorded, or some
incorrect sequencing in 1990 by Hal Willner.
Got the CD last night and the packaging is far better than the cassette
including a great commentary from Greg Ford.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1271, from davemackey, 630 chars, Wed Oct 3 20:26:40 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Tiny merchandising
“Tiny Toon Adventures” merchandising has begun in earnest. There are now
Tiny Toons books on the bookshelves, along with a Waldenbooks “Name That
Toon” contest featuring a trip to Hollywood as grand prize. (These books,
and a concurrent series of Looney Tunes books, are illustrated by the
Guy Gilchrist studios. He and brother Brad drew the “Muppets” comic
strip.)
Also, Playskool is rolling out two lines of plush Tiny Toon stuffed
creatures, ones that talk and ones that do not. A stuffed Buster and Babs
would look good on anyone’s bookshelves, wouldn’t they?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1272, from davemackey, 393 chars, Wed Oct 3 20:28:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1270.
————————–
On the other side of the quality spectrum — tonight’s Nick toonfest included
possibly as worse as WB ever gets: the 1964 cartoon “Corn On The Cop,”
which was directed by New York veteran Irv Spector from a script by
Friz Freleng — possibly the only known instance of Friz writing, but not
directing, a cartoon. And the master’s touch is notably absent.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1273, from grekel, 190 chars, Thu Oct 4 09:07:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1252.
————————–
(from the coffee-table “Fantasia” book)
I was surprised to find out “Fantasia” marked the first time Mickey
Uwas given pupils in his eyes. Seems Walt wanted him more expressive…
greg
==========================
animation/main #1274, from davemackey, 438 chars, Mon Oct 8 17:51:22 1990
————————–
TITLE: More toons in theatres
According to a report in today’s USA Today, American Express is going to
replace its commercials-in-theatres with sponsored short subjects, both
live and animated. The theme will be “The art of cinema presented by
American Express.”
The first short, which will air in Cineplex Odeon theatres, will be
John Lasseter’s “Luxo Jr.” which earned an Oscar nomination in 1986.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1277, from hmccracken, 2319 chars, Mon Oct 8 19:14:40 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: As I’ve already mentioned, there was at the Philadelphia Art
Alliance this Saturday an exceptional event for animation fans. The
heart of it all was an exhibit of early (1928-1942) Disney animation art
which included many fine cels, drawings, and other pieces from the
early Disney shorts and features, many of them from the collection
of Jeff Lotman, the exhibit’s curator. (Oddly enough, the Philadelphia
Art Alliance also hosted what may have been the *first* museum show
of Disney art, back in 1932.) The show continues into next month, and
is well worth the trip; if you can’t go, you may be interested in the
excellent color catalogue which can be had by mail.
On Saturday, the show was visited by four artists who worked at Disney
in the golden age, including Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, and Frank
Thomas — four of the surviving Nine Old Men — and Maurice Noble, who
began his career at Disney before going on to become Chuck Jones’s
brilliant layout artist at Warner’s.
Thomas and Johnston have just published a book on the making
of _Bambi_, which was available for the first time at the
show (it’ll hit the bookstores next month, and I’ll review it
in another message). The four BIXen who attended, along with
dozens of others, eagerly snapped up copies of the book for
autographing by the four guests, who had all worked on the
film. Thomas, Johnston, and Davis sat at a large table to
autograph and were too mmobbed for us to do more than exchange
brief pleasantries with; Noble sat by himself in another room,
and Dave Mackey and I were lucky enough to chat with him for
several minutes. Later, he joined the others at the autographing
table.
The four artists participated in an extremely well-attended panel
discussion on Disney and animation art after the autograph session;
while none of them said anything especially shocking or fascinating —
the questions they were asked were pretty standard — they were
witty, perceptive, and sharp to a man. Considering that Walt Disney
himself died close to a quarter-century ago, it was quite remarkable
to have four representatives of the early Disney days in one room.
The day was capped by an animation art auction; since this message
is running long and I have a fair amount to say about it, I’ll
continue in a later message.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1278, from tom.white, 612 chars, Tue Oct 9 01:00:48 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I just got back from seeing Fantasia (with THX sound), which I hadn’t seen
since I was a wee one. It’s much better than I remembered, but since I
didn’t remember much, that was a given.
I noticed in the credits that Walt Kelly was an animator on one segment.
I also noticed another animator (in two segments) by the name of Cy Young.
This is an odd question, but is this the same guy who was the best pitcher
in baseball at the beginning of the century? He was still alive at the
time of the Fantasia production, but I’ve never heard that he went on
to an animation career, he just retired to his Ohio farm.
==========================
animation/main #1279, from davemackey, 227 chars, Tue Oct 9 06:43:39 1990
This is a comment to message 1278.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t think they would be; the man who worked for Disney was named Cyrus
Young, and if he’d had a double career in baseball and animation, certainly
we would have heard about it by now.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1280, from davemackey, 167 chars, Tue Oct 9 06:56:27 1990
This is a comment to message 1277.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Did anyone ever find out where Ward Kimball was and why he could not
attend? (Playing with his trains or something more serious?)
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1281, from tom.white, 159 chars, Tue Oct 9 15:40:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1279.
There are additional comments to message 1279.
————————–
Oh, that clinches it. The pitcher’s name was Denton True Young, and
“Cy” came from his cyclone-powered pitching.
But that sure would’ve been interesting….
==========================
animation/main #1282, from davemackey, 240 chars, Tue Oct 9 18:19:07 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Grim Natwick
Grim Natwick has died.
The creator of Betty Boop succumbed to pneumonia at Santa Monica Hospital
Medical Center on Sunday a little more than a month after marking his
100th birthday.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1283, from hmccracken, 292 chars, Tue Oct 9 20:17:38 1990
This is a comment to message 1282.
There are additional comments to message 1282.
————————–
I was going to say “How sad,” but it really isn’t. He had a wonderful
career, was an important man in his field, and lived in reasonably good
health into his second century. Not a bad life at all. I’m reminded
of Eubie Blake, whose death also came not long after his hundredth.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1284, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Tue Oct 9 20:20:11 1990
This is a comment to message 1279.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Plus, Disney’s Young — who was a top effects animator there — was a
transplant from China, unlike the baseball Cy.
It is true, however, that Babe Ruth provided the voice of Andy Panda
for many years, and that Ted Williams has ghosted _Blondie_ since the
late 1960s.
(Not really.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1285, from davemackey, 153 chars, Tue Oct 9 22:09:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1284.
————————–
And who could forget those wonderful Popeye cartoons directed by Lou
Gehrig? He really was an iron horse, he was…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1286, from hkenner, 219 chars, Tue Oct 9 22:17:40 1990
This is a comment to message 1282.
There are additional comments to message 1282.
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A minute’s silence. Aftr which, run an old Betty[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[B[D[D[D[D
[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[Dfter which, run an old Betty. ‘Bye, Grim!
==========================
animation/main #1287, from switch, 84 chars, Tue Oct 9 22:47:43 1990
This is a comment to message 1282.
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…off to join Mel and George and Jim and the rest of the gang…
Bye, Grim.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1288, from hkenner, 269 chars, Wed Oct 10 15:42:41 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Grim Natwick
Today’d NYTimes obit adds these nuggets: that his given name was
Myron (they put Grim in parentheses and don’t account for it);
that he died last Sunday, of “complications from pneumonia”;
that he is survived by “a daughter and two grandsons.”
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1289, from hmccracken, 151 chars, Wed Oct 10 18:12:17 1990
This is a comment to message 1288.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
So at last we know Grim Natwick’s first name. I’ll bet that Grim
did *not* like the name Myron, and kept it to himself as much
as possible.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1290, from hmccracken, 879 chars, Wed Oct 10 18:47:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1289.
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There are additional comments to message 1289.
————————–
Just read the _Times_ obit, and it’s pretty unsatisfactory, making
reference only to his work with Betty Boop. (And erroneously stating
that Helen Kane provided Betty’s voice — she never did, and indeed sued
Fleischer over the character.) I would think that mention at the very
least of Natwick’s work at Disney, and the fact that his career spanned
seven decades and most major studios, would have been appropriat.
I also wonder whether it’s _Times_ policy always to use the departed’s
real name in headlines. Did it report the passing of Marion Morrison
when John Wayne died? Or the death of Thomas Wilson when Woodrow Wilson
went to his reward? Their reference to Myron Natwick mirrors exactly
their obit for Daws Butler — I never knew his name wasn’t Daws until
the _Times_ reported that Charles Butler had died, mentioning his nickname
of Daws in passing.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1291, from hkenner, 179 chars, Wed Oct 10 21:29:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1290.
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————————–
Let’s face it, no one at the Times knows who Grim Natwick was. They
picked up a day-old AP garble and stuck a head atop it. You are of
course dead right re Helen Kane, etc. …
==========================
animation/main #1292, from grekel, 192 chars, Wed Oct 10 23:54:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1289.
————————–
re. Grim/Myron…
In a recent article, I read that when Myron was about 2 years old,
he had trouble pronouncing his name. When he tried, it sounded like “Grim.”
…and it stuck for 98 years.
==========================
animation/main #1293, from hmccracken, 131 chars, Thu Oct 11 00:14:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1291.
————————–
True enough. Instead of complaining I should send them a brief letter
outlining some of his other achievements, really.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1294, from hmccracken, 292 chars, Thu Oct 11 00:19:12 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Check out this week’s _Newsweek_ for a cover story
on Garry Trudeau and _Doonesbury_ that will serve him well if he
ever chooses to campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize or sainthood.
(A real puff piece, in other words.) The issue also has a one-
page feature on _Tiny Toons_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1296, from davemackey, 246 chars, Thu Oct 11 07:16:24 1990
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It is said to be the first major interview with Trudeau in 17 years. I
think a stamp magazine recently got some quotes from him regarding his
stamp-related comics and projects but that really doesn’t count.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1297, from hmccracken, 649 chars, Thu Oct 11 19:09:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1296.
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One wonders if one condition of Trudeau granting the interview was that
_Newsweek_ wasn’t allowed to say anything negative about him. Or any-
thing that wasn’t wildly positive, even. I have admiration for
Trudeau’s storytelling sense, some of the characters he’s created,
and aspects of his drawing style (if he really is responsible for the
art on the strip). Now that I’ve read the article, I also have
respect for his charitable work. But I do think it needs to be said
that the current _Doonesbury_ is preachy, repetitive, out of touch, and
about ten years past its prime. Only the art surpasses that of pre-
sabbatical Trudeau.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1298, from hmccracken, 1652 chars, Thu Oct 11 22:31:26 1990
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————————–
TITLE: That Auction at the Philadelphia Art Alliance Disney Show Last Sat.
I said I’d report on the auction, and it’s time I did. There were somewhere
around ninety pieces scattered over a *very* wide range of quality.
Everything from excellent Disney cefrom the 1950s to mediocre Disney
art from foreign magazines, to cels from recolored Warner Bros. cartoons,
to giant-robot TV cartoon cels. It made for some nice browsing, in any
event.
The problem was that whoever appraised the art did a terrible job. Not
in the price estimates — Mscoville probably has a better guess of how
good those were than I do — but in the identifications. There were
dozens of errors in the catalogue’s descriptions of those few dozen
pieces, and most of the errors were significant. Many pieces were badly
misdated — some of the dating seemed entirely random — and many pieces
that any fairly knowledgable animation fan could identify were marked
“studio unknown” and the like. A Tom and Jerry cel that itself clearly
bore the legend “copyright 1964 MGM” was identified as being from a
1963 Warner Bros. cartoon. And so on. The animation art market is
exploding, and it’s kind of embarassing when a major auction like this
one has this problem.
A good number of the pieces were auctioned for less than the low price
given in the estimates, so some people may have gotten some bargains.
I only bid once, on a gag rough featuring Little Audrey that was
identified as being from a 1960 cartoon, although they weren’t making
Little Audrey cartoons in 1960, and the drawing was clearly from a
comic book (and one from the early 1950s, I would guess).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1299, from hmccracken, 2061 chars, Thu Oct 11 22:46:27 1990
————————–
TITLE: _Walt Disney’s Bambi: the Story and the Film_, by Frank Thomas and
Olilie Johnston, is a very good book. Well, two books, actually: this
jumbo $40 hardcover comes with a paperback flip book with four
sequences of animation drawings from the film — a nifty bonus.
That’s the first unusual thing you notice about the book: the second is
that the book itself is divided into two sections of roughly equal
length. The first is a retelling of the story of Bambi, heavily illustrated
with art of all sorts from the making of the film. The art is wonderful, but
I can’t help feeling that the lengthy novelization, as it were, of the movie
is here to pad out the book. If you’re interested in reading the tale
of Bambi, Felix Salten’s novel is better written (and translated by
Whittaker Chambers!) and still readily available. If what you want is
Disney’s version of the story, you can get the real thing on videotape.
The retelling seems redundant.
The second half of the book, though, is an excellent examination of the
making of the movie. Bambi was originally intended to be the second
of Disney’s features, after Snow White; it’s birth, though, was slow
and painful, leading to it being the last of the “classic” Disney
features. Thomas and Johnston, who were both supervising animators
on the film, do a great job of remembering the struggles that went
into making the film, and the illustrations are first-rate.
Thomas and Johnston call _Bambi_ their favorite Disney film and say
that it was Walt’s favorite, too, which undoubtedly explains why
they chose this particular film to examine in book length. Along
with John Culhane’s interesting book on the making of _Fantasia_,
we have two of the great Disney features covered in absorbing books.
That leaves _Snow White_ — which has been the subject of a couple
of books, but ones with fairly limited texts — _Dumbo_, and _Pinocchio_
to go. The last is my favorite Disney film, and I’m looking forward
to reading a book on its making, even if I have to write it myself
someday.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1300, from davemackey, 601 chars, Thu Oct 11 23:10:40 1990
This is a comment to message 1298.
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————————–
That was the cel that I pinpointed down to its short — a 1965 Tom and
Jerry directed by Chuck Jones called “Duel Personality.” I would be
a little more alarmed if Sothebys or Christies applied this sort of
non-scholarship to one of their major auctions, but only mildly
chagrined at the non-profit organizations.
The same degree of non-accuracy applied to the Disney exhibit which
is still going on there — drawings misidentified as cels, trimmed cels
mixed up with full cels, etc. It was nice to see some of the stuff that
the honored guests helped create.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1301, from hmccracken, 236 chars, Fri Oct 12 07:35:49 1990
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Right — I’m not mad at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, which presumably
knew better. But apparently the identifications for the auction were
done by the company that provided the auctioneering, which should have
known better.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1302, from elfhive, 338 chars, Fri Oct 12 08:12:30 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Fantasia new release
Just say the 70mm dolby release with the enhanced soundtrack and what
surely looks like some restored animation at the beginning of the
Pastoral Symphony and in parts of Night on Bald Mountain. Talk about
a timeless masterpiece! Dance of the Hours still breaks me up.
I wish they would release this on video.
==========================
animation/main #1303, from hmccracken, 126 chars, Fri Oct 12 17:17:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1301.
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Please insert a “didn’t” before the “knew better” in reference to
the Philadelphia Art Alliance in my last message.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1304, from hmccracken, 460 chars, Fri Oct 12 17:19:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1302.
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————————–
Yup, _Fantasia_ was heavily restored for its current release — they
went back to the original version (ignoring the ’82 re-recorded,
re-edited one), and did a great deal of cleaning up of the visuals
and music. I would like to know more about the specifics myself —
there’s a special currently on the Disney Channel about it (which
I haven’t seen yet), and I’m told that the current issue of
_Premiere_ magazine has a feature on the restoration.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1305, from hmccracken, 346 chars, Fri Oct 12 17:30:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1280.
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Don’t know what became of Ward Kimball, but he did make the opening
of the show a few weeks ago. Incidentally, the latest volume in
the reprinting of the complete Pogo comics has an interesting
introduction by Kimball, illustrated with numerous Disney-era Walt
Kelly sketches from Kimball’s collection of over a hundred such
drawings.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1306, from grekel, 1082 chars, Sat Oct 13 19:51:44 1990
This is a comment to message 1304.
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————————–
The Disney Channel special on “Fantasia” was very informative, and
presented in the traditional “Walt Is God” format. 🙂 The article in
_Premiere_ is a lot more nuts-and-bolts restoration technique, which
I found fascinating.
Combine these two sources with the “Fantasia” coffee-table book (to be
found at your local library) and you get a great exposure to what went
into the film.
BTW, saw it last nite (35mm, alas), and was floored by the colors!
MUCH better restoration job than I had imagined!
And I really anticipated the closing shot in “Ave Maria”, supposedly the
longest continuous multi-plane sequence to date, which had to be
shot three times: first time thru someone put a wider lens on the camera
and all the scurrying animators showed up… Second pass experienced an
earthquake toward the end of the shot, with no way to tell how badly the
planes had been moved. Third time was the charm, and the closing shot
was spliced into the release print hours before the New York premiere.
Mighty handy there were a few seconds of black just before the scene started!
greg
==========================
animation/main #1307, from switch, 140 chars, Sat Oct 13 21:20:17 1990
This is a comment to message 1304.
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————————–
Heard a rumor from a reliable source that Fantasia’s going to be
on laserdisc after its run. This guy has never been wrong before…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1308, from hmccracken, 491 chars, Sat Oct 13 23:25:07 1990
This is a comment to message 1307.
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————————–
The “_Fantasia_ is coming out soon on videodisc/videotape/whatever”
rumor seems to be running rampant, but I have no idea if it’s true
or not. Seems to me the film would have to be marketed in a different
way than Disney’s other animated video releases, which are the sort
of things that kids will watch over and over, can be sold through
product tie ins and McDonald’s promotions, and so on. _Fantasia_
is a different kind of film, and I don’t know if that approach would
work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1309, from hmccracken, 309 chars, Sat Oct 13 23:27:05 1990
————————–
TITLE: Did you know…
that Jeff Bergman, the man behind most of Mel Blanc’s Warner Bros.
voices nowadays, did about a quarter of Mr. Spacely’s dialogue and
some of George Jetson’s in the recent _Jetsons_ movie? This is
according to an interesting piece on the _Inside Edition_ TV show
yesterday.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1310, from switch, 346 chars, Sun Oct 14 14:11:23 1990
This is a comment to message 1308.
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————————–
…which is why I would expect it to be out exclusively on laserdisc,
actually. The kind of person who appreciates letterboxed films on
LD is the same kind of person who would probably appreciate Fantasia
(at least that would apply here, where LD hasn’t really caught on
yet — only cimema/audio/videophiles really get LD players here…)
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1311, from elfhive, 191 chars, Sun Oct 14 14:27:37 1990
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————————–
Fantasia isn’t in wide screen ratio as I recall. The 70mm projection
I saw here in DC was a nearly square format which would be more
suitable for the standard tv screen without letterboxing.
==========================
animation/main #1312, from hmccracken, 673 chars, Sun Oct 14 20:49:27 1990
————————–
TITLE: Just returned from the Museum of Cartoon Art, where I caught
its Bugs Bunny exhibit on the very last day it was up. Great show —
tons of cels, drawings, and other artwork, including esoteric things
like a page from a 1940s Bugs Bunny comic book and the recent art for
the _Bugs and Daffy: the Wartime Years_ videotape. That the show was
put on without any art from the collection of Steve Schneider, by far
our most prominent conservator of Warner Bros. art, makes it doubly
impressive.
Although the Bugs show is over, the Museum is of course still around, and
always worth visiting. The next major exhibit is devoted to Chester
Gould’s _Dick Tracy_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1313, from richard.pini, 1450 chars, Tue Oct 16 09:41:35 1990
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TITLE: Off the road again…
Just got back from a week-and-a-half walkabout (semi-regular things where
I get in the car, load up on Twinkies and Diet Pepsi, and drive all over,
doing business and seeing things until I can’t stand it any more…)
The one bad aspect of such trips is that I really go out of touch with
the world. It wasn’t until I read this topic that I learned of Grim Natwick’s
passing. You’re right – a life that long and full deserves celebration, not
grief – but still needed a moment or two of silence and reflection. (I guess
I’m feeling a bit vulnerable after the news, which I did hear on the radio,
of Leonard Bernstein’s death Sunday – I had just finished listening to a
tape of him conducting “Pictures at an Exhibition” – a favorite composition –
when I heard the news.)
At any rate, on a happier note (or lots of them), it took me a trip to
Birmingham, Alabama to find it, but I finally got the Carl Stalling CD!!!
And then had to wait a week to get home to play it. In fact, it’s going now,
and I’m finding it difficult to type while quaking with laughter. Lordy, I’ve
heard every note of this in context, but just having the music is hysterical!
And surprise #2 – the printing on the disc! Eyeballs, look out!
Also found the remastered Fantasia soundtrack, but haven’t put that on
yet. We’re planning to see the film tonight…I’ve seen it, oh, half a dozen
times and am really looking forward to the facelift.
==========================
animation/main #1314, from hmccracken, 295 chars, Tue Oct 16 19:38:59 1990
This is a comment to message 1313.
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————————–
Enjoy _Fantasia_, and please share your thoughts with us afterwards.
Incidentally, I now know that I was present at a significant event
in history about two months ago: I saw Leonard Bernstein conduct
at Tanglewood. It was a wonderful performance that turned out to
be his last one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1315, from richard.pini, 956 chars, Wed Oct 17 17:03:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1314.
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————————–
Well, we didn’t go to last night’s show; we did go to today’s matinee.
From the opening screen it was obvious that we were going to see COLOR. The
last time I saw the film in the theater was (mumble) years ago, and the video
that I DON’T OWN is, one might suspect, color-impaire I almost found the
color too intense in certain sections – of course, Wendy has never liked the
interpretation of Beethoven’s 6th Symphony (fatal cuteness), and she said that
the vivid colors almost made it unwatchable. (She was smiling as she said it,
but…) On the other hand, Night on Bald Mountain was a joy to see, as I caught
bits of business I’d not noticed before. All in all, the cleanup brought up
contrasts that really enhanced the film – quite noticeable in water scenes
and wherever there is lots of detail (bubbles, leaves, stuff like that).
Almost unrelated – but I also enjoyed seeing a film in an almost square
aspect ratio. Seemed…friendlier, somehow.
==========================
animation/main #1316, from hmccracken, 269 chars, Wed Oct 17 18:08:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1315.
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I am probably the only person on earth who likes the Pastoral Symphony
section of _Fantasia_. While it is hardly the best section, it’s
Disney being unabashedly, honesty *Disney*, which is fine by me, and
preferable to the pompous stuff that opens the film.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1317, from elfhive, 306 chars, Wed Oct 17 22:04:24 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Can it be coincidence?
With the rerelease of Fantasia, our local art film theatre (The Biograph
in Georgetown) is showing Allegro Non Troppo this week. Am I spoiled or
what 🙂 I love this film almost as much as Fantasia.
Does anyone know if an official release of this film is available on
video?
==========================
animation/main #1318, from davemackey, 399 chars, Thu Oct 18 01:17:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1317.
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————————–
“Allegro Non Troppo” is listed in the Summer Whole Toon Catalogue as a
“limited access” title, meaning it has been withdrawn but they still have
copies available. Their current price is $34.95; please check the
sources section for an address for a catalogue. If you want to check
your local stores, the tape was released by BMG and its catalogue number
is 60286.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1319, from erethakbe, 314 chars, Fri Oct 19 00:18:12 1990
This is a comment to message 1307.
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————————–
I personally saw a Pioneer TV ad for “Laserdisc. The only format that
could do justice to Fantasia”. While the ad DOESN’T say that the film
is being released, it certainly HINTS pretty strong.
I have also heard that VHS and Beta are out of the question, so
Laser will be the ONLY format, if it is released at all.
==========================
animation/main #1320, from richard.pini, 228 chars, Fri Oct 19 09:47:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1319.
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————————–
If I’m not mistaken, that same ad also touts Fantasia itself, saying that the
only way to see *it* is in the theatres. (Of course, that could be a strange
double reverse twist kind of negative anticipation advertising at work.)
==========================
animation/main #1321, from steven_edwards, 303 chars, Fri Oct 19 10:08:25 1990
This is a comment to message 1319.
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The only Disney animated feature I have seen released on laserdisc is
_The Little Mermaid_, and this was seen in a demo room at a high-end video
store. I’ve never seen any advertising for animation on videodisc, although
I’m sure there will be releases if there’s enough profit expectation.
— Steve
==========================
animation/main #1322, from switch, 53 chars, Fri Oct 19 14:14:20 1990
This is a comment to message 1321.
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————————–
_Roger Rabbit_’s also out on laser, I believe.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1323, from elfhive, 292 chars, Fri Oct 19 18:45:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1318.
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————————–
Thanks for this pointer. I found the address for the Whole Toon Catalogue
in /sources #50 and called them last night. My order for “Allegro Non
Troppo” is on the way and they told me it was one of two remaining
copies. That’s for anyone who might be sitting on the fence about buying
a copy.
==========================
animation/main #1324, from hmccracken, 191 chars, Fri Oct 19 18:57:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1319.
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————————–
Sounds like an interesting ad. I find it hard to believe that Disney
would bring *anything* out on laserdisc only, though — narrow marketing
of that sort just ain’t their style.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1325, from hmccracken, 227 chars, Fri Oct 19 18:58:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1323.
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————————–
Glad you grabbed a copy while you could! Remember to mention to Doug
Ranney, the guy behind Whole Toon, that you heard about them through
BIX. (As a matter of fact, I have to nag Doug again to get on BIX
himself.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1326, from elfhive, 64 chars, Fri Oct 19 19:08:07 1990
This is a comment to message 1325.
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I don’t know if it was Doug on the phone but I did mention BIX.
==========================
animation/main #1327, from jstivaletta, 146 chars, Fri Oct 19 22:41:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1322.
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So is a whole bunch of stuff from Disney on laserdisc – The Fleisher Folios,
Dumbo, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Bambi if I am not mistaken.
==========================
animation/main #1328, from tom.white, 431 chars, Sat Oct 20 09:20:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1324.
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————————–
Nonsense. Go into any Disney store and look at how many high-priced
limited production items they have available. There was also a very
limited edition of their “50 Years of Mickey and Donald” (that’s more
the subject than the actual title) that was signed by Barks and
Gottfrieson (sp?) that had MUCH more material than the unsigned edition,
including a 7″, 45rpm record. I think the press run of this edition
was 250 copies.
==========================
animation/main #1329, from hmccracken, 397 chars, Sat Oct 20 16:37:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1328.
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The difference is that virtually all of those low-production, high-
cost products are manufactured by companies other than Disney itself.
The studio has no problem with licensing others to do small-scale
stuff, but when it comes to the products it manufactures and markets
itself (videos, comics, some of the toys, and the films themselves),
it targets as broad an audience as possible.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1331, from hmccracken, 327 chars, Sat Oct 20 21:03:32 1990
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TITLE: Vinton and Raisins Suffer Forced Divorce
This happened a couple of weeks ago or so, but I don’t believe it’s
been mentioned here yet: the California Raisin Board has fired the
Will Vinton Studio from the raisin account. Those Motown-singing
raisins will be animated by a studio I hadn’t heard of from now on.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1332, from billn, 49 chars, Sat Oct 20 23:50:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1331.
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————————–
You heard this on the grapevien, of course. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1333, from richard.pini, 214 chars, Sun Oct 21 00:35:15 1990
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TITLE: Stalling
It’s late so I can’t get to a music store, but… Wendy heard the Stalling
album today for the first time and was enthralled. She asked if he had ever
done scoring for other than animation. Anyone?
==========================
animation/main #1334, from bcapps, 536 chars, Sun Oct 21 01:03:46 1990
This is a comment to message 1328.
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————————–
Is that the “Mickey Mouse in Color” book you’re talking about? That was
done by Another Rainbow (which is affiliated with the Gladstone label in
comics, which use to do the Disney comics). I forget how many copies it
was limited to (I dunno where mine is at the moment). Also, Disney took
over control of their comics, since they probably figured to market them
more extensively. Gladstone, IMHO, was doing an EXCELLENT job. The
comic dealer I frequent still has copies of the above book for $250, if
folks are interested.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #1335, from bcapps, 152 chars, Sun Oct 21 01:05:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1331.
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I saw some blurb on it, that stated that the studio that will do it is made
up of former Vinton employees, who decided to strike out on their own.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #1336, from aturn, 36 chars, Sun Oct 21 01:37:17 1990
This is a comment to message 1332.
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Yeah, but don’t whine about it! 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1337, from ewhac, 139 chars, Sun Oct 21 06:33:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1311.
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Yeah, I don’t think it’s letterboxed; it looked like standard
Academy ratio (4:3) which is — surprise! — identical to TV.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #1338, from davemackey, 162 chars, Sun Oct 21 06:59:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1333.
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Apart from his work accompanying movies, I don’t think Carl Stalling
ever scored anything other than cartoons. What a life!
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1339, from davemackey, 902 chars, Sun Oct 21 08:37:44 1990
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TITLE: New videos
Turner Entertainment has issued four new volumes of Bugs Bunny cartoons
from its library: “Very Best Of Bugs,” “Bugs Bunny’s Greatest Hits,” “Bugs
Bunny On Parade,” and “Bugs Bunny Festival Of Fun.” Some of the cartoons on
these compilations have been previously released on some of the earliest
MGM/UA “Kiddy-Oh!” plastic-encased tapes.
Also, a company called Best Film and Video has released four new
compilations of King Features Syndicate cartoons, produced by Al Brodax in
the 1960’s: “Barney Google And Snuffy Smith,” “Beetle Bailey,” “Cool McCool,”
and “Krazy Kat.” Each of these volumes has an hour’s worth of cartoons for
about ten dollars apiece. These are not to be confused with the volumes
King Features previously licensed to New Age Video (those tapes had only
five cartoons apiece). Credits sparse, quality of transfers okay.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1340, from hmccracken, 178 chars, Sun Oct 21 12:31:12 1990
————————–
TITLE: Book Note
For those who missed the hardcover edition, Chuck Jones’s _Chuck Amuck_,
an entertaining and informative autobiography, is now available in
paperback.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1341, from richard.pini, 234 chars, Sun Oct 21 15:17:13 1990
This is a comment to message 1334.
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Just as a publishorial aside, then AR did that Disney book, they discovered
that the first binding run screwed up somehow; the books were very weak in
the binding. AR redid the run. Must’ve cost them, but they consider quality
first.
==========================
animation/main #1342, from davemackey, 503 chars, Sun Oct 21 19:50:27 1990
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TITLE: Liszt identification
The brief Liszt piano solo on the Carl Stalling album, identified as being
from Production No. 1425, has been positively identified. It is from
“Wideo Wabbit,” from the scene where Elmer is pursuing Bugs through the halls
of the TV station. When he goes into the studio that the “Liverace” show
is produced, Liverace (Bugs in disguise) is playing that piece on the
piano. Tip of the hat to WWOR-TV for showing this cartoon this morning.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1343, from hkenner, 86 chars, Sun Oct 21 20:55:18 1990
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TITLE: Has any
afficionado made a list of the Wagner sources for What’s Opera, Doc?
?
==========================
animation/main #1344, from hmccracken, 68 chars, Sun Oct 21 21:33:09 1990
This is a comment to message 1342.
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————————–
And a tip of the hat to you, Dave, for your sharp ears!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1345, from hmccracken, 109 chars, Sun Oct 21 21:33:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1343.
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I don’t recall seeing one anywhere, but I will check my Jones materials
for anything in that area.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1346, from davemackey, 483 chars, Mon Oct 22 18:23:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1344.
————————–
It wasn’t sharp ears that led me to this discovery. I simply took a list
of Warner’s cartoons, figured out which one that might have had some Liszt
music in it fell around the 1425 mark, and came up with “Wideo Wabbit.”
Seeing the cartoon yesterday confirmed my detective work; the cue appeared
on the film’s soundtrack and the number under the shield was indeed 1425.
My only puzzlement is that Ford, Willner and Co. couldn’t figure this
out?
–Dave
/
==========================
animation/main #1347, from hmccracken, 929 chars, Thu Oct 25 22:11:11 1990
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————————–
TITLE: I’ve asked Doug Ranney, the man behind the Whole Toon Catalog, to
do a column in which he answers readers’ questions about animation
videos and other merchandise for my magazine, _Animato_. Now, the problem
with any column that relys on reader mail is that one generally doesn’t
have any of that mail until the first column appears. So I thought I’d
ask here if anyone has any good questions for our first column.
Is there an animated work that you’d like to know the availability of
on videotape? Is there something you know isn’t available, and you
wonder why? Are you a Courageous Cat fan who’s looking desperately for
any toy or merchandise relating to the character and wants to know
what’s out there? These are the sorts of questions I’m thinking of.
I may also look through past postings here for material, asking for
permission, of course, to use any unanswered questions in the column.
Thanks!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1348, from davemackey, 208 chars, Fri Oct 26 00:00:45 1990
This is a comment to message 1347.
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————————–
Anything I say in here is fair game for dissemination into Animato!,
including news items, random musings, and random acts of censorship.
(But you already knew that.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1349, from davemackey, 369 chars, Sat Oct 27 18:24:59 1990
This is a comment to message 1347.
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————————–
I’m wondering why the heck lots of video manufacturers insist on producing
their tapes in the LP (4-hr) mode for VHS, a format that many machines will
either not play, or play without access to special effects like still-frame
and shuttle search.
Those King Features tapes I mentioned not long ago are recorded in
this mode.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1350, from davemackey, 230 chars, Sat Oct 27 18:26:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1339.
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Whoops! Didn’t realize that beside the four KFS tapes mentioned, they have
also released volumes of Popeye (as animated by Hanna-Barbera in the 70’s)
and Flash Gordon (the Filmation version).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1351, from elfhive, 812 chars, Sat Oct 27 18:26:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1347.
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————————–
I just purchased the first volume of Internationl Tournee of Animation
videos through Animation Magazine. I am interested in animation produced
outside the United States and would like to know if there are other
collections of animation, say by country like Czechloslovakia, or by
topic (?)? I’m also interested in getting a copy of Fantastic Planet
and I believe there was a “sequel” which ran in the theatres (might
have been based on an Asimov story). Of course, some of this may be
answered when I receive my Whole Toon Catalogue.
On the U.S. side, I remember a long-running Saturday morning series
called “Ruff and Ready.” This must have come out of a major production
house but I have no idea which one. I never hear it referred to anymore
and wonder if it is available either in syndication or on video?
==========================
animation/main #1352, from davemackey, 407 chars, Sat Oct 27 18:29:14 1990
This is a comment to message 1351.
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————————–
“Ruff and Ready” was the first production from Hanna-Barbera; there are
a few (not many) episodes available on home video. Check your local
rental outlet or sell-through store.
(Incidentally, and this is only my opinion, the store with the best
selection of animation videos is the Suncoast Motion Picture Co., which
is owned and operated by Sam Goody record stores.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1353, from elfhive, 355 chars, Sat Oct 27 18:59:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1352.
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I suspected it was Hanna-Barbera. Thanks for the confirmation. I have
yet to discover the retail outlet with the best selection of animation
videos in D.C. I will look for a Suncoast listing but even Sam Goody
is not very well represented in the D.C. area, nothing downtown that I
know of.
I should probably check with ASIFA, the local animation society.
==========================
animation/main #1354, from switch, 136 chars, Sat Oct 27 20:39:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1347.
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_Fantastic Planet_ and _Rock and Rule_ are the big two for me for
now. I’m sure there are more somewhere in my cluttered mind…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1355, from switch, 244 chars, Sat Oct 27 20:42:41 1990
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_Light Years_ (originally _Gandahar_) was directed by Rene Laloux
of _Fantastic Planet_ fame. _Light Years_ was released in North
America by Isaac Asimov (whatever _that_ means) edited and twenty
minutes shorter. But it ain’t a sequel.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1356, from jshook, 45 chars, Sun Oct 28 00:27:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1355.
————————–
And it came and went so fast I missed it….
==========================
animation/main #1357, from hmccracken, 254 chars, Sun Oct 28 01:14:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1351.
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————————–
I concur with your comments about Suncoast: they have an excellent selection
of animation and other interesting videotapes for sale. How big a chain
is it? The only Boston-area branch I know of is located at the Atrium
mall in Chestnut Hill.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1358, from davemackey, 391 chars, Sun Oct 28 06:31:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1357.
————————–
There are a lot of them in New Jersey; they just opened one in the new
mall in Freehold. I would suspect that eventually they will be more
prolific nationwide. They also have T-shirts, stuffed creatures, little
figures, and other doodads. In fact, they’re the first place I’ve seen
that has the new Tiny Toon Adventures miniatures produced by Applause.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1359, from richard.pini, 1038 chars, Mon Oct 29 09:52:33 1990
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TITLE: Buddy can you spare $1800.00?
Just got a postcard from Gifted Images Gallery in Rockville Center NY 11570
(phone 800-726-6708 or 516-536-6886) offering a ‘limited edition (of 500)
boxed portfolio of 50 images of conceptual art that provided the inspiration
for this animated masterpiece’…meaning, of course, Fantasia. The 50 images
are on 22 sheets of 16×20 acid-free paper, done by offset lithography.
(And BTW, until I started typing this here, I thought there were 50 sheets,
one image per sheet – chalk that up to skim-reading and sucker-ad-writing!)
There are narrative bits, and the whole thing comes in a nice looking
presentation box. And the price is in the title of this post. Comes to
a nubbin under $100. per sheet, which is, I guess, not at all outrageous
for limited lithos. However, I *do* tend to buy those one at a time…
Then too, for anyone who’s *really* interested, I’ve rarely encountered
a gallery of this type that wasn’t willing to dicker. They’ve usually got
10-20% tacked on to throw your way.
==========================
animation/main #1360, from hmccracken, 221 chars, Mon Oct 29 18:14:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1359.
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————————–
I’d hold on to my eighteen hundred bucks, Richard: the drawings will
probably show up in one Disney book or another, if they haven’t already.
The reproduction may not be quite so spiffy, but it should suffice.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1361, from richard.pini, 122 chars, Tue Oct 30 14:49:11 1990
This is a comment to message 1360.
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Oh hey! My intention from the start!! I just wanted to let eveyone know. My
middle name ain’t “Excess” all the time… 😉
==========================
animation/main #1362, from ewhac, 114 chars, Sat Nov 3 03:36:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1349.
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————————–
I like LP mode myself. Of course, our VCR has a truly cruddy EP
mode, and SP doesn’t store enough.
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #1363, from richard.pini, 279 chars, Sat Nov 3 11:57:03 1990
This is a comment to message 1362.
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————————–
Funny – if I look *real* close I can tell the difference between my machines’
LP and EP modes, but I have to be conscious of it. And I think I prefer the
LP over SP, there’s a lsight ‘graininess’ (for want of a better word) that
appears to my eye/mind to make the image sharper.
==========================
animation/main #1364, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Sat Nov 3 16:52:08 1990
This is a comment to message 1363.
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————————–
I can definitely discern the difference between SP and LP, but record
most stuff on LP for economy’s sake. SLP I use only for long events
whose picture and sound quality is unimportant (news coverage,etc.)
Also, although Consumer Reports says otherwise, I find great difference
in picture and sound quality from one tape brand to another.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1365, from hmccracken, 939 chars, Sat Nov 3 22:01:46 1990
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TITLE: Patrick Brion’s _Tom and Jerry_ is now in bookstores, and
it’s a splendid book that should serve as a model to others on how
to present an animation book. Detailed information on every Tom
and Jerry book, good quality frame blow-ups by the dozen, and numerous
animation drawings printed full-size on animation paper for a nifty
portfolion effect are among its features. The book was originally
published in France — I have and love the French edition, and while
I have not made an exhausive comparison as of yet, the English
edition seems to be a faithful and complete translation in an
identical format.
Tom and Jerry and MGM cartoons in general have lagged behind Disney
and Warner in latter-day appreciation; this book should help them
get the attention they deserve. Brion has also written two fine books
on Tex Avery — let’s hope that this one is successful enough that
they get published in this country, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1366, from dopheim, 753 chars, Sun Nov 4 01:38:04 1990
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TITLE: The MPAA Cartoon classification system
CATEGORY. Cartoons that use the same production method or similar means
of creation are grouped into the same CATEGORY. This is the broadest
classification of cartoons. Currently, the MPAA recognizes 4 categories
of cartoons: Animated,Live-Action,Combination, and Home-Brews.
CLASS. Within each category, cartoons with the same production characteristics
are grouped into a CLASS. For example, within the ANIMATED category there are
4 classes: Pure animated, Live animated, Pure live, and intermittent animated.
TYPE. When you refer to a specific cartoon, you are defining its TYPE. Here
are some cartoon types you may be familiar with:
“CARE BEARS”
“VOLTRON”
“SIMPSONS”
“SNORKS”
“SMURFS”
==========================
animation/main #1367, from jshook, 65 chars, Sun Nov 4 12:38:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1366.
————————–
Fascinating.
==========================
animation/main #1368, from richard.pini, 45 chars, Sun Nov 4 21:16:46 1990
This is a comment to message 1364.
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————————–
You got better eyes than I do, gunga din! 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1369, from davemackey, 218 chars, Mon Nov 5 07:35:31 1990
This is a comment to message 1365.
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————————–
Haven’t bought the book yet, but flipped through it the other day. Loved
it, though the price scares me. I’m waiting for it to come into our
beloved discount bookseller in this area.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1370, from hmccracken, 386 chars, Mon Nov 5 18:08:01 1990
This is a comment to message 1368.
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————————–
My grandfather noted that as each step forward was made in audio technology,
he suddenly discovered that the prior technology, which he had thought
was a good quality reproduction method, was awful. The theory is at least
as equally applicable to video, which is why I shy away from watching
laserdisc and other media which will remind me how poor my many LP
videotapes are.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1371, from davemackey, 322 chars, Mon Nov 5 18:42:50 1990
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————————–
TITLE: I don’t know if this has been discussed…
… but a recent visit to my local bookstore has revealed the paperback
reissue of “Animation From Script To Screen,” an instructional text written
by one of the all-time masters of the craft, Shamus Culhane. List price is
$12.95.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1372, from switch, 121 chars, Mon Nov 5 22:03:31 1990
This is a comment to message 1370.
————————–
Lucky you. It’s part of my _job_ to play with more audiovisual
equipment than I could possibly afford.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1373, from hmccracken, 108 chars, Mon Nov 5 23:31:44 1990
This is a comment to message 1371.
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————————–
…And a very good book it is, too. Nice to see it sold well enough
to make a paperback edition.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1374, from ewhac, 84 chars, Tue Nov 6 02:09:39 1990
This is a comment to message 1371.
————————–
That text will probably become required reading here in the office…
Schwab
==========================
animation/main #1376, from hmccracken, 248 chars, Wed Nov 7 21:28:22 1990
This is a comment to message 1352.
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————————–
Oddly enough, days after I said that there weren’t many Suncoast video
stores in this area, I visited the local mall and found one about to
open. It’s next door to a Record Town — and aren’t they another
part of the Sam Goody empire?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1377, from davemackey, 376 chars, Thu Nov 8 06:51:06 1990
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No. Record Town is owned by a company called Trans World; my brother, who
is a store manager in the Long Island-based Record World/Square Circle
chain, learned the black art of selling records and tapes in a Record Town
store — then joined Record World, which was in the same mall, working
briefly in both stores at the same time!
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1378, from hmccracken, 115 chars, Thu Nov 8 17:58:21 1990
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————————–
Hmmm…Doesn’t Goody also go by some other name with “Record” in its
name? Or at least did at one time?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1379, from morganfox, 207 chars, Thu Nov 8 21:48:44 1990
This is a comment to message 1376.
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Harry, I was at the Cambridge Galleria today an I noted that they have a
OPEN Suncoast store there. But compare prices. The Sam Goody a few stores
down carries videos too and there are some price undercuts.
==========================
animation/main #1380, from switch, 146 chars, Fri Nov 9 01:28:17 1990
————————–
TITLE: Digests
Installed rec.arts.anime digest #30. We’re pretty up-to-date. There’s
an update on Bob Niland’s laservideo texts in there.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1381, from hmccracken, 817 chars, Sat Nov 10 20:22:43 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Don’t forget…
Disney’s new animated feature, _The Rescuers Down Under_, opens next
Friday. As you may be able to tell by the title, it’s an Australian-
set sequel to Disney’s 1977 film _The Rescuers_. The new film is
the first to be entirely inked and colored using Disney’s new, very
sophisticated computer system, and what I’ve seen has been quite
impressive.
The plan has been to release a new short subject, _The Prince and the
Pauper_, along with the feature, but none of the many TV ads I’ve seen
for _Rescuers_ has mentioned _P&P_. It’s possible that Disney has come
to the decision that it’s better to spice up a reissue or something
non-animated with _P&P_ (which stars Mickey Mouse and friends and which
was produced at the animation studio at Disney World). We’ll see soon
enough.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1382, from switch, 125 chars, Sat Nov 10 21:26:22 1990
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————————–
When I caught _Fantasia_ on Wednesday, the trailer for _Rescuers
Down Under_ said _P&P_ was going to be shown with it.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1383, from hmccracken, 110 chars, Sat Nov 10 21:28:12 1990
This is a comment to message 1382.
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Goody! Two new Disney animated films on one day — wonder when the last
time *that* happened was?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1384, from loreli, 124 chars, Sat Nov 10 23:46:03 1990
This is a comment to message 1381.
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————————–
In the theatre advertisement for _The Rescuers Down Under_, they
mentioned _The Prince And The Pauper_ would also be shown.
==========================
animation/main #1385, from davemackey, 162 chars, Sun Nov 11 08:58:49 1990
This is a comment to message 1378.
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The only other operating monicker I can remember for Sam Goody was
Licorice Pizza, which I believe was a west coast chain.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1386, from davemackey, 219 chars, Sun Nov 11 08:59:57 1990
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————————–
Oh, P&P has been mentioned in some of the spots. They’re calling it
Mickey’s first feature in ten years. (I think the last one he did was
the timeless classic, “Mickey Mouse Disco.”
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1387, from hmccracken, 92 chars, Sun Nov 11 11:17:00 1990
This is a comment to message 1385.
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I could swear that I’ve seen ads for “Sam Goody Record Town,” but I
may be wrong.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1388, from hmccracken, 123 chars, Sun Nov 11 11:18:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1386.
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————————–
Mickey’s last theatrical film actually came out a scant seven years ago;
it was Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1389, from davemackey, 79 chars, Sun Nov 11 15:25:20 1990
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————————–
(shaking his head) How could I have forgotten? I’m going to go lie down now…
==========================
animation/main #1390, from hmccracken, 591 chars, Sun Nov 11 19:24:08 1990
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————————–
Don’t worry, Dave, it wasn’t that memorable a film. I saw the ad for
_Prince and the Pauper_ today, and it calls it Mickey’s first film
in “almost a decade.” For some reason, they like to dwell on the fact
that Mickey’s career as a film star has been very checkered for the
last forty years: they stressed that _Mickey’s Christmas Carol_ was
his first flick in thirty years.
_P&P_ was directed by George Scribner, who also did the quite-nice
(I thought) _Oliver & Company_ for Disney. There’s a handsome
comic-book adaptation of it out now, too. (_P&P_ I mean, not
_Oliver_.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1391, from davemackey, 145 chars, Sun Nov 11 23:57:11 1990
This is a comment to message 1390.
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The “Prince And The Pauper” one shot is quite nicely drawn, and the
coloring has that storybook quality. I hope the film does the comic
justice.
==========================
animation/main #1392, from davemackey, 452 chars, Mon Nov 12 00:04:37 1990
————————–
TITLE: Another Woody?
I was looking back through some old videotapes and I found the commercial
that was done a few years ago for that dinosaur phone line that was
narrated by Woody Woodpecker. We played it over several times and came to
the conclusion that instead of Grace Stafford, it was Nancy Cartwright
doing the voice, and it sounded somewhat like Bart Simpson on helium.
Can anyone corroborate this?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1393, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Mon Nov 12 23:22:17 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Another animation book is out…
_Cartoon Superstars_, by John Cawley and Jim Korkis, and published by
Pioneer Press (aka Hal Schuster). It’s an encyclopedia of favorite
cartoon characters, spiced up with a wide variety of illustrations.
Don’t be fooled by its somewhat ugly layout (typical of Schuster publications);
there’s a lot of good information to be found in the book. John and Jim
quite intentionally aim the book at the neophyte or not-terribly-knowledgable
animation fan, and with that in mind, they’ve done a good job.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1394, from richard.pini, 46 chars, Tue Nov 13 12:07:00 1990
This is a comment to message 1393.
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Hal Schuster.
::sound FX of gritting teeth::
==========================
animation/main #1395, from rlcarr, 200 chars, Mon Nov 19 01:32:37 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Jittlov….
Any fans of Mike “The Wizard of Speed and Time” Jittlov out there?
Man, it’s great to be able to have a legitamate VHS copy of
most/all of his shorts – courtesy FAnimato!
— Rich
==========================
animation/main #1396, from elfhive, 249 chars, Mon Nov 19 14:22:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1395.
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Saw the latest rendition of the film at the Smithsonian about four months
ago. It is delightful and it’s too bad he isn’t working on the CBS
production of _The Flash_, I think his sense of humor and technical
prowess would be an asset to that show.
==========================
animation/main #1397, from hmccracken, 276 chars, Mon Nov 19 18:26:01 1990
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————————–
Well, I edit a magazine called _Animato_, which should let you know
how *I* feel about Jittlov. (Okay, okay, I didn’t name the magazine, and
we cover animation of all sorts. But I do like his stuff — especially
_Animato_ itself.)
What, by the way, is FANimato?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1398, from rlcarr, 554 chars, Mon Nov 19 19:27:26 1990
This is a comment to message 1397.
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————————–
FAnimato! is an (the?) official Mike Jittlov fan club.
If you send me BIXmail, I’ll tell you more (other than being a member,
I;m not affiliated with FAnimato!, but I have no idea what BIX’s
policies are regarding telling people publicly about clubs’ offerings,
addresses, dues, etc.).
And yes – I love _Animato_ (the short). At his talks at MIT in Feb,
Jittlov said that it originally started life as a commercial for a local clothing
store chain. However, he soon got bored with it and ended up mutating it
into what we know and love…
— Rich
==========================
animation/main #1399, from hmccracken, 296 chars, Mon Nov 19 20:53:20 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Check out today’s _Wall Street Journal_ for an interesting article
on an interesting person — Sherri Stoner, who both modeled for Ariel
in _The Little Mermaid (and now for Belle, in the upcoming _Beauty and
the Beast_), and writes wonderful episodes of _Tiny Toon Adventures_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1400, from hmccracken, 141 chars, Mon Nov 19 20:54:31 1990
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————————–
Go ahead and tell us about FANimato right out here in the open, Rich;
you’d definitely be doing us a public service by doing so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1401, from davemackey, 195 chars, Mon Nov 19 21:12:38 1990
This is a comment to message 1399.
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————————–
Wall Street Journal? Did someone get ahold of Sherri’s portfolio? Am curious
as to why. A little too late to find one of these at this hour of the evening
…
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1402, from hmccracken, 459 chars, Mon Nov 19 22:07:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1401.
————————–
Dave, the _Wall Street Journal_ — despite what their ads say about being
“Quicker, tougher, smarter,” is full of great little articles on subjects
that have nothing to do with business. Sherri showed up on the arts page,
but the whole darn paper is rife with funny little stories sometimes.
There’s always at least one light piece on the front page and one on
the front of the marketing section. I’ll see if the copy at work got
thrown out yet.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1403, from grekel, 563 chars, Mon Nov 19 22:43:26 1990
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————————–
I found out about “The Wizard…” release here on BIX, and hounded the
rental stores til it showed up. I had remembered the Disney “Wizard” short,
and thought the film was a gas! In fact, has anyone else still-framed the
sequence of speed moves on scenic stills near the end of the movie?
Even though each still is on screen for a few frames, each one has a
line of text carefully hidden in it. The lines run together to form a sort
of “fortune cookie” that’s very Jittlov-ian. 🙂
(Had to dub the VHS to 1″ tape to get clear enough still frames, too…)
greg
==========================
animation/main #1404, from richard.pini, 235 chars, Mon Nov 19 23:35:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1395.
————————–
Definitely a fan here! Got to sit and talk with the gentleman at Rovacon
back in October, we traded Hollywood horror stories, and I told him he ever
writes a “Making of…” type of book he’s got a publisher. Or maybe a
“Wizard” comic.
==========================
animation/main #1405, from rlcarr, 808 chars, Tue Nov 20 00:48:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1403.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yup, I freeze-framed the stuff.
In fact, I even wrote it all down (well, as much as I could make out).
There’s stuff hidden all through the movie..
When the IRS agent tries to steal the bike, the sparks form a profile,
and the bike rack spells out a message.
When they are filmin the wall-run scene, on two jups there are flashes of light under
Mike’s feet – theres stuff written there.
During the “Wizard run” sequence, right after he spins the windmills, theres
a montage of clocks that say “Use your time wisely.”
Right after he leaves Vegas, there’s a montage that has the Earth at the center of each frame – there’s
a message there, too.
When he blows away that walled square in China, there’s a hidden message…
Also, the _Animato_ excerpt and _Time Tripper_ have sublims in them, too.
— Rich
==========================
animation/main #1406, from rlcarr, 781 chars, Tue Nov 20 01:01:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1400.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
ok – if you say so….
FAnimato!
18 Dix Road
Maynard, MA 01754
person in charge is James S. Belfiore, who is an Arisia ’91 organizer
Dues are $10, $5 for renewals. THere is a quarterly newsletter.
FAnimato! is distributing copies of a compilation tape that Jittlov
gave them in Nov ’89.
It costs
(a) blank VHS tape + $2.40, or
(b) $12.40
according to the flyer I got with my copy, it is OK for people
to make further copies of the tape, as long as they don’t charge
beyond cost.
contents:
Good Grief
The Interview
The Wizard of Speed and Time (the short)
Adventures of Lat & Long
Turtle Joak (sic)
Swing Shift
Animato
Time Tripper
The Collector
Mouse Mania
All the shorts seem to be to their original music (so you Animato
fans get to hear Petula Clark again 🙂
— Rich
==========================
animation/main #1407, from richard.pini, 316 chars, Tue Nov 20 09:47:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1406.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Jittlov is very generous about such things, though with respect to “WoS&T”
the movie, his largesse is motivated at least in part by a desire for the
producer *not* to make any money from video sales, since Mike gets none of
that. So he’s gone on record as advising people to rent the tape and make
their own copies.
==========================
animation/main #1408, from rlcarr, 855 chars, Tue Nov 20 22:28:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1407.
————————–
True, though at his MIT talk he was a teensy bit subtle 🙂
Something like “Well, the tape costs $89.95, an outrageous sum
of money. However, it’s NOT COPYGUARDED.”
To Jittlov’s credit, he’s not in it for the money – I know people who have
sent him checks in lieu of buying the movie (i.e. to give Mike the money instead of
the producer) and he’s voided them out (usually with some nice handwriting,
Wizard stamps, and stars) and returned them. Of course, I’m sure that’s
also somewhat motivated by the legal overtones of the whole thing.
Oh yeah, one of the things Jittlov said at the talk was that the producer (
who played the evil producer in the movie) made a deal behind Jittlov’s back
with PepsiCo for product placement. However, Jittlov was able to use his
power as director and you’ll only see Pepsi in scenes with the bad guys.
— Rich
==========================
animation/main #1409, from davemackey, 1503 chars, Tue Nov 20 23:34:30 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: New series of videos
Just when you think every possible cartoon series known to man
has been released to home video, along comes another one. Our
friends at United American Video (makers of the 6-hour wonder
tape) have come out with a set of 9 tapes called “Underdog Super
Series.” The cartoons on each tape are representative of the
total output of the Total Television/Gamma studio from 1961 to
1969, with episodes from all of its series on each tape.
The series, in rough chronological order, are “The King and
Odie,” “Tooter Turtle,” “The Hunter,” “Tennessee Tuxedo,”
“Klondike Kat,” “Underdog,” “The World Of Commander McBragg,” and
“Go Go Gophers.”
While I find the later series tiresome, I really enjoy some
of the earlier work, with contributions from some great voice
talent such as Allen Swift, Jackson Beck, and Kenny Delmar (who
as Senator Claghorn was partial inspiration for the creation of
Foghorn Leghorn; here he plays a character of similar
temperament, The Hunter). Some of the music is pretty chintzy,
but there’s some familiar stock pieces by Winston Sharples in
some of the shows. The animation: nothing to write home about,
and apparently nothing the animators wanted to put their names
on — but some of the earliest has that 50’s TV-commercial feel
to it.
And who can forget Wally Cox as Underdog? To me, his role as
the loveable shoeshine boy turned dog hero overshadowed every
other aspect of his career, from Mr. Peepers to Hollywood
Squares.
TINAR
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1410, from cmattern, 150 chars, Tue Nov 20 23:59:27 1990
This is a comment to message 1409.
There are additional comments to message 1409.
————————–
Ah yes….”Speed of lightning, power of thunder/Fighting all who rob or plunder….”
Them was the days…
Chris
==========================
animation/main #1411, from steven_edwards, 1145 chars, Wed Nov 21 13:42:17 1990
This is a comment to message 1399.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That was an interesting article in the WSJ, one of many that seem to
be run now that the _Journal_ has expanded into into a three section paper.
A definite improvement, but I still don’t think the WSJ is worth 50 cents (as
is the _New York Times_), let alone the 75 cents it’s scheduled to become
sometime next year.
The part about the Disney animators requiring live demonstrations of
underwater hair motion is certainly quite believable. A satisfactory computer
treatment of multiple flexible objects undergoing hydrodynamic deformation is
still far from reality.
I’m not sure about the idea of using the same model for _Beauty and the
Beast_. Although Ariel the Mermaid was kind of cute, I would hope Disney is
careful about too much similarity among its characters.
The one part of the article I didn’t understand was the reference to
several sketches of Sherri in “various stages of mermaidenly undress”. I can
only think of two stages of said undress, only one of which saw most of the
screen time in _The Little Mermaid_. Perhaps those clippings from the cutting
room floor are more interesting than commonly suspected. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1412, from richard.pini, 495 chars, Wed Nov 21 17:37:15 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: JOhnston & Thomas in NY
Just got a call from the Circle Gallery (they’re at 7th Avenue and about
50th Street – I don’t have the card here, but NYCity information, area
code 212, will get the info for you) letting me know that Ollie Johnston
and Frank Thomas will be there on Nov. 27th in connection with the release
of the Bambi book. Good opportunity for anyone in the area to meet them,
get the book signed.
Of course, I will be *way* out of town that night…IhateitIhateitIhateit…
==========================
animation/main #1413, from hmccracken, 289 chars, Wed Nov 21 17:45:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1411.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t have the article at hand, but I believe the sketches they referred
to were gag sketches done by animators for the express purpose of hanging
up. Animation studios are filled to the rafter with such sketches, many
of which are unprintable and even unmentionable-on-BIX.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1414, from davemackey, 184 chars, Wed Nov 21 17:55:41 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy turkey day
I want to take this opportunity to wish one and all who visit
the animation conference a very happy Thanksgiving day.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1415, from steven_edwards, 305 chars, Wed Nov 21 17:58:45 1990
This is a comment to message 1413.
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There are additional comments to message 1413.
————————–
Maybe an occasional gag sketch escapes; this could have been the cause
of the backround tower scene on the video cover art and movie poster for _The
Little Mermaid_.
I’d wager that some of those gag sketches could fetch a good price if
some of the artists would take the risk of selling them. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1416, from hmccracken, 153 chars, Wed Nov 21 18:54:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1415.
————————–
I’ve seen some sketches from the golden age (_Snow White_ era) of Disney
that, I’ll wager, Disney would *not* like having on the open market.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1417, from hmccracken, 317 chars, Wed Nov 21 18:56:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1414.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Definitely — happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
I’d suggest watching Thanksgiving cartoons, but there aren’t many.
Warner’s made _Tom Turk and Daffy_ and at least one pilgrim-themed
short; MGM made something about harmonica-playing turkeys whose name
escapes me at the moment. And that’s all I can think of.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1418, from hmccracken, 753 chars, Wed Nov 21 19:00:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1409.
————————–
There was a time in my life, when I was very, very young, when Underdog was
my favorite cartoon character. Which probably explains why I was most
likely the only lad in America to own a dog named after an Underdog villain:
Simon (Bar Sinister) was a faithful companion for a decade.
Wally Cox was an interesting guy. He was a roommate and close friend of
Marlon Brando, and wrote at least two funny books — _Ralph Makes Good_
and _My Life as a Small Boy_ (the latter is a minor classic). While I’ve
only seen one episode of _Mr. Peepers_, any show that brought us both
Wally Cox and Tony Randall has a lot going for it; to bring the conversation
back around to animation, the show was created by a former animator,
Disney’s David Swift.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1419, from switch, 97 chars, Thu Nov 22 00:15:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1413.
————————–
Heck, they’re all over the place in our animation classes. We’re
repressed, we are. Yup.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1420, from davemackey, 212 chars, Fri Nov 23 02:22:01 1990
This is a comment to message 1412.
————————–
Gee, Richard, this makes, if my addition is correct, TWO times
that you’ve been unable to visit with Frank and Ollie! Well, you
certainly have my sympathies on this one.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1421, from davemackey, 543 chars, Fri Nov 23 19:28:42 1990
This is a comment to message 1417.
————————–
Thanksgiving cartoons: There are more than a few, some of which
were on TNT today.
Besides “Tom Turk and Daffy,” Warner’s had a similar cartoon with
Daffy called “Holiday For Drumsticks” as well as the all-star
extravaganza “The Hardship Of Miles Standish.”
Paramount had “Pilgrim Popeye” and “Voice Of The Turkey” which
was directed by Vlad Tytla.
MGM had “Tom Turkey and his Harmonica Humdingers” and “Jerky
Turkey.”
Not claiming to be an all-inclusive list but there’s some white
meat there.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1422, from hmccracken, 423 chars, Fri Nov 23 19:29:16 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: I am indebted to my sister (a far hipper person than I) for
the news that the current issue of _Details_ magazine has a fairly
lengthy article on Jeff Bergman and the intrigue involved in recasting
Bugs Bunny’s voice after Mel Blanc’s death (although I believe that
there are several layers of the story that the article *doesn’t*
cover). Bergman does not come off as a particularly lovable human
being.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1423, from hmccracken, 213 chars, Fri Nov 23 19:31:43 1990
This is a comment to message 1422.
————————–
_Jerky Turkey_! How culd I forget that one? There are also a few
made-for-TV ones, including _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ (one of the
last first-rate Peanuts specials) and _The Mouse on the Mayflower_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1424, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Fri Nov 23 22:15:13 1990
————————–
TITLE: Good animation is where you find it…
Check out the current _Masterpiece Theater_ series, “Jeeves and Wooster,”
and you’ll find not only some quite-good adaptations of P.G. Wodehouse’s
stories (and Wodehouse is a tough writer to dramatize), but also a
nifty animated title sequence by the British studio Animation City.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1425, from grekel, 254 chars, Sun Nov 25 10:48:16 1990
This is a comment to message 1405.
————————–
Man! I gotta get the 1″ out again!
Anybody care to speculate on Jittlov’s future? Will he “make the big time”
and go Hollywood (doubtful with the opinions expressed in TWoSaT), or will
he crank out another feature in, say, another 20 years or so?
greg
==========================
animation/main #1426, from hkenner, 321 chars, Sun Nov 25 22:22:59 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Help Wanted
In the 40’s-50’s theaters took cartoons because they came packaged
with the rest of the program. If Warner owned a theater chain that
took a Warner feature, it got a Warner cartoon.
That is a simplistic account. I need something more detailed &
reliable. Can someone point me to a source?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1427, from davemackey, 445 chars, Mon Nov 26 07:08:40 1990
This is a comment to message 1426.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hugh–
That was true to a certain point. It was determined, sometime
in the 50’s, that the fact that film studios produced,
distributed, and showed movies constituted an illegal trust, and
the film studios were forced to sell off their theatre chains.
Any library having back issues of Variety or other movie
industry trade magazines can give you a little more detail on
exactly when this came about.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1428, from hkenner, 91 chars, Mon Nov 26 08:18:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1427.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
But no book on the studio system? Back issues of Variety take a
*lot* of turning through.
==========================
animation/main #1429, from hmccracken, 289 chars, Mon Nov 26 18:18:35 1990
This is a comment to message 1428.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I will have to do a bit more research on this, but there is a reasonably-
current book out called _The Genius of the Studio System_, or something
similar, that may be what you’re looking for, Hugh. (Come to think of it,
I think the title is simply _The Genius of the System_.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1430, from hmccracken, 294 chars, Mon Nov 26 22:30:45 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Dave Mackey, and perhaps others, will be glad to hear that
Hamilton Projects, a unit of Great American Communications Co.,
has acquired the licensing rights to the old _Batfink_ TV cartoon
series. Look for a major (?!) licensing push to be made with the
character next year.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1431, from davemackey, 446 chars, Tue Nov 27 02:30:47 1990
This is a comment to message 1430.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Boy, did that wake me up. This is indeed good news, and it’s
about time.
I still consider the lack of attention accorded the Batfink
cartoons in the Batmania of 1989 a little strange. Hopefully with
this new licensing push the shorts will be seen again in one
medium or another.
Do you know if this company has picked up any of the other
Hal Seeger cartoon series (Milton The Monster, et. al.)?
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1432, from hmccracken, 31 chars, Tue Nov 27 18:51:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1431.
————————–
Not that I know of.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1433, from hmccracken, 581 chars, Tue Nov 27 21:21:52 1990
————————–
TITLE: Some of you may be readers of _StoryboarD_, a magazine about
Disney animation, theme parks, and related enterprises that has not
published any issues lately. The magazine is back under the revised
title of _Storyboard: the Art of Laughter: The Journal of Animation\
Art_. The emphasis is still on Disney, but the coverage has broadened
to include such features as an interview with Walter Lantz. I found
the issue at my local B. Dalton’s — it’s the first issue of the magazine
to have showed up there — so it should be readily available if you’re
interested.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1434, from hmccracken, 324 chars, Wed Nov 28 23:41:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1429.
————————–
The book in question is indeed called _The Genius of the System_; it’s
by one Thomas Schatz and is available in a Pantheon paperback. It is
primarily about the moviemaking process itself in Tinseltown’s Golden
Age, but does seem to have some stuff on the studios’ financial relation-
ship to the theater chains.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1435, from addman, 1525 chars, Sun Dec 2 14:55:45 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Best Platform
I have a question for some of you and if this isn’t the place for this, could
you please direct me to the right place.
I will be doing a seminar/presentation in May where I need to show the power
of multimedia in litigation. What I want to do is show how one can take the
very boring explanations found in reports and stick them onto videotape with
some animation, or perhaps moving text and sliding pictures is a better
explanation. There have been a few cases where I could have used these
techniques to explain easily confused accounting principles that the courts
need for their judgements.
I have an IBM AT (9 mhz), 120 meg HD, 1.5 meg Ram, and HP Laserjet II. I also
have an Amiga 500 with 2 floppies and one meg of ram. I own no multimedia or
drawing softwart. I intend to sell the AT and get a 386-25 clone. I realize
I’ll need to make an investment in software and probably some hardware. If I
use the Amiga, I’d probably need a lot more hardware.
I have **NO** confidence in Commodore to make the Amiga a lasting platform so
I am hesitant to invest much money in it, not to mention time. I’ve heard
the Amiga has great capabilities in this area, but I also know MSDOS is
ripping the Amiga and the Mac apart in all areas of software development.
I don’t know what is available for the MSDOS computers, except for Microsoft
Powerpoint and AutoDesk Animator. Can any of you give me some advice as
to what I’d need for the IBM to make a go of this project.
Thanks in advance,
Dennis
==========================
animation/main #1436, from davemackey, 657 chars, Sun Dec 2 17:30:43 1990
————————–
TITLE: Chimpunk records back in print
Captiol Records has released nearly all the late-50’s/early 60’s
Chipmunk albums on cassette and CD. Titles include “The Alvin
Show,” “Chipmunks A-Go-Go,” “The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles,” and
the two volumes of “Christmas With The Chipmunks.” (RCA’s album
“A Chipmunk Christmas” is still unavailable.”) All feature the
late Ross Bagdasarian Sr. (stage name David Seville) as the
Chipmunks.
Capitol has also released a new album on Chimpunk music from
the most recent TV series produced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and
Janice Karman, this one featuring vocals by the Chipettes.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1437, from hmccracken, 1349 chars, Sun Dec 2 18:29:38 1990
This is a comment to message 1435.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1435.
————————–
Dennis, there are probably others more capable of discussing this here
than me, but here are some opinions. While Commodore’s state of health
is a debatable topic, I suppose, there is an awful lot of presentation-
related software and hardware available at inexpensive prices. If cost
is a factor you may actually do better by expanding your Amiga to do
the job (since the Amiga outputs video automatically, you will have less
need for add-ons with the Amiga than with the PC or a Mac). Some of
the software that might prove useful to you for the Amiga includes
AmigaVision (hypermedia/authoring software), DPaint III (paint and animation —
not unlike Autodesk Animator), VideoTitler, MovieSetter (easy animation),
and many other similar or related packages. There is also the Video
Toaster, a hardware/software combination that’s extremely powerful for
hypermedia, animation, and titling (but needs an Amiga 2000).
While there is certainly some good graphics software available for the
IBM, some of which is more specifically for business presentation than
the Amiga stuff, there aren’t all that many packages, and getting it onto
video is somewhat more expensive and complicated than with the Amiga.
The Macintosh actually has more good graphics software than IBM,
including a fine multimedia package called MacroMind Director.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1438, from elfhive, 765 chars, Sun Dec 2 21:39:40 1990
This is a comment to message 1437.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1437.
————————–
I know that DPaint II Enhanced for MS-DOS doesn’t have the capabilities
of the software available on the Amiga and I have never seen the
other programs Hugh mentions in MS-DOS. Amiga is the graphics designer
computer of choice as far as I can tell. MS-DOS software also seems to
need a lot of extended memory, so your 386-25 purchase should be made
carefully to make sure you can load lots of stuff above 640K. If I
understand correctly you don’t need to worry about that with the high
end Amiga computers.
On the other hand, if you are demonstrating graphics capability in
areas such as litigation, I would assume that most businesses are
in the MS-DOS environment so I don’t know how productive it would be
to show capabilities that are only available on Amiga.
==========================
animation/main #1439, from rjenks, 1740 chars, Mon Dec 3 01:04:45 1990
This is a comment to message 1435.
There are additional comments to message 1435.
————————–
You don’t need a lot more hardware on the amiga. With AmigaVision and your
current A500 you can do a lot more than you think. IBM (and clones) fatal
flaw is Graphics Speed! AutoDesk animator is limited and Hard to use.
AmigaVision is simplistic with a capitol S. You would need other support
programs to create pictures and anims for AmigaVision, but there is an
abundance of software packages to do just that. DeluxePaint3, TurboSilver,
Sculpt4D, and many others will do animation. DeluxePaint3, DigiPaint,
PhotonPaint, Deluxe PhotoLab, and The Art Department will do your pictures
for you.
How are you going to record anims and Images off the IBM? The cheapest way
is to point a Video Camera at the screen. The only other ways cost BIG
BUCKS and usualy only support CGA or EGA graphics. On the Amiga 500 you can
buy an RF modulator for around $35 to record directly to video tape or you
can buy a Gen-Lock for as low as $135 and overlay your computer pictures,
animation, etc… over another video signal. Plus you get the Amiga’s great
HAM 4096 colors to Boot! The cheapest IBM EGA genlock I’ve seen was around
$1500! If you want to do Video Productions or Multimedia the Amiga is the
cheapest and the BEST way to do it! The amiga was developed with NTSC and
PAL video standards in mind. Hec, the Amiga 1000 came with a composite video
output.
An easy way to compare graphic speeds between the IBM and Amiga is to compare
redaw speed in MS windows 3.0 on a 286 10mhz and workbench 1.3 on an Amiga
500 at 10mhz. Workbench will do much faster screen redraws the the IBM!
Consider the fact that MS windows is written by the same people that wrote
MS dos and is optimized to run as fast as the graphics card will go.
Hope it helps.
==========================
animation/main #1440, from rjenks, 99 chars, Mon Dec 3 01:24:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1435.
————————–
For more info on Multimedia read:
amiga.dev/market.info #7876
TITLE: MS-DOS multimedia is pitiful
==========================
animation/main #1441, from addman, 521 chars, Mon Dec 3 02:45:52 1990
This is a comment to message 1437.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Harry,
I know the Amiga is a decent platfrom for this, I just don’t feel safe
investing time and money into it. I assumed AutoDesk Animator was all I
needed but I’ll have to check more into that. Plus all the documents
and
spreadsheet proformas I have are on Excel and WordPerfect. I’d never want
to have to tie myself up utilizing Amiga spreadsheet or wordprocessing
programs and this project is just a beginning. I’d really rather stay with
and getting tied to Commodore
is something nobody should have to do!!
==========================
animation/main #1442, from addman, 145 chars, Mon Dec 3 02:48:25 1990
This is a comment to message 1438.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Also, I may need to use a portable or a laptop with this some day. I think
the 640k problem is not something that’s very troublesome nowadays.
==========================
animation/main #1443, from elfhive, 306 chars, Mon Dec 3 10:16:07 1990
This is a comment to message 1442.
————————–
Unfortunately, it is for me. I’m running my Zenith Supersport 286 as my
desk top and it sure doesn’t like DPaint II Enhanced. Also, in reading
about the various architectures that allow easy access to extended
memory in the 386’s, I’ve learned that you can buy certain clones that
have proven troublesome.
==========================
animation/main #1444, from hmccracken, 866 chars, Mon Dec 3 18:29:43 1990
This is a comment to message 1441.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
While I consider this conference to be a pleasant oasis, far from
the IBM vs. Mac vs. Commodore vs. Whoever wars :-), I will say that
I think the Amiga is nowhere near being on its deathbed — partially
because of all the great graphics and multimedia software available for
it. I think we will have Amigas, in some form, with us for many years
to come.
Your problem with Amiga business software, hjowever, may be more of a
reason not to use the Amiga,. if you’re going to do everything on
one computer. While there are at least a couple of decent Amiga
word processors (ProWrite and WordPerfect), I have heard complaints
that there are no really good spreadsheet packages. But if you want
good graphics software *and* a lot of good business software, I have no
doubt that a Macintosh would serve you better than an Amiga *or* an
IBM-compatible would.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1445, from hmccracken, 566 chars, Mon Dec 3 18:35:30 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Has anybody ever seen the Laurel and Hardy film _Babes in Toyland_?
It’s live-action, of course, but Mickey Mouse and the Three Little
Pigs all have sizable roles. (I guess Walt let Hal Roach borrow his
characters.) Mickey is played by a monkey wearing a costume, and he
keeps throwing bricks at a cat in what seems to be either a homage to
or ripoff of Krazy Kat. The Three Little Pigs — we learn their names
are Elmer, Willie, and Jiggs — seem to be played by midgets, and Elmer
is kidnapped in the film’s dramatic turning point.
Very odd.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1446, from davemackey, 481 chars, Mon Dec 3 19:42:27 1990
————————–
TITLE: Charles Solomon Strikes Again
If you are a member (or know someone who is) of the AARP, then
you’ll want to check out an article Charles Solomon has written
in the 12/90-1/91 issue of “Modern Maturity.” It is your basic
“animation is back” article that’s been discussed here before,
and animators mentioned, pictured and/or quoted include Marc
Davis, Ollie Johnston, Glen Keane and Andreas Deja of Disney,
Chuck Jones, and Don Bluth.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1447, from richard.pini, 362 chars, Mon Dec 3 19:51:28 1990
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————————–
I’ve seen that film every year since I can remember. It seems to me that
the mouse character is not *all* that much like Mickey, though that can
be attributed to interpretation. (I recall him looking more like MIckey
Rat from the underground comic, but then…) I do seem to recall, though,
that the “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” music is used in the film.
==========================
animation/main #1448, from hmccracken, 428 chars, Mon Dec 3 20:38:13 1990
This is a comment to message 1447.
————————–
I will have to check one of my Laurel and Hardy tomes for more
information, but I seem to recall reading that the mouse is
indeed Mickey. As to his looks — well, he looks about as
much like the Mick as you’d imagine a monkey wearing a Mickey
suit (with eyeholes) would look. The film does use “Who’s
Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” whenever the pigs appear, so Disney
definitely was involved in one way or another.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1449, from hkenner, 677 chars, Tue Dec 4 00:11:07 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Jones
Animation/long.messages now contains jones1.txt and jones2.txt, being
the preface and part of the first chapter of my upcoming Chuck Jones
book. Contracted length is 30,000 words, and audience is not animation
buffs but people who’d buy into a series called “American Genius.”
Hence the exposition of basics.
In the 2nd instalment you will recognize spots where some detail, like
Natwick’s real name, is to be filled in. All contributions welcome,
as they’ll save me searching.
Also, any and all comments / corrections earnestly solicited.
It may be a little while before there’s more. We’re in the midst of
a Major Move, several hundred miles south.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1450, from billn, 35 chars, Tue Dec 4 10:20:24 1990
This is a comment to message 1449.
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————————–
You’ve left John’s Hopkins??
BillN
==========================
animation/main #1451, from bsoron, 51 chars, Tue Dec 4 11:57:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1449.
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————————–
I enjoyed it, Hugh… looking forward to more.
==========================
animation/main #1452, from hkenner, 70 chars, Tue Dec 4 12:08:44 1990
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————————–
Retiring; and moving south. I’ll be connected with U. Ga. in Athens.
==========================
animation/main #1453, from hkenner, 154 chars, Tue Dec 4 12:10:25 1990
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————————–
Thanks. There’ll be more as it gets written. Another cause of delay:
glitch after glitch in the process of getting someone to transcribe my
tapes.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1454, from hmccracken, 605 chars, Tue Dec 4 18:34:07 1990
This is a comment to message 1449.
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————————–
Excellent start. I can fill in one hole — the fellow who lured
Ub Iwerks from Disney was named Pat Powers. I can also make
one correction, although I will have to do some date-checking.
I am reasonably positive that Iwerks returned to the Disney studio
in 1940 or so, several years after the multiplane camera had been
invented and used in such films as _The Old Mill_, _Snow White_,
and _Pinocchio_. Iwerks did come up with a similar device while
at his own studio, and may have refined the multiplane once back
at Disney, but the camera was up and running well before he ended
his exodus.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1455, from davemackey, 416 chars, Tue Dec 4 21:02:03 1990
This is a comment to message 1453.
————————–
If you haven’t checked your mailbox, I’ve attempted to fill in
some of those ???’s you left in the long.messages. I am having a
hell of a time figuring about whom Jones was referring to when he
talked of the “trellis of varicose veins.” I’ve been beating my
head to the wall and probably speed-read “Chuck Amuck” from cover
to cover a dozen times trying to refresh my memory.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1456, from billn, 42 chars, Tue Dec 4 21:02:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1452.
————————–
Ah, lots more time for Bixing. 🙂
BillN
==========================
animation/main #1457, from richard.pini, 736 chars, Wed Dec 5 09:19:55 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Little Mermaid at Sotheby’s
Got a postcard telling of an auction in NYC at Sotheby’s on Saturday,
December 15, of animation art from “The Little Mermaid.” The exhibition
of the art opens Sunday, December 9 at 1 pm. (Oops, the auction itself
is in two parts, at 10:15 am and 2 pm.) Sotheby’s is at 1334 York Avenue,
New York, NY 10021, phone (212) 606-7424.
They’ve published a gorgeous catalog of the auction (cost $25) which is
worth having for no other reason than it’s gorgeous and a great record of
a lot of the art from the film – can be ordered with credit card by calling
800-447-6843. Looks like the least expensive pieces are expected to go for
$1500 and up, and some biggies are estimated into the $12-15000 range.
==========================
animation/main #1458, from hmccracken, 158 chars, Wed Dec 5 18:11:14 1990
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————————–
I believe that catalog can be had a bit cheaper ($19.95 or thereabouts)
at Disney Store locations and (as they say) better comics shops
everywhere.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1459, from addman, 1362 chars, Wed Dec 5 22:25:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1444.
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————————–
Yep, the business software could be a problem. I’m not sure whether or not the
Amiga software pool could handle that end as easily as MSDOS. Between Word
Perfect and Excel and Harvard Graphics, and the ancillary programs that run
with those systems, it would be a pian to change, although, I’d do it if I
was sure I was ultimately getting a better product.
However, what really concerns me is that from talking to people about my
500, I’d have to add a hard drive/memory bundle for about a $1,000 and
they say even then, it will be brutal running on a 68000 rather than a
68020 or 030.
I’m really not trying to start any computer wars but I need to make a decision
and this seemed like a good place to get some information, at least less
biased than the Amiga, IBM and Mac sigs.
Investing in the Mac is out of the question for me right now. That platform
is at least a $6,000 investment. The Amiga 3000, with the educational
discount would cost me $3,000 and the upgrading my AT, via sale and purchase,
to a 386-25 would cost me well under $1,000. However, if I can’t get the
stuff onto video tape, that might not be an option. After upgrading or
purchasing the suitable platform, I still need software and probably some
kind of genlock device.
Am I missing anything here?? Am I making this more expensive or more
complicated than it has to be??
==========================
animation/main #1460, from switch, 509 chars, Wed Dec 5 23:43:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1459.
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————————–
A hard drive/memory bundle for an A500 shouldn’t cost $1000, even if
you get the A590 from Commodore and put the chips in yourself.
It costs barely over $1K in Canada, last I looked. Should cost
$600-$700 for you.
Outputting a video signal on an MS-DOS machine will require a
card that can get away with that, and they seem to go around $700
(again, last time I looked – a few months ago).
Seems to me it’s a toss-up — more business presentation software
for the IBM, better output from the Amiga.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1461, from addman, 497 chars, Wed Dec 5 23:58:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1460.
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————————–
I wasn’t thinking about a 20 meg hard drive, I believe that’s what the A590 is.
The new GVPs or whatever…..for something like 40 meg and 5 meg of ram are
close to $1,000.
If the card to output video signals is only $700 and if Autodesk Animator is
what I need, along with Excel, Harvard Graphics, Word Perfect and probably MS
Powerpoint, than that’s probably what I’ll go for. It would sure make life
a lot easier!!
Do you know the names of these cards and who makes them?
thanks….Dennis
==========================
animation/main #1462, from switch, 103 chars, Thu Dec 6 00:14:41 1990
This is a comment to message 1461.
————————–
There’s Willow, Video-7, and (I think) Video-USA or USA-Video.
That’s off the top of my head…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1463, from davemackey, 310 chars, Thu Dec 6 20:44:24 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Ketcham
Even if you’re only marginally interested in Hank Ketcham, be
aware that his new autobiography “The Merchant Of Dennis The
Menace,” just published by Abbeville Press, has a fairly
substantial section on his years as an animator at the Walt
Disney Studio.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1464, from hmccracken, 720 chars, Fri Dec 7 00:25:06 1990
This is a comment to message 1463.
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————————–
I don’t have the Ketcham autobiography yet, but I’m definitely
someone who’s much more than marginally interested in the man’s
work. While all the pleasant but uninspired Dennis the Menace
Sunday strips and comic books (by other hands) may have obscured
Ketcham’s own contribution to the strip, his work on the daily
panel has often been absolutely brilliant from a graphic standpoint.
(And I don’t call things brilliant lightly.) I once had the pleasure
of meeting Ketcham and watching him draw *dozens* of sketches for
fans, each one totally different and personalized. He’s a nice guy
who reminds me of what Dennis might be like at retirement age, and
one of the most facile cartoonists I can think of.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1465, from hkenner, 189 chars, Fri Dec 7 00:38:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1464.
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————————–
You’re saying the Sundays and books are delegated? It happens.
And I envy you that meeting with Ketcham. I know what you mean.
Watching Chuck Jones draw the Coyote is an education.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1466, from hmccracken, 467 chars, Fri Dec 7 00:47:46 1990
This is a comment to message 1465.
————————–
Ketcham has always had other people write nearly all of the Dennis stuff
and draw much of it. This is not unusual (_Mutt and Jeff_ and
_Blondie_ were completely ghosted for decades), but it seems partcularly
unfortunate in Ketcham’s case, since he’s such a great cartoonist.
I should be a little more specific and say that what I like about
his work is its design sense. There are few cartoonists who know
better what lines to leave out, for instance.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1467, from davemackey, 408 chars, Fri Dec 7 05:56:38 1990
This is a comment to message 1464.
————————–
I think the Daily panel is all Ketcham does himself. I vivdly
remember reading the Dennis comic books produced by Fred Toole
and Al Wiseman and realizing that it was Dennis, but a different
breed of Dennis. I don’t think Ketcham’s Mr. Wilson would use
“Sacramento California!” as an expletive, for example.
There’s lots in the book on Dennis and friends himself.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1468, from mscoville, 277 chars, Sat Dec 8 00:07:58 1990
This is a comment to message 1454.
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There seems to be a lot of different “lore” about the multiplane camera. I will
check my references about it introduction date and when Ub Iwerks really had
one working. By the way Hugh, where in Georgia are you going to settle. I used
to live in the “Peanut” state. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1469, from mscoville, 898 chars, Sat Dec 8 00:17:45 1990
This is a comment to message 1457.
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————————–
The Little Mermaid auction at Sotheby’s has a unique disclaimer in the
front of the catalog. It seems that in the original publicity by Sotheby’s
this would be the only time that animation art collectors could purchase
the backgrounds from the movie. The disclaimer by Disney says that they cannot
guarantee whether or not this will be the only time that backgrounds will be
available, they are keeping their options open.
Also, collectors should note that cels from the Little Mermaid will be
available through the Disney Art Program and animation art dealers in the
future. As with Roger Rabbit, they will market the cels through the dealers and
set the retail price depending upon the results of the Sotheby’s auction.
Out of towners (not living in NYC) might contact their B. Dalton bookstores
to see if they have the catalogues. This could save some money in shipping
costs. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1470, from hkenner, 60 chars, Sat Dec 8 08:28:54 1990
This is a comment to message 1468.
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————————–
We are in the process of buying a house in Athens, GA.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1471, from hkenner, 509 chars, Sat Dec 8 08:55:16 1990
This is a comment to message 1468.
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————————–
Schickel’s *Disney Version* says (end of ch. 15) “Within a few years
[Iwerks] was back at work for Disney, where he … was instrumental
in developing improved animation techniques as well as the multiplane
camera, on which he had actually begun experimentation during his
brief independent fling.” And ch. 21, “When he came back to Disney he
led the team that perfected first the vertical multiplane camera ….
Later, Iwerks participated in the development of the horizontal
multiplane camera …”
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1472, from hkenner, 547 chars, Sat Dec 8 09:39:12 1990
This is a comment to message 1471.
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————————–
Curiouser & curiouser. Thomas & Johnston’s big *Disney Animation*
explicitly dates Ub’s return at 1940, just as Harry said. Yet “The
Old Mill,* shot wholly with the vertical Multiplane, won a ’37 Oscar.
T & J have 2 vivid pages (264-5) on the horizontal Multiplane being
improvised in a desperate hurry to film the last sequence of
*Fantasia*. That wd be 1940. And they *never* mention Ub & Multiplane
in the same breath, though we’re told about other things he tinkered at,
such as Xeroxing cels.
This stuff just isn’t hanging together.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1473, from hmccracken, 617 chars, Sat Dec 8 13:28:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1471.
————————–
Hugh, the Schickel book has many major factual errors. This was
at least somewhat understandable when the book was written, since
there was little previous scholarship on the topic and Schickel was
working without the cooperation of the Disney studio. That the
mistakes were not corrected in the recent, expanded edition is less
understandable. The Thomas/Johnston book is vastly more reliable.
Another book to stay away from is Leonard Mosley’s biography of
Disney called _Disney’s World_, which can serve as a near-perfect
model of a book written by someone who does not know what he’s
talking about.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1474, from hmccracken, 1122 chars, Sat Dec 8 13:39:14 1990
This is a comment to message 1472.
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————————–
_The Old Mill_ was the first, and maybe the best, film shot with the
multiplane camera. (Er, not the best film, but rather the one that
employed the multiplane best.) Thomas and Johnston confirm my
general memory of the chronology; I think that Iwerks was producing
films at his studio for release by Columbia during the time that the
multiplane was being developed. I believe it’s Shamus Culhane who
has mentioned in a couple of places that Iwerks built his own, simpler
version of the multiplane out of old car parts while away from Disney.
That Iwerks may have worked on perfecting the multiplane after
his return to Disney is pure speculation on my part — and quite
possibly wrong, since by 1940 the multiplane’s great days were almost
over.
Personally, I’ve never found the multiplane camera all that interesting
an innovation. While it does give depth to the scene, the characters
and background elements remain two-dimensional constructs.
The current Disney film _The Rescuers Down Under_ employs
computers to produce a multiplane-like effect that’s actually superior
to the original in some ways.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1475, from addman, 143 chars, Sun Dec 9 12:53:58 1990
This is a comment to message 1474.
————————–
I recently saw “The Rescuers Down Under” and the most outstanding feature of
the film was how they created the effects of depth and falling.
==========================
animation/main #1476, from hmccracken, 221 chars, Sun Dec 9 19:27:02 1990
————————–
TITLE: I forgot to mention
that Dodie Smith died recently, aged about ninety. Her passing is worth
noting here because she wrote the novel _The 101 Dalmations_ which
was turned into a Disney animated feature.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1477, from jtrindle, 237 chars, Sun Dec 9 19:30:57 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Chuck Amuck
I just finished this book. Wow! My only complaint was that it
was much too short. I loved all the caricatures and incidental
art, and Jones writes well to boot (who ghosted this, or was it
all on his own?)
…John
==========================
animation/main #1478, from hmccracken, 583 chars, Sun Dec 9 19:38:43 1990
This is a comment to message 1477.
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————————–
Hugh Kenner can probably address this issue more knowledgably than
anyone else here, but I will say that I would be very surprised if
_Chuck Amuck_ was ghosted or written in the main by anyone other
than Charles Martin Jones. The style is too personal and familiar to
anyone who’s seen Jones speak for that. Which is a refreshing change
from something like Mel Blanc’s autobiography, which *was*
written by someone else, and sometimes reads as if the “I” who’s
recounting all the stories is telling them based on old newspaper
clippings rather than personal experience.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1479, from hkenner, 74 chars, Sun Dec 9 20:26:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1478.
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————————–
Yes, *Chuck Amuck* was Chuck Himself. He talks *exactly* like that.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1480, from hmccracken, 740 chars, Sun Dec 9 21:02:23 1990
This is a comment to message 1472.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
An article in _Funnyworld_ magazine #14 (1972) by
Disney archivist David R. Smith, titled “Ub Iwerks,
1901-1971” probably gives as close to the last
word on this Iwerks/multiplane question as we’re
going to get. Smith says that Iwerks returned to
Disney on September 9th, 1940, so there is no
question that he was not involved with the development
of the multiplane. The article also says that
Iwerks “even developed, early in the 1930s, a
prototype of the multiplane camera: it was horizontal,
rather than vertical like the later Disney version.”
Come to think of it, if Iwerks’s version came first
you might call him the inventor of the multiplane,
I guess.
(Although I wouldn’t do so, at least without much
qualification.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1481, from hmccracken, 1354 chars, Sun Dec 9 21:42:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1369.
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I just got the English edition of _Tom and Jerry_, and while I still
think it’s great, the translation is rather stiff and prone to that
maddening effect of faithfully translating something from the
French into an English sentence that makes no sense. One understandable
translation error: the translator turned Brion’s mention of the Terry-
toons character Gaston Le Crayon into “Gaston *the* Crayon,” when
he was really Gaston *Le* Crayon in the first place. The text also
says that Fred Quimby was born in 1896 and became a theater manager in
1907 after leaving a journalism career. Unless Fred was the youngest
journalist and theater manager in history (up to that time, at least),
that must be a typo. It’s carried over from the French edition, but
you’d think the translator would have noticed.
The translation makes no attempt to alter the very Gallic flavor of the
book — Brion finds Mammy Two Shoes, the maid in the cartoons, an
exotic creation in a way that Americans would not, and dwells on what
seems to me a wholly nonexistent question of whether Jerry is male or
female. The text also retains some historical background and explanation
of references that were probably much more helpful to French readers than
American ones.
Still, it’s a great book, and I wish every major cartoon series would
get a similar treatment.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1482, from hkenner, 70 chars, Sun Dec 9 22:12:37 1990
This is a comment to message 1480.
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Thank you, Harry! (Now I’ll have to massage a whole paragraph.)
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1483, from davemackey, 533 chars, Mon Dec 10 18:04:24 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Choo choo cartoonist
I know this is a little late, but it’s well worth searching this
one out. The October 1990 issue of “Classic Toy Trains” has a
cover feature on Ward Kimball, Disney animator who has an
extensive collection of trains, both model and full size (he owns
a couple of steam engines, assorted freight cars, some
track in his backyard).
Dick Christianson, the editor of CTT, reports Ward is a spry
76 who doesn’t think twice of jumping off the side of a gondola
car.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1484, from hmccracken, 138 chars, Mon Dec 10 18:29:33 1990
This is a comment to message 1483.
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————————–
I have heard that Kimball recently gave, or is going to give, his
incredible full-size train collection to a California museum.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1485, from jtrindle, 103 chars, Mon Dec 10 20:07:02 1990
This is a comment to message 1478.
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That’s good to hear. I enjoyed the writing style so much I wanted
to make sure it was Jones’.
…John
==========================
animation/main #1486, from richard.pini, 75 chars, Mon Dec 10 22:27:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1458.
————————–
No doubt…I’m sure some of that is the inevitable “postage and handling.”
==========================
animation/main #1487, from davemackey, 520 chars, Tue Dec 11 01:04:25 1990
This is a comment to message 1484.
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Ward’s had one of those steam engines since 1938 (when he
was 24!).
His holdings in the model train area are a good-cross
section of toy train history dating from the 1880’s to the
1940’s, not only electric but also the old-fashioned windup kind.
It was said to be the most comprehensive collection of
pre-war toy trains in the world.
If anything, this proves that even men who make animation
their living need a hobby, and Ward Kimball is at the forefront
of his.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1488, from davemackey, 130 chars, Tue Dec 11 01:04:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1481.
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————————–
I wonder how much interest in animation (if any) that the
translator, Annette Michelson, has.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #1489, from switch, 377 chars, Tue Dec 11 22:08:42 1990
This is a comment to message 1480.
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————————–
If I remember by History of Animation course, someone else developed
a multiplane independently of Disney. Riffling through my old
notes, I find something scribbled in my hand that says someone by
the name of Bartosche invented the multiplane independently and
_before_ Disney. Hmmmn. Looks like I’ll have to ask my old teacher
and see where she got that tidbit from.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1490, from switch, 105 chars, Tue Dec 11 22:10:24 1990
This is a comment to message 1477.
————————–
*sigh* My copy still sits un my shelf, unread. Hopefully I’ll
find the time during the holidays.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1491, from hmccracken, 414 chars, Tue Dec 11 22:46:11 1990
This is a comment to message 1489.
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————————–
I’ve never heard of the man you mention, but it is true that Disney
very quickly reached the stage where he was credited with having
invented practically every important innovation in his artform.
Disney is said to have made the first sound cartoon, the first color
one, and the first feature-length one, and while it is true that he
made the first *important* one of each, he wasn’t first in any case.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1492, from steven_edwards, 937 chars, Wed Dec 12 10:30:44 1990
This is a comment to message 1491.
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————————–
It is always difficult to credit various technological advances to
individuals in fast moving fields, particularly when it later appears that
the “times were ripe” for a certain development. There was telegraphy before
Samuel Morse, there was telephony before Alexander Bell, assembly lines
before Henry Ford, and powered flight before the Wright brothers. However,
in all of these cases, it was the resulting further development, publication,
and commercial exploitation that causes historians to assign proper credit.
Those who invent something but do little or nothing to make much of their
contribution actually make no contribution at all and deserve no more than
a footnote in the history books, if even that much.
Disney certainly does deserve the credit for the multiplane and
other advances in the art. After all, it was from Disney that others got
these ideas from – not some unknown, non-publishing individual. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1493, from switch, 518 chars, Wed Dec 12 23:47:28 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Tonight’s outing
Tonight I went to the second of a three-part retrospective on the
Hollywood cartoon at the Cinematheque Quebecoise. Among other
films was “Rabbit Rampage”, a sort of sequel to “Duck Amuck”.
My sister’s mentioned this to me before, but this is the first
time I’ve ever seen it. It struck me as being very unfunny, and
Bugs was distinctly out of character. Comments?
Oh yeah, and I also saw “Porky in Wackyland” again. Only this time
the gag with the Warner logo was cut. Strange…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1494, from davemackey, 562 chars, Thu Dec 13 07:05:52 1990
This is a comment to message 1493.
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————————–
“Rabbit Rampage” shows us that even Chuck Jones can display
lapses in judgment. What works for Daffy Duck does not
necessarily work for Bugs.
Did your print of “Porky in Wackyland” have original Warner
Bros. titles front and back? Reason I’m asking is that a number
of distributors in the old days would be contractually required
to delete any references to Warner Bros. in the films themselves.
You might have seen a print that had a copyright notice with
Sunset Productions listed as copyright holder, for example.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1495, from switch, 138 chars, Thu Dec 13 10:22:06 1990
This is a comment to message 1494.
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————————–
No, it was another distributor. That would explain it, since
“Dough for the Do-Do” had the gag and had the original Warner
titles.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1496, from steven_edwards, 312 chars, Fri Dec 14 10:33:35 1990
This is a comment to message 1457.
————————–
The catalog is indeed gorgeous and can be had for $19.95 at your
local Disney store. Alas, having not won any lotteries recently, I won’t
be making the trip to NYC tommorow.
On the other hand, with less than 300 pieces for sale out of over
150,000 cels, I’m sure we’ll see more sales in the future. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1497, from steven_edwards, 728 chars, Fri Dec 14 13:54:57 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Henson/Disney Muppet Deal Collapses
According to a report in today’s _New York Times_, Disney and
Henson Associates have ended discussions concerning sale of most of the
late Jim Henson’s Muppet characters to the Disney organization. The
year and a half long talks failed reportedly due to Disney not wanting
to pay the portion of the earlier proposed price (estimated at between
$100 million and $150 million) for exclusive creative services of the no
longer available Mr. Henson, and Henson Associates not wanting less then
the earlier figure. There was speculation that a number of rival
entertainment firms including Warner Bros. and MCA/Universal would be
interested in pusuit of a deal with Henson Associates.
==========================
animation/main #1498, from hmccracken, 182 chars, Fri Dec 14 18:05:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1497.
————————–
There is an excellent article on this in the _Wall Street Journal_
today, too. Disney still has the licensing and publishing
rights to Kermit and company, but that’s all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1499, from davemackey, 919 chars, Fri Dec 14 18:33:55 1990
————————–
TITLE: Henson-Disney deal off
The long-awaited acquisition of Henson Associates by the Walt
Disney Company will not happen.
It was announced yesterday that the two parties could not
come to terms and decided to call the whole thing off. News
reports had credited the death of Jim Henson as the turning point
in the negotiations; it was said that Disney was going to pay a
premium to tap Mr. Henson’s muse and pick up its properties in
the bargain, and apparently Disney wasn’t all that interested in
just the properties at the prices the Henson family was
ultimately asking.
The anticipated merger had already bore some fruit — some
Muppet attractions at the parks and some television projects —
but the fate of those wasn’t certain as of yesterday’s
announcement. (It had been announced, however, that Disney and
Henson will still collaborate on a project for ABC.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1500, from davemackey, 755 chars, Fri Dec 14 18:34:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1495.
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————————–
Since “Porky In Wackyland” was not one of the 78 cartoons in the
hand-recolored package, most surviving prints should be Sunset
Productions/Guild Films front and back titles. (Most of the
Sunset Productions opening titles have incorrect Roman
numeral copyright dates that begin with MXM rather than MCM,
as a trivial side note.) But Warner’s did make some new prints
with correct WB open and closing and the film is shown complete
on Nickelodeon and on home video.
I would be interested to know what else they showed, and
whether they were rare or common versions (rare would be, for
example, a print of a cartoon commonly known as a Blue Ribbon but
in its original version, with complete titles and credits).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1501, from switch, 265 chars, Fri Dec 14 23:43:23 1990
This is a comment to message 1500.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Here we go:
Wholly Smoke
Porky in Wackyland
Jungle Jive
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
The Big Snooze
Bugs Bunny Rides Again
Dough for the Do-Do
Saturday Evening Puss
Rabbit Seasoning
Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century
Duck Amuck
Rabbit Rampage
Zoom and Bored
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1502, from davemackey, 639 chars, Sat Dec 15 05:29:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1501.
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————————–
Aha! So it wasn’t all Warner’s. I see “Saturday Evening Puss” in
there which was a Tom and Jerry — did you have the version with
the original animation of Mammy Two-Shoes or was she replaced by
a skinny white woman like the version showing on television?
And “Jungle Jive” is a pretty nice cartoon; few people today
realize that piano soloist Bob Zurke was a fast-rising young star
whose life was tragically cut short just after he recorded that
cartoon in an automobile accident. Lantz was always good at
snaring the best musicians for his jazz cartoons and Zurke was
certainly no exception.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1503, from switch, 165 chars, Sat Dec 15 08:05:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1502.
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————————–
Original with Mammy Two-Shoes. The Cinematheque’s usually good for that
(which is why I was surprised to see the Warner gag missing in “Porky in
Wackyland”).
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1504, from hkenner, 52 chars, Sat Dec 15 10:15:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1502.
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————————–
He recorded that cartoon in an automobile accident?
==========================
animation/main #1505, from davemackey, 324 chars, Sat Dec 15 11:17:46 1990
This is a comment to message 1495.
————————–
Germane to this conversation, ABC’s “Bugs Bunny and Tweety” show
today showed “Dough For The Do-Do” minus the shield gag! Not only
that, the cartoon was horribly time-compressed, with Porky
sounding like a chipmunk. Hey, ham boy, you’re on the wrong
network to sound like a chipmunk.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1506, from davemackey, 218 chars, Sat Dec 15 11:23:13 1990
This is a comment to message 1504.
————————–
Alas, you caught my bad grammar. After he recorded the cartoon,
he had a car crash which took his life.
(Sometimes I forget there are Real Live Writers on this
conference.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1507, from davemackey, 305 chars, Sun Dec 16 08:20:58 1990
This is a comment to message 1503.
————————–
I wonder what it was with Hanna and Barbera that they had so many
characters in their cartoons whose heads you never saw, just
their bodies. This includes Mammy Two Shoes, the little girl in
“Baby Puss,” and quite a few others that I can’t even begin to
enumerate.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1508, from hmccracken, 337 chars, Sun Dec 16 16:56:36 1990
This is a comment to message 1488.
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————————–
I haven’t heard of Annette Michelson, but I’m not that up on
my French cartoon buffs. Actually, since the book seems quite
accurate from an animation standpoint and its flaws relate to
the quality of the English prose, I wouldn’t be that surprised
if she was picked for the job because she was knowledgable
about the subject.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1509, from hmccracken, 1175 chars, Sun Dec 16 17:06:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1492.
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————————–
Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. The telegraphy, the tele-
phone, assembly line production, and multiplane animation are all
pretty neat ideas in the first place. If folks other than Morse,
Bell, Ford, and Disney came up with them, they quite rightly
deserve to get full credit for the initial ideas.
You are of course right that what gets done with an idea is as
important as the idea itself. The sound and color cartoons that
were made before Disney’s attempts were oddities that got
little attention. Disney’s first sound and color cartoons made
it clear very quickly that the new technologies were the wave
of the future, just as _The Jazz Singer_ was the live-action
film that proved sound’s worth, even though it was far from the
first sound film.
With Disney, there is the additional issue that crediting him
with the invention of sound animation, color animation, full-
length cartoons, and the multiplane camera would be wrong even
if his studio created those forms. All those technologies were
developed by others, in and out of the Disney studio. Walt
may have been the guy who recognized their worth, but that’s
not the same thing at all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1510, from jshook, 125 chars, Sun Dec 16 23:40:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1508.
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————————–
I’m not positive about this, but I think I recognise the
name as someone who writes for highbrow art journals
like Artforum.
==========================
animation/main #1511, from dave.f, 441 chars, Mon Dec 17 12:18:30 1990
This is a comment to message 305.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I think it was just using a frame that centered on the anthropomorphic
characters and saw humans as intruders and faceless authority figures.
What they looked like didn’t matter. Their function was to be an
all-powerful entity that could disrupt the universe of Tom (or whoever)
when he got too tied up in his own agenda. Warners used this, as well,
in some of theirs. Take the Claude and Frisky cartoons. Even some
of Sylvester’s.
D=
==========================
animation/main #1512, from steven_edwards, 1108 chars, Mon Dec 17 13:49:34 1990
This is a comment to message 1509.
————————–
Interesting comments. I fully agree with your last paragraph in that
it is important to distinguish between the accomplishments of a person and
those of the company founded and directed by that person. I confess that I
have been occasionally sloppy about this as it it easy to blur this point
where the company and its founder share the same name. Also, the long
standing tradition at several animation sources not to credit individual
artists, voice talents, and tech types tends to muddle credit assignment.
But some things do change. I wrote earlier about Disney denying
vocalist credit on the compact disc version of _The Little Mermaid_ soundtrack.
I thought this particularly unfair because of the prominance of the musical
nature of the film. It seemed like Disney just didn’t want its contract help
to get too much of a name for themselves so as to make it harder for the
singers to get points for future contract negotiations. Now, however, the
successor compact disc _Sebastian_ does indeed credit the individual singers
and also includes a lyric sheet – a definite improvement. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1513, from davemackey, 412 chars, Mon Dec 17 18:14:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1511.
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————————–
You’ve reminded me of one of the better Chuck Jones cartoons,
“Feed The Kitty,” in which the Bulldog tries to hide his little
cat friend from the lady of the house. Her face isn’t seen
either.
Extending this topic to the world of comics, have you ever
seen an adult in “Peanuts,” for example? It’s a pretty valid
device, and one that could use some further research.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1514, from sharonfisher, 142 chars, Mon Dec 17 18:16:22 1990
This is a comment to message 1513.
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————————–
There’s a couple of those Marc Antony & Kitty cartoons. In Peanuts
animation specials, you never even hear an adult voice — just “wah wah.”
==========================
animation/main #1515, from hmccracken, 1366 chars, Mon Dec 17 18:22:35 1990
————————–
TITLE: One of the nice things about editing an animation magazine is
that you get to talk, from time to time, with some of the people who
worked on the great animated films of the thirties, forties, and fifties.
One of the less-nice things is that sometimes those people get sick.
Shamus Culhane, who has written a couple of books lately but really
earned his place in history as an animator and director (doing everything
from animating at Flesicher, Iwerks, Van Beuren and Disney to making
many of the best animated commercials of the 1950s, to directing the
perennial educational film _Hemo the Magnificent_) had a fall recently
from which he is presently recovering. (He fractured a vertrabrae.)
As a fan of Shamus’s (if nothing else I am indebted to him for animating
the scene in _Pinocchio_ in which the Coachman, the Fox, and the Cat
scheme in a tavern — one of my all-time favorite pieces of animation),
I am going to drop him a get-well note. If any of you have been amused
by Shamus’s work — and he worked everywhere and on everything, so chances
are you have been — you might want to drop him a letter, too. His
address is 325 West End, New York, NY 10023. (If you feel like mentioning
my name, so Shamus doesn’t wonder where you heard of this, feel free.
Don’t bother to mention BIX specifically as I’m sure he’s never heard of
it.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1516, from hmccracken, 718 chars, Mon Dec 17 18:29:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1513.
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————————–
It seems to me that a few early Peanuts cartoons had adults speaking from
offstage, and at least one Peanuts TV special has shown adults — again,
with the heads cut off. It’s quite common in comic strips — probably
under Schulz’s influence. There are plenty of strips about kids that
don’t show the parents or obscure their heads in some way. While
Schulz probably does this for some very specific reason, I doubt that
Hanna and Barbera had any great philosophies of animation that led to
them cutting off Mammy Two-Shoes’s head — it probably was easier to frame
the action, which took place down near the floorboards, if they didn’t
have to try to cram in an entire adult human being into the frame.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1517, from hmccracken, 421 chars, Mon Dec 17 18:32:43 1990
This is a comment to message 1514.
————————–
Two of the Marc Anthony (sic) and Pussyfoot cartoons — _Feed the Kitty_
and _Kiss Me Cat_ — are among the greatest short cartoons ever made.
There are one or two others that are merely okay. _Feed the Kitty_,
by the way, is Steven Spielberg’s favorite cartoon, or so he’s said.
The scene where Marc Anthony thinks that his mistress has baked Pussyfoot
into a cookie is Chuck Jones at his extraordinary best.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1518, from hmccracken, 465 chars, Mon Dec 17 18:38:17 1990
This is a comment to message 724.
————————–
I realize that this is in response to a message of six months ago, and
the question is somewhat moot now, but Shamus Culhane talks about
“the luxurious swirl of Snow White’s skirt as she hurries down the
stairs in the dwarf’s house.” I think that if Jones or Natwick himself
remembered the scene as taking place on a spiral staircase in the castle,
they were confusing two scenes — the latter being one of the Queen
rushing down that spiral staircase.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1519, from steven_edwards, 1856 chars, Mon Dec 17 18:44:22 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: On Seeing _The Rescuers Down Under_
As I tend to stay away from the opening night/week/month crowds, I
just got around to see _The Rescuers Down Under_. A very nice adventure
film in the Disney tradition, and to be noted for a fairly seamless
integration of computer assisted animation techniques. As has been mentioned
earlier, this film has a good, steady pace that it achieves quickly and
maintains throughout the show. The backround music is unobtrusive (there are
only two credited songs, appearing as fragments) and serves to accent the
action sequences. Of special note is the very appropriate casting of John
Candy and George C. Scott in roles only they could fulfill.
Some computer notes: Pixar, Inc. is obviously responsible for the
animation of the Sydney Auditorium aerial view and probably also the New
York skyline sequence. The credit roll had some four individuals listed
under “Pixar” and six more under computer headings. The New York City
skyline was indeed as accurate as it looked; the database used to create the
computer animation was also credited.
By the way, the final night sky view star field is fairly accurate
as to what can be seen from Australia’s latitudes.
The warm-up short, _The Prince and The Pauper_, was also well done
with more than the usual detail going into the backround paintings. The
computer generated hexagonal snowflake foregrounds were almost too good as
it almost seemed like the software crew was showing off.
A really big disappointment was the ten minute intermission, a
poorly disguised sop to the theater owners’ concern with concession
profits. It’s really a shame that a company that has the power to
thankfully deny paid advertisements for non-cinema items goes and pulls
this phony intermission stunt. The multilated minute long music fills were
no consolation. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1520, from hkenner, 55 chars, Mon Dec 17 19:16:30 1990
This is a comment to message 1516.
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————————–
Heck, they didn’t have an animator who could do faces.
==========================
animation/main #1521, from hmccracken, 532 chars, Mon Dec 17 19:45:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1519.
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————————–
How shall I phrase this? I have heard that Pixar was responsible not
for the computer-aniomated backgrounds, but for the computerized cel-
painting system that was used on the film. (I’m being careful not
to say that that’s the case because Disney has been so very quiet about
the whole process — they have had nothing to say about the
computer-assisted painting system (CAPS) at all, as far as I
know. But I have heard a rumor from two sources that Pixar
developed the system for Disney.
Nice comments on the film.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1522, from switch, 113 chars, Mon Dec 17 21:16:39 1990
This is a comment to message 1511.
————————–
Charlie Brown did the same in the cartoons. No voices or bodies,
just this strange distortion of a voice.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1523, from switch, 89 chars, Mon Dec 17 21:17:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1516.
————————–
I distinctly remember some early Charlie Brown strips with adult
voices, though…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1524, from switch, 19 chars, Mon Dec 17 21:18:04 1990
This is a comment to message 1520.
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————————–
Good answer!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1525, from elfhive, 331 chars, Mon Dec 17 23:50:06 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: ASIFA
I should have asked earlier but tomorrow night I’m attending a local
ASIFA gathering and I plan to join the international organization.
The ASIFA Washington newsletter (Pencil Test) is pretty crude, but
it contains some interesting information about local screenings.
Anyone have any comments about ASIFA in general?
==========================
animation/main #1526, from hmccracken, 294 chars, Tue Dec 18 00:00:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1525.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
ASIFA-Hollywood has its friends and its enemies and its ups and
its downs. It has had, in the past, anyway, a reputation for
snobishness, but it’s also published some good magazines. I’ve
heard little about it in the past two years.
Any other branch of ASIFA I know little about.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1528, from jshook, 713 chars, Tue Dec 18 00:44:31 1990
This is a comment to message 1527.
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————————–
About 7 or eight years ago I was doing some work at MAGI Synthevision
in Elmsford, N.Y. At that time MAGI was doing some R&D on a
computerised paint and compositing system for Disney. They would
digitise original animators’ pencil drawings, color them (somehow) and
composite the “cels” over the background with the computer. They could
have forground elements that were self-masking–no need to do trace-backs
on the cels. There was also a limited pseudo-multiplane capability.
I don’t know what (if anything) happened to this system,
The project that they were using as a test was “In the Night
Kitchen” by Maurice Sendak. I wonder if anyone will ever make this
film–the stuff I saw looked nice.
==========================
animation/main #1529, from elfhive, 313 chars, Tue Dec 18 00:54:57 1990
This is a comment to message 1526.
————————–
There is a three page essay from a David Ehrlich of ASIFA International’s
Executive Board entitled “Why Should I join ASIFA-international?” that
says they publish a quarterly Newsletter out of Brussels (Foliomage).
Their archive is in Berlin (formerly East). It seems to have quite
a strong international flavor.
==========================
animation/main #1530, from davemackey, 219 chars, Tue Dec 18 07:24:08 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Little Mermaid auction
The auction of art from “The Little Mermaid” this past weekend at
Sotheby’s took in about $1.23 million, with some pieces topping
the $25,000 mark.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1531, from hmccracken, 298 chars, Tue Dec 18 07:57:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1528.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’ve seen the “Wild Things” test footage, and it is indeed
quite nice. John Lasseter, later of Pixar, worked on it.
I don’t know if it has any direct connection to Disney’s
current computer technology other than that they’ve wanted
to automate a lot of their work for quite a while now.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1532, from steven_edwards, 944 chars, Tue Dec 18 13:00:29 1990
This is a comment to message 1521.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I still think that the Auditorium fly-by was a Pixar product because
of both the similarity between it and other Pixar work (demo films) and the
fact that it is not that well integrated. The beginning and end of the scene
are obviously hand painted backrounds – it almost appears that the computer
sequence was a late add-on.
I don’t know if Pixar is doing much in the way of automated paint and
ink. If so, it hasn’t appeared in any of their demonstation work. Of course,
if it was done as part of a proprietary Disney system this would be expected.
By the way, the film credits placed the final soundtrack recording at
the Warner Brothers sound studios.
I wounder if anyone at the major studios has access to BIX and is
listening in on our discussion. If so, perhaps we could get more accurate
information. If not, maybe someone here could send a floppy or two to
prospective parties – I’m sure they would be interested. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1533, from hmccracken, 785 chars, Tue Dec 18 18:34:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1532.
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————————–
You may well be right about Pixar being involved with the Auditiorium scene,
although Disney has an in-house department that has being doing that sort of
thing since the early eighties or so (as witness the aforementioned
“Wild Things” test and the bits of computer animation in every Disney
animated feature since _The Black Cauldron_.)
Disney is an incredible publicity machine that will do *anything* to get
publicized what its *wants* publicized, and will not lift a finger to
promote things it doesn’t care about or doesn’t want known. I have heard
that they are extremely secretive about the CAPS system — in fact, BIX
has talked to Disney about doing a CBIX session here, and was told “We’ll
be glad to talk about anything — *except* our computer animation work.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1534, from davemackey, 460 chars, Tue Dec 18 18:52:51 1990
This is a comment to message 1508.
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————————–
I do think some of the translations are a bit charming, going to
English into French and back into English again. “Certificate
number” becomes “Copyright number,” “Layout” becomes “Tracing,”
and “Design Consultant” becomes “Advisor For Drawings.” (I have
visions of Maurice Noble giving each drawing individual advice
not unlike Ann Landers!)
Quite literally, we can say that something got lost in the
translation.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1535, from hmccracken, 463 chars, Tue Dec 18 20:13:32 1990
This is a comment to message 1534.
There are additional comments to message 1534.
————————–
I am reminded of something Mike Barrier said when reviewing
an American edition of a German book on comics: he called it
“like looking at [the topic] through the wrong end of a
telescope.”
Like I said, this book is definitely *French*, but it’s very
good nonetheless. And I would not mind at all if it’s popular
enough to inspire translations of the three (!) French books
on Tex Avery and several French histories of animation that
I’m aware of.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1536, from jshook, 79 chars, Tue Dec 18 23:30:09 1990
This is a comment to message 1531.
————————–
You’re right…it was “Where the Wild Things Are”, not
“In the Night Kitchen.”
==========================
animation/main #1537, from steven_edwards, 427 chars, Wed Dec 19 15:32:28 1990
This is a comment to message 1533.
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There are additional comments to message 1533.
————————–
I for one would welcome anyone from the major animation studios for
a CBIX event, even if proprietary information was off limits. I’m sure
there would plenty of other things to discuss, and I would guess that
information already in print in the technical journals about company
specific techniques would be fair game.
Of course, I would have to have a chance to read the CBIX portion
of the BIX manual beforehand. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1538, from rlcarr, 1439 chars, Wed Dec 19 19:43:44 1990
————————–
TITLE: FAnimato! news…
I received the following emacs today from James Belfiore – head of
FAnimato!, the official Jittlov fan club:
— start of forwarded message —
Date: Wed, 19 Dec 90 09:57:06 EST
From: Jim Belfiore <be******@ae*.com>
To: rl****@AT****.EDU
Subject: I (FANimato!) need(s) a favor…
Rich,
Due to uncontrollable circumstances with my full-time job, I have, over
the last 2 months, had literally no free time to myself, my family, or projects
associated with ARISIA and more importantly, FAnimato!
Just recently, this work level has (temporarily) abated, and I am fran-
tically pushing out all tapes, the newsletter, and other FAnimato! related
projects. Could you please post a notice of some kind to the Usenet Jittlov
group, essentially explaining my situation and status [me: done]? People
have generally been very understanding that I am still the one-man operation
of FAnimato!, but I still feel very bad that it has had to suffer.
All ordered tapes are either in the mail, or going out the door by Friday
morning. The newsletter will be out in mid-January. All membership renewals
will be delayed by three months (I have no intention of asking anyone for
renewal money until I give them what I said I would for one year’s membership).
There will be a FAnimato! party at ARISIA ’91, (at the Vista Hotel, Feb. 1-3,
Waltham, MA).
be******@so*.com
—- end of forwarded message —
==========================
animation/main #1539, from davemackey, 482 chars, Fri Dec 21 01:37:46 1990
This is a comment to message 1537.
————————–
Steven, if you haven’t CBIXed yet, it would be a good idea to get
a little practice in at an informal chat session, which are
held every so often in the animation conference (or on general
CBIX). It’s tough trying to learn the commands and get a feel for
the way things work in the environment of a formal live session
(where you have to indicate your desire to speak by entering ?),
which is what one of these special guest nights would be.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1540, from davemackey, 810 chars, Fri Dec 21 01:38:10 1990
This is a comment to message 1520.
————————–
> didn’t have an animator who could do faces
Obviously a facetious comment, since there were some pretty good
animators working on those Peanuts specials, and Bill Melendez
was no slouch as an animator himself — he had a substantial
career at Warner Bros. and UPA before starting his own studio.
The drawings were so simple and the movement so stilted that
there is very little individual personality that an animator
could instill into it. If you check the end credits of any
Peanuts special, you’ll run into a lot of familiar and talented
names.
And I’m sure you weren’t talking about the Tom and Jerry
team in that context, since their animators had no dialogue to
work with and had to convey all emotions through facial
expression.
Good gag line, though!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1541, from davemackey, 1052 chars, Fri Dec 21 22:56:27 1990
————————–
TITLE: Merrie Melodies Records
Warner Bros. Records has announced a new subsidiary label, Merrie
Melodies Records. According to WB publicity, “The new label has
been conceived for the children’s market, though the musical
significance of ‘The Carl Stalling Project’ (not on Merrie
Melodies) suggests that albums of music from WB cartoons are for
‘children of all ages.'”
The first release under the new colophon is “Bugs On
Broadway,” soundtrack to the stage show. Conducted and produced
by George Daugherty, and here’s pertinent information.
Catalogue: 4/2-26494, available in cassette and Compact Disc
formats. Release date as yet undetermined.
Side One: Overture–Merrie Melodies Main Title Music, This
Is A Life, High Note, What’s Up Doc?, Baton Bunny, Jumpin’
Jupiter, The Rabbit Of Seville
Side Two: Act II Entr’acte–Excerpt from Long Haired Hare
and Merrie Melodies Main Title Music, A Corny Concerto, Long
Haired Hare, What’s Opera Doc?, Merrie Melodies Closing
Theme–That’s All Folks!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1542, from mscoville, 436 chars, Sat Dec 22 00:50:24 1990
This is a comment to message 1530.
————————–
Little Mermaid Prices…
Contrary to what the press published the high of the auction was $23,000.00
the average price for a piece of art was 3,500.00. This auction did not realize
the highs that Roger Rabbit did.
It should be interesting to see what the Disney Art Program will establish
for prices of the art that will be released at the retail level. Rumor has it
that the cels will not be available until Christmas of next year.
==========================
animation/main #1543, from davemackey, 723 chars, Mon Dec 24 00:19:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1533.
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————————–
In the latest issue of “Disney News” (which, by the way, is
celebrating its 25th anniversary as official publication of the
Magic Kingdom Club), there’s an article about the film, and,
quite naturally, there’s no mention of computers.
But there is reference to a new process that will allow
changing the color of the ink line, as well as the color of the
character, and manipulation of the background elements.
So how’s it done? With mirrors? Little elves? Eastern
piecelaborers?
I enjoy magazines like “Disney News” and “StoryboarD” much
better when they aren’t acting as arms of the Studio’s publicity
grist mill. Their strengths are articles about the theme parks.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1544, from mscoville, 551 chars, Mon Dec 24 21:14:55 1990
This is a comment to message 1543.
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————————–
Disney Computer Animation
The new process that was discussed in the Disney News was the new computer
animation that was done in Rescuers Down Under. They are able to change the
ink lines as well as the character’s colors. Also, they can do many camera
moves,etc. The movie had no cels. The only human contributions were the drawings and the backgrounds, the rest was done
by the computer. Also, it should be
noted that the reported resolution of the final product is higher than 35mm
film stock. Each frame is printed one line at a time.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1545, from mscoville, 113 chars, Mon Dec 24 21:17:43 1990
————————–
TITLE: Holiday Wishes
We would like to extend to all best wishes for the Holiday Season.
Pam and Mike Scoville
==========================
animation/main #1546, from davemackey, 448 chars, Wed Dec 26 22:44:02 1990
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————————–
TITLE: “Vincent” music?
In sf/media there is a discussion about Tim Burton, obviously
sparked by his film “Edward Scissorhands.” The subject of music
for his films came up, and we have reason to believe that Danny
Elfman has done music for every major Burton production.
But I posed the question if Burton did the music for his
Disney animated short “Vincent.” Never having seen it, I can’t
confirm it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1547, from richard.pini, 326 chars, Wed Dec 26 22:48:52 1990
This is a comment to message 1546.
————————–
They show a short clip from “Vincent” on HBO during a segment of “Behind the
Scenes” about Burton – don’t recall (a) if they play music with it, (b) if
they do, if it’s what goes with the clip, and if (a) and (b), then if it’s
Elfman’s. I wouldn’t be able to tell, but perhaps someone with a better ear
for such things could.
==========================
animation/main #1548, from davemackey, 606 chars, Thu Dec 27 19:20:08 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Animation’s many Isadores
As any Warner Bros. cartoon fan should know, Friz Freleng’s real
first name is Isadore, although he took credit as I. Freleng for
many years.
There were at least three other animators whose real first
names were Isidore or Isadore: I. Ellis (who worked for Warner
Bros.), and I. Sparber and I. Klein (both long associated with
Paramount).
I often wonder if Ellis, Sparber and Klein took screen
credit as I. in direct imitation of Freleng, or if they were as
generally unimpressed with their christened name as Freleng was.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1549, from davemackey, 502 chars, Thu Dec 27 19:20:25 1990
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————————–
TITLE: Cash or Looney Check?
Since my brother works in a record store, he sees more checks
than I ever do, and one that caught his eye recently had the
Looney Tunes characters printed on it.
He found out that Deluxe Check Printers, which supplies many
of the banks in this nation, does offer these designs to some
banks, which offer them as an alternative to plain stock or
scenic checks.
Anyone else have these checks or other information about
them?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1550, from davemackey, 461 chars, Thu Dec 27 19:20:40 1990
This is a comment to message 1544.
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————————–
> the movie had no cels
That’s too bad for art collectors (unless there’s a market for
the disks that they used)…
Printing every frame at a time sounds interesting… does
that take quite a long time? I would also think that the
resolution of the film would ultimately be roughly equivalent to
the size of the grain used for release prints. Did they use
ultra-fine grain stock for negatives and release prints?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1551, from davemackey, 713 chars, Thu Dec 27 19:20:59 1990
This is a comment to message 1534.
————————–
By the way, I got the “Tom and Jerry” book for Christmas, and
it’s quite good. Brion postulates that it’s the mystique behind
who Tom and Jerry are — the house, the Mammy maid, the
relationship between the two characters — that Hanna-Barbera
successfully played on for seventeen years and that Gene Deitch
and Chuck Jones didn’t quite follow up on.
MGM was a cartoon plant with several distinct stylistic
schools — H-B, Tex Avery, Harman and Ising, and the experimental
years of Friz Freleng and Milt Gross, and one wishes they could
all be tied together in one book as well as Brion has
chronicled the Tom and Jerry films.
TINAR
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1552, from hmccracken, 458 chars, Thu Dec 27 22:34:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1548.
————————–
I have wondered about all those Izzies myself. Friz Freleng, clearly,
does not care for his given name, since he’s used Friz as his on-screen
credit for as long as he’s been allowed to. I. Klein definitely didn’t
take the billing in imitation of Freleng, since he signed cartoons that
way in _The Masses_ and elsewhere since the teens or so.
Come to think of it, the one Isadore I know goes by Izzy and is *never*
called by his first name…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1553, from hmccracken, 223 chars, Thu Dec 27 22:36:05 1990
This is a comment to message 1549.
There are additional comments to message 1549.
————————–
Gee, I might have gone for those if I had seen them. I recently switched
to a bank that uses Deluxe as their printer (see new.england/mass for
the gory reasons why), and I took the plain, cheap checks as usual.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1554, from mscoville, 868 chars, Sat Dec 29 01:36:22 1990
This is a comment to message 1550.
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————————–
Computer to film transfer
Yes, it does take some time for one line to be scanned onto the film. I was
advised that it takes approximately 20 minutes plus for each line. As to the
resolution of the final film, yes regretfully it is what ever is lowest in
resolution, in this case the film stock. This will have greater implications
as HDTV comes on line and rumor has it they are trying to develop (pardon the
pun) a new film which will be able to utilize the new, higher resolution.
As had been mentioned earlier, Disney is trying to convince animators to get
>of the pencil and paper and use a “mouse”. It seems that a company in San
Diego is already doing this for the new Tomato cartoons on Fox. They say they
can have better control and greater speed than sending the drawings to the
Pacific Rim. It will be interesting to see if this is the case…
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1555, from hmccracken, 389 chars, Sat Dec 29 09:11:06 1990
This is a comment to message 1554.
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————————–
I can’t imagine any animator will happily put down his or her drawing pencil
for a mouse, graphics tablet, or other electronic instrument. The things
just don’t have any soul to them, and choice of pencil is a very personal
decision. I have found that most animators are quite wary of computers in
general, perhaps because they’re nervous that they might be replaced by
them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1556, from jshook, 724 chars, Sat Dec 29 09:18:21 1990
This is a comment to message 1555.
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————————–
One of the things that will have to be invented before a tablet
replaces pencil and paper is a way to rotate the drawing surface.
Look at a traditional animator’s drawing set-up. Notice that the
drawing disc is just that–a disc that drops into a circular
opening so that it can be slid around to any angle. Manufacturers
of tablets and drawing stylii don’t seem to realise that being
able to re-orient the drawing surface relative to the hand is
essential, not just to animators, but to any artist. Many artists
I know report that they are not comfortable with the mouse, but are
sometimes disappointed with tablets. I think their disappointment
comes in large part from their inability to rotate the tablet itself.
==========================
animation/main #1557, from hmccracken, 649 chars, Sat Dec 29 10:00:42 1990
This is a comment to message 1556.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I think that drawing with the mouse is almost a different cerebral
action than drawing with pencil and paper. I had been drawing with
a mouse for many, many months before it dawned on me that I was using
my right hand (I am left handed, but for reasons of deskspace and the
Amiga’s design have my mouse to the right of the keyboard). When I
tried switching to my left hand, I couldn’t draw as well as with my
right.
I am unsure as to what real purpose would be served by having animators
draw with an electronic device as opposed to scanning in traditional
drawings. It would clearly save some money, but it hardly seems worth it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1558, from kaminski, 181 chars, Sat Dec 29 18:55:08 1990
This is a comment to message 1557.
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————————–
I think drawing on a computer will ultimately give animators much greater
control over the final product.
Whether today’s input devices are up to the task is a different question.
==========================
animation/main #1559, from switch, 162 chars, Sat Dec 29 19:34:10 1990
This is a comment to message 1554.
There are additional comments to message 1554.
————————–
Yaaaargh. I draw with both a pencil and a mouse, but the 14 years of
doodling have taken their toll. I’m much faster (and more expressive)
with a pencil.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1560, from switch, 475 chars, Sat Dec 29 19:39:15 1990
This is a comment to message 1558.
————————–
Part of the problem isn’t just input devices (although, as jshook pointed
out, a rotating surface is essential, and rotating a monitor is hard work),
but drawing styles. When I draw (and especially when I’m working on an
animation) I almost never draw a line or curve from point A to B — it’s
defined by several small arcs which I blend together. I don’t see a
computer currently allowing me to do that — and that moving lines are what
make my animation “breathe”.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1561, from switch, 269 chars, Sat Dec 29 19:40:42 1990
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m working on the fifth issue of my fanzine, Quark, and my hands are full
enough researching this article on Bubble Gum Crisis. Would anyone like to
take a shot at fame, prestige, glory, and a free issue by writing a review of
the Carl Stalling Project for me?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1562, from davemackey, 163 chars, Sun Dec 30 00:27:41 1990
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————————–
I’d love to, but I already wrote one that’s going to be in the
next issue of “Animato!”. I shall defer to a fresh opinion.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1563, from switch, 132 chars, Sun Dec 30 13:35:48 1990
This is a comment to message 1562.
————————–
S’allright; Kermit Woodall has agreed to do it. (Now, if I could
just find someone to pay for this thing being printed… 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1564, from davemackey, 413 chars, Sun Dec 30 20:55:10 1990
This is a comment to message 1557.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Computer animation is at its best when replicating a
three-dimensional texture, as has been done successfully by the
Pixar group. But I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of
applications for the traditional two-dimensional type of
cel-based animation. I would not expect an old-line animator
who’s been doing it on the paper for thirty, forty years to make
that switch.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1565, from steven_edwards, 321 chars, Sun Dec 30 21:40:19 1990
This is a comment to message 1327.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Does anyone know of a good mail order source for laserdisc versions
of feature length animation? Trying to find this stuff in the stores is
not very efficient. I’m thinking about getting a laserdisc player and so
I don’t want to spend a lot of money on VHS videotapes if the same thing is
available on disc. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1566, from switch, 319 chars, Sun Dec 30 23:40:50 1990
This is a comment to message 1565.
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————————–
Laser Perceptions and Laser Magic would probably do it. I’ll
post the information in /sources if it’s not already there.
You might also consider looking through animation/listings for
files with the keyword ‘laser’. Some of the rec.arts.anime files
have comments from customers of different mail order houses.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1567, from switch, 73 chars, Sun Dec 30 23:42:23 1990
This is a comment to message 1565.
There are additional comments to message 1565.
————————–
Oh, yes, animation/sources #112 also has another source, Animagik.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1568, from switch, 282 chars, Sun Dec 30 23:50:59 1990
This is a comment to message 1565.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Last comment on this one: although most of the sources I listed
in /sources say they have anime (Japanese animation) discs, most
if not all also carry other forms of animation on laserdisc, or can
order them. Also, Whole Toon Access have a few laserdiscs in their
catalogue.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1569, from steven_edwards, 24 chars, Mon Dec 31 10:28:53 1990
This is a comment to message 1568.
————————–
Many thanks! — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1570, from hmccracken, 327 chars, Mon Dec 31 23:45:16 1990
————————–
TITLE: Check out two handy new files in the listings, researched and
contributed by Dave Mackey: ltmmcorr.txt is a list of corrections to
Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald’s _Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies_, and
ttasumry.txt is a guide to airings and re-airings of _Tiny Toon Adventures_
episodes.
Great stuff, Dave!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1571, from kaminski, 768 chars, Tue Jan 1 19:39:40 1991
This is a comment to message 1564.
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————————–
Imagine a dream animation station: super hi-res rotatable flat screen set
into the animation table; work-alike pencils, pens, brushes, etc. with
which to draw on the screen.
The computer behind the screen runs the descendants of today’s best
animation programs, but with 100 or 1000 times the CPU speed, memory,
storage, etc. available now. The program has a human-friendly interface
(someday _people_ will be able to use computers, not just “users!” 🙂 with
voice or handwritten input.
That’s just a quick off-the-top-of-the-head; add whatever else you’d like,
and you get the idea: sooner or later (20 or 30 years?) everybody’ll be
drawing (and everything else) on a computer. (You’re right, though —
today’s oldtimers may not be around to make the switch.) .
==========================
animation/main #1572, from switch, 131 chars, Tue Jan 1 21:37:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1571.
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————————–
And I will probably be glad if I’m not around to see it take over. I have
too much love for the feel of pencil and paper…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1573, from kaminski, 166 chars, Tue Jan 1 22:25:26 1991
This is a comment to message 1572.
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————————–
Anticipatory nostalgia already, eh?
At least the march of progress (along with providing really fun toys along
the way) helps us focus on the simple things we love.
==========================
animation/main #1574, from switch, 264 chars, Tue Jan 1 23:44:46 1991
This is a comment to message 1573.
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————————–
Anticipatory? Nah. I’ve always enjoyed the feel of pen/pencil
on paper. I don’t even have to be drawing, it could just be
random polygons.
To tell the truth, I probably would use a device like the one
desrcibed. But I’d still have my notepad with me.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1575, from hkenner, 192 chars, Wed Jan 2 01:23:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1574.
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————————–
I think the original idea was that the computer could handle
in-betweening: i.e. interpose 6 frams between pose 1 and pose 2.
Anyone have any insight on how well that works / would work?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1576, from jshook, 3217 chars, Wed Jan 2 09:51:01 1991
This is a comment to message 1575.
There are additional comments to message 1575.
————————–
Automatic computerised in-betweening is an AI problem that has yet
to be solved.
It is relatively easy to create software that will interpolate line
segments between points A and points B. But that is not what animators
do when they in-between. The first problem is that animators do not
naturally draw chracaters in distinct, computer-identifiable line
segments. Forcing them to do so would make it easier for the computer
to do the in-betweening, but would not be natural for the animator.
So a real in-betweening program would have to do this automatically,
and so would have to parse the drawing in such a way that it could
identify the character’s structure in order to figure out what lines
“belong” to what part of the character from drawing to drawing.
A bigger (!) problem is that even if this were possible, in-betwening is
not a matter if direct spatial interpolation. Rarely does an animated
character move all of its different body parts in even increments during
a segment of motion. Different parts of the character will move at different
rates of acceleration and deceleration. These dynamics are what give the
animation life (and they are what is so often missing from cheaply-
produced animation). Traditional key-frame animators would encode the
dynamics for the in-betweeners using a sort of schematic which I will try to
depict below:
5
|
–|– 7
|
|
|
–|– 9
|
|
|
|
|
|
11
This tells the in-betweener that the key drawings 5 and 11 should be in-
betweened with an accelerating dynamic.
Even this sort of diagram is a kind of short-hand. What it does not
(and cannot) show is the inherent understanding of motion that the in-
betweener will bring to bear in making the intervening drawings. The diagram
encodes the general dynamics of the movement, but different parts of the
character will reflect those dynamics in different ways. The in-betweener
(who is also an animator!) will bring to bear his or her skill and knowledge
of real-world physics and how they are used to characterise the figure by means
of exaggeration and emphasis. The chracteristic and indentifying kinds of
movements that are used to personalise the figure will also be incorporated
into the in-betweening.
I think the role of in-betwening in animation production is not well-
understood nor is the skill involved appreciated by those who assume that
the task can be automated. A computerised in-betweening system would have
to be able to understand real-world physics, how those laws will be
modified to produce the stylised dynamics of the animated characters and the
specific personality of the character being animated. For a start.
==========================
animation/main #1577, from switch, 463 chars, Wed Jan 2 11:45:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1575.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Animation packages (as well as illustration packages like Amiga’s
ProDraw) have been able to “morph” between images for a while.
Given that, it shouldn’t take that long to be able to work something
out that inbetweens. The only problem is that a computer inbetweens
in a rather harsh, calculating manner. There are times you want
to keep the mistakes in.
Of course, this is the same argument that sampling and digital
musical technology brought about…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1578, from dave.f, 314 chars, Wed Jan 2 12:01:03 1991
This is a comment to message 1554.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
HDTV is nowhere near the resolution of the vast majority of 35mm film stocks.
At least any of the HDTV standards currently in use or proposed. The rgrain
of the film is not likely to be the limiting factor in resolution of the
final video image for a few more generations of the technology, I would
expect.
D=
==========================
animation/main #1579, from kaminski, 683 chars, Wed Jan 2 23:15:37 1991
This is a comment to message 1577.
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————————–
I agree with James: in-betweening (may I call it “tweening?”) is really
animation, and requires a good understanding of how to represent real and
toon physics with a few carefully-placed lines. It’ll be a while before
computers do it well. (Though slowing-in or slowing-out, by themselves,
aren’t really difficult.)
My solution, if I were designing my Magic Animation Station: get the
animator to do it. Make it real easy to cut, paste, rotate, morph and
generally massage whatever key frames the animator needs — so easy that
the animator will just end up drawing (or at least putting together and
touching up) each frame. Computer-assisted tweening, instead of
computerized.
==========================
animation/main #1580, from switch, 122 chars, Thu Jan 3 01:12:25 1991
This is a comment to message 1579.
————————–
Yeah, well, I said a computer would inbetween in a “harsh, calculating
manner”. I was agreeing with James as well.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1581, from mscoville, 380 chars, Thu Jan 3 22:07:20 1991
This is a comment to message 1578.
————————–
According to different references you were correct that HDTV is lower in
resolution than 35mm film stock. According to people I have talked to they
say that the approx. resolution of 35mm is approximately 1800 with the new
Disney computerized animation coming off the computer at approx. 2,300. With
the new technology, it is a definite limiting for the film stock.
mscoville
,
==========================
animation/main #1582, from davemackey, 786 chars, Sun Jan 6 08:32:40 1991
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————————–
TITLE: Another 50-tooner
Starmaker Entertainment, a video distributor which is based not
far from where I live, has produced a tape called “50 Greatest
Cartoons.” There is a little overlap from the tape I discussed
earlier in this section. But there are some pretty nice — and
pretty strange things here. How about a one-minute puppet
animation version of “Little Miss Muffet”? Some of Dave Detiege’s
“Three Stooges” cartoons with live-action wraparounds of Moe,
Larry and Curly Joe? “All This and Rabbit Stew,” the seldom-seen
racial Bugs Bunny cartoon? “The Enchanted Square,” a Paramount
cartoon that, in a better world, might have gotten an Oscar
nomination? All those, as well as the undisputed champ of PD
cartoons, “Yankee Doodle Daffy.”
TINAR –Dave
==========================
animation/main #1583, from grekel, 106 chars, Sun Jan 6 12:43:21 1991
This is a comment to message 1582.
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————————–
I’ve seen the Stooge and Muffet pieces in a compilation tape put out by,
of all people, Avon.
ding-dong.
==========================
animation/main #1584, from davemackey, 1392 chars, Tue Jan 8 23:29:54 1991
This is a comment to message 1583.
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————————–
Seeing those Stooge cartoons again made me run for my copy of
“Three Stooges Scrapbook” (by the Lenburg boys and Joan Howard
Maurer), because I was fairly certain there had been some
attempts to animate the slapstick team in the past (excluding the
homages that appeared in many Hollywood cartoons which are
well-documented by the Lenburg bros).
Norman Maurer, who married Moe’s daughter, drew the first
Stooge comic book and eventually became the team’s manager and
producer/director, first wanted to make Stooge cartoons in the
late 50’s with Friz Freleng as producer, using a process called
Artiscope, in which live action film would be given the
appearance of drawings through an optical-chemical process. (Are
there any surviving examples of this odd-sounding process?)
Maurer also used more traditional animation in a 1960 Stooges
pilot that didn’t sell, but he dusted off the basic concept for
the 1965 series of 156 cartoons and 40 live wraparounds.
The cartoons weren’t too great (they sort of looked like
cheap UPA) but the live wraps were lots of fun, IMHO, even though
it was clear the Stooges were a little too old for such
foolishness.
(Incidentally, one of Maurer’s sons is the talented and
prolific animation writer Jeffrey Scott, who wrote virtually
every episode of “Muppet Babies” for its first two or three
seasons.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1585, from hmccracken, 231 chars, Wed Jan 9 22:38:59 1991
This is a comment to message 1584.
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————————–
I have seen what was allegedly a frame from an Artiscope film, and it was
either an incredible technique or a fraudulent one. Almost certainly the
latter: the frame looked exactly one from an ordinary animated cartoon.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1586, from hmccracken, 308 chars, Thu Jan 10 19:36:48 1991
This is a comment to message 1549.
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I got a check today that seems to be one of the Looney Tunes checks you
refer to. It has a pastel scene of Tweety and Sylvester laid in under the
basic check information and is absolutely gorgeous. Good-looking enoughthat I might scrap my plain-jane checks I’m using now and get these if I
can.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1587, from hmccracken, 373 chars, Thu Jan 10 19:38:57 1991
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TITLE: The Museum of Cartoon Art in Rye Brook, New York
will be having a show of _Fantasia_ artwork from the collection of Mike and
Jeanne Glad. It’s based on a show that recently was held in San Francisco,
but while that show had about 100 pieces exhibited, this one will have
about 200.
The show starts some time in February; I’ll have to find out just when.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1588, from davemackey, 361 chars, Sat Jan 12 03:41:23 1991
This is a comment to message 1585.
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Apparently, based on a photo elsewhere in the book showing the
Boys in “Artiscope make-up and costume,” it appears to me that
Artiscope appears to use a high-contrast black-and-white
technique.
Unless the patent is available for examination, one can
assume Mr. Maurer carried the “secret” of Artiscope to his grave.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1589, from hmccracken, 1185 chars, Sat Jan 12 19:53:14 1991
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TITLE: Idle Speculation Dept.
You may have read in last week’s papers that Sony, now the corporate
parent of Columbia Pictures, is planning to build a Sonyland in
Southern California to compete with Disneyland and the Universal
Studios Tour. This got me thinking: will they ransack the Columbia
family of cartoon characters for costumed characters to cavort
around the park?
Probably not. Columbia’s own studio made a lot of films that don’t
seem to have been very popular when they were made and are
today totally forgotten. If Scrappy (from the 1930s) or the Fox
and the Crow (from the 1940s) wandered around the place, nobody
would have any idea who they were. In the 1950s, Columbia
distributed UPA’s cartoons — Mr. Magoo would certainly be
recognized, but even Gerald McBoing Boing — the only other
UPA character that anybody remembers — would probably confuse
folks.
Of course, Columbia distributed the films of Walt Disney at one
point in the 1930s, and I *think* they had something to do with
some of Hanna-Barbera’s early TV cartoons (Dave Mackey should
be able to confirm this). But both of those stables of characters
are taken as far as theme parks go.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1590, from davemackey, 697 chars, Sun Jan 13 06:04:28 1991
This is a comment to message 1589.
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Columbia did release Hanna-Barbera’s only theatrical cartoon
series, “Loopy De Loop,” and its early TV series were produced in
association with Screen Gems, which was not only the name of
ColPix’s television arm then, but also of its animation studio in
the 30’s.
I don’t think we’ll see any major rush to revive Charles
Mintz’ characters, not even the Fox and the Crow. You’re right
about their characters being unmemorable.
Let’s see. If you rule out Disney and Warner characters
(Bugs and co. have long been affiliated with the Bally Six Flags
theme parks), and the Hanna-Barbera characters now seemingly
associated with Universal, who’s left?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1591, from hkenner, 423 chars, Sun Jan 13 17:10:17 1991
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TITLE: Sylvester’s name …
I’ve just been informed that the official name of the house-cat is
Felis sylvestris catus, making it a sub-species of the European
forest-cat, Felis sylvestris. (Sylvae were Latin woods.) According
to Schneider’s *That’s All, Folks!* (p.194) the cat was named Thomas,
as in tomcat, as late as 1947. At which point some erudite jokester
at Termite Terrace would seem to have interposed.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1592, from hmccracken, 514 chars, Sun Jan 13 18:02:27 1991
This is a comment to message 1591.
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————————–
Hmmm. The Lantz characters, too, are associated with Universal.
So are the Harvey/Famous Studios ones, since MCA’s purchase of
an interest in Harvey. Popeye is featured at some obscure
California park.
The Terry characters are free, I believe (they were the stars of
the bizarre New England Playworld park I’ve mentioned before),
as are the Fleischer ones — Betty Boop might have some appeal —
and the MGM ones (although MGM is constructing a studio park
in Las Vegas).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1593, from hmccracken, 217 chars, Sun Jan 13 18:04:10 1991
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Interesting! I’ve known for a long time where Felix got *his* name,
but this is new to me. Presumably MGM was not too happy about
Warner’s having a cat named Thomas, which may have led to the
name change.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1594, from hmccracken, 993 chars, Sun Jan 13 18:10:32 1991
————————–
TITLE: Don’t Rush Out and Buy This Book
Leonard Moseley’s _Disney’s World_, a biography of Walt Disney,
has been recently reissued in paperback. The only reason to
buy it is if you’ve got a perverse interest in bad biographies:
the book is rife with mistakes that suggest Moseley knows very
little about his chosen subject (surprising considering that
he’s written many. many biographies). He gets confused about
whether certain Disney films are animated or live-action,
compresses different people into one person because they’ve
got the same last name, and happily repeats every apocryphal
story he ever heard about Disney as fact. Worse yet, he’ll
devote pages to detailed dialogue between, say, Walt and Roy
Disney in 1929 that he’s obviously created out of whole
cloth.
Can you tell that I’m not a fan of this book? I think it’s
amazing that we don’t have a really good and comprehensive
biography of the single most important person in the history
of animated film yet.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1595, from morganfox, 59 chars, Sun Jan 13 19:19:22 1991
This is a comment to message 1591.
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Er..isn’t it that ‘Sylvae’ is Latin for woods/forest?
🙂
==========================
animation/main #1596, from morganfox, 38 chars, Sun Jan 13 19:20:35 1991
This is a comment to message 1593.
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Harry, you’re talking to yourself. 😉
==========================
animation/main #1597, from hmccracken, 188 chars, Sun Jan 13 19:33:45 1991
This is a comment to message 1596.
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————————–
Not the first time I’ve been accused of talking to myself.
This is what happens when you “reply last” while forgetting
that you just added a message yourself to the same topic.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1598, from morganfox, 64 chars, Sun Jan 13 19:35:28 1991
This is a comment to message 1597.
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🙂 and it is certainly one way of enduring a good conversation!
==========================
animation/main #1599, from morganfox, 99 chars, Sun Jan 13 19:36:58 1991
This is a comment to message 1597.
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Ack! the perils of typin with a parrot on your hand. Endures=ensures.
morgan, with Opus assisting.
==========================
animation/main #1600, from hmccracken, 99 chars, Sun Jan 13 20:30:48 1991
This is a comment to message 1598.
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Funny, a lot of people have trouble enduring *any* conversation with
me, good or not…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1601, from hmccracken, 170 chars, Sun Jan 13 20:32:01 1991
This is a comment to message 1599.
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You type with a parrot in your hand? Really? I wonder if that’s
easier or harder than typing with an elderly Brittany Spaniel
in your lap, as I sometimes do.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1602, from morganfox, 314 chars, Sun Jan 13 21:05:24 1991
This is a comment to message 1601.
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Harry, I have mulitple handy-caps(er..pets) to deal with. Opus (the parrot)
like to walk down from my shoulder to my hand and argue with my typing.
<Hey, she could be right. 😉 > And one of several cats is occupying lap
space. And when said parrot is trying to bite lap cat’s ear….chaos!
Ain’t pets wonderful?
==========================
animation/main #1603, from hkenner, 185 chars, Sun Jan 13 22:03:05 1991
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TITLE: Mel Blanc
..died, as I remember, the same week as L. Olivier. I’m teased by
the recollection that there was a third in that cluster. A musician,
maybe? Anyone remember?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1604, from hmccracken, 328 chars, Sun Jan 13 22:48:37 1991
This is a comment to message 1603.
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Mel and Laurence died, I think, within a day or so of each other.
It’s hard to make too much of that fact without sounding like a
looney cartoon fan, but it seems reasonable to say that each was
the master of his particular type of acting. I don’t remember
whether a musician died at the same time; Horowitz, maybe?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1605, from switch, 231 chars, Sun Jan 13 22:56:32 1991
This is a comment to message 1601.
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I don’t have much trouble with the cat in my lap, but it does
get to be a bother when I’m eating and trying to keep her from
eating what’s in the bowl while typing… and her walking around
on my lap is a tad more difficult.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1606, from davemackey, 318 chars, Sun Jan 13 23:02:28 1991
This is a comment to message 1599.
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Does that explain your creative grammar last night in
elfquest/dreamberries? There was one sentence there I just
couldn’t believe. It went something like “any what good reason
who anyone have to write “for a good time call.”” It brought a
lightness to the heavy subject matter.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1607, from morganfox, 85 chars, Mon Jan 14 11:08:52 1991
This is a comment to message 1606.
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LOL Dave! Yes, I recall that one myself. And Yes, it was due to Opus, er..
helping.
==========================
animation/main #1608, from hmccracken, 252 chars, Mon Jan 14 19:25:55 1991
————————–
TITLE: Check out the marketing section of today’s
_Wall Street Journal_ for a long and interesting article
on all the prime-time cartoon shows in the works —
_Family Dog_, _The Pink Panther_, _Bebe’s Children_,
_Terrible Tunes_, and others.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1609, from davemackey, 230 chars, Tue Jan 15 00:23:12 1991
This is a comment to message 1603.
————————–
Hugh, I believe Jim Backus died the same week as Mel Blanc,
because I remember making note of it on my WB cartoon list under
“A Lad In His Lamp,” which Backus and Blanc both did voices for.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1610, from davemackey, 198 chars, Tue Jan 15 00:23:23 1991
This is a comment to message 1607.
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It also seemed as if you were trying to set a new Guinness record
for most posts in a topic in one evening. I log on, there’s 78
new messages there. Amazing.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1611, from davemackey, 333 chars, Tue Jan 15 00:23:45 1991
This is a comment to message 1271.
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Tiny Toon merchandising continues. There are now kiddy valentines
which are really quite chintzier than the valentines I remember
giving all of the little girls in the third grade. Someone got
a box for me, thinking I’d be interested. (Wonder how they’d go
over with the girls in the office.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1612, from richard.pini, 235 chars, Tue Jan 15 17:52:34 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Little Mermaid prices
If anyone is interested, and if no one else has the info, I just got the
list of realized prices from the LM auction at Sotheby’s. Anyone who wants
to know what a particular piece went for, reply or email.
==========================
animation/main #1613, from steven_edwards, 50 chars, Tue Jan 15 18:22:36 1991
This is a comment to message 1612.
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What were the prices for lot numbers 67 and 196?
==========================
animation/main #1614, from richard.pini, 273 chars, Wed Jan 16 10:32:07 1991
This is a comment to message 1613.
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Lot 67 went for $8800 (keep in mind that this includes the 10% buyer’s
premium, whatever the heck that’s supposed to mean – if it’s the gallery
commission, say so; it it’s the price of admission, say so!) so the cel itself
went for $8000. Lot 196 went for $11000 ($10000).
==========================
animation/main #1615, from davemackey, 763 chars, Wed Jan 16 19:11:23 1991
————————–
TITLE: Studio Stores
There was a short, interesting article on studio stores in the
current issue of Electronic Media, and two animation-related
facts were passed along.
(1) The 20th Century-Fox store, which is open to studio
employees only, specially commissions Simpsons merchandise which
is available nowhere else. (This is something for Simpsons
completists and toy collectors to take into consideration.)
(2) While most studio stores’ best sellers are mugs and
t-shirts with the studio logo, Warner Bros. reports that it’s
most popular items are anything having to do with Bugs Bunny and
the world of Looney Tunes (and unlike Fox and other studio
stores, WB makes its items available to the general public).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1616, from steven_edwards, 373 chars, Wed Jan 16 22:05:18 1991
This is a comment to message 1614.
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Thanks for the information. While a five figure price may seem a bit
high, it is possible that these (among the other 200 plus pieces) may sell
for much more in the future. I make this prediction because they most likely
represent the very last feature length animation made using cel technology.
Who would want to frame a floppy disk and hang it on the wall? — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1617, from mscoville, 529 chars, Thu Jan 17 00:16:59 1991
This is a comment to message 1614.
There are additional comments to message 1614.
————————–
Re: Little Mermaid Auction
The auction prices are interesting because overall there were fewer numbers
of items auctioned in comparason with Roger Rabbit. The average price of
a piece of art was $3,500.00 which was higher than the overall average for
the infamous Roger Rabbit sale. It will be interesting to see what Disney
>will charge for the wholesale/retail of the cels from the Little Mermaid
which will come out next Christmas. Also, the bidding was good, but not the’
feeding frenzy that occured with Roger.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1618, from davemackey, 370 chars, Thu Jan 17 13:58:30 1991
This is a comment to message 1614.
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In the instance you mentioned, Richard, the final hammered bid
was $8000. The purchaser then pays the auction house that price
plus a ten percent commission, which I presume the house pockets
to help pay salaries, rent, and other overhead.
The terminology “buyer’s fee” and “commission” are
interchangeable in this instance.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1619, from davemackey, 1034 chars, Mon Jan 21 19:18:14 1991
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TITLE: Kids Only Cartoon Theater
Newsweek, in its January 21, 1991 edition, reported on a new
concept in electronic babysitting: Kids Only Cartoon Theater. The
parents leave their kids (ages 3-12) there for a fee. The kid
gets an ID bracelet and the parent gets a beeper, both barcoded.
While the parent shops, the kid watches cartoons (primarily Bugs
Bunny and Daffy Duck). If the kid gets cranky, or the maximum
two-hour period has expired, the parent is beeped. The parent
gets his/her kid back only if the ID numbers on beeper and kid
match.
The first of these have been built in Illinois and Arizona,
with the chain’s owner, American Cartoon Theaters, planning on
building 40 more in malls this year… but not without opposition
from child care activists and the state of California which wants
them licensed as day-care centers (one of whom was a little
concerned about “a different form of watching television as a
baby-sitting arrangement.”).
Question, thought or comment?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1620, from davemackey, 292 chars, Mon Jan 21 19:18:30 1991
————————–
TITLE: Friz Freleng and ants
Friz Freleng cartoons having to do with ants (a partial list):
“The Fighting 69-1/2th” (1941)
“The Gay Anties” (1947)
“Ballot Box Bunny” (1950)
“Ant Pasted” (1953)
“The Ant And The Aardvark” (1968)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1621, from hmccracken, 157 chars, Mon Jan 21 19:27:12 1991
This is a comment to message 1619.
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This sounds like a very high-tech version of the little cartoon
booths where, as a kid, I’d watch obscure Lantz and Terry cartoons
for a quarter.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1622, from switch, 122 chars, Mon Jan 21 20:01:55 1991
This is a comment to message 1619.
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I’d say it’s a great idea, but I’m biased in favor of kids watching
Looney Tunes from a young age.
Emru (Bugs for prez!)
==========================
animation/main #1623, from davemackey, 394 chars, Mon Jan 21 22:07:20 1991
This is a comment to message 1596.
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That’s not at all unusual around here. I will sometimes post a
message which will briefly touch on a topic and promise more
information when I know it, then I’ll post a comment to the same
message. We’re all sane, well-adjusted people who just happen to
have two personality abberations: (1) the love of cartoons and
(2) the desire to talk to ourselves.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1624, from davemackey, 2098 chars, Mon Jan 21 22:08:04 1991
This is a comment to message 1592.
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I have since found out (by reading the Walter Lantz interview in
a new book on animation art collecting called “Cel Magic”) that
Lantz still owned the rights to his characters up until a
few years ago when he sold out to MCA, parent company of
Universal (and now owned by Matsushita). Lantz always maintained
his studio as an independent entity and copyrighted the
characters in his name — many years before the concept of
“creator ownership” was prevalent in independent comics.
Further continuing the discussion of cartoon characters in
theme parks…
Hanna-Barbera characters would not be routinely found at the
Universal Studios. A more likely venue for them is HB’s
own King’s Dominion park which I think is in Virginia.
The Warner Bros. characters at Six Flags parks dates back
to Marriott’s ownership of Great America in Santa Clara, CA and
two other parks, in Gurney, Ill. and Bethesda, Md which are
probably now part of the Six Flags family of parks (from Nardone
interview of Bob McKimson in Peary/Peary; the conglomerate’s
linchpin is the Six Flags Over Texas theme park, and Bally
bought the whole mess a few years ago).
At the same time, Warner Bros. actually operated its own
theme park in West Milford, New Jersey called Warner Bros.
Jungle Habitat. Like some of the Six Flags parks, this one
combined carnival rides with drive-through safari, with the
Looney Tunes gang sprinkled throughout. It couldn’t take the
competition from such nearby attractions as Dorney Park and
Great Adventure (which is also now a Six Flags park), so it
closed in the late 70’s. I would think that Warner’s had a
regional licensing structure for theme parks.
And weren’t the Hallmark Shirt Tales characters associated
with Knott’s Berry Farm at some point?
Finally, the matter of Keansburg (NJ) Amusement Park. This
motley collection of carney rides and skeeball games uses Porky
Pig as its mascot, and road signs with the Pig are not uncommon
around this area. I don’t think we get very many WB lawyers
vacationing in this area.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1625, from hmccracken, 804 chars, Mon Jan 21 22:16:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1624.
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Unless I miss my mark, Universal originally owned the Lantz
characters, but turned them over to Lantz himself in the
mid-1950s, when he reallied himself with that studio after
a brief period when he destributed through United Artists.
This is detailed in Joe Adamson’s _Walter Lantz Story_.
The Looney Tunes gang appeared at Playland in Rye Brook, New
York (not far from the Museum of Cartoon Art) when the place
was run by Mariott in the 1970s. They were followed, for a
brief period, by Richie Rich and Casper. (The Harvey characters
also appeared at Palisades Park in New Jersey (?),
well remembered by readers of late 1960s/early 1970s comic
books for its ads that offered free-ride coupons that we’d
never get to use. Leastways those of us who lived in Oregon
didn’t get to use them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1626, from jshook, 207 chars, Mon Jan 21 22:55:26 1991
This is a comment to message 1619.
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Seems to me like an kids-only version of the cartoon theatre
that used to be in one of the London train stations (Victoria,
I think). Adults were alowed in those, but of course you were
on your own….
==========================
animation/main #1627, from davemackey, 881 chars, Tue Jan 22 21:10:38 1991
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————————–
Palisades Amusement Park, just the other side of the river inew
Jersey, is quite fondly remembered by people a few years older
than me and older. They had great radio commercials (running
quite a bit on Music Radio WABC) urging you to “Come onnnnn
overrrrr!” You could also take the buses operated by Public
Service Coordinated Transport to the park: “Public Service sure
is great/takes you right up to the gate!” And Chuck Barris
(that’s right, the Gong Show man) thought enough of the place to
write a hit record about it.
Unfortunately, I was never old enough or close enough to
ever actually GO to Palisades Park. They tore it down for condos
in the late 1960’s. WABC’s now a talk station, the Public Service
buses have been replaced by NJ Transit, and Chuck Barris retired
to the South of France.
Funny how the world changes.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1628, from morganfox, 36 chars, Tue Jan 22 21:35:24 1991
This is a comment to message 1627.
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So is there a Le Gong Show now? 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1629, from hmccracken, 167 chars, Tue Jan 22 22:45:55 1991
This is a comment to message 1628.
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Paragon Park, the most beloved Massachusetts amusement park, was
also torn down for condos. The condos went bankrupt.
Justice, in other words, prevailed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1630, from davemackey, 138 chars, Wed Jan 23 19:09:35 1991
This is a comment to message 1621.
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> as a kid
I thought I heard somewhere you were trying to sneak into
one of those last week!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1631, from hkenner, 199 chars, Wed Jan 23 21:23:35 1991
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————————–
TITLE: Coyote timing
Somewhere, in a published source which I somehow cannot locate,
Chuck Jones details the timing, in frames, for the coyote falling
off the cliff. Can anyone point me to it?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1632, from davemackey, 300 chars, Fri Jan 25 00:33:06 1991
This is a comment to message 1631.
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Do you mean as when the Coyote is seen from above, falling into
the chasm, with a silent thud at the end? Or just a regular
side shot of Coyote? I do think Jones eventually standardized the
timing of this particular gag; I would have to go back to the
tapes and check.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1633, from hkenner, 126 chars, Fri Jan 25 00:44:24 1991
This is a comment to message 1632.
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From above, and thud. Jones somewhere spells out the standard timing.
I am maddened by my inability to find it.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1634, from hmccracken, 507 chars, Fri Jan 25 19:12:08 1991
This is a comment to message 1633.
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Mystery solved, at least sort of:
“I found that if the Coyote fell off a cliff, it would take
eighteen frames for him to disappear, then fourteen frames
later, he would hit. It seemed to me that thirteen frames
didn’t work in terms of humor, and neither did fifteen
frames; fourteen frames got a laugh.”
— Chuck Jones, as quoted in Charles Solomon’s _Enchanted
Drawings_, p. 158.
Solomon seems to be quoting from some unnamed source, but this
must be what you’re looking for.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1635, from hmccracken, 1061 chars, Sat Jan 26 10:17:52 1991
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TITLE: Nifty News
The upcoming series of Rocky and Bullwinkle tapes will include one
all-Dudley Do Right volume. Since for some reason the syndicated
Bullwinkle show doesn’t show many Dudley episodes, and Dudley
gets my vote as funniest TV cartoon series of all time (with
incomparably good voices!), this makes me very happy.
I will be even happier if one of the tapes includes the Mr. Peabody
episode in which he and Sherman travel back to help Alexander
Graham Bell invent the telephone. You may not be aware that
Bell was a professor at Boston University at the time of his
invention — but as a BU alum and former employee, I certainly
am. And so were the folks at the Jay Ward studios, since most
of the episode is set at BU and involves a football game there.
The temptation for we BU grads to grow envious of our friends
at a couple of universities across the Charles River is great —
but I don’t think either Harvard or MIT ever figured so
prominently in a Jay Ward cartoon. I am intensely proud.
(I have seen this cartoon only once.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1637, from rjenks, 585 chars, Sun Jan 27 03:49:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1566.
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Laser Perceptions is good, but through some dealings with them their true
video pirates! They or someone working their offered me S-VHS copies off the
Lasers for 2/3 the price of the disk. I am very much against this practice
and doI try to keep myself from ordering my Laser Disks from their often. The
store I like to order disks from is Animagik or Nikaku Animart. Animagik has
a limited back stock, but will order anything for you and will usually have
it within a month. (If the disk is still in print) Plus Animagik is about 5%
cheaper than Laser Perceptions (Misconceptions)!
==========================
animation/main #1638, from hmccracken, 923 chars, Sun Jan 27 13:43:27 1991
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————————–
TITLE: According to _The New York Times_, the
Museum of Cartoon Art will be moving from Rye Brook, New
York to Boca Raton, Florida sometime in the fairly near future.
The museum has been trying to move to a larger building
for some time now, and the city of Boca Raton has given them
a million-dollar piece of land. (A cynical friend of mine suggested
that Mort Walker and some of the other cartoonists involved in
running the museum enjoy golfing in Florida as another reason
for the move.)
I’ve visited the museum six or seven times, in both its present
location at Ward’s Castle and an earlier, smaller one in
Greenwich, Connecticut. I’ll have to make at least one more
visit before the move (the upcoming _Fantasia_ show will
be a good excuse to do so). If you live anywhere at all near
the present museum and haven’t been, now’s your chance.
If you’re a Floridian, you have something to look forward to.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1639, from richard.pini, 106 chars, Sun Jan 27 17:00:15 1991
This is a comment to message 1638.
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————————–
Damn! We’ve gone there often, and enjoyed their shows greatly. We’ll miss
having them just down the road.
==========================
animation/main #1640, from hmccracken, 482 chars, Sun Jan 27 17:24:25 1991
This is a comment to message 1639.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, Wendy will need to visit the new place to recreate her work on
the ladies’ room wall, unless they’re planning on taking their rest rooms
with them…
(Note to those who haven’t been to the museum: the rest room walls
are covered with drawings from cartoonists who have visited the
place; the doors are left open when the rooms aren’t in use. Not surprisingly,
the ladies’ room has somewhat fewer drawings and none as gross as a few
of the ones in the mens’ room.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1641, from richard.pini, 235 chars, Sun Jan 27 20:46:54 1991
This is a comment to message 1640.
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And [AWendy was the *first* one asked to ‘contribute’ to the ladies’room…
I wonder what they will do with those walls? If it were me, I’d try to cut
them out intact and bring them along. Some of those artists are no longer
with us.
==========================
animation/main #1642, from hmccracken, 490 chars, Mon Jan 28 01:06:08 1991
This is a comment to message 1641.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It would be a shame to see them go. Have you ever been to
Costello’s Bar in NYC? It has some murals by Thurber that were
moved when the bar moved to its present location (unfortunately
they’ve been retouched by someone who’s no Thurber). The
place also has a mural wall with contributions by lots of famous
cartoonists, a framed Walt Kelly original, and lots of other neat
stuff. Everyone from Hemingway to Marilyn Monroe seems to
have frequented the place during its heyday.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1643, from richard.pini, 123 chars, Mon Jan 28 12:15:25 1991
This is a comment to message 1642.
————————–
Any way to find out if taking the walls is in the plan? I realize it would be
a semi-major proposition, but nonetheless…
==========================
animation/main #1644, from steven_edwards, 289 chars, Mon Jan 28 17:18:04 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Listings Problems?
I downloaded “animation.txt” from the listings area using XModem via
Hayes Smartcom II software, and the resulting file had all of the text except
for line break characters. It looked like a single, very long line. Is this
a problem of my software? — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1645, from dave.f, 301 chars, Mon Jan 28 19:03:32 1991
This is a comment to message 1644.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Depends what your computer expects for an end-of-line marker. I believe
UNIX (and therefore BIX) uses CR. If your machine needs CR+LF, that could
be the problem. Xmodem does not conversion ont he fly, the way Kermit does.
It just sends exactly what is in the file, whether it’s text or binary.
D=
==========================
animation/main #1646, from steven_edwards, 364 chars, Mon Jan 28 19:48:27 1991
This is a comment to message 1645.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 1645.
————————–
Thank you for your comment. Most Unixes use LF (hex 0x0a) for a
newline character, while msdos uses 0x0d 0x0a (= O D O A = Oh, Dead On
Arrival; easy to remember for microsoft). I will try another protocol, but
I still think that there’s some problem with the file. My machine is a Mac
which uses 0x0d but can convert — if there is something to convert from.
==========================
animation/main #1647, from hmccracken, 123 chars, Mon Jan 28 19:58:27 1991
This is a comment to message 1646.
————————–
Steve, I’ll try downloading the file onto my Mac using different software —
and will report back on what I get.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1648, from davemackey, 1059 chars, Tue Jan 29 00:40:40 1991
————————–
TITLE: New videos from Disney and HB
Upcoming video releases from Hanna-Barbera Home Video and Walt
Disney Home Video.
(1) Hanna-Barbera is releasing “The Flintstones Anniversary
Collection,” celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Modern
Stone-Age Family a year late. Two single-episode tapes,
“Samantha” and “The Great Gazoo,” are priced at $9.95 each, as
are the compilation video “A Page Right Out Of History” and the
instructional video “How To Draw The Flintstones.” “The First
Episodes” will be reissued at the new lower price of $19.95, and
finally “The Man Called Flintstone” will make its homevideo debut
at $19.95. These tapes will be released on March 21.
(2) From Walt Disney, continuation of two established videotape
series. The new entry in “Sing-Along Songs” is called “I Love To
Laugh,” and there are two new “Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers”
tapes, “Danger Rangers” and “Super Sleuths” both with two
episodes of the series. Price of all three tapes is $12.99, and
their release date is February 22.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1649, from kermitwoodall, 94 chars, Wed Jan 30 19:30:47 1991
This is a comment to message 1645.
————————–
Hey! I don’t do conversions on the fly. I do ’em on the occasional gnat tho.
Kermit Woodall
==========================
animation/main #1650, from davemackey, 265 chars, Wed Jan 30 21:01:08 1991
————————–
TITLE: Skat Kat’s bak!
MC Skat Kat, who danced with Paula Abdul in the video for
“Opposites Attract,” will be taking center stage in his own music
video, “Skat Strut.” Once again, Michael Patterson is handling
the animation.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1651, from davemackey, 510 chars, Fri Feb 1 21:15:04 1991
This is a comment to message 1635.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The reason is that “Dudley Do-Right” is presently distributed by
The Program Exchange (which is part of the Saatchi & Saatchi
advertising agency) as a show unto itself, which includes as
padding material “King Leonardo,” “Hunter” and “Commander
McBragg” cartoons. It runs in New York City on Channel 7 at 7:30
a.m.
Syndicated “Bullwinkle” shows are more likely to include
“Peabody’s Improbable History,” “Fractured Fairy Tales” and the
like as supporting features.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1652, from davemackey, 602 chars, Sun Feb 3 15:13:42 1991
This is a comment to message 1651.
————————–
As long as we’re talking about “Dudley,” Channel 7 in New
York pulled a real boner yesterday. The show consists of a
Dudley, a Leonardo, a Hunter and another Dudley (with McBragg
after each Leonardo and Hunter). Show started at 7:30 with the
Dudley. Then after a break, the Leonardo. Then another
commercial break. Then they show the Leonardo again. Same one.
Then a commercial break, and the Hunter cartoon follows. Halfway
through the McBragg, the show ends.
It’s not just stations in small markets, even the big guys
screw up every once in a while.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1653, from hmccracken, 896 chars, Sun Feb 3 20:20:41 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: I’ve been reading, and enjoying, a book called _Cel Magic_, which
is as far as I know the first one on the topic of collecting original
animation art. The format is a bunch of chapters on various topics —
profiles of several studios, an interview with Disney archivist David
Smith, a piece on investment values by our own Mike (mscoville) Scoville,
and others. A lot of the information is fairly elementary, but there
was quite a bit that was new to me (and I think that there are a lot
of folks who are interested in cel collecting who could use a basic
education like the one the book provides).
The format is quite attractive, with lots of color pictures. My only
serious criticism is that the book could have used a bit more proofreading,
but it’s hardly alone in that. I don’t have a price or ordering information
for the book, but I think Mike probably does…Mike?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1654, from richard.pini, 39 chars, Sun Feb 3 23:43:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1653.
There are additional comments to message 1653.
————————–
Yes, would love to find such a book…
==========================
animation/main #1656, from jshook, 349 chars, Sun Feb 3 23:56:12 1991
This is a comment to message 1655.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Does the book have any advice on care and preservation?
About ten years ago someone called me for information about
what to do with a cel from Snow White with flaking paint.
To me this was like getting a call from the Vatican looking
for advice on cleaning the Sistine Chapel (I would suggest
formula 409). I told him to call the Disney archiives.
==========================
animation/main #1658, from hmccracken, 231 chars, Mon Feb 4 00:16:51 1991
This is a comment to message 1656.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yes, it has a good chapter on cel preservation. Which I could have
used a long time ago: the only Disney cel I ever owned fell apart due
to poor storage. Since I only paid $4.00 for it, I can’t complain
too bitterly.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1659, from hkenner, 95 chars, Mon Feb 4 17:21:30 1991
This is a comment to message 1658.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, Harry, you obviously have a copy. So please tell us author,
full title, publisher.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1660, from hmccracken, 161 chars, Mon Feb 4 19:28:27 1991
This is a comment to message 1659.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
_Cel Magic: Collecting Animation Art_
by R. Scott Edwards & Bob Stobener
Published by Laughs Unlimited Inc.
1124 Firehouse Alley
Sacramento, CA 95814
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1661, from hkenner, 15 chars, Mon Feb 4 19:49:26 1991
This is a comment to message 1660.
————————–
Thanks, Herry!
==========================
animation/main #1662, from davemackey, 611 chars, Mon Feb 4 21:23:28 1991
This is a comment to message 1653.
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————————–
I am in almost total agreement with your assessment of the book.
Unfortunately, I found the interview with Walt Lantz mentioned in
a previous message pretty weak stuff. Good interviewers know when
to stray from their organized list of questions and ask some
new questions based on what the party being interviewed has just
said.
But the authors have a thorough knowledge of their intended
subject matter — animation art collecting, and they impart the
basics of the craft very successfully — a much needed textbook
for an extremely complicated little hobby.
TINAR
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1664, from davemackey, 958 chars, Tue Feb 5 01:02:20 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Dots, lines…
When browsing in my not-quite-so-local bookstore the other
evening, I happened on a pleasant surprise — Norton Juster’s
book “The Dot And The Line: A Romance In Lower Mathematics” has
just recently been reprinted. It is priced at $7.95 and your
local bookdealer should be able to special order it if it isn’t
in stock. (For those few people who don’t know the significance
of this book in the animation conference, an animated adaptation
produced by Chuck Jones for MGM won the 1965 Academy Award for
Best Animated Short Subject.)
Be sure to check the remainder tables for books you may have
passed up at full price. I picked up Jack Kinney’s “Walt Disney
And Assorted Other Characters” for a substantial discount, and
it’s an amusing account of Kinney’s years at the Mouse Factory,
concentrating on the 1930’s and 1940’s and the many strange,
twisted, talented people he worked alongside.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1665, from hkenner, 51 chars, Tue Feb 5 12:18:18 1991
This is a comment to message 1664.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Dave, who’s the publisher of The Dot and the Line?
==========================
animation/main #1666, from davemackey, 2274 chars, Tue Feb 5 19:07:00 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: “Bugs Bunny On Broadway”
The soundtrack to “Bugs Bunny On Broadway” has been released and
should be popping up in record stores about now. Being the sheep
I am, I got mine right away.
Like the stage show it’s derived from, some
musical selections are newly performed by George Daugherty’s
orchestra, and others are short selections from the soundtracks
of certain cartoons with original music, voices and sound effects
— and one, “Rabbit Of Seville” is a mix of both.
As much as we raked Mr. Daugherty over the coals when we
saw the stage show (and complained of some of the lack of
tightness, among other things), you really have to give him a
big hand here for championing the brilliant work of both Carl
Stalling and, finally getting his day in the sun, Milt Franklyn.
Unlike a stage show, you only get 78 minutes on a CD to do your
thing, and you have to choose your repertoire accordingly.
Duplication between this album and “The Carl Stalling
Project” is minimal, with the major overlap being the complete
score (no sound effects or voices) to “Jumpin’ Jupiter,” much of
which is heard in the Anxiety Montage on the Stalling collection.
Daugherty takes his time here, interpreting the score to a
six-minute Merrie Melodie in seven and one half minutes!
The 55-piece orchestra was recorded at Power Station in New
York City late in 1990. This includes sound effects and some new
voice tracks, with Noel Blanc doing Porky’s sign off at album’s
end. As for packaging, Daugherty writes his own liner notes,
along with an essay by Chuck Jones describing the stage show.
A thought. Those who like to play devil’s advocate may think
that the whole idea of the Bugs Bunny On Broadway show runs
counter to comments many of us has made regarding tampering with
the visuals, that it shouldn’t even be tried. Daugherty is a
perfectionist, a student of the form, and a man who truly loves
these cartoons he’s resoundtracked. Unlike those who wish to
take away and debase the body of work, Daugherty enhances our
enjoyment of the films in his special way.
And the album is reflective of that philosophy.
As we like to say here, This Is Not A Review. Rather, a very
strong recommendation. BUY THIS.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1667, from hmccracken, 509 chars, Tue Feb 5 19:20:47 1991
This is a comment to message 1666.
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There are additional comments to message 1666.
————————–
I don’t find Daugherty’s work comparable to the TV censorings of
Warner’s cartoons at all. The various cuttings and re-edits for
TV are being done because the folks at Warner’s are embarassed
of the cartoons and want to pretend that certain aspects of them
never existed; they have nothing to do with art. Daugherty, on
the other hand, is doing something that’s interesting and artistic
and which makes no claim to supercede the original versions of the
cartoons. I’ll have to get the recording.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1668, from davemackey, 137 chars, Tue Feb 5 19:27:58 1991
This is a comment to message 1665.
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————————–
Would you believe I don’t know, because I didn’t pick the book
up. Will try to find out for you.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1669, from bsoron, 146 chars, Tue Feb 5 22:01:38 1991
This is a comment to message 1666.
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————————–
Dave, for us completists, do you know if the tape has anything the
CD doesn’t? And for us old fogeys, do you know if there’s a vinyl
edition?
==========================
animation/main #1670, from hmccracken, 374 chars, Tue Feb 5 22:44:20 1991
This is a comment to message 1668.
————————–
I too flipped through the book but didn’t buy. Having seen the
Jones adaptation, I was struck by how totally faithful to the book
it was — and yet the element of movement added something that
wasn’t there in the printed work. A much more successful adaptation
than Jones’s laster feature-length _The Phantom Tollbooth_ (based
on another book by Norton Juster).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1671, from mscoville, 656 chars, Wed Feb 6 00:19:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1666.
————————–
Further Travels of Bugs On Broadway.
I talked with the show’s producer and he informed me that the tour which was
supposed to be traveling around the country through the winter has been
cancelled. There will be a tour this summer, but the dates and places are
unavailable at this time. According the the producer, the show will be
playing some 30 cities in the U.S., and I have a sneaky suspicion that these
will be outdoor concerts. I hope that they don’t ruin the intimacy of the
theatre by taking the avenue of the more money the merrier, but that as they
say is show business. It is worth seeing in theatres, but outdoors…I don’t
know. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1672, from davemackey, 735 chars, Wed Feb 6 19:14:42 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Oops
“Entertainment Weekly” has taken a rather large ad out in other
Time Inc. publications. The ad shows many faces of entertainment
in a grid, successively whittling down to fewer and fewer faces
as you turn the pages, until only one remains on the last page of
the ad — the shark from “Jaws.”
The last page gives the identities of the stars pictured,
among which are three cartoon characters: Bart Simpson, Jessica
Rabbit, and Porky Pig.
Only thing is, what EW’s ad claims to be Porky Pig is
actually a picture of Hamton, Porky’s tinier, toonier cousin.
Don’t you think EW, which ran a substantial article on “Tiny
Toon Adventures” a few months ago, would know better?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1673, from davemackey, 155 chars, Wed Feb 6 19:15:30 1991
This is a comment to message 1587.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Gee, Harry, did you ever find out “just when”? I have a rapidly
expanding social calendar that needs to be filled in.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1674, from davemackey, 412 chars, Wed Feb 6 19:15:42 1991
This is a comment to message 1662.
————————–
Argh, did I screw this one up or what!
The night I was leafing through “Cel Magic” over at Mike
Scoville’s, he also showed me a copy of “StoryboarD” that had the
interview with Walter Lantz I was criticizing here.
I truly apologize to the authors of “Cel Magic” for any
inconvenience caused by my mixup.
Harry, if you’d like to delete 1662, you’re welcome to.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1675, from davemackey, 148 chars, Wed Feb 6 19:32:31 1991
This is a comment to message 1669.
————————–
As with Stalling, no vinyl. And the CD and cassette are the
same musically, so you’re not missing anything.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1676, from davemackey, 795 chars, Wed Feb 6 21:11:28 1991
This is a comment to message 1667.
There are additional comments to message 1667.
————————–
Thinking about the very subject, I was wondering if Warner’s
would be at all open to the idea of a video cassette release of
the cartoons with their new soundtracks (recorded in Hi-Fi
stereo, of course) plus inclusions of the live Daugherty
orchestra, sort of duplicating the stage show experience without
actually being there. I tried it out on “High Note” and “What’s
Opera Doc?”, synching my CD to the videocassette versions from “A
Salute To Chuck Jones,” and damned if it doesn’t work. (I suspect
that the album was recorded to the same tick track used in live
performance, possibly because that may have been the only way the
musicians could relate to it. That’s why it works.)
I get royalties, of course, and all the carrots I can eat
(grin).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1677, from hmccracken, 93 chars, Wed Feb 6 21:44:14 1991
This is a comment to message 1673.
————————–
Nope, I’m not sure when — sometime in February. I’ll have to
give them a call…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1678, from mscoville, 203 chars, Wed Feb 6 22:00:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1653.
————————–
Cel Magic: The Art of Collecting
The book Cel Magic is available from the Animation Art Guild. Please leave me
a message to get information on the pricing and shipping of the book.
Sincerely, mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1680, from davemackey, 720 chars, Thu Feb 7 19:02:54 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: James MacDonald
Jimmy MacDonald, sound effects wizard for the Walt Disney Studios
and voice of Mickey Mouse from the 40’s to the 70’s, died last
week at the age of 84.
You might remember MacDonald from his numerous television
appearances, specifically on the first and second versions of
“The Mickey Mouse Club,” demonstrating various cartoon sound
effect apparatus (the current “MMC” has done such demonstrations
as well, but without MacDonald). Those were fun, as I remember.
MacDonald succeeded Walt Disney himself as the voice of
Mickey in the late 1940’s. He handed over the role to Wayne
Allwine, who continues to do Mickey’s voice today, in the
mid-70’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1681, from hmccracken, 168 chars, Thu Feb 7 20:11:41 1991
This is a comment to message 1680.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m sorry to hear about Jimmy Macdonald (and I believe he did not
capitalize the “d”) passing away. Also of note was his role as
Evinrude in _The Rescuers_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1682, from hmccracken, 116 chars, Thu Feb 7 20:12:16 1991
This is a comment to message 1681.
————————–
…And I believe he was with Disney earlier than the 1940s, — didn’t
he do the yodeling in _Snow White_?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1683, from hmccracken, 199 chars, Thu Feb 7 20:54:33 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The current issue of _American Cinematographer_
has a lengthy and interesting _Fantasia_ article, focusing on the
technical aspects of the original film and the recent restoration.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1684, from rjenks, 236 chars, Fri Feb 8 03:06:05 1991
This is a comment to message 1683.
————————–
I found a great artical on the Fantasia restoration is Post magazine. (A pro
video magazine) It was quite in-depth on the processes used and ploblrlems with
some modern techniques on the old film.
Post December 21, 1990
Robert Jenks
==========================
animation/main #1685, from davemackey, 1505 chars, Sat Feb 9 20:35:15 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: What do I think of “Box Office Bunny”?
Sorry that this isn’t a reply to previous message on the subject.
JLBLINK ate my animation/main file, and I’m about 700 messages
behind now.
I think if Warner Bros. could figure out a way to make about
25 more of those in a calendar year, and offer them to any
theatres that wanted them, they’d really have something there.
I didn’t laugh out loud as much as I wanted to, but I was
smiling the whole time. The animation was very good, the
storyline (by Charles Carney) was nice and compact. but you do
have to question the alliance between Daffy and Elmer. In the
past, Daffy would abet Elmer for his own vested interests, but
here, I can’t really see the motivation.
The music, by Hummie Mann, had classic twinges but took off
in a contemporary direction during the well-animated Sticky Floor
Dance (it was said that hip-hop street dancers were filmed for
the artists to study). Jeff Bergman’s voices were first-rate,
particularly Elmer, a role which has since been inherited by Greg
Burson, who for my money is not as good.
And to echo Harry’s sentiments, the credits do go by too
fast! I have to write these things down, y’know. I would have
liked to post them.
Unlike Harry, I stayed for about half of “The Never Ending
Story II” before finally giving up. But my adult male libido
found the villainess a little more attractive than the supposed
heroine of the piece, the Childlike Empress.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1686, from davemackey, 319 chars, Sat Feb 9 20:35:28 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: “Jungle Book” video
Walt Disney Home Video is (I believe) re-issuing “Jungle Book” on
video on May 3, for $24.95. This follows last summer’s theatrical
release.
Be interesting to see what happens next time “Snow White &
The Seven Dwarfs” comes around theatrically…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1687, from hmccracken, 242 chars, Sun Feb 10 11:23:14 1991
This is a comment to message 1685.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I did smile a lot during _Box Office Bunny_, at the animation itself
as much as at the gags. And I laughed heartily two or three times.
Not bad for a modern cartoon, and I really hope Darrell Van Citters
gets a chance to do more.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1688, from hmccracken, 107 chars, Sun Feb 10 11:24:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1686.
There are additional comments to message 1686.
————————–
_Jungle Book_ is coming out on tape? Great! Disney’s last truly
great cartoon, in my opinion.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1689, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Mon Feb 11 18:16:28 1991
This is a comment to message 1686.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If the “I believe” in that message means you’re not sure whether
they’re really releasing _Jungle Book_ on video, Dave, I can
confirm that they are; a friend wrote the jacket notes. If you
mean you’re not sure about the price or date, well, never mind!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1690, from davemackey, 770 chars, Mon Feb 11 20:36:31 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: “Dead Man’s Curve”
Here’s one to throw around the dinner table. The song “Dead Man’s
Curve” by Jan and Dean was written as a result of Mel Blanc’s
horrible January 24, 1961 automobile collision there.
Co-writer Roger Christian was a deejay at KRLA in Los
Angeles, and he was on the air that night, reading news reports
about the accident that almost claimed the life of the voice of
Bugs Bunny and a thousand others. Once the shock wore off, he
thought that this particular stretch of Sunset Boulevard should
be immortalized in song.
The song made the top 10 in 1964, and the irony is that Jan
Berry, who insisted that the song end with some sort of
catastrophical accident, was himself paralyzed in a car crash.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1691, from davemackey, 1006 chars, Mon Feb 11 20:36:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1687.
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————————–
The remarkable thing about “BOB” is that it’s entirely the
product of the new generation. And I think that’s a first for
Warner Bros. animation, which always had some heritage factor in
its revival work, be it the presence of Friz Freleng as director,
Mel Blanc with his voices (though he was a little off his game by
that time), the use of many old artists, and even using old Carl
Stalling music.
I think the Ford/Lennon years were extremely critical to the
studio. They still had some of the old guard around, like Norm
McCabe, Bob Givens and Dick Thomas, showing the new kids on the
block how it’s done. And they produced some pretty interesting
stuff. Not great, but interesting. But when Van Citters took
over, it was clearly time to cut all remaining ties to the past
and let the kids do it their way.
Do you have any idea how much this cartoon cost Warner
Bros.? It looks to me like they could have spent anywhere from
$500,000 to a million on it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1692, from hmccracken, 356 chars, Mon Feb 11 21:13:31 1991
This is a comment to message 1690.
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Wow! The conference has been full of good trivia lately.
While making my hour’s commute to and from work each day,
I alternate between listening to the news and playing tapes of
(mostly) 1960s pop music. I have a Jan and Dean tape and have
listened to that song countless times without ever suspecting
that it was about, in a way, Mel Blanc.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1693, from davemackey, 160 chars, Mon Feb 11 21:15:38 1991
This is a comment to message 1689.
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The “I believe” was because I am not sure if it’s a rerelease or
not. I think it’s been out before, but I’m not sure…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1694, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Mon Feb 11 21:16:26 1991
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————————–
I don’t know how much it cost, but it don’t look chintzy.
Greg Ford, by the way, is still with Warner’s, at least in some capacity…
I am told this by Nancy Beiman, who is directing two compilation
TV specials featuring the Warner’s characters. Nancy, in case you
don’t know, is an incredibly talented CalArts alumnus who worked
on some of the Lennon/Ford Warner’s films, _An American Tail 2_,
and other films.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1696, from hmccracken, 163 chars, Mon Feb 11 21:21:00 1991
This is a comment to message 1693.
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Nope, _Jungle Book_ hasn’t been out on tape before. I haven’t
picked up _Peter Pan_ yet, but I will eagerly snap up _Jungle
Book_ as soon as I see it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1697, from davemackey, 512 chars, Tue Feb 12 01:35:05 1991
This is a comment to message 1692.
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There is no truth to the rumor that Jan Berry was brought back to
consciousness after his car crash only when addressed as Brian
Wilson!
This tidbit is from a book called “Behind The Hits,” written
by New York disk jockey Bob Shannon with John Javna; this grew
out of the informative tidbits he’s done on the air at WCBS-FM.
I do remember Pat Boone singing something called “Speedy
Gonzales” once and I believe they got Mel Blanc to do the voice
for the record.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1698, from davemackey, 624 chars, Tue Feb 12 01:35:24 1991
This is a comment to message 1672.
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I don’t think they do know better. Their most recent issue had a
review of the original Norton Juster book “The Dot and The Line”
(written in 1963, by the way, and just reissued in time for
Valentine’s Day) — although they gave it a very good writeup,
giving it an A-, they made the uninformed comment that Jack
Nicholson should play the Squiggle IF (if?) “TDATL” is ever made
into a movie.
No mention was made of the Chuck Jones adaptation ANYWHERE
in the review, possibly in an effort to judge the book on its own
merit. But I sent them a postcard anyway just to remind them.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1699, from davemackey, 191 chars, Tue Feb 12 02:13:52 1991
This is a comment to message 1694.
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————————–
Would those happen to be “Bugs Bunny’s Overture To Disaster” and
“Bugs Bunny’s Looney Horror Show,” which were both listed in TV
Guide’s fall preview?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1700, from hmccracken, 104 chars, Tue Feb 12 07:48:15 1991
This is a comment to message 1699.
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Nope, one of them is _Bugs Bunny’s Lunar Tunes_, and I don’t
remember what the second one is.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1701, from drtoon, 377 chars, Wed Feb 13 00:22:38 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Twice Upon A Time
Does anyone out there know anything about ‘Twice Upon A Time’?
Warner Home Video has just released this cassette, billing it as:
George(Star Wars) Lucas presents the hilarious animated cult favorite
about unlikely heroes saving our world from bad dreams.
I’m not familiar with this one, so any help you all can give will be
appreciated.
-Doug Ranney
==========================
animation/main #1702, from hkenner, 510 chars, Wed Feb 13 00:55:15 1991
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————————–
TITLE: King Kong
… is surely animation of a sort. Certainly Willis O’Brien
understood the Chuck Jones Weight Principle. In the di Laurentiis
remake you can instantly spot the man-in-the-monkey-suit sequences
because his head bobs as gaily as if he didn’t weigh tons. …
Anyhow. I’ve just bought (for $9.99) a videocassette version
released by something called Fox Hills Video (1986). It suffers,
,sometimes *badly*,* from vertical jitter. Anyone know where a
smoother version can be obtained?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1703, from switch, 262 chars, Wed Feb 13 11:09:32 1991
This is a comment to message 1701.
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Someone told me about it a long time ago, but since he’s given
to exaggerate (or outright create 😉 the truth, I’d discounted
it as fiction. I’ll ask him about it.
BTW, a question I’ve been meaning to ask: is the Footrot Flats
movie available on video?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1704, from aturn, 91 chars, Wed Feb 13 12:00:19 1991
This is a comment to message 1703.
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————————–
Fully aware that I will probably end up hating myself for asking:
What is Footrot Flats?
==========================
animation/main #1705, from switch, 400 chars, Wed Feb 13 13:04:10 1991
This is a comment to message 1704.
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————————–
It’s a comic strip from New Zealand about this dog, his “master”,
his bitch, and, well, New Zealand. It’s pretty crude (read: realistic)
in its depictions of animal life, and it’s pretty funny. I read a
couple of comic strips a few years back, and a conversation with
the only other North American I know who’s ever seen any Footrot
Flats reminded me that there was a movie a few years back.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1706, from hmccracken, 245 chars, Wed Feb 13 18:16:21 1991
This is a comment to message 1705.
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————————–
There is a small but ardent cult of North American _Footrot
Flats_ fans. I believe there was an attempt some years ago
to syndicate the strip here, but I never actually saw it anywhere.
The reprint books do turn up from time to time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1707, from hmccracken, 719 chars, Wed Feb 13 18:20:39 1991
This is a comment to message 1701.
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————————–
I am the only person on earth, or at least the east coast, who has
ever seen _Twice Upon a Time_; one of the few theaters it showed
in when it was released was in Cambridge.
It’s…interesting. It’s filmed in a process called Lumage which
is quite unusual — it seems to be a form a backlit cut-out animation.
It’s directed by the guy who directed _The Autobiography of
Miss Jane Pittman_, oddly enough. The sense of humor is sort
of one part Monty Python, one part Jay Ward. As I recall, the
villain’s name is Synonymous Botch, or something like that,
which gives a good idea of the sense of humor at work. It’s
definitely worth seeing once, although I personally would not
invest in a videotape of it.
— Hsrry
==========================
animation/main #1708, from davemackey, 405 chars, Wed Feb 13 19:04:50 1991
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TITLE: And the nominees are…
“Creature Comforts,” “A Grand Day Out” and “Grasshoppers
(Cavallette)” have all been nominated for this year’s Academy
Award for Best Animated Short.
Among those denied nomination were “Roller Coaster Rabbit”
and “Box Office Bunny” (which was previewed in Los Angeles
in December, making it eligible this year rather than next).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1709, from switch, 100 chars, Wed Feb 13 20:27:31 1991
This is a comment to message 1706.
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Yeah. My roommate sold the last one at his store on Friday (I
didn’t even know he had it) 🙁
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1710, from switch, 98 chars, Wed Feb 13 20:28:50 1991
This is a comment to message 1708.
————————–
Never seen “Grasshoppers”, but I’d have a hard time choosing between
Nick Parks’ two works.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1711, from hmccracken, 232 chars, Wed Feb 13 21:28:09 1991
This is a comment to message 1702.
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————————–
I suspect, Hugh, that you purchased a public-domain tape recorded
at something other than the optimum speed. I don’t know for sure,
but I would suspect a classic like _King Kong_ is available in a
better form than that.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1712, from hmccracken, 358 chars, Wed Feb 13 21:30:37 1991
This is a comment to message 1711.
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————————–
Good for Nick Park for getting two nominations (although I am
getting tired of the Academy’s refusal to recognize U.S.-produced
animated shorts). I liked _Grand Day Out_ quite a bit more than
_Creature Comforts_, although I suspect the latter has a better
chance at the Oscar. _Grasshoppers_ is OK, too, if it’s the
anti-war thing I think it is.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1713, from switch, 92 chars, Wed Feb 13 21:32:26 1991
This is a comment to message 1712.
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Oh, right. _Grasshoppers_ is the Bazzetto short, no? I’d still
pick the Park works.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1714, from hmccracken, 291 chars, Wed Feb 13 21:39:47 1991
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TITLE: This Just In
Noel Blanc, son of Mel Blanc and one of several competing successors
to his dad’s job, was injured today in a accident involving a helicopter
and a biplane that killed two people and also injured Kirk Douglas,
who was a passenger in the helicopter with Blanc.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1715, from hmccracken, 254 chars, Wed Feb 13 21:43:12 1991
This is a comment to message 1699.
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————————–
Incidentally, these two Nancy Beiman Bugs Bunny shows are firsts
in at least a couple of ways: they must be the first Warner cartoons
directed by a woman, and they are being produced in New York
(appropriate for a Bugs Bunny cartoon, really).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1716, from drtoon, 957 chars, Wed Feb 13 22:47:54 1991
This is a comment to message 1702.
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King Kong:
I’m not so sure that KK qualifies as animation, but I guess if
Claymation or Puppetoons qualify, then you must allow KK also.
I imagine the Fox Hills Video version you got was recorded in EP mode.
I really hate it when you buy those tapes with no warning on the
package. KK is available in no less than 6 versions,
according to Videolog. I’d suggest the version from Turner Home
Video (Cat # 6010 – $19.95), which is billed as the “Special
Version”. They say it’s made from the original uncut master print, with
“state of the art” audio.
For those not familiar with it, Videolog is the home video version of
Phonolog (for audio). It’s a massive reference work, updated weekly, that
lists (theoretically) every home video release in existence. Most large
video stores have it available at the counter. Be warned though, that it is
notorious for errors, ommissions, and often coninuing to list tapes that have been discontinued for years.
-Doug
==========================
animation/main #1717, from hmccracken, 213 chars, Wed Feb 13 23:42:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1716.
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————————–
Sure, _King Kong_ is animation…at least Kong himself is.
Some of the best stop-motion animation ever done, come to
think of it. (The actual _KK_ TV cartoon series of the 1960s
was dreadful, though.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1718, from switch, 50 chars, Wed Feb 13 23:45:38 1991
This is a comment to message 1717.
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————————–
There was a King Kong cartoon series? Yow.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1719, from switch, 353 chars, Wed Feb 13 23:46:58 1991
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————————–
TITLE: More stuff in /listings
I’ve uploaded three of the existing four volumes of Electronic
Animation Velocity, an electronic animation fanzine. While
the primary focus is Japanese animation, there’s also some stuff
in there on Mel Blanc and the Little Mermaid. Be warned: it’s
pretty long. Each file works out to at least 100 printed pages.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1720, from hmccracken, 287 chars, Wed Feb 13 23:49:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1718.
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————————–
I am relying on memories of something I haven’t seen since I was
a very small child, but as I recall the show had King Kong as a
friend to a boy on an island. The theme song I do remember
quite well. The show was by Rankin-Bass and must have been
one of their first series.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1721, from rjenks, 966 chars, Thu Feb 14 01:06:41 1991
————————–
TITLE: EDC’s Guide to Anime Fandom
I am writing a pamphlet/newszine that will be given out to prospective EDC
animation club chapters. It will be a guide for the new and old Club Officers
and should be quite general. I am in need of ideas for the guide and thought
I could get a broader response by putting this in Aniamtion/main than anime.
I am in need of suggestions from anyone who has been in a club, has run a
club etc… The ideas that came to my mind whan I recived this task were as
follows:
What is EDC? A:
EDC National Policy
EDC Chapter Policy
NonProfit Club vs. Profit
Anime BBS’s around the world
Listing of all EDC chapters and affiliates
Japanese Copyright Laws
Video Piracy
Subtitling : Do’s and Don’ts
Any suggestions? The material above will not end up being quite as larger as
I want the final guide to be so I all ears/fingers to you.
-Robert Jenks
==========================
animation/main #1722, from rjenks, 109 chars, Thu Feb 14 01:10:27 1991
This is a comment to message 1719.
————————–
Also be warned, this fanzine is published/edited by Randal Stukey. Anime
Fandom’s radical extremist.
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #1723, from davemackey, 192 chars, Thu Feb 14 07:29:39 1991
This is a comment to message 1714.
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I just saw some footage of the wreckage. This is a tragedy, and
we all hope and pray for the health and well-being of both Kirk
Douglas and Noel Blanc.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1724, from davemackey, 102 chars, Thu Feb 14 07:29:48 1991
This is a comment to message 1720.
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“Ten times as big as a man!” Yes, I remember that series too.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1725, from hmccracken, 134 chars, Thu Feb 14 18:16:27 1991
This is a comment to message 1723.
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Yes, best wishes to both. Douglas apparently escaped with minor
injuries, but Blanc was in serious condition last I heard.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1726, from sharonfisher, 96 chars, Thu Feb 14 18:29:08 1991
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TITLE: Anybody know where I can find….
a copy of the Disney film “Victory Through Air Power”?
==========================
animation/main #1727, from davemackey, 542 chars, Thu Feb 14 19:04:46 1991
This is a comment to message 1714.
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————————–
Incidentally, in my rush to get a message up there expressing my
wishes for speedy recoveries for both Kirk and Noel, let us not
forget that there is a third survivor and two people killed in
this accident, and I offer my condolences to the families of the
deceased.
If Noel Blanc pulls out of this one, that’ll be one more
thing he has in common with his dad besides doing voices: the
ability to cheat death.
Another parallel: Noel is 52, and Mel was the same age when
he had his car crash.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1728, from davemackey, 180 chars, Thu Feb 14 19:04:58 1991
This is a comment to message 1716.
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————————–
My brother the record store manager says much the same thing is
true about Phonolog, so you aren’t alone in your criticism of
Whatever-Log.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1729, from hmccracken, 547 chars, Thu Feb 14 19:15:06 1991
This is a comment to message 1726.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Sharon, _Victory Through Air Power_ is about as rare as a Disney
film can get. It is the only Disney animated feature I haven’t seen,
and one of those few elusive cartoons that I dearly want to see but
have never had the opportunity to view. I can think of only one or
two occasions when it’s been shown to the public since its original
release. Apparently, it’s primarily live-action with animated maps
and such.
If you really need to see it for a particular reason, you might be
able to arrange a screening at the Disney archives.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1730, from hmccracken, 138 chars, Thu Feb 14 19:23:55 1991
This is a comment to message 1727.
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————————–
The parallel is odd, yes. Let’s hope that Noel recovers with fewer
broken bones and complications than Mel had to go through.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1731, from billn, 228 chars, Fri Feb 15 13:52:37 1991
This is a comment to message 1730.
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————————–
The news last night showed pictures of the collision results and
commented that it was a miracle anybody lived through it. The airplane
was demolished, the helicopter on its side, completely caved in.
It *was* a miracle.
BillN
==========================
animation/main #1732, from davemackey, 534 chars, Fri Feb 15 19:07:25 1991
This is a comment to message 1730.
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But odd in a morbid sort of way. Like all the similarities
between Kennedy and Lincoln. Remember when those mail-order
houses would somehow make a penny with both Lincoln and JFK and
recount every last similarity of their respective assassinations
in the advertising for such penny? (And I wonder just how much
those pennies with a little Kennedy etched in on the side are
worth.)
(You wouldn’t believe how much junk from childhood sits
around latently, waiting for a chance to strike…)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1733, from davemackey, 644 chars, Fri Feb 15 19:07:45 1991
This is a comment to message 1729.
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I think “Victory Through Air Power” might arouse some people’s
curiosity due to the fact that thus far, the war in the Persian
Gulf has primarily been an air war, and people are after a
little historical perspective.
Never mind the fact that ultimately, some of the military
strategies depicted therein were found to be unsound. It still
remains as ample proof that Disney understood the power of the
animated film for educational and training purposes, and were it
not for the war, that might have remained an untouched area. To
this day Disney maintains an extensive library of educational
media.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1734, from davemackey, 441 chars, Fri Feb 15 19:07:59 1991
This is a comment to message 1716.
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————————–
The Turner version of Kong is colorized, but they went back to
original, pristine prints as a source. According to William
Everson, when “King Kong” was reissued, prints were deliberately
darkened to obscure some of the gory details
Didn’t Ray Harryhausen have something to do with “King
Kong,” as an assistant to Willis O’Brien? If not, his stop-motion
puppetry is certainly influenced by Kong.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1735, from drtoon, 131 chars, Fri Feb 15 21:22:21 1991
This is a comment to message 1734.
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According to Videolog, there are two video versions of King Kong.
Turner #6003 is colorized, Turner #6010 is NOT colorized.
–Doug
==========================
animation/main #1736, from hmccracken, 893 chars, Sat Feb 16 19:04:06 1991
This is a comment to message 1715.
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————————–
More news about the upcoming Warner compilation specials: Jeff
Bergman will *not* be doing voices for them. Neither will
Noel Blanc. Joe Alaskey, who does the voice of Plucky on
_Tiny Toon Adventures_, will be doing the almost-identical
voice of Daffy for the shows. I don’t know who will voice
Bugs, but there is apparently an Australian gentleman who
Warner’s has under contract as a backup Bugs. Only problem
is, the guy’s Bugs has an Australian accent!
Like Disney, Warner’s is trying very hard not to be too
dependent on any one person to do the voices of their
characters. This explains, in part, why neither studio
consistently uses the same voice artist to do the voice of
any of their classic characters. Mel Blanc was able to
command a very, very high salary in his later years, and
Warner’s wants to avoid that situation, even if the
characters suffer as a result.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1737, from davemackey, 907 chars, Sat Feb 16 22:40:42 1991
This is a comment to message 1736.
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Bugs as an Australian? Now that’s a different approach! I could
see it now… “Crocodile Bunn-dee”! “Ehhhh…. what’s up, mate?”
It sounds like it could actually bring a new dimension to the
character, a little touch of Down-under jauntiness, and I am all
for it.
It’s about time Alaskey got more work doing the regular WB
characters. When he did Yosemite Sam in “Who Framed Roger
Rabbit,” I knew that he could pull off any of the voices. And his
Plucky Duck indicates that he could do a killer Daffy Duck, if
he were ever so inclined — as I’ve said before, it’s the one
voice characterization on TTA that’s closest in spirit (and
accuracy) to the original character.
I would presume that Warner Bros. made this decision some
time before Noel Blanc’s helicopter accident; obviously the
question of using him again is going to be moot for quite some
while.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1738, from bsoron, 141 chars, Sun Feb 17 00:13:20 1991
This is a comment to message 1736.
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> the guy’s Bugs has an Australian accent!
I swear, if I hear Bugs say “What’s up, mate?”, I’ll never watch
another WB special again…
==========================
animation/main #1739, from hmccracken, 52 chars, Sun Feb 17 09:18:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1738.
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“Put another carrot on the barby, mate!”
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1740, from richard.pini, 179 chars, Sun Feb 17 10:18:43 1991
This is a comment to message 1733.
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Wasn’t “VtAP” based on some military person or other’s book by the same
name? Seems to me I’ve seen the book fairly frequently here and there in
used-book shops. Would that help?
==========================
animation/main #1741, from richard.pini, 209 chars, Sun Feb 17 10:23:18 1991
This is a comment to message 1734.
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I think Harryhausen was O’Brien’s assistant on “Might Joe Young,” not
“Kong.” Whatever one thinks of MJY, the ape certainly has miles more
“animation personality” than Kong did, and I think Kong is a classic.
==========================
animation/main #1742, from hmccracken, 281 chars, Sun Feb 17 15:24:15 1991
This is a comment to message 1740.
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————————–
It was based on a best-selling book by a proponent of the military
theory expressed in the title. I can’t recall his name offhand.
Bob Clampett’s _Falling Hare_ (I *think that’s the one) features
a gag of Bugs Bunny reading a book called _Victory Through Hare
Power_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1743, from hmccracken, 178 chars, Sun Feb 17 15:25:01 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Boston area BIXen may want to attend the
Bugs Bunny film festival presently showing at the Somerville Theater.
The current issue of the _Phoenix_ has a review.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1744, from jporter, 1217 chars, Mon Feb 18 03:03:58 1991
This is a comment to message 1742.
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I have the book sitting in my lap. It was in the bookcase so I thought I would
pull it out. The author is Alexander P. De Seversky. Since there is an old
bookmark at page 88 I do not think I finised reading it. I remember seeing sceeens
from it on the “Mouse Factory”, which also interduced me to “Steamboat Willie”
and the rest of the early Disney history. I was alwaysed impresed with the
Ireverency of that show, unlike the more pristine sunday night offerings.
Along with most people of my generation with an interest in Disney. I have
been unable to see it. I once did call the archives and ask if there was
anyway it could be shown?
The responce as I remember was not encoraging. Aparently Sometimes the studio
does not like there past. I then wrote the Disney channel (Austrailian
Yuppie programing network) and told them until it was aired I was canciling
my subscription. (One night I found myself renting “Cookie Carnival”, becouse
I was Sick of watching yet another instalment of the same mickey cartoon.
(This is not a reveiew, It just expresses my love/hate relation with the
Disney (You are a member of the general public) attitude, that goes back
to when I used to write them, while in high school.
==========================
animation/main #1745, from hmccracken, 256 chars, Mon Feb 18 13:45:03 1991
This is a comment to message 1744.
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Julie, I don’t know when you asked The Disney Channel to consider
showing _The Mouse Factory_…but they were showing it at one point,
and may be doing so now from time to time for all I know. The
show was created and produced by Ward Kimball.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1746, from hmccracken, 497 chars, Mon Feb 18 13:47:41 1991
This is a comment to message 1744.
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BTW, I agree that Disney doesn’t make very good use of its
library when it comes to the Channel. A few years ago I wrote
and suggested that they show some features they hadn’t at that
point (_Saludos Amigos_, _Melody Time_, etc.) and that
they start showing more uncut short cartoons, including the
black and white ones. Whether by coincidence or not, they
did show some of the features I suggested not too long
afterward, but their use of the Disney shorts is still absurdly
limited.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1747, from davemackey, 269 chars, Mon Feb 18 19:11:01 1991
This is a comment to message 1742.
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Major Alexander de Seversky was the author of the book. And it
was “Falling Hare” that featured Bugs reading “Victory Through
Hare Power,” whose main military theory was that gremlins wreck
planes with their diabolical sabotage.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1748, from hmccracken, 1198 chars, Mon Feb 18 22:12:35 1991
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Just came back from seeing the Bugs Bunny festival at the
Somerville theater.
It’s pretty good, although not especially imaginative in its
selection: it’s basically a lot of Chuck Jones classics
(_Duck Amuck_, _Rabbit Seasoning_, _One Froggy Evening_,
etc.) interspersed with a few not-especially-outstanding
Friz Freleng cartoons (_Roman Legion-Hare_, _Tweety and
the Beanstalk_, and the Dr. Jekyll one whose precise name
I forget at the moment). There is also _Dough for the
Do-Do_, which as WB experts will know is a remake by
Friz Freleng of a cartoon originally directed by Bob Clampett.
It’s a funny show and the audience seemed to love it. The
highpoint was _Feed the Kitty_, a Jones film that I think
much of the audience hadn’t seen, or had at least forgotten;
when Marc Anthony’s mistress gives him a kitten-cookie
which he thinks is his little kitten friend, the laughter in the
audience was about as uncontrollable and sustained as any
I’ve ever heard at a film of any kind. Still, there are a lot
of cartoons — by Jones, Freleng, the unrepresented McKimson,
and others — that might have been included in this show
rather than some of the overexposed ones that were.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1749, from jporter, 2107 chars, Tue Feb 19 00:39:11 1991
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*** Moved from animation/bit.by.bit #486 of Mon Feb 18 03:55:40 1991
TITLE: Pointer to long.messages #41
I posted an artical that I wrote for the Berkley Macintosh user group into
Animation/long messages #41. I wrote this several years ago and it is a bit
dated.
I do not comment often, Other people say what I would like to with more
elegance. At a faster leval. However somtimes I will add my two cents worth.
Re. Ubbe Iworks, There was some discussion earler about his contribution
to the multiplain camera. From my understanding of the Biographys (of which
there seems to be some doubt as to accuracy) I beleve that he Had nothing
to do with the Multiplain, His contribution was more along the lines of
an efficency expert. ie How to speed up the process of generating an effect
His major contribution is of cource, The Xerographic, and Blue screen
(Sodum Vapor) processes. I am not forgetting the mouse, who was origionaly
designed to be animated quicky (remember all accounts show that Walt and Roy
were under the gun if they were to stay solvent). In this he was of course
assisted by Josua Medor[sp]. (A side note, In one of the backgrounds in
Lady and the Tramp, is etched inside a heart (JM + ??) I can not remember the
second intials, Any Ideas?)
In refrence to the xerographic process, I did aquire some inside info from
one of my friends who now works for WDI. (most of what he tells me I can
not say, however I cleared this with him as he is not involved with the
work acrross the street)
While visiting the animation studio (a rare treat, he told me), he was shown
some “Cells”, of Belle the heroin of “Beauty and the beast”, What are the
the triangels and Squares on her cheeks for,” he asked, “That is where the
computer puts the highlights, when they print it on film”, was the reply.
In further conversation with my freind we agreed that the best way of describing
the new process, as being able to draw direcly on the machine. Apparently
the studio IS a bit nervice about “Mickey Mouse” living inside a computer.
along with other issues (Don Bluth?, the Used “Cell” market?
-jP
==========================
animation/main #1750, from hmccracken, 665 chars, Tue Feb 19 00:39:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1749.
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*** Moved from animation/bit.by.bit #487 of Mon Feb 18 13:51:32 1991
Jule, from what I understand — and information on this is scare —
the actual drawing is still done the old-fashioned way, with pencil
and paper. The drawings are then scanned into a computer, where
they are colored. This also allows for compositing for multiplane
effects and other nifty stuff. I have seen *no* public discussion of
this by Disney, who is presumably nervous that the market for
animation cels might be damaged if it became known that they
weren’t using them anymore. The computer process, by the way,
is more expensive than old-fashioned painting at this point.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1751, from jshook, 244 chars, Tue Feb 19 00:39:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1750.
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*** Moved from animation/bit.by.bit #488 of Tue Feb 19 00:01:25 1991
I don’t think you understand how the antiques and collectibles
market works…. If Disney is no longer using cels that makes
existing cels more, rather than less, valauble.
==========================
animation/main #1752, from hmccracken, 997 chars, Tue Feb 19 00:39:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1751.
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*** Moved from animation/bit.by.bit #489 of Tue Feb 19 00:37:53 1991
Oh, I know that in theory you are absolutely right, Jim, but
I don’t know if the theory holds in this particular case. The
inflated prices that folks are currently paying for cels have to
be based only in part on the scarcity of cels. (Disney cels,
especially from recent films, are hardly rare after all.)
There is a certain incalculable factor at work, I think.
I wonder if Disney is worried that if they stop using cels
the mystique will evaporate. A cynical friend has speculated
that they may try to market _Rescuers_ cels manufactured
for the collectors’ market.
(Indeed — mscoville may disagree here — maybe cels should
be the *least* valuable art associated with animated films.
They are, after all, anonymous tracings produced by the
thousand. Animation drawings are the real art, and conceptual
art is the real one-of-a-kind artwork produced for animated
films. Neither is valued as highly as cels.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1753, from hmccracken, 701 chars, Tue Feb 19 00:49:07 1991
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————————–
TITLE: Jeff Bergman, a.k.a. one of the many voices of
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, et al, is the guest on the Larry King
show right now. Interesting. Poor guy — almost every
anecdote he tells about his career begins with somebody
(Mel Blanc, George O’Hanlon, Herschel Bernardi) dying.
King also asked him about how Noel Blanc was, and
Bergman said he didn’t know and said, rather uneasily,
“I wish him well.”
Gee, Larry is saying, right now, that the guy who did the
voice of the Road Runner died recently, and that he had
had him on the show recently…Wonder who he’s thinking
of? (Bergman *is* incredibly talented — he’s doing dozens
of voices on the show, all of them letter-perfect.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1754, from jporter, 344 chars, Tue Feb 19 01:59:17 1991
This is a comment to message 1745.
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Yes they were showing it again, however if I was unclear, Since they showed
So Dear to my Heart, and the Sward and the rose (both On video) I asked
them if they would show Victory through air power. (They also canceled
the disney family album about that time, I wonder if it was becouse
Ron Miller was prodicing it?) perhaps they re-rean them?
==========================
animation/main #1755, from jporter, 201 chars, Tue Feb 19 02:02:58 1991
This is a comment to message 1750.
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agreed, actualy the above should read “It is like being able to draw on a machine. bix ate the word xerox. Obvi
ously If my friend could hold “CELLS” of
Belle there does exist hardcopy output.
==========================
animation/main #1756, from jporter, 149 chars, Tue Feb 19 02:04:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1751.
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I think It has more to do with Don Bluth, than the market, however as a colector
I will be disapointed if I can never afford to add to my colection.
==========================
animation/main #1757, from jporter, 248 chars, Tue Feb 19 02:07:31 1991
This is a comment to message 1752.
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————————–
I have one animation drawing that came from the back door. Unfortunaltly
They are so scarce, that no one knows ho to value them. Disney saves
all the final ones for the animators to refer to. I would Imagin that Bluth
does the same. Other Studios?
==========================
animation/main #1758, from jporter, 424 chars, Tue Feb 19 02:13:43 1991
————————–
TITLE: OOPS.
I just discovered that the last couple of sentinces of amimation/long.messages #41
were garbled they should read:
We are
only at the point where Earl Hurd and John Bray were, when they
combined to share their patents. This opened the way for Max
Flescher and Walt Disney to show us what can be done when
character and personality is added to technology.
sorry for the inconvienece. (silly Bix editor)
-jP
==========================
animation/main #1759, from davemackey, 347 chars, Tue Feb 19 03:46:19 1991
This is a comment to message 1745.
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Disney still shows “Mouse Factory” on Tuesday afternoons at 2:30
Eastern. I remember watching it when it was first on in the early
70’s. Channel 4 in New York would air it in prime access (meaning
7:30) before the landscape of that daypart became cluttered with
trashy newsmagazine shows (no names please).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1760, from davemackey, 1127 chars, Tue Feb 19 03:46:44 1991
This is a comment to message 1744.
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Though the slicing and dicing of the Warner Bros. cartoons
seems to expend most of our collective vitriol around here, we
are no less concerned about The Disney Channel (TDC) and its
mistreatment of the Walt Disney animation library.
Harry and I have had some wild conversations about the way
TDC mistreats classic animation. We’ve seen them add, say, the
“Superman” cartoons of the Fleischers on Saturday and Sunday
mornings and then inexplicably pull them off the schedule after
two or three weeks for a less-well-crafted TV cartoon series.
Their compilation shows (“Good Morning, Mickey,” “Donald Duck
Presents”) date from almost a decade ago and show the same
cartoons in rotation, and in many cases sans titles and credits
and often heavily edited. We have surmised that these shows are
not changed due to audience turnover.
If either one of us got a programming job at TDC we would
completely overhaul those shows, and repackage them with a little
bit more historical perspective while still making them
consumable by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Sixpack and their 24 children.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1761, from davemackey, 217 chars, Tue Feb 19 04:26:48 1991
This is a comment to message 1748.
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————————–
I have never seen an audience hang on to a cartoon for dear life
as they do for “Feed The Kitty.” It’s truly one of Jones’ little
lost masterpieces and a sure audience grabber.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1762, from davemackey, 866 chars, Tue Feb 19 04:27:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1753.
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————————–
Not germane to this message but worth mentioning: Kirk
Douglas has been released from the hospital.
Now germane to this message: I can’t imagine who King would
have on claiming to be the voice of the Road Runner. But I have
from time to time seen Paul Julian’s name connected with the
character, but haven’t heard anything about his passing. (Julian
was a remarkably talented background artist in the Friz Freleng
unit from the early 1940’s to about 1952, when he went to UPA.)
Yes, it does seem to me that Bergman waits for his moments
and chooses his spots. It’s a quick short cut to success, and I
keep waiting for him to luck into a role that is earned a little
more legitimately. He is still raw enough to need a little more
polish. He’s got the voices down, now he needs to add the
characterization part.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1763, from hmccracken, 241 chars, Tue Feb 19 07:30:09 1991
This is a comment to message 1762.
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I think Larry was just confused and was thinking of someone else
entirely…He also said, at first, that _Box Office Bunny_ was
a “four hour, fifty-five minute feature-length cartoon.” (It’s
four *minutes*, fifty-five *seconds*.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1764, from jshook, 57 chars, Tue Feb 19 08:27:00 1991
This is a comment to message 1753.
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————————–
Did this fellow used to be part of the Firesign Theater?
==========================
animation/main #1765, from dave.f, 50 chars, Tue Feb 19 18:57:33 1991
This is a comment to message 1764.
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No. That’s Peter Bergman you’re thinking of.
D=
==========================
animation/main #1766, from davemackey, 355 chars, Tue Feb 19 19:05:28 1991
————————–
TITLE: Strickland heads MCA Family Entertainment
Paul B. Strickland, production manager of “Tiny Toon
Adventures,” has been named to head MCA’s animation operation,
MCA Family Entertainment.
Mr. Strickland was previously affiliated with Hanna-Barbera
Productions in its Checking and Scene Planning department.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1767, from switch, 262 chars, Tue Feb 19 22:00:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1752.
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…which is prolly why I went ga-ga over getting my hands on about
400 pages of _Akira_ model sheets and layouts (almost) directly
from the hands of one of the key animators. I already know I wouldn’t
really want a cel (I’m not much for collecting cels).
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1768, from hkenner, 147 chars, Wed Feb 20 12:06:40 1991
This is a comment to message 1748.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
_Feed the Kitty_ is indeed a small masterpiece. There’s a moment
there when the audience for 2-3 seconds doesn’t know whether to
laugh or to cry.
==========================
animation/main #1769, from hmccracken, 363 chars, Wed Feb 20 22:01:27 1991
This is a comment to message 1768.
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If you’re talking about the moment I think you’re talking about,
the audience I saw it with went into a sort of combination of
laughter and crying, followed by dead silence when the kitten
shows up. Dead silence is not a reaction you associate with
cartoon shorts (although some Disney features — _Bambi_
especially — certainly managed to evoke it.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1770, from davemackey, 300 chars, Thu Feb 21 00:41:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1768.
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————————–
Let me guess… when Marc Antony is offered the little cat
cookie, and he puts it on his back as he did with Pussyfoot?
That’s one of the most remarkable examples of animation being
able to summon many emotions in a single scene, worthy of Keaton
and Chaplin.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1771, from hkenner, 80 chars, Thu Feb 21 11:43:15 1991
This is a comment to message 1770.
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Yes, that’s the moment. The effect is probably unique in
6-minute animation.
==========================
animation/main #1772, from davemackey, 411 chars, Thu Feb 21 22:29:55 1991
————————–
TITLE: Grammy for Skat Kat and Paula
“Opposites Attract” video, featuring Paula Abdul and the animated
MC Skat Kat, won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video last
evening.
It goes into the ranks of All Time Great Animated Music
Videos, including such landmarks of the form as “Take On Me” by
a-Ha, and the computer-animated “Money For Nothing” by Dire
Straits.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1773, from hmccracken, 196 chars, Thu Feb 21 23:05:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1771.
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There is also, BTW, a follow-up to _Feed the Kitty_ called _Kiss Me
Cat_ which is nearly as good, as well as one or two more Marc Anthony
cartoons that are nothing particularly special.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1774, from davemackey, 1107 chars, Fri Feb 22 19:06:49 1991
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————————–
TITLE: Hey, Rocky….
…watch me pull six spots on the Billboard chart out of my hat!
There is nothing up Bullwinkle’s sleeve as all six volumes of
“The Adventures Of Rocky & Bullwinkle” land in the top 15 of
Billboard’s Video Sales chart, in almost perfect order.
This suggests people are buying them in sequence, as many as
they’re financially able to, with Vol. 6 getting a slight edge
with Dudley Do-Right fanatics.
These six videos are featured in an animation laden top 20
which includes…
2. “The Little Mermaid”
3. “Peter Pan”
4. “Rocky & Bullwinkle Vol. 1” (with “Pretty Woman” at no.
1, Disney now controls the top four spots on this chart)
6. “Rocky & Bullwinkle Vol. 2”
10. “Rocky & Bullwinkle Vol. 3”
13. “Rocky & Bullwinkle Vol. 4”
14. “Rocky & Bullwinkle Vol. 6” (Do-Right)
15. “Rocky & Bullwinkle Vol. 5”
18. “All Dogs Go To Heaven”
I don’t think there have been this many animated offerings
in the top 20 of the chart since the “Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles” cartoon tapes first came out.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1775, from hmccracken, 136 chars, Fri Feb 22 21:52:28 1991
This is a comment to message 1774.
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————————–
I haven’t seen the Bullwinkle tapes yet, but a friend reports that
the colors are unnaturally bright. Any comments on this?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1776, from davemackey, 542 chars, Sat Feb 23 07:06:00 1991
This is a comment to message 1775.
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————————–
The colors have been restored electronically with a video toy
called Paintbox. The films as we know them have deteriorated over
the past 30 years; colors fade and the whole spectrum turns a
bloody red over time. I think I’m gonna do a comparison test
against Dudley tomorrow morning.
Of course, when the films were first broadcast, they were
probably seen on black-and-white sets, so I don’t think anyone
has any idea on what these films really looked like (except the
people who worked on them).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1777, from sharonfisher, 46 chars, Sat Feb 23 11:17:09 1991
This is a comment to message 1776.
————————–
Haven’t gotten mine yet. 🙁 Soon, I hope…
==========================
animation/main #1778, from davemackey, 1213 chars, Sat Feb 23 17:20:14 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Coming soon to /listings
Two new files and a revision to an old one will soon be uploaded
to /listings.
(1) The revision of the “Tiny Toon Adventures” episode summary
guide. All 65 episodes will be listed day-by-day and will include
a summary of how many times each episode has aired.
(2) On or about March 15, the complete episode guide for
“Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny And Friends.” The contents
of all 65 episodes, including positive identification of all Hip
Clips, will be listed in the programs’ proper running order.
Computer colorized Looney Tunes will be noted as well.
(3) The third file is a work in progress — an “Of Mice And
Magic”-type filmography of theatrical cartoons produced by the
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises from 1964-1978. I don’t believe
anyone’s ever compiled such a list. The reason it’s “in progress”
is that I’m missing some names of directors. If anyone can help
with director credits for shorts in the Blue Racer and Dogfather
series, it would really be appreciated. All the other series —
Pink Panther, Inspector, Ant & Aardvark, Tijuana Toads, Roland
And Rattfink, and Hoot Kloot — are pretty much completely
tallied.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1779, from hmccracken, 319 chars, Sat Feb 23 19:38:29 1991
This is a comment to message 1778.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Dave, I believe that Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald serialized such
a guide to Depatie-Freleng cartoons in the old animation fanzine
_Mindrot_ (AKA _Animania_) around the time that _Of Mice
and Magic_ was published. Of course, almost no one has those
old magazines, so your list would still be very useful…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1780, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Sat Feb 23 23:06:18 1991
————————–
TITLE: The current issue of _Collector’s Showcase_ magazine has
a long, very well-illustrated article on collecting original animation
art, focusing on the collection of New York restaurant owner
Peter Merolo. The interesting article is by comics collector and
publisher Russ Cochran.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1781, from davemackey, 375 chars, Sun Feb 24 08:35:09 1991
This is a comment to message 1779.
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Leave it to Jerry and Will to do it first (and possibly better).
Nevertheless, I’ll still upload my list, since I cannot to this
day understand the omission of the studio from Maltin’s book
(except for a passing mention). They competed with many of the
other studios that were still around when they opened, and
outlasted all of them.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1782, from hmccracken, 191 chars, Sun Feb 24 10:50:34 1991
This is a comment to message 1781.
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I guess Maltin didn’t consider D-P to be a classic Hollywood theatrical
animation studio. Neither was Hanna-Barbera, and its few theatrical
cartoon shorts didn’t get listed either.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #1783, from davemackey, 838 chars, Mon Feb 25 19:07:05 1991
This is a comment to message 1692.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Further research has turned up two other Jan and Dean songs which
took inspiration from characters Mel Blanc played on “The Jack
Benny Show.” “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena” took its cue
from Blanc’s slimy car dealer, who claimed that his car was only
driven on Sundays by the title character; in Jan and Dean’s song,
she drives a super stock Dodge. It became one of their biggest
hits, topping out at #3 on the Billboard charts.
There was an unsuccessful followup, nearly forgotten but
unearthed while leafing through a volume of Billboard charts: the
train conductor Blanc played and the destinations made famous by
him gave rise to “The Anaheim, Asuza and Cucamonga Sewing Circle,
Book Review and Timing Association.” I don’t even want to think
about what that would have sounded like.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1784, from davemackey, 598 chars, Mon Feb 25 19:07:23 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The DePatie Family
I recently read that the father of cartoon producer David H.
DePatie, Edmond DePatie, was involved with animation in some way.
It wasn’t indicated as to how, and I am wondering if anyone here
knows. From Jerry Beck’s interview with Freleng and other
readings, I know that Edmond gave Dave and Friz lots of sage
advice on how to run a studio.
The two sons of David DePatie have extended the family
business into the third generation: David Jr. (film editor) and
Steve (musical director) both worked at dad’s studio in the 70’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1785, from hmccracken, 208 chars, Mon Feb 25 19:38:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1783.
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I have a tape of “The Anaheim, Asuza, and Cucamonga Sewing Circle,
Book Review and Timing Association.” It sounds about what you
would expect a song by Jan and Dean with that title to sound like.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1786, from hmccracken, 129 chars, Mon Feb 25 19:39:04 1991
This is a comment to message 1784.
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————————–
Edmond DePatie was, I believe, some kind of bigwig at the Warner
Bros. studio. Just what sort of Bigwig I don’t know.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1787, from hmccracken, 184 chars, Mon Feb 25 23:01:21 1991
This is a comment to message 1638.
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————————–
BTW, I finally found out when that _Fantasia_ show at the
Museum of Cartoon Art will be: March 10th through June 16th…
Plenty of time, so nobody has any excuse to miss it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1788, from davemackey, 682 chars, Tue Feb 26 19:14:50 1991
This is a comment to message 1786.
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Obviously, the size Bigwig that could find a job for his son!
“Son, I got ya a do-nothing job producing Bugs Bunny cartoons!”
I think by the time Dave DePatie became producer for Warner
Bros. Cartoon Division, the directors were more or less given
carte blanche to do their own thing. Which wasn’t too different
than under the Schlesinger or Selzer regimes, since the directors
were notorious for either ignoring or inverting their superiors’
advice (and their judgment was correct in most cases.) But I
think it was made a little more official since DePatie and his
interim predecessor John Burton were given Executive Producer
status.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1789, from davemackey, 140 chars, Tue Feb 26 20:19:38 1991
This is a comment to message 1787.
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Well, at least they won’t pull up stakes and go to Boca Raton any
time soon. Looking forward to it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1790, from mscoville, 444 chars, Tue Feb 26 22:19:44 1991
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————————–
TITLE: Mai, the Psychic Girl
Carolco Pictures signed Tim Burton to develop and direct a feature film based
on the Japanese comic series “Mai”.The movie will have to wait until the
finish of Batman II, which Burton is currently working on.
The Mai project has a script written by Larry Wilson and Caroline Thompson. The story is about Mai (who has psychic pow
ers) being abducted by someone who
wants to exploit her natural gifts.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1791, from mscoville, 408 chars, Tue Feb 26 22:23:45 1991
————————–
TITLE: Arsenio Hall
It seems that ABC and Arsenio Hall have entered into agreement for a half-
hour series based on Arsenio’s “Chunkie A” character. The series, which will
be from Paramount will have Hall as the Evecutive Producer. Marvel Productions
will be doing the animation chores. The series is tentatively called ”
“CLeveland’s City Limits.” Production note: Greg Antonacci is the producer.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1792, from rjenks, 106 chars, Wed Feb 27 01:40:04 1991
This is a comment to message 1790.
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I heard that something of that sort about a year ago and that it was already
in the works.
-Robert Jenks
==========================
animation/main #1793, from davemackey, 876 chars, Fri Mar 1 19:06:00 1991
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TITLE: Jack is back
About a year ago we told you that one of the all time great
children’s show hosts in New York City, Captain Jack McCarthy,
was stepping down from his post as host of the televised coverage
of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade due to the politics surrounding
the event.
Well, there were some concessions made that have enabled
Jack to return this year as parade host; last year’s coverage was
hosted by Ed Herlihy and Andrea McArdle (a fine Irish colleen).
To recap for those joining us in progress, Captain Jack
McCarthy was for many years host of Popeye cartoons on WPIX in
New York (the station that has broacast the parade for the last
150 years or so), working alongside Officer Joe and Beachcomber
Bill.
So Captain Jack will once more get you through the night…
take you to your special Ireland….
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1794, from davemackey, 782 chars, Sun Mar 3 00:14:34 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: That’s show business
The “Show Business” column written by Mark Evanier for his
“Hollywood Superstars” #5 comic book (which, by the way, is the
last issue) concerns working relationships he had with animation
voices Mel Blanc, Bill Scott and Daws Butler.
While space (and copyright laws) don’t permit me to
reprint the whole thing, let me just pass along this passage
about Blanc and his successors that crystallizes the sentiments
of many here: “The great skill of Mel Blanc was as an actor: It
is one thing to affect a funny voice, quite another to mold a
coherent, believable characterization with it and to wring every
drop of humor out of every line…. being able to replicate Daffy
Duck’s voice doesn’t make you Mel Blanc.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1795, from hmccracken, 339 chars, Sun Mar 3 12:23:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1794.
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Right…In the interview Jeff Bergman did with Larry King that I mentioned
a week or so ago, someone called and asked why Bergman wasn’t the new voice
of Kermit the Frog. Bergman said that that was an interesting story: he
wanted to do it, but Henson Associates wasn’t interested in his services.
He couldn’t figure out why…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1796, from davemackey, 872 chars, Mon Mar 4 19:08:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1795.
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Evanier wasn’t careful to mention any of the successors
by name, merely because he may wind up working with them
someday on “Garfield” or some other animated project he’s
associated with.
Anyway, to get back to the piece, the stories about Bill
Scott and Daws Butler took up a great deal more of the essay and
are not to be ignored either, particularly the night that Scott
died and Evanier successfully depressed half the comics at The
Comedy Store by telling them.
I’ve made no secret about being a big M.E. fan because of
his interest in the weird world of show business and his long,
rambling text pages, and any book he’ll write those text pages
for will find a home on my reading list.
And to reiterate a long standing wish: Evanier’s gotta get a
BIX account. He’s too good to be wasting his money over on CI$.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1797, from hmccracken, 120 chars, Mon Mar 4 20:09:50 1991
This is a comment to message 1796.
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We really ought to get Evanier over here — he’s one of the few
things I miss since I dropped my CIS account.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1798, from hmccracken, 1081 chars, Mon Mar 4 20:15:13 1991
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TITLE: Natwick Birthday Tape
Just got through watching a videotape of Grim Natwick’s 100th birthday
party last year that will be available soon from Bosko Video. It’s
great — Chuck Jones, Walt Lantz, Mae Questel, and Marc Davis speak,
followed by Grim, who is/was at least as sharp and funny as any of them.
There were 505 people present, including the abovementioned, Art Babbit,
Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Art Davis, Irv Spence, Ward Kimball, and
many other great names. Shamus Culhane says that Natwick’s death shortly
thereafter was probably caused by the excitement of the party, and the
tape shows that it was such a wonderful event that it wasn’t a bad way
to go.
Two fascinating facts from the tape: Chuck Jones points out that
Ub Iwerks’s last name, spelled backwards and pronounced phonetically,
described the man rather well. And Natwick himself notes that when he
got into animation in 1918 at the Hearst Studios, one of the people there
who taught him was Walter Lantz — who was already an established animator
and who is alive and well at ninety!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1799, from davemackey, 637 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:05:26 1991
This is a comment to message 1798.
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That sounds fascinating! Since Doug in his catalogue
handles most of the Bosko tapes, I can assume this one will
be available through the Whole Toon Catalogue. How’s the quality
of the video? Is it closer to camcorder or pro-quality?
I would assume that not all of the 505 people at the party
were in the animation business, but those names you mentioned
constitute a hefty roster on any dais.
And I find it a little amusing that Natwick, a late bloomer
at 28, was being tutored by the whizkid Lantz, ten years his
junior, in the techniques of animation. Obviously, Grim paid
attention.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1800, from hmccracken, 175 chars, Mon Mar 4 23:23:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1799.
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The taping is not especially good, but it gets the job done. What I
have seen is the rough footage which will probably be cleaned up
a bit for commercial release.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1801, from davemackey, 1194 chars, Thu Mar 7 19:12:02 1991
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TITLE: The origin of “Baba Booey”
We’ve made mention of voice talent Billy West from time to time
in the conference, noting his affiliation with radio/TV
personality Howard Stern. But he’s not the only cartoon fan
working on the radio show heard daily in three cities and the
hour TV show on superstation WWOR and bound for syndication.
Gary Dell’Abate, who’s Stern’s right-hand man, has a
collection of limited-edition cels, including one of
Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looie, whom Dell’Abate called “Baba
Booey.” Repeating for Stern, he said, “Baba Booey… Baba Booey.”
This brief piece of audio has become a staple of both the radio
and TV shows, with Baba Booey slowly replacing Boy Gary as the
producer’s nickname.
This morning on the radio show, Dell’Abate revealed he’s
been listening to “The Carl Stalling Project” album. When it was
explained to Stern that it’s music from Bugs Bunny cartoons,
Howard went into his Gary imitation to mock him, explaining “It’s
like classical music but you hear the music and you connect it to
the cartoon events!” Whether he knew it or not, Howard figured
out why the Stalling album is such a success.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1802, from hmccracken, 1244 chars, Fri Mar 8 20:39:00 1991
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TITLE: Museum of Cartoon Art Theft
Five pieces of artwork were stolen last Sunday from a workroom at the
Museum of Cartoon Art, where the Museum’s upcoming _Fantasia_
show was being prepared. The stolen art included three exquisite pieces
of Mickey Mouse from the _Sorcerer’s Apprentice_ segment and two
other pieces of at least somewhat lesser interest. The stolen pieces were
valued by their owner, Mike Glad, at somewhere in the low six-figure
range.
Mike Glad is offering a $5,000 reward, no questions asked, for the art’s
return. If anybody here might find more detailed information on the
stolen pieces or phone numbers for Mike or the Museum useful (not
because you stole the pieces — 🙂 — but in case the pieces turn up in
the marketplace — please ask me and I’ll provide the information. Mike
and Jeanne Glad, by the way, have a fantastic collection of animation
art which they enthusiastically make public through exhibits such as
this one, loans of art to books and magazines (like mine), and other
means. So I take this theft personally, and so should you if you’re an
animation fan.
The _Fantasia_ exhibit, by the way, will continue as planned, with
reproductions of the stolen art in place of the originals.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1803, from hmccracken, 463 chars, Sat Mar 9 11:48:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1737.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Update on the Warner’s TV specials: Jeff Bergman *will* be voicing for
them, though as I say word is that they don’t want anybody out there
claiming to be *the* voice of the Warner’s characters, as Bergman does
(and as he should be). The plot of the first special has Bugs Bunny
on trial on Mars for crimes against humanity (er, martiananity?); the
evidence brought against him is in the form of clips from outer space-
related Warner Bros. cartoons.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1804, from sharonfisher, 260 chars, Sat Mar 9 19:59:45 1991
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TITLE: Rocky & Bullwinkle
I know that somebody around here was talking about the famous “Kerwood
Derby” episode of Rocky & Bullwinkle, but I can’t find it. Anyway, I
just wanted to say that I saw a bootleg copy of it last night. So what
was Kirby’s problem?
==========================
animation/main #1805, from davemackey, 197 chars, Sun Mar 10 15:43:37 1991
This is a comment to message 1803.
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Well, that sounds like an original framing device, and it should
get the job done. They’ve got more than enough cartoons with Bugs
and the Martian to do it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1806, from davemackey, 202 chars, Sun Mar 10 15:43:49 1991
This is a comment to message 1804.
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Apparently, Durward Kirby (who generations today have no idea who
he was — he was the original co-host of “Candid Camera” with
Allen Funt) couldn’t take a joke.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1807, from bsoron, 985 chars, Sun Mar 10 19:36:04 1991
This is a comment to message 1806.
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Incidentally, the newsletter published by the mall chain Record Town
to promote new video releases has a one-page article on Bullwinkle,
which has a few interesting tidbits that I’d never heard before,
including “‘The Stupor Bowl,’ which was a spoof on the Super Bowl. CBS
paid for the script but never allowed it to be produced because TV
executives feared it would offend the NFL due to the portrayal of some
seedy characters who were dangerously similar to certain NFL owners.”
One item is wrong, though: “In one particularly controversial show,
Boris plans to destroy the world’s economy by counterfeiting cereal
box tops. General Mills, the show’s sponsor, was furious because they
used box top offers on their cereal boxes. Once they found out what
the show was satirizing, they forced an immediate end, cutting the
storyline short. ‘Box Top Robbery’ has never been seen since.” I
don’t know about cutting the storyline short, but I taped it off WGN
back around ’83, ’84.
==========================
animation/main #1808, from hmccracken, 401 chars, Sun Mar 10 20:08:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1807.
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————————–
Legend has it that _The Stupor Bowl_ was actually completed and may
have aired on a local station or two (the special was going to be
a comeback, BTW; it was worked on fairly recently, within the last
ten years or so). Ward also produced several failed pilots after
his last network show (_George of the Jungle_) left the air,
including _Fang the Wonder Dog_ and _Hawkear, Frontier Scout_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1809, from davemackey, 223 chars, Mon Mar 11 01:49:40 1991
This is a comment to message 1807.
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“Stupor Bowl” was eventually shown a few years ago as a
syndicated special called “The Super Bowlwinkle Show.” It may
have been the first time that episode ever saw the light of day.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1810, from hmccracken, 163 chars, Mon Mar 11 03:23:33 1991
This is a comment to message 1809.
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Did you see it? Was it any good? Was it really done pretty recently?
I’d love to see it. I’m told that Ward’s later pilots were not
especially good.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1811, from davemackey, 156 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:05:35 1991
This is a comment to message 1787.
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I wonder how the opening of this show went, given the fact that
some of the pieces were missing due to the robbery.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1812, from davemackey, 864 chars, Mon Mar 11 19:05:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1707.
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Among the many interesting things I discovered at the Cinefest
this weekend in Syracuse, New York, was one of those little
tobacco trading cards of various film stars, which featured
Rochelle Hudson, a radio actress who also provided the voice of
Honey in the earliest Warner Bros. cartoons. It mentioned that
she was born in 1914 and came to Hollywood in 1930 at the age of
16. That’s quite an interesting fact, that the voice of Honey was
done by a teenager.
Though the dealer’s room was admittedly slow, I did pick up
some nice 16mm cartoons for my collection including an absolutely
gorgeous print of “A Bird In A Bonnet” with full titles and
credits (the cartoon has run on the network show for many years
and is rarely seen with the bullseye open/close) for only $18 —
a really good price for a 16mm WB cartoon.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1813, from hmccracken, 240 chars, Mon Mar 11 20:36:34 1991
This is a comment to message 1811.
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According to Mike Glad (who wasn’t there, but heard reports from
the scene) the opening went very well and was one of the biggest
in the Museum’s history. In a perverse way the publicity of the
theft might have helped attendance.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1814, from davemackey, 222 chars, Mon Mar 11 20:51:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1810.
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Yes, I saw it, but I didn’t roll tape and wasn’t aware of the
historical significance of the show — I didn’t know that it was
a “lost episode.”
This ran about 1984-1986 or so.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1815, from davemackey, 123 chars, Mon Mar 11 20:51:37 1991
This is a comment to message 1812.
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Whoops! This message was not a comment to 1707; it is a Say
rather than a Comment.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1816, from davemackey, 754 chars, Mon Mar 11 20:52:17 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Real people in WB cartoons
Everyone knows the in-joke in the opening scene of the WB cartoon
“Fish and Slips”: a news story about a fisherman identified as
Mr. Treg Brown.
Upon close examination of the cartoon, I am almost seven
hundred percent certain that that’s an actual photograph of WB’s
genius of sound effects posing with that record-breaking
shark-nosed tralfaz. There have been many instances of
caricatures of the WB staff getting into the cartoons; this is
one of a scant few times a picture of one appeared.
The others? The gag ending to “Ride Him Bosko” and the
live action film of Leon Schlesinger, Henry Binder, Gerry
Chiniquy and Michael Maltese in “You Ought To Be In Pictures.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1817, from davemackey, 470 chars, Mon Mar 11 23:18:40 1991
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TITLE: Woody tapes
Here are the contents of the two soon-to-be-released Woody
Woodpecker 50th anniversary videocassettes.
(1) “Woody Woodpecker,” “Banquet Busters,” “The Redwood
Sap,” and “Born To Peck.”
(2) “The Coo-Coo Bird,” “Well Oiled,” “Ace In The Hole,” and
“Arts and Flowers.”
The three previous volumes of Walter Lantz animation videos
will be reissued as well, and all these tapes should sell for
$14.95.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1818, from richard.pini, 684 chars, Tue Mar 12 10:34:27 1991
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TITLE: Cel Restoratopnion
I’ve just discovered that Janet Scagnelli, the person who runs Chelsea
Animation in NYC (this is the studio that does the coloring for the Elfquest
color volumes) has a very interesting sideline – she does cel restoration.
And is apparently one of very few people in the country who do so. When I
was down there on other business, I happened to glance over at a nice cel
of Tinkerbell. My eyebrows went up with a click, and she said that she’d been
doing that work for a while now. Took me over to a well-locked file and
showed me a bunch of Very Nice Stuff. I told her it was good that she could
restore those cels, as they now had my drool all over them.
==========================
animation/main #1819, from hmccracken, 290 chars, Tue Mar 12 18:14:00 1991
This is a comment to message 1818.
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Other cel restorers include S/R Labs and Vintage Ink and Paint in the
L.A. area. The latter has gone so far as to purchase some ancient
paint-making equipment from the Disney studios (who for many years
formulated their own paints) in order to match paint on old cels
*exactly*.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1820, from davemackey, 597 chars, Wed Mar 13 19:05:59 1991
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TITLE: Can cartoons be designated National Treasures
It was explained in this week’s “TV Guide” that fifty motion
pictures (including “The Wizard Of Oz” running on CBS next week)
have been federally designated National Treasures, and that it is
unlawful to edit or alter them in any way, shape or form.
This would stop the slicing and dicing and of Bugs Bunny and
friends once and for all if someday, the Warner Bros. cartoons as
a body of work were to be so designated. Anyone else know
anything about this designation and how works can be nominated?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1821, from hmccracken, 192 chars, Wed Mar 13 21:50:48 1991
This is a comment to message 1820.
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Well, _Snow White_ already is one of the lucky fifty. I believe the
National Treasures law has no real legal power — just a sop for
Woody Allen and the other anti-Colorizationists.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1822, from bsoron, 77 chars, Thu Mar 14 01:27:13 1991
This is a comment to message 1820.
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Wouldn’t this prevent networks from showing the movies with
commercials?
==========================
animation/main #1823, from davemackey, 428 chars, Thu Mar 14 21:37:52 1991
This is a comment to message 1822.
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Good Question — commercial interruptions do disrupt the flow of
any film. But I hadn’t heard anything about CBS airing the thing
with no commercials. By law, their stations have to identify
themselves at one point or another.
But by virtue of a television showing, which changes the
aspect ratio, couldn’t you consider that an alteration? I think
the rules here are a little vague.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1824, from bsoron, 194 chars, Thu Mar 14 21:59:52 1991
This is a comment to message 1823.
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I think all these issues may confirm Harry’s note that being on
this list confers no legal status, just an honor. I have my own
problems with some of the films on the list, of course… 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1825, from hmccracken, 963 chars, Sat Mar 16 17:07:03 1991
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TITLE: _Cartoon Animation: Introduction to a Career_ is a new
book by Milton Gray that does what its title suggests it does very
well. (Old-time animation fans like me will remember Gray and
hold him in high esteem for his role as associate editor of
_Funnyworld_ magazine.) The book covers a lot of ground, from
drawing tips to historical information to a table of union wages
for animation artists that makes me wonder if I’m in the wrong
business (although not all studios are union shops and I believe
some pay far below union wages). One especially-nice feature is
a flip-book that, instead of taking up a tiny bit of the corner
like most flip-books do, takes up a whole half-page of each spread
and is accompanied by an exposure sheet and comments.
The book is published by Lion’s Den Publications (Gray’s own company)
and retails for $12.95. I don’t know how widely it’s available, but
there is an 800 number for ordering: 1-800-525-8933.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1826, from hkenner, 502 chars, Sat Mar 16 20:24:41 1991
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TITLE: The BFG
Not sure if this belongs here or in boob.tube. Two hours to kill in
Portland (OR), and chanced to light on “The BFG” [Big Friendly Giant]
on the Disney Channel. Based on a Raold Dahl novel. Dated 1989.
Credited to Cosgrove Hall Productions (UK). 90 minutes of full ani-
mation, very high quality, with interesting range from frank rotoscoping
up to fantasy sequences with good Special FX. Story, after some early
wobbles, even held together. Anybody know about Cosgrove Hall?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #1828, from hmccracken, 409 chars, Sat Mar 16 23:40:05 1991
This is a comment to message 1826.
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Cosgrove Hall is best known, in this country, at least, for its
very good puppet animation TV series based on _The Wind in the
Willows_, which at one time was a Disney Channel staple. I’d
heard that they had done a movie based on _The BFG_, but
haven’t seen it yet.
If I had two hours to kill in Portland, I’d have no trouble finding
things to do — I grew up ther. Haven’t been back since ’74.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1829, from hkenner, 100 chars, Sun Mar 17 01:41:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1828.
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BFG *highly* recommended. Was on Disney Channel twice so far this
month (6th / 16th). Stay tuned.
==========================
animation/main #1830, from davemackey, 195 chars, Sun Mar 17 04:39:41 1991
This is a comment to message 1825.
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Is this the same Milton Gray who’s been a director for Marvel
Productions for a number of years and has also recently directed
episodes of “The Simpsons”?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1831, from hmccracken, 16 chars, Sun Mar 17 09:15:53 1991
This is a comment to message 1830.
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Yup.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1832, from davemackey, 913 chars, Sun Mar 17 19:19:48 1991
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TITLE: A Leonard Maltin tidbit
Leonard Maltin once wrote in the introduction to his annual
paperback extravaganza “TV Movies” that “it’s foolish to cling to
old opinions and refuse to see a film in a brand new light.”
He obviously practices what he preaches. In the “Bugs Bunny
Magazine” of last year, he names his ten favorite Bugs Bunny
cartoons: “What’s Cookin’ Doc?”, “Rabbit Of Seville,” “Tortoise
Wins By A Hare,” “Slick Hare,” “Little Red Riding Rabbit,”
“Wabbit Twouble,” “Old Grey Hare,” “Bugs Bunny Rides Again,”
“Rabbit Seasoning,” and “What’s Opera, Doc?”.
A past Maltin favorite is “Hare Brush,” which he discussed
at length in an article for “Nostalgia Illustrated” in the early
70’s and in “Of Mice and Magic.” We don’t know if it would have
been the 11th or 111th on Maltin’s list, but his enthusiasm for
the cartoon has probably waned over time.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1833, from davemackey, 806 chars, Sun Mar 17 19:20:09 1991
This is a comment to message 1828.
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I would certainly challenge that: Cosgrove-Hall is probably
best-known over here (and anywhere for that matter) for
“Dangermouse.” “DM”‘s slipped off the air in the past few years
but its successor series “Count Duckula” is still airing on
Nickelodeon, for whom the series was created.
Tangentially, you might also know Portland, OR is also the
home of the fictional characters Henry Huggins and Ramona and
Beezus Quimby, and the real character Beverly Cleary, who’s
written a score of books featuring them for the last 41 years.
Those are characters I always felt would work well in animation,
but they went ahead and did that live-action “Ramona” series a
few years ago — that killed that idea. (But some of her other
works have been adapted for animation.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1834, from davemackey, 453 chars, Sun Mar 17 19:20:24 1991
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TITLE: Not too late for St. Pattie’s Day cartoons!
For your St. Patrick’s day viewing pleasure: “The Wearin’ Of The
Grin” (WB, 1950), “Droopy Leprechaun” (MGM, 1957), “The Emerald
Isle” (Famous, 1949), “Spooking With A Brogue” (Famous, 1955),
and “His Better Elf” (Lantz, 1958)
More obscure cartoons: “Irish Stew” (Terrytoons, 1930), “Good Old
Irish Tunes” (Terrytoons, 1941), “We The Animals Squeak” (WB,
1941)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1835, from hmccracken, 443 chars, Sun Mar 17 19:24:43 1991
This is a comment to message 1833.
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Fair enough; Dangermouse and Count Duckula are better-known then
the _The Wind in the Willows_ films. }iBut _TWITW_ is a lot better.
Beverly Cleary’s books — at least the ones I’ve read, which is
all of them up to 1975 or so — are an incredibly accurate evocation
of a Portland childhood. I’ve often wondered if the school that
Henry Huggins attended was modeled on one of the ones I went to as
a kid — they were that similar.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1836, from davemackey, 500 chars, Sun Mar 17 23:23:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1835.
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“DM” came out during my lull in animation interest, so I don’t
really remember that much about it, but I liked what little I saw
of it.
I don’t quite remember Cleary’s biographical information but
I think she may have worked in the school system in Portland
before she began writing. She recently had a piece in “Wigwag,”
in fact, one of those Bedtime Stories. (I wonder if my failure to
renew killed “Wigwag.” But I don’t stay up nights wondering
that.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1837, from mscoville, 1015 chars, Tue Mar 19 02:03:49 1991
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TITLE: Howard Ashman
It is with regret that I report the death of Howard Ashman. He passed away at
the age of 40. According to reports he died March 14th of AIDS. He is known
for his collaboration with his long time associate Alan Menken on Disney’s
The Little Mermaid. They have both just finished the work on Beauty and The
Beast and Aladdin which is being done by Disney. It is ashame that just a
few weeks before they were honored with two grammy awards at this years
ceremonies for their work on Mermaid. They also received two Golden Globe
awards for the same movie. He was also responsible for the off Broadway hit
Little Shop of Horrors which he directed as well as writing the book and lyrics
for the show. It was the third highest grossing show off Broadway. According to
bio notes: He was born in Baltimore, MD and studied at Goddard College and
Boston Univ. He received a masters degree from Indiana Univ. Prior to writing
plays he worked for Grossett and Dunlap as an editor.
He will be missed…
==========================
animation/main #1838, from hmccracken, 49 chars, Tue Mar 19 18:35:36 1991
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That’s sad. He will indeed be missed.
— Harry
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animation/main #1839, from davemackey, 173 chars, Tue Mar 19 19:09:56 1991
This is a comment to message 1837.
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He certainly had a gift for putting words together: his
more fanciful songs in “The Little Mermaid” really played with
the language.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1840, from hmccracken, 1193 chars, Tue Mar 19 23:15:12 1991
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TITLE: Warner Bros. Artists: Dead or Alive?
The current issue of _Animation_ magazine (not, I hope, to be confused
with my own _Animato_) prints a letter from a reader inquiring about
whether a bunch of Warner Bros. Cartoons employees — Phil DeGuard,
Mike Maltese, Ken Harris, Abe Levitow, Richard Thompson, Ben Washam,
Phil Monroe, Lloyd Vaughn (sic), Charles Thorson, and Arthur Q. Bryon
(sic). The magazine replies that none of the above are in their
subscription files, that Warner Bros. says that Maltese, Levitow, and
Washam “are all believed deceased,” and that “Bryon” died in the 1950s.
The rest they don’t know about.
Now, I’m not suggesting that the editors of the leading (in circulation,
at least) magazine on animated films should know this information off
the top of their heads. There are a couple on the above list that I’m
not sure about. (Whoops, just noticed that _Animation_ reports that
Warner Bros. says that Richard Thompson is alive.) But you’d think
they’d know a few more people to ask before they printed their response
in the magazine.
Just for fun, I’ll throw the question out here: anybody know which of
the above gentleman are still with us?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1841, from davemackey, 338 chars, Wed Mar 20 20:58:27 1991
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TITLE: Disney settles with Peggy Lee
Yes, folks, it seems that the Walt Disney Studios have aggreed to
settle that lawsuit that Peggy Lee filed, claiming she’s due
royalties for videocassette sales of “Lady And The Tramp” for
which she did voices.
I should have more details on this later on.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1842, from davemackey, 347 chars, Wed Mar 20 20:58:41 1991
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TITLE: Vance Colvig
Vance Colvig passed away (cancer) on March 4 at the age of 72. He
was a radio writer and actor, but most people on this conference
would probably remember him as the voice of Yakky Doodle’s dog
friend Chopper.
I don’t know for sure, but Vance may have been related to
Pinto Colvig.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1843, from hmccracken, 189 chars, Wed Mar 20 21:05:58 1991
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I am not 100% positive, but I believe Vance was Pinto’s son. He also
had a live-action career and appeared in an episode of Steven Spielberg’s
_Amazing Stories_ a few years ago.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1844, from davemackey, 452 chars, Wed Mar 20 21:42:31 1991
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This looks like a job for Ani-Man!
Most of them have gone to that great light table in the sky.
Going somewhat in order: DeGuard died in 1982, Maltese in 1981,
Harris in 1982, Levitow is deceased (you told me) but I don’t
know when, Thompson is still with us, Washam left us in the
mid-80’s, Monroe and Vaughan about 1988, Thorson I don’t know but
probably is no longer among the living, and Bryan in 1959.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1845, from hmccracken, 279 chars, Wed Mar 20 22:16:13 1991
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That’s the same information I have. Levitow died in the late 1970s or
early 1980s. Thorson could still be alive, but hasn’t done anything
in animation in a long time so far as I know (he had other art
interests — I have a children’s book he wrote and illustrated).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1846, from drtoon, 356 chars, Wed Mar 20 22:53:29 1991
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TITLE: Beany & Cecil
Information Please: Does anyone know the Beany & Cecil series well enough
to remember a character called Chester The Frog? He was a caricature of
Chester from Gunsmoke. A customer has asked for all episodes in which
Chester appeared. One episode may possibly be *Beany’s Buffalo Hunt*. Any
further info will be most appreciated.
-Doug
==========================
animation/main #1847, from davemackey, 166 chars, Thu Mar 21 04:28:55 1991
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The amount of the settlement was $4 million. She had only been paid
about $3500 for not only voices but writing a few tunes.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1848, from sje, 264 chars, Thu Mar 21 19:25:56 1991
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I heard that the settlement was $2 million. Perhaps the lawyers took
half of an original $4 million.
There was also some news a few months back about a similar suit by
another actress for work done in _Cinderella_. Perhaps this was settled
quietly. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1849, from hmccracken, 242 chars, Thu Mar 21 21:02:13 1991
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The _Wall Street Journal_ had a long article on the suit and said
2-point-something was the settlement figure. But then they also
said the Ilene Woods voiced Snow White (She didn’t; I think she
did Cinderella, as you allude to).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1850, from hmccracken, 223 chars, Thu Mar 21 21:03:16 1991
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Gee, I don’t rememver Chester popping up in any of the (relatively
few) episodes I’ve seen in recent years. However, I believe I have
a guide to at least some of the tapes hanging around, which I will
consult…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1851, from davemackey, 316 chars, Thu Mar 21 21:05:00 1991
This is a comment to message 1846.
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The only character I cam remember that even reminded me of
Chester was Clopalong Catskill. He was a frog who limped like
Chester but sang in a very pronounced Yiddish accent.
I don’t have all the B&C tapes so I can’t give you an
all-encompassing list of his appearances.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1852, from davemackey, 398 chars, Thu Mar 21 21:05:16 1991
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If Pinto’s real name was Vance, then you’re on the money: the man
who just died was Vance Colvig, Jr.
But I don’t know if Pinto was old enough to sire a son in
1919.
I hope when Cawley and Korkis come out with their massive
book of animation personnel, guessing games like this (and the
one about the Warner animators) will be a thing of the past.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1853, from hmccracken, 392 chars, Fri Mar 22 01:37:14 1991
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Pinto probably was old enough to be Vance’s dad; he died in 1969 or
thereabouts, and not prematurely. He had been a circus clown before
he entered animation, too, so he was well into adulthood by the
early 1930s. The book you refer to is by John Cawley alone, and
at last report he was considering postponing its publication until
next year, due to the press of other projects.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1854, from davemackey, 358 chars, Fri Mar 22 18:42:47 1991
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Whatever the settlement was (I think it was actually about $3.8
million), it’s nowhere near the $72 million that Lee was asking.
It’s been a fact that Lee has not been well in recent years,
so perhaps Disney threw her some money so she could live
comfortably in what little time she has left, from some accounts.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1855, from hmccracken, 563 chars, Sat Mar 23 09:52:36 1991
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Was this an out-of-court settlement or was she awarded the money by
the judge? I thought the latter was the case, and the current Disney
folks are notoriously skinflinty. Also, any willing move on their
part to pay the money might open the floodgates and cause everybody
who ever did a cartoon voice to sue for royalties. From what I
know of the case Lee had quite a legitimate-sounding case to get more
money — her contract specified that she would be paid for “transcriptions”
of er work, and the question was exactly what a “transcription” was.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1856, from davemackey, 567 chars, Sat Mar 23 19:21:11 1991
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I think it was the judge’s decision. I haven’t seen any articles
in print on the verdict, but will probably have something more
concrete by the middle of next week (when I get my trade
papers).
Lee filed on behalf of several other voice artists who had
similar contracts, as well as herself. Disney’s contention was
that the animated characters are the stars of their films, not
the people who provided their voices. (But you know and I know
that this so-called “Disney Magic” doesn’t just happen. People
make it happen.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1857, from davemackey, 1172 chars, Sun Mar 24 09:08:05 1991
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I found an AP article about the settlement and its side effects.
The facts are that a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded
Peggy Lee $3.83 million. She sued for breach of contract,
unauthorized use of her voice, and unjust enrichment.
Here’s the fallout: Mary Costa, voice of Sleeping Beauty, is
now going to sue for $2 million, and her attorneys list 22 other
voice performers who may be entitled to additional compensation.
A similar suit for $20 million was filed by Ilene Woods, voice of
Cinderella. (By contrast, Adriana Caselotti, voice of Snow White,
isn’t going to sue.)
The Associated Press quoted June Foray, voice of Bullwinkle
Moose (that’s what they said, and if you see it in an AP
dispatch, it must be true… right?), as saying “she has set a
precedent and I’m delighted about it. This will open up a can of
worms.” Don Messick added, “She made important headway and it
does filter down to us on the lower rungs.”
Disney’s VP/counsel, Ed Nowak, doesn’t think that even
if the ruling were upheld, there will be that much of a side
effect, since few voice talent contracts are similar to Lee’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1858, from sje, 1212 chars, Sun Mar 24 09:35:12 1991
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Thanks for the information. While I can understand that few could
have foreseen home video as it is today from forty years ago, I don’t see
why it has taken the various voice talents this long to file suit. I would
think that the fact that the defendants waited so long to seek redress would
mitigate against any deciding that any injuries were that serious. The
megabuck awards are clearly excessive and I would hope that they be
reduced (but not reversed upon appeal).
I can’t help but think that the reason that Disney is getting
shafted with these high awards is because of recent public and non-public
evidence (the leaked Katzenberg memo) that “the Company’s only real interest
is the [immediate] bottom-line; all else is secondary”. Another problem
is their tendency not to credit the various talents (voice and art) with the
detail that such talents deserve.
Clearly, Mike Eisner as president has had a great record in helping
the company to make a lot of money and to recover from problems it had in
the 1970s. It is also clear that what the company could really use is
someone with a flair for showmanship and a solid view on the future that
hasn’t been seen since Walt’s passing. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1859, from hmccracken, 975 chars, Sun Mar 24 13:38:10 1991
This is a comment to message 1858.
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Well said, Steve. Eisner & company have a real talent for pushing
ideas (the theme parks, the Disney stores, Disney TV animation) to
their natural limits. They also have done well with some business
areas that the previous Disney regime chose not to get into —
R rated movies, TV animation, etc. They are fabulous marketers, but
not visionaries or nurturers of art, as Walt was at various points
in his career.
If I was a Disney stockholder, I’d be *very* happy; as a fan of
Disney animation (and to a lesser extent, the theme parks) my
feelings are mixed. I congratulate Disney for managing to bring
out a respectable animated feature once every year, something even
Walt was only able to do rarely. And I think Disney-MGM Studios is
terrific. But I’m less than happy with the overcommercialization
of the Disney characters, the hours of mediocre TV cartoons, and
perhaps more than anything the seeming insincerity in a lot of the
things they say and do.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1860, from hmccracken, 486 chars, Sun Mar 24 13:40:45 1991
This is a comment to message 1857.
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I think people are happy about the results partially because Disney
has such a bad reputation for bullying, underpaying, and generally
mistreating creative people, Dave. The impression people seem to
get is that Disney acts that way because they can; Lee’s successful
lawsuit is evidence that maybe they can’t always act that way. Of
course, four million bucks is peanuts to a big company and probably
won’t force them to realize the error of their ways, but it’s a
start.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1861, from davemackey, 140 chars, Mon Mar 25 21:57:26 1991
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TITLE: The Winner Is…
The Best Animated Short Film Oscar has just been awarded to “Creature
Comforts.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1862, from davemackey, 329 chars, Mon Mar 25 22:06:24 1991
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TITLE: Woody at the Oscars
Woody Woodpecker presented the Best Animated Short award, and it
was quite strange to see. Character design and voice
characterization harken back to the 40’s Ben Hardaway version,
discarding all the further evolution that gave birth to the
familiar 50’s Woody.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1863, from hmccracken, 337 chars, Mon Mar 25 22:24:53 1991
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Darn! I forgot entirely about the Oscars, which shows you how
interested I am in such things. I do usually catch the animation award.
It’s good to hear that Woody is alive and well; Universal’s investment
in Harvey, licensing of the Hanna-Barbera character, etc. suggested
that they’d lost interest in the Lantz characters.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1864, from hmccracken, 692 chars, Mon Mar 25 22:31:17 1991
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TITLE: Howard Lowery Auction, April 7th
The Howard Lowery Galleries in Burbank are having another one of
their incredible animation art auctions on Apil 7th. The catalog
for this thing is unbelievable — full of great reproductions of
stuff I’d love to have. (How I wish I had a spare $2,000 to
put into a vintage 1930s animation table from the Disney studios!
There’s also a copy of a book, estimated at $300-$500, that I
decided not to buy at $25 a few years ago and have been slowly
punishing myself for doing so ever since.)
The catalog is expensive — something like $12 — but worth it, even
if you don’t plan to bid on anything. Lowery can be reached at
(818) 972-9080.
— Harry
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animation/main #1865, from jshook, 48 chars, Mon Mar 25 23:59:07 1991
This is a comment to message 1861.
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Even a stopped clock is right twice a day…..
==========================
animation/main #1866, from jshook, 47 chars, Tue Mar 26 00:01:00 1991
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What was the book that you decided not to buy?
==========================
animation/main #1867, from hmccracken, 274 chars, Tue Mar 26 00:26:34 1991
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A World War II Disney childrens’ book that featured splendid illustrations
of Mickey and the gang in military duds assaulting the Nazis and Hirohito
and company. A fascinating period piece. I also saw it about a year
ago for $75, and didn’t buy it then, either.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1868, from richard.pini, 101 chars, Tue Mar 26 11:18:10 1991
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It was *very* weird to see the old nearly-crosseyed, slightly dangerously
insane looking Woody, yes.
==========================
animation/main #1869, from richard.pini, 59 chars, Tue Mar 26 11:18:59 1991
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Harry, you should be learning a lesson from all this… 😉
==========================
animation/main #1870, from hmccracken, 506 chars, Tue Mar 26 18:36:15 1991
This is a comment to message 1869.
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I think the lesson I need to have learned was to have been born a
few years before I was. I keep not *quite* having enough money
to buy something I want which then shoots way out of my range the
moment I could have afforded it at the old price.
I didn’t mention one other factor that made $25 seem like a lot of
money for that book: I was in the period between graduating from
college and finding a job, and $25 seemed like a lot to unemployed
me.
(Of course, I found a job the next week…)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1871, from davemackey, 790 chars, Tue Mar 26 19:06:57 1991
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I wasn’t going to watch, either, because I don’t believe in the
Hollywood dogma and politics that dictate that message pictures
are more crucial to the filmmaking community than what Maurice
Noble likes to call “the fun classics.” And this applies to the
animation category — that small, nostalgic part of me wanted
Bugs or Roger to at least get a nomination in a category
dominated by independent films for the last 25 years. But I tuned
in so I could post the Animation winner.
Other thoughts: I see that “Dick Tracy” took home a deserved
Oscar for some of the best cartoony makeup I’ve seen in films in
years.
And how about Whoopi Goldberg, the first black woman to win
an Oscar since…. probably Hattie McDaniel or Butterfly McQueen?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1872, from davemackey, 201 chars, Tue Mar 26 19:07:08 1991
This is a comment to message 1864.
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$12 for an animation auction catalogue is a bargain compared to
some of the big New York auction houses, whose catalogues can
sometimes go for $20. Oucheroonie!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1873, from davemackey, 357 chars, Tue Mar 26 19:39:19 1991
This is a comment to message 1868.
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A Woody you would not let date your daughter, under any
circumstances.
But this is also the Woody of such cartoon craftsmen as
Shamus Culhane, Dick Lundy and Alex Lovy — men who were able to
make Woody cartoons of a higher achievement; those which followed
in later decades don’t cut the mustard in most cases.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1874, from davemackey, 224 chars, Tue Mar 26 19:39:44 1991
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I checked the Oscar records… it seems that Whoopi was indeed
the first black woman since Hattie McDaniel to win a major acting
Oscar.
Butterfly McQueen coulda been a contender!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1875, from hmccracken, 266 chars, Tue Mar 26 22:52:44 1991
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Is this the Woody of _Knock Knock_ (i.e., strioped legs, crossed
eyes, etc.) or the later model where he still had a sort of
elongated head but was not quite so grotesque — I think that
version was designed by Art Heinemann? (Pardon the syntax
there.)
— Harry
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animation/main #1876, from hmccracken, 165 chars, Tue Mar 26 22:54:11 1991
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Whoops, that message was meant to point towards 1873, not 1874.
I was *not* bringing Woody Woodpecker into a discussion of
black actresses and the Oscars.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1877, from davemackey, 754 chars, Wed Mar 27 19:08:26 1991
This is a comment to message 1876.
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The Woody at the Oscars definitely looked like the later-40’s
model, not the multicolored big-legged nightmare of character
design (which would have had to have a Mel Blanc voice to be
accurate; Bugs Hardaway was actually doing the Woody voice by
this time.)
Art Heinemann made various design improvements in the
1940’s; the more mature Woody of the 50’s was based on further
tinkering by La Verne Harding.
I wonder if Walt and Gracie Lantz saw the Woody thing and
what their thoughts were on it. Incidentally, I couldn’t discern
any credits for the animated sequence at the end of the telecast,
so I don’t have any idea who did it — unless it was some of the
first work from Universal Cartoon Studios.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1878, from davemackey, 578 chars, Wed Mar 27 19:08:58 1991
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TITLE: Farewell to “Musselmutt”
Not that it was the only role he ever played, but it should be
noted that film actor Aldo Ray, who died today in a Veteran’s
hospital in California, was the voice of Musselmutt on the 1972
cartoon series “The Houndcats,” produced by DePatie-Freleng.
Musselmutt was the big sheepdog member of the Houndcats team.
Ray, who passed away at the age of 64 after a bout with
throat cancer and pneumonia complications, was a fixture in many
war films, and later gained notoriety for his work in a porno
film.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1879, from hmccracken, 1075 chars, Wed Mar 27 20:02:37 1991
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TITLE: I’ve been reading a book on cartoon and humor markets that
has a section in which a bunch of (mostly little-known) cartoonists
list “the funniest cartoon ever drawn,” which boils down to being
each of these cartoonists’ favorite cartoon. None of them sound very
funny, and I’m not sure if it’s because these guys have bad taste,
because good cartoons cannot be described, or what.
This made me remember my two favorite cartoons (we are talking, by
the way, about magazine cartoons, not animated ones or any other
kind here). One is famous: Thurber’s cartoon of a fencer exclaiming
“Touche!” while lopping off his opponent’s head. It just seems to sum
up a lot of things somehow and I think of it often. The other is less
well-known: a George Price cartoon of his basic elderly couple. The
wife is sitting in bed at night reading. The husband is standing, dressed
in full Civil War regalia. Wife to husband: “As long as you’re Grant,
get me a 7-UP.” This never fails to crack me up.
Anyone out there care to share their favorite magazine cartoons?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1880, from davemackey, 660 chars, Wed Mar 27 23:09:56 1991
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Well, as far as magazine cartoons go, the one cartoonist who
never fails to hit either a funnybone or a raw nerve is Roz
Chast, who’s had several volumes of her New Yorker and National
Lampoon cartoons published. One of her better ones was captioned
“even as a little boy, he preferred to ride the couch on the
merry-go-round.”
I’m also partial to Sam Gross’ famous “frog’s legs” cartoon
from Lampoon, and I always liked Charles Addams’ stuff.
Even though they’re not cartoons per se, the spot illos by
Dave Bennett that appear periodically in Model Railroader and
Classic Toy Trains always give me a chuckle.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1881, from davemackey, 714 chars, Wed Mar 27 23:10:14 1991
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TITLE: Animation on the Jersey Shore?
Mentioned ever-so-briefly in John Province’s interview with the
late Grim Natwick in Animato! #21 is the fact that Bill Nolan
(eventual partner of Walter Lantz) operated a small animation
studio in the seaside town of Long Branch, New Jersey, about 50
miles from New York.
Because I was born in Long Branch, worked there for four
years, and grew up and still live in a town nearby, I am curious
to know more about the studio, where it was, and what they
produced. Before I embark on what is probably going to be a very
intensive research project, I was wondering if anyone out there
knew anything more about this before I proceed.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1882, from hmccracken, 490 chars, Wed Mar 27 23:25:30 1991
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I hadn’t heard of the studio before I read the interview, Dave.
Have you checked Donald Crafton’s _Before Mickey_ for coverage
of the studio?
Nolan’s studio was probably just a small room somewhere, but I’d
love to know if the building still stands. Did you know that
Max Fleischer’s Miami studio building later became a facility
of some (I forget which) airline, and is now a community center?
Or that Walt Disney’s fabled Hyperion studio still stands…but
is a supermarket?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1883, from hmccracken, 991 chars, Wed Mar 27 23:33:14 1991
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I think the quality of New Yorker cartoons has declined lately; there
is no signle cartoonist whose work is a guaranteed chuckle. But
most of them (with the exception of some of the newer ones) raise
a giggle at least some of the time. George Price, who is quickly
becoming the Grim Natwick of magazine cartooning, has been drawing
for the magazine since the early 1930s (and for other magazines
before that), and his work is still very funny and graphically the
most striking stuff the New Yorker publishes. Unfortunately he
seems to get published less and less often, which is either a sign
that he’s slowing down or that he’s having trouble getting cartoons
accepter, I guess. Chon Day was another New Yorker cartoonist of
very advanced years whose publication there got rarer and rarer and
finally ended. I saw a cartoon of his in the Wall Street Journal
the other day, though. I think Day has been a published cartoonist
since the mid-1920s or late 1920s at the latest.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1884, from jshook, 229 chars, Thu Mar 28 01:31:45 1991
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One of my favorites is your basic two-guys-in-a-bar situation.
One of them is looking a little glum and says to the other
guy: “Sometimes it all seems so meaningless…like I’m just
a character in some cartoon somebody drew….”
==========================
animation/main #1885, from richard.pini, 69 chars, Thu Mar 28 19:06:56 1991
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George Booth, rest him, and his (a) dogs and (b) man in the bathtub.
==========================
animation/main #1886, from davemackey, 255 chars, Thu Mar 28 19:09:12 1991
This is a comment to message 1882.
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That’s what I’d really like to know. There are quite a few old
buildings still standing on Broadway in Long Branch which seem
like likely candidates. For all I know it could have been the
same building I worked in.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1887, from hmccracken, 202 chars, Thu Mar 28 19:15:43 1991
This is a comment to message 1885.
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My favorite Booth creations are his incompetent mechanics, who
have *got* to be based on some I’ve done business with.
Unfortunately, I think Booth’s current work is far below
his best stuff.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1888, from richard.pini, 614 chars, Fri Mar 29 09:10:53 1991
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TITLE: Disneyoid help?
Can anyone here tell me if (a) there was ever a Goody cartoon called some-
thing like “Goofy’s Success Story” and then (b) if, within that cartoon,
there is anything that happens in or around Griffith Observatory in L.A.?
I realize that that’s a goodly bit of arcane stuff to dig up, but my reason
for asking is that I discovered a background painting – shot of Griffith
on its hill overlooking the lights of L.A. – that I recall buying years ago
at a convention. The dealer told me that it was from that cartoon, but
memory doth what memroy doth, so I’d like to reconfirm, if possible…
==========================
animation/main #1889, from davemackey, 341 chars, Fri Mar 29 21:00:16 1991
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If only Dave Smith, head of the Disney Archives, were here, he’d
straighten this out for us.
The only Goofy theatrical cartoon that has a title even
close to the spirit of what you state was “Get Rich Quick,”
released in 1951. I would suppose getting rich quick is something
of a success story.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1890, from hmccracken, 243 chars, Fri Mar 29 21:09:14 1991
This is a comment to message 1889.
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I will have to do some more research, but both the title and
the Griffith observatory background ring a bell. The title
sounds like it might have been from an episode of _Disneyland_
or whatever the Disney TV show was at the time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1891, from davemackey, 502 chars, Sat Mar 30 01:01:13 1991
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TITLE: A-R-S-E-N-I-?
You know the Popeye cartoon “How Green Is My Spinach” where Bluto
is doctoring the killer spinach with various toxic substances?
One of which comes from a vat clearly labeled “ARSENIC”. Call me
nuts, but the way it’s written on the vat, it looks like it
should say “ARSENIO”. (Which is only fitting because Paramount
knew that 40 years down the road, they’d have a guy named Arsenio
working for them, so they better start plugging him now.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1892, from hmccracken, 234 chars, Sat Mar 30 08:07:54 1991
This is a comment to message 1891.
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I once fabricated a newspaper article which reported on “Ruxpinizing,”
a process invented by Ted Turner by which footage of Teddy Ruxpin
could be added into old cartoons. Maybe Paramount is Aresenioizing
its cartoons. 😉
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1893, from davemackey, 218 chars, Sat Mar 30 12:20:08 1991
This is a comment to message 1892.
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Now that’s plain silly. Almost as silly as this idea: Ted Turner
takes all the dynamite scenes in his cartoons and replaces the
block lettering TNT with his TNT network logo….
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1894, from davemackey, 340 chars, Sat Mar 30 19:23:44 1991
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TITLE: Moose and Squirrel on top
The latest Billboard Video Sales chart has “The Adventures Of
Rocky And Bullwinkle Vol. 1” at the No. 1 spot, first time one of
the tapes has cracked the highwater mark.
“DuckTales The Movie — Treasure Of The Lost Lamp” debuted
on the chart this week at No. 7.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1895, from hmccracken, 134 chars, Sat Mar 30 21:41:48 1991
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TITLE: John Canemaker’s book
on Felix the Cat is out. Looks good. More details after I’ve
actually obtained and read it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1896, from bsoron, 206 chars, Sat Mar 30 22:37:00 1991
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Most of the magazines I read are nerdy ones like Byte that don’t run
cartoons, but my favorite single-panel cartoonist these days is Joe
Martin, whose Mister Boffo strip busts me up on a regular basis.
==========================
animation/main #1897, from sje, 396 chars, Sat Mar 30 22:45:51 1991
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Years ago, _Byte_ did run a sporadic comic strip that was a take-off
on _Star Trek_. It was about an 18th Century English sailing ship called
the “HMS Empty-Eyes” and had a first officer by the name of “Mr. Flock”.
This was back in the days when the magazine still had BOMB (a feedback
survey) and every issue had a Tinney cover and a Ciarcia hacker article.
Ah, those were the days! — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1898, from bsoron, 143 chars, Sat Mar 30 22:49:19 1991
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I’ve been a regular reader of Byte for over a decade, but I’ve always
hated Star Trek, so I don’t remember the strip. For better or worse.
==========================
animation/main #1899, from sje, 61 chars, Sun Mar 31 00:23:03 1991
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The HMS Empty Eyes last sailed around 1978 or so. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1900, from davemackey, 418 chars, Sun Mar 31 00:23:12 1991
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TITLE: “The British Animation Invasion”
Above titled feature compilation is presently running in one of
the smaller Village theatres in New York City and presents an
overview of recent British animation, including this year’s
Academy Award winner, “Creature Comforts.” This might be worth
checking out if you’re in the New York area. (Might be running in
other cities as well.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1901, from dquick, 51 chars, Sun Mar 31 01:47:17 1991
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It’s running in Minneapolis this week.
Dave Quick
==========================
animation/main #1902, from morganfox, 22 chars, Sun Mar 31 09:18:58 1991
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Not to mention #1900!
==========================
animation/main #1903, from hmccracken, 379 chars, Sun Mar 31 12:16:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1900.
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It’s running in Boston and I should have mentioned it. It’s certainly
worth seeing, although I think anyone who formed their entire opinion
of British animation from seeing it would come to the conclusion that
the British are brilliant stylists and technicians who are unable to
tell a coherent story. The show is full of great films that don’t make
a lot of sense.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1904, from mscoville, 758 chars, Sun Mar 31 19:07:29 1991
This is a comment to message 1895.
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JOhn Canemaker’s book is wonderful. It is what one would expect from a
great animation historian. It is filled with lots of tidbits. It is a sad’
story. He did a great job of chronicling the growth of Felix world wide and
then his demise. The demise was with the talkies entering the marketplace and
when Disney did Steamboat Willie, well it was down hill after that for the
world’s famous cat. It also gives credit to Otto Messmer for his contribution
as the creator of Felix. The book is approximately 180 pages in length with
both color and black and white photos throughout.
The book retails for $30.00. If anyone would like a signed copy of the book
leave me a note in the mail department. We can get it for $24.00 plus $2.50
for shipping. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #1905, from hmccracken, 440 chars, Sun Mar 31 19:08:41 1991
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TITLE: Check out today’s _New York Times_ for two cartoon-related
items of note: a (favorable) review of John Canemaker’s _Felix_ book
(which reveals the interesting tidbit that Pat Sullivan spent time
in Sing Sing for rape of a 14-year-old girl), and a nifty comic strip
(! — this *is* the _Times_ we’re talking about) by cartoonists Jules
Feiffer and Lynda Barry discussing the differences between cartooning
and playwriting.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1906, from davemackey, 207 chars, Mon Apr 1 00:13:27 1991
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I’m probably one of the rare few BIXen who have never picked up
and held a copy of Byte (and thus wouldn’t be able to pick Jerry
Pournelle out of a police lineup)….
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1907, from bsoron, 72 chars, Mon Apr 1 11:08:49 1991
This is a comment to message 1906.
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… although there are plenty of Bixen who’d like to try. (rimshot)
==========================
animation/main #1908, from davemackey, 188 chars, Mon Apr 1 19:05:06 1991
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TITLE: Right answer, wrong definition
From the TV Guide Crossword in the April 6 issue: the word DOE is
defined as “Bambi’s friend Phylline.” Ouch.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1909, from davemackey, 87 chars, Mon Apr 1 19:05:14 1991
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“Lynda Barry is, was, and always will be Funk Queen of North
America.” –Matt Groening
==========================
animation/main #1910, from davemackey, 123 chars, Mon Apr 1 19:05:22 1991
This is a comment to message 1902.
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See, Morgan, even with JLBLINK, I manage to get my share of the
“good numbers”! 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1911, from davemackey, 258 chars, Mon Apr 1 22:16:29 1991
This is a comment to message 1891.
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This cartoon, incidentally, had an ensuing gag from the same
scene edited by the New York station that ran Popeye cartoons for
many years. The station edited out when Bluto revealed that DDT
stood for Drop Dead Twice.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1912, from bsoron, 30 chars, Tue Apr 2 00:30:35 1991
This is a comment to message 1909.
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If only she could draw…
==========================
animation/main #1913, from davemackey, 1138 chars, Tue Apr 2 20:31:27 1991
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TITLE: Night at the movies
In the early 1980’s, Warner Bros.’ released a videocassette
series of movies under the umbrella title “A Night At The
Movies.” This simulated a night at the movies (hence the title)
by presenting a feature film preceded by a WB cartoon and a
newsreel.
The reason I’m boring you with this is I haven’t been able
to figure out what the 1957 entry in the series was. If anyone
knows, please speak now or forever hold your tongue. Here’s a
list of those I’ve been able to positively identify.
Year Feature Cartoon
1955 “Battle Cry” “Speedy Gonzales”
1956 “The Wrong Man” “A Star Is Bored”
1957 ? ?
1958 “Auntie Mame” “Hook Line & Stinker”
1959 “The Young Philadelphians” “People Are Bunny”
1960 “Ocean’s 11” “Person To Bunny”
1961 “Fanny” “The Last Hungry Cat”
I have a feeling there may have been an eighth, from 1962, and I
vaguely remember the cartoon being with Pepe LePew, possibly
“Louvre Come Back To Me.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1914, from davemackey, 204 chars, Fri Apr 5 19:09:13 1991
This is a comment to message 1665.
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The Animation Conference credo: let no question go unanswered.
The publisher of “The Dot And The Line” is Random House, who may
have published the book originally.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1915, from richard.pini, 40 chars, Sat Apr 6 17:43:45 1991
This is a comment to message 1914.
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Set the Wayback for 1665, Sherman… 😉
==========================
animation/main #1916, from hmccracken, 428 chars, Sat Apr 6 20:11:53 1991
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TITLE: Animation CBIX next Tuesday at 10:00 est…
Come and join us! There will be no set topic, so we’ll discuss
whatever folks feel like chatting about. (Japanese animation?
Collecting original art? _Calvin and Hobbes_’ sabbatical?
All of the above?)
Previous animation CBIXes, held on a sporadic basis, have been a lot
of fun. This will be the first of our weekly get-togethers, and we
hope to see you there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1917, from hmccracken, 407 chars, Thu Apr 11 23:14:50 1991
This is a comment to message 1916.
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The bunch of BIXen who showed up for the CBIX know that we all had
a good time discussing Disney World, _Akira_, comic books we
think should be animated, the Disney Stores, risque material in
TV cartoons, whether or not _Fantasia_ will ever come out on
video, and a whole lot of other stuff. It’ll all happen again
next Tuesday (presumably with different but equally-interesting
topics, I mean).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1918, from bsoron, 127 chars, Fri Apr 12 02:40:03 1991
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Sorry I missed it — it’s been a busy week, but I hope to catch
one of the upcoming CBIXes. Will transcripts be available?
==========================
animation/main #1919, from rjenks, 195 chars, Fri Apr 12 03:11:56 1991
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Too bad I couldn’t make it… My room-mate gets mad when I’m on the phone
at 7pm Pacific for long periods of time… But I’m moving to Dallas in June
so I’ll be able to peek in then…
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #1920, from hmccracken, 118 chars, Fri Apr 12 18:06:39 1991
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I recorded the session and would be glad to edit it and upload
it to the listings if folks are interested.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1921, from bsoron, 205 chars, Sat Apr 13 14:23:18 1991
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Well, I’m interested… I don’t know how many votes are needed. Maybe
each transcript can be posted in listings for a week, to be replaced by
its successor, for those who missed it or want a souvenir?
==========================
animation/main #1922, from hmccracken, 90 chars, Sat Apr 13 16:01:25 1991
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The motion passes, 1 to 0. 🙂 I’ll put the transcript up as
soon as possible.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1923, from hmccracken, 273 chars, Sun Apr 14 17:03:44 1991
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Well, I’ll *try* to upload the transcript. I edited and prettified
it for listings, then had trouble uploading it, and when I attempted
to load it back into Word, I was told it couldn’t be opened.
I may have somehow corrupted the file, but I’ll see wh I can do.
— Harry
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animation/main #1924, from bsoron, 67 chars, Sun Apr 14 17:38:51 1991
This is a comment to message 1923.
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Well, this will at least teach me to be there in person… 🙂
==========================
animation/main #1925, from adunkin, 93 chars, Sun Apr 14 21:47:43 1991
This is a comment to message 1919.
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Hope to see you in Dallas sometime .. it’s great but with a few problems.
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/main #1926, from davemackey, 461 chars, Mon Apr 15 21:15:00 1991
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TITLE: A thought about “Beezy Bear”
One of Jack Hannah’s later cartoons for Disney, “Beezy Bear,”
ends rather curiously. The ranger, the bear and Donald are all in
the water. The ranger says “You take too many baths” and hits the
bear on the head, then Donald says “Yeah” and repeats the action.
What’s strange about this scene: Donald’s mouth does not
move when he says “Yeah.” Reminds one of 30’s Popeye cartoons.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1927, from hmccracken, 272 chars, Mon Apr 15 21:21:06 1991
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You see that sort of thing when you watch cartoons really carefully.
I’ve often thought that, at the very end of the Bugs Bunny cartoon
_Rhapsody Rabbit_, Bugs was animated to be saying something which
doesn’t show up on the soundtrack of the completed cartoon.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1928, from davemackey, 145 chars, Tue Apr 16 20:10:16 1991
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I think Bugs is just muttering obscenities to himself and it
works much funnier that way, with no sound.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1929, from hmccracken, 191 chars, Tue Apr 16 20:34:24 1991
This is a comment to message 1928.
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There’s also a moment during the “Whistle While You Work” sequence
in _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” when I could swear Snow White’s
lips are moving to lyrics that aren’t there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1930, from davemackey, 249 chars, Wed Apr 17 19:06:32 1991
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TITLE: Henson v. Disney?
Did anyone else hear anything about a lawsuit filed by Jim Henson
Productions against Walt Disney, claiming that Disney is
illegally using Henson’s characters?
The plot thickens!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1931, from davemackey, 379 chars, Wed Apr 17 21:27:07 1991
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My handy-dandy copy of “Children’s Television: The First
Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981 — Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series”
by George W. Woolery (thanks, Doug) gives life dates for Pinto
Colvig as 1892-1967, so he certainly was old enough to do the
Wild Thing and progenerate in 1919.
As always, the creed: No Question Left Unanswered.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1932, from hmccracken, 56 chars, Wed Apr 17 22:04:02 1991
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Interesting! Where did you hear about that?
— Harry
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animation/main #1933, from hmccracken, 134 chars, Wed Apr 17 22:04:46 1991
This is a comment to message 1931.
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I had forgotten to mention here that I eventually confirmed that
Pinto was Vance Colvig Sr. and was indeed Vance Jr.’s dad.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1934, from davemackey, 578 chars, Thu Apr 18 02:29:58 1991
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This item moved over the AP news wire yesterday; I had heard it
on our news broadcasts but didn’t think to follow up on it and
get some more information. Your local newspaper may have more
hard info on it today.
My guess is that Disney is going above and beyond the use of
the characters permitted as a result of the termination of their
joint agreement some months ago. I still see The Disney Channel
plugging the various Muppet projects on their schedule (including
that Miss Piggy special) as if they were still jointly involved.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1935, from sje, 1049 chars, Thu Apr 18 19:34:14 1991
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The report I heard was than Henson’s survivors were filing suit
only over the upcoming 3-D Muppets movie that Disney is planning to exhibit
at the theme parks. The technical point is apparently over the extent of
existing license agreements that were made prior to Jim Hensons passing.
We’ll probably never know the details, but this seems to me to be
just a grudge lawsuit filed in revenge for Disney’s not wanting to pay for
the ongoing creative talents of a dead person. Of all groups, I would
expect Disney to be at the top when in comes to understanding the legal
issues concerning the licensing of intellectual property.
Maybe Henson’s family has been having troubles finding another buyer
at the price they think they deserve. Maybe I’m a little biased, but I
never much cared for the Muppets (or puppets of any variety). Also, I
thought that the commercialization via the Children’s Television Workshop
(Sesame Street) was wholly inappropriate for a non-profit educational series
supported in large part by the taxpayer. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1936, from hmccracken, 1009 chars, Thu Apr 18 19:51:00 1991
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The _Wall Street Journal_ has a long article on the lawsuit today,
clearly slanted towards the Henson family’s view of things. The
lawsuit seems to charge that Disney has not been paying the required
royalties for its use of the Muppets, specifically in conjunction
with the Muppetvision 3D attraction which is (supposedly) going to
open soon at Disney World. The article also details Disney’s
alleged bullying of the Henson people, its attempts to prevent
licensing of the Sesame Street Muppets to theme parks, etc.
Disney’s reaction? “We’re just trying to fulfill Jim Henson’s
dream of a Disney-Muppet partnership.” (I’m paraphrasing.)
Disney, which for a long time really got a free ride in the press,
has taken an awful beating lately through things like this, Peggy
Lee’s lawsuit, the leaking of the Katzenberg memo, the alleged abuse
of wildlife on Disney World property, and other events. I think a
lot of people out there are probably getting no little satisfaction
from all of this.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1937, from sje, 646 chars, Thu Apr 18 20:43:28 1991
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Of all the calumnies, the Katzenberg memo is certainly the worst.
The idea of “worry only about this quarter’s bottom line, and screw the
future” is a directly opposite the attitude of ‘ol Walt who was probably the
premier futurist of this century. I would expect the company to survive
a thousand lawsuits by former actors, disgruntled employees, and others
who may or may not have been actually damaged in some way. But all of these
pale when compared to the damage that can be done by the short-term attitude
seen in the leaked memo. I’ll tell you, if I were Mike Eisner I’d be doing
a little housecleaning before it’s too late. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1938, from hmccracken, 911 chars, Thu Apr 18 20:59:54 1991
This is a comment to message 1937.
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Katzenberg’s sentiments certainly jibe with a lot of what American
business does nowadays, I think. Making as much $$$ as possible
*right now* is certainly in, especially among public companies whose
shareholders apparently find anything else offensive.
This is just another area in which Walt Disney did things that were
financially unorthodox but ultimately brilliant. He made all those
animated features that were very expensive, made little or no profit
when they were released — but are still making millions for Disney
with very little effort on their part (as the Katzenberg memo
notes). I don’t think there are many businesses in the Fortune 500
whose success today is so directly tied to what they did fifty years
ago as is the case with Disney. It’s as if IBM was reaping huge amounts
of cash by leasing or selling whatever it was they made in 1940
(mechanical tabulating machines)?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1939, from hmccracken, 368 chars, Sun Apr 21 15:52:47 1991
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See the current issue of _Forbes_ for an article that was apparently
written before the Henson-Disney lawsuit was filed, but which gives
a lot of good background on what caused it. Apparently, Disney was
producing Muppets merchandise with a Disney copyright and without
payment to the Hensons. If the marriage continues it is going to be
an unhappy one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1940, from sje, 239 chars, Sun Apr 21 16:39:43 1991
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The question is: if the usage occurred, was it without payment or
was it without an agreement? There could certainly be a legitimate agreement
without royalties prepayment. I would really like to hear both sides of the
story. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1941, from hmccracken, 377 chars, Sun Apr 21 18:34:06 1991
This is a comment to message 1940.
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I haven’t seen any Muppets stuff with Disney copyrights, but I *have*
seen Dick Tracy and Rocketeer merchanside with (C) DISNEY legends.
As far as I know, Disney does not own the rights to either character;
they’ve just made movies based on them. Of course, I don’t know anything
about specific agreements between Disney and the folks *who* do own the
copyrights.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1942, from hmccracken, 383 chars, Sat Apr 27 14:47:09 1991
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TITLE: Boston Area BIXen Take Note…
There is a Disney convention being put on this weekend at the Holiday
Inn Dedham. It starts today at 4:00, there’s an auction tonight, and
the dealer’s room is open tomorrow (although I don’t know the hours).
Sorry for the short notice and vagueness here. I went to the Mouse Club’s
last convention and it was well worth the effort.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1943, from hmccracken, 1098 chars, Sun Apr 28 12:06:32 1991
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TITLE: Serendipity Department
At the auction at the Disney convention last night (see message 1942),
I picked up three backgrounds from Famous Studios cartoons cheap.
(Being a Disney convention, the non-Disney stuff was going very
inexpensively. The next item in the auction was a very nice piece
of Walter Lantz artwork thaty I could have had for as song, but I’d
spent as much as I wanted to by then,)
Anyway, the one problem with these backgrounds I bought was that I
didn’t know what cartoons they were from. Too bad. This morning,
though, I happened to turn on the TV during _Cartoon Kablooey_,
a show on Nickelodeon that shows Famous Studios cartoons. The
first scene in the first cartoon they showed used either the
background of the three I’d bought I liked most, or a very similar
one. (This was a Honey Halfwitch cartoon — a series I’m
not well acquainted with — and the background was of
Honey’s cottage, so my background might be from a different
Honey cartoon.)
I’ll have to tune into _Cartoon Kablooey_ next week to try
to identify the other two backgrounds…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1944, from hmccracken, 253 chars, Sun Apr 28 19:45:33 1991
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Better late than never department: I uncovered my copy of
_Before Mickey_ while tidying the study today, and didn’t
find any references to Bill Nolan’s Long Branch studio.
Sounds like a piece of history you’ll have to uncover yourself,
Dave.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1945, from rjenks, 585 chars, Sun Apr 28 23:49:35 1991
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Hey Harry, does BIX have some type of free service to get guests on-line
for special occasions? Or do they have to pay like the rest of us?
If they don’t have to pay, I can probably swing to get Toren Smith, Adam Warren,
Tex Hensen (creator of Casper), Louis Scarborough Jr, Steve Krueger,
Trish LeDoux, and any of the other guests at Project A-Kon II. Since
I will have my amiga and modem at the convention I can pull a few
strings and get them to log on for a big CBIX. Probably not all at
the same time with only one computer, but it’s something to think
about…
-Robert
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animation/main #1946, from davemackey, 408 chars, Mon Apr 29 19:12:43 1991
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TITLE: Carl Brandt obituary
Carl Brandt, a musician whose career included a good number of
cartoon scores, died on Thursday of a heart attack in Los
Angeles. He was 76.
Brandt’s animation career flowered in the 1960’s. His work
included the “Mr. Magoo” and “Dick Tracy” television cartoons for
UPA, and some of Chuck Jones’ “Tom And Jerry” theatricals for
M-G-M.
–Dave
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animation/main #1947, from davemackey, 362 chars, Mon Apr 29 21:00:25 1991
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Harry, if you were to send me photostats of the entire
background, including any identifying numbers in the backgrounds,
I might be able to give you a rough idea based on setting and
props used in the background, based on an unusually large
working knowledge of the Paramount cartoons. Are you sure they’re
from the 60’s?
–Dave
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animation/main #1948, from davemackey, 194 chars, Mon Apr 29 21:00:36 1991
This is a comment to message 1944.
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And uncover it I shall, once I get a few other projects cleared
out of the way. But thanks for the information (or lack of it, in
the case of Crafton)…
–Dave
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animation/main #1949, from davemackey, 307 chars, Mon Apr 29 21:00:45 1991
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Tex Henson is claiming creation of Casper, too? I’ve always
thought that to be a two sided contest, between Joe Oriolo and Sy
Reit. (Henson did have a small handful of story credits at Famous
Studios in the 40’s and 50’s, so he was probably in the room at
the time.)
–Dave
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animation/main #1950, from davemackey, 703 chars, Mon Apr 29 21:02:35 1991
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TITLE: Disney further acknowledges competitors
It’s amazing the lengths that Disney has gone to of late to
promote animation other than its own; consider the “Rocky and
Bullwinkle” tapes.
At the Disney/MGM Studios Theme Park, a new restaurant
recently opened called the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. People sit at
tables that look like cars and face a drive-in type screen and
eat in almost total darkness. The loop of material that plays
continuously (as in the 50’s Prime Time Cafe) includes at least
two cartoons edited down to about 2-1/2 minutes each: “The Cat
That Hated People” and “Mouse Into Space,” both MGM cartoons with
some sort of sci-fi space bent.
–Dave
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animation/main #1951, from hmccracken, 271 chars, Mon Apr 29 21:52:46 1991
This is a comment to message 1947.
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The auctioneer described them as being from the 1950s, but
then he also called a Three Little Pigs toy a “wonderful
Mickey Mouse block set.” They do have some numbers penciled
into the corners — I’ll take you up on your offer and send
you photocopies, Dave.
— Harry
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animation/main #1952, from hmccracken, 448 chars, Mon Apr 29 21:55:01 1991
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I’d never heard of Henson (any relation to Jim?). Oriolo
insisted that he created Casper; Reit, I believe, says that
he came up with the initial idea, but Oriolo designed the
character and contributed in other ways. Why so many people
would want so much to be credited with the creation of
Casper I can’t say. (Even more people try to claim credit
for Bugs Bunny, of course — including an obscure Warner’s
artist named Ralph Wolfe.)
— Harry
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animation/main #1953, from hmccracken, 127 chars, Mon Apr 29 21:55:55 1991
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Is there still a gift shop at the half-way point of the live-
action tour devoted to Warner Bros. merchandise, Dave?
— Harry
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animation/main #1954, from hmccracken, 116 chars, Mon Apr 29 22:48:55 1991
This is a comment to message 1950.
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BTW, Dave, hope you can join us tomorrow for the weekly CBIX
so we can query you further about your trip.
— Harry
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animation/main #1955, from rjenks, 501 chars, Mon Apr 29 23:01:11 1991
This is a comment to message 1949.
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Hmmm… let me check out Tex Hensen’s bio again… Ooops I read it wrong.
He did work on Casper, but he was on the original design team for Chip ‘n Dale
not Casper. He also created “Old Bent Tail” the coyote in four Pluto eps.
He also worked on : Song of the South, The Three Caballeros, Mickey and the
Beanstalk, Pecos Bill, Peter and the Wolf, Bullwinkle, Underdog, King Leonardo,
Tennessee Tuxedo, and Trix Rabbit. He has also done many animated TV cos
Hope this clears up my mistake…
-Robert
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animation/main #1956, from davemackey, 555 chars, Tue Apr 30 00:58:31 1991
This is a comment to message 1952.
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Good point about Casper. I think it’s a little easier to lay
claim to Casper because most of the studio principals are no
longer with us (and most of the rest are trying to live it down).
And the scholarship isn’t as fierce as it is with the more
popular studios. And I don’t think Tex Henson was related to Jim.
Ralph Wolf, though not as involved in the birth of Bugs
Bunny as he would have you believe, is otherwise known as the man
who gladly lent his name to the Wolf character in those Sheepdog
cartoons.
–Dave
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animation/main #1957, from davemackey, 758 chars, Tue Apr 30 00:58:54 1991
This is a comment to message 1953.
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Most of that stuff is still there in The Loony Bin, which shares
its space with a roomful of Roger Rabbit paraphernalia. There’s
various ACME items, some decaled with the unrelenting fact that
ACME is a trademarked property of Warner Bros. Inc. I think the
Backstage Special Effects Tour (the tram) dumps out right at that
little shop.
For all the fun I had, there was one disappointment: the
train that encircles the Magic Kingdom is not able to do so until
the Splash Mountain attraction is completed in the fall of 1992.
Splash Mountain will feature the “Song Of The South” characters.
Right now the railroad just shuttles from the main gate to
Mickey’s Starland, which is just the other side of Tomorrowland.
–Dave
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animation/main #1958, from hmccracken, 170 chars, Tue Apr 30 09:40:58 1991
This is a comment to message 1955.
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The only thing worse than claiming credit for Casper is having
someone thrust credit for the character on you! Tex’s other
credits sound much more interesting.
— Harry
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animation/main #1959, from hmccracken, 44 chars, Tue Apr 30 09:42:35 1991
This is a comment to message 1945.
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You have mail about this, Robert.
— Harry
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animation/main #1960, from davemackey, 357 chars, Tue Apr 30 23:19:17 1991
This is a comment to message 1835.
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Catching up on some old news, Harry… if you’re still interested
in trying to find out more about Beverly Cleary’s life and
career in Portland, there is a biography that is in print. I
forget precisely what it’s called (I think it’s A Girl From
Somethingorother) but bookstores shelve it with the rest of her
books.
–Dave
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animation/main #1961, from davemackey, 289 chars, Tue Apr 30 23:19:29 1991
This is a comment to message 1816.
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Boy, are we digging backwards! On the subject of Real Live People
in the Warner Bros. cartoons, who’s the piano player in “Eatin’
On The Cuff,” anyway? It’s not Mel Blanc, though he dubs the
voice. Would any Old Movie Freaks know who this might be?
–Dave
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animation/main #1962, from davemackey, 276 chars, Wed May 1 19:05:20 1991
This is a comment to message 1930.
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The possible lawsuit between Henson and Disney isn’t going to
happen. Disney has obtained a license from Henson Associates
which will enable them to continue to use the Muppet characters
in its theme park attractions and merchandising.
–Dave
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animation/main #1963, from davemackey, 342 chars, Wed May 1 19:05:34 1991
This is a comment to message 1913.
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As far as “Night At The Movies” goes, I still haven’t come across
1957. But I do now know there definitely was a 1962 volume…
because I found 1963 in a video store today!
The 1963 feature is “PT 109,” and the cartoon is the
ever-popular “Banty Raids” (well, it’s one of MY favorites,
anyway)…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1964, from hmccracken, 168 chars, Sat May 4 23:23:34 1991
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TITLE: The current issue of _Forbes_…
has a pretty negative article on The Walt Disney Company. Not
really about animation, but still interesting reading.
— Harry
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animation/main #1965, from sje, 649 chars, Sat May 4 23:40:07 1991
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TITLE: Dow Jones Adds Disney to Industrials Average
According to a newswire report Friday 03 May 1991, the Dow Jones
Company has added the Walt Disney Company to its thirty member Dow Jones
Industrials Average. The addition of Disney bumps the USX Corporation,
a steel and energy concern. Two other companies were also substituted
in the first change to the DJIA since 1987.
The Walt Disney Company is the first entertainment firm ever to
be listed among the thirty companies that form the DJIA. Some financial
commentators write that this is a natural consequence of the growing
importance of the service sector of the US economy. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1966, from elfhive, 713 chars, Mon May 6 18:08:49 1991
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TITLE: Cosgrove-Hall Productions
On the PBS series “Long Ago and Far Away,” which often brings unusual
European animation to our screens, they showed an episode from a “Mr.
Toad” series (inspired by Kenneth Grahame). There are some great
miniatures in the production, the opening began with Mr. Toad riding
on a working steam driven river boat. The characters seem at first
to be animated clay, but the close-ups seem to betray that the figures
are pretty much static (i.e. hair patterns never seem to change) but
the eyes, nose and mouth work profusely with the dialogue. The clothes
are fantastic.
Is anyone familiar with this English production company and can you
elaborate on the animation technique used?
==========================
animation/main #1967, from sje, 257 chars, Mon May 6 19:14:20 1991
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TITLE: Disney 1991 Stockholders’ Meeting Transcript
Discussion of past performance and future plans for Disney can be
seen in the 55 K post residing at animation/long.messages #46. This was
retrieved from rec.arts.disney on the Usenet netnews. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1968, from hmccracken, 482 chars, Mon May 6 22:27:37 1991
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I think the technique used is replacement animation — a form
of stop-motion animation in which to animate a character saying
a few words, you might have fifteen or more models of the
character’s head, with slightly differing expressions, which
are placed in succession on its body and filmed frame by frame.
The technique was used on all those Rankin-Bass stop-motion
Christmas specials (_Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_, _Santa
Claus is Coming to town_, and the like.)
— Harry
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animation/main #1969, from davemackey, 306 chars, Tue May 7 00:03:11 1991
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Harry, I think it goes back even further, to the George Pal Puppetoons. I
seem to remember seeing photos of the production of those shorts in the 40’s
and there were matching sets of heads, etc. with different stuff painted on
them for the various mouth formations.
–Dave
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animation/main #1970, from davemackey, 177 chars, Tue May 7 00:03:20 1991
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Steve, thanks very much for posting this. It was somewhat exciting to read of
Disney’s accomplishments from the inside out for a change.
–Dave
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animation/main #1971, from hmccracken, 41 chars, Tue May 7 09:51:32 1991
This is a comment to message 1969.
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Right, it’s an old technique.
— Harry
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animation/main #1972, from hmccracken, 347 chars, Tue May 7 11:11:35 1991
This is a comment to message 1970.
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BTW — I may have mentioned this in the past — the Disney annual report
can be had at no charge by calling Disney Investor Relations in Burbank,
and it’s definitely worth having. Good information on everything
Disney did during the past year, and lots of color pictures.
One year they had a pop-up Roger Rabbit cutout that was great.
— Harry
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animation/main #1973, from hmccracken, 437 chars, Thu May 9 15:36:00 1991
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TITLE: This week’s _Entertainment Weekly_ has a cover story on
testing one’s movie IQ that includes a list of 60 movies-you-should-
see-to-be-movie-literate. The list includes two Disney films:
_Pinocchio_ and _Mary Poppins_ (though not, oddly enough, _Snow
White_). Combined with the issue’s on-target review of _Dinosaurs_
and a news story about Simpsons merchandise, there’s a lot of
stuff of interest to cartoon types.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1974, from hmccracken, 405 chars, Fri May 10 09:16:37 1991
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TITLE: Disney expands, again…
I heard something on the radio this morning about Disney announcing
an expansion of Disneyland in Anaheim with a project called Westcot
(not sure if that’s the correct spelling), which is apparently a
west coast-version of Epcot Center that may be closer to Walt Disney’s
original idea of a prototypical city of the future. More details as I
hear about them…
— Harry
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animation/main #1975, from davemackey, 209 chars, Fri May 10 22:14:00 1991
This is a comment to message 1974.
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You heard right, Harry… my newspaper said much the same thing, and Disney’s
projected cost for this is somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 Billion (with
a B) Dollars!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1976, from sje, 510 chars, Sun May 12 16:06:09 1991
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TITLE: Problems with Listings Files
I still seem to be having a slight problem downloading a certain text
file from animation/listings. When I try receiving “animation.txt”, I get a
file that has neither CR or LF characters. However, other text files like
“ttasumy.txt” download with no problems. Also, text files form other areas
seem to work okay.
Perhaps there is some problem related to the fact that the file in
question is automatically generated and not manually uploaded/transferred.
— Steve
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animation/main #1977, from davemackey, 477 chars, Mon May 13 01:13:07 1991
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All the files I currently upload include CR and LF characters; some
older ones (for some odd reason) only have CR’s and no LF’s. I can’t vouch
for the validity of files other people upload. But I think a possible
solution would be for you to load this file into a word processor. That way,
any CR’s and LF’s needed would be added by the program.
Maybe if I download the file in question myself, I can better see what’s
going on.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1978, from sje, 193 chars, Mon May 13 04:25:14 1991
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When I receive “animation/txt”, there are no CR of LF characters, so
it is impossible for any text editor to know where to insert them. The file
just looks like a single 44 K line. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1979, from hmccracken, 317 chars, Mon May 13 10:38:38 1991
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TITLE: The current issue of _The Comics Journal_ cover-features
an interesting interview with Matt Groening, in which he discusses
_The Simpsons_, _Life in Hell_, merchandising, and a lot of other
topics. It’s well worth reading. Also in the issue is a review
of the _Carl Stalling Project_ tape and CD.
— Harry
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animation/main #1980, from switch, 73 chars, Mon May 13 17:48:08 1991
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Importing a file sans CRs or sans LFs into WordPerfect works fine.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1981, from switch, 137 chars, Mon May 13 17:48:53 1991
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A text editor might have a problem if either the CRs or LFs are missing, but
a word processor would probably be a different story.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1982, from davemackey, 476 chars, Mon May 13 19:07:01 1991
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TITLE: Read about June Foray….
…in this week’s issue of People. There’s a two-page article on the woman
who’s been one of the top voice artists in cartoons for forty years, and
one of the animation industry’s class acts (I believe she was once president
of ASIFA-Los Angeles).
One little-known Foray fact that came to light in the article: Foray was
the model for the sexy witch at the end of Chuck Jones’ “Broom-Stick Bunny.”
–Dave
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animation/main #1983, from davemackey, 158 chars, Mon May 13 19:29:40 1991
This is a comment to message 1979.
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I think the Journal has profiled Groening before, back before The Simpsons,
and it was my first exposure to his work.
–Dave
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animation/main #1984, from sje, 242 chars, Mon May 13 22:37:15 1991
This is a comment to message 1980.
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Alas, while import of non-formatted text will work fine with most word
processors, the animation listing is formatted into lines as would be seen
by a “list all” interactive command. There is still a problem here that needs
work. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1985, from davemackey, 544 chars, Tue May 14 00:46:22 1991
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I downloaded animation.txt myself and found out what the problem is: there
are LF’s (hex 0A) but no CR’s (hex 0D). Somehow the CR’s must have gotten
stripped out. (My word processor uses the single 0A character to delimit new
lines; perhaps the same is true of whatever apparatus was used in this case.)
If every 0A were to be replaced by an 0D 0A, everything would be hunky
dory. I also think we have to come to some solution as to the proper format
in which text files should appear in /listings.
–Dave
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animation/main #1986, from sje, 384 chars, Tue May 14 00:59:33 1991
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I’ll bet that the problem is somehow related to the fact that the file
“animation.txt” does not have the special “$text” keyword. Most of the other
files with the “$text” keyword work okay. I believe that the presence of
either the “$text” or “$binary” keyword subtly interacts with up/down activity.
I suspect that the “option format crlf” sequence has an effect also. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #1987, from switch, 147 chars, Wed May 15 08:24:12 1991
This is a comment to message 1985.
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All my files are uploaded with a CRLF, and a control-Z at the end
to keep the MS-DOS users happy. It seems to work for everyone else
too…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #1988, from hmccracken, 347 chars, Wed May 15 23:18:50 1991
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TITLE: The current issue of _Spy_ magazine is a must-have for
followers of the current Disney regime: one of the feature
articles is a funny speculative piece on what would happen
“If Disney Ran America” (in which Michael Eisner is elected
President), and there is also a short, interesting piece on
the now-ended Disney/Henson lawsuit.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1989, from hmccracken, 284 chars, Wed May 15 23:22:05 1991
This is a comment to message 1904.
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Finally got a copy of Canemaker’s Felix book, and it’s indeed
wonderful and full of new information on Pat Sullivan, Otto
Messmer, and Felix. $30 is a steep price for a small, slim
volume like this, but this book is worth it. I think I’ll
go watch some Felix cartoons…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1990, from davemackey, 523 chars, Fri May 17 21:22:17 1991
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TITLE: “Art of Sensual Massage” on Playboy
For those so inclined, the Playboy Channel is airing “Playboy’s Art Of
Sensual Massage” tonight; check listings for time. And yes, that is June
Foray narrating the video, which demonstrates how to touch erotically. This
video got a mention in the People Magazine article about Foray this week.
It is weird hearing Foray, using a soft, breathy version of her real
voice, discussing men’s and women’s erogenous zones in clinical detail.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1991, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Fri May 17 21:59:50 1991
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Foray must have a certain taste for this sort of thing — she
produced a cartoon a few years ago called _You Can’t Teach an
Old Dog New Tricks (But You Can To a Dirty Old Man)_ — the
title was something like that, anyway — which was decidedly
R-rated.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1992, from davemackey, 1171 chars, Sat May 18 00:17:34 1991
This is a comment to message 1991.
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She does have a kinky streak about her, it’s true. Probably as a backlash
result to the oppression of doing squeaky-clean cartoon voices. But while I
don’t exclusively think of Foray in a sexual way — despite the fact that she
looks a good number of years younger than 72 — it is a fascinating aspect of
her personality. When I flipped to Playboy Channel and heard the soundtrack
to the special (the video was scrambled as it’s a pay-per-view service on our
system), I wasn’t aware of what I was watching and thought “what a sexy
voice.” It was only after a few minutes that I figured out it was June Foray.
On a totally different tack, it surprised me that the voice of Fritz The
Cat turned out to be Skip Hinnant, who was one of the repertory players on
“The Electric Company” and is still one of the top commercial voice guys. It
was somewhat shocking to hear the man who played Fargo North, Decoder, utter
the line of dialogue “Go f— yourself” as Fritz. (It may have been his older
brother Bill, but one of the Hinnant boys played Snoopy in the original
off-Broadway production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.”)
–Dave
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animation/main #1993, from hmccracken, 402 chars, Sat May 18 00:45:47 1991
This is a comment to message 1992.
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June Forayt is *72*? Incredible! That makes her as old as
Granny…She sure doesn’t look it.
If my memory serves, it was Skip Hinnant who played Snoopy. The
name is familiar, and I’m certainly familiar with the his
Electric Company appearances although I didn’t know that that
was Skip until I read your message. (I don’t think the cast
members of that show ever got individual credit.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #1994, from hmccracken, 383 chars, Sat May 18 00:50:05 1991
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TITLE: The current issue of _Forbes_ has two articles of potential
interest to participants in this conference: one on Saban Productions,
the music-and-animation company that has been discussed here recently;
the other on TastyKakes (a food product that I *know* has been
discussed by animation conference folk, although it may have
been over in the elfquest conference).
— Harry
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animation/main #1995, from bferg, 400 chars, Sat May 18 10:28:10 1991
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Voices behind the characters…I have to admit, I do not know the
real folks behind the voices of our beloved toons. It is nice to
see their names, would really be nice to see some in action. We take
for granted the toon’s voice at times. Hum…sounds like some interesting
variations of use of voice of Foray. Some interesting stuff on Playboy
Channel, but do not subscribe to it.
😉
Barbara
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animation/main #1996, from davemackey, 407 chars, Sat May 18 16:09:35 1991
This is a comment to message 1994.
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Yum! What’s their big seller, Butterscotch Krimpets? Kandy Kakes? Koffee
Kake?
The history of Haim Saban is incredible. I think he began doing cartoon
music overseas with his partner Shuki Levy, and the first music they did for
a show seen in the states was “Inspector Gadget,” and for a period of several
years they were doing music for every DIC cartoon show.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1997, from davemackey, 542 chars, Sat May 18 16:09:49 1991
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Barb, cartoon voices were an anonymous profession for many years after the
introduction of sound. I think Mel Blanc broke open the floodgates when he
insisted upon (and got) screen credit for his voices. Of the hundreds of
people who’ve done animation voices only a handful have achieved superstar
status, such as Blanc, Daws Butler, June Foray, Don Messick, and more
recently, Frank Welker. For every one of those there are about a dozen or so
who are relatively obscure. Maybe they like it that way.
–Dave
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animation/main #1998, from davemackey, 394 chars, Sat May 18 16:10:08 1991
This is a comment to message 1988.
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Spy has sort of become the hallmark of guerilla journalism. One of the
recurring themes, to borrow from Matt Groening, is “Work Is Hell” — there
are so many exposes of impossible bosses, they’re impossible to count.
The Eisner-Katzenberg ticket has my vote, though, in the next election,
considering the calibre of the real-life candidates so far.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #1999, from davemackey, 100 chars, Sat May 18 16:10:14 1991
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TITLE: If all goes well…..
the next message should be….
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2000, from davemackey, 93 chars, Sat May 18 16:10:20 1991
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TITLE: Arf, Arf, Gotcha!
2000. The double millenium!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2001, from bferg, 118 chars, Sat May 18 17:04:14 1991
This is a comment to message 1997.
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Perhaps they like it, but it seems only fair that they recieve credit
for their work…I know *I* would.
😉
Barbara
==========================
animation/main #2002, from bferg, 95 chars, Sat May 18 17:05:31 1991
This is a comment to message 2000.
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See, I *told* you it was contagious and ternimal! 😉
(Morgan, did you see that??)
😉
Barbara
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animation/main #2003, from hkenner, 139 chars, Sat May 18 18:29:14 1991
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Barb, there are people who think that getting known for voicing cartoons
would impede a *real* career. Like getting on Hollywood Squares.
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animation/main #2004, from morganfox, 13 chars, Sat May 18 21:53:55 1991
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Scumbag! 🙂
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animation/main #2005, from hmccracken, 436 chars, Sun May 19 15:00:02 1991
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Dave, I haven’t found anything else out about animation in Long
Branch, but you may be interested to know that John Canemaker’s
new book on Felix the Cat discusses animation in New Jersey
at length, and actually has a chapter entitled “Hollywood on
the Hudson” devoted to the topic. Otto Messmer was born in
West Hoboken, and both he and Pat Sullivan were involved in
the film industry in Fort Lee early in their careers.
— Harry
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animation/main #2006, from bferg, 120 chars, Sun May 19 18:19:24 1991
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I wonder, I do, what someone made in terms of $$$ for being
the voice of an animated character? Anyone know??
Barbara
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animation/main #2007, from bferg, 56 chars, Sun May 19 18:20:25 1991
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OH< no, the disease has its bad moments…
😉
Barbara
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animation/main #2008, from hmccracken, 469 chars, Sun May 19 20:03:22 1991
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Mel Blanc made a *lot* of money in his later years, and I’m sure
that someone like Daws Butler made quite a bit. But I think
that if you make a lot of money at it, it’s probably done through
volume. The work can be done pretty quickly compared to TV or
film live-action acting, and the talent pool is fairly small.
I’ve heard that Frank Welker, the most prolific contemporary
voice artist, is very well off, but he apparently does hundreds
of jobs a year.
— Harry
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animation/main #2009, from davemackey, 293 chars, Sun May 19 20:11:44 1991
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I would think that the communities on the other side of the Hudson would be
more of a breeding ground for that sort of thing, due to the relative
proximity to NYC.
Sometime later this month I will begin my research into Long Branch and
Bill Nolan.
–Dave
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animation/main #2010, from davemackey, 519 chars, Sun May 19 20:54:18 1991
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I don’t think it’s a heck of a lot, even for the superstars. I would presume
the minimum price is set by the SAG or AFTRA, depending on the ultimate
destination of the film, and I don’t think that there are more than a few
cartoon voices making much more than union scale.
But, as Harry mentioned earlier, if you can do a lot of voices and do
them well, like Frank Welker, you can make a ton of money and maybe even have
rival studios competitively bidding for your talent.
–Dave
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animation/main #2011, from davemackey, 338 chars, Sun May 19 20:54:39 1991
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TITLE: It’s finally in /listings
Soon to be available in listings section is DFE.TXT, listing all the
theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises from 1964 to
1978. Cartoons are listed in chronological order and include series, release
date and director information where available.
–Dave
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animation/main #2012, from bferg, 139 chars, Sun May 19 21:13:37 1991
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Yeah, I was wondering, like say, back in the 40’s and 50’s
if these individuals even came close to making what movie
stars made??
Barbara
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animation/main #2013, from hmccracken, 1327 chars, Sun May 19 22:35:51 1991
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I think it’s safe to say that Mel Blanc was the only voice artist
back in those days who *might* have made enough from cartoons to
classify him as being modestly wealthy. I’m sure that even
someone like Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, or Jack
Mercer, who did Popeye’s voice for almost fifty years, didn’t
make huge salaries. A lot of cartoon voices were done by studio
artists or other employees (Walt Disney being Mickey Mouse is
the most interesting example of this).
Remember that cartoon voice artists have a tremendous disadvantage
in that they can be replaced without much of the audience noticing
(a problem they share with radio actors). This was true back in
the old days and is still true today — quite often if a voice
artist wants more money, he’s simply replaced by someone who
will do the job for less. In addition, Mel Blanc is *still* the
only voice artist in the history of the artform who became more
or less a household name. Nobody ever went to see a cartoon
because Daws Butler was in it, let alone because a less well-
known voice actor was. This is quite different from the live-
action business, where it’s worth paying Nicholson or De Niro
a lot of money because it translates into more ticket sales
(or worth paying Cosby a lot of money because it means high
TV ratings).
— Harry
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animation/main #2014, from bsoron, 253 chars, Sun May 19 23:57:20 1991
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Don’t forget that Blanc also had a number of regular roles
on radio and TV shows, which paid more than his voice work.
I guess it becomes rather abstract to wonder if his salary just
for animation voice work was higher than other voice artists got.
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animation/main #2015, from davemackey, 235 chars, Mon May 20 18:51:50 1991
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Probably not — maybe just throw a few bucks their way. Some of them were
probably actors waiting for a bigger break in radio, or maybe already
established radio people with time on their hands.
–Dave
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animation/main #2016, from davemackey, 419 chars, Mon May 20 18:52:03 1991
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It isn’t good to use Jack Mercer as an argument since he was already drawing
a writers’ salary at Famous Studios. I don’t even know if he got an extra
kick in his paycheck for doing the Popeye voice. (It would be interesting to
ask either Mae Questel or Jackson Beck if anyone ever got around to
interviewing them, since they worked alongside him for many years on the
Popeyes.)
–Dave
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animation/main #2017, from hmccracken, 411 chars, Mon May 20 19:33:03 1991
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I’m speculating, but I would imagine it wasn’t long before
Mercer became more valuable to Fleischer as the voice of
Popeye than as a storyman, and his career as Popeye did
outlast his writing career. I’d imagine he was paid a
salary to voice Popeye from early on, although how much
is hard to say. He’s the one guy who started out as
an in-studio talent and became a successful voice artist,
period.
— Harry
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animation/main #2018, from bferg, 364 chars, Mon May 20 19:52:47 1991
This is a comment to message 2015.
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HUM, it seems as if the folks voices behind our favorite toons
are uncelebrated. I would find it interesting to know how the
mechanism worked to get the voices…perhaps uncomplicated. Yes,
in an earlier comment, the spots were easily replaced, so, if one
required more $$ etc, then they just told him/her to “take a hike.”
Interesting to think about.
Barbara
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animation/main #2019, from davemackey, 267 chars, Mon May 20 22:15:27 1991
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I think Mercer was still doing some of the writing on Popeye, even after the
character went to Hanna-Barbera. But even after Popeye went out of production
at Paramount (1957), Mercer still contributed to stories at the studio.
–Dave
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animation/main #2020, from amasin, 720 chars, Mon May 20 23:28:10 1991
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TITLE: Daws Butler
A local (NYC) public radio show has lately been showcasing
Butler’s work. The station was able to play a number of
unreleased tapes made by Butler and a former student, currently a
station staffer (_and_ voice artist buff).
I was really struck by Butler’s talent, and generosity. On the
whole I got the impression that money wasn’t Butler’s _real_
motivation, he genuinely loved his craft and lived to perpetuate
it. And… the Hanna Barbera characters barely touched his real
ability, as a performer _and_ writer.
I doubt if any of this is available on tape. However NYC Bixen
might try to contact the show’s host (David Garland on WNYC-FM)
to check for a repeat. It’ll be worth it!
Andy Masin
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animation/main #2021, from hmccracken, 72 chars, Tue May 21 09:08:24 1991
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Did he work on the stories for the Felix the Cat TV cartoons?
— Harry
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animation/main #2022, from davemackey, 327 chars, Tue May 21 20:26:12 1991
This is a comment to message 2021.
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Most likely, but according to Korkis and Cawley in “Cartoon Superstars,” the
bulk of the stories were written by Joe Stultz, Joe Sabo and Ralph Newman;
animators included Jim Tyer, Reuben Grossman, Steve Muffatti and Frank
Endres. (I don’t think these cartoons ever had screen credits.)
–Dave
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animation/main #2023, from switch, 283 chars, Wed May 22 21:57:04 1991
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TITLE: Usenet archives
I just uploaded and installed the forty-third Usenet digest. Of
interest are not only the usual Japanese animation tidbits, but also
some chatter on the Japanese airings of Tiny Toons. I haven’t read
them myself, but I’m sure they’ll be interesting…
Emru
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animation/main #2024, from hmccracken, 627 chars, Mon May 27 00:06:00 1991
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As has been pointed out here before, while it sometimes takes a
while for questions to get answered here in the animation
conference, they do get answered. With apologies for the
two month delay in finding this out, I can tell you that
“Goofy’s Success Story” was an episode of the second
season of _Disneyland_. It aired on December 7th, 1955,
was directed by Jack Kinney, and was released theatrically
in Europe. Many thanks to Leonard Maltin’s invaluable
_The Disney Films_ for this information. Now, whether
the episode shows the Griffith Observatory or not I’m
not sure, but that sounds familiar somehow…
— Harry
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animation/main #2025, from richard.pini, 335 chars, Mon May 27 12:10:07 1991
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Thanks again for finding that. Now all I have to do is scare up, in some
form or other, a copy of the cartoon itself – just to look at, so we can
lay to rest the final question of where/how Griffith is used. Mike Scoville
very kindly pointed out that the production numbers on the back of the
art do indeed correspond to that cartoon.
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animation/main #2026, from richard.pini, 1412 chars, Mon May 27 12:20:15 1991
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TITLE: *Very* heavy sigh
At the same flea market where I picked up the Looney Tunes baseball cards
I also found a dealer who was selling nothing but mass quantities of 1-2 year
old catalogs from Sotheby’s, Christie’s, etc., for real cheap. So I indulged
and scarfed up half a dozen that had animation art up as either part of the
auction or as the entire focus. ARRGGGGG! They offered some gorgeous stuff.
Prices seemed, even that recently, to be 1/2 to 1/3 what you see in catalogs
today, though the upper crust stuff has probably not gone up all that much
because it has always been expensive. Also, there are listed some dogs for
$5-800 that you would not pay $50 for at a convention (stuff from Super
Friends) that is probably only high-priced because it’s at a major auction
house. Bee-yoo-tiful Disney set-ups! And a bed-wetting set-up from “Gulliver’s
Travels”, the shot where he stands up in the town for the first time, with
the production background of all the little buildings…
Maybe it’s better I didn’t know this at the time it was offered.
On the other hand, at another booth I found some used videos for $5 each;
these look like they came from a defunct rental shop. “Uncensored Animation
from the Van Buren Studio” and “Cartoons for Big Kids” (or some such –
Warner Brothers). As well as the 15 chapters of the Captain America serial.
Sometimes the gods smile small, but they do smile.
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animation/main #2027, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Mon May 27 13:33:08 1991
This is a comment to message 2025.
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This is just based on a vague memory lurking in the back of my
head, but you may want to check out the opening and/or closing
credits of the Disney Channel show _Good Morning Mickey_, which
is (or at least was) aired very early in the morning. I have
the faintest glimmer of a memory of it showing a clip of Goofy
walking by an observatory.
— Harry
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animation/main #2028, from mscoville, 573 chars, Tue May 28 01:41:40 1991
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TITLE: Auctions
Coming up in June will be the spring auctions for animation. The first up
is Philips which will be on June 8. Sotheby’s will be held on June 18 and
Christie’s will be June 20. Catalogs for these sales are available. You can
call the respective auction house and they will be glad to mail it. Be warned
that there has been a price increase in the catalogs. For Sotheby’s the new
catalog price is $30.00 at the gallery and $35.00 by mail. It is expected
that Christie’s will be approximately the same price. What an increase in the
cost of living!
mscoville
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animation/main #2029, from hmccracken, 370 chars, Tue May 28 11:31:38 1991
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Of course, fifteen years ago you probably could have gotten
some of the things that are being auctioned off for thirty or
thirty-five dollars! As Richard.Pini noted recently, if one
isn’t actually planning to bid it’s often possible to pick up
the catalog after the auction at a good price. Also, Howard Lowery
has better catalogs and charges less for them.
— Harry
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animation/main #2030, from davemackey, 934 chars, Tue May 28 18:19:45 1991
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TITLE: Lost in the translation
The Korean artists who’ve worked to recolor the Porky Pig and Popeye cartoons
are just tracing the frames, with no concept of what the pictures are of.
This is most apparent with any tracings involving the English language. Four
examples:
(1) In “Little Beau Porky,” a barrel is alternately labeled “Criro
Syrup” and “Cairo Syrup”; the latter is correct as it is a pun on “Karo
Syrup.”
(2) In “The Film Fan,” a marquee reads “WE CHAHGE OUR SHORTS DAILY.”
(3) The copyright notice of “Bulldozing The Bull” reads “Copyright
MCMXXXVIII by PARAMOUNT PICTUPts INC.”
(4) The credits for “Porky’s Poppa” read as follows:
Supervision
ROBERT CLAMPETT
Animation
CHARLES JONES
Musical Direction
<— it’s blank! I’m sure there are others, but these are four quite notable ones. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2031, from davemackey, 382 chars, Tue May 28 18:19:56 1991 ————————– TITLE: Animation on the Universal Tour… soon Jeff Segal, head of MCA/Universal Family Entertainment, says that Universal Cartoon Studios is planning to move into a permanent facility on the Universal lot that will be part of the Universal Studios Tour within two years. The revived studio currently operates out of office space in Burbank. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2032, from hmccracken, 967 chars, Tue May 28 18:34:02 1991 This is a comment to message 2030. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– At least one of those recolored cartoons credits “Ken Marris” as having credited animation. In a sort-of-related issue, it’s amusing somehow that the recolored Popeye cartoons feature faithfully-recolored AAP credit cards, even though AAP was just a company that distributed the cartoons to TV long ago and there’s no particular reason to perpetuate its credits (except for nostaligc reasons; how many young cartoon viewers thought that AAP must have been a great cartoon studio, since it made all those Bugs Bunny and Popeye cartoons?). It would have made just as much sense for the recolorers to replace the AAP titles with a “Ted Turner Presents” card — not that different from what Warner’s did when it recolored cartoons in the 1960s and gave them new credits in the process. (This always confused me when I was a kid — I was savvy enough graphically to know that those credits looked rather modern compared to the cartoons, but wasn’t sure why.) — Harry ========================== animation/main #2033, from davemackey, 1407 chars, Tue May 28 21:10:50 1991 This is a comment to message 2032. ————————– The cartoon you cite was “Porky’s Prize Pony,” which also credited Rich Mogan with story. I guess the took the stylized H’s to be M’s in both cases. “Porky’s Garden” is like that, too, crediting Sid Suiherland. And about the replaced titles: even Nickelodeon thinks all those cartoons were made in 1967, which they weren’t: check out the copyright notice next time one comes up on one of their shows. I’ve noticed the AAP titles, as well, and also note that the stems of the letters often appear in a color different than the curved portions. Also, note that a few of the earliest ones even have recolored the desk that used to appear briefly after the iris out, which was a part of the “Inkwell” closing that Paramount used in the first year of Popeye production. At least one recolored Popeye has Paramount titles front and back (with the front main title’s mention of “Stereoptical Process And Apparatus Patented/Patent No. 2054414”, a reference to the turntable camera). I don’t remember ever seeing an original b/w Popeye with titles. Another thing I wonder about the recolored Popeyes is that there are several compilation episodes such as “I’m In The Army Now,” “Adventures Of Popeye” and “Doing Imposskible Stunts.” I wonder if someone made the artists aware that they didn’t have to go through the trouble of tracing the reused footage again. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2034, from davemackey, 1000 chars, Tue May 28 21:11:21 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Happy (?) Anniversary Today is the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the long, bitter strike at the Walt Disney Studio. (I’ve seen May 27 and May 29 cited also, but the May 28 date is from “Of Mice and Magic” and who’s gonna argue with Maltin?) The strike concerned the unionization of the Disney animators by the new Screen Cartoonists Guild, and resulted in the loss of a key cross-section of Disney talent like Vlad “Bill” Tytla and Art Babbitt; some of those artists eventually formed the UPA studio and many landed elsewhere in animation. Morale suffered, too. Jack Kinney wrote in his book “Walt Disney And Assorted Other Characters” that many long friendships ended simply because both parties were on the opposite poles of the issue. “The studio was never the same when it was over,” Kinney wrote. “Walt cut off all privileges, and Disney’s became a very hard-nosed place.” The studio reopened on September 12 as a Guild shop. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2035, from hmccracken, 506 chars, Tue May 28 21:19:14 1991 This is a comment to message 2034. ————————– A sad anniversary. Maurice Noble, who struck and got fired as a result, says that even fifty years later when folks who were on opposite sides of the strike get together there’s an uneasy feeling sometimes. It has been speculated that the entire history of animation, or at least of Disney animation, might have been different if the strike hadn’t happened. Along with WWI it was clearly a major factor in Walt Disney’s loss of interest in animation and move towards projects like Disneyland. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2036, from davemackey, 916 chars, Wed May 29 19:05:52 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: CNN discusses animation art CNN ran a brief feature on its “Business Morning” on animation art collecting as an investment this morning. After explaining what a cel was, they gave the following pieces of advice: find a reputable dealer, watch out for fakes, start small by collecting pencil drawings, and make sure the character is popular. Leslie Brooks of the C.A. Brooks gallery was also interviewed. They also gave the example of a Bambi cel going for $15,400 in 1988 and $25,000 in 1990. If Mike Scoville is listening in, I’m sure he can either endorse or debunk this information, but it makes logical sense to me, all except for that last part about “make sure the character is popular” — while this may ensure a return on your investment, it can rob you of the learning experience of finding out about those more obscure actors and actresses of Toon Town. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2037, from davemackey, 168 chars, Wed May 29 19:06:28 1991 This is a comment to message 2026. ————————– I often find old auction catalogues in the back-date magazine stores in NYC, but very few of the exclusively animation variety. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2038, from bsoron, 729 chars, Wed May 29 19:39:57 1991 This is a comment to message 2036. There are additional comments to message 2036. ————————– Sadly, learning more about the art and its history is probably low on the list of priorities for investors. Equally sadly, one needn’t worry about making sure the character is popular — when I started out collecting Sugar & Spike, some dealers literally gave me issues because they knew I was the only person interested in them. (It was the sort of thing where I’d buy $10 or $20 worth of comics and get those thrown in.) It didn’t take more than a couple years for dealers to realize that the series was “popular”; at the DC Comics convention in ’78, one of the dealers who used to give me S&S issues offered to bring the price of the first issue down from $125 to $100. (I wanted it badly, but still couldn’t afford it.) ========================== animation/main #2039, from sje, 491 chars, Wed May 29 22:41:42 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: How About A Mention Of The Animation Conference In A BYTE Ad? Each month _BYTE_ runs several advertisements for BIX and often mentions conferences and topics by name. However, I’ve never seen this conference mentioned, and I wonder how many new contributors we might get if we got some of this publicity. I for one heard about this conference accidentially and I suspect there may be others who might also get something from it — if they only knew about its existence. — Steve ========================== animation/main #2040, from hmccracken, 308 chars, Wed May 29 22:43:54 1991 This is a comment to message 2039. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– We were mentioned in a BYTE ad about a year ago, Steve, and in all honesty I don’t think it brought all that many people into the conference. However, you’re right that it’s time for another mention…and time for some publicity in comics-related magazines as well…Both of which I’m working on. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2041, from sje, 344 chars, Wed May 29 23:03:12 1991 This is a comment to message 2040. ————————– I think you have a good idea with the comics related magazines; how about tapping every organization that’s been mentioned more than a few times and getting some publicity in their trade publications? Disney and Warner come to mind; perhaps some of the cable networks like TNT, USA, and Nickelodeon have program guides or the like. — Steve ========================== animation/main #2042, from checker, 340 chars, Wed May 29 23:38:22 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Working for the Man A friend of mine is here with me and wants to ask a question: Hey, do any of you folks know how to get a job at the Disney studios? I am an artist, and I’d really like to know who to get in touch with (who can I show my portfolio to?) If any of you out there can answer my question, please do. Thanks! Dan ========================== animation/main #2043, from mscoville, 1996 chars, Thu May 30 00:13:00 1991 This is a comment to message 2036. There are additional comments to message 2036. ————————– WEll, I saw the same “compressed” news bit on CNN. There were many problems with the piece due to the limited time and research. What they were trying to get across is that in the latest auctions in the art world have been disastrous, but that animation appears to have been resilient and that prices have not fallen. It is expected that the sales by Christie’s and Sotheby’s will be very well received and prices should hold and not go down like the rest of the art market. As to prices, an example would be prices realized at the S/R Labs sale which saw a CArmen Miranda Bugs Bunny cel go for $13,317 (Note: this didn’t include the buyers premium). At Howard Lowery’s sale there were very few passes and the prices realized held. An example, there was a Bambe and Thumper piece with a production background that went for $27,000. As to animation or any art for that fact being a great investment, one can do better in a money market account. If one is buying animation art it should be for the enjoyment, love and pleasure that the piece brings. Trying to anticipate what a market will do is suicide and even the “Acme” crystal ball cannot predict what will happen in the future. Yes, there are those who bought or got the art in the early infancy of the animation craze and yes they have made considerable profits, but the early purchases were for the love of the art and not the investment. Another point that has to be made is that while certain pieces will go for new record levels, most of the art has become stable in pricing. As to the “popular” remark, one should collect what one likes and loves. As to the resale value, yes a popular character might go faster than an obscure character, but with the rise in popularity of animation and the history, obscurity is falling by the wayside. Also, even though it is popular today, what will be the “in” character of the future? I don’t know. Well, that is enough for now…more at a later date. Sorry about the length. mscoville ========================== animation/main #2044, from mscoville, 441 chars, Thu May 30 00:18:31 1991 This is a comment to message 2042. There are additional comments to message 2042. ————————– A good place to go for information is Walt Disney Feature Animation. There phone number is 818-544-3320. You should ask when they are doing interviews and looking at portfolios. Also, ask them what they want to see as they have very specific and strict requirements. As to other work in animation you might contact Jeff Massis at the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists , Local 839. The phone number there is: 818-766-7151. Hope this helps… ========================== animation/main #2045, from davemackey, 1331 chars, Thu May 30 00:42:32 1991 This is a comment to message 2042. ————————– Hi, Checker, and welcome to the Animation Conference. You seem to have a most appropriate name for this conference, since an animation checker is one who looks over the scenes and makes sure nothing’s missing, the colors follow through correctly, etc. So let me address your friend’s problem here. If you are confident enough in your skills to want to try to get into Disney, get their phone number from Directory Assistance in either Burbank or Orlando and find out if and when you can have your portfolio looked at. Good luck! (In the animation/sources section, there is a list of the more prominent Hollywood animation studios with addresses; you may want to consider honing your craft in a shop where artistic merit is not as crucial as it is in the Disney organization.) But if you don’t get in the first time, keep practicing and drawing. If you don’t already have this book, may I recommend “Animation From Script To Screen” (ISBN 0-312-05052-6) by Shamus Culhane, himself a former Disney animator… an absolute must for anyone interested in a career in animation. I’m not certain, but I believe the Screen Cartoonists Guild Local 839 in Hollywood still offers courses to Guild members and students in the rudiments of storyboarding, animation, layout and background. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2046, from davemackey, 250 chars, Thu May 30 19:04:54 1991 This is a comment to message 2036. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Though it wasn’t my primary objective to give Leslie Brooks a plug, it does bear mentioning that Mr. Brooks also runs Mice, Ducks and Wabbits, who have occupied the back page of “Animato!” last several issues. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2047, from hmccracken, 251 chars, Thu May 30 19:54:38 1991 This is a comment to message 2046. ————————– Leslie just sent out a catalog to folks on his mailing list with some nice stuff. MD&W often has some unusual-but-interesting artwork abailable for sale. — Harry TINARINABAOTS (This is not a review — I’ve never actually bought any of this stuff) ========================== animation/main #2048, from davemackey, 527 chars, Sat Jun 1 16:57:28 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Joy Batchelor Joy Batchelor, whose animation partnership with husband John Halas lasted more than fifty years, died on May 14 in London at the age of 77. Many place the peak of the twin careers of Halas and Batchelor at 1954, when they produced a thoughtful animated adaptation of George Orwell’s book “Animal Farm.” They also produced television commercials and series, and also provided subcontracted animation to some of Gene Deitch’s Popeye cartoons in the early 1960’s. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2049, from davemackey, 626 chars, Sat Jun 1 16:58:13 1991 ————————– TITLE: Cartoons on centerstage in the “Show Business Bible” Once again, “Variety” is featuring a special section on the world of global animation; their last such section was about a year ago. The feature appears in the May 27 issue, which should be available on newsstands and in select bookstores like B. Dalton and Waldenbooks. While short on features of fan interest (such as last year’s twin profiles of Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng), there is a reference guide listing practically every major animated studio in the world and the most prominent recent work of those studios. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2050, from hmccracken, 148 chars, Sat Jun 1 18:28:35 1991 This is a comment to message 2048. ————————– Halas and Batechelor also produced some adaptations of Crockett Johnson’s legendary _Barnaby_ comic strip that I’ve always wanted to see. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2051, from switch, 153 chars, Sun Jun 2 18:29:53 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Just installed in ‘listings’… …’omam_corr.txt’, Dave Mackey’s list of corrections to Leonard Maltin’s _Of Mice and Magic_, 2nd edition. Emru ========================== animation/main #2052, from davemackey, 497 chars, Mon Jun 3 20:00:41 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: A McKimson goof Just watching “Mouse-Placed Kitten” on Nick, and I just noticed a little gaffe in a scene which is supposed to denote the passage of months. Calendar pages that read June 1, July 1, August 1, etc. fall off the calendar. When each page is removed from the calendar, the month name on the page that is being removed disappears. I think McKimson thought this to be a nice little shortcut that nobody would notice. Sorry, Bob, I noticed. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2053, from davemackey, 132 chars, Mon Jun 3 20:00:49 1991 This is a comment to message 2051. ————————– May I add that these are primarily corrections to the filmography and not to the main text. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2054, from hmccracken, 346 chars, Mon Jun 3 20:21:09 1991 This is a comment to message 2052. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Presumbably it’s tough to animate the lettering on the pages fluttering as the page falls off…Disney would have done it, probably, but has been noted (by Chuck Jones among others; it’s a statement of fact, not an insult) Warner Bros. was always a cut-rate studio. (This is also why so many Warner cartoons only have two characters.) — Harry ========================== animation/main #2055, from hmccracken, 2125 chars, Mon Jun 3 22:25:51 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: The National Cartoonists’ Society has handed out this year’s awards, including the Reuben award for Cartoonist of the Year, and here are the results, as reported in this week’s _Comics Buyer’s Guide_ (the comments are mine, not CBG’s): Cartoonist of the Year (the Reuben itself) went to Gary Larson for _The Far Side_. I don’t recall if Larson has ever won an NCS award before — while I think _The Far Side_ is definitely past its prime (Larson never recovered from that sabbaticalhe took), he certainly deserves some sort of award for his entire body of work. The award for Strip/Panel cartooning went to Art Sansom for _The Born Loser_. I don’t know if _The Born Loser_ is really anyone’s sincere choice as the best comic strip published duringthe past year, but Sansom has quietly been doing nice work since the 1960s. It’s good to see it recognized. Editorial/sports went to Pat Oliphant. No argument there, Oliphant is consistently at the top of his profession, and almost always better than whatever gagsmith gets the Pulitzer in any particular year. Magazine cartoons went to Harry Devlin, whose work I don’t know. Devlin is a leading light of the NCS and has been for many years. Electronic media (formerly the animation award) went to Chuck Jones, for the second year in a row. While I stoop to no one in my respect for Jones, I don’t know what’s in the NCS’s head, if this award is for work done in the previous year. At least Jones did some animation last year (I don’t believe he did any work in animation the previous year). Unfortunately, his credits for _Gremlins II_ are not really worthy of an award. The situation here is much like when the NCS used to give Will Eisner — another cartoonist of unimpeachable skill — the comic book award each year, even when he had done no comics in the preceding year. Commercial art went to Steve DuQuette, whom I haven’t heard of. This may be a new name for the old comic book category — but then, aren’t comic strips and panels, editorial cartoons, magazine cartoons, and electronic media all commercial art of one sort or another? — Harry ========================== animation/main #2056, from davemackey, 740 chars, Wed Jun 5 00:09:20 1991 This is a comment to message 2054. ————————– I don’t think it would have been that difficult at Warner’s. By the middle 50’s they had an artist on staff named Don Foster who was responsible for all lettering that was used in the cartoons, including the title and credit lettering and anything else needed. It wouldn’t have been too difficult for Foster to trace over the calendar pages and just stencil in the lettering for each individual month. (Don Foster eventually followed Chuck Jones over to MGM, where his typographic work can best be seen in “The Dot And The Line.”) Alas, monetary restrictions probably did take precedence. I’m certain there were other animation shortcuts that Warner’s employed that we still haven’t discovered. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2057, from davemackey, 687 chars, Wed Jun 5 00:09:41 1991 This is a comment to message 2055. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– The NCS is a shining example of cronyism at its best. This explains the myriad of awards given to artists who have been relatively unproductive (such as Jones, for example: while I don’t argue that he’s deserving of awards for lifetime achievement, to give him one for his relatively undistinguished 1990 work is foolish). But even Will Eisner, a longtime NCS pet, is always keeping busy doing new covers for The Spirit reprint comics and his graphic novel work. I would think that commercial art would be roughly parallel to advertising design. By the way, who won the Sports Cartooning award? Was it Bill Gallo for the umpteenth time? –Dave ========================== animation/main #2058, from hmccracken, 308 chars, Wed Jun 5 09:14:07 1991 This is a comment to message 2057. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– The editorial and sports awards have apparently been rolled into one award, presumably because there are so few sports cartoonists out there. Probably the most notorious example of the NCS’s cronyism was when, in 1976 or so, they gave Ernie Bushmiller the Reuben as best cartoonist of the year… — Harry ========================== animation/main #2059, from davemackey, 781 chars, Wed Jun 5 20:05:42 1991 This is a comment to message 2058. ————————– I re-read your message and finally figured out that Oliphant was the sports winner as well. The Daily News continues to print pretty good cartoons by Bill Gallo, who is also the paper’s boxing columnist. Years ago, Gallo alternated with caricaturist Bruce Stark. After Philadelphia Phillie Len Dykstra had his drunk driving accident, The News printed — full page — a cautionary cartoon by Gallo on the evils of drinking and driving by athletes that should be hung on the walls of every scholastic locker room in the country. Despite recent health problems Gallo just keeps on keeping on, and his characters of Basement Bertha and Yuchie are probably more beloved to New York sports fans than some of the regular comics page denizens. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2060, from switch, 371 chars, Thu Jun 6 13:57:46 1991 ————————– TITLE: Rec.arts.anime Just installed raa044.arc and raa045.arc. These are going to be the last of the UUCP digests for a while, unless someone volunteers to grab the messages and upload them to me to prune and post. Actually, it would be nice if someone got the other animation-related UUCP stuff, since I seem to have more time for this sort of thing. Anyone? Emru ========================== animation/main #2061, from hmccracken, 622 chars, Sun Jun 9 00:04:44 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Special CBIX this Tuesday As usual, we’ll have a CBIX in the animation conference this Tuesday at 10pm EST, but this time it’s a little different and rather special. BPamela and Mike Scoville (aka mscoville), the directors of the Animation Art Guild, will be discussing the world of animation art collecting with us. The Guild, for those of you who don’t know, is an organization that publishes two fine newsletters, maintains an art price database, and does other useful things for art collectors and animation fans in general. Please join us for what should be an informative and entertaining event! — Harry ========================== animation/main #2062, from hmccracken, 856 chars, Sun Jun 9 21:58:19 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: The _Fantasia_ exhibit at the Museum of Cartoon Art was crashed today by our own Dave Mackey, Pam and Mike Scoville, and me, as well as Matthew Hasson, a non-BIXing friend. It’s a fine show, even without the stolen art that was discussed in this conference a few months ago. While there aren’t all that many cels in the show, there are dozens of conceptual sketches, animation drawings, and other interesting pieces, as well as several wonderful character statuettes. The Museum also ran a well-done documentary on the making of _Fantasia_ that was produced for the Disney Channel. A good time was had by all, I believe. Unfortunately, the _Fantasia_ show is only on for another weekj, but if you can get down to Rye Brook,it’s worth a longish trip to do so (he said after having just invested about eight hours of driving all told). — Harry ========================== animation/main #2063, from davemackey, 1291 chars, Sun Jun 9 23:43:32 1991 This is a comment to message 2062. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Absolutely, and I think in the case of “Fantasia,” the storyboard drawings and conceptual art are a little more meaningful and creative than the usual nuts-and-bolts animation and layout drawings. Example: there were some Bill Tytla animation drawings of Chernobog, the Black God, from the “Night On Bald Mountain” sequence. While they’re more artistic and intricate than your usual animation drawings, they paled next to some tiny storyboard/concept paintings hung nearby. Mike and Jeanne Glad, from whose collection the exhibit is drawn, should now receive some public plaudits for achieving and maintaining a very high standard in animation art collecting, even though they’ve only been at it for no more than seven years. (After all, we’ve toasted them privately all afternoon.) I liked seeing the special (I never saw it despite having TDC) and was amused by one story in particular: since the Disney technicians enabled the artists to use an unlimited range of colors for the first time in “Fantasia,” new colors were sought. Background artist Ray Huffine found one such color he was looking for in his lunch. And as a result, “Fantasia” is probably the only film which has ever used a background painted in part with boysenberry jam. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2064, from hmccracken, 170 chars, Mon Jun 10 09:08:27 1991 This is a comment to message 2063. ————————– And in passing, let us congratulate the Disney Channel for having the good sense to hire Leonard Maltin, a knowledgable animation scholar, to write the special. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2065, from hmccracken, 271 chars, Thu Jun 13 18:59:54 1991 This is a comment to message 2061. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– The CBIX with Pam and Mike Scoville was held on Tuesday night as planned, and if you missed it…Well, you missed a good time. The discussion of animation art collecting was lively and informative; look for more specially-themed animation CBIXes in the future. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2066, from switch, 145 chars, Thu Jun 13 19:17:15 1991 This is a comment to message 2065. ————————– Yargh…. I really couldn’t concentrate on the CBIX because I was working on some layouts for a friend and had to meet a deadline. Bleah. Emru ========================== animation/main #2067, from davemackey, 1014 chars, Sat Jun 15 16:41:50 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: “Duck Factory” on Comedy Central Since printed schedules are so hard to come by, I don’t quite have a handle on the complete schedule of Comedy Central, the channel which used to be called CTV: The Comedy Network and was formerly two separate channels, HA! and The Comedy Channel. So it came as a surprise this morning when I found out Comedy Central shows “The Duck Factory” on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. The show aired on NBC in the early 1980’s and concerned the adventures of the employees of a cartoon studio. The cast included Jim Carrey, the late Jack Gilford, Teresa Ganzel, Julie Payne, and Don Messick playing (of course) the voice of Dippy Duck, the studio’s major character. Animation producer Herbert Klynn, who ran Format Films and Warner Bros. at various times, co-created the series, and acted as animation consultant. Animation for the series were produced by Playhouse Pictures, under the supervision of Adrian and Gerry Woolery. … –Dave ========================== animation/main #2068, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Sat Jun 15 17:44:51 1991 This is a comment to message 2067. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I didn’t know about Herbert Klynn’s association with the series, but wasn’t it co-created by Allan Burns, whose career included work as a writer for _The Bullwinkle Show_ as well as the co-creation of _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_? Also, June Foray and Bill Scott guested on one episode. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2069, from richard.pini, 201 chars, Sat Jun 15 20:20:29 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: I am doomed… I spent the better part of today viewing the auction exhibits at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Oooooooohhhhhh booooyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Watch this space for further developments. 😉 ========================== animation/main #2070, from davemackey, 215 chars, Sat Jun 15 22:39:52 1991 ————————– TITLE: Tomorrow… is Father’s Day, and there is but one recommended cartoon for the holiday: “A Bear For Punishment,” one of the most brilliantly executed shorts in history. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2071, from davemackey, 238 chars, Sun Jun 16 00:09:01 1991 This is a comment to message 2068. ————————– Yes, Allan Burns was in on “The Duck Factory,” and the “MTM Show” with some guy named James Brooks. (Which proves the cyclical nature of the medium, always rotating creators into and out of shows.) –Dave ========================== animation/main #2072, from davemackey, 351 chars, Sun Jun 16 00:32:08 1991 ————————– TITLE: Something only Dave would notice So I’m watching the news on Channel 4, waiting for “Saturday Night Live” to come on, and I’m looking at the credits, expecting nothing in particular, and there it was: “Graphic Designer: Dave Ubinas.” Mr. U. was a background artist with Paramount cartoons in the 1960’s. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2073, from davemackey, 166 chars, Sun Jun 16 08:44:36 1991 This is a comment to message 2069. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2069. ————————– I’m going up to Christie’s myself later this morning. Let me know what impressed you and we’ll compare notes when I get home. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2074, from davemackey, 815 chars, Mon Jun 17 23:06:53 1991 This is a comment to message 2069. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Say, Rich, you know which one I want? The one of Snow White running through the forest and screaming that Christie’s has. But I don’t have $25,000-$35,000. Don’t get me wrong: I will eventually have some animation art. But I think I’ve gotta start small and work my way up to the bigger pieces. It hasn’t been mentioned here (I always try to defer to Mike Scoville on things like this but he and Pam have been quite busy) but the Sotheby’s auction, which is tomorrow, includes lots from Peanuts specials especially selected for the auction by Lee Mendelsohn/Bill Melendez, as well as a selection of recent Warner Bros. work, including “Box Office Bunny,” “1990 Academy Awards,” “Bugs Bunny On Broadway” and “Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny And Friends” main titles. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2075, from hmccracken, 380 chars, Wed Jun 19 18:00:17 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Checks for Cartoon Nuts Just got back my order of Looney Tunes checks from my bank, and they’re absolutely wonderful. The checks have pastel backgrounds of Warner Bros. tableaux including two Bugs Bunny scenes, a Tweety and Sylvester one, and a Road Runner one. The Road Runner is my favorite and I’d gladly buy a checkbook of nothing but those ones if it was available. ========================== animation/main #2076, from hmccracken, 259 chars, Wed Jun 19 18:02:29 1991 This is a comment to message 2075. There are additional comments to message 2075. ————————– I forgot to mention that these checks are produced by Deluxe Check Printers; since this company is the largest check manufacturer, there’s a good chance your bank offers them if you’re interested. If not, they may be available directly from Deluxe. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2077, from richard.pini, 845 chars, Wed Jun 19 18:42:09 1991 This is a comment to message 2073. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Well, at Christie’s I guess the *big* impressive single piece was the one of Maleficent on the balcony of her castle, arms upraised, ready to start making things thorny for the Prince. Whew. But then, “Sleeping Beauty” is one of our very favorite Disney films. Of course, anything from “Fantasia” – particularly concept drawings and such – will get to me. In fact, the one painting from the deleted “Claire de Lune” sequence – that *incredible* flower – had me believing that I was looking at a 3-D sculpture. Even after I knew it was “only” a painting, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. But those kind of big bux I ain’t got. However, I have just about talked myself into going to the Christie’s auction tomorrow (I passed over the Sotheby’s one) to see if I can snag a couple of the Fleischer Studio lots. I have a real fondness for their work. ========================== animation/main #2078, from richard.pini, 41 chars, Wed Jun 19 18:42:48 1991 This is a comment to message 2074. There are additional comments to message 2074. ————————– The man has taste, you gotta admit… 😉 ========================== animation/main #2079, from richard.pini, 144 chars, Wed Jun 19 18:45:24 1991 This is a comment to message 2075. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– See what collecting sluts we are? I got an order of those, never to use, just to have. Ditto on the Space series – I think by the same company. ========================== animation/main #2080, from bsoron, 124 chars, Wed Jun 19 20:44:10 1991 This is a comment to message 2079. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Hey Richard, if you’re up for it, I wouldn’t mind buying a few of yours just to have. And could you autograph ’em? 🙂 / ========================== animation/main #2081, from davemackey, 475 chars, Wed Jun 19 23:25:39 1991 ————————– TITLE: Bill and Joe in New York Caught a glimpse of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera being interviewed by Al Roker on “Live At Five” today on the New York NBC station. They’re in town for a licensing show. The interview wasn’t anything you haven’t seen before: Bill and Joe philosophizing about what made their characters so popular, and like that. But it’s good to see them still representing the industry in such a dignified fashion. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2082, from hmccracken, 30 chars, Wed Jun 19 23:34:42 1991 This is a comment to message 2077. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Good luck, Richard! — Harry ========================== animation/main #2083, from switch, 295 chars, Thu Jun 20 21:53:28 1991 ————————– TITLE: Flipping through the latest Factsheet Five, I came across… …this zine: Frostbite Falls Far-Flung Flier Charles Ulrich 2160 Bryant St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 “A newsletter for fans of Rocky, Bullwinkle, and the rest of the Jay Ward cartoon characters.” It’s $10 for four issues. Emru ========================== animation/main #2084, from richard.pini, 14 chars, Fri Jun 21 17:20:40 1991 This is a comment to message 2080. ————————– Wiseguy… 😉 ========================== animation/main #2085, from richard.pini, 855 chars, Fri Jun 21 17:25:30 1991 This is a comment to message 2082. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Well, there’s a report after the fact over in elfquest/dreamberries, #2544. The short form is that some very nice major pieces went for upwards of 50 kilobux each – I saw one guy I know put somewhere between a quarter and a third of a million dollars into 4-5 pieces (I wasn’t keeping close track, I was brain-fried by then, but I know that Pam and Mike Scoville did, cuz I watched ’em). The Simpsons stuff went for obscene amounts – $3-4000 when the estimates were a quarter that amount – and the final piece, a special one done by Matt Groening for the auction, proceeds going to charity, went for $22000!!!!!!! We all died at that point. Me, I had mixed luck, winning one lot of some Fleischer Superman material, losing a lot of Fleischer Raggedy Ann cels, and the jury is out on a Gulliver cel I may or may not be able to buy directly from the owner. ========================== animation/main #2086, from hmccracken, 168 chars, Fri Jun 21 18:55:50 1991 This is a comment to message 2085. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I still have a fondness them because You snared some Fleischer artwrok? Tell us more, Richard, so we (or I at least) can turn even greener with jealousy… — Harry ========================== animation/main #2087, from mscoville, 3024 chars, Fri Jun 21 22:42:02 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Auctions, exhaustions Well, we have finally come up for air, but are zapped out when it comes to any animation cels. I can’t even remember what was what. I will have to wait until the film is developed and then remember what they look like. As to the auctions themselves, here is a capsule roundup of what took place: 1. The tolal amounts brought in by both auction houses was close to 3 million, with Christies getting the lions share. 2. The losers and most passed category was drawings. It seems that collectors aren’t interested in just a character on paper. IF the drawing is intricate, then(oops) then it will probably sell. Inf act there have been some high prices for early concept and layout drawings from the the 1930s. 3. Charlie Brown made a great debut via auctions. At Sotheby’s he brought in some 124,000 not including the buyers premium. That was for only 15 lots. The lowest item went for 2,000, the highest was $31,000 and the average spread in price was between 3 & 5,000. 4. The new Warner Bros. art was not as spectacular in garnering prices. There were 26 lots and 6 did not make their reserve. It was ashame as the reserve in general was 1,500. In comparason with the Simpsons, Charlie Brown, and Little Mermaid it did not do as well. THe main buying by the public was that if it had Bugs Bunny on it , it sold. The other cels with Daffy and Elmer went for a lower amount or was one of those passed. The total amount garnered was $54,200. The high for a Bugs 7,500 and the low was $1,600. 5. Now, to the Simpsons. What can be said. The 28 lots fetched 107,200 (not including the buyers premium) The highest lot, that was reported earlier, did indeed go for $22,000. It was bought by a gentleman who owns 2 restaurants. He also, bought a number of other pieces. The $22,000 paid actually helped both the buyer and the seller. THe monies raised went to AIDS research and the buyer gets to take a deduction of 21,000 of this years taxes. As to why they fetched the high prices being so new?????I really can’t say, except that the bidders were new to collecting animation art. The vintage collectors stood on t(it shoudl read) stood in the wings, waiting unt il the vintage pieces went back on the auction block. The high price showing by the Simpsons reflects a very good marketing campaign by Fox TV, Christie’s, the cel distributor and finally Matt Groening. It was reported that he was thrilled when he heard the prices. 6. As to prices in general, the overall prices held. There was no downward trend which has occurred in other fine art auctions. Also, there was gains made in cel with matching backgounds or production cels with production backgrounds. A new high was set for Cinderella art, $80,000 (without the buyers premium). Well, that’s it in a nutshell. If you have any specific questions, we will be able to answer them when we have had some more sleep. We apologize for and grammatical or spelling errors. (Should read any grammatical or spelling errors) mscoville ========================== animation/main #2088, from hmccracken, 59 chars, Sat Jun 22 00:26:29 1991 This is a comment to message 2087. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Thanks for the interesting auction report, Mike. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2089, from hmccracken, 529 chars, Sat Jun 22 00:33:39 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Animation CBIX this Tuesday Iffy This Tuesday’s animation CBIX will be at best an informal and tentative one. I’ll be in New York for PC Expo, and while I’ll have a notebpook computer with modem with me I can’t be positive that I’ll be where I can use it at 10 that night (or that my hotel room’s phone system will let me use it for that matter). I will do my best to be here if at all possible, so die-hard CBIXers (and everybody else) are entirely welcome to drop by at the usual time and see what’s brewin’. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2090, from richard.pini, 1876 chars, Sun Jun 23 15:56:49 1991 This is a comment to message 2086. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I’ll tell more, but *only* if you finish the first line of your post. 😉 Essentially, there were about 10 lots of Fleischer material there. One was a cel and background from “Hoppity Goes to Town,” but in my eyes a very mediocre scene. There were a couple of Popeye cels, again, feh. There was one interesting lot of about a dozen cels of random characters from Gulliver, plus a couple of backgrounds, but it was *too* random for me. The lot I lost, of the Raggedy Ann cels, hurt a little. One cel of Andy and the Senorita, one of Ann and Andy on the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees, and one other (I forget the subject). On the one hand they were lovely, and charming, and the colors were wonderfully pastel; on the other hand, they needed a *lot* of restoration. So that was a split feeling. The lot I did win had a production drawing from “The Bulleteers” done in pencil/charcoal, showing the bullet car zeroing in on a big power plant; real nice piece. (This is also one of my favorite of the cartoons if for no other reason than the scene where the car zooms in on Superman and he punches it out of the ballpark – PTWANG! – and inertia and stress on the human body be damned – grin.) Also there was the background from the “Arctic Giant” cartoon, the dam that the tyrannosaurus wades into and smashes. A minor piece but fun. Plus what looks to be an unshot Superman script, and a Popeye script. The Gulliver cel that I’m angling for is one from the scene where Gulliver wakes up after he’s been tied and transported into the castle courtyard. He hears Gabby, reaches up, fumbles around in the balcony for a bit, and then holds this teeny little screeching person up to his face to see. For a split second, his eyes get wide and a little smile of disbelief comes on his face. The cel is right from that moment; it’s a winner. Also a favorite moment from the movie for me. ========================== animation/main #2091, from richard.pini, 361 chars, Sun Jun 23 16:02:13 1991 This is a comment to message 2088. ————————– Y’know, I guess it’s just a matter of taste, but I’d probably look more favorably upon drawings than upon cels and/or backgrounds. There’s something, for me, a lot more spontaneous in those drawings. It’s the same with some SF art – you look at a Boris painting and it’s very slick and technically proficient and quite cold. But his sketches, *they* are alive. ========================== animation/main #2092, from hmccracken, 597 chars, Sun Jun 23 16:54:22 1991 This is a comment to message 2090. ————————– Thanks for the additional information, but — hah! — I fooled you! I can’t finish the first sentence of that post, because I have no clue what I was trying to say there. It was a remnant from some previous post. I should explain that I’ve been doing some BIXing from the office using a terminal program that, among other things, doesn’t let you backspace and crashes often. And no, I don’t feel guilty about admitting to posting something in animation from work, considering that the post in question was done at 7pm on a Friday (matter of fact, I’m posting this from work as well). — Harry ========================== animation/main #2093, from davemackey, 243 chars, Wed Jun 26 21:33:23 1991 This is a comment to message 2089. ————————– We did have a modest little CBIX last night, with only Steve Edwards and Mike Scoville in attendance (Thanks Guys!) About the only topic of major discussion was what makes a cartoon character a classic. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2094, from davemackey, 1127 chars, Fri Jun 28 03:17:35 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Another Cartoonland Mystery Every so often I purchase cartoons in 16mm where titles and credits are missing or incorrect, and it becomes the job of a detective to figure out who did these cartoons. In my most recent round of purchases, I acquired a cartoon called “Undersea Wedding” with a copyright date of 1950 and an MPAA certificate on the title panel, number 04848. The animation was strikingly smooth, and there was a music underscore with no sound effects. An end title stating the cartoon to be a Columbia Color Rhapsody appeared at the end; I knew this to be wrong since that unit shut down several years earlier. My knee-jerk reaction would be to blame any one of several practicioners of obscure animation such as Jam Handy, Paul Fennell or John Sutherland. But the short played more like a Harman and Ising mood piece of the 30’s. So whose cartoon is this anyway? (P.S. Also in this lot of cartoons I purchased: the first two Batfink cartoons, “Pink Pearl Of Persia” and “The Short Circuit Case.” Everyone sing along…. “Oh, what a lucky man he was.”) –Dave ========================== animation/main #2095, from sharonfisher, 276 chars, Fri Jun 28 10:20:02 1991 This is a comment to message 2094. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2094. ————————– Hey, I saw a piece of that on Pee Wee Herman, I bet. At least, the description sounds right. Unfortunately, of course, Pee Wee just showed bits, and never showed credits or titles. Agree that it looked like Harmon-Ising to me, too, but I don’t have any information on it. ========================== animation/main #2096, from davemackey, 194 chars, Sat Jun 29 04:12:32 1991 This is a comment to message 2074. ————————– Since I’m such a stickler for misspellings of animators’ names, let me correct one of my own: it’s Lee Mendelson, not Mendelsohn (as in Jack Mendelsohn). –Dave ========================== animation/main #2097, from switch, 658 chars, Sat Jun 29 14:22:24 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Top Ten Cartoons For the annual Just For Laughs comedy festival up here, the Rialto cinema will be screening the “Top Ten Cartoons”, which one presumes should be read as the “Ten Funniest Cartoons”. They’re apparently picked by such noted individuals such as (off the top of my head) Chuck Jones and Martin Scorcese. My roommate and I went over the list, and while we agree on some, we also think some of the choices could have been passed over for far funnier. Anyway, my curiosity’s been piqued. Let’s have an informal poll: what do you consider to be the ten funniest Hollywood cartoons, and the ten funniest animated shorts of all time? Emru ========================== animation/main #2098, from davemackey, 869 chars, Sat Jun 29 18:43:29 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Quote unquote “One of the first film jobs I had was the scoring of a 150-picture animated cartoon series, ‘The Mighty Hercules.’ Working at the rate of two episodes a week, we had worked out a system using a basic library of some 30 music cues of from 10 to 120 seconds, mostly variations on the series title song… after the mix, the tracks would be broken out and the same cues used for the next week’s films (the tracks rearranged, of course), the music taking on new characteristics from the new visuals it would accompany… I’d be willing to bet that not one person in 500 regularly watching the series would realize the same music was being used again and again.” –Winston Sharples Jr., from “The Aesthetics Of Film Sound,” Filmmakers Newsletter, March 1975. Sharples was the son of longtime Van Beuren/Paramount musical director Winston Sharples. ========================== animation/main #2099, from davemackey, 2028 chars, Sat Jun 29 22:02:28 1991 This is a comment to message 2097. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2097. ————————– Emru, I’d like to know what the list is, but in the meantime (gosh, this is a tough one — now you know why I’ve never sent in a postcard to the Animato! Film Poll! 😉 From the home office in Dubuque… Dave’s Top Ten Funniest Hollywood Animated Cartoons (though some were made in New York) — drumroll, Anton…. 10. “Pink Campaign” (DePatie-Freleng, 1975 — you’re probably saying “What?!” but this is a pretty damn funny cartoon directed by Art Leonardi. The Panther borrows things from his neighbor, eventually setting up housekeeping in his neighbor’s house on the Panther’s property.) 9. “Who’s Cookin’ Who?” (Lantz, 1947 — I always loved the contortions on the wolf’s face as he painstakingly cranks himself through the meat grinder.) 8. “Chew Chew Baby” (Paramount, 1958 — Sparber’s last cartoon before his death is an excessively gruesome story of a little cannibal who eats various citizens of Cincinnati. But you laugh because Paramount had the guts to put this in theatres, then later persecute Howard Post for making a cartoon about Noah’s Ark and not allow Shamus Culhane to do Sholem Alecheim.) 7. “The Dover Boys” (Warner Bros., 1942 — Chuck Jones’ big breakthrough film, the first where he proved he could be graphically interesting and funny at the same time.) 6. “Moving Aweigh” (Paramount, 1945 — Vivid comic imagery that lasts a lifetime. The police car assuming the shape of the piano dropped on it is one of my all-time favorite gags.) 5. “Batty Baseball” (MGM, 1943 — melding two national pastimes: baseball and Tex Avery.) 4. “Something’s Cookin'” (Richard Williams Studio, 1988 — component part of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and some say the best part of the film) 3. “Rabbit Seasoning” (Warner Bros., 1952 — What season is it? That Championship Season!) 2. “Hockey Homicide” (Disney, 1945 — One of the most maniacal cartoons ever made) 1. And the funniest cartoon ever made? The next one. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2100, from hmccracken, 287 chars, Sun Jun 30 23:47:54 1991 This is a comment to message 2094. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– If it looks like a Harman-Ising cartoon, Dave, it may well be by Huhgh Harman, who produced the odd (in more than one sense of the word) cartoon for many years after he left active production. The pro-tooth brushing _Winky the Watchman_ is perhaps the most well-known example. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2101, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Sun Jun 30 23:49:14 1991 This is a comment to message 2098. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Did I mention here that while reading a recent issue of _AutoWeek_ magazine I came across a letter signed “Win Sharples?” The letter had nothing to do with cartoons, but I’d love to think it was penned by either Winston Jr. or his dad, if he’s still with us. Or perhaps by Winston III! — Harry ========================== animation/main #2102, from davemackey, 240 chars, Sun Jun 30 23:59:31 1991 This is a comment to message 2095. ————————– I took another look at it this weekend and still have no clues. The copyright notice just reads “COPYRIGHT MCML — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED”. I may check the copyright catalogue next weekend for this one. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2103, from davemackey, 415 chars, Mon Jul 1 00:13:38 1991 This is a comment to message 2101. ————————– Winston Sharples died in 1978; his son was very articulate on the subject of film and was a contributing editor to Filmmakers Newsletter, with film reviews and interviews his major contributions. In the article I quoted from, Sharples Jr. goes on to say that one day the editor mixed up the two tracks being screened for Trans-Lux executives and nobody noticed but him. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2104, from bferg, 221 chars, Mon Jul 1 10:56:47 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– It was nice to go to the movie the other day to see “Rocketeer” and have a cartoon before the movie. I missed that for years, seems to be the trend to play a cartoon before some movies…any thoughts on this? Barbara ========================== animation/main #2105, from bferg, 98 chars, Mon Jul 1 10:57:50 1991 This is a comment to message 2097. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2097. ————————– OH, my…all kinds of faves pops into my head, I am not familiar with the titles, tho… Barbara ========================== animation/main #2106, from davemackey, 706 chars, Mon Jul 1 21:45:33 1991 This is a comment to message 2104. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2104. ————————– What theatre did you go to? As most of the visitors to this conference know, the AMC Theatres were showing selected Warner Bros. cartoons before most of their features nationwide in honor of Bugs Bunny’s 50th birthday. There is no other way to see a cartoon crafted for theatres than in a theatre. It takes on a whole other dimension of majesty and pageantry. Incidentally, on a related subject, “The Never Ending Story II” began its pay-per-view run today, and I still haven’t determined if “Box Office Bunny” is in front of it. Any reports, pro or con, would be appreciated before I plunk down another $3.95 to see a movie I walked out in the middle of. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2107, from davemackey, 229 chars, Mon Jul 1 21:45:42 1991 This is a comment to message 2105. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2105. ————————– Don’t ever let not knowing the titles stop you. If you just describe the cartoons, someone here (moi?) will eventually come up with the title, and maybe even the studio, year and director! –Dave ========================== animation/main #2108, from bferg, 75 chars, Tue Jul 2 12:13:31 1991 This is a comment to message 2106. There are additional comments to message 2106. ————————– I believe it was AMC, before Rocketeer. Was a Pink Panther toon. Barbara ========================== animation/main #2109, from bferg, 558 chars, Tue Jul 2 12:18:48 1991 This is a comment to message 2107. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I guess my fave is the one with the singing frog, I understand a classic. Bugs and Yosemite Sam on the boat, where Bugs throws matches down the mast, my second fave. The rabbit season duck season one, with Elmer, my third. Road runner toons where he falls over cliff, timed just right, and splats, several of those around, I believe. That is all the gray matter will muster right now, I like the old black and white Popeye toons, there are several of those that line up in faves. And additionally, I like the old Betty Boop toons. How is that? 🙂 Barbara ========================== animation/main #2110, from hmccracken, 268 chars, Tue Jul 2 15:59:31 1991 This is a comment to message 2109. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2109. ————————– Good enough, Barbara! The singing frog cartoon is _One Froggy Evening_…There is actually a trilogy of a duck season-rabbit season cartoons, all very good and very similar. Now you’ve given me incentive to upload my own ten faves, which I will do soon… — Harry ========================== animation/main #2111, from hmccracken, 232 chars, Tue Jul 2 16:02:11 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Big Incentive to Drop Into the Animation CBIX Tonight at 10 EDT…I’ll be talking about my recent visits to Disney-MGM Studios and to the veteran animatior-director Shamus Culhane…Exciting, huh? Stop in and learn more! — Harry ========================== animation/main #2112, from bferg, 272 chars, Tue Jul 2 18:26:45 1991 This is a comment to message 2110. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I wish I could remember what the names of my fave Popeye cartoons, but I think the one with Olive sleep walking is at the top. Additionally, the one with Sweet Pea crawling through the factory assembly line getting away from Popeye is high on the list, too. 🙂 Barbara ========================== animation/main #2113, from davemackey, 260 chars, Tue Jul 2 19:07:13 1991 This is a comment to message 2106. ————————– Regarding “The Never Ending Story II” and whether “Box Office Bunny” is in front of it on Pay-Per-View: YES!!! I will be watching and taping it tonight and will upload the credits to /listings for any curious parties. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2114, from davemackey, 576 chars, Tue Jul 2 19:25:33 1991 This is a comment to message 2109. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Your selections were (1) “One Froggy Evening,” (2) “Buccaneer Bunny,” (3) either “Rabbit Fire,” “Rabbit Seasoning” or “Duck! Rabbit, Duck!” since there were 3 such cartoons. Good choices. And I see you are a Fleischer buff. I have no small affection for any New York animation, having lived some 50 miles from the place most of my life. It’s sad that many of the Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons that the Fleischers did have been hand-traced and colored in, robbing the animation of that je ne sais quoi that defined the Fleischer style. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2115, from davemackey, 293 chars, Tue Jul 2 19:25:44 1991 This is a comment to message 2112. There are additional comments to message 2112. ————————– Your selections were “A Dream Walking” and “Lost and Foundry” respectively. I can remember watching Popeye cartoons and studying them carefully as far back as 1970, when I was but nine. The Popeyes were no small influence on my later love of animation. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2116, from bferg, 44 chars, Tue Jul 2 19:59:23 1991 This is a comment to message 2114. There are additional comments to message 2114. ————————– Thanks, nice to see the titles, 🙂 Barbara ========================== animation/main #2117, from switch, 133 chars, Tue Jul 2 20:39:07 1991 This is a comment to message 2099. ————————– I’ll post the list soon enough; I’d like to do an informal poll of the conference members favorites first and see what we get. Emru ========================== animation/main #2118, from switch, 138 chars, Tue Jul 2 20:39:45 1991 This is a comment to message 2105. ————————– Heck, go for a description of the cartoon, and we can have fun trying to name the things. (Betcha Dave’ll get them all first try.) Emru ========================== animation/main #2119, from switch, 704 chars, Tue Jul 2 20:45:29 1991 This is a comment to message 2104. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– During my childhood in the ‘burbs, there was a show on PBS on Sunday mornings called Matinee at the Bijou. My whole family would pile into my parents’ room to watch this after eating breakfast (and watching Bullwinkle and My Favorite Martian). It had an old film (invariably black and white, from the thirties through to the late forties), complete with newsreel, serial, and cartoon shorts. My father would tell us about how that’s what movies were all about when he was young, and that was how I discovered such things as Betty Boop, the Marx brothers, Spy Smasher, and the like. I’ve often lamented the loss of the reels before feature films, remembering the magic of those Sunday mornings. Emru ========================== animation/main #2120, from switch, 131 chars, Tue Jul 2 20:46:25 1991 This is a comment to message 2111. There are additional comments to message 2111. ————————– Ack! I’ll most likely be on the road, getting from my parents’ place to my apartment. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it… Emru ========================== animation/main #2121, from adunkin, 30 chars, Tue Jul 2 21:04:15 1991 This is a comment to message 2111. ————————– Hoo-rah 🙂 — Alan Dunkin ========================== animation/main #2122, from dferg, 172 chars, Tue Jul 2 23:59:27 1991 This is a comment to message 2114. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Barb has it made actually… I have all those B&W Popeyes on Videotape from a local Kid’s show, which presented them with credits intact. Only missing a few. ::grin!:: ========================== animation/main #2123, from jshook, 611 chars, Wed Jul 3 00:13:19 1991 This is a comment to message 2112. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I think that one is called “A Dream Walking” ( o/~ did you ever see a dream walking? o/~ ). That is my favorite Popeye by far. There is something intense about that cartoon…almost everyone I have talked to about cartoons remembers that one. Must touch some kind of Freudian nerve…. Another unforgettable one is the Betty Boop where she goes down underground and Canb Calloway sings “Minnie the Moocher” to her. I remember as a kid wondering how I could manage to go down to whatever place that was. Later, when I heard my first Screamin’ Jay Hawkins record I knew exactly where it had been recorded. ========================== animation/main #2124, from dferg, 121 chars, Wed Jul 3 03:11:40 1991 This is a comment to message 2123. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– BOTH of those are considered classics in the Genre.. ref: Maltin’s “Of Mice and Magic”. The Betty Boop is “Snow White”. ========================== animation/main #2125, from bferg, 303 chars, Wed Jul 3 10:28:01 1991 This is a comment to message 2122. ————————– Yeah, having to get up early every Saturday morning was a chore sometimes for Doug, but generally, setting it up in advance worked well. All the copies are on Beta, which unfortuneately is fading out. ~/o I,m Pop-eye the Sailor man…too too…I’m Pop-eye the Sailor man too too..o/~ 😉 Barbara ========================== animation/main #2126, from davemackey, 454 chars, Wed Jul 3 19:05:32 1991 ————————– TITLE: Simpsons art auction profiled in “People” A brief, one-page report on the recent auction of Simpsons art in “People” magazine this week reveals the youngest successful bidder to be a 9-year-old boy, whose parents put up the $4000 or so it took to purchase the cel set-up, which he plans to hang in his room. Hey, many kids have Simpsons posters in their room, but how many kids have Simpsons animation art? –Dave ========================== animation/main #2127, from davemackey, 702 chars, Wed Jul 3 19:05:49 1991 ————————– TITLE: Recommended viewing for the Fourth Tomorrow is Independence Day. Selected cartoons for your viewing pleasure; some will undoubtedly show up on TNT tomorrow or Friday… Disney: “Ben And Me” (which will be shown on Disney Channel) Warner Bros.: “Old Glory,” “Yankee Doodle Bugs,” “Yankee Doodle Daffy” Lantz: “Hysterical Highspots In American History” Paramount: “Patriotic Popeye,” “The Story Of George Washington,” “Red White And Boo” DePatie-Freleng: “Pinky Doodle” or “Yankee Doodle Pink,” one or the other since the visuals are the same but the soundtracks are different; the cartoons were made in 1976 and 1978 respectively. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2128, from davemackey, 273 chars, Wed Jul 3 19:05:58 1991 This is a comment to message 2119. ————————– “Matinee At The Bijou” gave me my first exposure to the Van Beuren studio, whose films I had only heard of up to the time. The prints weren’t that great. The examples included “Ball Game” (1932) and Felix in “Bold King Cole” (1936). –Dave ========================== animation/main #2129, from davemackey, 159 chars, Wed Jul 3 19:28:38 1991 This is a comment to message 2124. ————————– No, the Betty Boop that was referred to is “Minnie The Moocher.” “Snow White” features the song “St. James Infirmary.” –Dave ========================== animation/main #2130, from bmaguire, 413 chars, Thu Jul 4 14:47:53 1991 This is a comment to message 2097. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– For what it’s worth, here’s my list: 1. Duck Amuck 2. Magical Maestro 3. One Froggy Evening 4. Get a Job (Brad Caslor) 5. Bully for Bugs 6. Ali Baba Bunny 7. Swing Shift Cinderella 8. Bad Luck Blackie 9. In the Pink of the Night 10. Snow White (Betty Boop) Of course, the Duck-Rabbit-Duck Trilogy and The Cat Came Back and about a dozen others also belong on the list… -Brian ========================== animation/main #2131, from hmccracken, 2984 chars, Thu Jul 4 18:31:45 1991 This is a comment to message 2130. ————————– Any list of my top ten favorite cartoons is going to change almost moment by moment, but here’s a list of ten cartoons that I’ve loved since I first saw and always will, in no particular order: 1) _The Cookie Carnival_: I’m a sucker for Disney’s Silly Symphonies, and this one is a wonderfully ornate, charming fairy tale about a cookie-populated town’s beauty pageant. The pastel color scheme is unusually subtle for an animated cartoon, and I still find myself humming the dialogue (all of which is sung) from time to time. 2) _The Old Man of the Mountain_: Any one of several Betty Boop cartoons are candidates for my top-ten list, but this one has it all: great, weird gags, bizarre animation, and Cab Calloway singing in Rotoscoped form. 3) _The Hypochondri-Cat_: Not nearly as well known as many of Chuck Jones’s cartoons, but as funny as any of them. Claude Cat, a hypochondriac, is fooled by mice Hubie and Bertie into thinking he’s died and become an angel. Mel Blanc’s voicework is a hoot in and of itself. 4) _Little Rural Riding Hood_: Tex Avery’s funniest cartoon ever, the best of his several takes on the Little Red Riding Hood story. The City Wolf invites his Country Cousin out to a nightclub in the big city to see sexy Red Ridinghood. Hysterical from start to finish. 5) _Robin Hood Daffy_: This might be the best-designed Warner’s cartoon of them all; it’s certainly on a par with _What’s Opera, Doc?_. Great dialogue by Michael Maltese and Porky Pig in his best role ever as Friar Tuck. 6) _The Pointer_: _The Band Concert_ is always cited as Mickey Mouse’s best cartoon, but I like this one better. Mickey and Pluto go bear hunting, in a cartoon that’s as full of lavish art, great animation, and funny characterization as any Disney short. Walt Disney does a particularly good job as Mickey’s voice here. 7. _One Froggy Evening_: Yes, a third Chuck Jones cartoon What need one say? As Jay Cocks wrote, this comes as close to perfection as any cartoon ever has. Maybe as any comedy film of any sort ever has, come to think of it. 8. _Woodland Cafe_: Another Silly Symphony, this one concerning a nightclub operated and patronized by insects. Great jazz music and a priceless parody of modern dance that’s still potent and funny more that half a century later. 9.) _The Great Piggy Bank Robbery_: This Dick Tracy parody starring Daffy Duck is my favorite Bob Clampett cartoon… Fast, funny, full of great gags, and better timed than most of Clampett’s work. 10.) _The Zoot Cat_: Any one of a number of Tom and Jerry cartoons could go on this list, but this one, in which Tom dresses up as a zoot-suited hipster to impress his girl, is a particular favorite. As I say, ask me tomorrow and I may come up with ten entirely different cartoons. I’ve also limited the list to theatrical shorts — feature films like _Pinocchio_, _Snow Whitre_, _The Tghree Caballeros_, and _Fun and Fancy Free_ are high on my list of favorite films in general. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2132, from hmccracken, 956 chars, Thu Jul 4 18:38:30 1991 ————————– TITLE: A Visit With Shamus BIXen mscoville and me, and former-BIXen Tshim, paid a very pleasant visit to animator/director Shamus Culhane at his New York home last Friday. For those who don’t know, Shamus has been in the business since 1964 and has worked for Disney, Fleischer, Van Beuren, Iwerks, Mintz, Lantz, Warner Bros., Paramount, his own studio, and elsewhere; recently, he’s written two books. As reported here some months ago, Shamus had had a bad fall in which he fractured his back; happily he’s back on his feet, and his mind and tongue are as sharp as ever. Mike Scoville will vouch that Shamus was full of hilarious, potent observations about the industry and many of the folks he’s worked with. Shamus is planning to move to Santa Fe before too long, but before he leaves New York permanently the Museum of Modern Art is going to have a tribute to him in November. It should be quite an event; I’ll post information as I get it. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2133, from sharonfisher, 157 chars, Fri Jul 5 19:55:56 1991 This is a comment to message 2100. ————————– “Winky” is an odd one. My friends enjoy watching the live-action part to look for sexual innuendo (my friends are an odd lot) and logical inconsistencies. ========================== animation/main #2134, from switch, 118 chars, Sat Jul 6 12:11:43 1991 ————————– TITLE: The tally… …of the animation conference’s top ten funniest cartoons has been noted. Keep ’em coming! Emru ========================== animation/main #2135, from hmccracken, 412 chars, Mon Jul 15 11:56:11 1991 ————————– TITLE: Remember, folks, there is an Animation CBIX this Tuesday and every Tuesday at 10:00 pm. EDT. Please drop in and join the conversation, which is at least vaguely centered on comics and animation, but often gets into other related and not-so-related areas. We have a great group of faithful participants, but the more the merrier, so those of you who haven’t visited yet are especially welcome… — Harry ========================== animation/main #2136, from switch, 2049 chars, Mon Jul 15 16:24:56 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Phew Rough weekend. I think my eyes are permanently damaged 🙂 Saturday night, I went to see the Top Ten Funniest Hollywood Cartoons Of All Time, which were, in descending order: 1. One Froggy Evening 2. Bad Luck Blackie 3. Duck Amuck 4. Red Hot Riding Hood 5. Bear For Punishment 6. Birds Anonymous 7. The Great Piggy Bank Robbery 8. Quiet Please 9. King Size Canary 10. The Clock Cleaners However, as it was opening night (and our tickets cost $3 more), they also showed the six runners-up: Blackboard Jungle, Magical Maestro, Northwest Hounded Police, Little Rural Riding Hood, Deputy Droopy, and Hockey Homicide. I found a number of the runners-up funnier than the top ten, but who am I to argue with Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante, Paul Fusco, Chuck Jones, Mike Lah, Shamus Culhane, Cordell Barker, Richard Williams, Darrell Van Citters and the rest of the folks who decided on this list? Steven Paul Leiva hosted the show, and played an audio recording of Chuck Jones (who couldn’t make it) talking about his admiration for Tex Avery. The next day, a friend invited me to his place, and we watched some stuff that I’d bought on video over the last few months but hadn’t had the opportunity to watch. There was some Warner (Wackiki Rabbit, Case of the Missing Hare, The Unruly Hare, Falling Hare, The Wabbit Who Came To Supper, Fresh Hare), Superman (Metal Monsters, Mad Scientist, The Mummy Strikes, Eleventh Hour), Casper (There’s Good Boos To-Night), and Popeye (Cookin’ With Gags). After that we went directly to the Ouimetoscope, where Robert del Tredici, a friend and my former History of Animated Film teacher was screening some of his collection: they were Pigs in a Polka, A Wild Hare, The Daffy Doc, Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century, Dover Boys at Pimento U., Wild and Woolfy, Porky’s Romance, Johann Mouse, Rabbit Seasoning, Snow White, Little Rural Riding Hood, and Little Tinkretnker. So now I’m burned out from watching screens incessantly and eating nothing but popcorn all weekend… but I enjoyed it 😉 Emru ========================== animation/main #2137, from hmccracken, 390 chars, Mon Jul 15 17:44:05 1991 This is a comment to message 2136. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2136. ————————– Sounds like a dynamite show; sorry I missed it. I may have to re-create it on video. Here’s a piece of trivia: way back when, circa 1985, Animato put on a film show called “The Funniest Cartoons of All Time” at Harvard. (We put on film shows back then — it was a lot of fun, but hard work.) I don’t recall the exact list of cartoons we showed, but I may be able to dig it up. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2138, from sharonfisher, 289 chars, Mon Jul 15 17:46:09 1991 ————————– TITLE: Chuck Jones in SF? I’ve only seen this mentioned in a weekly shopper paper, oddly enough, but it says that Chuck Jones will appear with an exhibition of his work on Wednesday at the Owl Gallery, 465 Powell. No time given. Phone is (415) 781-5464. Anybody know anything about it? ========================== animation/main #2139, from hmccracken, 609 chars, Mon Jul 15 17:53:42 1991 ————————– TITLE: Check out the arts section of yesterday’s _New York Times_ for a nifty article about some of the oddball artists who have come out of the Pacific Northwest. Many of the ones mentioned are cartoon- or comic-related — Gary Larson, Matt Groening., Lynda Barry, and others. The article is chock-full of interesting information, but the tidbit I liked best was the fact that the Jacksonville, Ore. public library has a Pinto Colvig room, devoted to its famous son (who grew up to be the voice of Goofy). As someone who spent his formative years in Portland, I found the whole article inspiring. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2140, from elfhive, 326 chars, Mon Jul 15 19:20:29 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Bugs on Broadway shadow and I have tickets for the “Bugs on Broadway” show at Wolf Trap this Wednesday. I’m looking forward to the experience of seeing WB cartoons with a live orchestra. Apparently this show just finished playing in New York. It is only here one night. Anyone else here seen this particular road show? ========================== animation/main #2141, from hmccracken, 278 chars, Mon Jul 15 21:06:49 1991 This is a comment to message 2140. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2140. ————————– Yes, indeedy, Elfhive. BIXen Davemackey, mscoville, and I have all seen and enjoyed the show. Do a search broadway in this topic and, I believe, in /inkwell for some of our comments on this highly unusual, flawed but interesting experiment in animation and theatrics. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2142, from davemackey, 423 chars, Mon Jul 15 22:01:25 1991 This is a comment to message 2140. There are additional comments to message 2140. ————————– You let me know how it goes: I have tix for this Sunday’s show at the Garden State Arts Center; will definitely post a report. But I saw it on Broadway last October (I still carry the ticket stub in my wallet) and found it good… with some reservations. (Some of those earlier messages are still up here someplace.) Hope they’ve ironed out some of those (pardon the pun) bugs. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2143, from davemackey, 160 chars, Mon Jul 15 22:05:43 1991 This is a comment to message 2141. ————————– The major reportage on the original Broadway version of “Bugs Bunny On Broadway” begins in animation/long.messages #22. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2144, from switch, 119 chars, Mon Jul 15 22:28:10 1991 This is a comment to message 2137. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– So what did you show then as the Funniest Cartoons Of All Time? And how does it compare to your current top ten? Emru ========================== animation/main #2145, from hmccracken, 442 chars, Tue Jul 16 09:17:50 1991 This is a comment to message 2144. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I’ll have to find the exact list, but I remember we showed _The Band Concert_ among other cartoons. In actuality, the show was less _The Funniest Cartoons of All Time_ than _Some Cartoons, Most of Them Fairly Amusing, That We Could Either Rent Or Borrow For the Show_. We had learned the hard way — through a show of _The Best of Tex Avery_ — that cartoon programs that don’t sound immediately appealing to the layman are risky. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2146, from richard.pini, 684 chars, Tue Jul 16 09:53:40 1991 ————————– TITLE: Oh my gawwwwdddddd…. I managed to wrangle a copy of the Streamline Pictures promo videotape from Carl Macek at the San Diego Comic Con, and just last night had the chance to take a look at it. Mostly it contains previews for several Japanese anime films, but what I was looking for – what I’d gotten the tape for, actually – showed up almost at the end. “Colonel Bleep’s Arrival on Earth.” I had no idea it was possible for a (T minus 3 days and counting) 41-year-old to regress that far that fast. The animation was almost non-existent, but I had completely forgotten how “fifties-inspired” the design of the show was. And in color, too! “Stand by for…adventure!!” Yowza! ========================== animation/main #2147, from davemackey, 221 chars, Tue Jul 16 12:54:27 1991 This is a comment to message 2140. ————————– Incidentally, “Bugs Bunny On Broadway” will be playing this Saturday (July 20) in Philadelphia at the Mann Music Center. Tickets for this show may be had by calling (215) 336-2000. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2148, from davemackey, 683 chars, Tue Jul 16 12:54:43 1991 This is a comment to message 2136. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2136. ————————– Nice lists, but I thank you for letting us know who picked these shorts. It adequately explains how “Blackboard Jumble” got on the list — one of Michael Lah’s rather undistingished late-50’s CinemaScope Droopy cartoons. I can’t argue with any of the other choices. All of the names on the selection board sound familiar to me (Paul Fusco, for the unhip, was the creator, puppeteer and voice of ALF), except for Cordell Barker. Who is he? Steven Paul Leiva, by the way, is President of Chuck Jones Productions, the newly-formed subsidiary of Chuck Jones Enterprises; the third partner in the company is Chuck’s daughter Linda Jones. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2149, from hmccracken, 153 chars, Tue Jul 16 15:24:45 1991 This is a comment to message 2148. There are additional comments to message 2148. ————————– Cordell Barker, unless I miss my mark, is the fine and funny (Canadian?) animator whose films include the Oscar-nominated _The Cat Came Back_. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2150, from switch, 111 chars, Thu Jul 18 09:57:19 1991 This is a comment to message 2145. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Kinda funny since a “Best of Tex Avery” show was held here a few months ago, and the place was *packed*. Emru ========================== animation/main #2151, from switch, 327 chars, Thu Jul 18 10:00:32 1991 This is a comment to message 2148. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Cordell Baker works at the National Film Board of Canada in Manitoba, and directed _The Cat Came Back_. Other people on the committee were Rebecca Rees, Kelly Asbury, John Musker, Michael Giaimo, Mark Kausler, Jay Cocks, Stefan Kanfer, Tom Shales, John Canemaker, Tom Kenny, Richard Belzer, Robin Budd, and Brad Caslor. Emru ========================== animation/main #2152, from switch, 1615 chars, Thu Jul 18 10:06:23 1991 ————————– TITLE: More Top Tens To kick this off, here are my top ten funniest cartoons, chosen off the top of my head and probably different if I’m asked the same question in a few weeks: 1. Rabbit Seasoning 2. One Froggy Evening 3. Duck Amuck 4. Duck! Rabbit, Duck! 5. Swing Shift Cinderella 6. Hillbilly Hare 7. Dover Boys at Pimento U. 8. Robin Hood Daffy 9. Hare-Way To The Stars 10. Pigs In a Polka Considering I got to see most of these over the weekend, there may be a bit of a skew. 😉 As for the top ten of the animation conference, I had to play a bit to get anything useful. Since there weren’t that many people who participated and a wide range of opinions, I skewed the vote by making the #1 cartoon on someone’s list worth five points, #2 worth four, #3 worth three, #4 worth two, and the rest worth one. This bit of statistical fudging led to this list: 8. Ali Baba Bunny, Bad Luck Blackie, Batty Baseball, Bully For Bugs, Hare-Way To The Stars, Hillbilly Hare, Hockey Homicide, In the Pink of the Night, Moving Aweigh, Pigs In a Polka, Snow White, Something’s Cookin’, The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, The Pointer, The Zoot Cat, Woodland Cafe 7. Get a Job, Little Rural Riding Hood, Robin Hood Daffy, Swing Shift Cinderella 6. Chew Chew Baby, The Dover Boys, The Hypochondri-Cat 5. Buccaneer Bunny, Lost and Foundry, Magical Maestro, The Old Man of the Mountain, Who’s Cookin’ Who 4. A Dream Walking, Duck! Rabbit, Duck!, Pink Campaign, The Cookie Carnival 3. Rabbit Seasoning 2. Duck Amuck And the animation conference’s funniest cartoon comes as almost no surprise: 1. One Froggy Evening Emru ========================== animation/main #2153, from bferg, 562 chars, Thu Jul 18 10:28:46 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Hats off to Education I was just thinking today, I remember when I was in elementary school, our princi’pal’ would reserve Friday afternoon about every two weeks or so, to show Warner Brothers Cartoons to everyone in the auditorium. They would charge 10cents to get in and would run several toons. I thought it was fun, seeing cartoons at school! I think that the principal knew that on Friday afternoon before the weekend, perhaps very little class- room learning went on simply ’cause everyone had their minds on “getting otta there!” 😉 Barbara ========================== animation/main #2154, from davemackey, 377 chars, Thu Jul 18 19:27:53 1991 This is a comment to message 2153. There are additional comments to message 2153. ————————– Now the only time we were allowed the “old-time” cartoons was when those in Audio-Visual Aids were allowed to select one film out of the film catalogue and show it for their own pleasure near the end of the year. Most of the rest of the time the only animation we got were those educational classics everyone’s seen over and over again. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2155, from hmccracken, 160 chars, Thu Jul 18 19:32:19 1991 This is a comment to message 2150. ————————– That may be an indication that Tex’s legacy has grown better-known in the past five or six years, since the unsuccessful _Animato_ show of that name. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2156, from hmccracken, 507 chars, Thu Jul 18 19:35:38 1991 This is a comment to message 2153. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Barbara, I know a high-school English teacher in New York who uses animation and cartoons to a degree that even I find a little startling. He uses _Animato_ magazine as a teaching aid and even assigned everybody in the class to send _Animato_ a letter listing their top ten favorite cartoons as part of their final assignment! I won’t post all 75 top-ten lists from the class, but will list the class totals, as provided by the teacher, Tim Smith. I have them at home and will post them tonight. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2157, from bferg, 69 chars, Thu Jul 18 20:43:28 1991 This is a comment to message 2156. ————————– Very interesting, indeed! There is hope for education! 😉 Barbara ========================== animation/main #2158, from davemackey, 275 chars, Fri Jul 19 19:03:35 1991 ————————– TITLE: H-B changing (three-fingered) hands? MCA Inc. is apparently in negotiations to buy Hanna-Barbera Productions. Great American Communications’ asking price for the 34-year-old cartoon studio is in the $350-400 million range. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2159, from davemackey, 200 chars, Fri Jul 19 19:03:45 1991 This is a comment to message 2151. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Speaking of, artwork from Cordell Barker’s “The Cat Came Back” is featured on the cover of the Summer Whole Toon Catalogue, which I received in the mail today. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2160, from elfhive, 188 chars, Sun Jul 21 12:51:56 1991 This is a comment to message 2159. ————————– Did you catch the little blurb on directions of how to get to their retail showroom? I loved the part about going to the Burger King and calling them to be “talked in” if you got lost 🙂 ========================== animation/main #2161, from davemackey, 338 chars, Sun Jul 21 12:52:04 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Animation art collecting in TV Guide The current issue of TV Guide has an article about animation art collecting. Quoted throughout the article is Joshua Arfer, head of the animation department at Christie’s East. Among the illustrations is that Snow White cel I wanted so badly. (sob) –Dave ========================== animation/main #2162, from richard.pini, 241 chars, Sun Jul 21 13:35:33 1991 This is a comment to message 2161. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Don’t feel bad, Dave. If you and I and 2-300 of our good friends had shown up, *then* we could have pooled resources and gone up against Russ Cochran and the other hitters who also wanted it… 😉 On second thought, maybe 2-3000 of them… ========================== animation/main #2163, from davemackey, 93 chars, Mon Jul 22 07:50:50 1991 This is a comment to message 2162. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I don’t know if we have 2-300 friends between us! 😉 –Dave ========================== animation/main #2164, from davemackey, 2270 chars, Mon Jul 22 07:51:41 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Bugs on Broadway revisited Disclaimer: this is not a review, and I steadfastly promise not to use the phrase “rabbit redux” in it. 😉 Bugs Bunny has taken his act on the road, but he still needs to do a slightly better job of getting it together. The evidence: the “Bugs Bunny On Broadway” performance at the Garden State Arts Center on Sunday, July 21, attended by yours truly as well as our old friend Thomas Shim. While most of the show remains unchanged from its Gershwin Theatre appearance, there was more of “Jumpin’ Jupiter” played (still not all of it — the music when Porky wakes up the next morning is missing) and an added cartoon-sans-music presentation not listed in the program, the uproarious “One Froggy Evening.” (Thus making it even more clear that Jones is Mr. Daugherty’s primary influence over this show; Jones in fact was supposed to be at the GSAC performance but was explained away due to the 100-degree heat most of the Tri-State Area has been suffering the past week or so.) Cartoons are still presented via video projection; I myself found the screen a little too small and had trouble seeing it due to admittedly shaky night vision. A few minor synch problems; I suspect Daugherty is just traveling with section principals and using members of local orchestras to fill out the group for economic and logistical reasons. Nevertheless, the total sound is still excellent. Major annoyance: the house could hear the click track. This series of ticks is only supposed to be heard by Daugherty and section principals through headsets. But it came through loud and clear through the speakers used for voices and sound effects. Yet, the unwashed continued to savor this show. I had wondered how Bugs would play for a less cosmopolitan audience than at its Broadway engagement. The answer is that everyone loves Bugs, still continues to do so. And I laughed a good portion of the evening. In closing, would the Arts Center management make a mental note to themselves to never hire that obnoxious stand-up comic who opened the show, and to also give him a ticket to next Wednesday’s Howie Mandel/Dennis Miller show so he can see what comedians are supposed to do to an audience. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2165, from hmccracken, 440 chars, Mon Jul 22 11:09:25 1991 ————————– TITLE: If at first you don’t succeed… Tomorrow at 10pm EDT, we’ll be having our weekly animation CBIX, assuming that BIX is a bit more stable than it was last week at that time. We’ll doubtless be discussing the plans to release _Fantasia_ on video and produce a theatrical sequel, among other things; I’ll re-extend the special invitation to those of you who haven’t dropped in as of yet to stop by! It’s always a lot of fun. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2166, from adunkin, 266 chars, Mon Jul 22 20:35:20 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Who was the person Who wanted the stuff from rec.arts.anime ?? I’ll send it to you by BIXMail and attach it … I don’t think I can make the CBix tomorrow, since I’ll be at ibm.exchange with the author of the _Zen of Assembly Language_ .. — Alan Dunkin ========================== animation/main #2167, from richard.pini, 87 chars, Mon Jul 22 21:15:27 1991 This is a comment to message 2163. ————————– Well, if *that’s* how you think..! ::huff!:: (Oh well, there goes another one…) 😉 ========================== animation/main #2168, from hmccracken, 138 chars, Tue Jul 23 09:08:02 1991 This is a comment to message 2166. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2166. ————————– Gee, Alan, tonight’s CBIX is extra special for you and me, since the Rangers and Sox will be playing each other during it… 😉 — Harry ========================== animation/main #2169, from elfhive, 348 chars, Tue Jul 23 11:24:05 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Liquid Television Just reading about this scheduled half hour animation show on MTV in Animation Magazine. Looks very interesting and provides an unusual opportunity to see independent production on the tube. The only thing they left out was information about when the show runs. Is it already airing and what day/time is it scheduled in? ========================== animation/main #2170, from davemackey, 464 chars, Tue Jul 23 19:09:10 1991 This is a comment to message 2164. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Apparently, the click track being audible was also a problem in Philadelphia. The review in the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks the show should have had less bugs (technical) and more Bugs (Bunny). In Philly they also had a bad standup precede the show. During his act people started chanting “Leopold” (as in “Long Haired Hare”) and then “WE WANT BUGS.” Isn’t there anything Warner Bros. can do about unsuitable opening acts? –Dave ========================== animation/main #2171, from adunkin, 77 chars, Tue Jul 23 21:13:49 1991 This is a comment to message 2168. ————————– Haha …. too bad I probably won’t be able to make it … — Alan Dunkin ========================== animation/main #2172, from mstoodt, 258 chars, Tue Jul 23 22:21:26 1991 This is a comment to message 2169. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2169. ————————– MTV’s already gone through all of their Liquid Television episodes and have rerun the first three. 7:30 pm and midnight sundays (eastern); I think they do another showing during the week sometime, but I’m not sure when that is currently. MaS ========================== animation/main #2173, from adunkin, 91 chars, Tue Jul 23 23:30:14 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: What happened? The Animation CBix is already closed? Sheesh … — Alan Dunkin ========================== animation/main #2174, from sorourke, 90 chars, Wed Jul 24 00:54:15 1991 This is a comment to message 2172. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– The other showing is at 7 EST (I think) on Friday. Check your local listings. 🙂 Sean ========================== animation/main #2175, from hmccracken, 160 chars, Wed Jul 24 09:18:28 1991 This is a comment to message 2173. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Sorry, Alan; it was a short one last night. I was able to sign off and sit down by the radio and listen to the Red Sox get beat by the Rangers… 🙁 — Harry ========================== animation/main #2176, from davemackey, 431 chars, Wed Jul 24 21:01:52 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Disney architecture in Time Time this week has a photo feature about some of the noted architects Disney has been using to design various components (hotels, etc.) of its resorts. It notes that Disney is one of the primary patrons of these artisans of the late 20th century and the total effect is less chintzy and more tasteful than what you would expect from any Disney enterprise. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2177, from adunkin, 70 chars, Wed Jul 24 23:12:52 1991 This is a comment to message 2175. ————————– Heheh … they are down now … top of the 9th … — Alan Dunkin ========================== animation/main #2178, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Thu Jul 25 12:09:47 1991 This is a comment to message 2176. ————————– I found that article sort of dubious…Now, I *like* a lot of the Disney architecture that it illustrates, but tasteful-by-most-people’s- standards it ain’t. Really, the jump from something like Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. to Disney’s new hotels and other buildings is not a large one, even if the new stuff is done by famous architects. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2179, from elfhive, 91 chars, Thu Jul 25 18:02:11 1991 This is a comment to message 2174. ————————– That’s just it, I went through the TV Guide and Cable Guide and found no listings for MTV. ========================== animation/main #2180, from switch, 114 chars, Thu Jul 25 18:21:33 1991 This is a comment to message 2166. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– That was me. Still no word on getting a UUCP link, so we may have to do it the hard way for a short while. Emru ========================== animation/main #2181, from adunkin, 126 chars, Thu Jul 25 22:03:45 1991 This is a comment to message 2180. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– How about if I mail you the stuff I’ve got now … it’s all ZIPed. A lot of it is synopsis’s of Nadia … — Alan Dunkin ========================== animation/main #2182, from hmccracken, 883 chars, Fri Jul 26 09:17:18 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: _Whole Toon Catalog_ I was just about to call Doug Ranney at the Whole Toon Catalog and ask if I had been somehow dropped from their mailing list yesterday when my copy of the Catalog showed up in the mail. It hadn’t been that long since other people hsd told me that their copies had started coming, but this isn’t the sort of thing you take chances with. The Whole Toon Catalog has been mentioned countless times here before, but for newcomers, it’s a fantastic 80 page compedium of animation related books, videotapes, posters, and other goodies. If it relates to animation, you’ll likely find it here. If you’re like me, you’ll probably place a large order from time to time, too. (Doug, I’ll be calling soon!) If you’re by some chance not on the WTC mailing list, call them at (206) 391-8747 to rectify the situation. Nicely done as always, Doug. Take a bow! — Harry ========================== animation/main #2183, from switch, 31 chars, Fri Jul 26 21:44:02 1991 This is a comment to message 2181. ————————– Sounds fine. Go fer it! Emru ========================== animation/main #2184, from davemackey, 252 chars, Sat Jul 27 02:24:35 1991 ————————– TITLE: 51 and counting It’s funny about 51st birthdays. They don’t quite get the publicity and fanfare that 50th birthdays do. Nevertheless, let’s all join in wishing Bugs Bunny a happy 51st birthday today. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2185, from amasin, 125 chars, Sun Jul 28 20:49:59 1991 This is a comment to message 2169. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Try 7:30 edt on Sundays. MTV also promotes a midnite Sunday rerun, and runs it 7:30 Friday, if I remember right. Andy Masin ========================== animation/main #2186, from davemackey, 1078 chars, Mon Jul 29 00:49:03 1991 This is a comment to message 2170. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– !========= sf/media #7367, from akarna, 990 chars, Sun Jul 28 20:45:33 1991 ———- I don’t think this is the right topic for this, but I can’t think of any other place . . . Recently, I saw the “Bugs Bunny on Broadway” show (cartoons shown with a live orchestra doing the music). It occurred to me that there was all this controversy last year about that (IMHO, silly) Madonna video: one of the big reasons for its controversy was all that cross-dressing. Well, consider some of those old cartoons . . . In “Rabbit of Seville”, we have one moment where Bugs dresses like a woman and seduces Elmer (“Oooh, just wait till I get that rabbit” “What you you want with that rabbit? Can’t you see that I’m much sweeta’? I’m your little senorita etc.”). Later, Bugs presents Elmer with flowers and a ring, and Elmer appears in a wedding dress. Shocking. Of course, in “What’s Opera Doc?”, we have Bugs dressed as a woman, in a particularly scimpy outfit (“Oh Bwuunhilde, you’re so lovely”). What is this world coming to? (for those that hven’t guessed: 😉 ) ========================== animation/main #2187, from elfhive, 8 chars, Mon Jul 29 20:39:32 1991 This is a comment to message 2186. ————————– an end? ========================== animation/main #2188, from elfhive, 869 chars, Mon Jul 29 20:45:46 1991 This is a comment to message 2185. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Finally found where they listed MTV in TV Guide. Those funny table thingies that show only the “evening” programs. This week they showed Liquid TV starting at 7:00pm (sorry that should be last week) but it actuall did start at 7:30pm. I found most of the animation to be out of the same philosophical mold and not too funny — not that it has to be. The Art School Girls was particularly uninspired and the psychotrauma postcards weren’t much better. In fact, not much of the half hour remains in my mind. Being a converted anime fanatic, I remember Aeon Flux but I can’t say that it will make a strong Peter Chung admirer out of me. I think this is a case where the program suffers from too heavy a directorial hand, it is a bit pretentious and too much in one mold. MTV would do better to invest in a wider-ranging exploration of material that is already out there. ========================== animation/main #2189, from hmccracken, 124 chars, Tue Jul 30 09:51:37 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: By popular demand, we’re trying out an early, 8:00pm EDT animation CBIX tonight. Stop in and join the fun! — Harry ========================== animation/main #2190, from davemackey, 745 chars, Tue Jul 30 19:05:24 1991 ————————– TITLE: Put that in your p—- and smoke it Interesting item in Richard Johnson’s gossip column in today’s New York Daily News. Performance artist/actress/singer Ann Magnuson and her group Bongwater have commissioned a music video from Broadcast Arts for the first single and title cut from their album “Power Of P—-.” The video, animated by Glen Claybrook, is said to be in a Betty Boop style with various body parts cavorting about, and that the video has been submitted to MTV despite the fact that it probably won’t air. Johnson points out the coincidence that Broadcast Arts was the producer of “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” in light of Mr. Reuben’s difficulties with the law on similar grounds. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2191, from davemackey, 488 chars, Tue Jul 30 19:05:39 1991 ————————– TITLE: Sidebar on the H-B sale… I can’t vouch for the validity of this figure, but “Electronic Media” in an article on the proposed sale of Hanna-Barbera studios to anyone who wants to buy it cites that the Worldvision library of inventory is comprised of 6,500 half-hours of programming. Whosoever purchases the studio will also purchase a hefty financial interest in the Cuckoo’s Nest Studio, a well-known Eastern animation subcontractor. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2192, from switch, 168 chars, Tue Jul 30 19:25:44 1991 This is a comment to message 2188. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Being in MTV-starved Quebec, I haven’t seen any of Liquid TV, but I’m told it’s had some other, lighter material such as Bill Plympton’s 25 Ways To Quit Smoking. Emru ========================== animation/main #2193, from sje, 155 chars, Thu Aug 1 06:47:00 1991 This is a comment to message 2189. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Sorry I missed. The first residence move I’ve made in seven years is currently in progress and I don’t have much time for BIX in the interim. — Steve ========================== animation/main #2194, from hmccracken, 112 chars, Thu Aug 1 08:58:43 1991 This is a comment to message 2193. ————————– No problem, Steve. The turnout was small (*very* small), but as usual a pleasant time was had by all. — Harry ========================== animation/main #2195, from elfhive, 411 chars, Thu Aug 1 12:03:21 1991 This is a comment to message 2192. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2192. ————————– I saw that particular Plympton film as part of an animation reel. I can’t remember if it was one of the Tournees. Working at Action on Smoking and Health, that film had me in stitches. I would like to get a copy to show at the office, but I have not seen it on any available Tournee video or in the Whole Toon Catalog offerings. Does anyone know of its availability? Plympton has enough stuff for his own reel. ========================== animation/main #2196, from switch, 165 chars, Thu Aug 1 19:54:36 1991 This is a comment to message 2195. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– Quite a few of Expanded Entertainment’s packages are available on video either from them or from mail-order companies (including, I think, Whole Toon Access). Emru ========================== animation/main #2197, from elfhive, 425 chars, Fri Aug 2 16:58:53 1991 This is a comment to message 2196. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I have the only three International Tournee videos available at the moment. I must assume then that Plympton’s “25 ways” is either not out yet or wasn’t selected for inclusion in the video. I don’t recall which edition of the Tournee I saw it in but it was recent: in the last two years. If you find out on what video I can locate it, please let me know. P.S. I also have vol 1 of Outrageous Animation. Love _Instant Sex_! ========================== animation/main #2198, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Fri Aug 2 18:11:11 1991 This is a comment to message 2197. ————————– I think that the Expanded Entertainment videos often have different line-ups than the theatrical shows, due to copyright issues. It’s possible that Plympton stuff which has been shown in theaters isn’t available on video. In any event, the time is definitely past due for a whole tape of Plympton stuff… — Harry ========================== animation/main #2199, from davemackey, 948 chars, Mon Aug 5 00:44:25 1991 This is a comment to message 2192. There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– I finally got to see a little more of “Liquid Television,” having gotten over the small block resulting from the first program coinciding with the weekend of my father’s death. I really liked this episode’s Plympton, “Push Comes To Shove,” where the two guys torture each other. Even working in a neo-style, he understands a main discipline of the animated cartoon, Hollywood-style: no matter what you do to someone, nobody ever really gets hurt. The gag with the rock-on-a-rope threaded through the guys facial cavities is a funny variation of this classic Hollywood cartoon gag: a rope would be strung through the house, tied to the sleeping dog, then the other end attached to a car or a rock or something equally propulsive. (Hey, he even keeps the characters moving when they’re standing still like Fleischer did in the early 30’s, and you gotta love that.) [Tinar] –Dave ========================== animation/main #2200, from elfhive, 411 chars, Mon Aug 5 16:51:05 1991 This is a comment to message 2199. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2199. ————————– Is Plympton’s stuff the “Stick Figure” playhouse? I don’t have the Animation article handy and can’t refer to it. I like that particular production. It’s use of old film soundtracks or music tracks is quite clever. After a second screening of Liquid Television I seem to be confirming my feelings that most of it is boring and seems to want to elevate gore and gruesomeness to heights which I find too trendy. ========================== animation/main #2201, from davemackey, 178 chars, Mon Aug 5 19:20:49 1991 This is a comment to message 2200. ————————– Bill Plympton’s style seems to be colored pencils/pastels on paper. Highly unusual but striking. I don’t know who does the stick figures. –Dave ========================== animation/main #2202, from paulr, 301 chars, Mon Aug 5 21:29:25 1991 There is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————– TITLE: Hey Guys – That CBIX in on Tuesday, right? It conflicts square out with the W&P CBIX, which promises to be *really* good. ANy chance of moving it a bit earlier or later? Or if not this week, then in the future? -Paul P.S> Wednesdays are bad too- Mac.Hack CBIX takes up a lot of time. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2203, from hmccracken, 392 chars, Tue Aug 6 09:42:14 1991
This is a comment to message 2202.
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It’s too late to move it tonight, Paul (please check in when your
other CBIX is over, since we sometimes hang around for awhile).
For future CBIXes, though, we’re highly adjustable. In fact,
I’ll open the floor for discussion: anybody else out there
want a different day/time for the animation CBIX. I know
of at least one BIXen who has requested that it be held
earlier than 10pm.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2204, from davemackey, 360 chars, Thu Aug 8 19:37:31 1991
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TITLE: At least there’s still a Barbera there
Jayne Barbera, daughter of Joe, recently promoted to senior vice president of
television production at Hanna-Barbera. Ms. Barbera has held various
positions with the company over the past 20 years or so. She and brother Neal
have helped keep the family name in the company.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2205, from hkenner, 41 chars, Sun Aug 11 18:52:09 1991
This is a comment to message 2136.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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And what happened to What’s Opera, Doc??
==========================
animation/main #2206, from switch, 291 chars, Sun Aug 11 18:57:16 1991
This is a comment to message 2205.
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Good question. Of course, this is a problem with only showing
the ten funniest cartoons instead of, say, twenty (or thirty or
forty or…); there are quite a few cartoons which I think are
just as funny as each other, such as the three Daffy-Elmer-Bugs
classics and What’s Opera Doc.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2207, from hkenner, 28 chars, Sun Aug 11 19:00:07 1991
This is a comment to message 2182.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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AND WHERE’S MINE ????
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2208, from switch, 47 chars, Sun Aug 11 21:47:10 1991
This is a comment to message 2207.
There are additional comments to message 2207.
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Mind is still absent as well. Doug? 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2209, from hmccracken, 224 chars, Mon Aug 12 09:40:10 1991
This is a comment to message 2207.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Does Whole Toon know that you moved, Hugh? The catalog is sent
out in a mass mailing, so copies don’t get forwarded (indeed,
the post office offers no promise that they’ll get to their
intended recipients at all).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2210, from hkenner, 128 chars, Mon Aug 12 10:50:08 1991
This is a comment to message 2209.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Maybe they don’t know I’ve moved, though I *thought* I’d notified
them. Wasn’t Mr Whole Toon himself on BIX a while back?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2211, from hmccracken, 293 chars, Mon Aug 12 11:45:52 1991
This is a comment to message 2210.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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BIXen drtoon is Doug Ranney, the man behind the Whole Toon Catalog.
He hasn’t been on in about a month — I know that things get *very*
busy for him when a new catalog comes out, which probably explains
his absence. When I call to place an order, as I wil soon, I’ll
ask what’s up.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2212, from rjenks, 218 chars, Sat Aug 17 20:42:24 1991
This is a comment to message 2211.
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Hmm… this reminds me that I found about 50-75 Whole Toon Catalogs sitting
under a table (abandoned) at Project A-Kon II. Wonder if it’s worth sending
them back… Also makes me wonder who brought them…
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #2213, from sje, 1047 chars, Sun Aug 18 19:45:44 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: _The Secret of NIMH_
I finally got around to seeing this film for the first time and I am
sorry that I waited so long (nine years!) to view it. I have seen other
examples of Don Bluth’s work, and this 1982 film is clearly the best. I am
glad the the Disney Channel has no grudges against Bluth’s departure and so
allow his efforts to be accessible via a national cable channel. Certainly
no other channels have much interest in feature length animation.
Even only a few minutes into the picture it is obvious that a great
deal of effort went into character design details. The overall style is
somewhat similar to Bluth’s earlier work seen in Disney’s _Robin Hood_. The
fluidity and expressivity in the Mrs. Brisby character is quite impressive;
also, the hands/claws of Nicodemus must have taken a lot of work.
The backround misic is somewhat understated, and there is only one
song that is heard. However, that song “Flying Dreams”, is done very well
and the melody lingers in one’s mind long after the film is over. — Steve
==========================
animation/main #2214, from hmccracken, 736 chars, Mon Aug 19 10:47:25 1991
This is a comment to message 2213.
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I don’t think there’s any doubt that _The Secret of NIMH_ was
Don Bluth’s finest moment — his best film, made to look even
better by comparison to what Disney was doing at the time.
It is an extremely slick little film considering the budget,
and while I could make a million criticisms (the storytelling
isn’t very strong; Mrs. Brisby is whiny and unsympathetic),
it was a pretty impressive debut.
Unfortunately, Bluth has been moving in the wrong direction
ever since, and his most recently-released film, _All Dogs
Go to Heaven_, has all of _NIMH’s_ flaws and none of its
virtues. I’ve heard more than one person say that Bluth’s
next film, _Rock-a-Doodle_, is his best since _NIMH_,
so there may be reason for optimism.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2215, from hmccracken, 368 chars, Thu Aug 22 14:42:42 1991
————————–
TITLE: Check out the current _Entertainment Weekly_ for an interesting
article on Betty Lou Gerson, the actress who performed the voice
of Cruella DeVil in _101 Dalmatio — er, _101 Dalmatians_. She’s
alive and well and operating a telephone answering service in Hollywood,
and posed for a couple of pictures gotten up as Cruella and draped
with dalmatians.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2216, from davemackey, 247 chars, Fri Aug 23 20:38:52 1991
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TITLE: Happy belated birthday
Wednesday was Friz Freleng’s 85th birthday. Happy belated birthday wishes are
in order (tempered by our eternal gratitude for all those Looney Tunes and
Pink Panther cartoons).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2218, from dcolton, 159 chars, Sat Aug 24 21:40:09 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Pardon the non-sequitor. Someone recommended the MS-DOS
Bugs Bunny Cartoon Workshop by Hi-Tech. Any users who could
provide some insight into the software?
/
==========================
animation/main #2219, from switch, 254 chars, Sat Aug 24 23:42:21 1991
This is a comment to message 2218.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Someone described this on FidoNet. It bears some resemblance
to Professional Page’s ComicSetter, apparently, in that it lets
you make your own comic strips, using Warner characters and sound
effects. I don’t believe there’s any animation per se.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2220, from dcolton, 27 chars, Sun Aug 25 00:22:34 1991
This is a comment to message 2219.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Hmm. What is Comic Setter?
==========================
animation/main #2221, from hmccracken, 360 chars, Sun Aug 25 09:46:54 1991
This is a comment to message 2220.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
A package by GoldDisk for the Amiga that’s sort of a desktop
comics publishing program. You can set up a page with panels,
characters, dialogue balloons, and the like. Besides ComicSetter
and the Bugs Bunny package you mention, there is a simple
Disney character comics creation package. ComicSetter is probably
the most sophisticated of the three.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2222, from dcolton, 36 chars, Sun Aug 25 13:02:08 1991
This is a comment to message 2221.
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Thanks. Sound like worth exploring.
==========================
animation/main #2223, from hmccracken, 367 chars, Tue Aug 27 17:14:37 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Another Book to Look Forward To
_The Encyclopedia of Animal Cartoon Characters_, by Jeff Rovin, is
a soon-to-be-published book by an author who’s written similar
volumes on superheroes and supervillains. Rovin has never written
about animation before, as far as I know; he specializes in writing
pop-culture books about whatever’s hot at the moment.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2224, from hmccracken, 272 chars, Tue Aug 27 17:16:24 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: _Premiere_ magazine doesn’t usually cover animation…
but the current issue, a special “Sex in the Movies” one,
has a one-page article on sex in animation which, while
far from complete and possibly incorrect in some of its
facts, is worth checking out.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2225, from switch, 32 chars, Tue Aug 27 20:52:58 1991
This is a comment to message 2224.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2224.
————————–
What do they go on about?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2226, from davemackey, 96 chars, Wed Aug 28 19:08:12 1991
This is a comment to message 2223.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Didn’t he write some sort of book about “The Simpsons”?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2227, from hmccracken, 21 chars, Thu Aug 29 09:28:41 1991
This is a comment to message 2226.
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I think so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2228, from hmccracken, 449 chars, Sun Sep 1 19:52:54 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The BCCI Scandal
Believe it or not, there *is* a comics/animation connection.
CNN reports tonight that _Brenda Starr_, the movie adaptation
of Dale Messick’s comic strip, was funded in large part by
loans from BCCI; the Arab investor who got the loans and
backed the movie was a big Brooke Shields fan, apparently.
Unfortunately for the investor, Miss Shields, and BCCI, the
movie, made five years ago, still has not been released.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2229, from dcolton, 87 chars, Sun Sep 1 21:01:15 1991
This is a comment to message 2228.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Bad reviews? Legal entanglements? Brooke Shields’ discovered
a limit to embarrassment?
==========================
animation/main #2230, from hmccracken, 41 chars, Sun Sep 1 22:59:57 1991
This is a comment to message 2229.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Legal entanglments, I believe.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2231, from davemackey, 524 chars, Mon Sep 2 11:07:23 1991
This is a comment to message 2230.
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I find it hard to fathom that there are still people (other than Bob Hope)
who believe Brooke Shields is a highly bankable commodity at this late date.
I doubt that there are not more than a handful of people who have been
waiting on tenterhooks for this film to come out for the last 10 years or so.
But the BCCI revelation turns this into an infinitely more interesting tale
than just the story of an ex-kid model pinning her comeback hopes on a movie
about a comic strip reporter.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2232, from richard.pini, 516 chars, Mon Sep 2 17:06:16 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: KimballQuest
What’s a good source of Ward Kimball material, in the manner of sketches
or doodles or whatever? I picked up at a flea market a print(?) or something
about 8 1/2 by 11 inches, looks like it may have been cut from something
larger, on heavy paper, of a cartoon that has a couple of railroad workers
snoozing on the job, a cow on the train tracks, and a just-arrived train
full of angry folks. I am curious about it, maybe it’s been reprinted
somewhere. Looks to be from the late 20s or early 30s?
==========================
animation/main #2233, from hmccracken, 526 chars, Mon Sep 2 21:19:49 1991
This is a comment to message 2232.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I think Kimball was a mere sprat in the late 20s; he didn’t
start at Disney’s until about 1935. The cartoon may have been
from one of several places: it may have been cut from a copy
of _The Moustrap_, a Disney in-house publication from the
late 1930s that was reprinted about ten years ago; or it
may have been from a train magazine (I believe the Fantagraphics
magazine _Graphic Story Monthly_ reprinted some of Kimball’s
train magazine cartoons recently). Or maybe it was
artwork for one of his dixieland albums?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2234, from hmccracken, 324 chars, Tue Sep 3 21:25:42 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Turner to buy H-B?
I caught the latter part of a Headline News report just now
which apparently reported that Ted Turner is in negotiations
to buy Hanna-Barbera from Great American, H-B’s present owner.
Can the all-animation Turner cable TV channel that Dave
Mackey reported on here a while ago be far off?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2235, from hmccracken, 1236 chars, Tue Sep 3 21:33:09 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Walter Clinton
The name Walter Clinton may not be familiar to you, but the
cartoons he worked on certainly are: Mr. Clinton’s long career
stretched from Disney in the 1930s to many years spent with
Tex Avery at MGM to work on _The Flintstones_ at Hanna-
Barbera. He was also a print cartoonist who worked on the
cult classic newspaper strip _The Bungle Family_ and on
funny animal comic books.
Mr. Clinton, who retired some years ago to Arizona, has been
largely out of touch with the animation world since he left
the industry, and hasn’t received much appreciation for his
work as an animator. Unfortunately, he is in poor health.
As an attempt to get him some attention while he’s still around
to enjoy it, I made his existence known to John Province, a
friend who has done many interviews with veteran animators;
John recorded an interview with Walter Clinton this week that
will, I hope, see print in an upcoming issue of _Animato_.
If anybody out there feels the urge to write to Mr. Clinton,
you might drop him a line of appreciation. If you like early
Disney animation, Tex Avery’s great films, or _The Flintstones_,
part of the credit goes to him. His address is:
10714 Brookside Dr.
Sun City, AZ 85351.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2236, from hmccracken, 611 chars, Tue Sep 3 21:37:17 1991
————————–
TITLE: 1991 SAS Conference
The 1991 conference of the Society for Animation Studies will
be held at the Rochester Institute of Technology on October
4, 5, and 6. I don’t have full information on what events
are planned, but Faith Hubley will be the guest of honor,
and there will be animation screenining each night. The
major event is the presentation of scholarly papers on
various aspects of animated film.
Anybody interested in attending might contact Erik Timmerman
at RIT — phone number: (716) 475-2754. Past SAS Conferences
have been worthwhile (I’ve heard), and I may be attending
this one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2237, from hmccracken, 719 chars, Tue Sep 3 23:53:24 1991
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TITLE: RIP, Mr. Capra
As you have probably heard, Frank Capra has passed away at the
age of 94. Besides his well-known contributions to film, which
we don’t need to reiterate here, Capra played a small but
significant role in the history of animation: as head of
“Fort Roach” during World War II, he supervised the production
of many training and propaganda cartoons. Later, in the late
1950s, he was involved with the Bell Labs science series, a
series of educational films combining animation and live-action
which have recently been released on videotape.
As a silent film buff, I’m also grateful to Capra for his
involvement in the films of Harry Langdon, one of my favorite
comedians of the silent era.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2238, from richard.pini, 490 chars, Wed Sep 4 07:38:12 1991
This is a comment to message 2233.
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No idea at all. There is nothing on the back of this thingie that would
suggest that it came out of a magazine. I mean, it is blank. The paper is
aged and a wee tad brittle. In the frame, the art was backed with a
certificate of appreciation (nicely hand-painted, too) to one Julius Littman
MD from the Hebrew Home and Hospital for Chronic Sick. Go figure. If I can
get the photocopies to work I will make a copy and send it to you, maybe
you’ll recognize it, or the style, or something…
==========================
animation/main #2239, from davemackey, 492 chars, Wed Sep 4 19:30:57 1991
This is a comment to message 2234.
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Particularly if Turner is buying H-B just to get that juicy library,
according to what I’ve read on the matter… there’s talk that Turner just
might shut Hanna-Barbera down (not unlike when L’Oreal bought Filmation a
few years back).
You are right, though: the prospects of a Turner Animation Television
(or some similar verbiage) look infinitely brighter when you add the
Hanna-Barbera catalogue to all the other animation it has the rights to.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2240, from davemackey, 634 chars, Wed Sep 4 22:00:59 1991
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TITLE: 426 half-hours of Saban
A profile of Haim Saban in this week’s “Broadcasting” notes that his company,
Saban Entertainment, will be responsible for producing 426 half-hours of
animation this season, by far the most in the world. This includes network
shows for USA broadcast TV (“Little Shop,” “Saban’s Adventures Of The Little
Mermaid”), cable (“Maya The Bee,” “Lit’l Bits”) and international markets
(“Gulliver’s Travels,” “Samurai Pizza Cats” and “Rock ‘n’ Cop”).
On a lighter note, the article mentions that Saban’s Rolls-Royce
automobile bears license plates reading 1 RSK TKR.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2241, from dcolton, 11 chars, Fri Sep 6 01:43:32 1991
This is a comment to message 2235.
There are additional comments to message 2235.
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God bless.
==========================
animation/main #2242, from davemackey, 707 chars, Fri Sep 6 22:58:33 1991
This is a comment to message 2235.
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Unfortunately, that’s a sad fact of the animation business: for every Tex
Avery there are about a dozen Walter Clintons, guys who made significant
contributions to these films and just don’t get the appreciation or credit
due them. And outside of Mark Kausler, few people can point to individual
scenes of a cartoon and tell which animators did what. The directors get all
the acclaim; the animators merely accessories. And that’s too bad since every
studio had some fine animation talent.
Clinton was certainly prolific. He worked on every Avery/Lundy MGM
cartoon from 1945 to 1955 and has credits on many of the early Hanna-Barbera
TV shorts (Yogi Bear, etc.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2243, from rjenks, 367 chars, Sat Sep 7 18:00:17 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Project A-Kon III
Well, A-Kon II is behind us now and we’ve started working on A-Kon III
which is tentatively planned for late June of ’92. My question to you is
really quite simple: What American animation guests would you like to
see at A-Kon III? Please keep in mind we’re a mid-size convention with a
very small budget.
Thanx in advance!
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #2244, from hmccracken, 412 chars, Sat Sep 7 19:15:38 1991
This is a comment to message 2243.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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If folks like Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng are big-ticket items,
how about John (_Mighty Mouse_, _Ren and Stimpy_) Kricfalusi?
Or Jerry Beck and/or Carl Macek of Streamline Pictures?
There are also a lot of great folks from the 1940s and 1950s
who don’t get invited to cons often — people like Virgil
Ross, Dave Tendlar, Preston Blair and others. They are all
alive and well and living in California.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2245, from davemackey, 802 chars, Sun Sep 8 00:16:17 1991
This is a comment to message 2244.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2244.
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I personally would pay money to see Dave Tendlar. He was probably the only
director at Famous Studios/Paramount who was capable of making entertaining
animated cartoons. And he did some good work for Terrytoons (it’s a little
known fact that “Outer Space Visitor” is one of my favorite Mighty Mouse
reels).
I think at a con, though, the focus should be more on people who are
doing stuff now. How many chances do you get to meet current animation
artists, guys from Disney and Warner’s actively involved in the production of
a show you could conceivably go back to your hotel room and watch? I don’t
know if A-Kon could pay the money to get guests the calibre of Jones and
Freleng (I would presume that they have to command a pretty high price these
days).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2246, from rjenks, 690 chars, Sun Sep 8 02:11:23 1991
This is a comment to message 2244.
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Chuck Jones & Friz Freleng are probably way out of our price range
unfortunatly. Jerry Beck was at A-Kon II and we can probably get him to
come next year too. Carl Macek was invited, but usually doesn’t come to
conventions for fear of his life :). He _did_ however shup up at AnimeCon
conventions for fear for his life :). He _did_ however show up at AnimeCon
(or so I’m told), but the crowd parted in his wake :).
I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the others you mentioned (Ross, Tendlar,
and Blair)
I will however make a point of writing a invitation and “standard guest
packet” to each of these, if I could get an address to write to. (hint) 🙂
Thanks for the info!
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #2247, from rjenks, 1895 chars, Sun Sep 8 02:41:47 1991
This is a comment to message 2245.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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>I personally would pay money….
That’s what I like to hear 🙂
I will definitely make an effort to contact Dave Tendlar. You are correct
that we are more focused on today’s artists/animators. But if a retired
animator will sell more tickets then I’m all for it :). You must understand
that A-Kon is _completely_ funded by EDC (anime club) and it’s staff/members.
We all make donations that will be paid back _if_ the convention makes money.
EDC is non-profit. A-Kon is _not_ non-profit (which is a joke since we have
only lost money so far), but I’m sure if we ever made money it would just go
towards the next con. Unfortunalely we have seen a lack of American
animation fans attending A-Kon. Although we are more based towards “anime”
we are not an “anime” con. We support all forms of animation (Anime/Animation/
Computer/Clay-mation/ and even puppets). This decision was made before A-Kon I
because of fact that there just weren’t enough “anime” fans in Dallas to
support a con devoted to anime (yet 🙂 ). So we must do our best to “broaden”
our market to all animation. This is our problem, none of us really know
anything about american/foreign (other than Japan) animation. That is why
your input (Dave, Harry, etc..) is _so_ important to us. Every year we
tell ourselves that if we don’t make money on this con, then we won’t do
another one, and every year we lose money. And as you can see, were still
doing them, but I have a feeling that this will be the last year. We had to
do a _lot_ of coaxing to the purse holders this year and things look worse than
ever after AnimeCon’s giant success. I have absolutly nothing against
AnimeCon, but it just seems a little too easy for them to have a full anime
convention is Ca. (Depressing is what I’d call it.) (TINAR/IMHO)
I’ll get off my soap box now.
Thanx for the info… keep it coming. 🙂
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #2248, from davemackey, 328 chars, Sun Sep 8 09:18:10 1991
————————–
TITLE: Familiar voice, if not face…
…spotted in a current commercial for Mastercard in which it’s demonstrated
that you can use cash machines to get advances on your card. The old woman
giving directions is the legendary Mae Questel, voice of Betty Boop and Olive
Oyl for many years.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2249, from davemackey, 527 chars, Sun Sep 8 09:54:24 1991
This is a comment to message 2247.
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I will try to make plans to come out next year since I get to so few cons to
begin with. You could put just about any American animation personality up
there and I could relate to him/her; Dave Tendlar was just an extreme example
since I’ve always been a major admirer of his work with Fleischer and Famous.
Have anime fans been receptive to having more guests from American
animation? I can’t help but think there’s factions that wouldn’t want to have
anything but anime at A-Kon.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2250, from switch, 136 chars, Sun Sep 8 19:17:02 1991
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TITLE: 23rd Tournee
Saw the 23rd Tournee of Animation just a few nights ago. Will post
comments in long.messages tomorrow night!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2251, from rjenks, 898 chars, Sun Sep 8 22:08:14 1991
This is a comment to message 2249.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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>Have anime fans been receptive to having more guests from American animation?
No, not at all. They really want anime artists, but their just a little out
of our budget. Louis Scarborough has been a GREAT success at previous A-kon’s
and will be invited to A-Kon III. Scarbourough may not be an anime animator,
but he _is_ an animator, which means he has a great deal of knowledge about
the animation process. We’ve found that just about anybody that’s willing
to travel across the country to A-Kon is a fairly heavy-duty animation fan who
is also interested in the animation process.
>I can’t help but think there’s fractions that wouldn’t want to have anything
>but anime at A-Kon.
All too true. 🙁 But at the moment that fraction is _not_ enough to pay for
an all anime con in Texas. I don’t mind either way, but we’ve got to stay on
the path we’ve chosen. (at least for now)
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #2252, from richard.pini, 129 chars, Mon Sep 9 08:52:51 1991
This is a comment to message 2251.
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Not to mention that Lou’s a nice guy. Tell him hi from us; we haven’t been in
touch in a while and don’t have a current address.
==========================
animation/main #2253, from hmccracken, 1129 chars, Mon Sep 9 21:49:57 1991
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TITLE: _Cartoon Confidential_…
is the name of the latest book by John Cawley and Jim Korkis,
authors of _Cartoon Superstars_ and _How to Create Animation_.
This new book is from Malibu Graphics (the previous two were
published by Hal Schuster’s Pioneer Press), and is the slickest
and best-looking of the Korkis/Cawley collaborations so far.
While the title and cover may suggest that the book is a sort
of animated version of _Hollywood Babylon_, this is actually
a revised and expanded collection of Korkis/Cawley columns
from _Amazing Heroes_ magazine. The topics include animated
superheroes of the 1960s, censorship in animation, the odd
story behind the Tom Carter studio, comic strips based on
cartoon characters, and many other subjects. Since most of
the topics covered are a bit off the main highways traveled
by most animation books, the effect is of a delightful,
scattershot potpourri. As with the other K&C books, the
illustrations are unusual and, in some cases, extremely’
interesting.
John and Jim have several more books in process, most of
which will be published by a new company called Image.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2254, from drtoon, 216 chars, Mon Sep 9 22:46:29 1991
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Has any one ever run across an animated film titles “Adventures of
Prince Achmed” done in Germany in 1926? How about a Russian version of
“Jungle Book” from the 30’s or 40’s?
Any info will be most appreciated.
-Doug
==========================
animation/main #2255, from switch, 73 chars, Mon Sep 9 23:46:37 1991
This is a comment to message 2253.
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Saw it at Nebula today; hopefully I’ll be able to pick it up soon.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2256, from switch, 960 chars, Mon Sep 9 23:59:03 1991
This is a comment to message 2254.
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Flipping through my reference text from my History of Animated
Film course, I’ve got: “1926, Reineger: _The Adventures of Prince
Achmed_: Silhouette feature-length animation – the 2nd [huh? what
preceded it? A quick scan up the page reveals Quirino Christiani’s
_The Apostle_, 1917] animation feature ever. Made in Germany and
widely seen in Europe.”
An excerpt from “From the ‘Theatre Optique’ to Electronics” by Louise
Beaudet, head of the animation department of the Cinematheque
quebecoise: “An agressive avant-gardism could be found alongside
a tremendous variety of styles ranging from advertising to animated
shadow theatre. The best-known representative of this latter
type of film was Lotte Reineger. Her feature film _The Adventures
of Prince Achmed_ (1923-26) in particular is considered one of the
outstanding accomplishments of German expressionism.” There’s
also a reference to Bruno Edera’s _Les pionniers europeens de
l’animation_.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2257, from rjenks, 277 chars, Tue Sep 10 00:40:23 1991
This is a comment to message 2252.
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Ok. I will have to write him soon. Does he know how to get in touch
with you? If not e-mail some way for him to get in touch with you and I’ll
send it to him. Do you ever get to the Dallas Fantasy Fair’s? I seem to
remember seeing you some time ago at one.
-Robert
==========================
animation/main #2258, from tsin, 3 chars, Tue Sep 10 21:19:29 1991
This is a comment to message 2225.
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🙂
==========================
animation/main #2259, from switch, 307 chars, Wed Sep 11 00:07:21 1991
This is a comment to message 2224.
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Actually, tsin and I saw the first of the two-part “Erosanimation”
compilation at the Cinematheque Quebecoise just last week. At
$2.75 a pop, it was worth it, although some of the films made
you wonder…
If anyone’s interested, I’ll post what was shown and my opinions
(if I can find the program).
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2260, from davemackey, 427 chars, Fri Sep 13 21:20:36 1991
This is a comment to message 2199.
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As usual, Dave’s there first: this week’s “Entertainment Weekly” has a review
of the current Tournee, of which “Push Comes To Shove” is a component, and
describes as I did how Plympton (in his own way) adheres to the disciplines
of the old Hollywood cartoons where nobody ever gets really badly hurt, yet
produces something distinctively his. “PCTS” is on its way to becoming a
classic.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2261, from hmccracken, 330 chars, Sun Sep 15 17:46:51 1991
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TITLE: _Comics Scene_
Now and then I’ve mentioned _Comics Scene_, a magazine that often’
has good articles on animation. The new issue is especially
noteworthy, since it’s a special animation one. Inside are
interesting articles on _Darkwing Duck_, _Taz-Mania_, the
new _Tintin_ series, Glen Keane, and Robert McKimson.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2262, from hmccracken, 645 chars, Wed Sep 18 22:07:32 1991
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TITLE: Cartoons in the News
Two brief reports on magazine coverage of comic art: first,
the current issue of _Forbes_ includes the magazine’s list
of the forty highest-paid entertainers. On the list are
Charles (_Peanuts_) Schulz (number 9, between the Rolling
Stones and Steven Spielberg) and Matt Groening (number
39, between Mel Gibson and Vanilla Ice). Off the list is
Jim Davis; guess the Garfield business isn’t what it used
to be.
Secondly, the new issue of _U&lc_, a graphic design magazine
published by the International Typeface Corporation, cover-
features a nifty article by John Canemaker on the design of
Felix the Cat.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2263, from morganfox, 165 chars, Wed Sep 18 22:21:33 1991
This is a comment to message 2262.
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And in the current Soap Opera Digest, 11 soap opera actors were asked “As a kid,
who was your favorite cartoon character?”.
Hey, we gotta keep current ya know. 😉
==========================
animation/main #2264, from hmccracken, 172 chars, Thu Sep 19 16:01:39 1991
This is a comment to message 2263.
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Care to tell us whom the soap stars liked, Morgan? (Not that I’m
up on my soap opera actors and characters, except for Susan Lucci,
Patch, and Luke and Laura…)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2265, from morganfox, 265 chars, Thu Sep 19 21:49:25 1991
This is a comment to message 2264.
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LOL! Only Susan Lucci is still on the soaps. She was not polled, sigh. And
yet again, this year was nominated and did not win an emmy.
Scooby Doo was popular, was well as the Flintstones. One person mentioned
Betty Boop and Mightty Mouse as his fantasy couple. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2266, from hmccracken, 1446 chars, Sat Sep 21 14:50:26 1991
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TITLE: _Chuck Amuck: The Movie_
Warner Bros. Home Video has just released _Chuck Amuck: The
Movie_, a documentary based on Chuck Jones’s 1989 memoirs.
It’s a well-done film (produced in 1989, apparently in
England) that devotes much of its running time to just letting
Chuck talk and draw, to good effect. Long-time Jones followers
will have already heard much of what Jones has to say, but
they’ll probably enjoy the other interviews — with Mel
Blanc, Michael Maltese, Lloyd Vaughan, and Maurice Noble (the
last being especially informative).
If there’s a major complaint to be made about _Chuck Amuck:
The Movie_, it’s that, like Jones’s book, it is more a
rambling look at Jones’s latter-day musings about his art
and characters than a biographical work. There is almost
no discussion of Jones’s work before about 1947, and virtually
all the film clips date from the 1950s. Unlike the book,
in which Jones gives full credit to his colleagues, this
movie makes scant mention of other Warner artists (other than
the few who are interviewed); you might walk away from the film
thinking that Jones worked pretty much in a vacuum.
Still, this $19.95 tape is a pleasant change from the
countless repackagings of the same old cartoons that make
up most of Warner’s animation video offerings. Volumes
on people like Friz Freleng and Tex Avery (I believe the
people behind this tape have already produced an Avery film)
would be welcome.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2267, from hmccracken, 724 chars, Sat Sep 21 15:01:35 1991
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TITLE: New Books
Three new comics-related books of note have recently been
published. _Marvel: Fifty Fabulous Years of the World’s
Greatest Comics_, by Les Daniels (Abrams) is a history of
Marvel Comics that’s big and colorful, and has been praised
by several knowledgable friends of mine as an honest and
detailed book. (I don’t have it yet.) _Archie: His First
Fifty Years_, by Charles Phillips (Abbeville) does for Archie
comics what Daniels’s book does for Marvel. It’s also thick
and good-looking.
Finally, _A Wish For Wings That Work_, by Berke Breathed, is
a children’s book starring Opus the Penguin, late of _Bloom
County_. This Christmas tale is being made into an animated
special by Steven Spielberg.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2268, from hmccracken, 377 chars, Sat Sep 21 22:54:13 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: DIC Sold
DIC, the large Saturday-morning animation studio, has been sold
to Polygram, a division of N.V. Philips, the Dutch conglomerate
that owns Norelco and Magnavox, among other companies. It is
speculated that Polygram may shut down the studio, as Ted Turner
is said to be considering doing to Hanna-Barbera upon completion
of his purchase of that studio.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2269, from davemackey, 1100 chars, Tue Sep 24 01:36:29 1991
This is a comment to message 2268.
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It is a sad scenario if and when these two large suppliers of SatAM and
syndicated animation close up shop in the same season. I would imagine that
this is the first dose of recession reality that the animation boom’s been
confronted with (keeping in mind Phil Roman’s recent comment that “you
couldn’t tell there’s a recession looking at the animation business”).
Who will step in and fill in the gap? I don’t imagine any of the smaller
shops (Film Roman, Klasky Csupo, Saban) being able to handle the workload of
either of those two studios. Marvel Productions could come to the fore now
that it’s got several series on the air once again after a year or two of
dormancy. I don’t know how Warner Bros. or Disney could function as high
volume/low budget shops; their operations are geared more toward producing
high-end cartoons.
This could be the break that Universal’s been looking for, lots of
artists out on the streets and a giant studio facility on Cahuenga Blvd.
just sitting idle. They stand to be the biggest beneficiary of this
implosion.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2270, from hmccracken, 1407 chars, Wed Sep 25 13:56:39 1991
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TITLE: Good-Bye, Dr. Seuss
Just heard the sad news on the radio that Theodor S. Geisel — better
known to children young and old as Dr. Seuss — has passed away at
his home in La Jolla. He was 87.
I doubt that I need to identify Seuss as the author and illustrator
of many wonderful children’s books, from _The 500 Hats of
Bartholemew Cubbins_ to _The Cat in the Hat_ to _Horton Hatches the
Egg_ to _Green Eggs and Ham_. He will always be remembered for
these delightful, educational, and unpretentious works. But remarkably
enough, Seuss was active in many other areas of comic art — he
began as a magazine cartoonist in the 1920s (see the book _The
Tough Coughed as he Ploughed the Dough_ for examples of his early
work). He went on to a successful period as an advertising artist
and was responsible for the once-famous “Quick, Henry, the Flit!”
campaign. His association with animation ranged from Bob Clampett’s
Warner Bros. cartoon of _Horton Hatches the Egg_ to the co-creation
of the WWII propaganda character Private Snafu to the creation
of UPA’s Gerald McBoing Boing to the many TV adaptations of his
books, beginning with Chuck Jones’s _How the Grinch Stole
Christmas_.
He will be missed, of course — but in a sense he won’t really
be leaving us. I’m sure that his books will continue to be
just as important a part of American childhood as they’ve been
for the past fifty years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2271, from bferg, 139 chars, Wed Sep 25 15:41:48 1991
This is a comment to message 2270.
There are additional comments to message 2270.
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Yes, he will be missed. I did not know that much about him.
I can, with good feelings, that if I live to be 87, I will be
happy!
Barbara
==========================
animation/main #2272, from davemackey, 797 chars, Wed Sep 25 19:02:49 1991
This is a comment to message 2270.
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————————–
I was shocked to hear of this, but then I remembered Shel Dorf’s solicitation
for get-well cards a few months back… maybe it was known within the
publishing community that the end was near and Shel wanted to tip off the
world in a discreet manner….
My favorite Seuss story – and for all I know, this may be true, and Iope
it isn’t too indelicate telling this so soon after his death – was that he
wrote his children’s stories using off-color language, then cleaned them up
just before publication.
There’s lots more I could say (and definitely will — I will be posting
a list of his animation adaptations), but I’m at a loss for words: we lose
both Jim Henson and Dr. Seuss in the same year. Life ain’t fair, and death is
not too far behind.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2273, from davemackey, 265 chars, Wed Sep 25 21:06:13 1991
This is a comment to message 2270.
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I have taken the liberty of compiling a list of film and literary work of Dr.
Seuss and some other observations on his life and career and have posted it
in /long.messages, since it’s a bit lengthy to put over here in /main.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2274, from hmccracken, 311 chars, Thu Sep 26 00:02:18 1991
This is a comment to message 2273.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Odd coincidence: the new FAO Schwartz catalog, which arrived in
my mailbox yesterday, has a cover and interior illustrations
by Seuss, and is dedicated to a celebration of his career.
It says he’s sold 250 million books (a report on CNN today
said 100 million; in any case it is a very large number).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2275, from davemackey, 371 chars, Sun Sep 29 09:39:42 1991
This is a comment to message 2274.
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And while we’re on the subject of Seuss, did anyone else see Jesse Jackson
giving an impassioned reading of “Green Eggs and Ham” on “Saturday Night
Live” last evening? I thought it was a nice tribute to the man (and on the
subject of tribute, one of the members of Public Enemy asked for three
seconds of silence for Miles Davis).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2276, from hmccracken, 242 chars, Sun Sep 29 09:53:20 1991
This is a comment to message 2275.
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The Jackson GE&H reading soundes a little tasteless, but
it was actually pretty funny and if anything kidded Jackson
more than it did the Dr. And farewell to the great Miles, who
I was fortunate enough to see in concert last year.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2277, from davemackey, 251 chars, Sun Sep 29 11:31:23 1991
This is a comment to message 2276.
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I think the audience got a big kick out of it, and it was definitely the
highlight of “Weekend Update” — the problem here is that Kevin Nealon is
trying to do Dennis Miller type material in a Chevy Chase mode.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2278, from tsin, 65 chars, Sun Sep 29 11:47:32 1991
This is a comment to message 2276.
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i happened to see it on tape this morn and liked it!
🙁
🙂
cynth
==========================
animation/main #2279, from switch, 218 chars, Sun Sep 29 12:24:02 1991
This is a comment to message 2276.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I saw Miles Davis for the first (and now proven to be last) time
when I first attended the Kool Jazz Festival in 1986 (or was it
1987?) I’ve been a fan of his since I was reading Dr. Seuss books.
I’ll miss him.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2280, from hmccracken, 258 chars, Sun Sep 29 14:20:58 1991
This is a comment to message 2279.
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I’m not sure if Davis liked comics or cartoons (I have his
autobiography, so I can check — but I kind of doubt it).
He was, however, a talented visual artist who actually drew
and painted the images on the T-shirts that were sold at
his concerts.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2281, from switch, 57 chars, Sun Sep 29 19:26:39 1991
This is a comment to message 2280.
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Also the cover for his “Time After Time” single…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2282, from davemackey, 211 chars, Mon Sep 30 07:07:02 1991
This is a comment to message 2280.
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I personally can’t picture Miles Davis kicking back with a Garfield
paperback. He wrote and performed great music, even if he did screw himself
up with various narcotics.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2283, from hkenner, 176 chars, Mon Sep 30 23:20:16 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Inki & the Myna Bird
What is known about that film? Strange, stranger, strangest.
And the bird hops like the guy in *The Dover Boys* who ends up with
the heroine.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2284, from hmccracken, 456 chars, Tue Oct 1 09:18:53 1991
This is a comment to message 2283.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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The “Inki” films are among Jones’s strangest — Jones has said
that he didn’t understand them himself, and that Walt Disney
was mystified by them. In theme and structure, they’re evolutionary
works that are somewhere between Jones’s early pseudo-Disney cartoons
and some of his later series with oddball premises (the Pepe Le Pew
cartoons, for instance).
I can probably unearth some specific Jones quotes about the
films if they’d be helpful…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2285, from hkenner, 62 chars, Tue Oct 1 12:04:25 1991
This is a comment to message 2284.
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They would indeed be helpful, if you can spare the time.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2286, from hmccracken, 1197 chars, Tue Oct 1 19:22:22 1991
This is a comment to message 2285.
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Chuck Jones on the Inki cartoons:
“Those cartoons really baffled Walt Disney. They baffled me, for that
matter. I just made them because I thought they were funny. I wasn’t
even sure I thought they were funny; they were kind of mysterious. The
little Negro was probably the first one who was just a little kid; he
was a Negro only because he was living in Africa, not for any other
reason. He never acted like a stereotyped Negro.
But people would laugh at that damned bird [the Minah Bird], and I
could never figure out why. Warner’s hated it, but it went over very
big in the theaters. Walt would run them for his staff, and say,
‘What the hell…why can’t you guys do something like that?
What is it? What’s so goddamn funny about it?’ If he’d brought
me over, I couldn’t have told him. I made five or six of them…
they were really fourth-dimensional pictures, and I don’t understand
the fourth dimension.'”
— From “An Interview With Chuck Jones,” _Funnyworld_ #13,
Spring 1971.
The same issue includes a list of the “Inki” cartoons:
_The Little Lion Hunter_ (1939)
_Inki and the Lion_ (1941)
_Inki and the Minah Bird_ (1943)
_Inki at the Circus_ (1946)
_Caveman Inki_ (1949)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2287, from hkenner, 256 chars, Tue Oct 1 19:30:53 1991
This is a comment to message 2286.
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Thank you! I’ve seen snippets of that quote, but don’t have that
Funnyworld. I repeat, the Mynah Bird, with his hop after every 3rd
step, is the same loopy guy who runs off with the heroine at the end
of *The Dover Boys*. A generic Jones fantasy?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2288, from davemackey, 240 chars, Wed Oct 2 07:15:27 1991
This is a comment to message 2287.
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————————–
I don’t have the source but Jones said he thought it was funny to have the
Minah Bird hop on the odd-beats of the music. If I remember properly, the guy
from “The Dover Boys” had the same affliction.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2289, from bferg, 381 chars, Wed Oct 2 09:43:29 1991
This is a comment to message 2288.
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As a child and even now, I was transfixed by the cartoons
with the Minah Bird. The bird was so, cannot find the right
word, cool? Every character stopped their actions when he
showed and their eyes bounced with every hop. I still laugh
loudly at those cartoons, a fomula of action, music, story
that is sorta bizarre, mysterious. ::Hearing the music in
my head.::
😉
Barbara
==========================
animation/main #2290, from bcapps, 306 chars, Wed Oct 2 21:06:11 1991
This is a comment to message 2288.
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Not to mention, the music for the Mynah bird is from Mendelssohn’s
“Fingal’s Cave,” which I think is strong contributor to its
humorous appeal. This credit comes from the liner notes on
“The Carl Stalling Project,” which has that piece in its
“Medley: Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals.”
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2291, from dferg, 669 chars, Wed Oct 2 23:58:55 1991
This is a comment to message 2289.
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Minah Bird…I’ll toss my two-cents’-worth in…
I won’t go off and say I understand him, but I believe I understand
what may be behind him. He’s like the ‘trickster’ or ‘coyote’ archetype..
…he has his own mischevious agenda, and even if you think you are ‘on
his side’ (as Inki does at the end of most of these ‘toons), you’re assuming
too much. He’s the spirit of chaos and independence….murphy’s law on
two clawed feet…and something that, oddly enough, we find lurking in
ourselves, at least as a ‘latent desire’.
I really don’t presume to speak for Jones, and I could be missing the
part of the human psyche that he tapped…but I don’t think so.
-Doug
==========================
animation/main #2292, from hmccracken, 285 chars, Thu Oct 3 13:23:07 1991
This is a comment to message 2291.
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One thing we ought to check (and I will, as soon as I’m near my
animation reference library) is the story credits for both
the Inki cartoons and _The Dover Boys_. It’s quite possible that
someone other than Jones came up with both the Minah Bird and
that _Dover Boys_ chap.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2293, from hkenner, 120 chars, Thu Oct 3 16:22:44 1991
This is a comment to message 2292.
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Dover boys story is credited (on the film) to Tedd Pierce. My copy
of Inki & the Mynah Bird has no credits at all.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2294, from davemackey, 362 chars, Thu Oct 3 20:45:36 1991
This is a comment to message 2293.
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“Little Lion Hunter”: story by Bob Givens; “Inki And The Lion”: Rich Hogan;
“Inki and the Minah Bird”: no story credit exists; “Inki at the Circus”:
Maltese and Pierce; “Caveman Inki”: Maltese.
Remember though that the films were a collaborative effort, and any
storyman could contribute gags to any director’s film.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2295, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Thu Oct 3 21:33:13 1991
This is a comment to message 2294.
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Right, Dave…Also, for quite a while the story credits on Warner
cartoons were simply issued on a rotating basis, and so bore no
real relation to who worked on which cartoon. By the time of the
cartoons in question, though, I believe that period had ended.
Still, the fact that at least four different storymen seem to have
worked on the five “Inki” films suggest that if they were anyone’s
baby, it was Jones’s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2296, from hmccracken, 1051 chars, Sun Oct 6 18:20:12 1991
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Today at a collectibles show I picked up the 1975 issue of _Film
Comment_ that spotlighted “The Hollywood Cartoon,” and among its
many spectacular features is what is probably the longest and
best interview with Chuck Jones ever published. Jones has quite
a lot to say about the “Inki” cartoons in the interview…
“I did that even earlier in _Little Lion Hunter_ [in response to
a question about the Pepe Le Pew series]. The mynah bird was that
sort of steady character. I often have music dictating the steady
pace. In the Inki series, the mynah bird would hop along to
‘Fingal’s Cave Overture.’ That was my first experience with
Mendelssohn.”
Later in the interview, when the interviewer remarks that
the mynah bird is associated with earhquakes in _Caveman Inki_:
“Oh, they weren’t terrified of the Mynah Brid, but they were
terrified of the natural condition that arose from the
Mynah Bird’s appearance. The mountain split right in half, remember?
Everyone expects something pretty tremendous, and then this
little thing comes out.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2297, from hmccracken, 593 chars, Thu Oct 10 13:50:42 1991
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TITLE: Supreme Court calls Harmon a Bozo
While everybody else is talking about Clarence Thomas, here’s a
piece of Supreme Court news that’s more appropriate to this
conference. On Monday, the high court ruled against Larry Harmon,
who owns the rights to Bozo the Clown, in his lawsuit against
a Mason, Tennessee barbecue restaurant that sells “Bozo”
barbecue sauce.
Since the restaurant has been selling the stuff under that name
since 1928, before Bozo the Clown came to be, it sounds like
Harmon didn’t have that much of a case. Isn’t “Bozo” a fairly
old piece of slang, anyway?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2298, from morganfox, 215 chars, Thu Oct 10 18:11:06 1991
This is a comment to message 2297.
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Ain’t it amazing what cases the Supreme Court chooses to hear? 🙂 And how
far people are willing to go to sue?
I wonder if this means the Capt. Crunch cereal Vs. Capt. Crunch Bait shop
in Tuckertown, NJ is next?
==========================
animation/main #2299, from davemackey, 201 chars, Sat Oct 12 07:44:07 1991
This is a comment to message 2296.
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The Minah Bird thing gets weirder — I just remembered that the bird made a
cameo appearance in Bob McKimson’s cartoon “Hobo Bobo,” Fingal’s Cave music
and all.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2300, from hmccracken, 577 chars, Mon Oct 14 22:35:32 1991
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TITLE: _Premiere_ magazine spotlights animation
The new issue of _Premiere_ magazine is chock-full of stuff to
interest animation and cartoon fans. The biggest thing is a
long article, beautifully illustrated, on Disney’s upcoming
_Beauty and the Beast_ feature, but there are also shorter
pieces on Sherri Stoner, animation model and writer, two
Disney studio-related tidbits, and even a nice plug for
our own Doug Ranney’s (drtoon) _Whole Toon Catalog_. Add in
a nice article on the upcoming _Addams Family_ film, and
you’ve got a must-buy item for cartoon types.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2301, from hmccracken, 450 chars, Mon Oct 14 22:38:29 1991
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TITLE: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
judging by the number of cartoon-related coffee-table books
invading bookstores lately. The newest ones are _The Art of
Mickey Mouse_, a lavish volume of artworks inspired by the
Mouse, with an introduction by John Updike (a closet cartoon
buff?); and a new book on Tom and Jerry. I bought the latter
book today and will probably snag the latter one
eventually; more comments to come.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2302, from hmccracken, 220 chars, Mon Oct 14 22:42:26 1991
————————–
TITLE: Clarification
Reading the log-in message about the birthday CBIX, I see that
a hasty reading of it might lead one to believe that the CBIX
is on Saturday. It’s not — it’s Tuesday at 10pm EDT, as usual.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2303, from aameden, 189 chars, Tue Oct 15 21:43:38 1991
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TITLE: Computer animation
Hi. I’m not a regular here, but I have a question about computer animation on
video tape. Please see my inquiry in ‘video.stuff’ if you have time.
Thanks,
AAMEDEN
==========================
animation/main #2304, from switch, 193 chars, Tue Oct 15 22:04:36 1991
————————–
TITLE: Re/Flex
The latest issue of Re/Flex has got an article on Carl Stalling.
Given my current magazine stack, I won’t have a chance to read
it for a while, so let me know how it is 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2305, from switch, 247 chars, Fri Oct 18 21:25:57 1991
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TITLE: Movie program
Does anyone have a spare program for the Sick & Twisted Animation
Festival? I managed to catch it last night — the last show —
and they didn’t have any left. It’d be much appreciated.
Any comments on the show, BTW?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2306, from aameden, 73 chars, Sat Oct 19 04:11:41 1991
This is a comment to message 2305.
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What, bye the bye, is “The Sick and Twisted Animation Festival”?
AAMEDEN
==========================
animation/main #2307, from hmccracken, 430 chars, Sat Oct 19 09:54:05 1991
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TITLE: Happy Birthday to Us!
This conference was created on October 19th, 1989 — making today
our second birthday! (We didn’t open to the public for a week or
two after that, but today is as close to an official birthday as
we have.)
Many thanks to all the wonderful Bixen who contribute to making
the animation conference a fun place to be. May the conference
survive to an age of at least Grim Natwickian longevity!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2308, from davemackey, 280 chars, Sat Oct 19 18:29:24 1991
This is a comment to message 2307.
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Let me join in the confetti throwing to help celebrate your second birthday.
It’s been a great almost two years for me (I joined a little less than a
month after you opened) and I hope everyone’s gotten as big a hoot out of
this as I have.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2309, from mscoville, 87 chars, Sat Oct 19 22:24:45 1991
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Happy Birthday and special thanks to the founding fathers of the conference.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2310, from mscoville, 778 chars, Sat Oct 19 22:30:46 1991
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TITLE: Anim. Art Auctions
This season marks another marathon of animation art auctions. Christie’s will
hold thiers on December 10th, Phillips will be December 12th and Sotheby’s
brings up the rear with their auction on December 14th.
The notable note of this season will be art from Universal/Amblin films: The
Land Before Time and American Tail 1.These will be in Christie’s catalogs. It
is rumored that they will have over 400 pieces for auction so there will have
to be 2 sessions.
Sotheby’s will have art from the Peanuts specials. Yes, they have already been
at auction before, but with the prices that they got for the art, Bill Melendez
and the other partners decided that they would do it again.
I will let you know when the catalogs will be available. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2311, from davemackey, 1049 chars, Mon Oct 21 08:23:13 1991
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TITLE: “Classic Cartoons” exhibit in NJ
I will definitely set aside some time between now and November 3 to take in
the “Classic Cartoons: The Art Of Animation” exhibit at the Monmouth Museum
in Lincroft, NJ.
Museum director Dorothy “Mike” Morehouse told The Asbury Park Press, “We
want children to appreciate that [cartoons are] more than just some Saturday
morning diversion. Here we have an accessible combination of art and
nostalgia.”
The show takes pains to explain how animation happens and includes an
exhibit of animation artwork and videos coordinated by Pam and Robert Martin
of Cel-ebration!
Further information and directions can be had by calling (908) 747-2266;
admission is $2 for adults and $1.50 for seniors and children.
Incidentally, this is also a good place to mention that Cel-ebration!
has just opened a new gallery located at 30 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, NJ,
so congrats to the Martins on that. For more information on that, call Pam
and Bob at (908) 842-8489.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2312, from bferg, 66 chars, Mon Oct 21 09:35:06 1991
This is a comment to message 2307.
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Happy Birthday, animation…*were* you really born??
😉
Barbara
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animation/main #2313, from switch, 63 chars, Mon Oct 21 21:55:38 1991
This is a comment to message 2307.
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Two years already? Time flies when you’re having fun…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2314, from mscoville, 317 chars, Mon Oct 21 22:58:49 1991
This is a comment to message 2311.
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In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum will be holding a seminar/round
table discussion on collecting animation art. This will be held at the museum
on October 27th at 2 pm. This is being hosted by the Martins. Hope everyone
can make it as it could be good. We plan to go an be an audience member.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2315, from davemackey, 145 chars, Tue Oct 22 19:29:21 1991
This is a comment to message 2314.
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Aw, gee, Mike, you finally get down to my neck of the woods, and I’ll be out
of town! Maybe next time…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2316, from davemackey, 476 chars, Tue Oct 22 22:49:36 1991
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TITLE: Disney bashing continues…
…in the latest issue of Spy magazine (once they find a target, they’re
relentless… just ask Mike Ovitz, head of Creative Artists Agency, a pet
favorite of the Spy staff). This month, Hollywood Records is examined in a
not too flattering light in a one-pager by Jeffrey Ressner. Hollywood Record
has released albums by Roseanne Barr, Queen, Stryper, Lifers Group, The Party
and WWIII among others.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2317, from mscoville, 364 chars, Wed Oct 23 22:25:14 1991
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TITLE: Shamus Culhane
The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is having a special show on animation and
honoring Shamus Culhane. This show will be November 11th. (Will try and get the
time for this in the near future.) They are also doing other shows on Swiss
animation as well as presenting the best of animation from the Annecy animated
film festival (1991). mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2318, from mscoville, 482 chars, Wed Oct 23 22:30:24 1991
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TITLE: Gerry Anderson
The creator of Thunderbirds and Fireball XL-5 is doing another he-man series,
this time with the Soviets. He and the Soviets are co-producing a series entitled G-Force about a spacea rescue team. T
he stories, etc. will be done in England
and the actual animation will be done be the St. Petersburg Studios in Russia.
According to a company spokesman, 13 episodes are already under pre-production with and estimated cost of $400,000 per
episode. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2319, from hmccracken, 84 chars, Wed Oct 23 22:46:00 1991
This is a comment to message 2314.
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If you go, Mike, say “hi!” to Pam Martin for me. She is a
wonderful lady.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2320, from hkenner, 173 chars, Sat Oct 26 11:47:57 1991
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TITLE: Updike on Mickey
November *Art * Antiques* (just received) has a lavish sequence of
images surrounding a keen piece on Mickey Mouse by John Updike.
Recommended.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2321, from hmccracken, 388 chars, Tue Oct 29 23:18:13 1991
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TITLE: Grim Tidings in Burbank
The Howard Lowery Gallery in Burbank, CA will be having an exhibition
and sale of artwork by the late Grim Natwick (creator of Betty Boop)
from November 9th through December 28th. A catalog is available for
$6.00 postpaid; contact Lowery at (818) 972-9080 for more information.
Lowery’s sales are always excellent, so this should be a real event.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2322, from hmccracken, 1062 chars, Thu Oct 31 09:43:30 1991
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TITLE: When I was driving from Los Angeles to San Diego last
Thursday, I came across a little place on the Pacific Coast
Highway that’s definitely worth mentioning here. The Chuck
Jones Show-Room — I’m told the place is operated by Chuck’s
daughter, Linda — is a small gallery of animation cels from
Jones and non-Jones productions. (Other animators represented
include Friz Freleng, Grim Natwick, and Walter Lantz.)
The collection is divided approximately 50%-50% between original
production cels and limited-edition collectible ones; the
original cels don’t include any from vintage Warner’s cartoons,
but there are some nice ones from 1970s and 1980s Warner
productions, as well as a few from 1960s MGM cartoons like
_How the Grinch Stole Christmas_. Everything is for sale, at
typical gallery prices that are a bit more than you’d pay
a mail-order dealer for the same pieces.
If you’re in the neighborhood, the place is worth a visit.
The show-room is at 2900 East Coast Highway in Corona
Del Mar, CA 92625. The phone number is (714) 759-1232.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2323, from hkenner, 91 chars, Thu Oct 31 11:33:58 1991
This is a comment to message 2322.
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Yes, that’s a nice place. I’ve been there too. Chuck himself
lives 2-3 miles away.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2324, from bcapps, 992 chars, Fri Nov 1 01:16:41 1991
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TITLE: USA Today Life Feature article 10/31/91 — Holiday Box-Office Anims
Just a short blurb about the box-office battle that’s shaping up between
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Universal/Steven Spielberg’s An American
Tail: Fievel Goes West. Highlights: AAT:FGW has licences with Pizza Hut,
Reading Buddies and Nabisco products. BATB has a deal with Burger King.
Predicted winner: Beast due to appeal to adults w/out kids, whereas Tail
looks to be a family affair. Also, this seems to be the start of an annual
contest now. Disney has released a new animated film each Thanksgiving
since 1988. Expected matchup for 92: Disney’s Aladdin vs. Amblimation’s
We’re Back based on Hudson Talbott’s children’s books. It is expected that
even with the recession, both films will do well, since the audience for
the films is seen as quite large.
Bob
p,s,
.s. The article also showed a cel from each film showing the main characters
Beauty and Beast, and then Fievel in western garb.
==========================
animation/main #2325, from davemackey, 1079 chars, Sat Nov 2 23:06:25 1991
This is a comment to message 2324.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Thanks for writing up this article, Bob. I am surprised to see Spielberg
taking up the mantle where Bluth left off. It always seems that the two most
interesting animated features of a given season always seem to come out
around Thanksgiving time, and one of them is Disney’s, and you would not want
to play in Disney’s playground if you can’t win. But Spielberg is a master
manipulator of audiences who knows which buttons to push, so to speak.
I’m starting to have my doubts about the character of The Beast. If you
remember the television series of a few years ago, Vincent was just human
enough to make a relationship between him and Catherine believable. Now that
I’ve seen pictures of Disney’s Beast, I don’t see anything human about him
and am getting a nasty bestiality vibe (at the very least, it could be
construed as a Tex Avery homage). We’ll see when the movie comes out.
About the “American Tail II” tie.ins: I wonder if Fievel, who’s Jewish,
is going to be gracing Christmas tree ornaments like he did last time?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2326, from hkenner, 376 chars, Sun Nov 3 00:23:55 1991
This is a comment to message 2325.
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The trailer I’ve seen (twice) for B & the B does not appeal. Lots of
tech pizzazz, giggly reaction-shots from Beauty, cliche Disney panic
among minor characters when much is going on … all very formulaic.
I agree that the Beast is uninteresting. Right, he lacks Vincent’s
human infrastructure. Also, check out the great Cocteau film. Real
pathos in *that* beast.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2327, from jshook, 170 chars, Sun Nov 3 00:54:07 1991
This is a comment to message 2326.
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When Marlene Dietrich saw the Cocteau film she is reported to have
said in response to the beast’s human transformation at the end
of the film “Give me back my beast!”
==========================
animation/main #2328, from bcapps, 834 chars, Sun Nov 3 01:30:42 1991
This is a comment to message 2325.
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No problem, in fact, it’s a pleasure to help out. Especially since you can’t
be everywhere at once! You’d think the marketing folks would’ve caught on
to the Fievel/XMas thing. Maybe they’ll just say “Happy Holidays!” and get
around the who’s what type of thing. Well, they did say that the BATB did
draw a favorable reaction at the New York Film Festival this fall, although
it was an unfinished version. But, Beast does seem somewhat less human than
previously portrayed by “human” actors, although I haven’t seen the Cocteau
version (gotta find that one!). But at least it’s nice to see Disney trying
to address more adult audiences with its animated subject matter. If we
could only convince them to do a “Heavy Metal” or a (dare we say it?) “Fritz
the Cat?” ::smack, smack:: Ok, I’m awake now! Dreaming mode off.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2329, from davemackey, 99 chars, Sun Nov 3 10:01:25 1991
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That’s the word I was looking for, Hugh… pathos. Thanks!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2330, from switch, 233 chars, Sun Nov 3 11:32:13 1991
This is a comment to message 2328.
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I’d like to see Disney do something a bit more adult, like _Wings of
Honneamise_. With the Disney name behind it, you’re almost guaranteed
plenty of attention (which _Wings_, even in translated form, could not hope
to match).
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2331, from hmccracken, 393 chars, Sun Nov 3 12:23:23 1991
This is a comment to message 2325.
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Remember, Dave, that Spielberg produced two of the Bluth
films that went up against Disney films — _An American
Tail_ and _Land Before Time_. Both did well.
I agree that Disney’s Beast doesn’t look particularly
appealing. Too much like a buffalo, if you ask me.
However, he’s been animated by the great Glen Keane,
who can pack a great deal of humanity and emotion into
his work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2332, from hmccracken, 881 chars, Sun Nov 3 12:28:38 1991
This is a comment to message 2326.
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Disney’s advertising for its films often bears little relation to
the film it promotes. I haven’t seen the B&B trailer, but I’ve
seen two different posters for the film. One is a pastel-tinged
portrait of the Beast and Beauty waltzing, with the caption
“The Most Beautiful Love Story Ever Told.” I suspect this poster
is aimed at grown-up women who liked the TV series. The other
poster is *very* Disney — a shot of a cheerful Beauty surrounded
by cute characters. This makes the film look a lot like _Snow White_
or _Cinderella_.
To take another example of Disney’s tricky advertising, they promoted
last year’s _The Rescuers Down Under_ with an ad that was a virtual
duplicate of the one for _The Little Mermaid_, despite the fact that
the two films had little in common. Almost everything I’ve heard
about B&B has been very favorable, so I’m looking forward to it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2333, from hmccracken, 914 chars, Sun Nov 3 22:03:37 1991
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TITLE: Maurice Noble News
Since I spend a lot of time here griping about the current state
of the Disney studio, it’s always nice to be able to report on
something nice that its done. I spoke today to Maurice Noble, the
great Warner Bros./Chuck Jones designer, and he told me that he
returned recently from a two-week trip with his wife to Disney
World in Florida, where he lectured on animation and design,
lunched with studio bigwigs, and toured the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT,
and the Disney-MGM Studios. All of this was paid for by Disney,
of course. It’s nice to know that Disney both had the good sense
to draw on Maurice’s expertise, and the largesse to do it
in the form of what sounds like a very nice working vacation
for the Nobles. (Maurice, by the way, had the guts to speak honestly
and say how much he disliked _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ when
asked about it by a studio employee at one lecture.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2334, from hmccracken, 293 chars, Sun Nov 3 22:07:39 1991
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I was going to say that Disney will have a hard time living up to
the Cocteau film, but I have the feeling that few folks today
remember that wonderful film (is it available on video?). If we’re
lucky, Disney’s release may inspire someone or other to re-release
the Cocteau version.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2335, from elfhive, 674 chars, Mon Nov 4 15:04:02 1991
This is a comment to message 2334.
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PBS (at least in DC) occasionally shows the Cocteau film. It is
available from some collector’s video catalogues. I believe I have
seen it at Tower Video for rent as well. One that I rarely see
is Cocteau’s other feature film: _Orpheus_ again an inspired
piece of filmmaking and a brilliant retelling of timeless myth.
I had the chance to see it again about three months ago at the
American Film Institute Theater.
In _Beauty and the Beast_ (Cocteau’s film) I will never forget the
with the arms holding candelabra as the source of lighting. I don’t
suppose Disney retained this concept in their animation?
The truncated line should read “scene on the castle staircase.”
==========================
animation/main #2336, from hkenner, 101 chars, Mon Nov 4 16:01:08 1991
This is a comment to message 2335.
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And remember Beauty running toward you down that corridor, with
the curtains waving in slow motion?
==========================
animation/main #2337, from davemackey, 360 chars, Mon Nov 4 20:56:14 1991
This is a comment to message 2333.
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It is very nice that the Disney people are lavishing this attention on
Maurice, whom many wouldn’t normally associate with Disney. And his candor re
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” is refreshing, especially in the context of “Disney
can do no wrong”. Good for Disney for doing this, and I’m sure Maurice had a
very nice time.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2338, from hmccracken, 1110 chars, Mon Nov 4 22:21:04 1991
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TITLE: RIP, Heck Allen
A significant figure in animation history died on October 26th, and
although he received a lengthy obituary in the _Los Angeles Times_,
it neither made explicit mention of his animation work or called
him by the name animation fans would recognize him by. The man the
obituary called Will Henry, author of Western novels, was also
Heck Allen, the storyman who received credit on many of Tex Avery’s
best cartoons (including some fine western-themed ones). While
Allen was interviewed by Joe Adamson for his Avery biography and
pooh-poohed his contribution to Avery’s films there, Avery himself
was generous in his praise of Allen’s work. (Allen was the brother
of Bob Allen, an animator and director who also worked at the
MGM animation studios, and said he got into animation only because
his brother got him the job.)
After leaving the cartoon business, Allen went on to become a successful
writer of western novels under the Henry name and others; his work
included _No Survivors_, _McKenna’s Gold_, _Tom Horn_, and fifty
other books. Eight of his stories became films.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2339, from davemackey, 544 chars, Tue Nov 5 04:17:12 1991
This is a comment to message 2338.
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I am sorry to hear of the death of Henry “Heck” Allen. Maybe some forward-
thinking animation historians will bring this information to light to the
L.A. Times staff.
I’ve heard that Allen’s actual contributions to the films he worked on
were basically sitting there and being a test audience for Avery’s gags,
though he did get credit for some of MGM’s non-Avery cartoons in the 40’s.
Allen also had a couple of story credits at Lantz in the late 1940’s,
working in tandem with Bugs Hardaway.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2340, from elfhive, 150 chars, Wed Nov 6 17:17:11 1991
This is a comment to message 2336.
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I do indeed. It is in fact a pity that Disney did not draw more
inspiration from the Cocteau film. I feel it is the definitive
rendering of the tale.
==========================
animation/main #2341, from hkenner, 95 chars, Wed Nov 6 17:26:43 1991
This is a comment to message 2340.
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If anyone finds a source for a video of the Cocteau B&B, please
let me know. I want it.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2342, from mscoville, 416 chars, Thu Nov 7 21:30:14 1991
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TITLE: Beauty & The Beast
First, the national premiere of the movie Beauty and The Beast in November 22 as has been discussed earlier. It should
be noted that there will be special premieres in both New York and Los Angles on Wednesday, November 13th. This
might have been done to get the national press as well as the “big ” city reviews in before the release of American T
ail II. I wonder??? mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2343, from mscoville, 463 chars, Thu Nov 7 21:33:45 1991
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TITLE: Beast pre-reviews
I am not trying to be a Disney promotional manager, but I feel that all of the pre-review that has been going on in th
ese messages has not only been negative, but also unfair in the sense that as far as I know none of us have seen the
full movie. I am trying to save my judgement until I see the entire film and thethen if it is deserved I will let the
m have it. AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH, I just got off my soap box…sorry. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2344, from bcapps, 257 chars, Fri Nov 8 02:19:30 1991
This is a comment to message 2343.
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On more Bea&Bea (sorry, just _HAD_ to use that!), the Wall Street Journal
reported on the same theme as the USA Today story, only in more detail with
the other financials throw in, in the 11/5 (Tuesday, I believe) issue. Check
your local libs, folks!
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2345, from hmccracken, 458 chars, Fri Nov 8 14:32:10 1991
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Point taken, Mike. With Disney animated features, especially,
my preconceived notions often turn out to be mistaken.
I was really looking forward to _The Great Mouse Detective_,
but didn’t like it at all; I thought _Oliver and Company_
and _Rescuers Down Under_ didn’t sound at all promising,
but I enjoyed them a lot.
I’ll be seeing _B&B_ a week from tomorrow, and will be
posting my impressions (with spoiler warnings if need
be) at that time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2346, from davemackey, 256 chars, Sat Nov 9 03:31:11 1991
This is a comment to message 2345.
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Agreed, Harry… I didn’t think “The Little Mermaid” was going to be any
great shakes until I saw some preview clips just before the premiere. I
pledge to view “Beauty And The Beast” with as open a mind as possible.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2347, from bcapps, 165 chars, Sat Nov 9 03:37:25 1991
This is a comment to message 2346.
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Well, if you’re real curious about the story anyway, it is now available in
comics form at fine comics retailers mostwheres. Just a note, if you can’t
wait…
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2348, from hmccracken, 277 chars, Sat Nov 9 20:55:02 1991
This is a comment to message 2346.
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I almost had the opposite reaction to _The Little Mermaid_: I might
have liked it more if I hadn’t heard so many people say it was
an all-time classic and every bit the equal of _Snow White_ and
_Pinocchio_. A fine contemporary animated film, yes; a masterpiece,
no.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2349, from mscoville, 1016 chars, Sun Nov 10 01:57:17 1991
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TITLE: Disney: Art of Animation
I have just finished the book Disney’s Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast. It is by Bob Thomas
who wrote the original “Art of Animation in 1958. TINAR: It is a good book overall, with lots of the artwork from many
of the Classics up to and including Beauty and the Beast. One of the nice touches of the book was the inclusion of t
he many different people who made B & B. It is probably a way of setting up the legends of the next group of nine. I
t was still a nice touch. I enjoyed the book. As i kept reading the beginning which is about the early lore of Disney,
I couldn’t help that I would read any book on Disney if by chance it had some tidbit of new information. The early
history did not answer anything ner (the word should be new). The second half of the book deals with the different peo
ple and departments which made B & B. I now have to go back and read the original book and will do a comparason in the
near future. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2350, from hmccracken, 343 chars, Sun Nov 10 14:53:42 1991
This is a comment to message 2349.
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I saw the new book in a store today and was going to ask you if it
was all-new or a rewrite and updating of the earlier one, Mike.
I’ll reserve comment on the book until I actually own and have
read it, except to note that the cover is animated (thanks to a
Mickey Mouse animation that moves when you tilt the book back
and forth).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2351, from hkenner, 226 chars, Sun Nov 10 16:38:40 1991
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TITLE: Fantasia Video
On the cassette I’ve just received from Whole Toon, the quality is
first-rate. Also the color is *lush*. Impossible to remember if
the original looked like that back in ’40, but it looks good now.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2352, from hmccracken, 406 chars, Sun Nov 10 16:54:39 1991
This is a comment to message 2351.
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The videos were struck from the new, restored version of the
film, which explains the excellent quality. Disney also seems
to have done an unusually good film-to-video transfer on
the job — the studio’s standards are high, but I’ve been
disappointed in the quality of one or two recent releases.
My 111985 video of _Pinocchio_ has the finest film-to-video work
of any cassette I’ve ever seen.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2353, from jshook, 209 chars, Sun Nov 10 23:21:07 1991
This is a comment to message 2351.
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————————–
I distinctly remember being awash in surprisingly saturated hues
when viewing the most recent theatrical release of Fantasia. If,
as I suspect, Fantasia was shot in Technicolor, this is easy to
understand.
==========================
animation/main #2354, from mscoville, 35 chars, Tue Nov 12 23:26:34 1991
This is a comment to message 2350.
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The cover is a hologram. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2355, from mscoville, 252 chars, Tue Nov 12 23:29:00 1991
This is a comment to message 2353.
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When they remastered the new version, which is a compilation of 3 different versions. It seemed that when they struck t
he positive print, they really laid on the intensity of the color. Is the video tape like this or did they tone it down
?
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2356, from hmccracken, 315 chars, Wed Nov 13 17:35:06 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Trivia Night I
Here in the Animation Conference, we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving
with a special Trivia Night edition of the weekly Tuesday-night
CBIX on Tuesday, November 26th. There will be questions, answers,
prizes for all attendees, and fun, so mark your calendars! More
information to come.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2357, from mscoville, 116 chars, Thu Nov 14 22:34:07 1991
This is a comment to message 2356.
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Just think, another Alex Trebec aka Harry. I think it will be a lot of fun and
look forward to the event.mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2358, from davemackey, 380 chars, Sat Nov 16 03:42:29 1991
This is a comment to message 2349.
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————————–
Who would you consider to be the new “nine old men” of Disney feature
animation? I think that the current animation team is as knowledgable and
caring about their work as were the Marc Davises and the Les Clarks and the
Ward Kimballs and the Woolie Reithermans and so on. I would put the master
animator Glen Keane at the top of this list.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2359, from hmccracken, 347 chars, Sat Nov 16 14:50:53 1991
This is a comment to message 2358.
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I’m not sure if there as many as nine “New Old Men” at the Disney
Studio, but Glen Keane, Hendel Butoy, Mark Henn, and Andreas
Deja might be called the “Four Young Men.” Like the Nine Old
Men, they’ve all received most of their training at Disney, all
make major contributions to each new Disney animated feature, and
all are very good.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2360, from davemackey, 79 chars, Sat Nov 16 23:59:02 1991
This is a comment to message 2359.
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I might add Mike Gabriel to that list.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2361, from mscoville, 98 chars, Sun Nov 17 01:22:08 1991
This is a comment to message 2358.
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After you and everyone else has seen the movie (b&b) then we can discuss and compare. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2362, from davemackey, 270 chars, Tue Nov 19 19:40:25 1991
————————–
TITLE: When is Thanksgiving anyway?
I love it when the dates of the “Thanksgiving” gag in Tex Avery’s “Holiday
Highlights” work out correctly so that they fall on Thursdays: November 21
for Democrats, November 28 for Republicans.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2363, from hmccracken, 546 chars, Wed Nov 20 16:26:57 1991
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TITLE: Animation Trivia Night next Tuesday
Next Tuesday at 10pm EST, we’ll have our first Trivia Night in
the Animation CBIX area. We’ll be posing cartoon/comics questions —
some easy, some tough — and you’ll have the opportunity to answer
them. It should be a lot of fun.
We’ll keep score for everyone, and the high scores will receive
prizes — cartoon books including _That’s Not All, Folks_,
_That’s All, Folks_, _Cel Magic_, and several others. Everyone
who comes will get a door prize. Start sharpening your trivia
skills now!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2364, from davemackey, 180 chars, Thu Nov 21 22:49:46 1991
This is a comment to message 2363.
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Is this an open book test, professor? Is it going to be graded on a curve?
Seriously, I’m looking forward to it. It should be loads of fun.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2365, from hmccracken, 118 chars, Thu Nov 21 22:59:37 1991
This is a comment to message 2364.
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Open book, and you can even let your friends help if they’re in the
room. It should be a good time for all!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2366, from hmccracken, 380 chars, Mon Nov 25 22:08:21 1991
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TITLE: Check out the new _Entertainment Weekly_…
for a nifty article on the editing that Disney made to the recent
_Fantasia_ video release to remove certain scenes of a Black
centaurette character from the Pastoral Symphony. The article
actually includes a frame from the censored scene, and quotes
_Fantasia_ expert John Culhane and _Animato_ columnist Jim Korkis.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2367, from davemackey, 129 chars, Tue Nov 26 00:58:06 1991
This is a comment to message 2366.
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So, then, the “Fantasia” tapes we’ve been buying have been discreetly
altered? Hmmmm….
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2368, from ianl, 51 chars, Wed Nov 27 01:36:21 1991
This is a comment to message 2366.
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Did the article say *why* the editing was done?
==========================
animation/main #2369, from hmccracken, 294 chars, Wed Nov 27 09:50:27 1991
This is a comment to message 2368.
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————————–
It’s a pretty offensive stereotype, Ian. The black centaurette
is a servant to the white ones who does things like giving
their hoofs shoe-shines. While in theory I’m opposed to such
editing, I can’t fault Disney that much in this case. Even
in 1940, it was a pretty unpleasant idea.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2370, from hmccracken, 1069 chars, Wed Nov 27 09:58:09 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The First Animation Trivia Night
Thank you to all the good folks who turned out for our Trivia
Night last night! There were quite a few of us, and we had a
good time and hung around chatting until well after midnight.
The trivia contest itself was hard-fought, but in the end
here’s who won and what they got:
FIRST PLACE: Dave Mackey (davemackey). Dave got three
books: _Cel Magic_, _Scientific Progress
Goes Boink_, and _Walt Disney’s America_.
SECOND PLACE: Bob Capps (bcapps). Bob won copies of
_Animation From Script to Screen_ and
_Walt Disney’s America_.
THIRD PLACE: Mike and Pam Scoville (mscoville). Mike
and Pam get a book as well, the exact title
to be determined as soon as I locate one
which they don’t own yet.
Everybody else who participated is entitled to a copy of _Animato_
magazine.
Since the event was such a success, there will be more where it
came from. Watch this space for details!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2371, from ianl, 112 chars, Wed Nov 27 18:55:32 1991
This is a comment to message 2369.
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Oh. Well, this is (::major sigh::) the politically-correct 90s, after all,
so I guess they felt they had to.
==========================
animation/main #2372, from davemackey, 358 chars, Wed Nov 27 22:47:35 1991
This is a comment to message 2370.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Harry, I think it would be a nice idea if you posted the questions in
long.messages so that those among us who couldn’t attend (or stay the entire
evening) can test their knowledge. There were some questions that stymied me.
I can only hope that future Trivia Nights maintain the high standards set by
this first one.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2373, from elfhive, 608 chars, Thu Nov 28 16:58:51 1991
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TITLE: Stan Freberg
Had the privilege of spending a little over an hour with Stan Freberg at
an open “interview” at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery two weeks
ago. It was delightful. The interviewer did very little talking but did
manage to take Stan through highlights in his life starting with the
early radio influences.
I learned that Freberg’s career started with a job at Termite Terrace
doing voices with Mel Blanc. The story of how he got that job was
side-splitting.
Tomorrow night, our local PBS station (WETA FM 91) is airing his first
new radio show in years. I’m looking forward to it.
==========================
animation/main #2374, from hmccracken, 56 chars, Fri Nov 29 14:30:04 1991
This is a comment to message 2372.
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Will do, Dave. Look for them early next week.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2375, from davemackey, 844 chars, Fri Nov 29 20:42:56 1991
This is a comment to message 2373.
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It bears mentioning that Freberg has donated a collection of his commercial
work to the Smithsonian. The museum will likely take note that Freberg was
the first successful adman/humorist, creator of some landmark campaigns
that proved that humor could sell products and have paved the way for today’s
practicioners of the form such as Bert Berdis and Dick Orkin.
One of Freberg’s better commercials was for Great American Soups (and I
forget just who made this product, may have been Campbell’s, I don’t know.)
The housewife preparing dinner turns into dancer Ann Miller, who performs a
major Busby Berkeley song and dance number about how great these soups are.
At the spot’s end, husband (played by Dave “Wacky Races” Willock) asks
“Honey, why do you always have to make dinner a big production?”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2376, from morganfox, 105 chars, Sat Nov 30 11:40:39 1991
This is a comment to message 2371.
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All this is an issue of which I have giving a think that last few days.
Why is Disney stuff so “White”?
==========================
animation/main #2377, from hmccracken, 741 chars, Sat Nov 30 15:21:19 1991
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————————–
TITLE: Uncle Walt a Squealer?
Yesterday’s _New York Daily News_ reports that someone named
Marc Eliot, the author of a forthcoming biography of Bruce
Springsteen, is working on a biography of Walt Disney that
will reveal that Walt was an FBI informant, had long-term
mistresses, and was born out of wedlock and was possibly
adopted.
Now, on the first two charges, I have no evidence one way or
the other. But Walt being either adopted or illegitimate seems
very odd, considering that he had several older brothers and
that a quick check of Disney family pictures reveals that all
the male members of the clan look strikingly like each other.
Maybe Walt was the offspring of an unmarried sibling of one
of his parents? Who knows?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2379, from rcook, 61 chars, Sun Dec 1 02:37:15 1991
This is a comment to message 2377.
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Sounds like the unauthorized biographers strike again.
–RC
==========================
animation/main #2380, from elfhive, 602 chars, Sun Dec 1 14:02:12 1991
This is a comment to message 2375.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I remember Freberg saying the Orkin got his start with Freberg’s company,
I don’t remember whether Berdis did or not. I had a friend, Richard
Proctor, who used to work at Orkin’s Radio Ranch in the mid-seventies.
I have unfortunately lost track of him. He was a terrific radio script
writer and I worked in a stand-up comedy group with him for a while.
I wish that I would have had the opportunity to do voices for animation
back in those days (heck, even today!) but the closest I came, I guess
is about a hundred narrations for educational filmstrips 🙂
That technology is pretty much obsolete now!
==========================
animation/main #2381, from hmccracken, 218 chars, Sun Dec 1 21:27:56 1991
This is a comment to message 2380.
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Some fine and funny, underappreciated comedy is done for radio
spots. I went into a brief period of mourning when Volkswagen
recently dumped a funny radio campaign in favor of bland stuff
with Dudley Moore.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2382, from davemackey, 824 chars, Mon Dec 2 07:56:13 1991
————————–
TITLE: Tweety and Sylvester get their own book
Now on the shelves at your local bookstore: “I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat,” by
Jerry Beck. Published by Henry Holt, this is a companion piece to similar
books by Steve Schneider and Joe Adamson about Warner Bros. animation and its
characters. The book’s strong point is its display of WB animation art and
frame stills representing every cartoon that either Sylvester or Tweety
appeared in, most of which are from the Schneider, Glad and Clampett
collections. Its weakest suit: almost direct lift of filmographies and
synopses from Beck’s own “Looney Tunes And Merrie Melodies” with no attempt
made to correct spelling and factual errors the previous book is known to
contain. The book lists for $35. (TINAR)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2383, from davemackey, 597 chars, Mon Dec 2 07:56:30 1991
This is a comment to message 2380.
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————————–
I remember that both Orkin and Berdis had their own company for many years
called Dick and Bert, later splitting up into Dick Orkin’s Radio Ranch and
Bert, Barz and Kirby. So it’s not impossible that Berdis would have been
influenced by Freberg in some way.
By the way, when you narrated those filmstrips, did you also have to
make that “beep” noise that told us A/V club dweebs when to advance to the
next frame? 😉 (Yes, it’s true, I was an A/V dweeb… in first grade I
learned how to operate a Bell & Howell manual thread. I loved that
projector.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2384, from davemackey, 365 chars, Mon Dec 2 08:16:19 1991
This is a comment to message 2381.
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————————–
That old VW campaign was engineered and narrated by Thom Sharp, who is quite
frankly a little overexposed right now. (And speaking of overexposed: I
heard Lorenzo Music on yet another spot today, this time for Tott’s Brut,
trying to convince someone to buy a threadbare Christmas tree on Christmas
eve for half price ($80).)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2385, from hmccracken, 232 chars, Mon Dec 2 09:41:49 1991
This is a comment to message 2384.
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Sharp is overexposed but funny. Like Lorenzo Music, he’s also
spawned a legion of folks who sound like him and also do ads.
Sears Roebuck has used both the real Sharp and at least two
soundalikes over the last year or so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2386, from elfhive, 187 chars, Mon Dec 2 18:51:18 1991
This is a comment to message 2383.
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They had a guy come over from Hollywood to do those “beeps” but they had
to fire him because all he kept doing was “meep! meep!” 🙂
and we both know what that can do to A/V club dweebs!
==========================
animation/main #2387, from hmccracken, 497 chars, Tue Dec 3 10:06:54 1991
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TITLE: Cartoons in _TV Guide_
Check out the current TV Guide for a cover that features Winnie
the Pooh and Opus the Penguin, spotlighting interior stories on
the season’s crop of holiday specials and on the new _Bloom
County_ special. _TV Guide_ covers with cartoon themes must
sell well, since they do them quite often (and even put non-
television subjects like _Beauty and the Beast_ on them).
Coincidentally, the new editor of _TV Guide_ is named Disney.
No relation that I know of.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2388, from hmccracken, 79 chars, Tue Dec 3 10:07:10 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: _Beauty and the Beast_
Any comments? Anyone else seen it yet?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2389, from paulr, 690 chars, Tue Dec 3 10:54:18 1991
This is a comment to message 2388.
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YEah- B&B is a *real* winner. It has all the earmarks of a real hot number;
easily as good as the Little Mermaid, though with all the snow and such,
it is well times for a winter release.
The only think that was even slighty distracting enough to pull me out of the
illusion spun bythe movie was the guy who did beast overacted something
terrible. (yuck!) The beast’s animation was superb, and I fancy I could
pick out where the animator (Glen Keane?) made the character do some
amazing things to make the (imho) poor voice acting become a background
problem.
Beauty was perfect, but my favorite was the TeaPot (i.e. Angela Lansbury).
The teapot even *looked* like her. 🙂
-Paul
==========================
animation/main #2390, from bferg, 250 chars, Tue Dec 3 14:33:55 1991
This is a comment to message 2388.
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————————–
I have seen it, was quite delightfully impressed, indeed.
I found the detail, color, precision, characterizations,
music, voices, “kid’s” appeal, continuity, story, warmth,
believability and the movie ALL to my liking!
I stand and applaud!
Barbara
==========================
animation/main #2391, from davemackey, 415 chars, Tue Dec 3 21:01:54 1991
This is a comment to message 2387.
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————————–
Anthea Disney, new editor-in-chief of TV Guide, is to my knowledge not from
that other famous Disney family, but I do know she came to TV Guide by way of
another Murdoch enterprise — she was in charge of news at the New York City
Fox station, WNYW-TV.
By the way, I wasn’t aware of a Bloom County special — might this be an
adaptation of “A Wish For Wings That Work”?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2392, from davemackey, 100 chars, Tue Dec 3 21:02:02 1991
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I haven’t, to be quite frank. Money has just been so tight.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2393, from hmccracken, 175 chars, Tue Dec 3 21:59:19 1991
This is a comment to message 2391.
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Yes, the Bloom County special is an atation of Breathed’s
_Wish For Wings That Work_ book. Or it may be that the book
is an adaptation of the special; I’m not sure.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2394, from elfhive, 755 chars, Tue Dec 3 23:32:48 1991
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————————–
Enjoyed it although I suspect it will not enjoy the success of Little
Mermaid at the box office. Hard to quantify because it is everybit as
competent technically, if not more so.
Saw a “making of” special on the Disney Channel that featured a short
piece on the ballroom dancing sequence without giving away how it was
done (probably considered too technical by the producer). In brief, it
looks like Pixar did a computer animation of the room with a camera
“flight” sequence from high up, circling the chandelier and then
coming down to about knee level if I recall. Keeping the animated
characters moving and in perspective was a breathtaking breakthrough
in visual animation. Never let it be said that the Disney boys don’t
work hard for their money!
==========================
animation/main #2395, from rcook, 128 chars, Wed Dec 4 00:27:35 1991
This is a comment to message 2394.
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I think you’re right. I saw some clips of that scene that
had the wireframe of the ballroom up on the workstation screen.
–RC
==========================
animation/main #2396, from davemackey, 250 chars, Wed Dec 4 12:23:39 1991
This is a comment to message 2394.
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————————–
Disney is very close-mouthed when admitting that a lot of their current
feature animation is accomplished with computers. They’d like you to believe
that they’re still doing it the way the Nine Old Men did it.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2397, from elfhive, 200 chars, Wed Dec 4 14:08:43 1991
This is a comment to message 2396.
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The program host, David Ogden Stiers (who played Cogsworth and was also
recently featured on the Stan Freberg radio hour), was quite candid
about the use of computers in the ballroom animation scene.
==========================
animation/main #2398, from rcook, 480 chars, Wed Dec 4 16:34:03 1991
This is a comment to message 2396.
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Well, some of it is and a lot of it isn’t. Get a copy of
the current issue of Computer Graphics World.
I just got mine today and the discussion of how some of the
scenes in B&B were done is fascinating. A lot of the backgrounds
and vehicles were done on SGI workstations.
One of the most interesting pictures shows a chandelier
swinging at the end of a chain. The background and the chain are
obviously computer generated and the chandelier looks as if it
was hand drawn.
–RC
==========================
animation/main #2399, from olson, 210 chars, Thu Dec 5 05:17:31 1991
This is a comment to message 2277.
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Very astute summation of what’s wrong with this segment. Nealon is
a “comedians’ comedian”, if you’ve ever seen his imaginative stand-up
act. I couldn’t figure why it was going wrong until I saw your posting.
==========================
animation/main #2400, from olson, 271 chars, Thu Dec 5 05:21:58 1991
This is a comment to message 2282.
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No, but Einstein’s favorite TV performer was Milton Berle, whom
he would watch every Tuesday night without fail. (See Einstein: The
Life and Times.)
And Samuel Beckett’s favorite past-time was dancing the “Twist”
to Chubby Checkers records (see “Beckett”). Go figure.
==========================
animation/main #2401, from olson, 11 chars, Thu Dec 5 05:27:14 1991
This is a comment to message 2291.
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Well said.
==========================
animation/main #2402, from bferg, 183 chars, Thu Dec 5 10:05:22 1991
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TITLE: BaB
Got ahold of the Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack and it is
delightful to listen to. Has some dialog in it, to give
it a feel of being from a movie.
Recommended!
Barbara
==========================
animation/main #2403, from hmccracken, 124 chars, Thu Dec 5 10:18:42 1991
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I’ve also heard that Einstein loved the _Time for Beany_ puppet
show, created by Warner Bros. great Bob Clampett.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2404, from hmccracken, 128 chars, Thu Dec 5 10:19:53 1991
This is a comment to message 2398.
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Does the article discuss Disney’s CAPS (Computer Assisted Painting
System) process, which eliminates the use of cels?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2405, from rcook, 158 chars, Fri Dec 6 02:35:40 1991
This is a comment to message 2404.
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No. In fact it said that the cels were hand painted. However
that’s just a throwaway comment and I don’t know how much
support the author had for that.
–RC
==========================
animation/main #2406, from hkenner, 346 chars, Sat Dec 7 11:37:59 1991
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TITLE: Roman date
The new Whole Toon Catalogue reproduces a poster for *The Little
Injun that Could* (starring Baby Herman and Roger Rabbit) with
the copright date “MCMXXLVIII,” which is wholly incoherent.
Anyone know what date they were trying to represent? Anyone see
income possibilities in free-lancing as a Roman Numeral Consultant?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2407, from switch, 255 chars, Sat Dec 7 14:04:20 1991
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At a guess, I’d say they’re representing 1938.
Now, if Mrs. Croney could teach a bunch of irresponsible grade
7 kids in my class to properly use Roman numerals (and to think
in numerical bases from 2 to 16), why can’t anyone else seem to
get them right?
==========================
animation/main #2408, from hkenner, 70 chars, Sat Dec 7 14:28:38 1991
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Yes, I thought of 1938. But was there a Roger Rabbit back then?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2409, from switch, 137 chars, Sat Dec 7 15:19:02 1991
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No, but I believe the Roger posters all sport Hollywood-cartoon-era
dates. (And isn’t the new movie taking place before the war?)
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2410, from hkenner, 114 chars, Sat Dec 7 16:44:40 1991
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But but but, Emru, that calls itself a *copyright* date. Unless
such notations no longer mean anything. …
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2411, from switch, 199 chars, Sat Dec 7 16:52:24 1991
This is a comment to message 2410.
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…unless they deliberately didn’t want it to mean anything, in
which case they stuck in a false Roman numeral?
Wild guess. Who knows? Anyone got one of the other RR movie
posters to check?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2412, from hmccracken, 500 chars, Sat Dec 7 19:46:05 1991
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Those Roger Rabbit posters in the _Whole Toon Catalog_ are all phonies
which were originally shown on the walls of Maroon Cartoons in
_Who Framed Roger Rabbit_. The “Maroon Productions” copyright notice
is completely false; the real copyright would be held by Disney/
Amblin. I’m guessing here, but maybe it’s OK to use a fake copyright
message if the date shown is meaningless. (I know that _Who Framed
Roger Rabbit_ begins with a Maroon (c) message, but I can’t recall
what the date is.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2413, from davemackey, 1071 chars, Sat Dec 7 20:22:18 1991
This is a comment to message 2409.
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I have always assumed the dates on those Roger Rabbit posters to be around
1947-1948 judging from the era in which the movie was set — Maroon would
probably be inclined to hang posters from his most recent animated works in
his office. Methinks that they stuck an extra X in the roman numeral, and
quite frankly this has kept me from purchasing these posters because of my
fanaticism for accuracy. But I earn a No-Prize by explaining that the Maroon
artists were reenacting a real incident in which a copyright date was
similarly mangled on the main title of a cartoon.
There exists a Popeye cartoon entitled “Wigwam Whoopee” which has
an incorrect copyright date in Roman numerals: MCMXVLIII (the cartoon was
copyright in 1948). The Paramount cartoon studio decided to go to regular
Arabic numerals on their main title cards soon thereafter, but did resume the
use of Roman numerals again in 1955.
Why anyone still uses Roman numerals on copyright notices is beyond me.
Hey, folks, it’s almost MCMXCII… get modern!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2414, from ianl, 162 chars, Sat Dec 7 21:29:39 1991
This is a comment to message 2413.
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Just think…soon it will be MM. Then folks will start wondering why a
candy company is copyrighting films, and they’ll wonder why the date
isn’t there. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2415, from hmccracken, 696 chars, Sat Dec 7 23:07:09 1991
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TITLE: Warner Bros. Classic Animation to Close
I’ve just heard the sad news that Warner Bros. Classic
Animation, the group responsible for the very good
Bugs Bunny cartoon _Box Office Bunny_ aand several
other projects, will close at the end of the year.
(This will not affect _Tiny Toon Adventures_ and
_Taz-Mania_, which are produced by another Warner Bros.
branch.)
Fortunately, the Classic Animation division completed
several TV projects which have yet to air, so we’ll be
seeing work from them after the closing. But it’s very sad
that they’ll be gone; rarely have classic cartoon characters
been revived with as much class as Bugs & Co. were in
WB Classic Animation’s works.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2416, from switch, 126 chars, Sat Dec 7 23:24:00 1991
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That’s too bad! And here I was hoping for a new Warner cartoon
on a regular basis, like days of old. Any reasons why?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2417, from davemackey, 362 chars, Sun Dec 8 08:36:51 1991
This is a comment to message 2412.
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The Maroon Cartoon “Something’s Cooking” also had a fake Warner Bros.-style
release number, and the main title card carried a fictitious MPAA certificate
number. I’d have to go back and look at the exact numbers and figure out if
they correspond to any actual cartoons. But I do remember its copyright date
as being 1947.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2418, from davemackey, 104 chars, Sun Dec 8 08:36:59 1991
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What a shame. Not as tragic as 1963, but a shame just the same.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2419, from tsin, 68 chars, Sun Dec 8 10:42:55 1991
This is a comment to message 2407.
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Hmmmm….Could it be that you did not attend school in the USA? 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2420, from davemackey, 606 chars, Sun Dec 8 13:28:22 1991
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TITLE: Spielberg the collector
An article by Rita Reif in today’s “New York Times” reveals that Steven
Spielberg has an animation art collection with over 400 pieces. The two
jewels of his collection: setups from “The Orphan’s Benefit” (purchased for
$121,000 at Christie’s in 1988) and “The Mail Pilot” ($115,000 at Sotheby’s
in 1990). Spielberg also picked up “Rosebud” from “Citizen Kane” in ’82
for a mere $60,500.
The article also notes George Lucas’ interest in animation art as part
of a more ranging collection that the producer is reluctant to discuss.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2421, from hmccracken, 260 chars, Sun Dec 8 13:46:22 1991
This is a comment to message 2416.
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Well, I suppose the reason most businesses fail is because
they’re not profitable. However, since Warner Bros. hasn’t
done very much with most of the stuff Warner Classic Animation
has produced, the division hasn’t gotten a very fair test in
a way.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2422, from elfhive, 303 chars, Mon Dec 9 01:01:01 1991
This is a comment to message 2403.
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Freberg worked with Clampett on _Beany_ and confirms the story that
it was one of Einstein’s favorite shows. The story he tells is that
Einstein stood up at a scientific conference one afternoon, looked
at his watch, and announced “Excuse me, Gentlement, but it is time
for Beany!”. Then he walked out.
==========================
animation/main #2423, from mscoville, 284 chars, Mon Dec 9 22:12:54 1991
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Harry, are you saying that the entire division is closing down or is it just
the eat coast division which is, according to rumor , moving to the west coast.
They will be working under the west coast banner, but will continue to operate.At least that is what I have heard. msco
ville
==========================
animation/main #2424, from mscoville, 947 chars, Mon Dec 9 22:21:41 1991
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Mr. Spielberg may be entering the auction den once again to bid for a Snow White cel and backgournd set up. The piece,
which is beautiful, is estimated in the
40,000-60,000 range, but the word on the street thinks that the final hammer
price could reach between 250,000-300,000. It will be interesting to see if
this indeed happens and who the victor will be. It appears that all the heavy
hitters including Mr. Spielberg will be vying for the right to ownership. Also,
Mr. Spielberg has brought 100 pieces from “The Land Before Time” and “American
Tail”. Many collectors have expressed displeasure because he offered very few
original backgrouds while 70% have reproduction backgrounds. The collectors
feel this unfair and when are they going to get the chance to have some of the
truly beautful artwork from the movie. They also say that, please tell me
that Mr. Spielberg has reproduction bgs. in his collection…..(I doubt It)
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2425, from jshook, 196 chars, Mon Dec 9 22:25:58 1991
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If you’re referring to the upcoming sale at Christie’s, the estimates I
have read are $6,000-$8,000 for a Snow White cel (lot 64) and a Mickey
Mouse cel from 1935 (lot 205) for $10,000-$15,000.
==========================
animation/main #2426, from hmccracken, 139 chars, Mon Dec 9 22:38:44 1991
This is a comment to message 2423.
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Unless they’e been granted a last-minute reprieve, both
the East Coast and West Coast offices will close at the
end of the year.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2427, from switch, 291 chars, Mon Dec 9 23:20:09 1991
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TITLE: Penn & Teller
Okay, so Penn Jillette has a credit for the bongo drums in the
short _Oral Hygiene_. Teller was one of the voice actors for
_Light Years_. Can anyone think of any other animation-related
work these two clowns have done? (This is for a potential _fps_
article.)
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2428, from davemackey, 473 chars, Tue Dec 10 06:24:47 1991
This is a comment to message 2427.
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Teller does animation voices? That’s strange, since he generally never talked
at all for the longest time in his stage act and interviews.
I don’t know if Penn has any time to do animation voiceovers these days
since his newest and most prolific assignment: on the U.S. cable channel
“Comedy Central” he now does all of the promotional voiceovers. (I think he
still writes the “Micro Mephisto” column for PC Computing as well.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2429, from ianl, 308 chars, Tue Dec 10 06:32:19 1991
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I think there’s a Penn & Teller BBS system, too, although I don’t have
the number. I just remember someone once mentioning that after logging on
to their system, the ‘help’ line at the bottom of the first screen says
“Hit CTL-ALT-DEL to continue…”. Apparently they catch a few folks with it.
🙂
==========================
animation/main #2430, from switch, 97 chars, Tue Dec 10 08:17:26 1991
This is a comment to message 2429.
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I’ve got the number (from sf/media, I think), but I’ve been
trying to justify having it 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2431, from hmccracken, 166 chars, Tue Dec 10 09:55:04 1991
This is a comment to message 2427.
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Penn and Teller are Amiga enthusiasts and have appeared in a
promotional video for NewTek’s Video Toaster, if that counts
as an animation-related activity.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2432, from hmccracken, 98 chars, Tue Dec 10 09:56:11 1991
This is a comment to message 2428.
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Penn still does his _PC Computing_ column, and it’s still funny
and well worth reading.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2433, from morganfox, 186 chars, Tue Dec 10 10:19:14 1991
This is a comment to message 2429.
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Yes, there is a BBS. Paul got the number and called it a while ago. He had
alot of fun the first (and only ) time he logged on. It seemed to be as wild
and as crazy as you might expect.
==========================
animation/main #2434, from hmccracken, 709 chars, Thu Dec 12 00:41:58 1991
This is a comment to message 2426.
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————————–
Update on Warner Bros. Classic Animation: they’re definitely
closing — both East and West Coast branches — on Dec. 30th.
The talented Darrell van Citters of the West Coast offices may
keep his job.
As a sidelight to this sad story, I was lucky enough to visit the
West Coast office back in 1988 (oddly enough it’s in the DIC
building, home of the schlocky animation studio). The place *looked*
like an animation studio should, with fantastic murals of all
the Warner characters on the walls, a Road Runner arcade game set
for free plays in the lobby, and other great touches (like a mouth-
watering video library of Warner cartoons). I dearly hope that they
don’t destroy those wonderful murals.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2435, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Thu Dec 12 15:22:46 1991
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TITLE: See the current _Entertainment Weekly_…
for a long, terrific article on the making of _Beauty and the Beast_
(with a great sidebar on some of the films it “quotes”), as well
as an interview with Art Spiegleman in which he says that Steven
Spielberg swiped the idea for _An American Tail_ from his _Maus_
graphic novel.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2436, from sharonfisher, 77 chars, Thu Dec 12 15:44:36 1991
This is a comment to message 2435.
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Art said that when the first American Tail came out.
I think he has a point.
==========================
animation/main #2437, from mscoville, 769 chars, Fri Dec 13 21:12:21 1991
This is a comment to message 2424.
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The auction that I was refering to was the one to be held at Sotheby’s on
Saturday. The auction results for Christie’s were ok, but not earth shattering.
The did a little over a million, but had projected to do about 1.7 million. It
seems that the high end items did not move as well as a dull showing for the
Steven Spielberg pieces. Many pieces from The Land Before Time sold at the low
end of the estimate and just about the reserve. At to Fievel, well he passed
a lot. It seems that the public was not interested in reproduction backgrounds
at the price they wanted. Maybe it will encourage the marketers to come to
these auctions and give the collector a chance to buy some very good art
instead of the stuff that they would normally have thrown out. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2438, from mscoville, 244 chars, Fri Dec 13 21:13:56 1991
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————————–
I will have to check this one out, because I had been told that the East Coast
was moving and taking a number of people with them to be absorbed into the
West Coast operation. Not one mention was made of the West Coast closing up.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2439, from hmccracken, 96 chars, Fri Dec 13 23:52:42 1991
This is a comment to message 2438.
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My information is fresh and came from an employee of the studio, but
you neer know…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2440, from hmccracken, 466 chars, Sat Dec 14 15:31:12 1991
————————–
TITLE: Betty Boop a Legend, Says Mackie
Famous fashion designer Bob Mackie has created a series of outfits
inspired by eight women of the twentieth century whom he considers
to be legends. The honored ladies include Lucille Ball, Rita
Hayworth, Billie Holiday — and Betty Boop! The CNN fashion news
show _Style With Elsa Klensch_ showed a brief shot of the Boop-
inspired outfit, which (not surprisingly) looked an awful lot
like Betty’s own black dress.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2441, from hmccracken, 105 chars, Mon Dec 16 15:29:03 1991
This is a comment to message 2436.
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Well, maybe. They’re both about Jewish mice, but the flavor is
certainly *entirely* different.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2442, from davemackey, 442 chars, Mon Dec 16 16:23:21 1991
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Hard times at H-B
It’s unhappy holidays at Hanna-Barbera. The day after federal regulators
approved the sale of the animation studio and its library to Turner
Entertainment, more than 100 staffers were given termination notices. The
staff cutbacks do not affect animation production, however, and address H-B’s
peripheral enterprises. David Kirschner is remaining on as Chief Executive
Officer.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2443, from davemackey, 601 chars, Tue Dec 17 19:03:18 1991
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————————–
TITLE: USA Today stuff
There was a plethora of comics and animation related stuff in today’s edition
of “USA Today”: a preview of tomorrow’s comic book and comic art auction in
New York City (presented in comic form), a piece on the HBO “Tintin” animated
series, a profile of veteran caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, a sidebar about the
current caricaturist at Sardi’s (theatre district restaurant) in New York
City, and the fact that the box that “The Thing” used to stick his hand out
of on the original “Addams Family” TV series just went for $20,000 at
auction.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2444, from elfhive, 67 chars, Tue Dec 17 21:35:36 1991
This is a comment to message 2443.
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Is the HBO “Tintin” a new series or the original French animation?
==========================
animation/main #2445, from hmccracken, 82 chars, Tue Dec 17 21:58:42 1991
This is a comment to message 2444.
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A new series, animated by Nela\/ana (my “\/” key is broken!) in
Canada.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2446, from mscoville, 156 chars, Tue Dec 17 23:00:46 1991
This is a comment to message 2442.
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Some trades are reporting that number to be 150. As yo said it did not affect
either the production department nor the animation art department. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2447, from mscoville, 208 chars, Tue Dec 17 23:02:26 1991
This is a comment to message 2443.
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Many have spoken to me over the course of the last few weeks and their consensus is that the estimates are extremely hi
gh. It will be interesting to see if they come close over the estmated value. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2448, from mscoville, 69 chars, Tue Dec 17 23:03:42 1991
This is a comment to message 2445.
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The \/ is also broken in the USA. Sorry I couldn’t resist. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2449, from davemackey, 338 chars, Wed Dec 18 03:54:06 1991
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As I’ve probably mentioned before, there was a version done in the late
1960’s/early 1970’s by the French studio Tele-Hachette, and those films were
picked up for broadcast in the US beginning in 1971 (they were shown on
Channel 7 in New York, for example). I remember them, but not all that well.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2450, from hmccracken, 171 chars, Wed Dec 18 11:59:36 1991
This is a comment to message 2449.
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I’ve never seen them, but I have a French comic album that’s illustrated
with stills from one of the stories, and the drawing style looks very
close to Herge’s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2451, from bcapps, 433 chars, Thu Dec 19 22:56:29 1991
This is a comment to message 2450.
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I’ve seen them. A few scenes in each episode are smoothly animated. A lot
of the fading scenes between cuts look frozen ala a freeze-frame button on a
VCR – kinda wierd. There are also a few “mouth-moves” only scenes.
Overall, though, good coloring throughout — much like the books, enough
movement and action to keep young eyes entertained along with the wonderful
stories. A thumbs-up from this corner.
Bob
(oh yeah, TINAR)
==========================
animation/main #2452, from davemackey, 248 chars, Sun Dec 22 15:54:22 1991
————————–
TITLE: Belated birthday wish
Although this is a little late, happy birthday wishes to the great Paul
Winchell, ventriloquist, veteran kids show host, cartoon voice, inventor
and tinkerer, born Dec. 21, 1922.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2453, from davemackey, 355 chars, Mon Dec 23 18:45:15 1991
————————–
TITLE: Disney animator in brochure spotlight
Thought you’d like to know dept.: In the latest Disney/MGM Studios Theme Park
brochure (dated 0491), the two-page spread on the Animation Studio Tour
prominently features a photo of Disney animator Barry Temple working on a
drawing of Belle from “Beauty And The Beast.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2454, from davemackey, 550 chars, Mon Dec 23 18:45:29 1991
This is a comment to message 2446.
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————————–
The number as reported by “Electronic Media” and “Broadcasting” magazines was
115. “Electronic Media” also noted that security guards were posted at the
studio and each personal item of former studio employees had to be signed out
of the studio to make sure no Hanna-Barbera equipment was taken.
About the highest-ranking HB official to lose his job was Martyn
Weinberg, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, who was said
to be in frequent disagreement with president/CEO David Kirschner.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2455, from hkenner, 103 chars, Mon Dec 23 19:04:27 1991
This is a comment to message 2454.
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And they checked the executive vice-president to be sure he wasn’t
stealing some pencil or other?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2456, from davemackey, 211 chars, Tue Dec 24 19:00:55 1991
This is a comment to message 2434.
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From the grapevine: the most recent word I’ve heard about the WB closing is
that everybody’s going to be gone; not even the great Darrell Van Citters is
going to stay on.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2457, from davemackey, 229 chars, Tue Dec 24 19:01:05 1991
This is a comment to message 2393.
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Old news, but you know my policy: No Query Left Unanswered. The television
special carried a title slide noting that it was an adaptation of the book by
Berkeley Breathed. So now you know.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2458, from davemackey, 1513 chars, Mon Dec 30 18:13:03 1991
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TITLE: Ted Turner Time
As most everyone knows by now, Ted Turner has been chosen as Time Magazine’s
Man Of The Year for 1991.
Though no mention in the article was made of his animation-related
exploits (which, quite frankly, aren’t as important to Time as Running CNN
and Marrying Jane Fonda, the latter of which he did on December 21), there’s
enough evidence to suggest he could be Animation’s Man Of The Year. Not only
do his cable networks air an extraordinary amount of animated programming
from his library (he’ll start 1992 with an unprecedented 18-hour cartoon
marathon on TNT), he came a step closer to achieving every animation fan’s
dream — an all-cartoon cable TV channel — when he acquired Hanna-Barbera
Productions and its library this past Fall. Though some jobs were cut, Turner
cannily kept the production unit intact and retained David Kirschner as
President/CEO.
The cartoon series his company co-produces don’t always hit the mark,
but one, “Tom And Jerry Kids” (based on Turner-owned characters) turned out
to be so appealing that Joe Barbera himself decided to return to active
cartoon production duties for the first time in almost 20 years on the show’s
second season. And Fox Network has just committed to a third season of
episodes, this time as a Monday through Friday strip.
As the above evidence shows, Ted Turner clearly has a great deal of
influence over the world’s animation viewing habits, both now and for years
to come.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2459, from hmccracken, 520 chars, Mon Dec 30 23:14:32 1991
This is a comment to message 2458.
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————————–
While one Turner-Time Warner connection has been mentioned in reports
on Turner getting the Man of the Year title — Time Warner owns a
minority interest in CNN — it’s also true that Ted owns the rights
to all the Warner Bros. cartoons that Warner foolishly sold the rights
to years ago. So I see _Time_ giving Turner the title as an obvious
attempt to cadge him into selling Warner Bros. back the rights to
its cartoons — either that or an attempt to get his new wife\
interested in making _Barbarella II_!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2460, from hmccracken, 1109 chars, Tue Dec 31 13:17:43 1991
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TITLE: Sheldon Mayer, R.I.P.
Sheldon Mayer, cartoonist and editor, died last week at the age of
74. Mayer’s work as a cartoonist for DC Comics from the 1930s until
the 1980s included _Scribbly_, an autobiographical series about a
boy cartoonist; _Sugar & Spike_, a long-running series about toddlers
that was his best-known work; and many funny-animal series with
titles like Doodles Duck and Dizzy Dog. Mayer’s work was funny, full
of humanity, and well-drawn; he has received only a fraction of the
attention he should have. Coincidentally, DC plans to publish _Sugar
and Spike_ #99, the first new issue of that comic in more than twenty
years, in January. It will be made up of previously-unpublished material.
While Mayer’s own cartooning was his greatest accomplishment, it should
also be noted that it was he, as an editor at DC Comics in the late 1930s,
who was fundamental in the decision to publish Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s
_Superman_, thereby creating an industry. Mayer was also involved in the
early days of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and other well-known superhero
characters.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2461, from davemackey, 342 chars, Tue Dec 31 20:41:40 1991
This is a comment to message 2459.
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“Barbarella II”? I think we’re more likely to see Jane play “finely aged
Brie” again… 😉
Anyway I don’t see Ted Turner turning back the Warner Bros. library any
time soon; if anything, one wishes that Ted would purchase all the rest of
the WB cartoon inventory for more variety in programming.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2462, from davemackey, 271 chars, Sat Jan 4 21:21:23 1992
————————–
TITLE: Bugs now in paperback
Joe Adamson’s excellent chronicle of Bugs Bunny’s career is now available in
trade paperback. Henry Holt/Owl Books has issued “Bugs Bunny: Fifty Years And
Only One Grey Hare”, listing for twenty bucks.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2463, from switch, 1405 chars, Wed Jan 8 22:27:06 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Last week I got to see more animation than I typically do, owing
to the presence of a TV set. But before I get to that, some words
on what I saw on the Big Screen:
_Beauty and the Beast_ was, simply put, a masterpiece. I do believe
this has supplanted _Fantasia_ as my favorite Disney film, largely
on the basis of the fact that it held my attention for the entire
film. Even _Fantasia_ has periods where I get bored. _Beauty
and the Beast_ was wonderfully done, utilizing Disney’s strength
— character animation — to the hilt as Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs.
Potts and other “inanimate” objects were brought to life, each
with a distinct personality (my favorite’s Lumiere). I thought
the Beast was simply spectacular, in design and movement.
I have only two minor nits to pick: the much-hyped ballroom scene
didn’t do much for me. I probably wouldn’t worry about this if
it weren’t for the fact that I heard so much about how amazing it
was. When I saw it, I thought, “Oh, look — a texture-mapped
series of pillars. Not bad.” People have been doing that for
too long to impress me anymore. I found the dancing (and the
song) in that sequence far more powerful. My second nit is, if
possible, more trivial: there is only one mispronounced French
word in the whole film: “Gaston”. For this bilingual fan, it
was irritating as all hell. Set my ear on edge, it did.
More next message…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2464, from switch, 799 chars, Wed Jan 8 22:46:46 1992
This is a comment to message 2463.
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…anyway, before the movie there was a trailer for _Ferngully:
The Last Rain Forest_. Conflict of interest here: based on the
trailer, the film is rather well done (which studio was responsible?
I forgot), but it seems to me the environmental message will be
about as subtle as Desert Storm. I thought the _Jetsons_ movie’s
environmental message was overdone; this will probably have me
fleeing for the movie-sickness bags. Oh, well.
_An American Tail: Fievel Goes West_ scares me just looking at
the poster. As I said to Harry last night in CBIX, ubercute gets
to me.
The _Rockadoodle_ trailer was also ambiguous. It’s nice that Bluth
finally got the thing out and all, and the animation looks like it’s
up to Bluth standards, but I don’t think it’ll interest me much.
More next…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2465, from switch, 723 chars, Wed Jan 8 23:00:21 1992
This is a comment to message 2464.
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I’ve also determined that you guys (i.e. anyone south of
Montreal) have far too much interesting TV. You’ve certainly
got more cartoons and comedy channels. I got to see the animated
_Prince Valiant_, which was… well, it wasn’t Hal Foster, but
that would be an unreasonable expectation. The animation ranged
from poor to fair, the story moderately interesting, and the
dialogue not as bad as I expected. _My Pet Monster_ looks nicely
done from a production standpoint, but it’s too cute for me to
deal with. _TaleSpin_ was excellent, naturally. _Bucky O’Hare_
wasn’t too bad.
*sigh* Every time I venture out of the province I’m depressed
when I see the amount of animation available on TV everywhere
else.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2466, from dferg, 270 chars, Wed Jan 8 23:23:30 1992
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TITLE: “Cool World”
I am certain that someone besides myself has seen the trailer for this…
Animator draws sexy girl with whom he is infatuated, and gets pulled into
a toontown setting. Anyone have any information on this film? I’m deucedly
curious about it.
-Doug
==========================
animation/main #2467, from nicolas, 524 chars, Thu Jan 9 02:12:44 1992
This is a comment to message 2465.
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Emru,
Don’t worry. We in Holland also suffer from too little exposure to
good animation. What we get here most of the time is cutesy stuff,
some times well done but not overmuch.
I have just discovered a new cable station here called children’s
channel. have to check that out but I am afraid it will be more of the
same. One show that I got the tail end from was Mysterious cities of
gold. Is this any good? I did not see that much of it. But the credits
had a lot japanese names in it.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2468, from hmccracken, 238 chars, Thu Jan 9 14:02:44 1992
This is a comment to message 2467.
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I haven’t seen the trailer, but a friend did and mentioned it to me.
This is the new film by Ralph (_Fritz the Cat_, _Lord of the Rings_,
_Mighty Mouse: the New Adventures_) Bakshi. I don’t know a thing
about it, unfortunately.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2469, from morganfox, 204 chars, Thu Jan 9 19:25:58 1992
This is a comment to message 2464.
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I saw a preview tease of Ferngully on the video release of Home Alone. What
struck me at the time was the Elfquest feel I got from the style of the
chars/drawing. Emrun, did you get any sense of this?
==========================
animation/main #2470, from morganfox, 159 chars, Thu Jan 9 19:27:57 1992
This is a comment to message 2466.
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I saw a trailer for this..I forget which, but I am sure it was a movie (addams
family)..and I wondered if I was suddenly in the middle of Saturday Night Live.
==========================
animation/main #2471, from adunkin, 153 chars, Thu Jan 9 20:49:58 1992
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I’ve seen the advertisement at least twice in theatres. My brother said
that it’s based on a story done before. I wouldn’t know 🙂
— Alan Dunkin
==========================
animation/main #2472, from dferg, 48 chars, Thu Jan 9 22:18:19 1992
This is a comment to message 2468.
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Ahh. Figures it is Bakshi. Has that look. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2473, from switch, 223 chars, Fri Jan 10 23:08:05 1992
This is a comment to message 2466.
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Apparently a Bakshi production, sorta _Roger Rabbit_-ish. An
artist draws a cartoon girl, wishes she was real, and gets sucked
into her universe. Gee, _Roger Rabbit_, _Volere Volare_, now
_Cool World_… what next?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2474, from tsin, 101 chars, Sat Jan 11 10:42:43 1992
This is a comment to message 2463.
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Lumiere is Emru through and through!
Picture Emru with a candle in each hand and one on his head!
🙂
==========================
animation/main #2475, from switch, 129 chars, Sun Jan 12 11:12:52 1992
This is a comment to message 2467.
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I never saw it, but in came on in French here, and my friends who
saw it said they liked it. It is a Japanese production.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2476, from switch, 81 chars, Sun Jan 12 11:14:56 1992
This is a comment to message 2469.
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Not at all, actually. I couldn’t place anything familiar about
the style.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2477, from hmccracken, 1273 chars, Wed Jan 15 15:55:29 1992
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TITLE: _Northern Exposure_ gives exposure to animation pencils
Last week’s episode of the CBS comedy-drama series _Northern Exposure_
included a scene in which a character made reference to Blackwing
drawing pencils. Now, this may not sound interesting to you, but I
did a double-take, since Blackwings are my own personal drawing pencil
of choice, and they’re very hard to find. Maybe one in ten art-supply
stores carries them, so when I find one that does, I tend to buy
several dozen at a time.
What makes this worth mentioning in this conference is that Blackwing
pencils are apparently favored by at least a few animators. Chuck
Jones likes them (if you see a photograph of him drawing with a
black pencil with a funny, oversized eraser, it’s a Blackwing).
Odder still, the gift shop at the Disney-MGM animation studios at
Disney World sells them, along with animation paper — which I take
as a sign that they’re in use there.
I guess I should make a correction to _Northern Exposure’s_ mention
of Blackwings as long as I have the chance: the character who refers
to them calls them “Eberhard Faber Blackwing pencils.” Eberhard Faber
used to manufacture Blackwings, but in recent years they’ve carried
the Faber Castell brand name. Historians take note!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2478, from switch, 148 chars, Wed Jan 15 21:20:06 1992
This is a comment to message 2477.
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I think I still have one Blackwing left from my childhood… I
had a bunch when I was younger, but I don’t know anywhere that’s
got ’em here.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2479, from switch, 195 chars, Thu Jan 16 08:44:59 1992
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The last Spike & Mike Festival of Animation just passed through
town, but they were all out of programs by the time I got there.
Does anyone have any spares they’d be willing to part with?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2480, from davemackey, 485 chars, Sun Jan 19 22:06:36 1992
————————–
TITLE: Thought for the day
“I believe we should all live life like Bugs Bunny. We should have plenty of
carrots, a hole in the ground, a mail box with our name written on it, and
the freedom to discover our own personal Elmer Fudd. And when we find that
Fudd, we should have the freedom to bug the crap out of him.” — Wayne Campbell
(from “Wayne’s World: Extreme Close-Up” by Mike Myers and Robin Ruzan, just
published by Hyperion Books (ISBN 1-56282-979-3)) –Dave
==========================
animation/main #2481, from hmccracken, 518 chars, Tue Jan 21 00:30:25 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Red Hot Rumor Dept.
This is just a rumor right now, and not fact, but if it comes true,
remember that you heard it here first: I’m told that Fox is in
the process of pulling production of _The Simpsons_ away from Klasky-
Csupo Animation and giving it to Film Roman Animation. James Brooks,
Matt Groening, and the other creators and writers of the series would
continue their present involvement, and in theory the change would
have little effect on the show. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2482, from davemackey, 675 chars, Tue Jan 21 02:55:13 1992
This is a comment to message 2481.
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Wow. There is of course precedent for this, with some recent television
series having a change of producer in mid-production run. I can think of
“Alvin And The Chipmunks,” which went from Ruby-Spears to
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, and “G.I. Joe,” which went from Marvel Productions to
DIC.
But on a high-profile show like “The Simpsons,” something like this
could have a major drastic effect. But Film Roman has a reputation of doing
faithful comic adaptations (“Garfield” and “Mother Goose”). If Klasky-Csupo
weren’t going to do “Simpsons” any more, I wouldn’t bet the farm on any other
studio than Film Roman to do a comparable job.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2483, from hmccracken, 501 chars, Tue Jan 21 14:13:39 1992
This is a comment to message 2482.
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From what I hear, a change in animation houses wouldn’t have that
much of an effect on _The Simpsons_. Klasky-Csupo is suuposedly basically
a contractor who doesn’t have a significant artistic effect on the show.
Fox is said to be unhappy with corner-cutting on K-C’s part, along
with some things that Gabor Csupo has said in the press and the recent
lawsuit by former _Simpsons_ animators. If anything (if the current
wisdom is true), the change might make _The Simpsons_ look even better.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2484, from switch, 948 chars, Thu Jan 23 21:55:24 1992
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TITLE: Last night…
…saw a great compilation of early Tex Avery films at the Cinematheque
Quebecoise. First time I’ve been to an Avery screening where I’d
only seen about half the films before… The films were:
Ham And Eggs (1933, Walter Lantz)
I’d Love To Take Orders From You (1936, Warner Bros.)
Page Miss Glory (1936, WB)
Don’t Look Now (1936, WB)
I Only Have Eyes For You (1937, WB)
Little Red Walking Hood (1937, WB)
Johnny Smith & Poker-Huntas (1938, WB)
Hamateur Night (1938, WB)
Thugs With Dirty Mugs (1939, WB)
Cross-Country Detours (1940, WB)
The Bear’s Tale (1940, WB)
A Wild Hare (1940, WB)
Meatless Flyday (1944, WB)
I saw Egghead for the first time, and I thought he was pretty
funny in “Little Red Walking Hood”. His odd walk and reocurring
appearances reming me a bit of the funny-looking man in Chuck
Jones’ “The Dover Boys”. I wonder if Jones was taking Egghead
as a cue?
Next week: The Evolution of Bugs Bunny.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2485, from hmccracken, 564 chars, Fri Jan 24 09:43:02 1992
This is a comment to message 2484.
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Having a little character make repeated, unexpected appearances in
a cartoon was a favorite gag of Tex Avery’s — he did it with
Egghead at Warner’s, and with Droopy at MGM. Jones’s use of the
funny-looking man in _The Dover Boys_ is definitely in the tradition
of Avery’s use of that gag.
For the record, Eggheead was based on Joe Penner, the radio comedian
who, if he is remembered at all these days, is recalled for his
use of the phrase “Ya Wanna Buy a Duck?” Penner didn’t look that
much like Egghead, but the voice and personality were identical.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2486, from switch, 1282 chars, Fri Jan 24 22:23:57 1992
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TITLE: Little Nemo
A friend just came back from Japan (he won an award and got an
expense-paid trip for ten days, the swine) and brought back, among
other things, the laserdisc boxed set of _Little Nemo in Slumberland_.
We watched a bit of it at AVISTA last night, playing it on the
Sony video projector and pumping it through the Very Loud amplifiers
while working on our various projects (this is a favorite pastime
of ours 🙂
My first impression is that it’s a cross between Disney (character
and animation) and Miyazaki (childlike wonder and incredible flight
scenes). The opening scene alone is breathtaking, as Nemo has one
of his characteristic dreams. I’ll be watching the film in its
entirety in the coming week, and I’ll be writing up a review for
_fps_ and to post here.
Oh, nearly forgot: on the fourth side they show Winsor McCay’s
_Little Nemo_, _Gertie_, and _The Sinking of the Lusitania_, with
narration, and the original music. The prints are even in (somewhat
washed-out) color where appropriate. The boxed set comes with
bios of the various people who worked on the project such as John
Canemaker, Ray Bradbury, and Winsor McCay (as it were). Two posters
my Moebius – an excellent blend of the comic and movie versions
of Nemo – are also included.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2487, from switch, 269 chars, Sat Jan 25 01:11:56 1992
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TITLE: Penn & Teller
After weeks of busy signals, I finally got through to Mofo Ex Machina,
Penn & Teller’s BBS. Result? Nothing. I hit [RETURN] twice,
entered the password (“MOFO”) and got nada. Does anyone know if
they’ve changed the password or something?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2488, from davemackey, 240 chars, Sat Jan 25 08:48:12 1992
This is a comment to message 2487.
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Maybe they shut it down because their recent Broadway show folded up its
tent too (“Penn And Teller Rot In Hell”)?
You might wanna try getting a hold of Penn through PC Computing.
Wouldn’t hurt.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2489, from switch, 22 chars, Sat Jan 25 13:25:39 1992
This is a comment to message 2488.
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Great! Thanks!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2490, from davemackey, 334 chars, Sun Jan 26 20:58:41 1992
This is a comment to message 2485.
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Egghead was inspired by Joe Penner, but another popular comedian of the day
— Cliff Nazzarro — provided the voice for the later episodes like “A-Lad In
Bagdad” and “Believe It Or Else”; he also gave Warner’s a bit of his own act
as the double-talking nightclub emcee in “The Penguin Parade”.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2491, from hmccracken, 205 chars, Thu Jan 30 10:11:41 1992
This is a comment to message 2482.
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To bring this thread up-to-date: it’s true and official. Film Roman
will be animating _The Simpsons_ as of sometime this spring. Klasky-
Csupo will be laying off all but 35 of its 110 animators.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2492, from hmccracken, 743 chars, Thu Jan 30 10:16:05 1992
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TITLE: RIP, Emery Hawkins
This news is very late (since I just found out), but better now than
never: Emery Hawkins passed away last year, after a long illness.
Hawkins had a long career as an animator, stretching from the 1930s
to the 1980s, including work at Disney, Warner, Mintz, Lantz, and other
studios. He also did some remarkable animation of a character
called “The Greedy” for Richard Williams’ 1976 _Raggedy Ann and
Andy_ feature, and John Canemaker’s book on the making of that
film has a lot of material on Hawkins.
Hawkins was not a well-known name, but he was extremely well-
thought of by his peers as both an artist and a man. Chuck Jones
said that he was in the handful of animators he held in the
highest esteem.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2493, from davemackey, 419 chars, Thu Jan 30 22:48:31 1992
This is a comment to message 2492.
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Sad to hear that, even so far after the fact. Emery Hawkins was one of only
two men (the other is John Carey) who animated in all four major Warner Bros.
units of the 40’s and 50’s at one time or another — Freleng, Jones, McKimson
and Davis — so you could tell that his talent was in demand. Eventually, it
was Robert McKimson he wound up doing most of his Warner’s work with.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2494, from davemackey, 279 chars, Thu Jan 30 22:48:42 1992
This is a comment to message 2491.
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And I’ll always remember who told me first… Scoop McCracken! 😉
Anyway, Harry, I see Film Roman making overtures to some of those
laid-off Klasky-Csupo staff. (Better than teaching a whole new corps of
artists to draw Bart and Co.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2495, from davemackey, 330 chars, Sat Feb 8 00:00:42 1992
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TITLE: Pee-wee’s Animated Adventure
It appears that Pee-wee Herman is going to be fulfilling one of the penalties
of his arrest on indecent exposure charges last year by appearing in a
30-second animated anti-drug spot.
Animation… more than just an art form… community service. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2496, from davemackey, 409 chars, Wed Feb 12 19:53:41 1992
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TITLE: Jack Kinney
Veteran Disney animator and director Jack Kinney died of natural causes in
Glendale, California on Sunday, at the age of 82.
He directed the Academy-award winning cartoon “Der Fuherer’s Face”
(1943) as well as the Goofy “How To…” series. He also directed the UPA
feature “Mr. Magoo’s 1001 Arabian Nights” as well as more than 100 Popeye
cartoons.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2497, from hmccracken, 275 chars, Wed Feb 12 22:09:27 1992
This is a comment to message 2496.
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Aw, gee — that’s too bad. Kinney’s best Goofy cartoons are some
of the best Disney shorts of the 1940s. Several years ago he
published _Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters_, an enjoyable
memoir of his career in animation illustrated with wonderful
sketches.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2498, from davemackey, 294 chars, Wed Feb 19 08:47:49 1992
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TITLE: Surprise, surprise
It has just been announced that “Beauty And The Beast” has received an
Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture.
This is the first time in history that an animated film has ever been up
for the biggest Oscar prize of all.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2499, from bferg, 23 chars, Wed Feb 19 11:22:42 1992
This is a comment to message 2498.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Right ON!
🙂
Barbara
==========================
animation/main #2500, from hmccracken, 235 chars, Wed Feb 19 16:51:15 1992
This is a comment to message 2499.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Even better — _B&B_ got a grand total of six nominations (which has
got to be a record for an animated film) — besides Best Picture, it’s
up for Best Score, Best Sound, and *three* of the songs got nominated
for best song!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2501, from davemackey, 339 chars, Wed Feb 19 19:24:01 1992
This is a comment to message 2500.
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And capping off a remarkable 24 hours in which animation has been legitimized
as it never has been — see the messages in /boob.tube regarding Ted Turner’s
formal unveiling of The Cartoon Network, the long rumored cable channel.
Say… what were the animated shorts nominated, if anyone knows?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2502, from switch, 105 chars, Thu Feb 20 00:55:23 1992
This is a comment to message 2501.
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One of them was _Black Fly_, by my animation instructor Chris
Hinton… don’t know about the rest.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2503, from davemackey, 313 chars, Thu Feb 20 09:03:13 1992
This is a comment to message 2502.
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————————–
The three nominees were “Blackfly,” “Manipulation” and “Strings.” And to
recap the nominations for “Beauty And The Beast”: Best Picture, Best
Music Original Score, Best Sound, and three Best Original Song nominations
for “Beauty And The Beast,” “Belle” and “Be Our Guest.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2504, from nicolas, 137 chars, Fri Feb 21 02:20:18 1992
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TITLE: Nutcracker
The animation film Nutcracker by Paul Schibli just opened here. Is it
worth seeing??
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2505, from hmccracken, 269 chars, Fri Feb 21 15:10:46 1992
This is a comment to message 2504.
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If it’s the film that was called _The Nutcracker Prince_ when it was
released in the U.S. a couple of Christmases ago, probably not
(unless you’re a diehard fan like me). That was a pretty mediocre
film…but you may be talking about something else entirely.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2506, from switch, 123 chars, Fri Feb 21 21:48:50 1992
This is a comment to message 2503.
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“Manipulation” is a fantastic film. I haven’t seen “Strings” as
yet, though it is showing at the Ouimetoscope soon.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2507, from davemackey, 324 chars, Tue Feb 25 21:10:49 1992
This is a comment to message 2484.
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I know this is almost a month after the fact, but I’m sure that the
Cinematheque crowd knew the reason for the inclusion of the Freleng-directed
“Meatless Flyday” on a program of Tex Avery cartoons. (It’s a very nice
cartoon and extremely evocative of the early-40’s Warner’s style.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2508, from switch, 172 chars, Thu Feb 27 01:43:30 1992
This is a comment to message 2507.
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The host (my History of Animated Film teacher, who happens to be
pontificating on Warner cartoons on CBC-FM this very minute) told
us: the spider is voiced by Avery.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2509, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Thu Feb 27 09:31:49 1992
This is a comment to message 2508.
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That’s right! I knew about that but had forgotten. Oddly enough,
Avery had left Warner’s by the time the cartoon was made — he
came back from MGM to record the voice for Freleng.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2510, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Fri Feb 28 09:45:43 1992
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TITLE: B&B at the Oscars
Whether or not they win any themselves, Disney’s Beuaty and the Beast will
make an appearance at the Oscars — they’re going to present the award
for Best Animated Short this year. The award has been given by Bugs
Bunny and Mickey Mouse in recent years as well.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2511, from hmccracken, 756 chars, Sun Mar 1 18:26:44 1992
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TITLE: Must Be Seen to be Belived Department
At a collectibles show today, I saw a couple of examples of a
1960s phonograph album series in which — get this — Hanna-Barbera
characters like the Flintstones and Augie Doggie sang songs from…
Walt Disney films! For example, one album I saw featured Fred and
Barney doing the hits from _Mary Poppins_. Oddly enough, the name
“Walt Disney” isn’t mentioned anywhere on the records, although he
surely must have authorized them.
Tempted as I was, I didn’t pick up any of these oddball collectibles;
they were kind of expensive. I did, however buy a 1975 “Suzie Moppet”
album for kids, recorded by…Well, I’ll open the floor to guesses
about what later-notorious husband and wife made this album.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2512, from davemackey, 833 chars, Sun Mar 1 19:05:29 1992
————————–
TITLE: Animation as part of the bigger picture of MGM
The massive book “M-G-M — When The Lion Roars” (published by Turner Books)
does manage to set aside one page to document the history of M-G-M cartoons.
Harman and Ising, Hanna and Barbera and Tex Avery are all discussed
ever-so-briefly. The book mentions the shutdown of the M-G-M cartoon unit in
1957 but fails to discuss any of M-G-M’s outside-produced Tom And Jerry
releases in the 1960’s, or the live-action/animated feature “The Phantom
Tollbooth” (1969).
(One might also challenge “King-Sized (sic) Canary” as Tex Avery’s
best-known cartoon, as the text asserts… can anyone think of likelier
candidates, if you could select one cartoon to sum up Tex Avery at M-G-M? I
would think one of the Girl cartoons or “Dumb-Hounded”.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2513, from davemackey, 213 chars, Sun Mar 1 20:57:14 1992
This is a comment to message 2511.
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————————–
Suzie Moppet, huh? Don’t remember it, but for the sake of making a guess, how
about The Captain and Tennille? They’re as notorious a husband/wife team as
any, I suppose. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2514, from hmccracken, 82 chars, Sun Mar 1 21:15:28 1992
This is a comment to message 2513.
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————————–
Nope — more notorious than that. Think court cases and jail sentences.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2515, from tsin, 54 chars, Sun Mar 1 21:23:30 1992
This is a comment to message 2514.
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Ike and Tina Turner?
Ferdinand and Imaelda Marcos?
😀
==========================
animation/main #2516, from tsin, 111 chars, Sun Mar 1 21:25:38 1992
This is a comment to message 2514.
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————————–
OH GOD!!!!!
HAHAHAHA
I remember!!!!!!
Am I gonna get money for this????!!!!
JIM and TAMMY BAKER!!!!
HAHAHAHA!!
==========================
animation/main #2517, from jshook, 24 chars, Sun Mar 1 22:59:20 1992
This is a comment to message 2514.
————————–
Jim and Tammy Bakker?
==========================
animation/main #2518, from hmccracken, 455 chars, Sun Mar 1 23:36:40 1992
This is a comment to message 2516.
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————————–
That’s right! Sorry, all you get is the satisfaction of having
got it right. The album I bought is “Building on the Rock:
Songs and Stories by Jim and Tammy and Their Friends,” issued in
1975. It stars Susie Moppet (an odd looking puppet with a pig snout
and Goldilocks curls), Allie the Talking Alligator, and Muffin
the Talking Dog. And Jim and Tammy, who appear on the back cover —
Jim with a Beatle-like haircut and Tammy sans much makeup.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2519, from hmccracken, 1311 chars, Mon Mar 9 10:43:11 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Art Babbitt, RIP
Legendary animator Art Babbitt passed away last Wednesday after a long
illness. He will be best remembered for his work at Disney in the 1930s
and early 1940s, where he turned Goofy into a real character
and animated the Wicked Queen in _Snow White_, Geppetto in
_Pinocchio_, and the dancing mushrooms in _Fantasia_.
Babbitt was one of the most influential of Disney animators
during this period, but when the studio suffered a strike in
1941, he was one of its leaders and an outspoken critic
of Walt Disney himself. He was fired; a lawsuit forced
Disney to rehire him, but couldn’t make him the major figure
he had formerly been.
Eventually, Babbitt joined UPA, where he worked on some interesting
films including _Rooty Toot Toot_ (an adaptation of the Frankie
and Johnny story). Towards the end of his career, he worked with
Richard Williams on Williams’ still-upcoming Persian-themed
animated feature, and contributed the fine animation of the
Camel with the Wrinkled Knees to Williams’ _Raggedy Ann and
Andy_ feature. He also taught animation to a new generation
of artists.
One last bit of Babbitt trivia: he was married at one time to
Marge Belcher, a dancer who posed for live-action reference
footage for _Snow White_ and later became famous as Marge
Champion.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2520, from davemackey, 520 chars, Mon Mar 9 19:34:09 1992
————————–
TITLE: Catching up on some obits
Ken Darby died on January 24 at the age of 82. His choral arrangements were
heard in many Walt Disney features of the 1940’s and are still emulated today
for the Disney features.
And veteran actor John Dehner died on February 4 of emphysema, aged 76.
And why is his death relevant to the animation community? His first job in
Hollywood was as an assistant animator at Walt Disney Studios, working on
“Fantasia” and “Bambi” as well as shorts.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2521, from hmccracken, 490 chars, Tue Mar 10 15:38:35 1992
This is a comment to message 2519.
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A few more pieces of information on the late Art Babbitt, who died at 85
a week ago tomorrow: he was born Arthur Babitsky in Omaha, and planned
as a youth to become a psychiatrist before winding up in the animation
business at Terrytoons in New York in 1929. His career lasted until
about three years ago, when it ended due to failing eyesight. Besides
the work I mentioned in my previous message, he also spent 1966 to 1975
as the head of Hanna-Barbera’s commercial department.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2522, from davemackey, 240 chars, Tue Mar 10 20:57:27 1992
This is a comment to message 2519.
————————–
And offering a bit of Art Babbitt trivia of my own: he once worked for Warner
Bros., where he animated the main title sequence to Friz Freleng’s pilot
combining live action and animation, “Philbert.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2523, from davemackey, 183 chars, Fri Mar 13 20:21:22 1992
This is a comment to message 2518.
————————–
Wonder if this skeleton being let out of their closet has led to the recent
news that Jim and Tammy have divorced (it was finalized today). 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2524, from hmccracken, 528 chars, Fri Mar 13 22:35:51 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: H-B Sets Sail
A recent press release announces a project of Turner Broadcasting
which combines two of Ted Turner’s big interests. Nope, Jane Fonda
isn’t becoming a panelist on _The Capitol Gang_ — rather,
Hanna-Barbera is ewlwasing a limited edition cel tie-in with
the America’s Cup (which Turner captained the American team to
victory in some years ago, of course). The cel shows Fred
Flintstone, Yogi Bear and others aboard a yacht in pursuit of
the Cup, and is being produced in a limited edition of 400.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #2525, from davemackey, 209 chars, Sun Mar 15 02:11:19 1992
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————————–
TITLE: Alex Lovy
Just heard that Alex Lovy, longtime director with Walter Lantz and key
associate of Hanna-Barbera Productions for most of its history, has passed
away.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2526, from hmccracken, 382 chars, Sun Mar 15 08:32:20 1992
This is a comment to message 2525.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That’s too bad, and I have a friend who is a big Andy Panda fan and
will be especially saddened. (Lovy directed a lot of the Andy
cartoons.)
BTW, I have heard reports that at one time there was a rumor that
Lovy and Tex Avery were the same man — a rumor that was pretty
clearly proven false when Avery died and Lovy went on working at
Hanna-Barbera for another decade.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2527, from davemackey, 150 chars, Sun Mar 15 11:07:22 1992
This is a comment to message 2526.
————————–
And Alex Lovy was still working for HB up until the time of his death, too…
seemed somewhat indestructible.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2528, from dsmart, 616 chars, Sun Mar 15 11:31:40 1992
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————————–
TITLE: BATTLECRUISER:3000AD (IBM)
Hi there gang
some of you with access to Compuserve, GENIE, DELPHI, AOL or other bbs systemn[s
may have come across BATTLECRUISER:3000AD demo v2.00. This is 3D space flight
simulation due out in Christmas. A demo of this program has been uploaded
here on BIX. The files are BC3000.ZIP, BCSDIG.ZIP, BCADIG.ZIP, BC3GI1.ZIP &
BC3GI2.ZIP. Please send e-mail to hmccracken to locate these files. I posted
them in the ANIMATION/LEISURE area a week ago and I don’t have the foggiest
idea where they are.
Uploaded by author Derek Smart
Regards
Derek Smart, Supreme Commander – [GALCOM]
==========================
animation/main #2529, from switch, 100 chars, Sun Mar 15 21:04:52 1992
This is a comment to message 2528.
————————–
Derek – they’ll be available in ‘animation’ RSN. See my message
in animation/about.listings.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2530, from hmccracken, 857 chars, Mon Mar 16 21:28:04 1992
————————–
TITLE: Elvia Allman, R.I.P.
Unfortunately, we seem to be going through a period of deaths of
notable figures in animation history just now. Following on the
passings of Art Babbitt and Alex Lovy comes the news that Elvia
Allman has died. Who was Elvia Allman, you ask? Well, she was
a veteran actress who appeared on _The Beverly Hillbillies_ and
in the film _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_. But the reason I note her
death here is another part she played: she was the first voice
of Clarabelle Cow, who along with her boyfriend Horace Horsecollar
was a supporting character in the earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons.
Clarabelle’s film career pretty much ended in the mid-1930s
(she did continue to appear in comic books), but she made a
brief reappearance in 1990’s _The Prince and the Pauper_, a
film that Elvia Allman returned to animation to record for.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2531, from davemackey, 579 chars, Fri Mar 20 09:09:08 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Grace Stafford Lantz
Grace Stafford Lantz, 88, wife of animator Walter Lantz and voice of
his star character Woody Woodpecker, died on Tuesday of spinal cancer
at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.
Ms. Stafford, who had been married to Lantz since the early 1940’s,
became the Woody voice in the early 1950’s after Lantz reopened his
studio after a brief production hiatus. Stafford performed other voices
in the Lantz cartoons, including the mother of the Beary Family, until
the studio’s final closing in 1972.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2532, from hmccracken, 500 chars, Fri Mar 20 09:54:10 1992
This is a comment to message 2531.
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————————–
…And while we regret the passing of the great Grace Stafford and
mourn for Mr. Lantz, we should also note that many of the obituaries
incorrectly credit her with originating Woody’s voice
(Mel Blanc did that, and there were others before Grace
took the part). Some of the obituaries also repeated a
story about the inspiration for Woody and his voice
coming from a woodpecker who annoyed the Lantzes on their
honeymoon — they were actually married *after* the
creation of the character.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2533, from davemackey, 425 chars, Fri Mar 20 23:11:34 1992
This is a comment to message 2532.
————————–
A little known fact is that the Woody Woodpecker voice after Mel Blanc was
done by Ben Hardaway, who was a writer for the Lantz studio throughout the
1940’s.
I’m sorry to see that Mrs. Walter Lantz’s passing and obituary notices
are again marred by the sort of fact-stretching that have made us take any
unbelievable facts we hear about Lantz and his studio with a grain of salt.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2534, from bferg, 184 chars, Sat Mar 21 06:49:20 1992
This is a comment to message 2531.
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————————–
Well, I’ll be, I did not realize that Lantz’s wife
did the voice of
Woody Wood Pecker, one of my faves as a child.
I have fond memories of her voice…she will be missed.
Barbara
==========================
animation/main #2535, from davemackey, 673 chars, Sat Mar 21 17:25:39 1992
————————–
TITLE: More Disney-Bashing…
…in the April issue of “Spy” magazine. Never mind the fact that “Beauty And
The Beast” and “Father Of The Bride” have propelled the studio to financial
respectability after almost a year’s worth of bombs. (One would think Jeffrey
Katzenberg has replaced Mike Ovitz, head of Creative Artists Agency, as the
magazine’s pet whipping boy.)
There is an anecdote in the article that is animation related. A
director for one of Disney’s television projects was overheard praising the
Warner Bros. cartoons, and subsequently received a curt memo from the studio
brass telling him never to do that again.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2536, from davemackey, 1264 chars, Sat Mar 21 17:26:04 1992
This is a comment to message 2534.
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————————–
Barbara, thank you for sharing. 🙂
Actually, in my earliest memories of Woody Woodpecker, I have no
recollection of his voice, since my first exposure to the character was
through Castle Films 8mm silents.
And then, only through a labeling mixup. One of the films we ordered
when we first got the projector (this was back in 1968) was the Inspector
Willoughby cartoon “Phoney Express.” However, what was in the box instead was
a 1950 Woody Woodpecker cartoon, “Puny Express.” (It was many years before I
actually got around to seeing “Phoney Express” when this film was released to
television for the first time in 1982, though we did enjoy Willoughby in
“The Case Of the Cold Storage Yegg.”)
I didn’t actually hear Woody’s voice until the 1970’s when NBC began
running his TV show again, a few years before Woody went into syndication in
1977.
My condolences to Mr. Lantz on his loss, by the way… Walter and Gracie
were very happily married for many years and did extensive world traveling
after their retirement, with Walter doing Woody drawings for children in
hospitals and Gracie doing the Woody laugh for them. It is fortunate that
they both continued to serve the world as goodwill ambassadors.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2537, from ianl, 193 chars, Sun Mar 22 03:07:17 1992
This is a comment to message 2536.
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————————–
> Castle Films 8mm silents
Gawd, now *THAT* brings back memories. My father loved 8mm cartoons, he
used to buy the Castle Films reels all the time. He still has reels and
reels of them.
==========================
animation/main #2538, from davemackey, 505 chars, Sun Mar 22 08:32:50 1992
This is a comment to message 2537.
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————————–
And since Castle Films was owned by Universal Studios, their films dominated
the Castle roster. They had lots of Abbott and Costello feature cutdowns with
ridiculous titles like “No Indians Please” and “No Bulls Please,” news and
sports digests, and acres of cartoons.
Castle also released for the home market in 16mm, and I have a number of
those films in my 16mm collection (though under normal circumstances I prefer
prints with correct theatrical titles.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2539, from hmccracken, 487 chars, Mon Mar 23 10:03:33 1992
This is a comment to message 2537.
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————————–
As I think I’ve mentioned here before, I’m a big fan of 8mm silent cartoons —
Castle, Official Films, and others. I own quite a few (all acquired fairly
recently), and love the whole experience — the lack of color and sound,
the subtitles, the clack-clack-clack of the projector. I can’t call it
nostalgia, since we didn’t have a projector when I was a kid, but it is
a delightfully old-fashioned pasttime. I occasionally show them to friends,
who get a kick out of it, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2540, from switch, 195 chars, Mon Mar 23 21:44:20 1992
————————–
TITLE: Anime FAQL
I’m writing an anime FAQL (frequently-asked questions list) for
FidoNet, which I’ll probably upload here as well. Anyone have
any suggestions as to things to put on it?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2541, from davemackey, 347 chars, Tue Mar 24 06:07:51 1992
This is a comment to message 2539.
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————————–
So you didn’t seem to mind that the majority of the films you purchased in
Syracuse and screened for us on Saturday night were black-and-white prints of
color cartoons.
I’m of the school that likes to see the films as they were, with full
color and sound, and that’s why 16mm collecting appeals to me.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2542, from hmccracken, 527 chars, Tue Mar 24 09:31:43 1992
This is a comment to message 2541.
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————————–
Well, I’m a purist at heart as well. But as a recent 16mm convert, I’m
still thrilled with the mere facts that the cartoons are full-length
and have soundtracks…
Seriously, though, Castle and Official Films prints are now old enough
to count as items of historical interest. I’m fascinated by the Castle-
created title cards on some of the 1930s Oswald the Rabbit cartoons I
bought — each one shows an entirely different version of Oswald, and
there’s little evidence that the artists ever saw an Oswald cartoon.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2543, from bcapps, 483 chars, Thu Mar 26 01:11:19 1992
This is a comment to message 2542.
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————————–
Ok, so how many of you celluloid collectors subscribed to Blackhawk Films
catalogs, hmm? Not only did they contain toons and such, they were chock
full of the old silents! (They’re now primarily video – alas!). Charlie
Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, Laurel
& Hardy, D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille and lots more! Most reels were
about $20 10-15 yrs ago. Now, its about that much for the videos, but it
just doesn’t seem the same. :-/
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2544, from hmccracken, 317 chars, Thu Mar 26 22:10:48 1992
This is a comment to message 2543.
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————————–
I didn’t know that Blackhawk was still in business. I have a bunch
of Blackhawk Super 8 prints of Laurel and Hardy and Chaplin films,
and they’re terrific. On the ones that were originally sound films
(Laurel and Hardy ones, obviously) Blackhawk did such a nice
job of subtitling that you lose very little.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2545, from bcapps, 361 chars, Fri Mar 27 00:18:51 1992
This is a comment to message 2544.
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I picked up a buncha L&H shorts at a library closeout in MI, a few years ago.
Those and a copy of , hmm, The Lost Continent? or somesuch starring one of
those silent stars of the 20’s (but can’t remember his name either!) 🙁
When I get home, I’ll have to refresh my memories. And buy a new bulb for
my projector sometime soon. Only its about $20. :-p
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2546, from davemackey, 149 chars, Fri Mar 27 03:02:23 1992
This is a comment to message 2543.
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————————–
Read animation/sources #132 to find out about the company that is currently
marketing the Blackhawk library.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2547, from bcapps, 83 chars, Sat Mar 28 00:46:28 1992
This is a comment to message 2546.
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————————–
Does F.P.A. also handle Blackhawk’s old 8mm library?!? Hmm? Pretty please?
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2548, from davemackey, 148 chars, Sat Mar 28 06:58:23 1992
This is a comment to message 2547.
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————————–
Nope, strictly 16mm as far as I can tell. I don’t believe anyone is currently
actively marketing 8mm films.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2549, from hmccracken, 96 chars, Sat Mar 28 14:35:07 1992
This is a comment to message 2548.
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————————–
Not in this country, but I’m told 8mm is still quite popular
in Europe and elsewhere.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2550, from hmccracken, 327 chars, Sun Mar 29 22:53:20 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Goodbye, Mr. Punch?
Can anyone confirm or refute the rumor I just heard that
_Punch_ — the seemingly-indestructible British humor
weekly that has been published since somewhere around the middle
of the last century — has ceased publication?
If so, it’s been a bad couple of weeks for British
institutions…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2551, from hmccracken, 1110 chars, Sun Mar 29 23:00:29 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Tomorrow’s the night…
Well, somewhere around 11:00 or 11:30 tomorrow night, we’ll know
if _Beauty and the Beast_ has won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Usually, I’m not a big Oscar fan, but this year I’ve seen most of
the movies nominated for major awards (save _JFK_), and I’m rooting
for _Beauty_ to get the big one.
In fact, going out on a limb, I’ll predict here that the movie *will*
win Best Picture. _Silence of the Lambs_ and _Bugsy_ are intense, violent
movies — not Best Picture material. _JFK_? Who wants to look like
they’re endorsing crackpot theories? _Prince of Tides_ is a Streisand
film. That leaves _B&B_ — a *nice* picture that will take home the
prize.
To hedge my bet, I’ll say that if _B&B_ doesn’t win, _Prince of Tides_
will (the only other “nice” film nominated). If not _Prince_, then
_JFK_. If not _JFK_, then _Bugsy_; and if not _Bugsy_, then _Silence
of the Lambs_. (This way, I can claim to have predicted the outcome
no matter what happens!)
Your own predictions are invited — those who turn out to be right
can gloat over those of us who are proven wrong!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2552, from ianl, 423 chars, Sun Mar 29 23:32:41 1992
This is a comment to message 2551.
There are additional comments to message 2551.
————————–
The few predictions I’ve seen by critics so far have _Silence of the Lambs_
as the mostly likely winner. I’m not sure the violence angle will kill it.
I hate violence, as a rule. At least, Ramdo/T2 style pointless violence.
The violence in _Silence_ was needed to establish the drama; it don’t think
it was overdone.
But, it’s hard for me to make a prediction, _Silence_ is the only one of
the candidates I’ve seen.
==========================
animation/main #2553, from drtoon, 4750 chars, Mon Mar 30 00:59:46 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: TEX AVERY ON VIDEO
TEX AVERY ON VIDEO
Tex Avery fans take heart! Whatever else you might want to say about Ted
Turner, he has not been a slacker in making Tex Avery’s MGM works available to
the public. With the recent release of “Tex Avery’s Screwball Classics 4” and
the “All This And Tex Avery Too” laserdisc compilation, fans now have access to
44 of the 67 cartoon shorts that Tex made for MGM. As far as I can determine,
all these cartoons are original and uncut versions – and all but a couple are
exquisite pristine Technicolor prints.
Just about all of Tex’s best works are now available, with one significant
exception: “Uncle Tom’s Cabana”. A hearty thanks is due to Jerry Beck, who has
been tireless in hounding his contacts at MGM/UA Home Video to get these titles
on video. Jerry was also intimately involved in getting the “Golden Age of
Looney Tunes” laserdisc boxed set released, and the response has been strong
enough to warrant a second boxed set of 70 cartoons – due in May or June.
Jerry and George Feldenstein of MGM/UA have made a couple of attempts to sneak
“Uncle Tom’s Cabana” past the Turner cartoon police, but they were foiled at
the last minute. “Cabana” got as far as being listed in the pre-release
promotional materials for “Tex Avery’s Screwball Classics 3”, but when the tape
was released the cartoon had been deleted. Similar attempts to slip Clampett’s
“Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs” onto a Warner compilation have all been
squashed immediately. Apparently “Coal Black” is on some sort of hot list for
Turner, as even Rob Clampett was denied permission to screen a film print (that
Rob owns) at a Bob Clampett retrospective.
44 AVERY TITLES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON MGM/UA HOME VIDEO:
(L) = Laserdisc (T) = Tape
Bad Luck Blackie (L) (T)
Batty Baseball (T)
Big Heel Watha (L) (T)
Blitz Wolf (L) (T)
The Cat That Hated People (L) (T)
The Chump Champ (T)
Counterfeit Cat (L) (T)
The Cuckoo Clock (L) (T)
Daredevil Droopy (T)
Deputy Droopy (T)
Dixieland Droopy (T)
Doggone Tired (L)
Drag-Along Droopy (T)
Droopy’s Double Trouble (L) (T)
Droopy’s Good Deed (T)
Dumb Hounded (L) (T)
Flea Circus (L) (T)
Half-Pint Pygmy (L)
Happy Go Nutty (L) (T)
Hound Hunters (T)
House of Tomorrow (L) (T)
King-Size Canary (L) (T)
Little Rural Riding Hood (L) (T)
Little Tinker (L) (T)
Lucky Ducky (L) (T)
Magical Maestro (L) (T)
Northwest Hounded Police (L) (T)
One Ham’s Family (L) (T)
Red Hot Riding Hood (L) (T)
Screwball Squirrel (L) (T)
The Screwy Truant (L) (T)
Senor Droopy (T)
The Shooting of Dan McGoo (T)
Slap Happy Lion (L) (T)
Swing Shift Cinderella (L) (T)
Symphony In Slang (L) (T)
Three Little Pups (T)
TV of Tomorrow (T)
Ventriloquist Cat (L) (T)
Wags To Riches (L) (T)
What Price Fleadom (L) (T)
What’s Buzzin’ Buzzard? (T)
Who Killed Who (L) (T)
Wild And Woolfy (L) (T)
23 TITLES YET TO APPEAR ON (LEGITIMATE) HOME VIDEO:
Billy Boy
Car of Tomorrow
Cat’s Meow
Cellbound
Cock-A-Doodle Dog
The Early Bird Dood It
Farm of Tomorrow
Field And Scream
The First Bad Man
Garden Gopher
Henpecked Hoboes
Homesteader Droopy
The Hick Chick
Jerky Turkey
Little Johnny Jet
Lonesome Lenny
Millionaire Droopy
One Cab’s Family
Outfoxed
The Peachy Cobbler
Red Hot Rangers
Rock-A-Bye Bear
Uncle Tom’s Cabana
I think those of you who are excited about Turner’s purchase of Hanna-Barbera
and the subsequent promise of an all-cartoon cable channel should consider the
dark side of these events as well. Turner is approaching a level of hegemony
regarding the country’s classic cartoon heritage (Turner also owns all the B&W
Popeyes) that is unprecedented.
Given Turner’s demonstrated penchant for editing “offensive” scenes from
cablecast cartoons, their dedication to that ghastly colorization process, and
their inflexible opposition to titles such as “Cabana” and “Coal Black”, do you
really feel comfortable with such a vast library of animation being controlled
by Turner Home Entertainment? Don’t get me wrong – I applaud Turner’s
continuing output to home video and their efforts at restoration and
preservation. However, I am becoming increasingly nervous with the idea of
allowing Turner to be the arbiter of taste regarding what cartoons can be seen
and what form they can be seen in.
Even dedicated cartoon fans have honest disagreements about the
appropriateness of “Coal Black” in this day and age. Personally, I think its
artistic merits far outweigh its potential to offend, but the guardians of
taste at Turner feel strongly otherwise. Those of you who would like to
register an opinion and perhaps put some pressure on Turner should consider
writing to them:
Turner Home Entertainment
One Cnn Center
Box 105366
Atlanta, GA 30348-5366
Stand and be counted!
-Doug
==========================
animation/main #2554, from nicolas, 153 chars, Mon Mar 30 01:51:15 1992
This is a comment to message 2549.
————————–
It used to be. Camcorders are getting very popular here too.Haven’t
seen someone with an 8mm camera in a loooong time.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2555, from nicolas, 107 chars, Mon Mar 30 01:51:26 1992
This is a comment to message 2550.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Alas it’s true. Punch has folded after many a year of gentle ribbing
🙂
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2556, from nicolas, 443 chars, Mon Mar 30 01:51:38 1992
This is a comment to message 2551.
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The only film I have seen sofar is Silence of the Lambs. JFK just
opened here in Holland, haven’t seen it yet. The other movies have to
get here yet or will probably not open here it all. I suspect that if
B&TB doesn’t win an oscar it will NOT open in a theatre near here. On
the other hand if it does win the Oscar then it might. We’ll just have
to see and cross our fingers, toes and other extremitoes :-).
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2557, from davemackey, 340 chars, Mon Mar 30 06:32:10 1992
This is a comment to message 2553.
There are additional comments to message 2553.
————————–
Thank you for this post, Doug. You do raise some extremely valid criticisms
regarding Turner’s treatment of its classic cartoon library.
One now wonders if the complete Tex Avery package is going to be just
that… complete. It only takes the omission of one cartoon to turn Turner
into a liar.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2558, from hmccracken, 183 chars, Mon Mar 30 09:26:04 1992
This is a comment to message 2555.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Oh, no! That’s terrible about _Punch_. Any chance of the magazine
getting a second chance? The last copy I saw was around Christmas
time, and it seemed fairly healthy then.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2559, from hmccracken, 332 chars, Mon Mar 30 11:52:26 1992
This is a comment to message 2558.
————————–
Nico sent me a couple of articles from the Financial Times via BIxmail
which give more detail on the _Punch_ situation, along with the
mildly happy news that there are at least a couple of potential
buyers in the wings, including an American group. But if no sale can
be arranged, the magazine is set to die on April 8th.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2560, from hmccracken, 787 chars, Mon Mar 30 17:31:54 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: It’s Official: Disney Doesn’t Use Cels
Computer graphics company Pixar recently took public, partial credit
for an award won by Disney involving the computerized painting system
that was used to color _Beauty and the Beast_ and _Rescuers Down Under_.
(The system eliminates the use of cels by coloring the animators’
drawings electronically and merging them with the background art.)
This is worth noting because Disney has *never* admitted to using this
system. Just why they haven’t is anyone’s guess, but may have to do
with hopes of selling limited edition cels based on movies that
didn’t really use cels.
Anyhow, Disney’s secret — wbich has been discussed on BIX for quite
awhile — is out. Apparently, Disney is unhappy with Pixar for spilling
the beans, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2561, from hmccracken, 832 chars, Mon Mar 30 17:41:55 1992
This is a comment to message 2553.
————————–
The Tex Avery on video list is great, Doug. I think it’s been mentioned
here that there are plans underway for a laserdisc collection of *all*
of Tex’s MGM works (although one wonders whether _Uncle Tom_ will be part
of this set).
As far as Ted Turner’s growing percentage of our cartoon heritage goes —
you’re absolutely right. Turner isn’t a purist (in fact, he delights in
annoying purists). As has been mentioned here. there are plans afoot
to recolor all the b&w cartoons owned by Turner, using the ghastly
Korean-slave-wage method.
I’m all for fans besieging Turner with letters about all this, but
I don’t think it will do much good. (Did Ted listen when Woody et al
complained about his tampering with live-action films?) Unfortunately,
we may just have to wait until all these films go into the
public domain.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2562, from bcapps, 176 chars, Tue Mar 31 02:06:57 1992
This is a comment to message 2548.
————————–
Rats! Guess we’ll have to keep combing the flea markets then. :-/ And I
SO wanted to get some more classic silent comedies on film. Who knows?
I’ve been lucky before!
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2563, from bcapps, 1999 chars, Tue Mar 31 02:27:08 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Alas, the result was Silence
It appears that the pressure of being “replaced” by drawings swayed the
votes such that “Beauty and the Beast” did not win, losing out to “Silence
of the Lambs,” the overall BIG winner with a sweep of the the top 4 (actor,
actress, director and picture) awards, a feat last repeated by “One Flew
over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1975. Beauty was a strong early favorite of most
critics (who, obviously, do not vote), but continuous remarks about a film
without actors and actresses on the screen seemed to underscore H’wood’s
caution about giving such a film its highest accolade. With computer
animation becoming more advanced, it appears that the Academy wants to
continue to recognize films that use real people as the actors and actresses,
not just as the voices, or the basis for the images. It is interesting to
note that the voice actors for B&B are getting much more recognition within
the industry, according to a USA Today article. Also, in the same paper,
it was predicted by one reviewer, that “Silence” would win, even in the
aftermath of the horrors perpetrated by Jeffrey Dahmer, since it had so many
redeeming qualities about it and that it was a very well produced film.
While it demonstrated some of mankind’s more horrific possibilities, it also
showed mankind’s more sensitive and diligent side, to illustrate that
although killers may walk among us, we fight daily to remove them from the
the general populace sometimes at great risks to ourselves and those around
us.
To end this note on a happier thing of the same name (note!), Jodie Foster
was quoted in (again) the USA Today as saying that the best thing is to be
nominated, which establishes the industry’s recognition of its best. The
awards ceremony might as well be a bingo game in which one of the five gets
lucky. The nomination is really the thing. The award is just winning the
popularity contest. So, while B&B did not win, they placed in some very
good company.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2564, from ianl, 425 chars, Tue Mar 31 03:24:13 1992
This is a comment to message 2563.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2563.
————————–
I’v seen several people make comments on TV or in print recently about
an animated feature not winning because it takes work away from actors.
Surely it takes just as many actors to make an animated feature? In fact,
it must take more people in general to make an animated feature than a
live-action movie. And, you’d think the academy of industry folks would
be well aware of that, even if some media pundits aren’t.
==========================
animation/main #2565, from jshook, 336 chars, Tue Mar 31 23:19:36 1992
This is a comment to message 2563.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, I think good animators *are* actors. They just act with
drawings rather than their bodies. But watch almost any
character from a well-animated film. That character is
acting–revealing character through movement and behavior, not
just by vocal inflections. And the drawings that create that
character didn’t just happen….
==========================
animation/main #2566, from davemackey, 225 chars, Wed Apr 1 04:58:00 1992
This is a comment to message 2564.
————————–
Sally Field made a seemingly tongue-in-cheek comment about that last night,
but I think she sort of let her anger show through that an animated feature
was considered for Best Picture.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2567, from davemackey, 311 chars, Fri Apr 3 16:20:14 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Bill Hendricks
William L. Hendricks, who produced Warner Bros. Cartoons in the late
1960’s, died on Sunday of a heart attack in Burbank, California at
the age of 87. Mr. Hendricks was also founder of Toys For Tots, which
gives toys to needy children at Christmastime. –Dave
.
add
==========================
animation/main #2568, from hmccracken, 147 chars, Fri Apr 3 22:53:11 1992
This is a comment to message 2567.
————————–
Thanks for the note, Dave. This may explain why I’ve seen Warner Bros.
characters used in advertisements for the Toys for Tots campaign.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2569, from olson, 71 chars, Sat Apr 4 21:56:28 1992
This is a comment to message 2436.
————————–
If true, not the first time Spielb. swiped something. Strange dude.
==========================
animation/main #2570, from drtoon, 547 chars, Tue Apr 7 19:51:45 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Cartoon Clubs
Does anyone know of a general sort of cartoon fan club? Oddly enough, I’m not
aware of any clubs for cartoon collectors as such. There are numerous clubs and
magazines for Japanese animation fans, fan clubs for specific characters like
Popeye, organizations for animators and industry people, several magazines for
cartoon collectors, many college animation clubs, and several computer bulletin
board services that have animation conferences.. but no generalized cartoon
clubs as such that I know of. Any ideas?
-Doug.
==========================
animation/main #2571, from hmccracken, 477 chars, Wed Apr 8 13:29:05 1992
This is a comment to message 2570.
————————–
Gee, I can’t think of any national cartoon clubs, Doug. There are probably
regional ones — _Animato_ was originally the newsletter of something
called the Cartoon RoundTable Organization of New England (CARTOONE).
The closest thing I can think of is the Animation Art Guild, which is
run by our own Pam and Mike Scoville (mscoville). But that’s an organization
for animation art collectors, not a “Cartoon Club.” There are also at
least two nationwide Disney clubs.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2572, from hmccracken, 464 chars, Wed Apr 8 23:12:51 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Aladdin_ Preview
The new video of Disney’s _101 Dalmatians_ includes a short, very
tantalizing preview for Disney’s _Aladdin_, scheduled to hit
theaters around Thanksgivingtime. You can’t tell all that much’from a trailer, but
the art style looks rather 40s-ish and perhaps a bit funnier than
most recent Disney features. The songs are by the _Little Mermaid_/
_Beuaty and the Beast_ team of Ashman and Menken. I’m already
looking forward to it!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2573, from hkenner, 133 chars, Thu Apr 9 00:14:33 1992
This is a comment to message 2560.
————————–
DDisney has *always* believed in keeping the public ignorant. Witness
all the long-ago misinformation about the Multiplane process.
==========================
animation/main #2574, from dano, 24 chars, Sat Apr 11 13:44:12 1992
This is a comment to message 2524.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Price? Ordering Adress?
==========================
animation/main #2575, from davemackey, 410 chars, Tue Apr 14 20:55:58 1992
This is a comment to message 2505.
————————–
I happened to watch “The Nutcracker Prince” today on HBO (today was
catch-up-on-feature-films-on-premium-channels day at work, I also watched
“Boyz N The Hood” during a staff meeting and something called “Lisa” on
Cinemax), and what struck me as unusual about the film was the two distinct
animation styles used. Sort of like Disney and UPA coexisting in the same
film.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2576, from hmccracken, 128 chars, Wed Apr 15 17:14:39 1992
This is a comment to message 2574.
————————–
I’ll have to check and see if I still have the press release I got
that information from, Dan; if I do, I’ll post it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2577, from olson, 12 chars, Thu Apr 16 04:47:48 1992
This is a comment to message 2565.
————————–
well said.
==========================
animation/main #2578, from davemackey, 345 chars, Fri Apr 17 19:07:17 1992
This is a comment to message 2572.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
While in the Suncoast in Jersey City the other day, I happened on the
“Aladdin” preview and what I saw was some of Disney’s most fanciful animation
in quite some time. I am hopeful that the remainder of the film (which I
would presume is still Being Drawn even as I write this) will be just as
enjoyable.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2579, from hmccracken, 237 chars, Sat Apr 18 00:35:13 1992
This is a comment to message 2578.
————————–
Well, Jerry Beck attended a press preview and raves about what he
saw — especially the Genie, who is voiced by Robin Williams.
Apparently, they let Robin ad lib like crazy, then did very literal
animation of whatever he said.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2580, from switch, 434 chars, Sat Apr 18 21:17:35 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
An interesting question was brought up in last week’s CBIX: just what does
a director of animation do? Given my penchant to overdo things, I decided
to to reply with a series of messages in animation/main, based on what I was
taught in school and on my own experiences, explaining how an animated film
is produced, from start to finish. Comments are definitely welcome, as my
experiences and classes are by no means complete.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2581, from switch, 1988 chars, Sat Apr 18 21:35:46 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The first step in any creative process is the initial idea. One of the first
rules I learned through experience is to write down whatever comes to mind,
ASAP>. More than a few really good ideas are lost or corrupted because I’ve
waited a few hours to commit pen to paper, or decided to refine a bit more.
I find it’s a good idea to just scribble furiously as the ideas come, and do
any weeding later.
After this, I try to write a detailed summary of what goes on in the film.
(My instructor stressed getting the story nailed down at this point, but that
seems to fly in the face of his later explanationon the use of storyboards.)
From here, I start storyboarding. We were taught to do storyboards on index
cards, since you can cram quite a bit of information into a 3″ x 5″ card.
(My sister has just smacked me on the head and told me to explain just what
storyboards are.) Storyboards are essentially the working outline of the film.
Generally, on each index card you have a quick sketch of the shot, an
explanation of what goes on in that shot, and maybe something to describe
any sound effects or dialogue. It’s also nice to show what camera movements
are going to be used for a particular shot. How detailed the storyboards are
is up to the creators, and to some degree dependent on how many people are
working on the film. When my partner Alan and I were working on _Academy
Leader Repairman_, we generally broke it down to one index card for every
major motion, since the film largely features the antics of this poor guy
trying to fix a broken Academy leader. On the other hand, when working on
storyboards for _Cyberjam_ for my grant application, there were a great deal
more since it involved many more camera moves, varying shots, etc.
Anyway, once you’ve got everything ‘boarded, you can lay them all out on
a table or pin them on a board and rearrange whole scenes to suit as you
work out the final details of the structure of the film.
To be continued…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2582, from switch, 1363 chars, Sat Apr 18 21:45:12 1992
This is a comment to message 2581.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I just got my hands on storyboard sheets — 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper
which allow for much more detailed storyboards, with explanations for timing,
length of a shot, dialogue, sound effects, etc. They don’t have the same
high portability rating as index cards and they’re not as easy to shuffle, but
it seems to allow for more clarity in the ‘boards themselves, even if you
leave half the sheet empty. I’m going to be ‘boarding _Fritter (Stella’s
Home)_ for someone else to animate with these, so I’ll see what advantages
or disadvantages they offer when the person using them isn’t the same person
who created them.
Now, somewhere along the line you’ve got to figure out where everything
goes. This is the layout stage, and depending on how you work can be done
before storyboarding, after, or not at all. This is where you figure out
how each “set” is going to be laid out. Most of the time in animation you’ll
never actually use a physical set, but you have to make sure everything’s
consistent. The table lamp’s always got to be in the same place, plugged into
the same socket, and stand at the same height, otherwise the viewer might
notice something’s up, which would detract from enjoyment of the film. None
of the films I’ve worked on have ever depended on layout, so I can’t offer
any opinions on the workings of the process.
To be continued
==========================
animation/main #2583, from switch, 769 chars, Sat Apr 18 21:52:47 1992
This is a comment to message 2582.
————————–
Last message for now (I’m composing this on the fly, and it shows): in the
process so far, a director would be overseeing the storyboards and layout,
making sure everything fits in with the overall vision of the film (be it his
or someone else’s). Everything he does here has an analogy to live-action
direction: a live-action director decides that a ceiling shot will be
effective, so he gets the camera rigged to the ceiling. An animation director
makes sure that the scene will be drawn from that angle. A live-action
director decides that the Addams family’s house has to have furnishings of a
certain period, so he gets the guys in props to find or build appropriate
furnishings; an animation director finds reference books or models and draws
sketches.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2584, from davemackey, 828 chars, Sun Apr 19 01:00:09 1992
This is a comment to message 2580.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I am looking forward to these messages, Emru. We will be looking forward to
these, and I’m sure I’ll have some thoughts… as I do now in struggling to
define “what is a director”.
The function of “Director” varied from studio to studio. At Warner
Bros., for example, the directors were intimately involved in every aspect of
their films, from start to finish. OTOH, though Dave Fleischer got direction
credits on every Fleischer Studios cartoon, evidence suggests that it was the
head animators (Doc Crandall, Seymour Kneitel, Myron Waldman, Willard Bowsky,
Dave Tendlar et.al.) who assumed most of the directorial duties. To picture
Dave Fleischer and Friz Freleng as having the same job because “Directed By”
appears in front of their name of animated film credits is pure folly.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2585, from hmccracken, 781 chars, Mon May 4 17:34:54 1992
This is a comment to message 2584.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Right. And even within studios, the job varied from director to director.
Chuck Jones drew hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures for each cartoon,
defining the acting and staging down to a very precise level. Jones’
layout drawings, from his own hand, were very close to the animation
that his animators eventually produced. On the other hand, Friz Freleng
left a lot of the drawing to his layout artist. Note also that for many
years at the Disney Studio, directors were carrying out the instructions
of Walt himself rather closely; it was only in later years that Disney
directors had a lot of independence.
(Of course, the above examples refer to studio animation: a director
of an independent animated film will almost certainly do much more of
the work himself.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2586, from davemackey, 692 chars, Mon May 4 20:45:53 1992
————————–
TITLE: You never know who you’ll run into
…at baseball card/comic book shows.
One of the vendors at the show held this past weekend in Seaview Square
Mall in Ocean Township, New Jersey, was none other than former Famous Studios
animator Gerry Dvorak, who was selling copies of his original art and prints
and collectors plates of famous baseball players.
Dvorak was also associated with Topps Chewing Gum, working with Woody
Gelman and other Paramount animators on designing trading cards. Throughout
the 50’s and 60’s he had many theatrical and TV screen credits on Paramount
cartoons, most prominently on the King Features Popeye series.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2587, from davemackey, 240 chars, Sun May 10 07:56:19 1992
This is a comment to message 2585.
————————–
Jerry Beck’s Tweety and Sylvester book reproduces some Freleng story roughs
which look absolutely brilliant, and it made me wish that they’d have worked
from those instead of Hawley Pratt’s cleanups.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2588, from davemackey, 496 chars, Thu May 28 20:32:40 1992
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Ben Frommer
Actor Ben Frommer died recently in Burbank at the age of 78.
Though the obituary in Variety noted a number of his film and TV
credits, it left out the fact that in the 1960’s, he got a couple of voice
credits for Warner Bros. cartoons, for films such as “I Was A Teenage Thumb”
and “Transylvania 6-5000” (where he played the vampire/bat who was ultimately
at the whims of Bugs’ spells of “abracadabra” and “hocus-pocus”).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2589, from switch, 239 chars, Fri May 29 00:20:36 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Mondo Flux
In case anyone’s interested, the latest issue of _Mondo 2000_
(with the Kennedy assassination cover) has an interview with the
creator of _Aeon Flux_, which has been featured on MTV’s _Liquid
TV_ for some time now.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2590, from ianl, 255 chars, Fri May 29 00:58:17 1992
This is a comment to message 2589.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hmmm, I’ve never heard of Mondo 2000, is it available at regular bookstores?
Speaking of Liquid Television, it seems that MTV has discontinued it. Does
anyone know whether it’s been totally cancelled, or are they just putting
together a new season?
==========================
animation/main #2591, from davemackey, 226 chars, Fri May 29 04:07:50 1992
This is a comment to message 2590.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2590.
————————–
No, Ian. I got the MTV June schedule at work, and it says that “Liquid
Television” is still on Sunday nights at 11:30 p.m., and yes, sometime this
summer there WILL be new installments.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2592, from switch, 272 chars, Fri May 29 09:01:53 1992
This is a comment to message 2590.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
_Mondo 2000_ is a magazine about fringe arts, cyberpunk, irresponsible
journalism, and having a good and wacky time. It’s easier to find
than it used to be, but it’s still a pain to track it down in
many areas. If you’re interested, I can always send you a copy.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2593, from ianl, 807 chars, Fri May 29 19:31:01 1992
This is a comment to message 2591.
————————–
Hmmm, maybe a change in the local tv listings supplements here then. I
looked a couple weeks in a row to see if Liquid TV had changed timeslots
or what, and couldn’t find it anywhere. Of course, these freebie tv listings
that come with the sunday papers are notoriously innaccurate, I might’ve
just picked a couple weeks where they blew it on the LTV listing.
Actually, this is good news to me, because I had wanted to tape a full
set of LTV espisodes in high-quality speed. Right now I only have about
half of them in tape-saving speed, and the last one (with the complete
Aeon Flux) in high-quality speed.
Of course, it’s also good news that there’ll be new ones this summer. I
really like LTV, everything from the slick shorts to the really low-quality
(but funny) things like Cut-up Camera.
==========================
animation/main #2594, from ianl, 293 chars, Fri May 29 19:32:40 1992
This is a comment to message 2592.
————————–
Hmmm, if it’s even semi-rare, that means I have to run down to The Tatterred
Cover (the biggest bookstore I’ve ever seen anywhere). I’ve been considering
a run down there anyway, it’s all the way across town (35 miles or so) but
it’s well worth the trip if you’ve got a few bucks to blow.
==========================
animation/main #2595, from mscoville, 581 chars, Sat May 30 00:16:59 1992
————————–
TITLE: Thief & Cobbler Update
As was reported earlier, there is a problem with Richard Williams’ The Thief
and the Cobbler. It has been taken over by the Completion Bond Company for going
way over budget. According to the company there less than ten minutes that have
to be finished for the movie to be complete. The expected running time will be
78 minutes. The animation will be completed in both Los Angeles and London. Plans call for the film to be completed by
the end of the year. Warner Bros. will
still be the U.S. distributor, but no release date has slated. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2597, from hmccracken, 116 chars, Sat May 30 22:39:41 1992
This is a comment to message 2596.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Did something odd happen to your formatting, Emru — or are you using
a 132-column terminal or something?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2598, from switch, 43 chars, Sat May 30 22:48:02 1992
This is a comment to message 2597.
————————–
Whoops! Thanks, I’ll clear that up.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2599, from switch, 3217 chars, Sat May 30 22:57:02 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Here we go…
A bit more on how animation is put together, from personal
experience…
From this point, we have a lot of options. We could do the
soundtrack of the film first, or go ahead and do an exposure
sheet (also called a dope sheet) beforehand. Just for the heck
of it, we’ll tackle the soundtrack last.
An exposure or dope sheet is one of the most important parts of
any structured animation project. A dope sheet is a
frame-by-frame breakdown of everything that will be happening in
your animation. A dope sheet is just lined paper, broke n into
columns. It can be as simple as one column for the frame number,
one column a brief description of what’s going on, and one column
to indicate which drawing will be shot for this frame… or it
can be a more complicated affair, with several columns to
indicate which cel will be at which layer for a particular frame,
several columns to indicate var ious tracks for the sound, space
to indicate beats for sound or references for motion,
instructions for the cameraman, and so on.
Generally speaking, dope sheets start out simply with little
notes or sketches for the animator or director to refer to as
he/they work everything out. Example: let’s just say we’re
working on a dope sheet for _Academy Leader Repairman_
(actually, we never did, but that’s a different story.) The film
starts with an Academy Leader doing its countdown, from eight
until three. When it hits the number three, the “needle” slows
down, grinds to a halt, and then bends out of shape. After a
pause, the title fades in, sits there, and fades out.
We’re doing this animation at 12 frames per second, so I would
mark off frames one through twelve for the number 8, 13 through
24 for 7, 25 through 36 for 6, and so on. Once that’s done, I’d
write “Academy Leader Countdown” across that p age, so that the
directors (Alan and I) and the animator (Alan) would no what we
had planned, even if we look at it a y ear later. When we get to
the point where the needle breaks down, we’d get more detailed.
Since the needle is decelerating, it’ll take more than a second
for it to make its partial revolution. We could figure out how
many frames we expect it to take (I would do this my making the
sound effect of something slowing down, and time it), then fill
in the correct amount of frames. “Needle slows down” would be
written into the description, and an curved line would indicate
deceleration on the far right. In the sound effects column we’d
fill in “something winding down”, so’d we’d remember what sound
effect to hunt for or create later. We’d then indicate the frame
where the needle gets bent out of shape (and the sound effect it
creates), and how many frames we want it to sit there (about
thirty seconds). After five seconds, we want the title to fade
in over two seconds, stay there for fifteen seconds, and then
fade out over another two seconds. So we’d write that in for the
appropriate frames as well, maybe graphically indicating the fade
in, hold, and fade out.
Bear in mind that this is just the opening to a two-and-a-half
minute film, and you can see why we decided to just chuck the
exposure sheet in favor of a Hallowe’en party.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2600, from hmccracken, 217 chars, Sun May 31 21:08:07 1992
This is a comment to message 2599.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Interesting stuff, Emru. I believe that the exposure sheet — not
surprisingly — was created at the Disney studio sometime in the
early 1930s. And I’ve never heard them referred to as “Dope sheets”
before.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2601, from switch, 135 chars, Sun May 31 22:21:28 1992
This is a comment to message 2600.
————————–
I learned both terms simultaneously, and use them interchangeably.
(‘course, I can’t remember exactly _who_ gave me which term.)
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2602, from davemackey, 268 chars, Mon Jun 1 05:55:37 1992
————————–
TITLE: She didn’t win…
The voice of The Little Mermaid, Jodi Benson, failed in her attempt to win a
Tony award for her role in “Crazy For You.” The award for Best Actress In A
Musical went to Faith Prince of “Guys And Dolls.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2603, from hmccracken, 516 chars, Wed Jun 3 23:57:56 1992
————————–
TITLE: Mark Your Calendars…
Next Tuesday’s 10pm EDT animation CBIX will be a very special event.
Doug Ranney, proprietor of Whole Toon Access, will be our special
guest. Most of you know that Doug is on BIX as drtoon and in his
real life is the man behind the Whole Toon Catalog, an outstanding
and comprehensive mail order catalog of animation videos, books,
and other merchandise. His work has made him an expert on these
subjects, and on Tuesday we’ll take the opportunity to pick his
brains on them!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2604, from hmccracken, 435 chars, Sat Jun 6 16:12:59 1992
————————–
TITLE: Cartoon Art Museum in Limbo
As has been reported here in the past, the Museum of Carton Art is
planning to move from its Rye Brook, New York home to a Florida
location. I heard recently that they will be shutting down in
New York later this month, but there is no definite schedule for
relocating to Florida, and no definite new location in mind. It’s
a nice museum, and I hope it doesn’t somehow die in this process.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2605, from hmccracken, 706 chars, Fri Jun 12 00:45:45 1992
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Martin Goodman
Martin Goodman died in West Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday, after a
long illness. He was 84. In the 1930s, Goodman founded the comic
book-publishing company that at different times has been known as
Timely Comics, Atlas Comics, and today is Marvel Comics. The
obituary in the Boston Herald seems to suggest that Goodman created
Captain America, but I’ve never heard any indication before that he
was involved in the creative end of his publications.
Goodman sold Marvel in the 1960s, I believe, and was last visible
in the mid-1970s, when he founded another comics company, also
called Atlas, to compete directly with Marvel. The Atlas line lasted
only briefly.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2606, from hmccracken, 686 chars, Fri Jun 12 00:49:49 1992
————————–
TITLE: Tuesday’s Special Animation CBIX with Whole Toon’s Doug Ranney…
ranked high on the enthusiuasm and interest level scales — lots of
folks showed up and asked Doug lots of interesting questions —
but BIX technical snafus interfered with the evening several times
and prevented everyone who would have liked to attend from participating
fully.
Forunately, Doug has expressed his willingness to try again, and if folks
are interested, we can do a second session with him. Doug’s also here
on BIX as drtoon — you can ask him questions here in the conference
or via BIXmail.
Thanks for participating in the CBIX, Doug — despite the BIX foul-ups,
it was a lot of fun!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2607, from davemackey, 2302 chars, Sat Jun 13 01:14:29 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Gone, but not forgotten…
At the recent Screen Cartoonists Local 839 banquet, the program made note of
a number of animation luminaries who passed away in the last twelve months,
many of which have not been reported here. In summation, we lost a hell of a
lot of talent this past year. In addition to the more well-publicized
passings of the Art Babbitts and the Grim Natwicks, these men and women have
also slipped into the night, and we honor their achievements here as we were
not able to in a more timely fashion. In alphabetical order…
ED BARGE, one of Bill and Joe’s Tom And Jerry team at M-G-M…
BOB CARLSON, veteran of the Disney studio…
GERRY CHINIQUY, animator for WB and later director for DePatie-Freleng
and Marvel Productions…
STEVE CLARK, a Hanna-Barbera storyboard artist…
DON DAGRADI, background man at Disney…
PAUL FENNELL, a longtime industry fixture as animator and director; in
fact two of the artists who worked with him on Popeye cartoons in the 1960’s
also left us, JEAN BLANCHARD (also with WB) and GEORGE ROWLEY (also with
Disney),,,
FLORENCE FINKELHOR, inker/painter with Warner Bros…
BOB GOE, director for Hanna-Barbera…
FRED GRABLE, animator with UPA…
RUTH KISSANE, highly regarded animator…
AL KOUZEL, Terrytoons designer/artist and more recently director with
Marvel Productions…
HICKS LOKEY, animator with Fleischer and Hanna-Barbera…
DICK LUNDY, one of the animators who brought Disney’s “The Three Little
Pigs” to life, director for Walter Lantz and M-G-M, and a longtime
Hanna-Barbera animator…
LANCE NOLLEY, layout artist for Disney and on many TV cartoons…
KEN O’BRIEN, Disney and Lantz animator…
MIKE SEKOWSKY, whose career encompassed both animation and comics…
ED SOLOMON, best known as an animator for Filmation…
SANDY STROTHER, an animator for Disney studios…
NOEL TUCKER, one of the industry’s most prolific layout men…
GORDON WHITTIER, animator for Famous Studios…
ADRIAN WOOLERY, one of the charter employees of the company that became
UPA; also operator of the Playhouse Pictures studio…
and RUDY ZAMORA, animator for Fleischer and Lantz among many others.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2608, from hmccracken, 346 chars, Sat Jun 13 12:51:42 1992
This is a comment to message 2607.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That’s terrible! I didn’t know about most of these deaths, and I think
few if any even made it into _Variety_. While some of the names you
list aren’t familiar to me, others were major talents. Dick Lundy,
especially — one of the finest Disney animators of the 1930s, then
a director who made fine cartoons for Disney, Lantz and MGM.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2609, from davemackey, 363 chars, Sun Jun 14 16:46:43 1992
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: John Myhers
John Myhers, actor in television, film and stage, died on May 27 of pneumonia
in Los Angeles. In addition to his credits in these media, including a long
run in the national touring company of “The Sound Of Music,” Myhers was also
the voice of Hector Heathcote in the Terrytoons of the 1960’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2610, from hmccracken, 837 chars, Mon Jun 15 22:00:24 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Animato_ Names New Editor
_Animato_ magazine, the oldest U.S. magazine on animation (it will
turn ten years old next Spring), has named G. Michael Dobbs as
Editor. Dobbs, who has written a column for _Animato_ for many
years, succeeds _Animato_ founder Mike Ventrella. Ventrella edited
issues #1-#14; Harry McCracken (Hey! That’s me!) did #15-#21;
and Ventrella returned for the most recent issue, #22.
Having spoken with Mike Dobbs about his plans for _Animato_, I’m
quite enthusiastic about the magazine’s prospects. Mike plans
to do his darndest to get the magazine out on a quarterly schedule —
something it hasn’t met in many years — and has some exciting plans
for future issues. For instance, issue #24, due out in December,
will have an interview with Ray Harryhausen and a painted cover
by Steve Bissette.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2611, from switch, 33 chars, Mon Jun 15 23:01:46 1992
This is a comment to message 2610.
There are additional comments to message 2610.
————————–
Wow! That’s great, Harry!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2612, from davemackey, 247 chars, Tue Jun 16 19:02:03 1992
This is a comment to message 2610.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, congratulations to Michael Dobbs on his appointment. Please make sure
he has my address/phone number, and I regret (in retrospect) not giving Mike
Ventrella anything for his one and only return issue.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2613, from davemackey, 1098 chars, Tue Jun 16 19:02:32 1992
This is a comment to message 2608.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Of course, the death that broke my heart the biggest was that of the great
Gerry Chiniquy. He was perhaps Friz Freleng’s best animator during his glory
years at Warner Bros. (no small feat in a unit which also included Virgil
Ross, Art Davis, Ken Champin, Manny Perez and Art Leonardi), and was one of
the few animators in the 50’s who got to solo on a cartoon, 1955’s “Pappy’s
Puppy.” In fact, you could also count “Three Little Bops” for which Chiniquy
shared credit with then-assistant Bob Matz.
It’s interesting that Chiniquy’s first appearance on a Warner Bros.
cartoon was a live action role: he played the director who orders Porky Pig
thrown off a soundstage in “You Ought To Be In Pictures”; later in 1940 he
got his first screen credit for “Sport Chumpions.” He later became a primary
director, with Hawley Pratt, of the Pink Panther cartoons and worked on most
of the DePatie-Freleng series, theatrical and television, then worked for
Warner Bros. and later Marvel Prods. in the 80’s, closing out his career on a
rather undistinguished note.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2614, from hmccracken, 48 chars, Wed Jun 17 23:14:54 1992
This is a comment to message 2613.
————————–
Yes, the great Gerry will be missed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2615, from hmccracken, 307 chars, Wed Jun 17 23:16:15 1992
This is a comment to message 2612.
————————–
I will be trying to help Mike Dobbs in this transitional period,
seeing as it falls pretty close on the heels of my own tenure
as Animato’s editor. One additional Animato tidbit: the magazine
is about to incorporate as a Massachusetts non-profit organization,
with Yrs. Truly as a Vice President.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2616, from hmccracken, 424 chars, Sat Jun 20 18:41:32 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Warners Great Sues Collector
Virgil Ross, one of the great animators who worked in Friz Freleng’s
unit at Warner Bros., is suing Steve Schneider, author of the book
_That’s All, Folks!_ over 2,100 cels which Ross originally owned
and are now in Schneider’s possession. Apparently, Schneider is of
the belief that Ross gave him the cels, while Ross says they were
merely lent to Schneider for a museum show.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2617, from davemackey, 138 chars, Sun Jun 21 02:14:32 1992
This is a comment to message 2616.
————————–
Makes one wonder if Schneider had any similar arrangements with any other
Warner Bros. artists…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2618, from davemackey, 371 chars, Fri Jun 26 19:31:09 1992
————————–
TITLE: Bleier no longer WB-Anim’s top guy
As part of a restructuring that will have him focusing his energies on the
studio’s cable TV and pay-per-view strategies, Edward Bleier has been
relieved of all executive responsibility for Warner Bros. Animation.
This means that Jean H. MacCurdy is now WB’s top animation executive.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2619, from mscoville, 640 chars, Fri Jun 26 19:47:53 1992
————————–
TITLE: New Movie
August 28th, 1992 will see a new premiere of an animated feature called Freddie
FRO. It is about the adventures of a frog detective. Having seen just a few
minutes of the film I cannot say how it will go over, but I did see that they
have spent money on the “old” style of animation. It is lush, detailed, and I
think beautiful. The director is Jon Acevski and it was done in England under
The Hollywood Road Film Production banner. There is a character in the film
called Nessie who will be a favorite of everyone. With Freddie and Pinocchio
opening, we now have at least 2 animated films to enjoy this summer.
mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2620, from hmccracken, 911 chars, Thu Jul 2 20:57:03 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Changes in _New Yorker_ cartoons?
By now, you may have heard about the changing of the guard at _The
New Yorker_: Tina Brown, editor of the flashy and gossipy _Vanity
Fair_ is replacing Robert Gottlieb. As a comics fan, I’m wondering
how this will effect those _New Yorker_ cartoons (which have been
the main reason to pick up the magazine for a long time).
One article on the editorial change quoted Brown as allowing that
at least some of the magazine’s cartoons were kind of stale. Actu
ally, I think that the quality went up a notch or two under
Gottlieb (though it should be noted that Lee Lorenz has been
the magazine’s cartoon editor for almost twenty years).
Tina Brown will doubtless be putting her own imprint on the
magazine, and it will be interesting to see if it extends to
the cartoons. (Which raises in my mind the horrifying image
of a nude, pregnant Eustace Tilley. Eek!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2621, from sharonfisher, 117 chars, Fri Jul 3 13:13:51 1992
This is a comment to message 2620.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>nude, pregnant Eustace Tilley
If that’s the top-hatted guy, it’s already happened; I saw it in the
Chronicle today.
==========================
animation/main #2622, from hmccracken, 66 chars, Fri Jul 3 20:08:42 1992
This is a comment to message 2621.
————————–
Yup, that’s Eustace! I guess the gag is an obvious one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2623, from mscoville, 707 chars, Fri Jul 3 21:32:18 1992
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TITLE: Beauty & The Beast
It is not official, but Sotheby’s & Disney have announced that they will be
auctioning off the backgrounds and “created cels” from the movie “Beauty &
The Beast”. The only rarity factor will be the backgrounds, which from what
I seen are truly gorgeous. They have actually put up some of the better bgs.
instead of the generic washes that they have auctioned from Mermaid. They are
going to hold the auction at the El Capitan Theatre in LA. The reason is that
they have had complaints from west coast bidders that all the auctions have
been on the east coast. Also, Disney put some $30 million in restoring the
theatre. It is where the world premiere of B & B happened. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2624, from switch, 887 chars, Sat Jul 4 22:10:42 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Pinocchio
I finally saw _Pinocchio_, this last Wednesday. While the movie
was technically excellent – and I can watch the whole thing, which
I can’t do with some other Disney movies (_Snow White_ comes to
mind), I can’t say as I liked the execution of the story itself.
Some bits of business I felt were a bit too self-indulgent; Jiminy
Cricket’s comments were sometimes irritating; and, lastly, how
the heck did Gepetto get inside Monstro, along with Figaro and
Cleo (in her fishbowl, no less?) That bit with the note coming
out of the sky, informing Pinocchio and J.C. of Gepetto’s fate
seemed a bit contrived, too.
Oh, yes – the incredible sight of Monstro heaving himself out
of the water was diminished by the accompanying sound effects.
It just sounded like lots of water splashing. Where’s the bass?
Where’s the rumble I can feel in the bottom of my seat? Pity.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2625, from switch, 62 chars, Sat Jul 4 22:11:11 1992
This is a comment to message 2624.
There are additional comments to message 2624.
————————–
Lampwick’s transformation was pretty scary, I must say.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2626, from hmccracken, 830 chars, Sun Jul 5 00:14:42 1992
This is a comment to message 2624.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hmmm. While I’ve heard a number of criticisms of _Pinocchio_’s
story (among them that it’s unclear if the tale is stretched over
one day or several years), none of them matter to me. What makes
the film Disney’s, and perhaps animation’s, crowning accomplishment
to me is its emotional impact — Gepetto’s love for his son is
*real*, as are Pinocchio’s heroism, Stromboli’s evil, and everything
else in the film. The whole thing comes from the heart — something
that can’t be said about many contemporary animated films, Disney
or otherwise.
That it’s technically superb, has some of the greatest animation and
songs ever, and is never boring don’t hurt either. And that scene
in which Honest John, Gideon and the Coachman meet in a smoke-filled
tavern is for me the greatest couple of minutes in any animated feature.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2627, from hmccracken, 908 chars, Sun Jul 5 22:08:12 1992
This is a comment to message 2626.
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There are additional comments to message 2626.
————————–
Just got back from seeing _Pinocchio_ myself, and kudos are in order
for Disney — they released it in the correct, squarish ratio this time.
Usually, re-releases of early Disney cartoons are squashed into a
rectangular format that fills the screen but cuts off the edges of the
original film. I can’t remember if this is the first time they’ve preserved
the original ratio — the recent re-release of _Fantasia_ may have done
it as well.
On the box-office front, I’m sorry to say that the showing I attended
was pretty empty. It was a 7pm Sunday showing, which may not be a crowded
time in general. The success of this reissue of _Pinocchio_ will be
worth following for two reasons: the film has traditionally been the
least financially successful of classic Disney features in re-release,
and this is the first time that a Disney feature has returned to
theaters after being available on video.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2628, from ianl, 624 chars, Mon Jul 6 19:43:36 1992
This is a comment to message 2627.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2627.
————————–
I’m pretty sure the video release of Fantasia was done with what a friend
of mine used to call Pan-o-vision. I’m not sure if that’s a real term or
just his name for it, but it means basically that a camera was panned around
the around Cinemascope version, centering on what the remake director thinks
is the center of action, and chopping off the rest of the view.
There’s a couple places in the video Fantasia where the action looks a
bit jerky, as if the panning motion combined with the apparent onscreen
motion of the scene combined in a bad way, making it looks like panning was
done in a set of discrete steps.
==========================
animation/main #2629, from switch, 37 chars, Mon Jul 6 22:04:09 1992
This is a comment to message 2626.
————————–
Yes. That scene is excellent.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2630, from switch, 170 chars, Mon Jul 6 22:04:55 1992
This is a comment to message 2627.
————————–
_Fantasia_ did have the original ratio…
Our showing was about normal for a Disney feature in the late afternoon,
at that cinema. Some really cute kids, though.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2631, from mscoville, 684 chars, Fri Jul 10 21:54:10 1992
This is a comment to message 2628.
————————–
The problem is that the ratio of the TV screen and the movie screen are 2
diametrically opposed measurements. This is one of the main reasons why HDTV
will be welcomed by the viewing world in that they will be able to see the same
ratio of film to screen, thus seeing the entire image. At present, we lose
about 20% on each side of the film and about the same for the top and bottom.
The floating optical printer moves around the image at the will of the editor.
In today’s films, one will see a credit for a video consultant whose job it is
to advise on how much of scenes will be cut off from view so they can make the
film and not lose a lot when it transfer to video. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2632, from nicolas, 300 chars, Tue Jul 14 13:50:45 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Disney Animation
I found a copy of the book _Disney Animation : the illusion of
Life_ by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston at a book store. It’s
a book published in 1981. I bought it right away although it was
a bit expensive. Anyone here know about this book?
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2633, from switch, 191 chars, Tue Jul 14 19:38:48 1992
This is a comment to message 2632.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Read it. It’s an excellent book on the history of the Disney studio by
two of Disney’s Nine Old Men. It contains many wonderful illustrations,
and it’s an easy (though lengthy) read.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2634, from nicolas, 323 chars, Wed Jul 15 02:00:48 1992
This is a comment to message 2633.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
So I noticed. I have flipped through it once now. Amazed at the detail
of the illustrations. I especially like the neat trick of using the
top right of the page to illustrate animation by flipping fast the
pages.
I will definitely watch my Disney video’s again with this book in
hand.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2635, from hmccracken, 761 chars, Wed Jul 15 10:05:57 1992
This is a comment to message 2634.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It’s a really good book, with especially great illustrations. One thing
to keep in mind, though, is that it’s a history of Disney animation
written by two Disney animators. This has both good and bad points:
they have a unique, up-close perspective on what they’re writing
about, but they aren’t very objective. The book has been criticized
for not giving Fred Moore, Bill Tytla and Art Babbitt their due.
Coincidentally or uncoincidentally, these three animators all left
the Disney studio (unlike the Nine Old Men, who spent their entire
careers at Disney).
It’s still a great book, though, and if you like it, seek out the
other Johnston/Thomas books: _Too Funny for Words_ (a book on Disney
humor) and _Bambi_ (a book on the making of the film).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2636, from dick_miller, 687 chars, Thu Jul 16 02:50:12 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Help
I’ve been asked to talk about/demonstrate a little about animation for some
kids taking a computer camp in early Aug. I’m really ignorant, had just
made a couplke comments about the impact of computers on the field —
pointed to Beauty and the Beast and The Last Starfighter as contrasted with
the Hanna-Barbera-type stuff. They asked how animation was done and I made
a reference to flip cards (like in the old arcades). Now I’m supposed to
do something.
There’s no budget. Is there anything (share or freeware) quickly available
(for Macs, since that’s what they’ll be using) that would let
11-to-13-year-olds do a little really basic stuff? Or am I comitting
heresy?
==========================
animation/main #2637, from hmccracken, 373 chars, Thu Jul 16 09:54:00 1992
This is a comment to message 2636.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Dick —
With luck, someone more up-to-date on Mac shareware than I am will
be able to point you in the right direction. But here’s a possible
alternative, if nothing else is to be found: I used to use HyperCard
to do simple animation by creating a sequence of cards that formed
an animation, then flipping through them rapidly. It isn’t elegant,
but it does work.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #2638, from dick_miller, 207 chars, Sat Jul 18 01:18:37 1992
This is a comment to message 2637.
————————–
I hadn’t thought of that. I’d been thinking of draw programs–printing the
sequences–pasting to posterboard or card stock–cutting apart–generating
primitive flip books. Hypercard makes much more sense.
==========================
animation/main #2639, from erethakbe, 169 chars, Sat Jul 18 13:43:19 1992
This is a comment to message 2635.
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————————–
Interesting. I’ve got it, and I thought it did fine by Bill Tytla.
Obviously it only deals with his time with them, but they say
very nice things about him in the book.
==========================
animation/main #2640, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Sat Jul 18 19:54:30 1992
This is a comment to message 2639.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Actually, as I think it over, the book treats Tytla pretty well.
But it’s pretty patronizing towards Fred Moore (without whom,
there might not *be* Disney animation), and Art Babbitt *really*
gets the short shrift. This isn’t anything intentional on
the part of Mssrs. Johnston and Thomas — they just are looking
at things from their own particular perspective. Their book
devotes a lot of space to 1977’s _The Rescuers_ and calls it
one of the best of all Disney films — a conclusion very few
people who didn’t work on it would come to.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2641, from davemackey, 219 chars, Sun Jul 19 15:44:45 1992
This is a comment to message 2640.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, Fred Moore died at his peak, so there is no excuse… but perhaps there
was still bad blood on the part of Thomas and Johnston against Babbitt, and I
think we all know why.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2642, from hkenner, 93 chars, Sun Jul 19 18:11:31 1992
This is a comment to message 2641.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2641.
————————–
Dave– Please spell out why. (I am not being ironic. Faithful reader
seeks light.) –HK.
==========================
animation/main #2643, from hmccracken, 174 chars, Sun Jul 19 23:38:58 1992
This is a comment to message 2642.
————————–
I suspect Dave is referring to the fact that Mr. Babbitt was one
of the leaders of the 1941 strike against Disney, and Mr.
Thomas and Mr. Johnston did not strike.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2644, from hmccracken, 170 chars, Sun Jul 19 23:41:37 1992
This is a comment to message 2641.
————————–
Actually, even though Moore died quite young, he was already in
decline, as witness the fact that he had left Disney for
lesser studios like the Lantz studio.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2645, from dick_miller, 280 chars, Wed Jul 22 03:10:40 1992
————————–
TITLE: Motion Maker
I just received a shareware animator for the Mac called Motion Maker.
My daughter and I would perhaps like to use it to show simple animation
while doing a kids’ computer camp. Its documentation is sparse and
doesn’t hand-hold. Is anyone familiar with it?
==========================
animation/main #2646, from davemackey, 1668 chars, Thu Jul 23 09:20:53 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Rudolf Ising
Rudolf Ising, co-producer of the first “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie
Melodies” cartoons with Hugh Harman and founder of the M-G-M
Cartoon Studios, died on Saturday in Newport Beach, California,
of cancer.
Ising started out with Walt Disney in the 1920’s at Kansas
City Film Ad, working on his earliest animated features, including
“Laugh-O-Grams,” “Alice In Cartoonland” and “Oswald.” By the end
of the 1920’s, Ising and his new partner Hugh Harman were in
business for themselves.
Their 1929 pilot film “Bosko The Talk-Ink Kid” was the first
animated sound film with dialogue as opposed to just music and
sound effects. This three-minute film was bought by Leon Schlesinger,
then head of Pacific Art And Title, and the two were contracted to
produce 13 similar films for Warner Bros.
That series of 13 films, the first Looney Tunes, eventually
became the core of an international cartoon empire featuring the
later creations Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
When Schlesinger would not accommodate Harman and Ising’s
demands for higher production budgets, they left Warner Bros. and
opened a cartoon operation at M-G-M. While at M-G-M, Ising won an
Academy Award for “The Milky Way” and created Barney Bear.
After the middle 1940’s, Ising was no longer a player in the
theatrical cartoon industry, working on television and commercial
projects until his retirement in the 1970’s.
An obituary of Ising in The New York Times reported his age
as 80, but this would seem a little impossible since he would be
working with Walt Disney in Kansas City at the age of 11 or 12.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2647, from davemackey, 189 chars, Thu Jul 23 10:36:02 1992
This is a comment to message 2646.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
…The age of 80 is incorrect. Steve Schneider’s “That’s All Folks”
cites his birthdate as 1903, making him either 88 or 89 at the time of
his death.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2648, from hmccracken, 43 chars, Thu Jul 23 14:24:32 1992
This is a comment to message 2647.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That sounds much more plausible.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2649, from davemackey, 102 chars, Fri Jul 24 19:57:38 1992
This is a comment to message 2648.
————————–
We checked further, and the AP obituary listed his age as 88.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2650, from davemackey, 468 chars, Mon Jul 27 20:17:47 1992
————————–
TITLE: Happy birthday…
Now you didn’t think I was going to let Bugs Bunny’s 52nd birthday go by
without saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to that cwazy wabbit, did ya? 😉
Bugs’ date of birth derives from the release date of Tex Avery’s Merrie
Melodie “A Wild Hare,” on July 27, 1940. This cartoon is generally regarded
as the first “true” Bugs, since other directors had worked with a formative
version of the character in the past.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2651, from davemackey, 352 chars, Sun Aug 9 07:10:16 1992
————————–
TITLE: The “legacy” Of Raymond Scott
Sony, through its Epic Legacy imprint, is going to be doing a comprehensive
reissue of the work of Raymond Scott. Marketing for the project will
spotlight his contributions to the soundtracks of Warner Bros. cartoons
through such tunes as “Powerhouse” and “The Toy Trumpet.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2652, from hkenner, 163 chars, Sun Aug 9 22:14:33 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Jones in Times
Today’s (Sunday) NYTimes, Entertainment section, has an excellent long
interview with Chuck Jones, 80, re his current and future plans.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2653, from davemackey, 197 chars, Mon Aug 10 19:01:50 1992
————————–
TITLE: Belated happy birthday
A few days late, but happy 85th birthday on Saturday to one of the all-time
great animators, Virgil Ross, born August 8, 1907.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2654, from davemackey, 234 chars, Mon Aug 10 19:01:53 1992
————————–
TITLE: Friz immortalized in cement
Just heard that Friz Freleng is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
this month, in a ceremony that will be held around the time of his 86th
birthday.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2655, from davemackey, 315 chars, Wed Aug 12 19:04:08 1992
This is a comment to message 2652.
————————–
Hugh–
I happened to read the article and it was especially nice to see that
Chuck is “going like 60 at 80” and in good spirits and still furthering his
art. (Chuck isn’t actually 80 yet, that will happen in September.)
BTW, how is your book on Jones coming along?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2656, from switch, 1524 chars, Wed Aug 12 21:52:50 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Animation Journal is a magazine discussing animation in an
academic manner. In the first issue, articles include
“Resistance and Subversion in Animated Films of the Nazi Era: The
Case of Hans FischerKoesen”, a fascinating peek at the German
animation industry during the Nazi era; “The Development of
Animated TV Commercials in the 1940s”; “Animated TV Ads of the
1940s: A Guide to Studios”; “Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, Is Disney High
or Low? From Silly Cartoons to Postmodern Politics”, which proves
that PoMo essays cast interesting new points of view on familiar
subjects, but should really be read with a healthy dose of
Tylenol or a stiff drink within easy reach; reviews of American
Animated Films: The Silent Era, Emile Cohl, Caricature, and Film,
and The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons; an interesting
“Diagrammatic Script” that was sent out as promotional material
for Mr. Bug Goes to Town. The magazine is clearly targeted at
education institutions, with a price of $20 US for a one-year
(two-issue) subscription, but it can certainly claim to have
information no other magazine has. If you don’t want to spend
that kind of money yourself, convince your local
school/library/ASIFA chapter to get it.
Subscriptions for one year (two issues):
Individual Institution
California $21.55 $43.10
US outside CA $20.00 $40.00
Canada/Mexico $25.00 $45.00
Everywhere else $30.00 $50.00
Animation Journal, AJ Press, 2011 Kingsboro Circle, Tustin, CA
92680-6733.
==========================
animation/main #2657, from davemackey, 233 chars, Thu Aug 13 00:07:32 1992
This is a comment to message 2656.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Can I politely ask you what they thought of the Cohl book? I read it recently
and found it to be one of the best-written, but least-engrossing, books about
anyone who ever worked in animation.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2658, from switch, 376 chars, Fri Aug 21 22:15:10 1992
This is a comment to message 2657.
————————–
Sorry it took so long to reply, I had to find _AJ_ again (it’s
rather small, and my room is still a bit out of sorts.) Here’s
a sample: “It is a very readable book and provides perhaps the
best example of book-length animation scholarship available. At
the very least, its filmography should be adapted as a model for
future animation research.”
Guess they liked it.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2659, from davemackey, 336 chars, Fri Aug 21 22:15:46 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy Birthday Friz: 86 Looney Years
Let’s light lots of candles… today is Isadore “Friz” Freleng’s 86th
birthday. I don’t think there’s a person the world over who isn’t familiar
with the characters he’s created and worked with, from Porky Pig to The
Pink Panther. Happy Birthday, Friz!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2660, from dick_miller, 46 chars, Sat Aug 22 00:35:51 1992
This is a comment to message 2659.
There are additional comments to message 2659.
————————–
And he just got his star on Hollywood’s Walk!
==========================
animation/main #2661, from hmccracken, 41 chars, Sat Aug 22 09:28:09 1992
This is a comment to message 2659.
————————–
Happy birthday, Show Biz Friz!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2662, from davemackey, 967 chars, Tue Aug 25 19:22:24 1992
————————–
TITLE: Lenburg revisited
I finally got my hands on a copy of the revised edition of Jeff Lenburg’s
“Encyclopedia Of Animated Cartoon Series.” Lenburg’s foreword and
acknowledgements give the impression that this book is never, ever going to
be updated again.
What a shame. A cursory glance through the book reveals that for all the
extra research that has been done, including new sections on animated
feature films and television specials, and the addition of a decade’s worth
of television series, there are still errors, misspellings, mistitlings,
general sloppiness (“THE American Tail,” indeed) and just plain incomplete
research (how hard is it to look at the titles of “Never Bug An Ant” and see
that it reads 1969 instead of 1966?)
Mr. Lenburg should prepare himself for a hefty list of corrections and
enlightenments from this corner. And maybe he should change his mind about
producing yet another edition.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2663, from dano, 130 chars, Sat Sep 12 23:25:09 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Hey,
Would we let the Rescuers’ 15th anniversary go by without saying HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to those two mice now, would we???
==========================
animation/main #2664, from hkenner, 131 chars, Sun Sep 13 20:12:01 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Chouinard?
What is known of Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles, which Chuck Jones
attended at the end of the 1920’s?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2665, from davemackey, 90 chars, Sun Sep 13 20:50:34 1992
This is a comment to message 2663.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Good idea, Dan! Happy anniversary, Bernard and Bianca! 🙂
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2666, from davemackey, 286 chars, Sun Sep 13 21:01:58 1992
This is a comment to message 2664.
There are additional comments to message 2664.
————————–
Well, the school survives today as California Institute Of The Arts, or
CalArts for short. It was also a training ground for most of the Disney staff
of the 1930’s, and the school’s most noted instructor as far as animation was
concerned was Don Graham.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2667, from hmccracken, 987 chars, Mon Sep 14 12:53:50 1992
This is a comment to message 2664.
————————–
Chouinard was an art school in the Los Angeles area that was very
closely allied with the Disney studios from the 1930s onward.
A great many notable animation artists attended the school or
took night classes there; a drawing instructor named Don Graham
was instrumental in developing a lot of the theories behind
Disney animation. (Graham eventually went to work directly
for Disney, providing after-work instruction.)
If I’m not mistaken, Chouinard closed its doors sometime in the
1950s or 1960s, but on paper at least, it was one of the institutions
which merged to form the California Institute of the Arts in
Valencia, Calif. (which was spearheaded and funded by Walt Disney,
and opened about 1970).
For more information on Chouinard, consult almost any book about
the golden age of the Disney studios. There should be good material
in Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston’s _Disney Animation: The Illusion
of Life_ and Shamus Culhane’s _Talking Animals and Other People_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2668, from hkenner, 87 chars, Thu Sep 17 00:46:59 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Bears
How do I get to see the Chuck Jones “Bear for Punishment” (1051) ?
=–HK
==========================
animation/main #2669, from davemackey, 256 chars, Thu Sep 17 01:27:49 1992
This is a comment to message 2668.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Warner Bros. has the television rights to it, though they just shuffled all
those cartoons around and I Have no idea which venue has the rights to it:
ABC, Fox or Nickelodeon. There is no video release known on this cartoon
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2670, from hkenner, 150 chars, Mon Sep 21 17:10:14 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: September 21 …
On this date, 1912, Chuck Jones was born in Spokane. Therefore,
Inspector, what can we deduce about September 21, 1992?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2671, from hmccracken, 154 chars, Mon Sep 21 17:30:23 1992
This is a comment to message 2670.
————————–
Happy eightieth, Chuck! Here’s hoping he has as much joy on his birthday
as his cartoons have brought all of us over the past fifty-four years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2672, from davemackey, 222 chars, Mon Sep 21 21:44:43 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: A birthday wish
Today is Chuck Jones’ 80th birthday. My wish is for him to have at least
eighty more years of delighting the world with his animated creations. Happy
Birthday, Chuck!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2673, from nicolas, 2353 chars, Wed Sep 23 07:22:54 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
*** Moved from animation/anime #1004 of Wed Sep 23 02:14:50 1992
TITLE: BBC Disney feature
Yesterday the BBC showed an hour lenght feature on Disney on TV.
Started with the Alice stories and ending with the latest project
Alladin.
They interspersed (sp?) exerpts from the films with interviews
with people like Roy Disney, Ollie Johnston and Leonard Maltin.
Parts that were shown were for example the never used soup eating
sequence of the seven dwarfs in Snow White. This soup sequence was to
show how different each dwarf was by the way that they eat dinner.
With Snow White telling them how really to eat your soup. It was
pencilled, not inked but you could allready tell the emotion. I forgot
the name of the animator (Mark Davies?) but he said that he had worked
for eight gruelling months on this and then Walt Disney told him to
scrap it.
After 1001 Dalmatiens they had several other projects cooking. BBC
showed drawings of several of them. Among them Little Mermaid and
Cantecleer (sp?). As we all know Mermaid later made it into feature
lenght film. I only hope, seeing the drawings, that they will decide
to make Cantecleer into a movie too.
Beauty and the Beast was the next item. They showed animated parts
together with parts from the Cocteau movie. What I especially liked
was the transformation sequence at the end. They used part pencilled
part inked to show how a work in progress turns into the finished
product. The animator told the BBC that before working on this
part he first studied how Michelangelo let sculpture come forward from
unfinished stone. Marvellous sequence. It is the only part of The
Beast that I have seen so far together with the ballroom sequence.
This movie isn’t in the theaters yet over here.
The end of the feature showed parts of Alladin which is scheduled to
be released in 1993. They couldn’t dwell long on it but they showed a
flying sequence of Alladin on his magic carpet in a vulcano. It was
breathtaking. The illusion of speed was excellent. It reminded me of
the flying sequence in the Black Cauldron.
It’s a bummer to know that the only way I can see Disney features is
on video. They almost never make it into the cinema’s here and when
they do they are dubbed. Oh well, I’ll just have to wait till I can go
the States again and hope to catch one there.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2674, from davemackey, 795 chars, Thu Sep 24 01:40:09 1992
This is a comment to message 2673.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The “soup sequence” has been seen on a few retrospective specials… the
animator in question was Marc Davis, who is one of the four surviving “Nine
Old Men.” (The other three are Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, and Ward
Kimball.) That and the “bed building” scenes are perhaps the best known “lost
footage” from “Snow White.”
The five remaining, all deceased, were Les Clark, Milt Kahl, Eric
Larson, John Lounsbery, and Wolfgang Reitherman.
The film “Aladdin” will be released this Thanksgiving in the U.S. “King
Of The Jungle,” Disney’s next feature, has been delayed until sometime in
1994. (I don’t think that info has been posted here before, but I could be
incorrect about this.)
Does anyone know if this BBC film will be seen on these shores?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2675, from hmccracken, 256 chars, Thu Sep 24 13:28:49 1992
This is a comment to message 2674.
————————–
I’ve heard that _King of the Jungle_ will most likely be delayed into
1994 by story problems. Supposedly, Disney’s animated feature for
Fall/Winter 1993 will be _The Nightmare Before Christmas_, a stop-
motion puppet film directed by Tim Burton.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2676, from mscoville, 323 chars, Sat Sep 26 01:01:15 1992
This is a comment to message 2672.
————————–
Chuck celebrated his 80th birthday with 17,000 of his closest friends (hah) with a special celebration of “Bugs on Broa
dway” at the Hollywood bowl. It was sold-out and people were turned away from the door. It was according to sources,
quite a fun evening with
Chuck making a special speech during the program. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2677, from dano, 59 chars, Sat Sep 26 22:11:16 1992
This is a comment to message 2665.
————————–
15 years….
Seems like it was only yesterday, doesn’t it?
==========================
animation/main #2678, from nicolas, 1705 chars, Mon Sep 28 09:37:30 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Lost & Found
An article in one of our dutch newspapers has the news that some
of the old Alice movies by Disney, who were thought to be lost, have
been found again at the dutch Filmmuseum. Besides the title mentioned
in the article there are two stills from the movie Alice’s Wild West
Show. I’ll try to quote and translate. Comments by me are in square
brackets.
[start quote]
Volkskrant september 26, 1992 page 9
In the archives of the Dutch Filmmuseum in Amsterdam fifteen of Walt
Disneys early animation films have been found. Five of these movies
from the Alice- series were thought to be lost. Even the Disney
archive in Los Angelos didn’t have copies. The Alice animation movies
are among the first work by Disney.
The find contained the first six Alice movies. The oldest movie,
Alice’s Day at Sea, dates back to 1923. Also the last one that Walt
Disney himself did the drawings for was found back. The fifteen movies
are between six and eight minutes long and are copies with dutch
‘inbetween titles’.
…
[follows some historical information on Disney]
…
The Filmmuseum discovered they had unique material after the festival
of silent movies in Porderone asked around at all the european
archives for availability of early Disney movies. The Italian festival
organises in october a retrospective of Disney silent movies. The
copies that have been found will be shown there.
The original nitratefilms are still in good shape. In some cases the
Filmmuseum had longer running copies than existed elsewhere. Also was
one of the movies colored in [if that’s the expression]. All found
copies will be shown in the museum in december.
[end quote]
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2679, from hmccracken, 204 chars, Mon Sep 28 09:53:24 1992
This is a comment to message 2678.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Wow! That’s great news! Let us know if you go to the show, Nico, and
I hope that the films will make their way to the U.S. (if nothing
else, presumably the Disney Archives will acquire copies).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2680, from nicolas, 182 chars, Tue Sep 29 11:26:10 1992
This is a comment to message 2679.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Harry, I will definitely go to the december showing in the filmmuseum.
Right now the october festival in Italy is out of the question for me
🙁
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2681, from hmccracken, 150 chars, Tue Sep 29 12:18:35 1992
This is a comment to message 2680.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, we’ll look forward to December, then. It’s great to have an
“International Correspondent” in the conference to report on such
things!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2682, from nicolas, 378 chars, Wed Sep 30 04:24:58 1992
This is a comment to message 2681.
————————–
> It’s great to have an “International Correspondent” in the
> conference to report on such things!
I’ll keep my eyes and ears peeled for animation events in Europe as
far as possible. I read several dutch and english newspapers and the
occasional german or french one. So whenever I hear or see soemthing I
will post it in a message here.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2683, from davemackey, 734 chars, Wed Oct 7 09:27:04 1992
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Sammy Timberg
Sammy Timberg, 89, who was musical director at Paramount and Fleischer
cartoon studios, died on August 26 in Scranton, CT.
Timberg wrote songs for Fleischer’s two full-length features, “Gulliver’s
Travels” and “Mr. Bug Goes To Town” as well as many of the Color Classics.
He also scored numerous Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman cartoons. When
Paramount bought out the Fleischer brothers, Timberg moved back to New York
to work on the first several years of Famous Studios cartoons before being
replaced by Winston Sharples.
Before his cartoon career, Timberg performed with his brother Herman
in vaudeville and also was musical director for The Marx Brothers.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2684, from davemackey, 292 chars, Wed Oct 7 21:56:23 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Stan the Man
Stan Freberg will be hosting two seminars on his work on Thursday at 6 p.m.
and Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the Museum of Radio And Television in New York
City.
The Museum is at 25 W. 52nd Street; call (212) 621-6800 for more
information.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2685, from hmccracken, 252 chars, Thu Oct 8 10:55:35 1992
This is a comment to message 2684.
There are additional comments to message 2684.
————————–
Wow! Wish I could make it down there. I’ve heard that back in L.A.,
Freberg goes to a movie on a certain night each week, then sits on
a certain park bench. Freberg fans and other interested parties are
welcome to hang out with him and chat.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2686, from davemackey, 742 chars, Fri Oct 9 01:06:06 1992
This is a comment to message 2684.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I was at the first session, and it was quite enjoyable to hear Stan expound
on his theories of advertising and play many of his classic radio and
television commercials for us, from his earliest efforts to some of the work
he’s recently done for Encyclopaedia Brittanica, featuring his son Donovan.
Mr. Freberg has donated his entire library of commercials to the Museum’s
collection. (Also in the audience, our old friend Thomas M. Shim, who
afterwards took me on a wild ride through Queens. Just barely made it home in
one piece… 😉
Museum officials say all tickets have not yet been sold for tomorrow’s
session, so if you’re in the City tomorrow and have about an hour and a half
to spare, stop by.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2687, from hmccracken, 83 chars, Fri Oct 9 08:25:28 1992
This is a comment to message 2686.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Did he play his ads for pitted prunes and Great American Soup?
Classics!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2688, from davemackey, 353 chars, Fri Oct 9 19:30:59 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: That’s MR. Tweety to you
After fifty years, the question of Tweety’s sex has been answered: Friz
Freleng notes in this week’s TV Guide that the yellow canary is male.
And in fifty years we’ll finally find out what sex “Pat” is. 😉
Tweety first appeared in 1942 in Bob Clampett’s “A Tale Of Two Kitties.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2689, from davemackey, 492 chars, Fri Oct 9 19:38:58 1992
This is a comment to message 2687.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Absolutely! Everyone knows that’s Ann Miller in the Heinz Great American Soup
commercial, but only diehard cartoon buffs would spot Dave Willock (narrator
of “Wacky Races”) as her husband. That spot, by the way, was photographed by
Fred Koenekamp, and choreographed by Hermes Pan.
And he showed the one Sunsweet Pitted Prune commercial with Ray Bradbury
complaining that modern science still hasn’t been able to figure out how to
get rid of the wrinkles.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2690, from hmccracken, 240 chars, Fri Oct 9 20:32:52 1992
This is a comment to message 2689.
————————–
That’s great. I love the spot where the announcer says that Ray Bradbury
predicts that in the future, everyone will eat Sunsweet pitted prunes,
while Bradbury stands there, puzzled because he can’t remember having
ever said that.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2691, from ianl, 425 chars, Fri Oct 9 21:05:53 1992
This is a comment to message 2688.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2688.
————————–
I read (*somewhere*, but now I can’t remember where) that the origin of
Tweety was a sketch at the top of a personal letter from one animator to
another, or something like that. The origal bird was saying “I tot a taw a
titty-tat,” but they considered ‘titty’ too risque for that day & age.
(Or, maybe I didn’t read it, maybe I remember it as a story Chuck Jones
told when Costas interviewed him? I’m not sure.)
==========================
animation/main #2692, from sharonfisher, 164 chars, Fri Oct 9 22:17:03 1992
This is a comment to message 2688.
There are additional comments to message 2688.
————————–
This is supposed to be a surprise? They had Tweety in a little blue beret
chasing Sylvester’s thumb, disguised as a yellow female bird in a pink
bonnet, ages ago.
==========================
animation/main #2693, from davemackey, 376 chars, Fri Oct 9 23:10:41 1992
This is a comment to message 2691.
————————–
That is absolutely correct, Ian. The story is recounted in “I Tawt I Taw A
Putty Tat,” by Jerry Beck, which chronicles the entire career of Tweety and
Sylvester. Bob Clampett had written a letter on M-G-M stationery, which had
the roaring lion on the letterhead, and next to the lion he drew a little
bird that said “I tink I taw a titty tat.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2694, from grekel, 380 chars, Sat Oct 10 16:31:32 1992
This is a comment to message 2688.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>>”MR. Tweety…”
No revelation here. I asked my 6-year-old daughter whether Tweety was
a boy or a girl and she said, “a boy because he sounds like one and
wears a blue hat sometimes.”
As if this weren’t enough, she produced a “Little Golden Book”
entitled _Tweety Plays Catch the Puddy Tat_ in which Tweety is referred
to in the male gender several times.
Case closed. 🙂
greg
==========================
animation/main #2695, from hmccracken, 386 chars, Sat Oct 10 20:01:16 1992
This is a comment to message 2694.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The Warner Bros. cartoon world is almost exclusively made up of
male characters (as a result of having being created mostly by
males, I suppose). Petunia Pig and Granny are two of the very
few on-going female characters.
(Also, I don’t think it’s been noted here that Bob Clampett said
that Tweety’s appearance was based on a photograph of him
(Clampett) as a naked infant.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2696, from ianl, 218 chars, Sat Oct 10 20:44:44 1992
This is a comment to message 2695.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2695.
————————–
Do the Tiny Toons characters count as “The Warner Bros. cartoon world”?
They’re a lot more balanced between male and female characters.
From the first TTA:
Buster: A *girl*???
Babs: Welcome to the 90s.
🙂
==========================
animation/main #2697, from hmccracken, 165 chars, Sun Oct 11 00:15:10 1992
This is a comment to message 2696.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t really count the Tiny Toons characters as Warner Bros.
characters. Just like I don’t count Joe Kennedy (my beloved
congressman) as a Real Kennedy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2698, from ianl, 130 chars, Sun Oct 11 00:52:07 1992
This is a comment to message 2697.
There are additional comments to message 2697.
————————–
> I don’t count Joe Kennedy (my beloved congressman) as a Real Kennedy.
What, just because he hasn’t been indicted yet? 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2699, from davemackey, 174 chars, Sun Oct 11 21:01:56 1992
This is a comment to message 2697.
————————–
Or Caroline Kennedy. She’s too nice, she stays out of trouble, and she helps
the world. And she has a happy marriage. Ergo, not a Kennedy. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2700, from sharonfisher, 57 chars, Mon Oct 12 15:54:03 1992
This is a comment to message 2695.
————————–
They may be male, but they sure go around in drag a lot.
==========================
animation/main #2701, from dano, 87 chars, Mon Oct 12 22:38:32 1992
————————–
TITLE: A Simple request to U.S. and Canadian Customs:
Please leave Cart-Rockers Alone!
==========================
animation/main #2702, from nicolas, 1640 chars, Tue Oct 13 03:41:12 1992
————————–
TITLE: The Animals of Farthing Wood
Not many of you will have heard about EBU. Not many europeans have for
that matter. The EBU is the European Broadcasting Union. It
comprises of all of the broadcasting companies in Europe. What
does that have to do with animation you will ask.
Well, it turns out that the EBU have been very busy in the last five
year on an animation project. The initiative came from the
scandinavians, the story was provide by the germans and companies
in France and Britain have done the actual animation while 20
broadcasting companies coughed up the money.
They have been working for five years on this and cost about 16
million guilders (about $ 10 million). They were introducing
and selling this project on the MipCom television fair in Cannes.
yesterday.
The Animals of Farthing Wood is a 26 part series of 25 minutes
each based on the novels by british author Colin Dann. The
story is about animals evicted from their wood because of new land
development. (sounds familiar huh) They move out to find a better and
quieter place. On the way they encounter such dangers as a fox hunt, a
highway and a forest fire.
According to sources the quality is supposed to equal disney animation
and is done by artists from the french company La Fabrique and the
britsh firm of Telemagination.. The music is by Detlev Kuhne and
performed by the Westdeutsche Rundfunk from Cologne.
They are trying to sell the series to other continents as well so
there might be a chance for you americans to find it on your screen
someday. The series starts broadcasting all over Europe in january.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2703, from davemackey, 190 chars, Fri Oct 16 22:53:48 1992
This is a comment to message 2669.
————————–
“A Bear For Punishment” can be found leading off the forthcoming laserdisc
collection “Looney Tunes Assorted Nuts.” Maybe they heard your request,
Hugh… 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2704, from hmccracken, 233 chars, Sun Oct 18 20:35:18 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy Birthday to Us!
Tomorrow, October 19th, is the third anniversary of BIX’s animation
conference. Many thanks to every participant, and here’s hoping for
many more years of fun and information! Thanks, everyone!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2705, from davemackey, 490 chars, Mon Oct 19 19:05:35 1992
This is a comment to message 2704.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Every year at this time I say “has it really been x number of years? Wow.”
Now it’s three years. I can’t believe it myself. From someone who’s been on
BIX almost as long as the animation conference has been here, congratulations
in order to you, and Emru, and everyone else on BIX who has been supportive
of this little corner of the system.
We must also extend thanks to the other founding moderators of this
conference, Jim Omura and Jennifer Jumper.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2706, from dano, 37 chars, Mon Oct 19 23:21:19 1992
This is a comment to message 2705.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
3 YEARS??? WOW!!!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
==========================
animation/main #2707, from hmccracken, 26 chars, Tue Oct 20 23:02:27 1992
This is a comment to message 2706.
There are additional comments to message 2706.
————————–
Thank you, Dan!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2708, from switch, 21 chars, Wed Oct 21 08:48:04 1992
This is a comment to message 2706.
————————–
Thanks, Dan!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2709, from davemackey, 234 chars, Thu Oct 22 11:54:30 1992
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Jackson Weaver
Jackson Weaver, age 72, passed away on Tuesday in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The Washington, DC-based radio announcer was for many years the voice
of Smokey Bear.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2710, from dano, 603 chars, Fri Oct 30 22:19:56 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: An Open letter to carol Hallett, Director, United States Customs Service:
Dear Carol:
My Name is Daniel Opheim, I’m 24 years old, and very pissed.
What am i pissed at? Simple. it’s your strong-arm Tactics aimed at
Cart-Rockers. The Power of I.P.R. laws can be used to protect-or,
as in this case, destroy.
The Care-Bears, The Moon-Dreamers, The Smurfs- All ethier Destroyed or
Driven Underground by the weilding of the I.P.R. laws by your organization.
Unless you stop the Misapplication of these laws, you will live to regret
it.
Please, Carol: Leave These Artists alone.
/S/ DANIEL OPHEIM
==========================
animation/main #2711, from ianl, 333 chars, Fri Oct 30 22:55:27 1992
This is a comment to message 2710.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’ll bet you (at any odds you want) that Carol Hallett, Director, U.S.
Customs Service, is Not On BIX, and will never see that message.
I’ll further bet you that even if C.H. were on BIX s/he wouldn’t have
the faintest idea what you’re on about. In fact, it’s probably a good
bet that no one else here has any idea either.
==========================
animation/main #2712, from switch, 50 chars, Sat Oct 31 12:17:13 1992
This is a comment to message 2711.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Neither do I. Please to enlighten, Daniel.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2713, from davemackey, 263 chars, Tue Nov 24 12:36:13 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Sterling Holloway
Sterling Holloway, perhaps best known as the voice of Winnie The Pooh, died
on Sunday at the age of 87. Mr. Holloway performed many voices for the Disney
organization and started his show business career in silent films. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #2714, from hmccracken, 328 chars, Tue Nov 24 18:35:41 1992
This is a comment to message 2713.
————————–
Aw, gee! That’s too bad. At least it’s nice to know that in his recent,
relatively inactive years, Holloway lived in happy, healthy retirement
in the L.A. area, and did some lecturing on his work. He’ll always be
remembered for his Disney voices — Pooh, the stork in _Dumbo_, Kaa in -Jungle Book_,
and many others.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2715, from hmccracken, 1172 chars, Mon Nov 30 22:42:21 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Disney’s Aladdin: The Making of an Animated Film_
by John Culhane (Hyperion, $24.95) is — overall — a pretty solid
book that does a good job of telling the story of how _Aladdin_
was made. Culhane, author of many articles on Disney and the earlier
book _Walt Disney’s Fantasia_ has a breezy style that’s informative
and readable, and the book is chock-a-block with good illustrations —
stills from the finished film, photographs, and preliminary artwork.
There are, however, some weird omissions in what the book covers, most
notably that it doesn’t mention the name of Robin Williams — the voice
of the Genie — even once in the lengthy discussion of the character.
(Some odd contractual point with Williams, no doubt.) The book, like
most other Disney-authorized works, is also evasive about the CAPS
cel-painting process, which has eliminated animation cels by letting
Disney’s colorists do their work entirely with computers. (The process
does a great job, and allows for special effects that could never
be done with cels; the problem seems to be that Disney doesn’t want
to weaken the cel market by saying that they don’t use cels anymore.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2716, from hmccracken, 402 chars, Tue Dec 1 09:54:31 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Pepe Makes an Appearance
The Marshall’s department store chain is now running a wonderful TV
commercial that features Chuck Jones’s Pepe Le Pew as spokesman for
Marshalls’ perfume department. The animation is excellent, although
whoever has replaced Mel Blanc as Pepe’s voice does only a so-so job.
If you have Marshalls stores in your area, be sure to be on the lookout
for this ad!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2717, from davemackey, 469 chars, Tue Dec 1 19:35:08 1992
This is a comment to message 2716.
There are additional comments to message 2716.
————————–
My brother thinks they should have used Fifi from “Tiny Toon Adventures”
instead of Pepe. Bet Fifi would sell lots of perfume… and believe me,
I’d much rather listen to Kath Souci’s voice than the pale Pepe imitator. 😉
I think you could find out the identity of the voice talent used for
the price of a local phone call. The advertising agency that handles
Marshall’s is in Boston, and I think it’s Earle Palmer Brown And Spiro.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2718, from ianl, 560 chars, Tue Dec 1 19:35:45 1992
This is a comment to message 2716.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Along similar lines…
Target stores are using Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, and Natasha to advertise
sales events. IMHO, they’ve done a nice job of capturing the flavor of
the animated series.
One thing confuses me though: you hear Bullwinkle, Boris, and an announcer
talking during the commericial. The Bullwinkle and Boris voices are very
faithful to the originals, the announcer’s voice is so-so. Oddly enough,
neither Rocky nor Natasha say anything, which is a bit odd, considering that
June Foray is still around and still doing voice acting.
==========================
animation/main #2719, from hmccracken, 394 chars, Tue Dec 1 20:37:40 1992
This is a comment to message 2718.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yeah, that is weird. Bill Scott and Paul Frees are dead, yet Bullwinkle
and Boris speak…Bill Conrad is alive, yet they get a bad imitator…
and June Foray is alive and voice acting, and her characters don’t
speak at all! We don’t have Target stores in Boston, so I’ll probably
never see the ads (hmm, maybe I should keep an ear out for them when
I go to Des Moines at Christmas).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2720, from davemackey, 287 chars, Wed Dec 2 20:57:53 1992
This is a comment to message 2719.
————————–
It will be interesting to see how Data East tackles this same issue when they
put out their Bullwinkle pinball. Remember: all pinballs talk now, and the
last time they tried a cartoon-related theme (The Simpsons) they managed to
get the whole voice cast.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2721, from sharonfisher, 149 chars, Thu Dec 3 13:03:31 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Pixar/Lasseter doing ads again?
I saw an ad on MTV the other day, for Toys ‘r Us, that looked very much
like Pixar/John Lasseter had done it.
==========================
animation/main #2722, from davemackey, 389 chars, Fri Dec 4 09:11:03 1992
————————–
TITLE: Jones storyboards on display
You’ve seen the TV special, now see the storyboards… the Alexander Gallery
in New York City is exhibiting the original Chuck Jones storyboard drawings
from “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” December 8-12 and 15-19. The Alexander
Gallery is at 980 Madison Avenue; call (212) 472-1636 for more information.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2723, from davemackey, 559 chars, Fri Dec 4 09:13:48 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Animation Art Expo
This Saturday and Sunday will be the Animation Art Expo in New York City.
Animation art will be on display, films will be shown, and notable animation
luminaries such as Art Clokey, Maurice Noble, Shamus Culhane, and Thomas and
Charles McKimson will be in attendance. (Also stop by and say hi to Mike
and Pam Scoville at the Animation Art Guild table.)
Sat. 10am-8pm and Sunday 11am-6pm at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza,
49th and Broadway. $4 to get in! More info: (212) 977-4000.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2724, from hmccracken, 288 chars, Fri Dec 4 22:41:59 1992
This is a comment to message 2721.
————————–
I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. While I wish that Lasseter was
still doing non-commercial shorts (I think his last was _Knickknack_,
several years ago), commercials are better than nothing. Lasseter
is also working on a feature-length computer animated film with
Disney.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2725, from hmccracken, 244 chars, Fri Dec 4 22:42:46 1992
————————–
TITLE: Gahan Wilson Goes Animated
I’m told that Twentieth Century Fox will soon be releasing an animated
short by the excellent magazine cartoonist Gahan Wilson, in conjunction
with a live-action film. Anyone know anything about it?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2726, from hmccracken, 299 chars, Fri Dec 4 22:44:53 1992
This is a comment to message 2723.
There are additional comments to message 2723.
————————–
It sounds like an event not to be missed, if you can make it to the N.Y.C.
area (I’m planning to, although it’s snowing right now, which has me
worried). Besides the guests Dave mentions, other attendees include
Shamus Culhane, Bill Hanna, Bob Clampett Jr. and Ruth Clampett, and
others.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2727, from dano, 271 chars, Sat Dec 5 00:47:44 1992
This is a comment to message 2712.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If you would be so kind as to re-read the second paragraph, it said:
“The power of I.P.R. laws can be used to protect-or, as in this case,
destroy.” What that means is that if they are properly used, they protect.
Improperly used
, they destroy, and destroy PERMENTLY!
==========================
animation/main #2728, from ianl, 228 chars, Sat Dec 5 03:22:40 1992
This is a comment to message 2727.
There are additional comments to message 2727.
————————–
Well, I just reread the second paragraph. In fact, I reread the whole
original message. I still have one basic comment…
WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???
Check your navigational charts, space-guy, this is Earth.
==========================
animation/main #2729, from switch, 425 chars, Sat Dec 5 13:19:44 1992
This is a comment to message 2727.
————————–
I still don’t understand, Dan. I’ll make a list:
(1) What do you mean by “Cart-Rockers”?
(2) Explain the IPR laws, please.
(3) What are the Care-Bears, Moon-Dreamers, and Smurfs? Two out
of the three are immediately recognizeable as cartoons, but that’s
all. By saying they were “destroyed or driven underground”
you make it sounds as if they were revolutionary parties.
Please, explain. I’m curious.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2730, from switch, 6949 chars, Sat Dec 5 23:14:43 1992
————————–
Article: 4064 of rec.arts.animation
From: eu****@br***.edu (Eugene Kowaluk)
Newsgroups: rec.photo,rec.arts.animation
Subject: Call for Work from Students
Date: 29 Oct 92 16:05:06 GMT
Organization: International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House
CALL FOR WORK ! CALL FOR WORK ! CALL FOR WORK ! CALL FOR WORK ! CALL FOR WORK !
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL
PRE-K THROUGH GRADUATE STUDENT
In cooperation with the Media Center at Visual Studies Workshop (Rochester,
New York USA), Montage 93: International Festival of the Image, is inviting
students pre-K through graduate school to submit work for an exhibition of
electronic time-based media. Work will be screened at Montage 93, July 11
through August 7, 1993.
GOALS
The goals of Montage 93: International Festival of the Image are to celebrate
the fusion of arts and technology in contemporary image making and to explore
the future of visual communications. The International Student Media Arts
Festival is seeking a wide variety of interesting and challenging time-based
work that demonstrate the concerns of students of all ages from around the
world. All genres and subjects are welcome.
REVIEW PROCEDURE
All tapes will be reviewed by peer committees comprised of students of
time-based media. Student committees will have a curatorial role, assembling
an exhibition that reflects the concerns and creative expressions of their
peers. Notification of acceptance or rejection will be made by June 1, 1993.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Time-based media including video, film, computer imagery, and animation are
eligible. All work must be submitted on videotape, in any of the following
NTSC formats: 3/4″, VHS, S-VHS, Beta, 8mm, Hi-8. Work must have been completed
after January 1990. Maximum length of any title is 30 minutes.
SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
Each title must be accompanied by a brief artist’s statement. Each title must
be accompanied by a copy of the “Entry and Release Form” obtainable from the
address below. Tapes mailed within the United States will be returned only if
accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. Tapes mailed from outside the United
States will be returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and
an international money order in U.S. dollars for the cost of return mail.
Tapes mailed from outside the United States should be marked: “No commercial
value. Educational material.” Tapes must be received by February 1, 1993.
SEND TAPES, ARTISTS STATEMENTS, AND ENTRY AND RELEASE FORMS TOGETHER TO:
Montage 93: ISMAF
31 Prince Street
Rochester NY 14607-1499
USA
PLEASE NOTE:
Do not send masters, originals, or irreplaceable materials. Montage 93 will
make every reasonable attempt to safeguard tapes, but is not responsible for
loss or damage. Submitting student is responsible for any copyrighted
material with the title. Copies of exhibition tapes will be retained for the
Media Center Archive at Visual Studies Workshop.
The International Student Media Arts Festival is held in cooperation with the
Annual National Student Media Arts Exhibition at the Media Center, Visual
Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York. The International Student Media Arts
Festival will travel under the auspicies of the Visual Studies Workshop
Traveling Exhibitions Service. The Annual National Student Media Arts
Exhibition will resume in 1994.
__________________________________________________________________________
M O N T A G E 93
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE IMAGE
31 Prince Street, Rochester, New York 14607-1499 USA
TEL: 716 442-8897 FAX: 716 442-8931
__________________________________________________________________________
GOALS
The city of Rochester, New York, will host Montage 93: International Festival
of the Image, from July 11 through August 7, 1993. The goals of Montage 93
are to celebrate the fusion of arts & technology in contemporary image-making,
and to explore the future of visual communications.
ROCHESTER-THE WORLD’S IMAGE CENTRE:
Rochester, New York, is the ideal site to host an imaging festival. Recently
named “The World’s Image Centre,” Rochester has vast resources and a long-
standing tradition from which to explore the future of imaging arts and
sciences. Monroe County is the home of over 75 imaging and optics research
facilities, including pioneering industries such as Eastman Kodak Company
and Xerox Corporation. In addition, numerous art, cultural, and educational
institutions in the Rochester area study, collect, preserve, and display
photography and related imaging systems.
EVENTS
Two new works and 16 exhibitions sponsored by the festival will be unveiled
during the first gala week of Montage 93. Symposia and lectures addressing
the impacts of art and technology are scheduled for the second and third
weeks of the festival, when numerous professional imaging associations will
hold conferences. From July 21-25, the Riverside Convention Center will be
the site of the Arts & Technology Exposition featuring both an imaging industry
trade show and media artists working with a full range of new and emerging
imaging systems.
The International Student Festival will take place from July 18-24 to provide
unique educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate media
students. Discussion groups, demonstrations, and portfolio review will be
central to this week-long gathering.
Independent film and video screenings; peforming arts events; workshops, and a
wide variety of other daytime and evening events of interest to both
specialists and to the general public are scheduled throughout the festival.
Media under consideration at Montage 93 include photography, video, computer
imagery, electrostatic imagery, laser imagery, image transmission, electronic
printing, animation, and holography.
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
The events of Montage 93 will take place thorughout downtown Rochester. The
International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, the Strong
Museum, Memorial Art Gallery, State University of New York College at
Brockport, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester Museum and Science
Center, University of Rochester, and Visual Studies Workshop are among the
art and cultural institutions taking part in Montage 93. Temporary exhibition
sites will create a corridor of activities from the Riverside Convention
Center to the city’s historic museum district.
SPONSORSHIP
Major sponsorship of Montage 93 to date is provided by the Professional
Imaging and the Consumer Imaging divisions of Eastman Kodak Company, the City
of Rochester, Monroe County, and Xerox Foundation. Additional program
support is provided by Bausch & Lomb, Fleet Bank of New York, Polaroid
Corporation, and USAir, the official airline. The International Student
Media Arts Festival is sponsored by Chase Lincoln First Bank, NA.
==========================
animation/main #2731, from hmccracken, 1208 chars, Sat Dec 5 23:35:21 1992
This is a comment to message 2723.
————————–
Having just returned from a whirlwind trip down to New York to attend
the Expo, I can say that nearby (or not so nearby) BIXen should find
the show quite worthwhile. It’s a fairly small show, dominated by
animation art for sale, ranging in price from $15 to $15,000. Even
if you don’t buy anything (and there are some nice bargains if you
scour the hundreds of pieces for sale), it’s fun to browse the artwork,
much of which is from Disney and Warner, but also Lantz, Famous, Fleischer,
and other studios.
More importantly, there are a number of veteran animation artists at
the show, whose combined experience amounts to several hundred years.
Because the show is small and informal (there’s no organized program),
you simply go around introducing yourself to folks like Maurice Noble
(Chuck Jones’s layout artist), Shamus Culhane (Disney/Fleischer/Lantz/
Warner animator and director), Tom and Charles McKimson (brothers of
Warner director Robert and talented cartoonists in their own right),
and Bill Hanna (one half of Hanna-Barbera, of course). All are delighted
to chat with fans; I especially suggest finding Maurice Noble and asking
him about his feelings about contemporary animation.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2732, from l.wallace, 967 chars, Sun Dec 20 14:04:12 1992
————————–
TITLE: LOOKING TO BE PUBLISHED?
ATTENTION 3D ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS!
The April/May 1993 issue of Desktop Video World has 3D
graphics as the theme of the Spotlight section, so we are looking for 3D
art submissions for the Digital Gallery. If you are interested in seeing
your work published submit images you have created using a Mac,
Amiga or PC to the following address.
Desktop Video World
Digital Gallery Submissions
80 Elm Street
Peterborough, NH 03458
Submission should be made on disk using one of the standard image file
formats for those platforms. You must include your name and address and
a short description of what you used to create the image with (your
hardware system, graphics software, etc.). Do not submit images that
contain copyrighted material that you do not have permission to use.
Files can also be sent electronically via CIS, GENIE, BIX or PORTAL.
BIX l.wallace
CIS 76376,2136
GENIE lrwallace
PORTAL lou wallace
==========================
animation/main #2733, from davemackey, 274 chars, Sun Dec 20 18:47:00 1992
This is a comment to message 2715.
————————–
I’m sure it’s been mentioned more than once here that Williams’ reluctance to
do publicity for “Aladdin” would conflict with the just-released “Toys”, a
new film from Barry Levinson (who also teamed with Williams for “Good Morning
Vietnam”).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2734, from davemackey, 653 chars, Mon Dec 21 19:27:02 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: RIP, Steve Ross
Though he probably had little concern or involvement with the classic Warner
Bros. stable of cartoon character, I feel that mention must be made of the
characters’ current spiritual father, Time Warner Chairman Steve Ross, who
passed away on Sunday of prostate cancer. The large empire Ross oversaw
included such diverse enterprises as Warner Bros. (television and film
production and distribution), the Time/Life group of magazines (Entertainment
Weekky, People and Sports Illustrated among the others), DC Comics, HBO, the
TVKO pay-per-view boxing enterprise, and Warner Bros. Records (Madonna).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2735, from davemackey, 302 chars, Wed Dec 30 19:05:35 1992
This is a comment to message 2734.
————————–
Ross, incidentally, came into the Warner’s organization by way of Kinney
National, which was the company that purchased Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in
1969, and it was while W7 was under the control of Kinney that the cartoon
studio as it existed in the 1960’s closed down.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2736, from davemackey, 345 chars, Wed Dec 30 19:05:44 1992
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Why ask why?
I saw the Disney short “Donald Gets Drafted” today. In it is a scene in which
Donald appears naked, then bashfully covers himself up.
Why do cartoon characters do that when they clearly have no ornaments of
gender? And why does Donald, who, mind you, was notorious for not wearing
pants?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2737, from ianl, 392 chars, Wed Dec 30 22:48:25 1992
This is a comment to message 2736.
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I’ve noticed that in Tiny Toons, not only do the characters not wear
pants, but they often make little quickie smart-aleck remarks about it.
The best was in Thirteen-Something, where Babs is about to enter the NBC
studios, and David Letterman appears in a window shouting, “This is David
Letterman, I’m not wearing any pants.” Babs remarks to herself, “Well then,
I should fit right in.”
==========================
animation/main #2738, from davemackey, 268 chars, Fri Jan 1 09:24:39 1993
This is a comment to message 2737.
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No, no, no. The best was the Bungle Boy Jeans commercial. Babs: “Are those
Bungle Boy jeans you’re wearing?” Buster: “I’m not wearing any pants.”
Fun-nee! 😉
Actually, if you consider Babs’ standard apparel, she does wear a skirt.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2739, from ianl, 142 chars, Fri Jan 1 15:55:25 1993
This is a comment to message 2738.
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I remember that Bungle Boy gag, but it didn’t strike me as funny for some
reason.
Babs may wear a skirt, but she wears nothing under it.
==========================
animation/main #2740, from davemackey, 53 chars, Sat Jan 2 04:13:17 1993
This is a comment to message 2739.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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How do YOU know!? 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2741, from ianl, 496 chars, Sat Jan 2 14:00:38 1993
This is a comment to message 2740.
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Because you can see it in certain action shots, that’s how. What’s more,
there’s two distinct styles of painting Babs’ nether regions where her
underwear would (should?) appear. In one style she’s painted like Buster
or Bugs, with a white patch extending down from her stomach area. In the
other style she’s solid pink. When she’s wearing a bikini, she’s always
the solid pink style. I think the variation in style is what made me
realize that she doesn’t wear anything under the skirt.
==========================
animation/main #2742, from hmccracken, 521 chars, Sun Jan 3 12:19:25 1993
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TITLE: Obitiuary: Romeo Muller
Romeo Muller died recently at the age of 64. Muller was
responsible for the screenplays for the vast majority of
the endlessly-repeated holiday specials produced by the Rankin/
Bass Studios: _Frosty the Snowman_, _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein-
deer_, _Here Comes Peter Cottontail_, and dozens of others.
Muller was said to weigh three hundred pounds and sport a
white beard — not an inappropriate look for a man who was behind
the storylines of so many Christmas-themed programs.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2743, from hmccracken, 814 chars, Wed Jan 6 23:01:59 1993
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TITLE: The Fifty Greatest Cartoons of All Time
Turner Publishing (one of Ted Turner’s operations) is working
on a book that will discuss the fifty greatest cartoons of all
time, as judged by a panel of animation experts, pundits, and
historians. I’ll upload a list of the cartoons that made the
cut when I have it — and I thought it might be fun for *us*
to discuss what we think are the greatest cartoons ever made
here on BIX. The cartoons in the Turner book are ones that
are either the voters’ favorites, the ones they think are
most important historically, or the ones that made them laugh
the most, so we can use the same criteria. I’ll be uploading
my personal list in the next few days; anyone else want to
join in (you don’t have to list fifty cartoons; the top ten
or so would be fine!).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2744, from davemackey, 440 chars, Fri Jan 8 20:16:03 1993
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TITLE: Happy Birthday….
…to veteran actor Larry Storch, who turns 70 today; besides his roles in
live-action television and film, he’s done more than a few cartoon voices in
his career, including Ko-Ko the Clown and most of the other voices for Hal
Seeger’s “Out Of The Inkwell” series, the characters Cool Cat and Merlin The
Magic Mouse at Warner Bros., and Marlon the mynah bird from “the Brady Kids.”
–Dave
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animation/main #2745, from davemackey, 867 chars, Fri Jan 8 20:16:22 1993
This is a comment to message 2743.
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Gee, Harry. I haven’t decided whether I want to be an animation expert,
pundit, or historian when I grow up… 😉
Just for brevity’s sake, I’ll tell you my top Ten. Drumroll, Anton…
10. Peace On Earth
9. Snow-White (the Betty Boop version)
8. Rhapsody Rabbit
7. Superman
6. Hockey Homicide
5. Red Hot Riding Hood
4. Duck Dodgers In The 24-1/2th Century
3. Rabbit Of Seville
2. Coal Black And De Sebben Dwarfs
1. What’s Opera, Doc?
Us voters also had to pick five of historical significance, and my five
were Gertie The Dinosaur, Steamboat Willie, Flowers And Trees, A Wild Hare,
and Ragtime Bear.
For those who don’t know, this project is being supervised by that
well-known animation expert/pundit/historian, Jerry Beck (of “Looney Tunes
And Merrie Melodies” fame).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2746, from nicolas, 674 chars, Sat Jan 9 18:46:02 1993
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TITLE: Animals of Farthing Wood
In Europe Animals of Farthing Wood has just started broadcasting on all
the major European Channels. I must say that I am not impressed with the
animation quality. I was lead to expect better and I know that in Europe
we can do better.
The story is your basic Watership Down version. Animals get thrown out
of their homes because of human land developers. This time it’s not
only the rabbits but lot’s of other animals as well. The animation is
your basic animate only that part that moves. Backgrounds don’t move most
of the time.
I hope it will pick up in the meantime. There are 26 episodes to go.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2747, from hkenner, 421 chars, Sat Jan 9 22:10:46 1993
————————–
TITLE: Apologies ..
..if this overlaps an earlier message I’ve overlooked; but
Hyperion (NY) has published a fat & handsome multi-color paperback
(208 pp) called *Art of Animation .. from Mickey Mouse to Beauty
and the Beast*, by Bob Thomas. This is a considerable update of
his 1957 book, with much new material including early-period
interviews that for some reason didn’t make the first version.
Recommended.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2748, from switch, 937 chars, Mon Jan 11 19:54:26 1993
————————–
Hmmmn…
I don’t know if I’d go with the historical/funniest criteria, but here’s
my list, categorized by genre:
Warner Shorts
————-
Duck, Rabbit! Duck!
Rabbit of Seville
What’s Opera, Doc?
One Froggy Evening
Feed the Kitty
Rabbit Fire
Rabbit Seasoning
Duck Amuck
Dover Boys at Pimento U.
Book Revue
A Lad In His Lamp
Ali Baba Bunny
Wearing of the Grin
Transylvania 6-5000
Bully For Bugs
Beanstalk Bunny
Wideo Wabbit
Porky in Wackyland
Pigs In A Polka
Anime
—–
Grave of the Fireflies
Wings of Honneamise
Laputa
Tonari no Totoro
Project “A” ko
Feature Length
————–
Fantasia
Rock & Rule
Aladdin
MGM Shorts
———-
Red Hot Riding Hood
Swing Shift Cinderella
Little Rural Riding Hood
Magical Maestro
Others
——
Broken Down Film
Snow White (Betty Boop)
Mechanical Monsters (Superman)
The Bulleteers (Superman)
Sing, Beast, Sing!
A bit shy of 50, but that’s all I could think of off the top of my head.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2749, from davemackey, 98 chars, Tue Jan 12 00:26:18 1993
This is a comment to message 2742.
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For completeness sake: Mr. Muller died on December 30, of cancer.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2750, from hkenner, 333 chars, Thu Jan 14 22:21:02 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Opera, Doc
What’s Opera, Doc was recently reported as getting accepted into some
National Archive or other. …
In a phone conversation 2 days ago with Chuck Jones I learned that it
is the *first* animated short to be so received. Earlier animated
stuff included Gertie the Dinosaur, Snow Whote, and Fantasia. Period.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2751, from switch, 49 chars, Thu Jan 14 22:38:11 1993
This is a comment to message 2750.
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Gertie doesn’t count as an animated short?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2752, from hkenner, 204 chars, Fri Jan 15 12:32:20 1993
This is a comment to message 2751.
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Gertie seems to me (and likely to CJ) a special-case historical
item. A film meant to be accompanied by Winsor Mc. and his
pointer. “Short” is less a designator of length than of
program position.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2753, from hmccracken, 463 chars, Sun Jan 17 19:11:36 1993
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TITLE: Auction Coming Up
On Saturday, February 6th, Guernsey’s auction house in New York
(108 1/2 E. 73rd St.) will be having an all-day animation art
auction, including the entire collection of Preston Blair, the
legendary animator of Tex Avery’s Red Hot Riding Hood character
and the hippo dancers in _Fantasia_. It sounds like it will
be an interesting event even if you don’t have a few thousand
to place bids with — so I’m planning to be there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2754, from davemackey, 188 chars, Mon Jan 18 21:05:33 1993
This is a comment to message 2750.
There are additional comments to message 2750.
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Hugh, I refer you to animation/silver.screen #305, in which “What’s Opera,
Doc?” is noted as joining the National Film Registry of the Library Of
Congress.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2755, from hmccracken, 225 chars, Wed Jan 20 22:15:50 1993
This is a comment to message 2753.
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Correction to the above: the animation auction has been rescheduled
to Friday, February 5th. An auction of original comic art, including
the art to the recent “Death of Superman” comic, will take place on
the 6th.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2756, from hmccracken, 154 chars, Wed Jan 20 22:19:07 1993
This is a comment to message 2750.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Hugh — Was Chuck utterly delighted, as Maurice Noble was, to learn
of the honor garnered by _What’s Opera, Doc?_ Or is that a silly
question?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2757, from hkenner, 70 chars, Wed Jan 20 23:24:09 1993
This is a comment to message 2756.
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Of course he was utterly delighted. He rushed to tell me of it.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2758, from switch, 216 chars, Sat Jan 23 01:44:34 1993
————————–
TITLE: Hiroshima International Animation Festival ’92
My comments on the Hiroshima International Animation Festival
are presented in animation/long.messages, starting at #116. Plenty
o’ new stuff this year…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2759, from hkenner, 208 chars, Sat Jan 23 12:17:23 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Voices
In *That’s Not All, Folks* Mel Blanc recalls Warner Bros starting to
save money by having him do *all* the voices in some or all cartoons.
Anyone know about what year that might have been?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2760, from hmccracken, 516 chars, Sat Jan 23 14:57:24 1993
This is a comment to message 2759.
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Good question! By the early forties, Blanc was definitely doing most of
the voices in Warner Bros. cartoons, and as the years went by, the
percentage of Blanc voices only increased, until the only significant
Warner character not voiced by him was Elmer Fudd. But contrary to
popular belief, there was never a point at which Blanc did *every*
voice in *every* Warner’s cartoon. Such performers as Stan Freberg,
June Foray, Billy Bletcher, Jim Backus and Daws Butler all did Warner
voices in the 1950s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2761, from hkenner, 61 chars, Sat Jan 23 17:03:31 1993
This is a comment to message 2760.
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Thanks, Harry! I did suspect Mel was over-simplifying.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2762, from hmccracken, 175 chars, Sat Jan 23 20:28:23 1993
This is a comment to message 2761.
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Blanc’s book is interesting, but oversimplified and downright
inaccurate in many places. I’d be interested to know to what
degree it was the work of his co-author.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2763, from switch, 669 chars, Sat Jan 23 22:14:33 1993
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TITLE: BIX to Usenet
If you’ve been reading the animation conference’s Usenet digests
for rec.arts.anime, rec.arts.animation, alt.tv.tiny-toon, alt.manga,
rec.arts.manga, and alt.tv.simpsons (no wonder I’m always behind!)
and have been aching to reply to certain posts, now you can!
Since we now have Internet mail capability, this means we have
access to the Mail-to-News service. It’s simple; just send your
message as mail to @cs.texas.edu. The
field is the name of the newsgroup, with the periods replaced
with hyphens. For example, to post a message to rec.arts.anime,
just send mail to re************@cs.edu and you’re done!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2764, from hmccracken, 2674 chars, Sun Jan 24 17:40:41 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: _Encyclopedia of Walt Disney’s Animated Characters: From Mickey
Mouse to Aladdin_ by John Grant (Hyperion, $40)
This new book is actually a revised edition of a work that first
appeared in 1987. Its title describes its purpose as well as I
could: its nearly 400 pages are devoted to covering every major
Disney cartoon character and most of the minor ones, from the
company’s earliest silent films to _Aladdin_, covering theatrical
shorts and features as well as the studio’s television series. Each
listing includes a filmography of all of that character’s appearances.
Among the book’s virtues is its thoroughness (lots of very obscure
characters are covered), the hundreds of color pictures (if you
need to be reminded about what almost any Disney character looks
like, this is th book to consult), and its reasonably high level
of accuracy. Author Grant does an impressive job of sounding
interested in every character he writes about — which is easy if
you’re discussing Mickey Mouse or Snow White, but probably tough when
you’re writing about some of the bottom-of-the-barrel films like
_Sword in the Stone_ or _DuckTales: The Movie_. The book’s original
edition dates from a perion during which almost every Disney-sanctioned
Disney book was produced in England, for some reason; author Grant’s
Britishness reveals itself in minor ways (how he spells the word
“color”) and in an overall perspective that’s more detached than
an American writer might have given the book.
The book’s critical content is a bit odd: Grant apparently wasn’t
required to be completely rosy and upbeat, so he does say some negative
things about certain movies. But every critical slap is followed by
an immediate moderating bit of praise, no matter how rotten the
thing he’s discussing. This is especially apparent in his sections
on some of Disney’s terrible made-for-TV work.
The new edition covers Disney theatrical and television cartoons from
1988 onwards, including _The Little Mermaid_, _Beauty and the Beast_,
and the many recent Disney TV cartoons. Unfortunately, the existing
sections were changed only as much as was absolutely required — for
cost reasons, presumably — meaning that some recent works like the
1990 featurette _The Prince and the Pauper_ are barely mentioned,
and for much of the book, when Grant says “the present time,” he
means 1987. The new sections are also somewhat sloppy, with a
number of typographical errors and misidentified photographs.
Still, the book is a lot of fun to browse through, and a respectable
reference work. Disney completists should buy it now; others should
at least browse through it at a bookstore.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2765, from davemackey, 557 chars, Tue Feb 9 21:30:37 1993
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TITLE: A “Spin” on Raymond Scott
The March 1993 issue of Spin Magazine includes an essay on the composer
Raymond Scott, whose compositions like “Powerhouse” and “Dinner Music For A
Pack Of Hungry Cannibals” have spiced cartoon soundtracks from Bugs Bunny to
Ren And Stimpy… the appreciation was penned by Henry Porch, who is the
music coordinator of “Ren And Stimpy”, which this season has begun using
original Scott recordings as part of the music score (including “The Toy
Trumpet,” “Powerhouse” and “Huckleberry Duck”).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2766, from hmccracken, 1447 chars, Thu Feb 11 09:40:17 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Guernsey’s Auction in NYC
Last week’s animation and comic art at the Puck Building in New York
City was definitely worth attending, especially if you were a bidder
in search of a bargain or two. (Those with items up for auction were
more likely to be disappointed.)
The core items in the auction were a large selection of cels and
drawings by animator Preston Blair, from Fantasia and other Disney
fims and from Tex Avery’s MGM shorts. The cels, unfortunately, were
for the most part in pretty bad shape (with paint flaking off, etc.),
which probably explained why they went for prices below the estimates
for the most part. The drawings did erratically: the Fantasia ones
(of the hippo from the “Dance of the Hours” sequence) didn’t do so
well, but the ones of Red Hot Riding Hood from the Avery shorts did
at least as well as the estimates in general.
Also up for bid were several dozen original pieces by Winsor McCay,
including some Little Nemo Sunday pages and several wonderful editorial
cartoons (most went for high prices, but a few could be had for under
$1000); several cheesecake paintings by the master, Alberto Vargas
(one that was estimated at $150,000 was passed when no one would bid
on it), and a wonderful painting of the Yellow Kid. The auction was
rounded out with many lots of greater and lesser interest, including
everything from original Li’l Abner strips to cels from 1970s
Fat Albert cartoons.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2767, from davemackey, 406 chars, Fri Feb 12 23:09:09 1993
This is a comment to message 2766.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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One thing I learned about Preston Blair that I didn’t know, thanks to the
auction: he worked on an episode of “The Flintstones” entitled “The Social
Climbers.” I had never known Mr. Blair to work for Hanna-Barbera; an
interesting revelation.
(Of course, if they had left the original screen credits on the first
two seasons of the show, we’d know such things by rote.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2768, from hmccracken, 275 chars, Sun Feb 14 20:53:20 1993
This is a comment to message 2767.
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The cel set-ups from _The Flintstones_ that were sold at the auction
were really nice (and I’m speaking as a non-Flintstones fan).
They were in beautiful shape and were all good-looking — including
a definitive cel setup of Fred aboard his dinosaur crane at work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2769, from switch, 970 chars, Thu Feb 18 21:41:02 1993
————————–
TITLE: Excursion to the Cinematheque
Once again, Montrealer mettle was tested as brave animation fans
trudged through snow and biting wind to the Cinematheque quebecoise.
The program? “The Evolution of Bugs Bunny”, a reprise of the
screening held two years earlier by Robert del Tredici, one of
my former History of Animated Film professors. Last night’s program
was a bit different from the previous one; about half the shorts
were new, reflecting recent additions to Bob’s film collection.
Here’s the list:
The Tortoise and the Hare (Disney)
Porky’s Hare Hunt *
Prest-O Chang-O
Hare-um Scare-um *
Elmer’s Candid Camera *
A Wild Hare
Tortoise Beats Hare *
The Heckling Hare
Super Rabbit * (in black and white)
The Old Grey Hare *
Hair Raising Hare
Gorilla My Dreams *
Hare Trigger *
The * denotes a film I’d never seen before. I was surprised that
for a change, much of the program was new to me.
Tomorrow at the Cinematheque: Winsor McCay’s Masterpieces.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2770, from hmccracken, 457 chars, Tue Feb 23 14:19:00 1993
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TITLE: New _Animato_ Out
Issue #24 of _Animato_ magazine (which I used to edit, and still
contribute to from time to time) is out. The issue contains two
interviews with stop-motion animation master Ray Harryhausen, a
great article on pre-Hays code 1930s cartoons and their risque gags,
a piece on Bill Plympton, and lots of other stuff. The cover, by
Steve Bisette, is a really nice Gertie-the-Dinosaur-meets-a-Harryhausen-
dinosaur painting.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2771, from switch, 978 chars, Fri Feb 26 21:24:22 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: A question from Fidonet
Date: 01-21-93 (02:03) Number: 498
To : All Refer#: 0
From: Curtis Hoffmann
Subj: Daffy Duck Rhapsody
Conf: Toons
I’m looking for a particular Looney Tunes cartoon with Daffy Duck as
the star. I don’t know the title. It has a particular song that has
been played on Dr. Demento, that has been identified as “Daffy Duck’s
Rhapsody.” The lyrics are set to a rather famous song, and go
something like “Hunters to the left of me, hunters to the right of me,
That’s why I’m Da-ffy, I’m Daffy…”
I’d really appreciate the name of the cartoon, the address to Dr.
Demento, and/or the video tape volume the cartoon appears on. Thanks.
* OLX 2.1 TD * People that keep on flaming me — Boot to the head.
— GEcho 1.00/beta+
* Origin: Sci-Fi BBS * Rosemount, MN * HST/DS * (612)423-7358 (1:282/26)
==========================
animation/main #2772, from hmccracken, 177 chars, Fri Feb 26 22:38:03 1993
This is a comment to message 2771.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Dave Mackey can probably say for sure, but I think that “Daffy Duck’s
Rhapsody” was a novelty record, not the soundtrack to a cartoon.
It’s a great song, in any case.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2773, from davemackey, 625 chars, Sat Feb 27 06:54:14 1993
This is a comment to message 2772.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You may be right, Harry — Dave Mackey thinks it may be a novelty record. Mel
Blanc made lots of records as the Warner Bros. characters for Capitol Records
in the 1940’s and 1950’s, and perhaps that’s one of them. (The material was
written for the records in many cases by the regular Warner Bros. writing
staff, but nowhere near as good as the stuff they did in the cartoons.)
And besides, if Daffy sang such a song in the cartoon, I’d have known
about it. The sort of stuff he sings in the cartoons becomes part of canon,
such as his Danny Kaye-inspired vocal stylings in “Book Revue.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2774, from davemackey, 904 chars, Sat Feb 27 06:54:38 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: About Disney toon titles…
Part of the fun of gathering information on the Disney cartoon shorts is
trying to find out which cartoons have original main titles and which don’t.
I saw something today that really confused me, and hope someone knows this or
can find out.
Disney Channel ran “Hooked Bear” today, and I saw what looked to me like
CinemaScope titles, with modernistic opening graphics, as opposed to the
usual “characters grinning vacantly against a sunbeam background”. The
closing title looked like a redrawn end title from the 50’s with the legend
“The End/A Walt Disney Cartoon/RCA Sound System”. I’m confused as to whether
this is the original title, or one from a 1960’s reissue.
What’s making this even more of a puzzle is that I have a public-domain
videotape with “Hooked Bear” on it and it has the traditional opening title
styling.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2775, from switch, 47 chars, Sat Feb 27 22:47:39 1993
This is a comment to message 2773.
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And, of course, “Boobs in the Woods.” 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2776, from davemackey, 379 chars, Thu Mar 4 04:12:59 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: BIX Animation hits the road
Today begins the Syracuse Cinefest, the annual four-day film show and
memorabilia sale. If you’re in the Syracuse area, stop by and say hello to
yours truly and Harry McCracken, who will be looking to add more “Bucky And
Pepito” cartoons to his collection. We’ll be there on Saturday and Sunday, so
look for us!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2777, from davemackey, 337 chars, Thu Mar 4 19:21:59 1993
This is a comment to message 2774.
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“The Grasshopper And The Ant,” made in 1934, most likely has a reissue title
on it, based on the print I saw on The Disney Channel today. In 1934, they
were still just putting the title on screen against some sort of multicolor
background (on the Silly Symphonies). The copy I saw was a drawn title card.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2778, from davemackey, 1544 chars, Mon Mar 8 21:57:38 1993
This is a comment to message 2776.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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The legend of our annual pilgramages to Syracuse Cinefest grows with each
passing year, and so does the list of participants for our annual Cartoon
Blowout.
(It really says
something about our group that the best received presentation of the evening
was some “Schoolhouse Rock” videos provided by Tom Shim; all of us admit to
having “Conjunction Junction” and “Lolly Lolly Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here”
on the brain for hours afterward.)
The film program included some cartoons few fans have ever seen,
including a Van Beuren “Toddle Tales” entry called “A Little Bird Told Me,”
Volney White’s Terrytoon “The Magic Pencil,” and a laughably bad version of
“Diana And The Golden Apples” which may have been from the “Mello-Toons”
series. From the television era, we had a sampling of “King Kong” and the
“Fearless Fly” segment from “The Milton The Monster Show” (which everyone
thought was quite hilarious), and an entire episode of “Linus The
Lionhearted”.
Yes, Harry did find some more “Bucky And Pepito” cartoons, and I found
fourteen more “Batfink” cartoons to add to what has become an immense
collection, including some of the earliest episodes.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2779, from hmccracken, 142 chars, Wed Mar 10 22:18:03 1993
This is a comment to message 2778.
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The Syracuse bash was indeed a blast. I think everyone who attended
agreed — and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #2780, from mscoville, 141 chars, Fri Mar 12 19:59:52 1993
This is a comment to message 2764.
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The Animation Art Guild has copies available with a discount for Bixen’s. Phone
the Guild for the price and shipping arrangements. mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2781, from bcapps, 2691 chars, Sat Mar 13 00:45:14 1993
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TITLE: A Nice Surprise
The wife and I went shopping last weekend and decided to go over to the local
mall ‘just for the heck of it’ and to see what deals could be found on some
new dress shoes for me (wingtip, 11.5D, Burgandy (for the first time![Usually
black]). Anyway, we get to the mall and it’s CROWDED! We’re just sort of
scratching our heads and wondering what’s going on. We get inside and we
find that the Disneyland Toontown Festival has arrived and so have the parents
and kids! So we find some shoes and then wander around looking at all the
exhibits (just a few really) – mostly it was trying to wander around the
crowds waiting for the Mickey show and the Minnie show. BUT! Down near
Sears, we found the Disneyland Toon Art Exhibit with a Real Live Animator!
We get there about 5 minutes before the ‘show
(ick!) er, ‘show’ starts and we see folks getting tickets, so I get nudged
to go forth and get us a couple of tickets. This I faithfully do and so
I trudge back to our standing place (no real seats – no real room!) and the
show begins. The Animator is Stacia Martin – she does a bit of still work
for WDC and was responsible for Liz Taylor’s Giant Birthday Card. She was
quite entertaining and asked lots of questions whilst happily drawing
away. For the show she did a Mickey, a Jasmine, a Minnie and a Goofy.
Then she called out ticket numbers. We get to the fourth ticket and we
are only like 10 numbers away – so close! The other winners got one of
the four drawn during the show with “genuine signatures” from the char-
acters addressed to the winner. Then she says don’t go away we’re not
done yet. So, entertainment-starved things that we are (especially for
things Disney – and yet we still haven’t seen Aladdin!), we wait. And
the first ticket she draws out is … ONE OF OURS! It took a moment
for the realization to register for my wife – but then she yells ‘That’s
ME!.’ So we go happily trotting up to the stage area. Now earlier, I
had mentioned that I thought maybe a pic of Uncle Scrooge would be nice,
but we already have a cel of him in his money bin. We get there and
Stacia asks ‘Who would you like for me to draw?’ And my wife hmmms for
a moment, looks at me, and then says ‘Roger Rabbit!’ Now, this is
actually ok by me since I enjoyed that film. So we got a nice pic of
smilin’ Roger for an inconvenienced trip to the mall. Sorry it took
so many bytes to get across, but it was fun! (BTW, she signed it as
if Roger had taken a crayon to it! Cute!) This is not a pencil work,
but rather a graphite/crayon mix that provides a variety of smooth
strokes yet is resistant to most smearing.
We’s gonna get it matted!
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2782, from hmccracken, 496 chars, Sat Mar 13 14:50:59 1993
This is a comment to message 2781.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Wow! Neat! For several years, the Jordan Marsh department store here
in Boston held an annual “Walt Disney World Days” event that sounds
similar. During this event, several Disney artists would sit all
day drawing Disney characters by demand for any and all attendees.
It was fascinating to watch, because these folks could draw *any*
Disney character, but each time they drew any given character, it
looked exactly the same as every other rendition of that character
they’d done.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2783, from davemackey, 714 chars, Thu Mar 25 05:41:41 1993
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TITLE: Don’t overlook this article
Subscribers to The Disney Channel should check out their April-May program
guide for a very interesting article on one of the studio’s more legendary
animators, Marc Davis, in connection with the channel’s premiere of “101
Dalmatians” this Spring.
Mr. Davis, who was one of the studio’s fabled “Nine Old Men,” was solely
responsible for the animation of Cruella DeVil in the film, and a fairly nice
guy — I got to meet him a few years ago.
Say what you want about “Disney magic” — it still takes people to make
that magic, and it’s nice that the Channel’s magazine takes time out and
salutes the animators who helped make that happen.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2784, from davemackey, 430 chars, Thu Mar 25 05:41:50 1993
This is a comment to message 2782.
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A few years ago, when I was at Disney/MGM, they were doing some minor
remodeling to the area where former studio artist Harry Holt would sit at an
animator’s desk and do sketches for park guests, so I didn’t get to see a
Real Live Disney Animator that time. I wonder if the exhibit is still there,
and if Holt is still the animator who does the sketches. Any recent park
visitors know for certain?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2785, from hmccracken, 546 chars, Sun Mar 28 19:25:56 1993
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TITLE: Jones in _Newsweek_
Chuck Jones fans (and cartoon fans in general) should rush out and
buy the current _Newsweek), with Michael Douglas on the cover, for a
nifty two-page feature on a recent cartoonists’ meeting at the home
of Senator Daniel Moynihan. The feature includes Bill Clinton-themed
comics by political cartoonists including Doug Marlette, Mark Alan
Stamaty, Jeff Macnelly, Mike Peters — and Chuck Jones, who contributed
a nifty drawing of the Road Runner and the Coyote ricocheting off the
walls of the Oval Office.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2786, from hmccracken, 599 chars, Sun Mar 28 19:32:36 1993
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TITLE: The Oscars
While everyone else is wondering how many Oscars Clint Eastwood
and/or _The Crying Game_ wil pick up tomorrow night, I’m wondering
who will present the award for Best Animated Short. In recent years,
the award has been presented by one famous cartoon character or
another — including, as I recall, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny (twice),
Roger Rabbit (I think), Woody Woodpecker, and Beauty and the
Beast. Since B&B did the honors last year, I’m guessing the presenter
will be a non-Disney character this year. (Although the Genie from
_Aladdin_ seems an obvious choice.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2787, from switch, 287 chars, Sun Mar 28 20:53:14 1993
This is a comment to message 2786.
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Who’s nominated for Best Animated Short? I know Joyce Borenstein’s
“The Colours of My Father” was nominated, but that’s it. (Incidentally,
Joyce was the only one on the admissions board who had the good
taste to vote to admit me into animation at Concordia on my first
attempt.”
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2788, from hmccracken, 197 chars, Sun Mar 28 20:59:20 1993
This is a comment to message 2787.
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Emru — See silver.screen, message 325 for the nominees. (Although
the one you mention isn’t listed, and “Mona Lisa Descending a
Staircase” is accidentally broken down into two titles.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2789, from davemackey, 114 chars, Mon Mar 29 00:08:21 1993
This is a comment to message 2788.
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That’s because my local paper, source for such stuff, threw in a confusing
comma.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2790, from switch, 130 chars, Mon Mar 29 11:56:32 1993
This is a comment to message 2788.
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Yeah, I discovered that today; Joyce’s film is under Best Short
Subject, which makes more sense; it’s only partly animated.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2791, from sharonfisher, 28 chars, Mon Mar 29 18:53:01 1993
This is a comment to message 2786.
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Ren & Stimpy?
The Simpsons?
==========================
animation/main #2792, from hmccracken, 385 chars, Mon Mar 29 22:29:30 1993
This is a comment to message 2791.
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Well it turned out to be Snow White (in preparation for the re-release
of _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ this summer, I guess). But
it was a pretty unconvincing recreation of the character if you ask
me, not helped by a snafu that made her pause mysteriously when
she was supposed to announce the winning film (Joan Gratz’s excellent
_Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase_).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2793, from davemackey, 224 chars, Mon Mar 29 23:17:11 1993
This is a comment to message 2791.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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You’re all wrong. It was Snow White, rather poorly animated at that. It is
kind of awkward having these classic cartoon characters presenting awards for
films they wouldn’t be caught dead in.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2794, from switch, 71 chars, Tue Mar 30 10:24:46 1993
This is a comment to message 2793.
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Don’t you mean “wouldn’t be caught line-tested in”?
Never mind.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2795, from davemackey, 308 chars, Tue Mar 30 13:56:22 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Obituary: Larz Bourne
Larz Bourne, 77, writer for Famous and Terrytoons cartoon studios, died on
March 14. Mr. Bourne wrote for “Casper” and “Popeye” while at Famous, and
“Deputy Dawg” at Terrytoons. Later he freelanced for Hanna-Barbera and
DePatie-Freleng among others. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #2796, from mscoville, 223 chars, Wed Mar 31 22:29:39 1993
This is a comment to message 2792.
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I wonder if anyone went to the morgue and got the model sheets of Jasmine and Snow White and then got them mixed up . I
t was the poorest example of Snow White I
have ever seen. Who was responsible for the snafu? mscoville
==========================
animation/main #2797, from bcapps, 719 chars, Wed Mar 31 23:26:29 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Of Mooses and Tacos
My wife and I went out to lunch today to a Taco Bell near where we work
(Reston, VA) and lo and behold Bullwinkle and Rocky have landed new jobs
as spokestoons for T.B. All the employees were wearing t-shirts with a
bold full-face shot of BW, our hero, and blue buttons with that flying
friend, Rocky, stating that “Burgers are Boring.” There was a Boris and
Natasha poster with a little two-title phrase (“Just like the show!”).
You get a punch card and for 40 taco purchases you get the shirt and there
are other promos for lesser numbers of purchases. However, we started off
on a miscount already. We only got 1 punch for 2 tacos. Course they were
also fairly busy at the time.
Bob
==========================
animation/main #2798, from hmccracken, 165 chars, Thu Apr 1 09:35:10 1993
This is a comment to message 2797.
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Gee, it looks like I’ll need to find a Taco Bell and start eating there
regularly…
(Did the location you visited have the life-sized talking Bullwinkle?)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2799, from davemackey, 340 chars, Thu Apr 1 20:37:44 1993
This is a comment to message 2798.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I will stake out one of my increasingly local Taco Bells (Monmouth County
just got its first a few weeks ago, on Route 9 in Howell; another one is
proposed for Hazlet) and see. All of the Bullwinkle commercials look pretty
spiffy, and the septugenarian June Foray still sounds great doing her famous
voices.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2800, from hmccracken, 324 chars, Thu Apr 1 22:30:28 1993
This is a comment to message 2799.
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I made a special visit to Taco Bell tonight for dinner, and it’s well
worth the effort. The place is so bedecked with Bullwinkle stuff
that for the duration of the promo, it’s almost like a Bullwinkle-
themed restaurant. (Oddly, the illustrations of Rocky all have
him with a black nose; the commercials don’t.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2801, from elfhive, 251 chars, Thu Apr 1 22:41:12 1993
This is a comment to message 2800.
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I’m sorry Harry. I couldn’t muster “a special visit to Taco Bell tonight
for dinner” even for Bullwinkle 🙂
All this reminds of “The Who Sell Out” album with the picture of Roger
Daltrey sitting in a bathtub of baked beans holding up a can of Heinz.
==========================
animation/main #2802, from ianl, 119 chars, Fri Apr 2 02:34:49 1993
This is a comment to message 2801.
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Yeah, I like Rocky and Bullwinkle as much as the next toon fan, maybe
more. But not enough to eat at a Taco Bell.
==========================
animation/main #2803, from hmccracken, 146 chars, Fri Apr 2 08:26:47 1993
This is a comment to message 2802.
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Well, my taste for junk food – I’m ashamed to admit — is such that
I would cheerfully consume Taco Bell food *without* the Bullwinkle
— Harry
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animation/main #2804, from davemackey, 376 chars, Fri Apr 2 15:39:55 1993
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TITLE: Obituary: Nino Carbe
Nino Carbe, veteran animation background painter, died on February 22. He
contributed to the Tocatta & Fugue segment of “Fantasia” as well as Disney
shorts including “Duck Pimples” and “Canine Patrol”. He also worked for
Walter Lantz, Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, DePatie-Freleng, Screen Gems and
Sanrio.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2805, from hmccracken, 379 chars, Fri Apr 2 16:21:49 1993
This is a comment to message 2795.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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…Over on another information service that shall remain nameless
(hint: its initials are CIS), Mark Evanier revealed another interesting
fact about Lars Bourne: he was the creator of the wonderful comic-book
character Stumbo the Giant, who appeared in backup stories in Harvey
Comics’ _Hot Stuff, the Li’l Devil_ comics for many years (probably
still does, in fact).
— Harry
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animation/main #2806, from davemackey, 155 chars, Fri Apr 2 19:19:34 1993
This is a comment to message 2800.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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This major promotion that Taco Bell is doing with R&B reminds me that there
used to be a restaurant called “Bullwinkle’s.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2807, from switch, 211 chars, Sat Apr 3 01:14:34 1993
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TITLE: For any and all interested
My review of the animation screening held by the (Montreal) International
Museum of Cartoon Art and the Montreal Film Society last Wednesday
lurks in /long.messages #121.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2808, from ianl, 135 chars, Sat Apr 3 13:44:50 1993
This is a comment to message 2806.
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There still is a restaurant called Bullwinkle’s. We have one here in
Colorado, in a little tourist-trap town up in the mountains.
==========================
animation/main #2809, from hmccracken, 66 chars, Sat Apr 3 21:11:06 1993
This is a comment to message 2808.
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The one with the talking robots of Jay Ward characters?
— Harry
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animation/main #2810, from davemackey, 177 chars, Sat Apr 3 23:22:43 1993
This is a comment to message 2805.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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But Larz Bourne was not, as we know, creator and proprietor of the Larzland
arcade/amusement complex out on the main drag in Kissimmee, Florida.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2811, from hmccracken, 1362 chars, Sun Apr 11 13:22:54 1993
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TITLE: Words & Pictures Museum
Last weekend, I found myself in Northampton, Mass., and took the opportunity
to visit the recently-opened Words and Pictures Museum of Fine Sequential
Art. Founded by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman,
the museum is a medium-sized place devoted primarily to comic-book art
of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The current exhibit happens to be a
Ninja Turtle-themed one (tied into the current film), but the changing
schedule of displays covers a lot of other ground, too. (Not surprisingly,
though, there are a lot of TMNT references about the place: you enter
through a sewer tunnel, for instance.)
Since the museum is modest in scale, it’s probably not worth travelling
huge distances to visit unless you’re sure the current exhibit is of
specific interest. But if it is, or you happen to be in the neighborhood,
it’s certainly worth dropping in — especially since admission is free.
(Contributions are accepted.)
Enthusiasts can become members of the museum, for fees ranging from
$25 (Associate) to $500 (Inner Sanctum); membership gets you a
newsletter, discounts at the museum shop (which is thankfully stocked
with comic art rather than Ninja Turtle toys) and other benefits.
The museum is at 244 Main St. in Northampton (in a building called
the Roundhouse); the phone number is (413) 586-8545.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2812, from hkenner, 148 chars, Wed Apr 14 19:25:04 1993
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TITLE: Dot & Line
Does anyone out there have either a video of the Chuck Jones
*The Dot and the Line*, or info about where I can obtain one?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2813, from davemackey, 207 chars, Thu Apr 15 04:59:42 1993
This is a comment to message 2812.
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“The Dot And The Line” has never been released to video, but it does show up
quite frequently on TNT. It gets into the 9 a.m. Pink Panther show about once
a month on average.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2814, from hmccracken, 297 chars, Sat Apr 17 23:14:38 1993
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TITLE: Boston-Area Disney Show
Boston Disney fans may want to check out the Disney Collectors’ Show
being held tomorrow at the Natick Holiday Crowne Plaza on Route 9,
across from the Natick Mall. It’s a large room full of dealer’s tables,
and there may beother events going on as well.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2815, from hmccracken, 441 chars, Tue Apr 20 18:20:46 1993
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TITLE: Weird Endorsements Dept.
On page 447 of the new _PC Magazine_, there’s an ad for Data Sources,
a directory of computer products, with a nice picture of Ignatz Mouse
from George Herriman’s _Krazy Kat_ comic strip. As a Herriman fan
I’m pleased, but even after reading the ad, I can’t for the life of
me figure out what Ignatz is doing there. (He’s nicely tagged with
a King Features copyright message and all.) Any ideas?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2816, from switch, 2795 chars, Sun Apr 25 16:46:02 1993
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TITLE: My last outing…
(This is from a showing two weeks ago, but I didn’t have the time
to type it in until now.)
Every so often, the Cinematheque quebecoise has a showing of
Japanese animation. And, with the exception of GRAVE OF THE
FIREFLIES, I always manage to miss it. This month they had a
three-part program: spread out over three Wednesdays, focusing on
independent Japanese animators from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I
managed to miss the first and third showings, but managed to make
it to the second.
Unfortunately, due to (a) a somewhat tiring day and (b) the
incredibly comfortable seats in the theater, I fell asleep during
some parts through. Consequently, this review will be quite a bit
shorter than usual.
Oh, well. I can’t think up a preface beyond my moaning, so I’ll
use the blurb from the cinema’s schedule.
Quickly translated from the French:
“The public has hastily forged an opinion of Nippon’s animated
cinema based on its television series, synonymous with violence
and mediocrity. However in Japan there exists a wonderful auteur
cinema, centered around its national culture. The body of these
productions are characterized by a certain originality, careful
development of theme, and an attachment to the rich traditions of
the country.”
THE DEMON/LA DIABLESSE (1972, 8 minutes)
DOJOJI TEMPLE/LE TEMPLE DOJOJI (1976, 19 minutes)
HOUSE OF FLAME/MAISON DE FLAMMES (1976, 19 minutes)
All by Kihachiro Kawamoto, using puppets, cutouts, inks, paint,
and colored pencils.
The first Kawamoto production I ever saw was HOUSE OF FLAME, five
years ago. I was and still am greatly impressed by the man’s
work. These three films share common features: they are all based
on old Japanese tales; shots are often laid out to resemble
different kinds of Japanese artwork; all use fantastic puppetry
and have an incredible level of detail. Kawamoto’s work is
available on tape or laserdisc, and I’d recommend going out and
getting them immediately after reading this post.
MAN AND A HIGH SPEED SOCIETY/VITESSE (Taku Furukawa, 1980,
5 minutes, cel)
Bruno Bozzetto did something similar to this in his short film,
GRASSHOPPER. In GRASSHOPPER Bozzetto took us through an extremely
condensed history of the world with short, humorous vignettes
linked by the enduring presence of grasshoppers in a field. This
film is similar, but it shows us the evolution of many different
cultures to the present day, linking each vignette with a
primitive man. A very funny and fast-moving film.
POINT (Shinichi Suzuki, 1971, 5 minutes, cel)
This film is a series of about a dozen unrelated shorts by
different animators, each beginning and ending with a black dot in
the middle of the screen. Overall, this was pretty funny.
If I’m lucky, I’ll be awake this coming Wednesday.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2817, from davemackey, 280 chars, Tue Apr 27 19:37:03 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Happy Birthday….
to animation pioneer Walter Lantz, father of many beloved characters still
familiar in the nation’s conscience, including Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda,
and Chilly Willy. He is 93 years young today. Happy Birthday, Walter!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2818, from hmccracken, 84 chars, Tue Apr 27 22:59:26 1993
This is a comment to message 2817.
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Happy birthday, Walt! Seventy years in the animation business. Amazing!
— Harry
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animation/main #2819, from hmccracken, 439 chars, Fri Apr 30 21:26:35 1993
This is a comment to message 2817.
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An amazing (and true!) update to your birthday wishes to Walter Lantz,
Dave: during a recent speech at UCLA, Lantz revealed that he recently
was going through some family papers and found, for the first time
in his life, his birth certificate. While his parents had always
told him that he had been born in 1900, the certificate gave the date
as 1899! So by all appearances, Mr. Lantz is 94 years young, rather than
a mere 93!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2820, from davemackey, 162 chars, Mon May 3 17:58:03 1993
————————–
TITLE: Obituary
Leone Timmins died on March 30 of ventricular fibrillation, age 87. She was
the wife of veteran animator Reuben Timmins. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #2821, from davemackey, 147 chars, Tue May 4 02:12:39 1993
This is a comment to message 2810.
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But I wonder: I just learned that Larz Bourne had been living in Florida
prior to his death, and died in Sarasota.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2822, from hmccracken, 1014 chars, Thu May 6 09:42:29 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Uncle Walt, G-Man?
Today’s New York Times has a fascinating article that reports that an
upcoming biography of Walt Disney (“Walt Disney, Hollywood’s Dark Prince,”
due in July) says that Walt Disney was an informant to the FBI from
1940 until his death in 1966. The book also reports that changes were
made to an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club and to the 1960s live-action
Disney film _Moon Pilot_ after J. Edgar Hoover saw scripts and complained
about unflattering representation of his agency. (Another film that
Hoover asked for changes in, the Hayley Mills vehicle _That Darn Cat_,
wasn’t changed.)
None of this is particularly surprising, since it’s been known for a long
time that Disney was an anti-Commuinist type, who accused some of the
leaders of the 1941 Disney strike of being Reds, and later testified
before Congress on the subject of Communists in the film industry.
The FBI program he was involved in had other Hollywood participants,
including an actor named Ronald Reagan.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2823, from switch, 320 chars, Thu May 6 15:10:44 1993
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TITLE: Animators’ mailing list
I figured people here would be interested in this: the Internet now has a
mailing list for animators — basically, an e-mail forum for people
interested in creating animation. If you want to join, just send e-mail
with a subject of “subscribe” to animate-request%it***@ds*.com.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2824, from nicolas, 104 chars, Fri May 7 07:43:26 1993
This is a comment to message 2822.
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Yeah Harry. That bit ‘o news even made the papers here in Holland.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2825, from hmccracken, 245 chars, Fri May 7 09:43:40 1993
This is a comment to message 2824.
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Gee! It was one of the biggest stories on CNN yesterday night, right
up there with events in Bosnia. A Disney spokesperson decried the
reports and said the book was a smear. It should make for interesting
reading when it comes out.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2826, from switch, 393 chars, Sat May 8 21:53:17 1993
This is a comment to message 2822.
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It’s been all over the news here, and I’m really annoyed. I’ve
been fed up with this trend of besmirching cultural icons like
JFK, Hoover, etc. I mean, why bother? I know that they were only
human, but is it necessary to dig for every little bit of dirt?
Here in the Gazette, they made note of the allegation that Disney
liked to dress in his mother’s clothes, as well.
Oh, please.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2827, from hmccracken, 292 chars, Sat May 8 22:27:46 1993
This is a comment to message 2826.
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This looks like it’s going to be a sleazy (but possibly interesting)
book — maybe a bigger smear job than Richard Schickel’s _The
Disney Version_. But we’ll have to wait and see, of course.
(And it’s fair to say that Walt Disney wasn’t a particularly
lovable guy in private life.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2828, from davemackey, 550 chars, Sun May 9 15:50:35 1993
————————–
TITLE: A few back obits
Sorry for the delay on these two passing notices, but if I don’t hear about
’em, you don’t hear about em.
Dick Brown died on January 23, age 68, of cancer. Mr. Brown operated the
Cambria studio, which was responsible for “Clutch Cargo”, “Space Angel”, and
“The New 3 Stooges” television cartoon series.
And Sharon Disney Lund, 56, passed away on February 16, also of cancer.
Mrs. Lund was the daughter of Walt Disney, and a director of Retlaw
Enterprises and The Walt Disney Company.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2829, from nicolas, 119 chars, Mon May 10 03:43:47 1993
This is a comment to message 2825.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I am going to put that book on my shopping list. Oh how the mighty are
fallen 🙂
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2830, from hmccracken, 288 chars, Mon May 10 08:53:35 1993
This is a comment to message 2829.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What I find funny about the news reports are the shocked tone they use
when reporting that Hoover made sure a Mickey Mouse Club program filmed
at FBI headquarters portrayed the agency in a favorable light. Like
anybody expected the MMC to do a muckraking investigative report?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2831, from ianl, 326 chars, Mon May 10 20:15:54 1993
This is a comment to message 2830.
————————–
I remember reading all these Disney/FBI allegations long ago, both the MMC
stuff, and the fact that all movie scripts were reviewed to make sure the
FBI didn’t look bad in any of them. Where I read it was one of the Uncle
John’s Bathroom Reader books, but I forget where they excerpted the stuff
from, I’ll have to check.
==========================
animation/main #2832, from switch, 174 chars, Thu May 13 22:14:21 1993
————————–
TITLE: Pointer
Over in /long.messages #124 is a review of some opera-related
animated shorts I saw last week. Some are old favorites, some
obscure gems. Have a look!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2833, from davemackey, 425 chars, Fri May 14 20:17:49 1993
————————–
TITLE: I don’t think Ariel and Eric went that far
A fourth-grade class in Bronx, NY, yesterday got ready to watch “The Little
Mermaid.” Instead, when the play button was pushed, the kids were treated to
from five to thirty seconds (depending on the account) of a pornographic
film. The school’s principal sent home a letter with the kids asking the
parents to discuss the situation with them.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2834, from tshim, 267 chars, Sat May 15 02:35:45 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Hey, hey, hey
I’m back! For 5 hours, this month. From Telnet to you.
Hi Harry, Hi Dave — say, Dave, you called me — whatcha wanna know?
Hey Emru, keep me posted on when the next ish is.
Nice to be here — say, when’s the next CBix?
Thanks in advance.
==========================
animation/main #2835, from davemackey, 262 chars, Sat May 15 08:15:20 1993
This is a comment to message 2834.
There are additional comments to message 2834.
————————–
Welcome back, guy. I left you e-mail regarding what I called you about. As
far as the next CBIX, it’s every Tuesday night at 10 p.m.
You have several thousand messages to sift through since you left here.
Start reading… 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2836, from hmccracken, 250 chars, Sat May 15 10:34:19 1993
This is a comment to message 2834.
There are additional comments to message 2834.
————————–
Tom! Welcome back. Remember — once you learn to BIX, you never
forget how. It’s kind of like riding a bicycle.
(For those who don’t know him, Tom was an early member of the
animation conference who has been away for a very long time.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2837, from switch, 118 chars, Tue May 18 01:32:15 1993
This is a comment to message 2834.
There are additional comments to message 2834.
————————–
Hey there! The next ish is “someday soon,” and the next CBIX
is tomorrow night. Will we be seeing you there?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2838, from tshim, 122 chars, Tue May 18 01:56:44 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I think, though, that Babbit, Tytla, and others would like to see as much
of the truth as possible come out about Disney.
==========================
animation/main #2839, from tshim, 87 chars, Tue May 18 01:57:42 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Does anyone remember the reaction (both Disney and public-wise) to Schickel;s
book>
?
==========================
animation/main #2840, from tshim, 59 chars, Tue May 18 02:00:12 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’ll try to make it! Thanks for all the hellos, everyone.
==========================
animation/main #2841, from hmccracken, 146 chars, Tue May 18 11:48:43 1993
This is a comment to message 2840.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Tom — Remember to “REPLY” rather than “SAY” when commenting on prior
messages, so we can figure out what you’re referring to. Thanks!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2842, from hmccracken, 535 chars, Tue May 18 15:29:56 1993
This is a comment to message 2839.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I think the Schickel book was well-reviewed in the mainstream press.
Coming in the late 1960s, a book debunking Uncle Walt was probably
appropriate for the times. Animation fans, though, have always
hated the book (partially because it’s so negative, partially
because it
s full of significant factual errors).
Curiously enough, by the time Schickel got around to issuing a revised
edition in the late 1980s, he had become a Disney fan — so the new
material in that edition seems almost to be the work of a different
guy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2843, from switch, 38 chars, Tue May 18 20:55:43 1993
This is a comment to message 2838.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Is Tytla still alive? Hmmmn…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2844, from hmccracken, 35 chars, Tue May 18 23:34:00 1993
This is a comment to message 2843.
There are additional comments to message 2843.
————————–
Bill Tytla died in 1968.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2845, from davemackey, 76 chars, Tue May 18 23:38:12 1993
This is a comment to message 2843.
————————–
Bill Tytla died in 1968; Babbitt last year.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2846, from tshim, 34 chars, Tue May 18 23:42:07 1993
This is a comment to message 2841.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
REPLY? I thought it was COMMENT.
==========================
animation/main #2847, from tshim, 45 chars, Tue May 18 23:44:09 1993
This is a comment to message 2842.
————————–
How much was dropped and how much was added?
==========================
animation/main #2848, from ianl, 105 chars, Wed May 19 00:30:15 1993
This is a comment to message 2846.
————————–
REPLY is mail, COMMENT is conferencing. Except, either works the same
in either location anyway. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2849, from davemackey, 154 chars, Tue Jun 1 22:00:12 1993
This is a comment to message 2834.
————————–
Sorry that you can’t be with us longer, Mr. Shim, but we do have some lovely
parting gifts. What does he get, Charlie? 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2850, from switch, 159 chars, Thu Jun 3 00:37:50 1993
————————–
TITLE: Pointer
My last outing the Cinematheque Quebecoise gave me about eight
USSR-animated short films to review. Check it out in /long.messages
#129.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2851, from hmccracken, 760 chars, Thu Jun 3 09:30:22 1993
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Marge
Marjorie Henderson Buell, who signed her cartoons “Marge” and created
Little Lulu for the _Staturday Evening Post_ in 1935, died on Sunday
in Elyria, Ohio. She was 88.
Marge, who sold her first cartoon at the age of 16, came up with
Little Lulu when Carl Anderson took his _Henry_ panel from the Post
to the King Features syndicate. Lulu was immediately popular, and the
character became an advertisting spokescharacter for Kleenex, appeared
in a series of animated cartoons in the 1940s, and starred in a long-
running and popular line of comic books (which Marge had approval over
but did not write or draw; they were written by John Stanley for many
years). Lulu also appeared in a newspaper comic strip for many years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2852, from hmccracken, 358 chars, Thu Jun 3 09:33:18 1993
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Donn Tatum
Donn Tatum died in Pacific Palisades, Calif. on Monday; he was 80 years
old. Tatum became CEO/Chairman of Walt Disney Productions in 1971,
after joining the company as production business manager in 1956.
He played a signficant role in the development of two Disney theme parks:
Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2853, from hmccracken, 209 chars, Thu Jun 3 09:34:55 1993
————————–
TITLE: Mickey’s Back in China
Mickey Mouse comic books are available again in China, after being taken
off the market four years ago because of lax copyright enforcement by
the Chinese government.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2854, from hmccracken, 773 chars, Sun Jun 6 23:11:52 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Dornan on Disney
References to animation pop up in the weirdest places. While half-
watching CSPAN tonight, I came across a report of a visit by Rep.
Bob Dornan (a foaming-at-the-mouth Republican from Southern
California) to a Republican function in New Hampshire. One of
Dornan’s hosts began talking to him about President Clinton’s
actions regarding gays in the military, and this somehow led to
Dornan bringing up the Disney cartoon _The Three Caballeros_
and singing several lines from the title song, which includes
the word “gay” in its sense of cheeriness or vivaciousness.
The Disney reference was particularly appropriate, considering that
Dornan is (I believe) the congressman who represents Disneyland, as
well as the rest of Orange County.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2855, from jshook, 203 chars, Sun Jun 6 23:26:22 1993
This is a comment to message 2854.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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————————–
I think he was also the one who filibustered the Senate last fall
with his theories that Clinton is a KGB mole. I suppose that
now there is no KGB we can all breathe a little easier on that
count….
==========================
animation/main #2856, from hmccracken, 63 chars, Mon Jun 7 12:58:14 1993
This is a comment to message 2855.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
K.G.B. Mole? Wasn’t he one of the Three Caballeros?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2857, from davemackey, 72 chars, Mon Jun 7 19:20:29 1993
This is a comment to message 2856.
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————————–
Sounds like a villain in “Dangermouse”.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2858, from jshook, 53 chars, Mon Jun 7 23:20:29 1993
This is a comment to message 2856.
————————–
No… you’re thinking of Chicken Mole. Delicious!
==========================
animation/main #2859, from davemackey, 292 chars, Tue Jun 8 20:34:06 1993
————————–
TITLE: What he said
John Leguizamo, perhaps best known for his one-man show “Spic-O-Rama” but who
this summer is appearing as Luigi in “Super Mario Bros.”, recently told an
interviewer that the two most enduring Latin stars are Desi Arnaz and Speedy
Gonzales.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2860, from hmccracken, 1035 chars, Tue Jun 8 21:06:59 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Walt Disney, Alcoholic Nazi
I’m not suggesting that anyone actually buy the current issue
of _The National Enquirer_, but as you stand in the checkout
lane at your local grocery store this week, you may want to steal
a look at a copy. Inside, there’s an excerpt from the new book
_Walt Disney, Hollywood’s Dark Prince_ that alleges, among other things:
* That Disney attended American Nazi Party meetings in the late 1930s
* That he had several nervous breakdowns
* That his brother feared that Walt was crazy
* That he was too nervous on his honeymoon to consummate the marriage
* That he possibly was born in Spain to a woman named Isabelle Zamora (!)
* That he abused sleeping pills and drank too much
* That, at his 57th birthday party, he hurled whipped cream at guests
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. The article may be entirely
accurate in all its charges, but it’s interesting to note that
it’s illustrated with a picture of Walt’s nephew that’s misidentified
as a picture of his (Walt’s) brother.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2861, from jshook, 111 chars, Tue Jun 8 23:07:32 1993
This is a comment to message 2860.
There are additional comments to message 2860.
————————–
I’m shocked – shocked! – at this revelation. I thought he had stopped
hurling whipped cream years before.
==========================
animation/main #2862, from davemackey, 223 chars, Sun Jun 13 23:20:18 1993
This is a comment to message 2860.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Gee, if he was born in Spain to a woman named Isabelle Zamora, he could have
been a relative of the late Rudy Zamora, animator for many studios, and
I think he was with Disney in the 1930’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2863, from hmccracken, 140 chars, Sun Jun 13 23:47:00 1993
This is a comment to message 2862.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And oddly enough, Rudy Zamora was born in the United States to a woman named
Isabelle Disney. I see a pattern developing here…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2864, from number6, 85 chars, Mon Jun 14 21:02:08 1993
This is a comment to message 2863.
————————–
Don’t tell me … Disney went to Ford’s Theater and Ford went to see a
Disney movie.
==========================
animation/main #2865, from hmccracken, 50 chars, Mon Jun 14 21:35:42 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Jurassic Park
So, who’s seen it?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2866, from jshook, 1171 chars, Mon Jun 14 23:57:10 1993
This is a comment to message 2865.
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————————–
I just saw it this evening. I found it both impressive and sadly
dispiriting. I had forgotten my vow (made after “Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom”) not to subject myself to being trapped in
Mr. Spielberg’s sensibility for two hours, but the “Jurassic Park”
marketing juggernaut flattened me and I went. I’m sorry I did.
There are some technically astonishing moments in the film. It
certainly sets a new standard for computer animation of living
creatures and their integration into live-action plates. Cut these
scenes end-to-end and you have about 8 minutes of fun. What I find
so depressing is the unrelenting trashiness and brutality of Mr.
Spielberg’s imagination (I suspect there few moments of genuine
beauty and wonder–and there are a few–are due almost entirely
to the wizards at ILM). As soon as there is the possibility of any real
acknowledgment of just what the prospect of seeing living
dinosaurs might have on our imaginations, another monster crashes
through a window. Turning these animals (as exquisitely rendered
by ILM and other artists) into bogeymen in what is basically
a haunted house film is an act of creative impoverishment.
==========================
animation/main #2867, from ianl, 564 chars, Tue Jun 15 00:05:24 1993
This is a comment to message 2866.
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————————–
Hmmm. I’m not sure you can fault Spielberg for the basic storyline, since
it was written by Crichton (sp?) some time ago. But then, I haven’t read
the book or seen the movie, nor intend to do either in the forseeable future.
Seeing the clips for the movie, though, keeps reminding me of the scene
from Tiny Toons where Buster is underground, and this rock wall slides back
revealing a bunch of dinosaurs in an underground paradise. Buster says,
“Oooo, how Spielbergian.” A prophetic line, unless perhaps the JP project
was already in the works back then.
==========================
animation/main #2868, from jshook, 382 chars, Tue Jun 15 00:18:31 1993
This is a comment to message 2867.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I guess I am faulting Spielberg for the storyline, because he chose to
make the film. He didn’t have to (except he probably did, considering
his track record).
But even as a piece of slam-bang roller-coaster entertainment, it’s
still ultimately trash. What a waste of talent and technology.
They keep making junk like this because we keep paying to see it.
Take the pledge!
==========================
animation/main #2869, from peabo, 78 chars, Tue Jun 15 03:39:47 1993
This is a comment to message 2868.
There are additional comments to message 2868.
————————–
I’ll second the assessment that the novel is pretty bad to start with.
peter
==========================
animation/main #2870, from hmccracken, 393 chars, Tue Jun 15 09:06:24 1993
This is a comment to message 2866.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m sure I’ll see _Jurassic Park_ in order to view the computer animation,
but I see your point about the Spielberg mentality. The only Spielberg-
directed film I’ve seen that pops to mind as a gem is _Empire of the Sun_,
hardly a typical example of his art. (I established myself as an
unreddemable cynic in the minds of a lot of my friends by having hated
_ET_ with a passion.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2871, from switch, 32 chars, Tue Jun 15 17:15:31 1993
This is a comment to message 2865.
————————–
On my way in a half-hour.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2872, from switch, 801 chars, Wed Jun 16 09:38:45 1993
This is a comment to message 2868.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I just saw it last night; knowing nothing about the story except
the bare essentials (dinosaurs in the present, someone’s going to
get eaten) I checked my brain at the door. I was going purely
for effects and some adrenalin rushes. IMHO, it delivered on that,
but I think it was for different reasons than the people who went
with me. I liked (a) the effects which were pretty seamlessly
integrated. Of course, (c) my terror at the prospect of being
eaten (in large part due to _Jaws_, which I never saw or read —
the picture on the cover of the book was enough) gave the film
a bit of a keen edge.
Plot? Nah. Why should I have expected any? It obviously isn’t
a vehicle for any real story. Characterization? You must be joking.
Sensitive? It’s a dinosaur film, for crying out loud!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2873, from switch, 85 chars, Wed Jun 16 09:40:16 1993
This is a comment to message 2870.
————————–
I never saw ET. Hey, he made millions off my initials and I never
saw a dime.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2874, from ianl, 448 chars, Wed Jun 16 20:27:46 1993
This is a comment to message 2872.
There are additional comments to message 2872.
————————–
I you look at the other things Crichton has written (Andromeda Strain,
The Sphere, etc), you’d find that your comments on JP are pretty much
true to his style: action-packed story with flat characters no complex
plot twists. Actually, personally, it’s a style I rather like, at least
for reading material. I hate reading through endless pages of gushy
characterizations; I wanna know what a character is doing, I generally
don’t care why.
==========================
animation/main #2875, from hmccracken, 438 chars, Wed Jun 16 22:58:42 1993
This is a comment to message 2872.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, I caught _Jurassic Park_ tonight, a bit sooner than I expected to do it.
I guess I liked it: It’s an incredibly lavish, technically perfect theme-
park ride. As usual with Spielberg, the action scenes seem more heartfelt
somehow than the sentinment (which is treacly and heavy-handed). But
boy, do those dinosaurs look real!
My friend I saw it with said she much preferred the book; I guess my next
step is to read it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2876, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Wed Jun 16 23:02:50 1993
————————–
TITLE: John K., New Yorker cartoonist
The current issue of _The New Yorker_ has a wonderful color painting by
John (_Ren and Stimpy_) Kricfalusi of Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Last
Action Hero. Say what you will about Tina Brown, she’s made some interesting
artistic choices as editor of the magazine.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2877, from hmccracken, 658 chars, Thu Jun 17 10:23:33 1993
————————–
TITLE: _The Great Cartoon Directors_
De Capo Press, which has reprinted several animation-themed books in
recent years, has reissued Jeff Lenburg’s _The Great Cartoon Directors_,
which was originally published by McFarland around eight or nine years
ago. The new edition has more illustrations and has been updated to
some degree.
I’ve only glanced at the reissued version, but be forewarned: the original
printing was rife with mistakes and weird critical appraisals. (De Capo’s
reprintings of Joe Adamson’s _Tex Avery: King of Cartoons_ and Leslie
Carbaga’s _The Fleischer Story_, on the other hand, are must-haves for
any animation library.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2878, from hmccracken, 763 chars, Sat Jun 19 12:10:17 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Clinton’s Okay
Bill Clinton’s Thursday press conference succeeded in its goal of ending his
recent string of political failures — at least in my mnd. At one point
during the conference, Clinton took note of a reporter’s Mickey Mouse necktie,
complimenting him on it and saying he wished people watching at home could
see it. Then, after the conference had ended, Clinton mysteriously
reappeared *wearing* the Mickey Mouse tie.
Just as Gerald Ford’s presidency’s greatest moment was when he became the
first President to quote a comic strip character (Pogo) in a major speech,
Mr. Clinton’s rocky first few months have been redeemed for me by him
having become the first President to wear a piece of cartoon-character
clothing on national TV.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2879, from ianl, 137 chars, Sat Jun 19 12:15:59 1993
This is a comment to message 2878.
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————————–
I dunno if cartoon apparell forgives all. Wasn’t Agnew rumuored to have
worn a Mickey Mouse watch? And look at what a crumb he was.
==========================
animation/main #2880, from hmccracken, 70 chars, Sat Jun 19 13:05:38 1993
This is a comment to message 2879.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Agnew wore a Mickey Mouse watch? He’s OK in my book, then.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2881, from ianl, 204 chars, Sat Jun 19 13:47:08 1993
This is a comment to message 2880.
————————–
I don’t remember where I first heard that, it could even be an unfounded
rumor. But, I was reminded of it yesterday, when a system cookie message
made a joke about Mickey wearing an Agnew watch. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2882, from srider, 245 chars, Sat Jun 19 19:07:36 1993
————————–
TITLE: Anime on SF Channel
The Sci-Fi Channel is running some anime films, apparently. I’m not sure
if this is to become standard SAturday evening fare, but as I’ve never seen
most of what they’re offereing it’s should be worth a few looks.
==========================
animation/main #2883, from srider, 97 chars, Sat Jun 19 19:25:23 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Just saw the preview; they’re running stuff from Vampire Hunter D, Lensman
and Robot Carnival.
==========================
animation/main #2884, from number6, 69 chars, Sat Jun 19 20:30:33 1993
This is a comment to message 2883.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
“Lensman” I haven’t seen. Is that based on the Gray Lensman series?
==========================
animation/main #2885, from srider, 209 chars, Sat Jun 19 21:13:56 1993
This is a comment to message 2884.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
They’re showing the complete films, as far as I can tell. It’s slated to
be on again starting 5pm EDT Sunday.
So far, Lensman appears to be based somewhat on the original E.E. “Doc”
Smith Lensman books.
==========================
animation/main #2886, from jshook, 159 chars, Sat Jun 19 23:42:22 1993
This is a comment to message 2878.
————————–
“…the first President to wear a piece of cartoon-character clothing
on national TV.”
I dunno… I always figured *anything* Reagan wore would qualify…
==========================
animation/main #2887, from switch, 89 chars, Sun Jun 20 13:11:19 1993
This is a comment to message 2885.
————————–
“Somewhat” being the operative word. More than a few liberties
have been taken…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2888, from davemackey, 837 chars, Sun Jun 20 20:52:31 1993
This is a comment to message 2875.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I caved in and threw away my dissenting vote amongst a group of movie-hungry
friends and saw “Jurassic Park” last night. I can tell you that the effects
and computer technology can make for outstanding films. But they can’t stand
alone. The subplots (Neill and Dern’s relationship with Neill’s dislike of
children standing in the way of her wanting a baby) added nothing, and the
young boy character got positively grating after an hour or so. But I think
the movie does what it wants to do — comes as close as ever to an accurate
simulation of how dinos really existed — and I think the ILM people owe a
huge debt of thanks to the pioneers of special effects (Willis O’Brien, Ray
Harryhausen, et.al.), and a big big thank you to Winsor McCay for making a
dinosaur a movie attraction in the first place
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2889, from hmccracken, 290 chars, Sun Jun 20 23:24:33 1993
This is a comment to message 2888.
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————————–
I wonder if that scene in which Hammonf stands by the introductory DNA
movie and interacts with it was a tribute to McCay’s similar interaction
with Gertie? (Which reminds me that you can make the case that Gertie
the Dinosaur was the first multimedia presentation of them all!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2890, from jshook, 140 chars, Sun Jun 20 23:27:13 1993
This is a comment to message 2888.
————————–
I agree about the character of the little boy. I found myself rather
hoping that Laura Dern would manage to throw that switch in time…
==========================
animation/main #2891, from hmccracken, 790 chars, Mon Jun 21 01:09:13 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy Birthday, Mr. Hirschfeld!
Ninety years ago today, Al Hirschfeld was born. Sixty-eight years ago, his
initial work appeared in the _New York Times_, and the art of caricature has
never been the same since. Hirschfeld’s eloquently simple style —
as imitated as that of any artist of the century, but never equalled —
has only improved over the decades, and it’s difficult to imagine what
Broadway would be like without his drawings each week to illuminate it.
Although I’ve been told that Hirschfeld doesn’t consider himself a cartoonist,
he certainly merits appreciation here — both for the quality of his work
and the fact that he’s been at it so long — since before there was a Mickey
Mouse, come to think of it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2892, from davemackey, 314 chars, Mon Jun 21 19:06:01 1993
This is a comment to message 2891.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Nobody can draw the stars of the Broadway stage like Al Hirschfeld, and
it’s heartening to see this tribute to him. As a matter of fact, if I’m
not mistaken, there is animation of Hirschfeld’s work. I think TNT has
animated bumpers on one of its movie presentations during the day.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2893, from hmccracken, 14 chars, Mon Jun 21 21:11:53 1993
This is a comment to message 2892.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
😉
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2894, from davemackey, 127 chars, Tue Jun 22 22:10:48 1993
This is a comment to message 2893.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
But it took me two days to figure out that you did the same thing in your
original message. 🙂
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2895, from davemackey, 312 chars, Tue Jun 22 22:10:55 1993
This is a comment to message 2889.
————————–
It definitely smacked of the kind of introductory film they would show at a
Disney theme park before you go into the studio tour, or say Epcot Center.
That was one of the more charming sequences of the film, since it got lots of
expository material out of the way in a big hurry.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2896, from hmccracken, 165 chars, Tue Jun 22 22:59:08 1993
This is a comment to message 2894.
————————–
Speaking of Hirschfeld, there’s a great little piece on him and a self-
portrait in the new New Yorker. Much nicer than the Times’ own tribute
last week.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2897, from hmccracken, 1734 chars, Mon Jun 28 00:34:48 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Animation Art Gallery Hits Boston
Animation art galleries are a rapidly-expanding sector of the art biz — they
must number in the hundreds now, up from a few dozen at most a few years ago —
and Boston finally has one of its own. Royal Animated Arts Gallery, located
on toney Newbury Street (at no. 166), offers mainly limited-edition cels
(as opposed to production art): stuff from Warner Bros., Disney, Hanna-
Barbera and other studios. Prices range from $400 or so to several thousand.
Today, they hosted Fleischer animator Myron Waldman, who sketched and chatted
with fans and collectors; I’ll post news of other events when and if they
happen.
Two notes on the place and animation-art collecting in general, both having
to do with questions of historical authenticity: first, I noted that Hanna-Barbera’s
cels, which usually are of large crowd scenes of H-B characters, now include
Tex Avery’s Red Hot Riding Hood. While she now shares a common owner with
the H-B gang (Ted Turner), she isn’t an H-B character. (Although she may
have appeared in H-B’s _Tom and Jerry Kids_ — does anyone know for sure?)
Secondly, be aware that signatures on a cel, increasingly, mean nothing.
The gallery is full of pieces signed by artists who had little or nothing
to do with the characters on the cel — let alone the question of whether or
not they drew the particular piece of art in question. Be careful, too,
to establish exactly what a piece is before purchasing — some of the identifications
in this particular gallery were so vague that it was not clear if the piece
was done fifty years ago or last week. I’m not ragging on Royal specifically;
this is a problem with animation-art merchants in general.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2898, from pwirtz, 177 chars, Sat Jul 3 18:24:25 1993
This is a comment to message 2854.
————————–
Dornan is the Rep for part of Anahiem including Disneyland, but Orange County
is larger than several of our smallest states and so has many congresscritters.
|||||paul|||||
==========================
animation/main #2899, from hmccracken, 458 chars, Mon Jul 5 21:31:01 1993
————————–
TITLE: Yesterday’s _New York Times_…
…had an excellent article on Marc Davis, Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston, and
Frank Thomas, the four remaining of Disney’s “Nine Old Men” who were key
animators on the Disney films from the mid-1930s until the mid 1970s.
(Long-time followers of this conference will be interested to know that
the article — in the _Times_, yet — refers to “101 Dalmations,” as
does _Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2900, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Tue Jul 6 12:12:19 1993
————————–
TITLE: Just a reminder…
that every Tuesday at 10pm eastern time, we gather in animation/cbix
for discussion of animation, comics and related topics — though
basically, we’re just getting together to shoot the breeze. It’s
a great place to check out if you have a burning cartoon-related
question, too!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2901, from hmccracken, 307 chars, Tue Jul 6 16:11:32 1993
————————–
TITLE: Daffy Goes Green
Yesterday I caught an environmentally-themed public service message
on TV, starring Daffy Duck. I need to keep an eye out for it again,
since the animation looked really nice — better than those Nike
(or is it Reebok?) ads with Bugs Bunny. Has anyone seen this spot?
— Harry
.
==========================
animation/main #2902, from hmccracken, 485 chars, Wed Jul 14 09:59:02 1993
————————–
TITLE: Disney bows to Aladdin critics
Arab-American groups had criticized the Disney cartoon _Aladdin_ for
including anti-Arabic caricatures and some song lyrics which
stereotyped Arabic attitudes. The groups won a victory this week:
when _Aladdin_ comes out on video in October, two lines in a song
which referred to people in Aladdin’s home cutting off your ears
if they didn’t like you will be edited out. Another line — “It’s
barbaric, but it’s home” — will remain.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2903, from mscoville, 172 chars, Thu Jul 15 20:54:26 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Help!!!
Does anyone have any information about an animated film titled the Little Princess? I hope someone can shed some light
about this film. Thankyou Mike & Pam
==========================
animation/main #2904, from hmccracken, 165 chars, Thu Jul 15 21:14:48 1993
This is a comment to message 2903.
There are additional comments to message 2903.
————————–
I haven’t heard of that film, Mike and Pam (I’ll do some research), but it’s
good to see you back! Anyone else know anything about _The Little Princess_?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2905, from switch, 86 chars, Thu Jul 15 21:33:30 1993
This is a comment to message 2903.
————————–
Welcome back, Mike & Pam! As for the film, do you know anything but
the title?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2906, from hmccracken, 665 chars, Mon Jul 19 09:09:49 1993
————————–
TITLE: Disney in the Times
If you still have a copy of yesterday’s _New York Times_ on the coffee table,
don’t throw it out — there are two interesting Disney-related articles
inside. One is a piece on Euro Disneyland, which is not nearly as popular
so far as predictions had it (it’s hard to appeal to an audience made up
of speakers of many different languages). The park is losing a great deal
of money and may have to postpone expansion plans.
The other piece is a review of Marc Eliot’s biography of Walt Disney,
which casts a doubtful eye on Eliot’s claims that Walt was a
Jew-hating, alcoholic pill-popper with few if any redeeming qualities.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2907, from davemackey, 226 chars, Mon Jul 19 21:23:12 1993
————————–
TITLE: Happy Belated Birthday…
…to William Hanna, elder half of the Hanna-Barbera team, who turned
eighty-three years young last Wednesday. (Joe Barbera’s 83rd birthday is
early next year.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2908, from mscoville, 289 chars, Wed Jul 21 20:09:21 1993
————————–
TITLE: Little Princess
Well, the title is all that we know at this time. We are trying to get further information, but it is hard. We thought
we would challenge the experts. It may also have a different title, will let you know. In the mean time, thanks for any
and all help. Pam & Mike
==========================
animation/main #2909, from davemackey, 176 chars, Thu Jul 22 08:39:08 1993
————————–
TITLE: Another happy belated birthday…
…to Jon Lovitz, star of the forthcoming “The Critic” animated primetime
series, who turned 36 yesterday. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #2910, from davemackey, 656 chars, Fri Jul 30 21:28:51 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Meet the Animators!
The TNT Collectible Show in Tampa on August 21 will feature a couple of
animators folks may know: Ken Mitchroney, who’s worked on “Ren And
Stimpy,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Tiny Toon Adventures”, and
Robert Little, who rendered backgrounds for the Fleischer and Paramount
cartoon studios for over thirty years.
The show, which runs from 10 to 5, is at the Holiday Inn at 4600 Cypress
Street. For more information, call (813) 932-0494. Admission is $2.50.
This show was also to have featured Spanky McFarland of “Our Gang” fame,
who unfortunately passed away a few weeks ago.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2911, from davemackey, 873 chars, Tue Aug 3 20:36:57 1993
————————–
TITLE: Mona Lisa’s Sister: The Casper Connection
It’s moved on the newswires that there is a second Mona Lisa painting,
looking very much like the one that hangs in the Louvre, in a bank vault in
New Jersey.
The wire stories have noted that eight cousins of the Vernon family of
Madison, New Jersey, jointly own this painting, and while some believe that
it wasn’t really DaVinci but in his style or of the same period, the Vernons
cite Seymour Reit as a reference.
SEYMOUR REIT? The guy who created “Casper The Friendly Ghost” and wrote
for “Mad” magazine? Yes, him. Mr. Reit wrote a book in 1981 called “The Day
They Stole The Mona Lisa”, and in it, Reit notes that “the second and more
prestigious of these is the familiar belle of Paris. Her obscure younger
sister, the original version, is reposing in a vault in New Jersey.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2912, from davemackey, 425 chars, Tue Aug 3 20:37:36 1993
This is a comment to message 2897.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Sorry for the belated reply on this: The Girl from the old M-G-M cartoons is
indeed a character on “Tom And Jerry Kids Show.” Her character name is Lolly
Vavoom and her voice is performed by Teresa Ganzel, whom you may remember as
the beautiful young studio owner Sherry Winkler on “The Duck Factory.” Lolly
shows up most frequently (and to best effect) in the “Droopy And Dripple”
subseries.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2913, from hmccracken, 178 chars, Tue Aug 3 22:00:49 1993
This is a comment to message 2912.
There are additional comments to message 2912.
————————–
Ick. I think I’ll try to miss it (and any other “girl” appearances not animated
by Preston Blair. And her name is “The Girl” or Red, not Lolly Vavoom.
— Traditionalist Harry
==========================
animation/main #2914, from number6, 69 chars, Wed Aug 4 19:19:12 1993
This is a comment to message 2912.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TG was also Johnny Carson’s second TeaTime Lady after Carol Connors.
==========================
animation/main #2915, from grekel, 119 chars, Thu Aug 5 22:56:00 1993
This is a comment to message 2914.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
umm, I believe Johnny’s next-to-las TeaTime gal was Carol Wayne.
Did I read that she was killed a couple of years ago?
==========================
animation/main #2916, from number6, 204 chars, Fri Aug 6 19:00:35 1993
This is a comment to message 2915.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yep, right, Carol Wayne. Where did I get Carol Connors from? Anyway,
I saw a picture of Wayne not too long ago in a magazine (or was it
Entertainment Tonight?), with the news of a new modelling career.
==========================
animation/main #2917, from davemackey, 208 chars, Sat Aug 7 12:25:18 1993
This is a comment to message 2910.
————————–
Spanky McFarland will be replaced as special guest at this show by another
one of the Little Rascals, Dorothy “My heart is filled with joy, I want to
rip my pants” DeBorba. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2918, from davemackey, 612 chars, Sat Aug 7 14:59:38 1993
This is a comment to message 2916.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You can’t possibly have seen news of a Carol Wayne comeback in a magazine
recently since she drowned in 1985. (When she was a regular on “Celebrity
Sweepstakes,” co-panelist Shecky Greene once remarked “she’ll never drown” in
reference to her large chest. How ironic.)
Carol Connors was briefly the lady who introduced Chuck Barris on “The
Gong Show” back in the late 1970’s, but very much in the Carol Wayne mode:
bleached blonde hair and huge breasts. Ms. Connors was also a star of
pornographic films.
(Not to be confused with the songwriter Carol Connors, however.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2919, from number6, 80 chars, Sun Aug 8 05:05:16 1993
This is a comment to message 2918.
There are additional comments to message 2918.
————————–
I stand corrected. Hm…who did I see, then? I’ve never been good with
names.
==========================
animation/main #2920, from grekel, 83 chars, Sun Aug 8 11:19:11 1993
This is a comment to message 2918.
————————–
>…songwriter Carol Connors…
not to be confused with actor Carol O’Connor? 😉
==========================
animation/main #2921, from hmccracken, 474 chars, Wed Aug 11 14:34:46 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Barney in the News
OK, he’s not animated, but this conference is still probably the most
appropriate one on BIX to cover Barney in. The infamous purple
dinosaur of PBS fame is covered in two entertaining articles in
current magazines: a piece on bootleg Barney merchandise in
Media Week, and one on Barney merchandising in general in
Business Week. The Business Week article is amusingly titled
“Don’t You Just Want To Knock the Stuffing Out Of Barney.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2922, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Wed Aug 11 14:36:47 1993
————————–
TITLE: Kermit Is In Good Hands
The current _New Yorker_ has a lengthy and interesting article on
the fate of the Muppets after the death of Jim Henson in 1990.
Henson’s children stepped in to run the company, and apparently it’s
flourishing in both the artistic and financial departments. The
article also covers the ill-fated purchase of Henson Associates by
Disney, which unraveled after Jim Henson passed away.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2923, from hkenner, 347 chars, Wed Aug 11 20:34:25 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Movie drop
A few days ago I read an article (in NY Times?) that I now can’t find.
It offered figures for a catastrophic year, maybe around 1953, when movie
going suddenly dropped 50%. That is pertinent to this conf. because the drop in weekly movie going was what ended the
weekly cartoon. Can someone point
me to the missing data?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #2924, from hmccracken, 654 chars, Wed Aug 11 20:49:24 1993
This is a comment to message 2923.
————————–
Gee, I didn’t see the article, but I’d love to get more information. The
year sounds about right — that was roughly when Disney ceased production
of short cartoons, followed over the next few years by MGM, Warner, and
most of the other studios. And the theatrical short, I believe, was
the best format that ever existed for animation: it gave the studios a
media in which they could experiment with new characters, refine old ones,
make false starts, and experiment, all without over-exposing their
characters. Quite different from TV, where an idea often is either turned
into a 65-episode series or else never gets off the ground at all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2925, from hmccracken, 685 chars, Wed Aug 11 20:54:00 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Old Joe to become extinct?
Cartoon characters have been disliked, made fun of, and disapproved-of before —
but I don’t think anyone’s ever tried to *outlaw* one. Until now, that is —
today’s _Wall Street Journal_ reports that the FTC is trying to outlaw the
Camel cigarette ads that feature Old Joe, the brand’s hip camel mascot, who
generally seems to have a pool cue in one hand, one or more blondes on each
arm — and, of course, a cigarette between his lips. The theory is that these
ads appeal to children and make them more likely to take up smoking. (A survey
allegedly proved that the three-to-six set identified Joe as easily as they
did Mickey Mouse.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2926, from nicolas, 235 chars, Thu Aug 12 05:17:27 1993
This is a comment to message 2921.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 2921.
————————–
The article in BusinessWeek finally brought all these strange
Barney messages on Internet in to perspective. As a non-US person I
was flabbergasted although I had a bit of an idea what it ws
about.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2927, from hmccracken, 104 chars, Thu Aug 12 17:12:39 1993
This is a comment to message 2926.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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————————–
Nico, Barney is one American export that the Netherlands should keep
out if at all possible!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2928, from jshook, 154 chars, Thu Aug 12 23:12:55 1993
This is a comment to message 2926.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I *am* a US person, and I completely fail to understand the appeal
of this inane reptile. I can’t wait for “Jurassic Park II: Barney
Takes a Holiday.”
==========================
animation/main #2929, from jshook, 289 chars, Thu Aug 12 23:16:41 1993
This is a comment to message 2925.
————————–
I remember hearing about that survey quite a while ago. There was a
boycott Camel movement in response, but don’t know how that’s fared.
Then there is the controversy with respect to Old Joe’s peculiar
resemblance to a portion of the anatomy of the male members of
another species….
==========================
animation/main #2930, from nicolas, 555 chars, Fri Aug 13 03:15:58 1993
This is a comment to message 2927.
————————–
Well, seeing that the shops are getting saturated with Jurassic Park
stuff (the movie doesn’t open here till September 30th) I don’t see
where they could put any Barney stuff. Besides, Barney isn’t on TV or
any other media here so there is no interest.
The dutch have no history of going into the deep end about
merchandising. Batman stuff was available in major quantities. It
never caught on. The same goes a bit less for Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtle stuff. Cabbage Patch Dolls (remember those) became
extinct here.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2931, from nicolas, 86 chars, Fri Aug 13 03:16:08 1993
This is a comment to message 2928.
————————–
Hm, T-rex v Barney. Tickets to be sold soon. 🙂
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2932, from hmccracken, 1174 chars, Sun Aug 15 00:52:17 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Frozen Treats
Here in the animation conference, we do a good job of keeping you informed
of what’s new in the worlds of comics and cartoons, but it’s always bothered
me that we generally do nothing to ensure that our members are eating well.
No longer. I recently bought, at an antique store in Alabama, a copy of
_The Cartoonist Cookbook_, a 1966 volume that collects recipes by famous
cartoonists including Mort Walker, Dik Browne, Neal Adams, Lee Falk,
Leonard Starr, Al Capp, and others.
Here is one recipe from the book: the favorite vanilla ice cream recipe of
Harold Gray, the late creator of that beloved blank-eyed youngster
Little Orphan Annie.
VANILLA ICE CREAM
4 egg yolks 3 cups milk, scalded
3/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, warmed
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla
Beat egg yolks. Add sugar and salt and mix well. Stir in scalded milk
slowly. Cook over simmering, not boiling, water until mixture coats a
spoon. Cool. train. Add cream and vanilla. Freeze in ice cream
freezer.
When you’ve all made and enjoyed this recipe, let me know; I’ll post another
recipe. Perhaps Virgil Partch’s swiss canapes?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2933, from davemackey, 279 chars, Sun Aug 15 14:09:46 1993
This is a comment to message 2921.
————————–
The Barney controversy — whether or not he should play to kids during pledge
breaks — is going to be coming up for review again: Channel 13 in New York
just began its summer pledge drive (which one of our local TV columnists
dubbed “begathon”).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2934, from switch, 827 chars, Sun Aug 15 22:24:49 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: ‘toons in music
I’m working on an article for the fourth issue of _fps_ on music in animation.
Well, that’s not true. I’m actually working on the sidebar on animation in
music, and maybe another on music videos. Anyway, I could use some help from
our conference members. Can anyone name songs that have cartoon references or
influences? For instance, there’s the Alpha Team techno remix of _Speed
Racer_, Pop Will Eat Itself’s constant references to cartoon characters and
samples from cartoons, and Skinny Puppy’s use of Warner Bros. samples in their
work. Also, can anyone name music videos that have substantial amounts of
animation, like a-ha’s “Take on Me”, Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract”, or
Sting’s “Love is the Seventh Wave”? If you know them, animator credits and/or
anecdotes would be nice too.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2935, from grekel, 361 chars, Mon Aug 16 22:15:33 1993
This is a comment to message 2934.
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There are additional comments to message 2934.
————————–
If you include types of animation other than traditional cel, you
can certainly include Todd Rundgren (computer), Peter Gabriel
(“live” animation, strata-clay animation and now computer
animation), Def Leppard (computer)…
lessee… I think I have a tape of an old “Night Tracks”
devoted to animation. I can dig it up if you want. It’s probably
ten years old.
==========================
animation/main #2936, from davemackey, 109 chars, Tue Aug 17 05:14:20 1993
This is a comment to message 2934.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
We had a discussion of this ilk before, beginning in animation/tie.ins #213.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2937, from jgoddin, 63 chars, Tue Aug 17 08:40:40 1993
This is a comment to message 2932.
————————–
Sounds wonderful. I will have to try that one! Yes, post more!
==========================
animation/main #2938, from jgoddin, 119 chars, Tue Aug 17 08:42:13 1993
This is a comment to message 2936.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Anyone here besides me going to attend Comic Con in San
Diego August 19-22?? If so, perhaps we can do a BIX Bash.
Jean
==========================
animation/main #2939, from hmccracken, 472 chars, Tue Aug 17 09:04:27 1993
This is a comment to message 2938.
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————————–
I *wish* I was going to attend — I’ve been twice, and it’s a real
treat. Lots and lots of interesting guests (and not just whoever’s
drawing _Spider Man_ this month, but comic strip artists, animators,
and others from all over the world) attend, and the dealer’s
room is huge and incredible. But I’m not going this year. I’m shooting
to attend again in ’94.
Anyone who is within any sort of reasonable distance of San Diego
should definitely make the trip!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2940, from switch, 77 chars, Tue Aug 17 21:45:24 1993
This is a comment to message 2935.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I do include those. Please do dig up the tape, it sounds interesting.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2941, from switch, 81 chars, Tue Aug 17 21:46:33 1993
This is a comment to message 2938.
————————–
I wish I could, but I certainly can’t afford a trip like that. Someday…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2942, from jshook, 821 chars, Wed Aug 18 00:01:17 1993
This is a comment to message 2940.
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There are additional comments to message 2940.
————————–
I recently saw a music video animated by the Quay Brothers. The artiste
was Michael Penn and the song was called something like “Long Way Down.”
A band called “Suzy and the Redstripes” (which was really Linda McCartney
and assorted other musicians) did a video about 10 years ago called
something like “Seaside Woman.” It was animated by a British studio
whose name escapes me at the moment. I saw this at one of the Ottawa
festivals and nowhere else. Paul n’ Linda were purportedly working on an
animated feature with this same mystery studio, but as far as I know it
has never surfaced. I believe the animator may have been Grillo.
Perhaps the Cars’ “You Might Think” would fall within your purview. This
was done at Charlex in New York, and was one of the most complex effects
builds ever done at that time.
==========================
animation/main #2943, from grekel, 2577 chars, Wed Aug 18 01:36:29 1993
This is a comment to message 2940.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Okay. Here are the highlights from a couple of “Night Flight”
shows featuring animation, vintage 1982-84:
“Harlem Shuffle” by The Rolling Stones
partially cel animation directed by Bakshi.
“I Can’t Wait” by Nu Shooz, featuring some early cutout and cycled
animations from Jim Blashfield.
“Underground” by David Bowie, directed by Steve Barron and mixing
live action with some white-on-black scratchy line drawing
cartoons, some roto, featuring characters from the movie “Labyrinth.”
“Love is the Drug” by Grace Jones. Some tripped out video effects
and animation by directors Forrest & Tilley.
“Surrender Your Heart” by Missing Persons, with plenty of
psychedelic color-cycling computer art by Peter Max.
“The People Livin’ in the USA” by Randy Andy is made up almost
entirely of pixilation — kind of a time-lapse in film.
“Adventures In Success” by “Will Powers” (actually a consortium of
artists, produced by Rundgren), directed by Rebecca Allen, shows
cel animation of a 50’s style as well as a smattering of early
3-D computer work.
“Atomic Dog” by George Clinton — limited 2D computer animation and
color cycling.
“My Mind Have Still I” by What Is This, directed by Wayne Isham. A
mix of “live” animation and xerox animation.
“New Frontier” by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan fame. A great track
interspersed with some stylish “atomic-age” cel animation.
“It’s a Man’s World” by The Residents. These are the guys who wear
giant eyeballs over their heads. Need I say more?
“Yolanda You Learn” by Pat Metheny, directed by Muir and Huntley,
is a lot of 2D computer roto work. Very colorful and active.
“Individual Choice” by Jean Luc Ponty, made up mostly of timelapse
cityscapes (sort of animation, isn’t it?) by director Louis
Schwartzberg.
finally, “Renaissance Man” by Jamaaldeen Tacuma, directed by John
Sanborn. This video blows me away because Sanborn is able to
maintain image quality over tens of generations of digital effects
passes (ADO geometry), back when 1″ analog tape was in its infancy.
Shows a lot of painstaking care not only to maintain that quality,
but to keep track of all the motion paths and timings. This show
is the only place I’ve seen the video — an instrumental.
More recently, Michael Jackson (even back to the later “Jacksons”
videos) has pushed the envelope of animation: 3D computer in
the closing scenes of “Moonwalker”, claymation in “Speed Demon”,
Cutout animation in “Leave Me Alone”, morphing in “Black or White”
and particle animation in “Do You Remember the Time.”
Hope this helps (or at least makes you nostalgic…)
==========================
animation/main #2944, from hmccracken, 371 chars, Wed Aug 18 09:12:22 1993
This is a comment to message 2942.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I liked “Seaside Woman,” which I think was indeed done by Grillo.
Paul McCartney is of course a legendary cartoon nut, who also
produced a cartoon short that ran with his unfortunate autobiographical
feature _Give My Regards to Broad Street_. The cartoon, which was
actually pretty good, was based on the long-running British comic
feature “Rupert the Bear.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2945, from hmccracken, 167 chars, Wed Aug 18 09:14:07 1993
This is a comment to message 2943.
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If the show featured “The Harlem Shuffle,” it’s actually of more
recent origin than 1982-1983, Greg: that video was released, I
believe, in 1986 or 1987.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2946, from hmccracken, 287 chars, Wed Aug 18 09:28:09 1993
————————–
TITLE: Thank You…
to everyone who attended last night’s CBIX session, and our apologies
for BIX’s erratic behavior, which meant that folks kept dropping out
of CBIX against their own free will. Fortunately, such technical
glitches are a pretty rare event on BIX these days.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2947, from switch, 74 chars, Thu Aug 19 08:19:37 1993
This is a comment to message 2944.
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And Nelvana now produces the Rupert TV series. Has anyone seen it?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2948, from switch, 227 chars, Thu Aug 19 08:23:41 1993
This is a comment to message 2943.
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Nostalgic is right. I used to tape music videos in the early 80s, but
erased my tape because they had such heavy rotation I figured they’d always
be around. Now, of course, it’s next to impossible to get half of them.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2949, from davemackey, 158 chars, Fri Aug 20 04:45:43 1993
————————–
TITLE: You say it’s your birthday
Happy Birthday on Saturday to the one and only Friz Freleng, who is turning
87 years young!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2950, from davemackey, 214 chars, Mon Aug 23 19:18:10 1993
————————–
TITLE: Back page news…
Headline on the back page of today’s New York Post, detailing how Melido
Perez’ pitching couldn’t quite win a game for the Yankees yesterday: “MEL
BLANKED”.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2951, from hshubs, 450 chars, Thu Aug 26 21:06:03 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Anime-related CDs
Just picked up a CD named “Tex Avery” last night. I can’t seem to find
any references to it here. Doesn’t anyone else have it?
I’m a guy who picks up anime-related CDs when I see them. So far, my
favorite is “The Music of Raymond Scott: Reckless Nights and Turkish
Twilights”, though I also have “The Raymond Scott Project, vol 1”.
I like the cleaner result from the former, rather than the “live” version
of the latter.
==========================
animation/main #2952, from switch, 210 chars, Thu Aug 26 21:34:10 1993
This is a comment to message 2951.
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————————–
I haven’t picked up the Avery CD yet, though I’d like to review it for
_fps_ #4 — got any ordering info?
My “Raymond Scott Project” practically lives in my CD player — I’m
anxiously awaiting volume 2.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2953, from hshubs, 107 chars, Thu Aug 26 22:00:47 1993
This is a comment to message 2952.
————————–
Well, I picked it up at Tower Records in Boston, so you could probably order
it via their mail order side.
==========================
animation/main #2954, from hmccracken, 241 chars, Thu Aug 26 22:32:16 1993
This is a comment to message 2951.
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————————–
So where in the Boston area did you get the Raymond Scott CDs, Howard?
I’ve seen the Tex Avery one for sale at Tower Records, but was disappointed
by the material being from later Avery films, rather than his great 1940s
cartoons.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2955, from davemackey, 499 chars, Fri Aug 27 03:45:57 1993
This is a comment to message 2951.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Howard, I haven’t seen the “Tex Avery” album anywhere, but can vouch for “The
Music Of Raymond Scott.” It is a top-notch collection.
It’s about time someone committed the music of Scott Bradley to disc,
though. I’ve long been of the opinion that we should not immmediately
discard any other cartoon musical director’s work because he isn’t Carl W.
Stalling. I’d love to see similar tribute paid to Bradley, Darrell Calker,
Frank Churchill, and Winston Sharples.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2956, from hshubs, 61 chars, Fri Aug 27 11:06:52 1993
This is a comment to message 2954.
————————–
You got it: Tower Records. “Powerhouse” is excellant, IMHO.
==========================
animation/main #2957, from sharonfisher, 90 chars, Fri Aug 27 13:10:53 1993
This is a comment to message 2955.
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Yes. When I saw the Stalling disc, I thought, great, but I’d rather see
one for Bradley.
==========================
animation/main #2958, from jgoddin, 464 chars, Fri Aug 27 21:34:44 1993
This is a comment to message 2939.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Perhaps we can plan ahead! As a Pro (artist, program participant,
animator, colorist, etc.) if you apply for a membership ahead you
would not have to pay for a membership. They let you know if you
don’t qualify. If you want more info or info on purchasing regular
memberships let me know.
Next year is the 25th one and the folks in charge
plan on doing a few extra special things too.
If you would like a mini-review of this year’s event
I will post one. Jean
==========================
animation/main #2959, from hmccracken, 209 chars, Sat Aug 28 09:39:16 1993
This is a comment to message 2958.
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It’ll probably make me jealous, but please post a review of the con.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I can get in as a Pro, unless I can
somehow convince them that working for _InfoWorld_ makes me one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2960, from hmccracken, 1601 chars, Sun Aug 29 11:23:05 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Walt in Wonderland_…
by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman (Edizioni Biblioteca dell’Immagine)
is a wonderful book on the earliest years of Walt Disney’s career, up
until the creation of Mickey Mouse and the birth of the sound era.
Disney’s silent cartoons — including the “Alice” series (which combined
live action and animation) and the Oswald the Rabbit one (which led
directly to Mickey) are usually covered only briefly in books about
the studio. Kaufman and Merritt have unearthed a tremendous amount
of new information, complemented it with thoughtful commentary, and
illustrated it with dozens of photographs and drawings I’ve never seen
before.
As the publisher’s name suggests, this book was published in Italy, and
is in Italian. Fortunately for those of us who don’t read Italian, it’s
also in English — the left-hand pages hold the English text and the
right-hand ones the Italian. Once you get used to the system, it’s easy
to deal with, and might even be an entertaining way for a cartoon fan to
learn Italian.
The other possible stumbling block for those interested in the book is
its price. I bought it at a local showing (at Harvard) of silent Disney
cartoons, where it was $40. That’s a lot, but the book is an oversized,
coffee table-style paperback on good paper, and even though only half
of its 240 pages are devoted to the English text, what’s there is easily
worth forty bucks.
The Whole Toon Catalog also offers the book, but I think it’s at a
higher price. Does anyone out there have a current Whole Toon Catalog
they can quote the price from?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2961, from switch, 35 chars, Sun Aug 29 12:02:12 1993
This is a comment to message 2960.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Right here, Harry — $49.95.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2962, from hmccracken, 68 chars, Sun Aug 29 17:44:09 1993
This is a comment to message 2961.
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It’s a respectable buy at that price, too. Thanks, Emru!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2963, from hkenner, 539 chars, Mon Sep 6 15:04:21 1993
————————–
TITLE: News item
Atlanta Journal/Constitution, 9-6-93, page D2.
Tim Grandia of Atlanta was one of just 30 applicants chosen for the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College that began
recently at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wis. Grandia will
undergo two months of instruction–including guest lectures by the
likes of performance artist Bill Irwin and animator Chuck Jones–and
take courses in everything from improvisation to stilt-walking.
“Clown College is the boot camp for the circus,” course director
Steve Smith said.
==========================
animation/main #2964, from davemackey, 454 chars, Thu Sep 9 14:48:14 1993
————————–
TITLE: Rock Of The Week
To Bill Barnett, head of Children’s Satellite Network (Radio Aahs), for
what is decidedly an anti-cartoon attitude.
Comments made in August 2, 1993 issue of “Broadcasting” on the order
of “(advertising on Radio Aahs is) a great alternative to buying
things like cartoons” and “there is no reason why education can’t be
entertaining, and we do it without goofy cartoon characters.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #2965, from hmccracken, 1142 chars, Mon Sep 13 13:05:32 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Opus n’ Bill do Windows
Later this month, Delrina will ship a screen saver that people are
going to either love or hate: the Opus ‘n Bill Screen Saver for
Windows (a Mac version is also available). It’s a product that
does an extremely good job of bringing Berke Breathed’s Bloom
County and Outland characters to the computer screen, with
extremely slick, faithful animations that pop up to save your
monitor from burn-in during periods of disuse.
The package ships with sixteen animations, and I won’t spoil them by
trying to describe them, except to say that most are twisted and a
little gross — just like _Outland_. Don’t tell my mother, but most
of them made me laugh. (One, involving Bill Gates, will make any
right-thinking computer junkie chuckle, I think.)
If you love _Outland_, you’ll love the screen saver. Delrina is also
going to be introducing a Screen Saver Club, which will offer
quarterly updates with five new animations apiece.
Breathed, by the way, closely supervised the devleopment of the
product, providing the drawings that were turned into animations
and recording the sound effects himself.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2966, from l.wallace, 111 chars, Tue Sep 14 17:00:18 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: FLIC to single frames
DOes anyone know of any utility to convert a flic anim to a series of frames?
Lou
==========================
animation/main #2967, from jshook, 467 chars, Tue Sep 14 20:16:38 1993
This is a comment to message 2966.
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The version of Autodesk Animator I have (actually I have just received the
newest version but have not installed it yet) has a utility built in called
“numpic” that will let you do this. This was not part of the original
distribution but came with an interim update package a while ago. After
installation “numpic” automatically gets added to one of the menus (I forget
which one). This may be standard with the 1.3 upgrade (the one I have not
installed yet).
==========================
animation/main #2968, from hshubs, 75 chars, Sun Sep 19 01:44:20 1993
This is a comment to message 2965.
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————————–
But does anyone love _Outland_? I’d prefer mid-life Bloom County, myself.
==========================
animation/main #2969, from hmccracken, 197 chars, Sun Sep 19 11:44:13 1993
This is a comment to message 2968.
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I *like* Outland, although it’s certainly no where near as good as Bloom
County was at is peak. Breathed is doing more interesting work elsewhere,
like in his picture books, these days.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2970, from davemackey, 120 chars, Wed Sep 22 22:33:58 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: A day late
…but it’s still cause for celebration… Chuck Jones turned 81 yesterday.
Happy Birthday, Chuck! 🙂
==========================
animation/main #2971, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Wed Sep 22 22:39:58 1993
This is a comment to message 2970.
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A happy eighty-first, Mr. Jones! May you not be confused with Marla Maples’
personal publicist, who shares your name and has been in the news recently
for stealing shoes or somesuch.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2972, from hmccracken, 529 chars, Sat Sep 25 01:08:17 1993
————————–
TITLE: _New Yorker_ watching
Tina Brown’s version of _The New Yorker_ continues to offer interesting stuff
for cartoon and comic fans. The current issue has a two-page, full-color
jam comic strip by Art Spiegelman and Maurice Sendak that’s well worth
checking out. Also, the magazine has lately been including one cartoon
with an animation reference almost every week (I can’t imagine that this
is a formal policy, but it’s been going on for several weeks — this
week’s is an amusing Road Runner/Coyote-based gag).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2973, from hmccracken, 388 chars, Tue Sep 28 00:20:12 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Let’s Just Hope They Don’t Open a Jack the Ripper Ride at Disneyland
Hyperion, a book publisher that is an arm of the Walt Disney Company, is
currently in the news because it plans to publish a book that is allegedly
the diary of Jack the Ripper. (Apparently, the volume’s legitimacy is
questionable — big surprise — and other publishers have declined to
publish it.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2974, from hmccracken, 873 chars, Tue Sep 28 00:23:57 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Toon Characters in Video Games
Working at _InfoWorld_, I get to try out a lot of software products that
we get from vendors. Usually, they’re business-y applications, but we
got in a copy of a Tom and Jerry game (from Hi-Tech Expressions) today.
The graphics are quite nice and it’s a fun arcade game, but it bears
little resemblance to the Tom and Jerry cartoons — you control Jerry,
who leaps around and blasts spiders, toy soldiers and other characters
by hurling marbles at them. It’s really a sort of a Super Mario Bros.
clone.
This got me to thinking — there have been many computer games based on
cartoon character themes, but I’m not sure if any have been very faithful
to their source. Has anyone out there seen one that did justice to its
inspiration? (I can think of one — the Road Runner arcade game, produced
in the mid-1980s by Atari.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2975, from switch, 63 chars, Tue Sep 28 18:16:01 1993
This is a comment to message 2974.
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————————–
Also, the Sega Genesis (or is it SNES?) Roadrunner game.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2976, from switch, 39 chars, Tue Sep 28 18:16:31 1993
This is a comment to message 2975.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Oh, yes — and the Asterix game.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2977, from hmccracken, 75 chars, Tue Sep 28 20:57:37 1993
This is a comment to message 2976.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What’s the Asterix game like? I haven’t seen it here in the US.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2978, from jshook, 158 chars, Tue Sep 28 23:08:38 1993
This is a comment to message 2973.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I seem to recall reading somewhere that a technical analysis of the writing
materials used in this manuscript showed it to have been written in
the 1920’s.
==========================
animation/main #2979, from jshook, 223 chars, Tue Sep 28 23:12:51 1993
This is a comment to message 2974.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Wasn’t there a “Simpson’s” video game?
And, as a complimentary example, I think I remember a “Pac Man”
cartoon show. I would imagine the Pac Man game would almost have
to have been faithful to the cartoon character….
==========================
animation/main #2980, from hmccracken, 75 chars, Tue Sep 28 23:18:35 1993
This is a comment to message 2978.
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Well, maybe Jack lived to be an elderly man! It could happen…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2981, from hmccracken, 189 chars, Tue Sep 28 23:19:31 1993
This is a comment to message 2979.
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————————–
That’s right — The Simpsons arcade game is very good and faithful
to the cartoon. There are also lots of Simpsons cartridges for
home systems, but I haven’t played any of them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2982, from switch, 279 chars, Tue Sep 28 23:27:21 1993
This is a comment to message 2977.
————————–
It’s one of those games where the characters are about a third the height
of the screen, and you scroll from left to right beating up Romans. It’s
much in the style of the comics — if you’re Obelix, you can bounce Romans
off your stomach or slap them silly, f’rinstance.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2983, from switch, 113 chars, Tue Sep 28 23:29:28 1993
This is a comment to message 2979.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
There was also the Pole Position cartoon…
And let’s not forget the cartoon-game-cartoon, Dragon’s Lair.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2984, from hmccracken, 378 chars, Sat Oct 2 01:40:26 1993
This is a comment to message 2965.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
News update on the Opus n’ Bill screen saver, courtesy of today’s _New York
Times_: it’s the subject of a lawsuit. One of the animations has Opus
shooting at tiny flying toasters, a reference to the flying toasters in
Berkeley Systems’ After Dark screen saver. Berkeley (Systems, not Breathed)
was not amused, and is suing Delrina, the developer of the screen saver.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2985, from switch, 43 chars, Sat Oct 2 01:42:05 1993
This is a comment to message 2984.
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————————–
Hey, guys! It’s a *joke*!.
Sheesh.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #2986, from elfhive, 151 chars, Sat Oct 2 23:23:50 1993
————————–
TITLE: 24 International Tournee of Animatoin
Just posting a review in long.messages #137. Love to talk about it here
with anyone who has also seen it.
==========================
animation/main #2987, from hshubs, 41 chars, Sun Oct 3 09:57:33 1993
This is a comment to message 2981.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
There’s also a Simpsons pinball machine.
==========================
animation/main #2988, from hshubs, 95 chars, Sun Oct 3 09:58:00 1993
This is a comment to message 2983.
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There’s now a sequel to Dragon’s Lair called Dragon’s Lair: Time Quest
or something like that.
==========================
animation/main #2989, from hshubs, 123 chars, Sun Oct 3 09:58:47 1993
This is a comment to message 2985.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Not to Berkeley Systems it isn’t. I’ve got to try to get a copy of
that screen saver quickly. I hope it runs on the Mac.
==========================
animation/main #2990, from hmccracken, 223 chars, Sun Oct 3 12:01:57 1993
This is a comment to message 2989.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yup, there is a Mac version, or at least Delrina was planning one last
time I spoke with them. The program is actually a module for the
Intermission screen saver (although you don’t need Intermission
to run it).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2991, from hshubs, 24 chars, Sun Oct 3 12:05:09 1993
This is a comment to message 2990.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Can it be used with AD?
==========================
animation/main #2992, from rmharrold, 448 chars, Sun Oct 3 12:30:58 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Nightmare Before Christmas
They have started showing advertisements for Tim Burton’s new movie.
From what they show it looks to be done… Sorry I’m not sure how to
describe it. It reminds me of George Pal’s Puppetoons, but it could
be something else. There are a couple of cute bits in the segments
shown. The most notable is when the parents ask thier child what Santa
brought him. 8^)
I did not catch the start date.
– Robert
==========================
animation/main #2993, from hmccracken, 112 chars, Sun Oct 3 14:56:24 1993
This is a comment to message 2991.
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I’m not sure — AD modules are compatible with Intermission, but I don’t
know if the reverse is true.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2994, from hmccracken, 790 chars, Sun Oct 3 15:00:48 1993
This is a comment to message 2992.
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_The Nightmare Before Christmas_ looks like it may be very good. It
definitely looks like Disney has high hopes — they’re promoting the
film fairly heavily, and are coming out with two books later this
month based on it. One is a nifty children’s book, written and illustrated
by Tim Burton in a style much like that of Dr. Seuss (at least as far as
the rhyming text goes). The other is a well-done coffee table volume
on the making of the film: _Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas:
The Film, The Art, The Vision_. The title is pretentious, but the book
(by Frank Thompson) is worthwhile as probably the most extensive book
ever done on a stop-motion animated film. It’s loaded with great
color artwork, too.
— Harry
(The books are from Hyperion, Disney’s publishing arm.)
==========================
animation/main #2995, from hmccracken, 212 chars, Sun Oct 3 21:53:52 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: _The Disney Villains_…
is the name of the newest book by Disney legends Frank Thomas and Ollie
Johnston, and it’s out now. I haven’t read it yet, but Emru has, I
believe. Any comments, Emru?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #2996, from nicolas, 376 chars, Mon Oct 4 04:41:04 1993
This is a comment to message 2984.
There are additional comments to message 2984.
————————–
> it’s the subject of a lawsuit. One of the animations has Opus
> shooting at tiny flying toasters, a reference to the flying toasters
> in Berkeley Systems’ After Dark screen saver. Berkeley (Systems,
> not Breathed) was not amused, and is suing Delrina, the developer of
> the screen saver.
Don’t they have any sense of humour? Jeez.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2997, from nicolas, 260 chars, Mon Oct 4 04:41:17 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Samurai Pizza Cats
Just caught this program on one of our children channels. I couldn’t
believe my eyes. This show is even funnier than Roger Ramjet. Anyone
know this show and maybe know if it is available on video?
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2998, from nicolas, 501 chars, Mon Oct 4 04:41:33 1993
This is a comment to message 2994.
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> _Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, The Art,
> The Vision_. The title is pretentious, but the book (by Frank
> Thompson) is worthwhile as probably the most extensive book
> ever done on a stop-motion animated film .
Harry, any details on ISBN, price etc. If this is, as you say, one of
the best books on stop motion than I should certainly have it in my
collection. Do you know if Ray Harryhausen (sp?) worked on any books
on stop-motion?
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #2999, from rmharrold, 393 chars, Mon Oct 4 19:33:43 1993
This is a comment to message 2994.
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I agree. What little I have seen looks good. The adverts that I
have seen just scream Tim Burton. I am sure that I caught a glimpse
of the sand worms from Beatle Juice. I wonder how the general public
will take to an all stop action film.
I’ll have to look for the books. Maybe they’ll be in the new
Disney Store opening near by. (Read less than 50 miles 8^))
– Robert
==========================
animation/main #3000, from hmccracken, 237 chars, Mon Oct 4 23:52:06 1993
This is a comment to message 2998.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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(Message 3000! Wow!)
Nico, the ISBN # is 1-56282-774-X. Price is $24.95 US. I’m not sure
if the book is in stores yet, but I have an advance copy in my hot
little hands, thanks to Hyperion, and it’s well worth seeking out.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3001, from nicolas, 125 chars, Tue Oct 5 11:22:09 1993
This is a comment to message 3000.
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Thanks Harry, I’ll just ask my bookstore to put in on order. I’ll see
it when I get it.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #3002, from davemackey, 296 chars, Tue Oct 5 11:36:03 1993
————————–
TITLE: Tom And Jerry… And Jack
This past Sunday’s USA Weekend reported that one of Jack Nicholson’s first
jobs in Hollywood was working at the mailroom at M-G-M Cartoon Studio in the
1950’s, when Tom And Jerry were in the twilight of their heyday.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3003, from switch, 59 chars, Wed Oct 6 21:44:53 1993
This is a comment to message 2987.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If we’re doing pinball, does _Jurassic Park_ count?
Emru]
==========================
animation/main #3004, from switch, 47 chars, Wed Oct 6 21:46:04 1993
This is a comment to message 2992.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How about: Puppetoons meet _Amphigorey_.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3005, from switch, 517 chars, Wed Oct 6 21:50:20 1993
This is a comment to message 2995.
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I haven’t gotten much farther since the last time we spoke, Harry (it’s in
chronological order, and I’m on _Peter Pan_, I think — about halfway through).
I was a tad bored at first, but it grew on me after about 30 pages. It’s not
just a description of the villains, but a series of explanations of how the
character’s look, body language, and personalities were conceived by their
writers, animators, directors, etc. Of course it’s copiously illustrated and
has plenty of little anecdotes. It’s worth it.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3006, from switch, 284 chars, Wed Oct 6 21:53:12 1993
This is a comment to message 2997.
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————————–
I’ve been taping the show irregularly for the last year. There are three
episodes on a tape misleadingly titled _Samurai Pizza Cats: The Movie._
I really like the show, and I’m happy that it now comes on six times a week
here. I just wish I had time to watch all my tapes…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3007, from hshubs, 172 chars, Wed Oct 6 23:00:30 1993
This is a comment to message 3003.
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Only if we’re scraping the bottom. Whatta bad movie.
I must admit, though, that the first time I saw the T-rex swallow
the pinball I was on the floor laughing.
==========================
animation/main #3008, from hshubs, 37 chars, Wed Oct 6 23:01:09 1993
This is a comment to message 3004.
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Really! Mebbe I should go see this.
==========================
animation/main #3009, from nicolas, 237 chars, Thu Oct 7 03:22:08 1993
This is a comment to message 3006.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I especially like the inane comment of the voice-over, not to mention
the aside remarks from the mother and son pair every time the cats get
launched. Like I said, this is more fun than Roger Ramjet.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #3010, from switch, 69 chars, Thu Oct 7 07:16:02 1993
This is a comment to message 3009.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yeah 🙂 Lemme dig up my _Apatoons_ mini-review of the show…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3011, from elfhive, 270 chars, Thu Oct 7 21:51:52 1993
————————–
TITLE: Beauty and the Beast LD
Saw both CAV and CLV editions from Disney in Tower Video tonight . . .
snort slobber drool . . . and this after just buying and watching
the “Work in Progress” version. For the animation enthusiast that
is a very worthwhile laserdisc set.
==========================
animation/main #3012, from davemackey, 672 chars, Fri Oct 8 13:02:34 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Get to know Raymond Scott
The next best thing to seeing Raymond Scott live — a little
difficult since he is not in very good health these days — is to
see a live retrospective of his work.
Scott scholar Irwin Chusid will present “Raymond Scott: The
Man Who Made Cartoons Swing” on Tuesday, October 12 at Live Tonight on
125 Washington St. in Hoboken, NJ, and on Saturday, October 16 at Fez,
which is at 380 Lafayette Street in New York City. The show is an
amalgam of slides, film performances, and audio clips of Scott and
his orchestra — and the cartoons his music graced through the courtesy
of Carl Stalling over at Warner Bros. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #3013, from hshubs, 65 chars, Fri Oct 8 13:34:09 1993
This is a comment to message 3012.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
He’s not in good health? Other than age, what’s wrong with him?
==========================
animation/main #3014, from hmccracken, 222 chars, Fri Oct 8 15:40:21 1993
This is a comment to message 3013.
————————–
Mr. Scott has had a number of strokes, unfortunately. He was active
until recently; in fact, he did some experimenting with computers and
MIDI in the 1980s. Not bad for a bandleader who was active in the
1930s!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3015, from rmharrold, 240 chars, Fri Oct 8 19:36:48 1993
This is a comment to message 3004.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>How about: Puppetoons meet _Amphigorey_.
I’ve seen Puppetoons, but Amphigorey does not ring a bell.
Hmm, looked the word up in the dictionary all I could find was
“amphigory”. Amphigory is a piece of nonsence writing.
– Robert
==========================
animation/main #3016, from rmharrold, 108 chars, Fri Oct 8 19:42:17 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol video will be released sometime
in November.
==========================
animation/main #3017, from switch, 168 chars, Fri Oct 8 19:59:18 1993
This is a comment to message 3015.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
_Amphigorey_ is a book (compilation?) by cartoonist Edward Gorey. Macabre
stuff.
(Well, maybe not always macabre, but certainly quietly distressing and
funny.)
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3018, from switch, 1333 chars, Fri Oct 8 20:07:05 1993
This is a comment to message 3010.
————————–
Here we go:
“My mainstay is the weekend show _Samurai Pizza Cats_, airing up here on YTV.
This was originally a Japanese kids’ show, and it’s still a kids’ show–sort
of. Kids would probably like it because it’s got action, comedy, and absurd
but vivacious voice acting. I don’t know for sure, because I don’t know
anyone under 20 who watches it except for my crazy cousin Raymond. The appeal
for us lis in the scriptwriting; rather than do a literal translation, it seems
that the boys at Saban just preserved the gist of each episode, and did
whatever they wanted after that. The show is rife with in-jokes, poking fun at
Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Japanese animation conventions (!) and itself
(the characters–including the narrator–know they’re in a cartoon, and comment
on it often.) This isn’t to say the original show was serious–far from it.
For instance, the main bad guy, Big Cheese, is sexually ambiguous: is he an
effeminate guy or a butch girl? I thought I’d find the answer in the episode
where he’s about to unveil a statue of himself, but there are several statues,
and while one is a decidedly female ballerina, the other is a hunk bodybuilder.
Even on a bad day, this’ll elicit some yuks.”
Oh — I just remembered Big Cheese’s name is Seymour, according to his
henchman (henchcrow) Jerry Atric.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3019, from hshubs, 356 chars, Sat Oct 9 11:11:11 1993
This is a comment to message 3017.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Looks like Bob got it right!
Amphigorey is a really good book. After all, it contains the
Gashlycrumb Tinys: “A is for Amy who fell down the stairs…”
-with- pen and ink drawings. Gotta love it.
From what I understand, it’s a compilation of little books. I
saw, w/in the last year or so, a new one of these little books,
but I didn’t buy it.
==========================
animation/main #3020, from switch, 576 chars, Sat Oct 9 15:35:05 1993
————————–
TITLE: fps Top Ten — what’re your faves?
In a shameless attempt to fill a page in _fps_ and maybe stimulate
discussion in the process, we’re creating a “Top Ten Favourites” column
in our zine.
This means — you guessed it — I’m asking you to tell me your top three
favourites in these categories:
– Animated feature film or OAV (i.e., greater than 30 mins.)
– Animated short
– Animated series (television, theatrical, or video)
Please respond in e-mail — but if you’ve really got to respond in public,
please include the words “FPS TOP TEN” in your subject line.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3021, from jshook, 500 chars, Sat Oct 9 23:43:02 1993
This is a comment to message 3019.
————————–
Gorey has ben publishing these “little books” since at least the 1960’s,
and been doing illustartions and book cover designs since the 1950’s.
I have about 30 of his books (many of which are signed and numbered
limited editions; others are small, unbound portfolios) and the
“Amphigorey” series draws on them for much of its contents.
You may have seen E. Gorey’s designs in the opening sequence for the
PBS series “Mystery” (or is that “Mystery!”?) which was produced and
directed by Derek Lamb.
==========================
animation/main #3022, from switch, 154 chars, Sun Oct 10 12:46:03 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Some Disney news… their feature after _Pocahantas_ will be _The Hunchback of
Notre Dame_, which will be followed by an unnamed Chinese folk tale.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3023, from hmccracken, 264 chars, Sun Oct 10 14:42:30 1993
This is a comment to message 3022.
————————–
Interesting about _The Hunchback_, but remember that Disney often floats names
of projects which it takes them a long time to actually make — if they do at
all.
I’ve heard, btw, that _Pocahontas_ (spelling?) will be a *very* politcally
correct film.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3024, from hmccracken, 375 chars, Mon Oct 11 00:00:39 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: FPS TOP TEN
Emru — Here’re my top three favorites in your three categories:
Animated Films: Pinocchio, Snow White, Three Caballeros
Animated Shorts: One Froggy Evening, Little Rural Riding Hood, A Bear for Punishment
Animated Series: The Bullwinkle Show, Tom Terrific, Hoppity Hooper
(Of course, ask me again tomorrow and my opinion will have changed…)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3025, from switch, 80 chars, Mon Oct 11 00:09:08 1993
This is a comment to message 3024.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I never did see _Tom Terrific_ during my formative years — what is that?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3026, from hmccracken, 640 chars, Mon Oct 11 00:18:01 1993
This is a comment to message 3025.
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————————–
It was a segment on _Captain Kangaroo_ about a little boy named Tom and his
pet dog, Mighty Manfred. Tom wears a funnel for a hat and can turn into
anything; the cartoons are very short (maybe three minutes a piece) and
tell serialized adventure stories. And they’re wonderful and funny and
among the simplest, purest cartoons ever.
The series was the brainchild of Gene Deitch, and I think it was done at
first by UPA and later by Terry-Toons. For me, the voices — which were
all done by one guy — provide a lot of the appeal. I’m sure that anyone
who grew up on _Captain Kangaroo_ in the 1960s remembers Tom and Manfred.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3027, from hshubs, 55 chars, Mon Oct 11 00:53:17 1993
This is a comment to message 3026.
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————————–
Is Bob K. (can’t remember his last name) still around?
==========================
animation/main #3028, from hmccracken, 344 chars, Mon Oct 11 09:43:52 1993
This is a comment to message 2984.
————————–
The latest update on the lawsuit between Berkeley Systems and Delrina
over the flying toasters in the Opus n’ Bill Screen Saver: a judge
said that Delrina has to take out the toasters. Or rather, that they
have to taked out the *winged* toasters. Berkeley Breathed is planning
to replace them with propeller-powered flying toasters.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3029, from switch, 120 chars, Mon Oct 11 11:26:11 1993
This is a comment to message 3026.
There are additional comments to message 3026.
————————–
Hmn. I grew up on _Captain Kangaroo_ in the 70s; by then it was _Captain Nemo_
and Bill Cosby’s _Picture Pages_.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3030, from hmccracken, 504 chars, Mon Oct 11 13:47:04 1993
This is a comment to message 3027.
————————–
Bob is still alive and well, and from time to time there’s talk of
reviving the Captain. As much as I loved the show, I’m not sure
that’s a good idea. Classic 1960s Captain Kangaroo was great
because it was the last vestiges of early TV — they’d fill up
five minutes with store-bought hand puppets dancing to phono-
graph record music, for instance. You couldn’t do that today.
Besides, a Captain Kangaroo show without the late Lumpy
“Mr. Greenjeans” Brannum wouldn’t be much fun at all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3031, from grekel, 629 chars, Mon Oct 11 20:51:46 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: “Stretchy?”
This was the name of a real-time animated character that popped up
in monitors on “Funniest Home Videos” this week. He was a 2D line
drawing of a cartoon man, but his outline was flexible and his
facial features “floated” within the outline. There was also
limited animation of his mouth and eyes. It reminded me A LOT of
a character I think I saw on “Captain Kangaroo” ages ago — prolly
a white flexible plastic character against a black background,
manipulated from behind with rods and reverse-keyed. But this
“FHV” character was full color and showed no trace of a mechanism.
Anyone know about this guy?
==========================
animation/main #3032, from hmccracken, 294 chars, Mon Oct 11 21:12:29 1993
————————–
TITLE: Mickey to Retire?
Over on the internet, they’re having a conversation which reminded me
of an interesting fact: next month is Mickey Mouse’s sixty-fifth
birthday (on November 28th to be exact). Does this mean he’s going
to have to call it quits? And if so, who gets his job?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3033, from switch, 578 chars, Wed Oct 13 00:41:46 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Can anyone identify this short?
From the Animators’ Mailing List…
…there is an old WB cartoon which I haven’t seen for a while. It had an
old man in it who had a hearing problem, and used a hearing tube-type
thing. He sees a beautiful red hearing-tube lying on the ground, so he
discards his old one and uses the read one. Anyway, throughout the cartoon
he keeps hearing all kinds of strange noises with their animated
equivalent, and at the end a one-horned devil pops up, takes the horn, and
screws it on his own head. I wish I could remember the name!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3034, from hmccracken, 292 chars, Wed Oct 13 09:35:20 1993
This is a comment to message 3033.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
This is “Now Hear This,” a Chuck Jones cartoon from the early 1960s.
It plays periodically on Nickelodeon, I believe. It’s not terribly
funny, but it *is* one of the most unusual WB cartoons of them all —
more like an independent European cartoon in mood and style than a
WB one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3035, from davemackey, 253 chars, Wed Oct 13 10:07:17 1993
This is a comment to message 3026.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t think UPA had anything to do with Tom Terrific. I have always found
that to be a Terrytoons product. Gene Deitch was making commercials for
UPA, though, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3036, from davemackey, 409 chars, Wed Oct 13 10:09:32 1993
This is a comment to message 3031.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
This sounds like puppets they used to have in the 1970’s called Aniforms.
They were operated with what looked like a glorified jackhammer grip, and
they were reverse-keyed. “The Electric Company” used to use such a puppet
called Lorelei, and they had at least one other. (Jim Boyd did the voice
of Lorelei, but after the first season Boyd became an on-camera performer.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3037, from davemackey, 290 chars, Wed Oct 13 10:12:21 1993
This is a comment to message 3034.
————————–
It was also the first WB cartoon with the new-type “spokes” opening and
discordant version of the theme music, later associated with the DePatie-
Freleng and later WB cartoons of the 1960s. It’s also the only WB cartoon
that overtly credits Treg Brown with sound effects. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #3038, from hmccracken, 351 chars, Wed Oct 13 22:04:19 1993
This is a comment to message 3035.
————————–
Right you are, Dave. I think I was thinking of the Bert and Harry Piel
TV commercials, which Deitch did at UPA and took with him to Terrytoons…
right?
Speaking of which, is Piels beer still extant? And if so, aren’t Bert
and Harry due for a revival? (And isn’t a shame that that didn’t happen
while Ray of Bob and Ray was still alive?)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3039, from hmccracken, 339 chars, Thu Oct 14 11:39:36 1993
This is a comment to message 3016.
————————–
In other Muppet news, a coffee-table art book on Jim Henson and his
creations just came out. I can’t remember the title, unfortunately,
but the author is Christopher Finch. Finch also wrote _The Art of
Walt Disney_ and _Of Muppets and Men_ (another giant Muppet art book;
maybe the new book is a revised edition of that one).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3040, from grekel, 121 chars, Sat Oct 16 09:36:06 1993
This is a comment to message 3036.
————————–
I’ll have to check the credits next time they use “Stretchy”. That
-does- sound like the one I’m thinking of — thanks!
==========================
animation/main #3041, from hmccracken, 670 chars, Sun Oct 17 18:43:45 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Bill and Opus Recalled
Another update on the Bill n’ Opus Screen Saver, which is the
subject of a lawsuit by Berkeley Systems, which is opposed
to the fact that Opus guns down flying toasters in one animation:
the judge hearing the case has said that developer Delrina
must recall all the copies of Bill n’ Opus from store
shelves. (As of a week or ten days ago, there were copies
to be had at places such as Egghead Software.)
I suppose this makes the package an instant collectible.
I don’t have a copy of the shipping version, but I *do*
have a beta copy which I’ll guard zealously. Next question:
does anyone really collect collectible software?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3042, from hmccracken, 926 chars, Mon Oct 18 09:06:21 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Leo Salkin
Leo Salkin has died in Hollywood. The veteran animator and writer was
eighty. Salkin was perhaps best known for his work at Disney
(where he directed an Oscar-nominated version of the classic story
_Pigs is Pigs_). He also worked at MGM, Universal, and UPA, where
he wrote the Mr. Magoo feature film _1001 Arabian Knights_.
Salkin not only wrote for Mr. Magoo, he may have *been* Mr. Magoo.
Today’s _New York Times_ reports that John Hubley, Magoo’s creator,
based the nearsighted old gentleman on his friend Leo Salkin. This
is, however, only one of several explanations I’ve heard for Magoo’s
origins — but all may be true to one extent or another.
In recent years, Salkin served as president of ASIFA-Hollywood, the
organization for animators and animation scholars. He also wrote an
episode of _The Addams Family_ and a 1958 book, _Story-Telling Home
Movies: How to Make Them_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3043, from peabo, 318 chars, Mon Oct 18 14:48:36 1993
This is a comment to message 3041.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
One problem with collectible software is that it loses much of its value
when you can’t get a computer any more that will run it (because of new
operating system upgrades, etc). Then, all you have is a box, a disk, and
a manual. It’s quite different from a collectible that doesn’t rely on
special equipment.
peter
==========================
animation/main #3044, from hmccracken, 492 chars, Mon Oct 18 16:50:30 1993
This is a comment to message 3043.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That’s true. I still have a bunch of TRS-80 software, but no working
system that will run it. I’m probably crazy, but I’ve sometimes
wondered if there might be a market for software emulators for
defunct computers. Run Exidy Sorceror programs on your Mac!
Use your old Vic-20 packages on your PC! I don’t think this
market exists today, but I think it will some day. I feel confident
that folks will eventually be interested in today’s software
as quaint artifacts of the past.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3045, from peabo, 139 chars, Mon Oct 18 17:18:31 1993
This is a comment to message 3044.
There are additional comments to message 3044.
————————–
Fund me and I’ll write an Exidy Sorceror emulator for you 😉 (Actually
there is a small matter of ROM copyright to deal with …)
peter
==========================
animation/main #3046, from switch, 170 chars, Mon Oct 18 18:32:20 1993
This is a comment to message 3044.
There are additional comments to message 3044.
————————–
If you look around on ftp sites, there are all kinds of emulators for
different platform, mostly for the Amiga. I ran across a Sinclair Spectrum
emulator once…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3047, from hshubs, 100 chars, Mon Oct 18 22:11:21 1993
This is a comment to message 3044.
There are additional comments to message 3044.
————————–
Running VIC-20 programs on a PC sounds like a way to improve the class
of any clone, actually. :-,
==========================
animation/main #3048, from jshook, 1186 chars, Tue Oct 19 00:18:47 1993
This is a comment to message 3044.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If software becomes collectable, I don’t think it will because people
are able to run it. That’s not the way the collectable market works.
You don’t really think those comic book collectors ever take their
treasures out of their plastic bags and actually read them, do you?
A field needs a few essential characteristics before it can become
collectable. One is what one might call taxonomy: there needs to be
a sort of organised structure to the objects in the area. For instance,
baseball cards provide several methods of organisation, each of which
may be used by a collector to determine what is wanted and what is
extraneous. For software I can see several potential schemas: 1)every
version of a particular program (including foreign editions, if any, and
so on) with complete documentation and an unbroken shrink-wrap, 2)every
program ever produced by a given company (with varients like every
program written by or worked on by a specific programmer, etc) and 3)
every program ever written for a particular (preferably obscure!)
computer. You can see the kind of arcana and potential points of
collector one-upmanship even those broad classifications would
make available.
==========================
animation/main #3049, from peabo, 276 chars, Tue Oct 19 11:59:06 1993
This is a comment to message 3048.
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There are additional comments to message 3048.
————————–
Now that you point this out, how about another category: a version of a
program that had a horrendous bug which required an immediate emergency
patch to be distributed for free, by mail? The collectible would be an
unopened box and the floppy diskette with the patch.
peter
==========================
animation/main #3050, from hmccracken, 470 chars, Tue Oct 19 13:23:51 1993
This is a comment to message 3048.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, speaking as someone who *does* own old comic books and
*does* take them out of their plastic bags…
Seriously, I like your analysis of what software collecting would
be like as a hobby. The only question is, is anyone saving stuff
today? Here at the office we have a copy of VisiCalc, some early
1-2-3 releases, and other things that are sure-fire collectibles.
But I just recycled some disks that contained a beta of DOS 6.
Am I destroying history?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3051, from hshubs, 57 chars, Tue Oct 19 13:32:25 1993
This is a comment to message 3050.
There are additional comments to message 3050.
————————–
>Am I destroying history?
No, you’re saving the future!
==========================
animation/main #3052, from switch, 2376 chars, Tue Oct 19 18:03:21 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: An Interesting Request
—————————-Original message—————————-
We have recently received as part of a collection of the archives of a
prominent local family a number of 16mm and 9mm motion pictures. Included
in this collection are two animated films which appear to date from the
1920s. Their titles are CHIP IN THE LAND OF WHIZ and its sequel CHIP IN
THE LAND OF WOODEN SOLDIERS. The animation technique is a mix of
plasticine and wooden model animation. Except for the title card there
are no production credits on the films.
Can any one either supply me with more information on them or suggest
sources I might be able to search?
———————————————————————
W. Mark Ritchie Phone : (519) 888-4070
Media Library Fax : (519) 888-6197
Audio Visual Centre
University of Waterloo Internet: Av****@Wa******.Ca
200 University Ave West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada “I was just out of college and still believed
N2L 3G1 classifications and catagories” – Jean Renoir
————————————————————————————————-Original message——
———————-
We have recently received as part of a collection of the archives of a
prominent local family a number of 16mm and 9mm motion pictures. Included
in this collection are two animated films which appear to date from the
1920s. Their titles are CHIP IN THE LAND OF WHIZ and its sequel CHIP IN
THE LAND OF WOODEN SOLDIERS. The animation technique is a mix of
plasticine and wooden model animation. Except for the title card there
are no production credits on the films.
Can any one either supply me with more information on them or suggest
sources I might be able to search?
———————————————————————
W. Mark Ritchie Phone : (519) 888-4070
Media Library Fax : (519) 888-6197
Audio Visual Centre
University of Waterloo Internet: Av****@Wa******.Ca
200 University Ave West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada “I was just out of college and still believed
N2L 3G1 classifications and catagories” – Jean Renoir
———————————————————————
==========================
animation/main #3053, from elfhive, 11 chars, Tue Oct 19 21:53:41 1993
This is a comment to message 3052.
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————————–
9 mm film?
==========================
animation/main #3054, from switch, 82 chars, Tue Oct 19 21:59:44 1993
This is a comment to message 3053.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
9.5mm film was a reasonably popular home movie format in Europe and Quebec.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3055, from elfhive, 176 chars, Tue Oct 19 22:09:05 1993
This is a comment to message 3054.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Oh, 9.5 and here I was thinking 9mm was exotic. Must have been more
popular in Quebec 🙂 I lived in Europe and owned an 8mm camera and
no one ever tried to sell me on 9.5 mm.
==========================
animation/main #3056, from jshook, 34 chars, Tue Oct 19 23:29:58 1993
This is a comment to message 3049.
————————–
Now you’re getting the idea….
==========================
animation/main #3057, from hmccracken, 417 chars, Tue Oct 19 23:31:01 1993
————————–
TITLE: Euro Disneyland: It’s a Smaller, Smaller World
Euro Disneyland, the Disney part outside of Paris that opened recently
to less-than-stellar attendance figures, is cutting back on its
workforce. Almost 10% of the park’s 11,000 employees will be let go.
This follows on rumors that the park was going to be shut down
completely and entirely — somehow, it seems hard to believe they’d
go *that* far…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3058, from jshook, 252 chars, Tue Oct 19 23:32:07 1993
This is a comment to message 3050.
————————–
I experienced what may have been an incipient software-collecting
twinge a few years ago when a dealer was selling off some very
early Amiga software at $5.00 a title. I bought several programs
which I had no intention of ever using. I wonder why.
==========================
animation/main #3059, from jshook, 260 chars, Tue Oct 19 23:35:15 1993
This is a comment to message 3052.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If you plan to post this anywhere else you should check your message
file–the same information appears twice in your posting here.
9mm? Is that the Pathe format with the single set of sprocket holes
running down the center of the film between each frame?
==========================
animation/main #3060, from switch, 61 chars, Wed Oct 20 07:18:03 1993
This is a comment to message 3055.
————————–
If memory serves, it peaked in the late 40s/early 50s.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3061, from switch, 69 chars, Wed Oct 20 07:18:50 1993
This is a comment to message 3059.
————————–
Yeah, that’s it.
Emru
(Thanks for pointing out the double posting.)
==========================
animation/main #3062, from switch, 183 chars, Fri Oct 22 22:25:39 1993
————————–
TITLE: Cinematheque Outings, Part I of III
The month’s been busy for Cinematheque screenings; the first part of three
summaries/reviews has been posted in /long.messages #152.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3063, from hmccracken, 478 chars, Sat Oct 23 16:59:28 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Boston-Area Disney Fans…
I have been remiss in not mentioning that there’s a Disney collector’s
show going on this weekend at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in Natick
(or is it Framingham? Anyhow, the one on Route 9 across from what
was the Natick Mall). The show continues tomorrow with a dealer’s
room which will presumably be chock-full of bisque Mickey Mouse
statuettes, Aladdin odds and ends and the like (as well as some stuff
that’s really interesting).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3064, from hshubs, 54 chars, Sat Oct 23 20:02:53 1993
This is a comment to message 3063.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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What do you mean “was” the Natick Mall?? Is it gone?
==========================
animation/main #3065, from hmccracken, 256 chars, Sun Oct 24 00:04:23 1993
This is a comment to message 3064.
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————————–
Most of it is — they’ve torn it down, except for Filene’s and Sears.
Shopper’s World next door (which was the second shopping mall ever built,
btw) is in a similar situation. Both now share the same ownership and
are being completely rebuilt.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3066, from hshubs, 820 chars, Sun Oct 24 01:09:35 1993
This is a comment to message 3065.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Blast. It’s been a while since I’ve been up there. Tearing down
Shopper’s World is a shame, but I must admit that it -did- need it. What
really gets me is the sheer vision the person who built it must have had.
The thing was there for over 40 years! I think of it as a step between a
plaza and a mall, in that it was in the shape of a mall, but it wasn’t
completely enclosed.
I’m aware of another proposal for replacing the building, but it kinda
fell to the recession. Maybe they’re revived it? The proposal was to
build an office building there. Somehow, I doubt that’s what’s being
done, what with the vacancy rate of office space in this area.
But this probably belongs more in new.england/massachusetts, unless we can
tie it to anime. Hm. Did you ever find any anime there? There, tied in.
How’s that?
==========================
animation/main #3067, from hmccracken, 641 chars, Sun Oct 24 10:29:47 1993
This is a comment to message 3066.
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Yes, there have been several plans to nuke Shopper’s World over the years…
I’m sorry it has to happen from a historical standpoint — like you say,
it’s a sort of half-way point between the shopping plaza and the Mall as
We Know It — but on the other hand, it is an awfully ugly building.
Maybe they can somehow preserve Jordan Marsh’s planetarium-like dome?
I think the plan is to tear down the barriers between the Natick Mall
and Shopper’s World areas, creating an *enormous* mall complex…and
making that general area even more mall-intensive than it is now.
(And yes, we should be discussing this over in new.england…)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3068, from davemackey, 344 chars, Tue Oct 26 11:05:08 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: R.I.P., Vincent Price
I know that Vincent Price, who died last night at the age of 82, had some
animation credits. He played Ratigan in “Great Mouse Detective,” and guested
on “Tiny Toon Adventures” and possibly also one of the halloween Simpsons
deals. Can anyone add to this partial list>
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3069, from hmccracken, 564 chars, Tue Oct 26 11:30:04 1993
This is a comment to message 3068.
There are additional comments to message 3068.
————————–
Price also did the voice of a Vincent Price-like character who co-starred
with Scooby-Doo in one of the _Scooby-Doo_ variants of the 1980s, I
know…and he provided a voice for Richard Williams’ _The Cobbler and
the Thief_ (or is it _The Thief and the Cobbler_). This unreleased
film must hold some sort of record for the number of participants
in it who have passed away before the film reached theaters: Price,
Grim Natwick, Art Babbitt, Ken Harris, and others.
(Not surprising when you consider that the film’s production lasted
nearly thirty years!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3070, from sharonfisher, 99 chars, Tue Oct 26 15:56:09 1993
This is a comment to message 3068.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Did he do the voice of the Evil Scientist, Boo in the Bugs Bunny cartoon
with rudolph the monster?
==========================
animation/main #3071, from hmccracken, 116 chars, Tue Oct 26 21:56:22 1993
This is a comment to message 3070.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Hmmm…That sure sounded like Vincent, but I don’t think it was actually
him. Dave, do you know for sure?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3072, from srider, 53 chars, Wed Oct 27 00:19:10 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Animation blitz? Tell me how this works, Emru. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3073, from sharonfisher, 97 chars, Wed Oct 27 11:02:10 1993
This is a comment to message 3071.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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————————–
In a discussion of this topic elsewhere, I was told it was Mel Blance
(Blanc) imitating Vincent.
==========================
animation/main #3074, from hmccracken, 365 chars, Wed Oct 27 19:03:44 1993
This is a comment to message 3073.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
A particpant in the Disney usenet newsgroup said that Vincent Price
had another animation (well, Disney) connection: he provided the
voice for one of the characters in Euro Disney’s Phantom Manor
attraction. However, Price’s work was replaced by a recording made
by a French actor after park visitors complained that they couldn’t
understand his English.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3075, from switch, 1308 chars, Wed Oct 27 23:14:38 1993
This is a comment to message 3072.
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I’m glad you asked, Scott 😉
The Animation Blitz is a (hopefully) annual event at Concordia University
that’s been going on for at leat the last five years. It’
that’s been going on for at leat the last five years. It’s open to any
Concordia student who’s willing to spend a weekend animating.
Basically, a theme is chosen, and everyone animates something adhering to the
theme, from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. It can be any form of
animation — most common is drawn, of course, but occasionally someone will do
some pixillation, cutouts, or quickie stop-motion stuff. We work on sound and
editing over the next few months, hopefully in time for YES (the year end
screening.)
Related to this in methodology is the Intercollegiate Anima-thon, which is
sponsored by Anima-thon International and the National Film Board. Teams are
made up of students from different schools (though there have been independent
teams; a friend and I accidentally created the first independent team when half
our team chickened out and we hooked up with castaways from other schools), and
we’re given a theme and a soundtrack. We work from Friday evening to Sunday
afternoon, and have to create and shoot 30 seconds to two minutes’ worth of
animation. Lots of fun, but it makes for an exhausting weekend.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3076, from hmccracken, 491 chars, Thu Oct 28 18:13:50 1993
This is a comment to message 3074.
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I forgot about what might be Vincent Price’s most notable contribution
to animation, until a friend reminded me today: he narrated _Vincent_,
a wonderful stop-motion animated film that Tim Burton made while
he was an animator at the Disney Studios, about ten years ago.
The film is a short story about a little boy who wants to grow
up to *be* Vincent Price, told in Dr. Seuss-like rhymes. The
current _Nightmare Before Christmas_ feature bears a close stylistic
similarity to it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3077, from hmccracken, 1739 chars, Thu Oct 28 23:10:40 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Animation on CD-ROM!
I think I’ve just discovered the defining application for CD-ROM drives,
at least for cartoon nuts. QuickToons, from Wayzata Technology, is a
CD-ROM disc for PCs and Macs that lets you watch vintage cartoon shorts
on your computer screen!
The disc includes _Betty in Blunderland_ (a fine Betty Boop cartoon), _Ali Baba
Bound_ (a Bob Clampett Porky Pig cartoon), _The Henpecked Duck_ (a Clampett
Daffy cartoon), _A Coy Decoy_ (one of Clampett’s best Daffy cartoons),
_Porky’s Cafe_ (an early Chuck Jones film_, and _Bimbo’s Auto_ (whose origins
I don’t know — it does *not* star Max Fleischer’s Bimbo). These are all
public-domain cartoons of the ilk that you find on $2.99 cheapie tapes
at K-Mart.
On CD, they cost $29 — not a bad buy by CD-ROM standards. They’re in QuickTime
format, and the quality of playback depends a lot on the oomph of your harsware.
Both small-picture and large-picture versions are included — ranging in size
from about 25MB to 45MB a cartoon — and I found I got the best results on my
486/33 by using the small-picture versions, while running Windows in 256-color
mode.
How is this disc more useful than an equivalent videotape? Well, you can perform
a few tricks like playing a cartoon backwards. You can jump immediately to any
point in the film. You can print out individual frames or save them to the
clipboard for use in other applications. Or you can leave a cartoon playing
in one window while you do word processing or other tasks in another. In
short, it *isn’t* much more useful than a videotape, but it’s a lot more
unusual and fun. Think of it as preperation for the interactive future,
when we’ll all be able to watch any cartoon on demand on any PC.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3078, from ianl, 717 chars, Fri Oct 29 22:07:39 1993
This is a comment to message 3077.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The 3DO platform also supports animation on CDROM. On the sampler disk
that comes in the box when you buy a Panasonic Real Machine 3DO Interactive
Multiplayer , there are 3 cartoon segments to demo the
technology. (They are Thumbelina (extract), 2 Stupid Dogs (The Can), and
Batman (Heart of Ice, first segment).
The programmer responsible for the data compression used on the 3DO was
demoing it for me while I was out there. He said, “I think it’s viable,
in that it’ll do cartoons that are good enough that kids will watch, and
it’ll do porno that would be erotically stimulating.”
I responded, “These are apparently two industry standards of measurement
that I’m not aware of.”
🙂
==========================
animation/main #3079, from hmccracken, 193 chars, Fri Oct 29 22:11:42 1993
This is a comment to message 3078.
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————————–
I heard that 3DO uses MPEG video compression — do you know if that’s
true? Apparently, it’s the up-and-coming PC/video standard —
allows 60 minutes of video and sound on a CD ROM.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3080, from ianl, 300 chars, Fri Oct 29 22:46:51 1993
This is a comment to message 3079.
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The animation and video on the sampler disk I mentioned don’t use MPEG,
they use CinePak, with decompression handled by software. The machines
have an expansion port, and I’ve heard rumors (not from within 3DO, actually)
that someday MPEG decompression devices will hook to the expansion port.
==========================
animation/main #3081, from hmccracken, 469 chars, Sun Oct 31 11:37:27 1993
————————–
TITLE: Farewell to a comics fan
With the passing of Federico Fellini, the film world has lost one of its
leading lights, but in this conference we should note that the world has
also lost a very serious comics fan. Fellini wrote and spoke frequently
of his love for the comics, American and otherwise, and credited such
artists as Phil Davis, who illustrated _Mandrake the Magician_, with
excercising a great deal of influence on his approach to film making.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3082, from davemackey, 212 chars, Mon Nov 1 21:54:13 1993
This is a comment to message 3071.
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I used to think it was Price, but I don’t think so. It sounds like the same
guy who did the voice of the wrestler, construction worker, that Jones liked
using in the early 1950’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3083, from switch, 169 chars, Mon Nov 1 22:36:53 1993
————————–
TITLE: Aardman Animations Retrospective
My comments on the Aardman Animations retrospective I caught almost a month
ago are finally posted in /long.messages #154.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3084, from davemackey, 109 chars, Wed Nov 3 22:18:40 1993
This is a comment to message 3042.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Salkin did not direct “Pigs Is Pigs”; that film was directed by Jack Kinney.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3085, from hmccracken, 134 chars, Thu Nov 4 10:08:25 1993
This is a comment to message 3084.
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My mistake for relying on information provided by whoever wrote
the _New York Times_’s obituary. Thanks for the correction!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3086, from davemackey, 747 chars, Fri Nov 5 17:05:39 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Obituary: Dave Tendlar
Dave Tendlar, 84, who was one of the top New York animators and directors,
died on September 9.
After starting out in the “Krazy Kat” unit for Charles Mintz in the
1920’s as an opaquer, Tendlar joined the Fleischer Studios in the early
1930’s and swiftly graduated to head animator status on Betty Boop, Popeye
and Color Classics. He continued on with Famous Studios working on the
Noveltoons, Popeye, and Herman and Katnip, becoming a director in the early
1950’s.
In 1958 Tendlar moved over to Terrytoons and spent most of the 1960’s
there. In the late 1960’s he went to the West Coast, where jobs at Filmation
and Hanna-Barbera awaited. He retired in 1981.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3087, from hmccracken, 139 chars, Fri Nov 5 17:28:01 1993
This is a comment to message 3086.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Mr. Tendlar was one of the finest draughtsmen to work at the New
York studios, and he drew a mean Betty Boop. He will be missed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3088, from hshubs, 30 chars, Fri Nov 5 21:16:11 1993
This is a comment to message 3087.
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Betty Boop wasn’t/isn’t mean!
==========================
animation/main #3089, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Thu Nov 11 10:02:28 1993
————————–
TITLE: Franc Talk about Euro Disneyland
Today’s _New York Times_ has an article that reports that Euro Disneyland
lost an astronomical $901 million in its first year of operation, much
more than was expected. (The Walt Disney Co. as a whole also lost money
during the fourth quarter.) The park’s money problems are apparently
due to a number of miscalculations, such as an initial ban on the
sale of alcohol that didn’t go over well with French guests.
Plans for park expansions — a new Disney/MGM movie theme park —
have been postponed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3090, from hmccracken, 326 chars, Thu Nov 11 10:04:22 1993
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Penrod Scofield
Penrod Scofield died last week in Yonkers, N.Y. at the age of 60.
Scofield worked as an animtor for Disney (hence his obituary here);
he also illustrated childrens’ books and provided artwork to accompany
stories and poems by authors including Philip Roth, Herbert Gold,
and others.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3091, from hmccracken, 570 chars, Thu Nov 11 22:24:58 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Euro Disney may be floundering…
but the Disney company apparently thinks there’s room in the US market
for another Disney theme park. They’ve announced plans for Disney
America, a historically-themed park to be built in Virginia. The
centerpiece will be an area that lets visitors experience the civil war.
That’s an interesting idea — Disney’s theme-park showmanship combined
with a serious attempt at historical accuracy could make for a great
experience — but I have my doubts. Why do visions of rides like
“Mickey at Gettysburg” come to mind?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3092, from hkenner, 277 chars, Fri Nov 12 22:06:54 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Jones Book
My short book *Chuck Jones*, aimed at an audience not already impassioned
by animation, is in production and will be published by U. of Calif. Press
in late summer/early fall ’94. (Apologies to anyone I’ve misinformed re
spring ’94). See you all then!
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3093, from hmccracken, 175 chars, Sat Nov 13 04:37:34 1993
This is a comment to message 3092.
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Congratulations, Hugh! BIXen interested in a preview of Hugh’s book can
read animation/long.messages #36 and 37, which include excerpts from
an early draft.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3094, from hmccracken, 332 chars, Sat Nov 13 21:16:24 1993
————————–
TITLE: Disneyland Ad Man Dies
The _New York Times_ obituary of H.R. “Bob” Haldeman, Richard Nixon’s
chief of staff, revealed an animation-related fact about the man,
buried somewhere in paragraph 87 or so: early in his career he was
an ad man at the J. Walter Thompson agency, where he handled the
account for Disneyland.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3095, from hshubs, 128 chars, Sun Nov 14 10:15:43 1993
This is a comment to message 3091.
There are additional comments to message 3091.
————————–
Let’s just say that the result in -my- mind makes me think of the duck
with bullet holes in it from Nightmare Before Christmas.
==========================
animation/main #3096, from hmccracken, 481 chars, Sun Nov 14 13:05:45 1993
————————–
TITLE: Animation References Can be Found Everywhere…
…as I’ve often mentioned here. For me, the latest example came this
morning, when I turned on my radio and found it happened to be tuned
to a church service being broadcast from Marsh Chapel at Boston
University. Today’s sermon turned out to be one entitled “The Nightmare
Before Advent,” which drew parallels between the current Tim Burton
stop-motion animated feature and certain sections of the Book of Daniel!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3097, from hmccracken, 316 chars, Sun Nov 14 13:08:37 1993
————————–
TITLE: Tuesday Night CBIX
Looks like this week’s CBIX session will have to be cancelled, unfortunately.
I will be at COMDEX in Las Vegas (and will try to post show reports on any
animation-related stuff I come across), and won’t be available at 10pm EST.
Things will be back to normal a week from Tuesday.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3098, from davemackey, 317 chars, Tue Nov 16 12:59:32 1993
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Horst Rohner
Chicago-based animator Horst Rohner was killed on November 2 in a car
accident. He was 50.
Mr. Rohner was operator of the Magic Theatre Company, a company
that produced animation and advertising graphics for Chicagoland agencies.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3099, from hmccracken, 702 chars, Wed Nov 17 04:01:31 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Comdex Report, Live (sort of) From the Show Floor
Lots of computer-related stuff is going on here in Las Vegas, but the
comics-and-cartoons beat is a slow one this year so far. My only
real experience worth relating is that I attended a luncheon today
at which _Outland_ cartoonist Berkele Breathed spoke about his
Opus n’ Bill screen saver and its legal troubles (reported here)
and autographed copies of the package for attendees. Mr. Breathed
is as funny and incisive in person as his comics are in the
paper, and had some interesting things to say about a future he
envisions in which electronic comic strips are common. It was a
pleasure to get to speak with him about his work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3100, from ianl, 81 chars, Wed Nov 17 11:55:45 1993
This is a comment to message 3099.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3099.
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I’ll bet 3DO has a booth there — you should check it out. (Shameless plug.)
==========================
animation/main #3101, from davemackey, 159 chars, Thu Nov 18 22:36:23 1993
This is a comment to message 3099.
There are additional comments to message 3099.
————————–
What’s this live stuff, Harry? are we going to be seeing you in TV
commercials any time soon during our Tuesday Night CBIX? 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3102, from elfhive, 409 chars, Thu Nov 18 23:18:13 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Mickey: The Black and White Years
Just received a review copy of this beautiful 5 laserdisc set of all
of Mickey’s first cartoons restored and in the original black-and-white.
This is from the Disney Archive Collection series and has a number of
interesting supplementary materials including the complete storyboard
from Steamboat Willie.
I’ll be doing a review for the Jan/Feb 94 issue of LaserViews.
==========================
animation/main #3103, from hmccracken, 255 chars, Fri Nov 19 09:45:54 1993
This is a comment to message 3102.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
DROOL! Any chance that you can upload a list of the titles included?
Disney has long had a policy, apparently, that the early Mickeys are
primitive and embarassing and should be kept from public view.
It’s nice to see they’ve changed their mind.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3104, from switch, 4285 chars, Fri Nov 19 20:05:57 1993
This is a comment to message 3103.
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Here they are. This is from the upcoming rec.arts.animation digest…
From: 96***@wi******.edu (David A Gerstein)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.animation,rec.arts.disney,alt.fan.furry
Subject: *** Info on the BW Mickey Mouse LD ***
Date: 28 Oct 1993 23:06:28 -0400
Organization: Williams College, Williamstown MA
Dear Folks,
I’ve seen discussion lately of the MM laser disc set,
including questions as to what was on it. I answered that about 2
months ago, but it seems that the need for the knowledge has come up
again, so:
Mickey Mouse: The BW Years
(Laser Disc #1 Index)
1. Steamboat Willie, 1928
2. Gallopin’ Gaucho, 1928
3. Plane Crazy, 1928
4. MickeyUs Follies, 1929
5. The Fire Fighters, 1930
6. The Chain Gang, 1930
7. The Gorilla Mystery, 1930
8. Pioneer Days, 1930
9. The Birthday Party, 1931
10. Mickey Steps Out, 1931
11. Blue Rhythm, 1931
12. Mickey Cuts Up, 1931
13. Mickey’s Orphans, 1931
14. The Duck Hunt, 1932
15. Mickey’s Revue, 1932
16. Mickey’s Nightmare, 1932
17. The Whoopee Party, 1932
18. Touchdown Mickey, 1932
19. The Klondike Kid, 1932
20. Building a Building, 1933
21. The Mad Doctor, 1933
22. Ye Olden Days, 1933
23. The Mail Pilot, 1933
24. Mickey’s Gala Premiere, 1933
25. Puppy Love, 1933
26. The Pet Store, 1933
27. Giantland, 1933
28. Camping Out, 1934
29. Gulliver Mickey, 1934
30. Orphans’ Benefit, 1934
31. The Dognapper, 1934
32. Two-Gun Mickey, 1934
33. Mickey’s Service Station, 1935
34. Mickey at the 1932 Academy Awards (the first color MM cartoon)
Note that cartoon #34 was not known to historians before now.
Until recently it was believed that “The Band Concert” was the first
color MM, but now in the archives this one was found, which had
apparently been released only at the 1932 AA ceremonies.
There is a work-in-progress version of “The Mail Pilot” which
succeeds it on the disc, according to what the Disney Archives was
allowed to tell me. There may be other pencil tests, too, but that
cartoon uniquely exists *complete* in that format… or so I’ve heard.
There is also a second set in production, which I guess will
have most of the following:
1. The Barn Dance, 1928
2. The Opry House, 1928
3. When the Cat’s Away, 1929
4. The Barnyard Battle, 1929
5. The Plow Boy, 1929
6. The Karnival Kid, 1929
7. Mickey’s Choo-Choo, 1929
8. The Jazz Fool, 1929
9. Jungle Rhythm, 1929
10. The Haunted House, 1929
11. Wild Waves, 1929
12. Fiddlin’ Around, 1930
13. The Barnyard Concert, 1930
14. The Cactus Kid, 1930
15. The Shindig, 1930
16. The Picnic, 1930
17. Traffic Troubles, 1931
18. The Castaway, 1931
19. The Moose Hunt, 1931
20. The Delivery Boy, 1931
21. Fishin’ Around, 1931
22. The Barnyard Broadcast, 1931
23. The Beach Party, 1931
24. The Grocery Boy, 1932
25. The Mad Dog, 1932
26. Barnyard Olympics, 1932
27. Mickey in Arabia, 1932
*28. Trader Mickey, 1932
29. The Wayward Canary, 1932
30. Mickey’s Good Deed, 1932
31. Mickey’s Pal Pluto, 1933
*32. Mickey’s Mellerdrammer, 1933
33. Mickey’s Mechanical Man, 1933
34. The Steeplechase, 1933
35. Shanghaied, 1934
36. Playful Pluto, 1934
37. Mickey’s Steamroller, 1934
38. Mickey Plays Papa, 1934
*39. Mickey’s Man Friday, 1935
40. Mickey’s Kangaroo, 1935
My guess is that since they have at least an extra side’s
worth of cartoons here, either the next set will have more cartoons on
some sides… or, more likely, eliminate the asterisked cartoons *
with racial stereotypes to have a 36-cartoon set. (Even though I’d
probably wince at those films, I’d rather Disney put out a complete
set for collectors than be politically correct at their expense. It’s
not as if I’d advocate showing those cartoons on TV or putting them on
the regular, cheap “Cartoon Classics” tapes which little children
buy… but I think they should be on the LD set.)
#2 is definitely in the works — *BUT* could still be put on
hold if the first LD set isn’t such a success. Come on, Disney fans
— buy set #1 like me, and you’ll soon see why it all started with a
mouse!
Your friend,
David Gerstein
“Oh, the cows and the chickens, they all sound like the
dickens, when I hear my little Minnie’s *YOO-HOO!*”
Any information, questions, or comments relating to Disney
short cartoons and especially MM would find a good home at this
address:
<Da**************@Wi******.edu>
==========================
animation/main #3105, from hmccracken, 636 chars, Sat Nov 20 15:13:23 1993
This is a comment to message 3099.
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There didn’t turn out to be much more cartoon-related stuff to be found
at COMDEX. Panasonic was using Woody Woodpecker to promote its
notebooks and printers, playing back clips of Woody on giant monitors.
It didn’t work all that well — Woody is kind of a vague character,
and it wasn’t really clear why Panasonic chose him to tout its products.
(As opposed, say, to when one of the express delivery companies used
the Road Runner.)
Other news: Berkeley Systems is coming out with a Marvel Comics screen
saver, and I think I saw something about a Warner Bros. cartoon clip
art package. And there’s even a Charlie Brown PIM.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3106, from hmccracken, 194 chars, Sat Nov 20 15:14:12 1993
This is a comment to message 3100.
————————–
I didn’t see a 3DO booth — not surprising, since COMDEX is heavily slanted towards
business-type stuff. But I’m sure 3DO will be at CES in January (which I
don’t get to go to, alas).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3107, from hmccracken, 230 chars, Mon Nov 22 21:41:26 1993
————————–
TITLE: Robin’s New Role
Robin Williams’s new movie _Mrs. Doubtfire_ may be live-action, but it apparently
has a strong cartoon connection. According to _Time_ magazine, Williams plays
a cartoon voice artist in the film.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3108, from elfhive, 527 chars, Mon Nov 22 23:38:11 1993
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TITLE: Swan Lake
CNN carried a story in their entertainment section on a new feature length
animation film based on the original tale of Swan Lake. They showed some
finished animation and some pencil tests. There was also some very nice
multi-plane background in one shot. I didn’t catch the company name but
it was not familiar nor were the producers. One of them said they were
planning on releasing a feature length animation for family audiences
every two years. Can anyone bring me up-to-date on who the players are
here?
==========================
animation/main #3109, from hmccracken, 294 chars, Tue Nov 23 09:02:57 1993
This is a comment to message 3108.
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If I’m not mistaken, it’s Richard Rich Entertainment, a company headed by
a former Disney hand (who is no relation to Richie Rich as far as I
know). The firm gained some notoriety through its production of Bible
story videos that featured Jewish villains with grotesque hooked noses.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3110, from hmccracken, 552 chars, Tue Nov 23 22:21:55 1993
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TITLE: Baby Huey Fans Rejoice
Harvey Comics Entertainment has announced that it’s relaunching its cartoon
operations, which have been dormant since the early 1960s, when they
produced Casper cartoons for TV. The first new project is a Baby Huey series
for syndication in the fall of 1994; Bob Jacques, formerly of The Ren and
Stimpy Show, will direct. Two other Harvey characters — Richie Rich and
Casper — are the subjects of planned live-action films; Christina Ricci
is said to be set to star (not in the title role) in the Casper film.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3111, from elfhive, 140 chars, Tue Nov 23 22:43:15 1993
This is a comment to message 3109.
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Have they been the subject of any articles in animation magazines and
does anyone know what other titles they have lined up for production?
==========================
animation/main #3112, from hmccracken, 799 chars, Tue Nov 23 23:45:06 1993
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TITLE: Wile E. Coyote, Meet Eustace Tilley
The current issue of _The New Yorker_ has a brief appreciation of Chuck Jones
by Terrence Rafferty and a spread of color Jones artwork, published to coincide
with a Jones exhibit at Washington DC’s Childrens’ Museum. Rafferty’s piece
is quite nice and it’s always good to see Jones recognized, although the artwork
reproduced is of recent vintage and not all that exciting. While Jones has done
well with limited-edition cels and such, none of his recent, still-image
art is nearly as remarkable as his animated cartoons of forty and fifty
years ago.
The feature is just another piece of evidence of the happy fact that _The
New Yorker_ has become a fine showcase of cartoon art since Tina Brown
became editor-in-chief. Who would have thunk it?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3113, from hmccracken, 477 chars, Thu Nov 25 20:43:21 1993
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TITLE: And they claim video games aren’t harmful
Sonic the Hedgehog, the star of a Sega video cartridge, made his debut as
a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade today, and promptly smashed
into a crowd, injuring a man and a little girl. Me, I’ve kind of lost
interest in the parade since they began adding balloons of current
characters, rather than depending on ancient balloons of Bullwinkle,
Underdog, Linus the Lionhearted and other early-1960s characters.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3114, from davemackey, 365 chars, Fri Nov 26 09:58:05 1993
This is a comment to message 3110.
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Christina Ricci, for those who don’t know, plays Wednesday in the live-action
“Addams Family” and “Addams Family Values” films. I hope she can show a
little more emotion there; Wednesday is a pretty deadpan character.
The first thing Bob Jacques should do is get a hold of Martin Taras and
figure out how to do Baby Huey right.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3115, from hmccracken, 358 chars, Sun Nov 28 12:56:50 1993
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Evelyn Venable
Actress Evelyn Venable has passed away. The radio obituary I heard noted two
significant facts about her: she was the model for Columbia in the opening
titles for Columbia films, and she provided the voice for the Blue Fairy in
Walt Disney’s _Pinocchio_. I
am trying to track down more information on Miss Venable.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3116, from switch, 568 chars, Fri Dec 3 21:55:15 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Stephen Johnson, the man on the moon
Some time ago, I posted notices on the Internet, looking for information on
various animated music videos. I got an interesting response from one Mary
Lou Jepsen, who is now working with Stephen Johnson (Sledgehammer, Big Time,
Steam) on a project. She’s designed a system for projecting images on the
moon at 30 fps, called Moon-TV. It’s a world peace/global unity project, with
the video being directed by Johnson. It’s meant to be done once, on July 20,
1994 — the 25th anniversary of the first moon landing.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3117, from davemackey, 541 chars, Sat Dec 4 18:04:31 1993
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TITLE: Two brief obituaries.
Passing into the night recently…
Cal Howard, writer/director for Warner Bros. and Fleischer studios, also
a writer for Disney Comics and the “Truth Or Consequences” radio program.
Also, Ely Landau. You may not know his name, but animation fans growing
up in the 50’s and 60’s should pay their respect to him: Mr. Landau headed
National Telefilm Associates, the film that distributed the Fleischer, early
Paramount, other short cartoons to television in those decades.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3118, from elfhive, 52 chars, Sat Dec 4 20:06:53 1993
This is a comment to message 3116.
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Does her system require a full or a new moon, emru?
==========================
animation/main #3119, from hshubs, 34 chars, Sat Dec 4 21:34:56 1993
This is a comment to message 3116.
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I surely hope it’s a clear night.
==========================
animation/main #3120, from hshubs, 148 chars, Sat Dec 4 21:36:42 1993
This is a comment to message 3118.
There are additional comments to message 3118.
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I assume that the moon’s phase on the scheduled date will be appropriate
for this use. Should be -very- interesting if it happens and if it works.
==========================
animation/main #3121, from switch, 31 chars, Sat Dec 4 23:15:36 1993
This is a comment to message 3118.
There are additional comments to message 3118.
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Good question; I’ll ask.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3122, from hmccracken, 1109 chars, Sun Dec 5 23:12:03 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Grand Dad Flintstone
My cable was on the fritz tonight, but my reception was good enough to detect
that there was a _Flintstones_ special on dealing with the birth of Fred
Flintstone’s first grandchild (who, seeing as Pebbles is married to
Bamm-Bamm, is also Barney’s grandkid). Did anyone see the show? Did Pebbles
have a boy or a girl? Does the world have a Fred Rubble I, a Wilma Rubble,
a Pebbles Rubble, or a Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Jr.? Or was another name selected?
Or did Pebbles have twins, triplets, or quadruplets? In any event, the
Flintstones and Rubbles are perhaps the first major cartoon characters to
become grandparents — and Pebbles joins Wilma as one of the few cartoon
characters to become visibly pregnant.
Why is that? Cartoon characters almost never get married, let alone have
kids or grandkids. Much more common are nephews and nieces — Huey, Dewey,
and Louie being the best examples. It’
and Louie being the best examples. It’s almost as if cartoon characters
reproduced in a weird biological system totally unrelated to that
employed by human beings.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3123, from davemackey, 433 chars, Mon Dec 6 20:07:34 1993
This is a comment to message 3122.
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Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm had fraternal twins, a red-haired boy named Chip and a
white-haired girl named Roxy.
Bill Hanna directed the two-hour special from a script by Rich Fogel and
Mark Seidenberg. Jean Vander Pyl is still Wilma after all these years, and
Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm were voiced by Kath Soucie and Frank Welker. There were
some guest voices, like Raquel Welch, John Tesh and Mary Hart.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3124, from rmharrold, 416 chars, Mon Dec 6 22:41:47 1993
This is a comment to message 3123.
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Someone is going to have to do somthing with TV guide. They
spoiled the suprise about the twins in their adds for the show.
I only caught a few minutes at the start and about the last half
hour. What I saw seemed about on par with the movie of the wedding.
Ok but not as good as the original show. I must admit thought that I
really like the way Pebbles broke the news that she was expecting.
– Robert
==========================
animation/main #3125, from hmccracken, 154 chars, Tue Dec 7 10:50:02 1993
This is a comment to message 3123.
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Thank you. Bill Hanna directed? Wow!
I wonder why H-B didn’t get Jay North and Sally Struthers to resume their
roles as Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3126, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Wed Dec 8 21:42:13 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Out of the Bat-Closet
The current issue of _The New Republic_ features Batman and Robin in a
way that will either appall most bat-fans or give them a chuckle.
(I fell into the latter group myself.) I won’t spoil it by describing
it in any detail.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3127, from hmccracken, 466 chars, Sun Dec 12 19:15:29 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Politics of Disney
In a recent speech in Boston, Al Gore used a complicated metaphor involving Walt Disney’s
_Dumbo_ to examine the problems facing our inner cities. It involved the
fact that Dumbo thought it was a magic feather that gave him the
ability to fly, when it reality it was his giagantic ears keeping him
aloft. I’m not sure what this has to do with inner-city issues, but bravo
to the vice president for making a cartoon reference!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3128, from elfhive, 265 chars, Sun Dec 12 19:18:01 1993
This is a comment to message 3127.
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Well, the view from my townhouse in Southeast Washington during the
rush hour (about 20,000 people a day use the Metro station next to
my house) always did remind me a bit of _Pink Elephants on Parade_.
PS, that’s DC and not somewhere in the Cascade Mountains 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3129, from ianl, 755 chars, Sun Dec 12 22:59:41 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Airport animation
I ran across something interesting in the newspaper this week. Denver is
building a new international airport; it’ll be done in March or so. There is
an art budget of $7.5 million for the $4.3 billion project. The newspaper
article was summarizing some of the art projects at the new airport, and
one of the things they mentioned had to do with the high-speed people movers
(flat escalators) that’ll be used to move folks quickly between concourses.
Apparently, along some of the people movers, an artist has set up some sort
of flip-book-style animation, so that you’ll see an animated sequence as
you’re whisked along by the machinery. There were no details beyond that
in the article, but it sounds pretty interesting.
==========================
animation/main #3130, from jshook, 122 chars, Sun Dec 12 23:33:03 1993
This is a comment to message 3129.
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————————–
A friend of mine proposed doing that in one of the subway tunnels
here in Boston a few years, but nothing came of it.
==========================
animation/main #3131, from davemackey, 145 chars, Tue Dec 14 20:12:06 1993
This is a comment to message 3127.
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I find it surprising that not only did Al Gore make a cartoon reference, but
he crossed party lines to do it. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3132, from hmccracken, 40 chars, Tue Dec 14 23:09:24 1993
This is a comment to message 3131.
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Dumbo is a member of the GOP?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3133, from jshook, 35 chars, Wed Dec 15 00:09:24 1993
This is a comment to message 3132.
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Well, Dumbo *is* an elephant….
==========================
animation/main #3134, from hmccracken, 938 chars, Thu Dec 16 13:47:16 1993
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TITLE: Attention, Disney Lawyers
There’s a new cereal on the market, called something like Spangly Sparkles
(that’s not the name, but you get the idea), which has a TV commercial
with an animated genie who’s very close in design and character to
the one Robin Williams voiced in _Aladdin_. He’s reddish instead of blue,
but otherwise could be mistaken for the other genie’s brother.
In other genie-related news, Robin Williams has apparently been heard
grumping publicly about Disney’s treatment of him after _Aladdin_
became such a hit (it is the top-grossing Disney-studio film of all
time, animated or otherwise). Williams was paid a relatively paltry
salary and has not gotten a cut of the profits. It sure sounds like
he was underpaid — his performance was a big factor in making the
film a smash — but you’d think a star of Williams’ caliber would think
of such things when signing his original contract, wouldn’t you?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3135, from hmccracken, 511 chars, Sun Dec 19 17:32:26 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Obituary: Ken Anderson
Ken Anderson, one of the most notable art directors associated with
Disney animation, died last Monday at the age of 84. Anderson worked
on Disney’s cartoon features fron _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_,
the first, through at least 1973’s _Robin Hood_; he also art directed
attractions for the Disney theme parks. In recent years he attended
many conventions of Disney fans, and last year he published
_Nessie and the Little Blind Boy of Loch Ness_, a childrens’ book.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3136, from hmccracken, 261 chars, Mon Dec 20 00:23:15 1993
This is a comment to message 3091.
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Apparently, Disney’s historical amusement park in Virginia isn’t
a sure thing. The studio wants the state to pay for at least part
of the roadwork that needs to be done around the park, and has
also voiced concern about local opposition to its plans.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3137, from hmccracken, 4483 chars, Fri Dec 24 17:54:41 1993
————————–
TITLE: From the ‘net: Euro Disney to Close?
The Surge!: Euro Disney may close if restructuring efforts fail23 Dec 93 13:09
Cross-posted to USENet’s rec.arts.disney, FIDONet’s Disney Conference,
WWIVNet’s Disney Discussion Sub, and Mickey’s Kingdom BBS!
The following article appeared in The Press Enterprise, Business Section C7,
Thursday, December 23, 1993:
The article below does not necessarily represent the opinions of Mickey’s
Kingdom BBS, its users, or those forums on which this article may appear.
[Begin quote.]
EURO DISNEY MAY CLOSE IF RESTRUCTURING TALKS FAIL
By Roger Cohen
New York Times News Service
PARIS-Auditors of Euro Disney said yesterday that the troubled theme park
would have to close if negotiations with creditor banks and with the parent
Walt Disney Company did not soon result in agreement on a financial rescue.
“The group will need financial support to face its contractual obligations in
— 17:53 –rec.arts.disney– LAST –help:?–Top 20%–
“The group will need financial support to face its contractual obligations in
the 1994 accounting year,” said PS Audit, a unit of Price Waterhouse, the big
accounting and consulting house.
“If the financial restructuring measures envisaged do not reach a conclusion
in sufficient time, the group will have cash problems and will not be able to
continue its activities.”
The comment accompanied the official publication of disastrous financial
results for the year ending September 30 and announced last month by Euro
Disney.
It amounted to a more direct and strongly worded statement of Euro Disney’s
“acknowledgement last month that it could face a “liquidity problem” after
losing $920 million in its first full fiscal year.
Creditors, which include Banque Nationale de Paris, Credit Agricole, Deutsche
Bank, Midland Bank, JP Morgan and Banque Indosuez, have begun negotiations
with Euro Disney and the Walt Disney Company but appear to have made scant
progress.
One possibility under review is that part of Euro Disney’s more than $3.7
— 17:53 –rec.arts.disney– LAST –help:?–45%–
One possibility under review is that part of Euro Disney’s more than $3.7
billion in debt could be converted into stock, but banks are reluctant to
accept such a plan until they have evidence that the theme park’s performance
will improve.
Walt Disney, which owns 49 percent of Euro Disney and has agreed to pump in
money for a limited time, is also discussing with banks how any injection of
capital would be shared. Some officials close to the talks say Walt Disney
wants the banks to at least match its own contribution.
In a statement that seemed intended to play down the impact of the auditors’
remarks, Euro Disney said their comments were consistent with its
acknowledgement of a potential liquidity problem.
“Consistent with this disclosure,” the company went on, “the statutory
auditors have stated that the company might be unable to continue as a going
concern if the restructuring were not completed.”
However, the Paris stock exchange reacted with a renewed bout of anxiety,
sending Euro Disney shares plunging more than 4 percent, to 34.05 francs.
Before the Park’s opening in April 1992, the shares traded as high as 160
francs.
— 17:53 –rec.arts.disney– LAST –help:?–72%–
Before the Park’s opening in April 1992, the shares traded as high as 160
francs.
Neither Disney nor the auditors was prepared to say what the deadline is for
an agreement to save the park.
But banks have requested a separate and more detailed audit from KPMG Peat
Marwick, another big accounting and consulting company, before they reach any
decision. That report will not be submitted until mid-January, so it seems
highly likely that no decision will be made before the early spring.
From the outset, the previously all-conquering Disney formula has proved less
appealing in Europe than the company expected.
[Photo caption:] Guests seen entering Festival Disney outside the Euro
Disneyland Theme Park. Guests are wearing the typical plastic, yellow
rain coats that with Mickey on the bank and say “Euro Disney”. Caption reads,
“Euro Disney near Paris may face closure if talks with creditor banks and the
Walt Disney Co. fail.”
[End quote.]
— 17:53 –rec.arts.disney– LAST –help:?–95%–
[End quote.]
The Surge!
Part of the Magic of Mickey’s Kingdom BBS (909) 242-3975
—
This year, see the World! – Call (407)WDISNEY for information/reservations!
==========================
animation/main #3138, from hmccracken, 112 chars, Fri Dec 24 23:17:59 1993
————————–
TITLE: Merry Christmas, one and all…
from your friends at the BIX animation conference! Ho, ho, ho!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3139, from switch, 133 chars, Mon Dec 27 14:16:20 1993
This is a comment to message 3118.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Mary Lou got back to me; it’ll be broadcast on a new moon (actually a ‘sliver
moon’) because there’s much less light required.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3140, from hshubs, 67 chars, Mon Dec 27 16:53:57 1993
This is a comment to message 3139.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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That makes sense. Please remember to remind us before it happens!
==========================
animation/main #3141, from switch, 16 chars, Mon Dec 27 19:06:01 1993
This is a comment to message 3140.
————————–
I’ll try!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3142, from switch, 221 chars, Mon Dec 27 19:07:40 1993
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: A question for the Professor…
Say, Hugh, does your handy OED CD-ROM give a clue as to the origins of the
word “cartoon”? Kris Ruppert on Fidonet was wondering how animation came to
be known as “cartoons.”
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3143, from hmccracken, 348 chars, Mon Dec 27 20:39:40 1993
This is a comment to message 3142.
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Well, the use of the word “cartoon” to describe preliminary, rough sketches
done by painters goes back several centuries at least. (I’m not sure
of the country in which it originated.) It wasn’t a big jump to apply
the word to casual, humorous drawings of other sorts…and then to
humorous visual arts of all kinds, including animation.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3144, from hmccracken, 687 chars, Mon Dec 27 20:48:20 1993
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TITLE: Obituary: Zack Mosley
Zack Mosely, creator of the long-running and popular _Smilin’ Jack_ comic strip,
passed away recently at the age of 83. Mosley’s strip, which first saw print
in 1933, was the most popular of many newspaper strips with aeronautical
themes, Jack being a crime-fighting, adventuring pilot who bore a certain
likeness to Dick Tracy. _Smilin’ Jack_ retired from active duty in the
comics in 1973 (a victim, I think, of the newspaper shortages — a lot
of veteran strips died around then). In recent years, Mosley published
his autobiography and other books dealing with his adventures as a
cartoonist, including at least one volume of _Jack_ reprints.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3145, from switch, 20 chars, Mon Dec 27 21:02:15 1993
This is a comment to message 3143.
There are additional comments to message 3143.
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Thanks, Hugh!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3146, from hkenner, 36 chars, Tue Dec 28 16:43:27 1993
This is a comment to message 3143.
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“Cartoon” is from Italian “carton”.
==========================
animation/main #3147, from hmccracken, 660 chars, Thu Dec 30 22:23:08 1993
————————–
TITLE: Here Comes the Mouse
Today’s _New York Times_ has a nifty article on weddings at Disney World,
an apparently booming industry. You can’t get married inside the park
itself, but can hold the event at one of the hotels, with your favorite
Disney characters as guests. Prices start at $2000, but can go up to
$100,000 for a bash with all the trimmings — like the bride arriving
in a glass carriage drawn by six white horses and the groom coming in
on horseback.
It’s all very romantic, but possibly inappropriate — Mickey Mouse, after
all, has been dating the same woman (er, mouse) for sixty-five years
without making an honest woman of her.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3148, from hmccracken, 340 chars, Thu Dec 30 22:25:09 1993
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TITLE: Ted Buys the Other Half of HB
Ted Turner has agreed to pay $255 million for the half of the Hanna-
Barbera studio he doesn’t currently own, buying out the Apollo Inventment
Fund, his current partner in the studio. The Hanna-Barbera library is,
of course, highly visible these days on Turner’s Cartoon Network cable
channel.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3149, from hmccracken, 172 chars, Fri Dec 31 22:29:33 1993
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TITLE: Happy New Year!
…and here’s to a pleasant and productive 1994 for every member
of the animation conference! (And lots of good cartoons for us
to watch!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3150, from hmccracken, 582 chars, Sat Jan 1 11:37:06 1994
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TITLE: Cartoon Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Two interesting tidbits gleaned from the new issue of _The Comics Journal_:
In England, the Duke of Edinburgh has lent several cartoon originals
from his personal collection to an exhibit of work by Giles, the
legendary social cartoonist whose work has appeared in British papers
for decades.
Back in the U.S., John F. Kennedy Jr. attended the recent opening
of a gallery show of work by underground comix superstar Robert
Crumb at the Alexander Gallery in New York City. JFK Jr. is said
to be a big fan of Crumb’s work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3151, from hmccracken, 579 chars, Sat Jan 1 16:41:15 1994
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TITLE: Obituary: Mack David
Mack David, 81, died on Thursday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. David was
a composer and lyricist who wrote more than 1,000 songs, among those
some of the ones used in the Disney animated films _Cinderella_ and
_Alice and Wonderland_.
It’s been a bad period for Disney composers — a few days ago,
athe woman whgo wrote the lyrics for “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,”
the hit song from _Three Little Pigs_ (1933) passed away. Unfortunately,
I’ve misplaced the clipping I had on her death, and I’m not
sure of her name. Anyone out there know?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3152, from kipw, 239 chars, Sat Jan 1 17:39:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3135.
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I was shocked at how little attention Anderson’s death got.
He was responsible for Disney’s look for most of my life.
I was a little tired of his designs, but that doesn’t detract
from his achievements, especially 101 DALMATIANS.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3153, from kipw, 228 chars, Sat Jan 1 17:51:49 1994
This is a comment to message 3136.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
==========================
animation/main #3154, from kipw, 636 chars, Sat Jan 1 18:03:04 1994
This is a comment to message 3126.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The _New Republic_ Bat-joke was described to me. Sounds like
someone’s been reading Wertham’s classic _Seduction of the
Innocent_, which seemed to feel that Bruce and Dick (both
names, he felt, were additional evidence) represented a
bit more than mere male bonding. Jules Feiffer also talks
about this (and declines to believe Wertham’s temptingly
lurid thesis) in _The Great Comic Book Heroes_, the book
that bears a lot of responsibility for the boxes of comics
in our house. (For someone with an even filthier mind than
Wertham, try Gershon Legman’s _Rationale of the Dirty Joke_.
Legman is, of course, another psychiatrist.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3155, from kipw, 515 chars, Sat Jan 1 18:13:55 1994
This is a comment to message 3130.
————————–
A local paper had a letter from a kindly soul who felt that one or
the other of our local underwater tunnels could be made friendlier
by putting jolly Disney characters in them. Since this might make
people drive even more slowly through the often-unavoidable tunnels,
I decided it might be better to put hideous bogeymen and monsters
on the walls instead. After thinking about it, though, I figured
it would be more effective to paint realistic dripping cracks and
puddles. (I think they do this in Boston.)
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3156, from hmccracken, 270 chars, Sat Jan 1 18:22:05 1994
This is a comment to message 3153.
There are additional comments to message 3153.
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I’d love to know more about Disney America as it develops — or
doesn’t.
Michael Eisner is quoted in today’s New York Times as saying that
shutting down Euro Disneyland is a possibility. Maybe — but
maybe he’s just playing hardball, as Disney is wont to do.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3157, from switch, 406 chars, Sun Jan 2 11:51:57 1994
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TITLE: Music videos
Well, I’m a happy guy. MuchMusic is doing their “Top 500 Videos of All Time”,
and after many years I’ve finally managed to get the animated video for
Ponto de Lanca Africano (which can be found on David Byrne’s Brazil Classics,
vol. 1). If you haven’t seen this, it’s worth hunting down. It’s replete
with colourful, painted, images of Brazilian life, the good, bad, and ugly.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3158, from hkenner, 106 chars, Sun Jan 2 13:51:43 1994
This is a comment to message 3154.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3154.
————————–
Legman–a psychiatrist? I’d always understood he was a writer,
with an eccentric feel for material.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3159, from hmccracken, 298 chars, Sun Jan 2 18:27:25 1994
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TITLE: Mark Your Calendar!
Next Sunday (January 9th) at 9pm eastern time, join us in the Animation
CBIX area for our first, extra-special CBIX event of 1994 — the
third in our popular series of Trivia Nights! There will be questions,
answers, prizes, and fun for all! More details soon.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3160, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Sun Jan 2 21:56:09 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Cesar Romero
Cesar Romero, whose successful acting career spanned movies, TV, and radio, as
well as many decades, passed away yesterday at the age of 86. While it might
not be the role he’d most want to be remembered for, the one most pertinent
to this conference was, of course, his series of performances as The Joker
on the 1960s _Batman_ TV show. It was a witty role which he clearly
relished — and which definitely influenced Jack Nicholson’s performance
as the same character in the 1989 theatrical _Batman_ movie.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3161, from kipw, 423 chars, Sun Jan 2 22:48:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3158.
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I sure thought Legman was a shrink, but a quick look (as the
online clock ticks away) at _Rationale of the Dirty Joke_
doesn’t reveal any professional credentials. I may have either
seen an “about the author” in the library copy of the book I
read before I got my own, or I may be assuming from the
large number of scholarly references and incidence of psychobabble
that he is a professional. So maybe I’m wrong. Eh.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3162, from davemackey, 169 chars, Sun Jan 2 23:55:46 1994
————————–
TITLE: Mini-Obit: Carlo Vinci
Just read on CompuServe that Carlo Vinci, animator for Terrytoons,
MGM and Hanna-Barbera, has passed away.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3163, from nicolas, 781 chars, Mon Jan 3 02:15:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3153.
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According to my newspaper, Michael Eisner told the french newspaper Le
Point, that closing down EuroDisney is definitely one of the options
if there is no solution with the banks before March 31st.
Currently EuroDisney has run up losses in the order of $1 billion.
Yep, that is no typo. The total debt even runs as high as $ 4 billion.
Eisner wants the banks to lower the debts. The banks want Disney, who
has only 49 pct of the shares in EuroDisney, to cough up some more
dough.
Eisner is also quoted as saying that any support from Disney towards
EuroDisney should not endanger the solvability of the parent company.
EuroDisney shares fell 8 pct on the Paris stock exchange after these
words.
I’ll try keep you updated as the news breaks.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #3164, from davemackey, 491 chars, Thu Jan 6 22:35:21 1994
————————–
TITLE: The annual Syracuse thing
Cinefest 14 will be held from March 3-6, 1994, at the Quality Inn North in
Syracuse, New York. Once again, Harry McCracken, yours truly, and some of
our friends from Apatoons and Animato! are expected to be in attendance. If
you happen to come, step up and make yourself known to us. Further info
on Cinefest can be had by calling Phil Serling at (315) 637-8985. Hotel
reservations may be made at (315) 451-1212.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3165, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Thu Jan 6 23:25:35 1994
————————–
TITLE: Once again, it’s Trivia Night!
Please join us this Sunday at 9pm EST for our third Trivia Night!
As those of you who’ve joined us before know, we ask multiple-
choice questions, keep track of everybody’s ansswers, and award
prizes to the high scorers. Whether or not you’re a cartoon/
comics expert, it’s a lot of fun! Prizes will include books
such as Jerry Beck’s _I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat_ and Bill
Watterson’s _The Days Are Just Packed_, copies of _FPS_ and
_Animato_ magazine, and more.
See you there, and bring your friends!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3166, from hmccracken, 470 chars, Sat Jan 8 20:26:18 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Obituary: Pat Buttram
Pat Buttram, sidekick in countless western movies and Mr. Haney of _Green
Acres_, has passed away. (His age being either 78 or 80, depending on
which TV report you believe.)
In the realm of cartoons, Buttram did voices for several Disney features —
_The Aristocats_, _Robin Hood_, and _The Fox and the Hound_ among them.
I believe he also provided a voice for at least one episode of TV’s
_Garfield and Friends_ in recent years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3167, from hmccracken, 772 chars, Sun Jan 9 15:21:34 1994
————————–
TITLE: Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!
Participate in tonight’s Trivia Night (9pm EST in animation/CBIX)
and you have a shot at winning one or more of the following:
* _Kingpin_, by Bill Griffith (Zippy the Pinhead comics!)
* _I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat_ by Jerry Beck (all about
Tweety and Sylvester!)
* _School is Hell_ by Matt Groening
* _What’s Wrong with Being Crabby?_ by Charles Schulz
(great Peanuts reprints!)
* _Felix in the Doghouse_ (Felix the cat comics!)
* _Felix Keeps on Walking_ (more Felix strips!)
* Copies of _fps_ and _Animato_ animation fanzines
See you there! Knowledge of comics and cartoons is helpful, but
not mandatory. (Everything’s multiple choice, so intelligent
guessing can go a long way.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3168, from davecolton, 398 chars, Sun Jan 9 20:17:58 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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*** Moved from animation/anime #1068 of Sun Jan 9 16:40:24 1994
TITLE: Outakes from Aladdin?
The Today show featured a piece about the songstress who
play Jazmin. Interestingly, they showed footage on “A Whole New World”
that is not in the movie. (This was the portion where the two are
on the carpet flying — here, on Today, the two were kissing in flight).
Anyone know about other outakes?
==========================
animation/main #3169, from hmccracken, 145 chars, Sun Jan 9 20:58:58 1994
————————–
TITLE: The Animation Trivia Night CBIX…
is about to begin! Join us by selecting “CBIX” from your animation
conference topic choices!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3170, from davemackey, 460 chars, Mon Jan 10 10:41:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3168.
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By songstress, you must mean Lea Salonga, who did the singing voice of
Princess Jasmine. Her speaking voice was Linda Larkin. Salonga has been
featured on the New York stage; I think she was in “Miss Saigon.”
Incidentally, the singing voice of Aladdin, Brad Kane, was the former
host of a Nickelodeon review program called “Rated K: For Kids, By Kids.”
Scott Weinger, of course, did Aladdin’s speaking voice.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3171, from davemackey, 199 chars, Mon Jan 10 10:42:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3166.
There are additional comments to message 3166.
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Buttram was Gene Autry’s sidekick, and he was working for Gene right up to
the end: he had been a program co-host on Autry’s Los Angeles radio station,
KMPC. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #3172, from hmccracken, 406 chars, Mon Jan 10 20:43:12 1994
————————–
TITLE: Your autograph please, Mr. Disney
The current (February) issue of _Autograph Collector_ magazine, a
publication that’s new to me, has an article on collecting
animation autographs — the signatures of notables like Walt
Disney, Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, and Don Bluth. It’s not the
most informative piece in the world, but it’s nice to see
animation having an effect on the autograph field.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3173, from davemackey, 171 chars, Mon Jan 10 20:47:23 1994
This is a comment to message 3166.
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Buttram was also the voice of Bicycle Bob on “Tiny Toon Adventures” and yes,
he indeed did appear in an episode of “Garfield And Friends.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3174, from hmccracken, 324 chars, Mon Jan 10 21:10:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3154.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Update on _The New Republic_’s Batman-and-Robin-as-lovers
cover: the new issue has an indignant letter from a reader
(not surprising), and — more startling — a formal
apology by TNR to DC Comics for showing Batman and Robin
in a manner not consistent with how they’re shown in
DC publications and merchandising.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3175, from linkster, 255 chars, Mon Jan 10 21:19:22 1994
This is a comment to message 3174.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Right now Batman( or least the guy that has the mantle) and Robin are *anything*
but lovers. I wonder where people got the idea that Bats and Robin had such
a relationship. Bruce is a bit of a cold fish when he’s not playing playboy.
LInk
==========================
animation/main #3176, from hmccracken, 302 chars, Mon Jan 10 21:27:16 1994
This is a comment to message 3175.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Link, it’s an old idea — sometimes taken seriously, sometimes in jest.
It dates back at least to the 1940s (though any reader of 1940s
superhero comics looking for hidden sexual content who didn’t focus
all of his or her attention on _Wonder Woman_ obviously wasn’t looking
very carefully).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3177, from linkster, 474 chars, Tue Jan 11 22:12:28 1994
This is a comment to message 3176.
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I can see the idea of bats/robin in a relationship of that sort taken in jest,
but seriously, I don’t know. My impression of Bruce has been that there is
only one thing in his life that matters…… fighting crime within his rules
of conduct. Yes he has friends, but those are mostly limited to those who aid
him in his fight. On occasion he does get a flame for a female. Probably my
favorite is Catwoman. The attraction/repulsion factor is tops…
LInk
==========================
animation/main #3178, from davemackey, 440 chars, Sat Jan 15 16:41:48 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Harry Nilsson’s animated legacy…
I just heard on the radio this afternoon that singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson
has died at the too-young age of 52. Naturally, my mind raced to find
animation connections. And, as I sometimes do, I remember. In 1971, Nilsson
wrote and scored an animated TV special called “The Point” about a child who
is ostracized because his head is round, unlike everyone else’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3179, from hmccracken, 306 chars, Sat Jan 15 19:01:39 1994
This is a comment to message 3178.
There are additional comments to message 3178.
————————–
…And Nilsson also wrote the nifty songs for Robert Altman’s
_Popeye_ live-action movie (recently discussed elsewhere in this
conference). I have heard that at one point, John Lennon was a
strong candidate to write the tunes for that movie. What a weird
idea *that* is!
Nilsson will be missed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3180, from hmccracken, 399 chars, Sat Jan 15 20:20:18 1994
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TITLE: Disney to open San Francisco theme park?
Over on the Internet, someone has posted a newspaper article
with the interesting news that Disney has been approached about
taking over Treasure Island, a San Francisco Navy base that is
slated to be closed. The idea is to turn it into a theme park,
possibly instead of the planned “Westcot” expansion of Disneyland
in southern California.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3181, from kipw, 1306 chars, Sun Jan 16 12:54:12 1994
This is a comment to message 3178.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I’m usually a little sad when I hear about someone dying, but
when I heard about Harry, I was a lot sad. Besides the aforementioned
animated achievements, he also did one of my favorite albums, a
collaboration with Gordon Jenkins called “A Little Touch of Schmilsson
in the Night.” It’s mostly standards, with a couple of delightful
rediscovered gems as well. The highlight, for me, is Jenkins’s own
“This is All I Ask.” (The album notes mention that although Sintra and
Tony Bennett and others have had their turn at the song, the best
version before Harry’s was probably Tiny Tim’s. I have TT’s, and I
agree.) It’s all I can do not to quote the song’s entire lyrics, but
here’s a taste:
Beautiful girls, walk a little slower when you walk by me.
Lingering sunsets, leave a little color for my heart to own.
Children everywhere, when you shoot at bad men, shoot at me–
Take me to that strange, enchanged land
Grownups seldom understand…
…Stars in the sky, make my dreams come true
before the night has flown
and let the music play, as long as there’s a song to sing…
and I will stay younger than Spring.
I think I’ll go listen to the album now.
(It’s clear that nobody would write about children
shooting at them today.)
–Kip
ps: Anyone know if he did a sequel to this?
==========================
animation/main #3182, from jshook, 746 chars, Sun Jan 16 23:58:38 1994
This is a comment to message 3181.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Another Nilsson credit is for the music for one of the most bizarre films
I have ever seen–“Skidoo”, starring Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing,
Frankie Avalon and many TV actors from the 1960’s. This is the film that
shows (among many other things) what Gleason’s first acid trip was like
(he sees God, who turns out to be Groucho Marx…but you knew that).
If you are ever anywhere near a showing of this film, you know what you
have to do. H. Nilsson has a cameo as a prison guard, and *his* LSD vision
is of a sort of Busby Berekley extravaganza of dancing garbage cans–his
guard partner sees the Green Bay Packers playing football in the nude–
it’s that kind of movie. Nilsson also sings the closing credits, every
last one of them.
==========================
animation/main #3183, from elfhive, 34 chars, Mon Jan 17 15:06:36 1994
This is a comment to message 3182.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Was that the Otto Preminger film?
==========================
animation/main #3184, from hmccracken, 461 chars, Mon Jan 17 19:26:58 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Get well soon, Southern California
Just about anyone who’s interested in animation is likely to have special
feelings about Los Angeles and the surrounding area, so I was
particularly distressed to hear about today’s earthquake. (And
hopeful that animation friends in the area whom I haven’t been able
to get in touch with are okay.) Let’s hope that the recovery from
the quake is speedy — and my heart goes out to those who suffered losses.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3185, from robairmackey, 316 chars, Mon Jan 17 23:46:46 1994
This is a comment to message 3184.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3184.
————————–
Double for me. Los Angeles is a wonderful, magical place that has had
so much strife in the last 5 years, much of it because of natural
forces. Don’t give up on LA yet, folks. Things like this can only
bring folks together and make people stronger.
–Bob
==========================
animation/main #3186, from jshook, 7 chars, Tue Jan 18 00:24:01 1994
This is a comment to message 3183.
————————–
Yes.
==========================
animation/main #3187, from hmccracken, 197 chars, Tue Jan 18 17:32:59 1994
This is a comment to message 3185.
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Unfortunately, I’ve heard that at least one major animation studio was
seriously damaged by the quake, with a lot of artwork destroyed.
This may delay the productions it has in progress.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3188, from davemackey, 1052 chars, Tue Jan 18 18:05:55 1994
This is a comment to message 3184.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I second those thoughts, Harry. Since the animation industry is centered in
the Los Angeles area, we hope for little disruption of the industry.
Hearing about the earthquake reminded me of a story Jack Kinney told in
his book “Walt Disney And Other Assorted Characters” about Mike Balukas, who
was a hearing-impaired animator. Upon moving out to the Coast from his native
New York (where he had previously worked for Fleischer), he discovered that
he was deathly afraid of earthquakes. In order to help him gauge if an
earthquake was coming he set up pencil stubs on top of his desk, hoping that
the earth tremors would cause the pencils to shake, giving him a visual cue
to seek proper shelter.
Well, it wasn’t too long before the studio jokers would regularly shake
the wall behind his desk, causing Balukas to go into a panic and go out into
the street warning people about the impending earthquake! (I think Balukas
eventually moved back to New York, where he would be safe from earthquakes
forever more.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3189, from hmccracken, 287 chars, Wed Jan 19 14:15:23 1994
This is a comment to message 3188.
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Today’s New York Times reports that the Disney studio suffered significant
flooding as a result of the quake. No word on whether the Disney Archives
were affected. (Or whether the animation department, which I believe is
not on the studio lot anymore, experienced any damage.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3190, from davemackey, 405 chars, Wed Jan 26 21:27:58 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Back before he was Charles M. IV
USA Network, which shows repeats of old game shows, ran today a 1984 episode
of “The New $25,000 Pyramid” with guest stars Markie Post and Nipsey Russell,
and contestant Charlie Howell, who won $1300 and gets to come back tomorrow.
Howell stated his occupation as a cartoon writer, you know, for “Scooby
Doo” and “The Jetsons”.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3191, from davemackey, 72 chars, Thu Jan 27 16:27:29 1994
This is a comment to message 3190.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3190.
————————–
Howell’s winnings after two days: $13,200 and a trip to France. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #3192, from hmccracken, 407 chars, Thu Jan 27 19:51:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3191.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3191.
————————–
Cartoon-related people appearing on game shows is a time-honored tradition.
Daws Butler, voice of Yogi Bear and a scad of other characters, appeared
on _You Bet Your Life_ with Groucho Marx…and Jim Korkis, animation’s
#1 fan/writer, has appeared on several shows, including _The Dating Game_
(he lost) and _The Gong Show_ (he won, as part of singing hunchback duo called
the Quasimodo BelAire).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3193, from robairmackey, 234 chars, Thu Jan 27 22:23:29 1994
This is a comment to message 3191.
————————–
Whereupon he tried to start a Hanna-Barbera theme park just outside
of Paris.
<>
<<AVIONNNNNN_HOMME!>>
<>
(that’s why they call me) –Robair
==========================
animation/main #3194, from davemackey, 227 chars, Fri Jan 28 06:42:36 1994
This is a comment to message 3192.
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I also remember seeing Korkis and his entire clan on “Family Feud.” And I
once saw a layout/storyboard artist for Ruby-Spears named Emilie Kong on
“Super Password.” She won quite a bit of money.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3195, from davemackey, 221 chars, Fri Jan 28 23:32:53 1994
This is a comment to message 3190.
————————–
After three days Charlie Howell IV won $15,100 and a trip to Paris and will
return on Monday’s show.
(Wouldn’t it be easier to get a hold of Howell himself and ask him
how much he won? And if he has any of it left?)
==========================
animation/main #3196, from linkster, 291 chars, Sun Jan 30 12:33:32 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Lion King…
is supposed a classic already. In this month’s _Previews_ which details
what is scheduled to ship in April. They have a book version of the Lion
King with “classic” in the title. It’s not even out to theatres yet.
There goes the Disney ego again.
LInk
==========================
animation/main #3197, from hmccracken, 435 chars, Sun Jan 30 14:21:22 1994
This is a comment to message 3196.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yup, Link, Disney deems all its new cartoons “classics” before they’re even
released these days. I think this actually stems from the Don Bluth studio,
which called their approach to animation — which was basically to out-
Disney Disney — “classical animation.”
The sad thing is, Disney may actually make a classic someday, and it’ll
be hard to tell because they’ve been the little boy who cried “Classic!”
for so long.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3198, from elfhive, 90 chars, Sun Jan 30 15:26:15 1994
This is a comment to message 3197.
————————–
Then we’ll have to decide whether it’s classic baroque, rococo, romantic
or rock&roll 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3199, from hmccracken, 454 chars, Mon Jan 31 12:17:00 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Is the President a Harvey Comics reader?
“I’m a lot like Baby Huey. I’m fat. I’m ugly. But if you push me
down, I keep coming back. I just keep coming back.”
— President Bill Clinton, as quoted in this
week’s issue of _Time_.
The President is not only almost assuredly the first to compare
himself with Baby Huey, either publicly or privately — but also,
I’ll wager, the first to know who Baby Huey is!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3200, from hshubs, 95 chars, Tue Feb 1 01:10:24 1994
This is a comment to message 3199.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Do we -want- a president who is comparable to Baby Huey? Remember,
no one liked -him- either.
==========================
animation/main #3201, from hmccracken, 81 chars, Tue Feb 1 14:04:36 1994
This is a comment to message 3200.
————————–
“Duh, you’re the Republicans! And I think you’re tryin’ ta
*kill* me!”
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3202, from robairmackey, 3333 chars, Tue Feb 1 22:09:05 1994
————————–
TITLE: Hal Smith Credits
Hal Smith, veteran voiceover artist and actor, died this past Thursday.
Herewith, his animation credits.
THEATRICAL RELEASES
Winnie the Pooh series (Winnie the Pooh, Owl)
MOVIES
The Adventures of the American Rabbit (1986): Mentor
Fantastic Planet (1973)
TELEVISION SPECIALS
The Bollo Caper (1985): Clamper Carstair, Lion, Iceberg, Emperor
Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas (1984): Colonel Casey
Cap’n O.G. Readmore’s Jack and the Beanstalk (1985): Giant,
Little Old Man
Casper’s First Christmas (1979): Santa
A Christmas Story (1972): Fatcat, Santa
Disney’s Fluppy Dogs (1986): Haimish, Dink, Attendant
Dr. Seuss’ Hallowe’en is Grinch Night (1977): Grandpa Joseph
Dr. Seuss’ The Hoober Bloob Highway
Garfield in Paradise (1986): Background
Garfield in the Rough (1984): Dicky Beaver
The Great Bear Scare (1982): C. Emory Bear
Happy Easter (Davey and Goliath, 1967): Goliath, John
Here Comes Garfield (1982): Reba, Skinny
Little Rascals Christmas Special (1979): Uncle Hominy
Miss Switch to the Rescue (1982): Smirch
New Year Promise (Davey and Goliath, 1967): Goliath, John
The Night Before Christmas (1968): probably Santa
No Man’s Valley (1981): George
Robin Hoodnik (1972): Donkey, Buzzard, Town Crier
Santa and the Three Bears (1970): Grandfather, Ranger
School…Who Needs It? (Davey and Goliath, 1971): Goliath
Tabitha and Adam and the Clown Family (1972): Third Cyclone,
Muscles, Boris
The Thanksgiving that Almost Wasn’t (1972): Jeremy Squirrel, Dad
This is America, Charlie Brown–The Birth of the Constitution
(1988): Benjamin Franklin, George Washington
TIACB–The Smithsonian and the Presidency (1989): John Muir
To the Rescue (Davey and Goliath, 1975): Goliath, John
Velveteen Rabbit (1985): Spinner
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1970): Owl
Yogi’s First Christmas (1980): Santa, Otto
TELEVISION SERIES
Abbott and Costello (1967)
Adventures of the Little Prince (1982): Swifty
Captain Fathom (1965)
Clutch Cargo (1957): Swampy
Davey and Goliath (1960): Goliath
Ducktales (1987): Gyro Gearloose, Flintheart Glomgold
Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles (1966): Coil Man
The Funny Company (1963): Dr. Von Upp, Belly Laguna, Dr. Goodheart
Further Adventures of Dr. Dolittle (1970): Dr. Dolittle
Hong Kong Phooey (1974)
Jeannie (1973)
Jokebook (1982)
Meatballs and Spaghetti (1982)
New Adventures of Huck Finn (1967)
New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988): Owl
Partridge Family: 2200 AD (1974)
Peter Potamus and His Magic Flying Balloon (1964): Peter Potamus,
Yappee, The King
The Popeye and Olive Show (1981): Colonel Crump
Roman Holidays (1972): Tycoonius
Space Angel (1962)
Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show (1975)
as well as hundreds of guest spots on Yogi, Flintstones, etc.
Remember him as Will Carson, frenetic TV Host of “The Prize is
Priced”?
Remember him as the sour clown at Felix’ daughter’s birthday party?
And his legendary jellybean dance?
But of course we all remember him as hopeless, harmless town
inebriate Otis on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Of course Dave will do a better job than I on the Obit side in
the next APAtoons.
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3203, from hmccracken, 307 chars, Fri Feb 4 15:25:25 1994
————————–
TITLE: Corben Exhibit in Massachusetts
“Heavy Metal Nightmares: The Art of Richard Corben” will be
on display at the Words and Pictures Museum in Northampton,
Mass. from February 1st until April 16th. Corben is the
airbrush-wielding fantasy artist whose work was especially
popular in the 1970s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3204, from davemackey, 681 chars, Fri Feb 4 16:42:32 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Obituary: Pepe Ruiz
Animator and labor organizer Pepe Ruiz died at a hospital near his
New Jersey home on December 10. He was 86.
Mr. Ruiz had been hospitalized since April of 1992 when he
suffered severe injuries after being struck by a car driven by
soul singer Wilson Pickett.
Known more for his union activities than his animation work —
he worked for studios on both coasts — he founded Local 841 of
the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists in 1943, serving New
York City. There, the 35-hour work week for animators became
standard.
After he retired, he worked in a library in northern New
Jersey.
(Thanx to Pam Scoville for the information…) –Dave
==========================
animation/main #3205, from hmccracken, 68 chars, Fri Feb 4 17:39:07 1994
This is a comment to message 3204.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
This is the Pepe Ruiz mentioned in Shamus Culhane’s book?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3206, from davemackey, 228 chars, Sat Feb 5 17:12:03 1994
This is a comment to message 3205.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yes, it most certainly is. Could you summarize Mr. Culhane’s thoughts on the
late Mr. Ruiz, for those of us not fortunate enough to have their very own
copy of “Talking Animals And Other People”?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3207, from hmccracken, 745 chars, Sat Feb 5 18:14:15 1994
This is a comment to message 3206.
————————–
When Shamus owned his own animation studio in the 1950s, Ruiz put a lot
of effort into stirring up the employees, which naturally didn’t
please Shamus all that much: “To me, he epitomized what was
basically wrong with this particular union…It was no surprise that
a boss-hater like Ruiz was elected to the office of business
agent….Using a kind of pavlovian semantics, he made sure that
the membership was contstantly reminded that bosses were inherently
nrutal, greedy villains.”
In fairness to Shamus, the final chapter of his book is an interview
with Ruiz, which he (Shamus) did because he felt his coverage of
Ruiz had been quite harsh in the rest of the book, and he wanted
to allow Ruiz to defend himself if he so desired.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3208, from hmccracken, 348 chars, Sun Feb 6 19:39:17 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Happy Birthday, Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear, to whom few in this conference should need an
introduction, turns 50 in 1994. To celebrate, the Fernbank
Museum of Natural History in Atlanta is holding a Smokey
exhibit, featuring comic books, posters, and other material.
It’s on until March 14th, after which it will travel around
the country.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3209, from hmccracken, 313 chars, Sun Feb 6 19:41:22 1994
————————–
TITLE: Meet George Booth
George Booth, creator of manic dogs and cats and offbeat men and women
in _The New Yorker_ since the the 1950s, will be autographing posters
and books at Lord & Taylor’s in Manhattan next Friday from
12:30 to 1:30. The appearance is in conjunction with an Adopt-a-Pet
program.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3210, from hshubs, 32 chars, Sun Feb 6 20:32:17 1994
This is a comment to message 3208.
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————————–
Uh, Smokey Bear died years ago.
==========================
animation/main #3211, from hmccracken, 318 chars, Sun Feb 6 20:46:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3210.
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————————–
You mean the actual cub that was rescued from a forest fire
or somesuch, Howard? Undoubtedly. (I’m not up on bear
lifespans, but I assume they’re way under five decades.)
But like Lassie and Morris the Cat, the death of a
particular living beast doesn’t seem to stand in Smokey’s
way. He’ll outlive us all!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3212, from hshubs, 152 chars, Sun Feb 6 22:14:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3211.
————————–
Yes, I mean the bear itself. Died in the 1980s, if I remember what
I heard. I remember seeing it in the DC zoo when I was a small child
in the 1960s.
==========================
animation/main #3213, from jshook, 124 chars, Sun Feb 6 23:18:58 1994
This is a comment to message 3208.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How long has he been referred to as “Smokey Bear”? Seems like
when I was a kid we always called him “Smokey *the* Bear.”
==========================
animation/main #3214, from jshook, 139 chars, Sun Feb 6 23:20:46 1994
This is a comment to message 3210.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Last year I visited the grave of the original fire-preventing
ursine in El Capitan, New Mexico. I can’t remember when he
died, ‘though.
==========================
animation/main #3215, from dgh, 141 chars, Mon Feb 7 01:44:31 1994
This is a comment to message 3213.
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————————–
I agree. “Smokey the Bear” refers to our fire preventing friend, while
“Smokey Bear” is CB lingo for “Highway Patrol”.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3216, from hshubs, 106 chars, Mon Feb 7 04:01:01 1994
This is a comment to message 3214.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I assume that’s the area he came from, no? I’d never thought to ask
that one. I just knew he was in DC.
==========================
animation/main #3217, from nicolas, 236 chars, Mon Feb 7 05:31:11 1994
————————–
TITLE: EuroDisney misery
Those that are interested in the problems at EuroDisney might be
interested in an article in this weeks The Economist. Check out pages
69-70 of the february 5th- 11th issue.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #3218, from hmccracken, 404 chars, Mon Feb 7 09:03:10 1994
This is a comment to message 3215.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I always thought so too, but whoever-it-is-that-sponsors-Smokey
has run a series of public service messages over the past
couple of years, the entire point of which is that he’s
“Smokey Bear,” *not* “Smokey the Bear.” According to the
ad, this is so because “you wouldn’t call the Easter
Bunny ‘Easter the Bunny,’ would you?”
Seems to me they have too much money and/or time on their
hands…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3219, from cjustiniano, 379 chars, Mon Feb 7 09:04:34 1994
————————–
*** Moved from animation/about.listings #172 of Mon Feb 7 01:55:08 1994
TITLE: Animator \ Graphics Artist Wanted
I work for a computer game company that is currently looking for a
computer artist interested in some contract work. We’re working on a
game that will be released in early july. Send me email if
interested. Artist should have experience with rendering software.
==========================
animation/main #3220, from jshook, 239 chars, Tue Feb 8 22:52:09 1994
This is a comment to message 3218.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3218.
————————–
Surely the argument is based on false analogy. We wouldn’t say “Statue
of the Liberty” either, but that’s not what people are doing when they
say “Smokey the Bear.” So we’re to start using “Atilla Hun” and
“Rudolf Red-nosed Reindeer”?
==========================
animation/main #3221, from jshook, 362 chars, Tue Feb 8 22:55:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3216.
————————–
Yes..he was discovered as a cub orphaned by a forest fire, so we can
assume his public service work has deeply Freudian genesis. That’s
about all I remember–I blush to say I didn’t pay much attention
at the time, little realising I would be expected to provide such
biographical information. But I’ll just bet the NPS has a pamphlet
you can write away for.
==========================
animation/main #3222, from hmccracken, 42 chars, Tue Feb 8 23:23:51 1994
This is a comment to message 3220.
————————–
You may be right.
— Harry the McCracken
==========================
animation/main #3223, from hmccracken, 898 chars, Wed Feb 9 23:44:52 1994
————————–
TITLE: Reference Works on Animation
This is actually a response to elfhive’s query in the sources topic.
As far as a general reference work on the history of animation
goes — I know of no book that covers *everything*, no matter what
era or country. If we’re limiting ourselves to American animation,
and primarily theatrical animation from its origins to about 1967
at that, Leonard Maltin’s _Of Mice and Magic_ is the book to have.
In fact, if you can only have one book on cartoons, it’s the one
to get.
There are two central Looney Tunes reference works. If what you
want is hardcore data, credits, and plots for every Warner Bros.
cartoon ever made, get Beck and Friedwald’s _Looney Tunes and
Merrie Melodies_. If you want a narrative history of the studio
and the people behind the films, get Steve Schneider’s
_That’s All Folks_. Both are indispensable.
Any other suggestions?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3224, from hmccracken, 348 chars, Thu Feb 10 23:14:09 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _7 Minutes: the Life and Death of the American Animated Cartoon_…
is the title of a new book by one Norman M. Klein, published by
Verso. I just bought a copy, but haven’t sat down to read it
yet. I have, however, looked closely enough to see our own
Hugh Kenner quoted on the dustjacket and in the footnotes.
Any comments, Hugh?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3225, from hkenner, 145 chars, Thu Feb 10 23:27:40 1994
This is a comment to message 3224.
————————–
Norm has been writing that book for ages. I was seeing chapter
drafts several years ago. Have not read the final version in its
entirety.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3226, from hmccracken, 870 chars, Fri Feb 11 10:01:41 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Raymond Scott
A user on another service which shall remain nameless (oh, okay, it’s
CompuServe) has reported that Raymond Scott has passed away.
Scott is the excellent composer and big-band conductor whose
offbeat music was woven into many Warner Bros. cartoon scores
by Carl Stalling. In the last two or three years, there
has been an explosion of new interest in Scott’s work, which
has appeared on several CDs and has been used in the
_Ren and Stimpy_ show.
There’s no way to explain Scott’s work in words, except that
he was sort of a Spike Jones without the zaniness, and that
his titles — “Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals”
is typical — give some clue as to what sort of music he
composed.
Scott had been very ill for many years, and it is unclear
if he was aware of his newfound popularity, six decades
after his initial success.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3227, from hshubs, 220 chars, Fri Feb 11 14:01:32 1994
This is a comment to message 3226.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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————————–
This is bad news in a way. I’m glad he’s no longer suffering, but
I certainly hope that he was aware of the CDs and such. I suspect
he was, as they had to use his collection of recordings to make
at least one of them.
==========================
animation/main #3228, from hmccracken, 208 chars, Fri Feb 11 18:22:38 1994
This is a comment to message 3227.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t know if Raymond was aware, but Mrs. Scott, who is
substantially younger than her husband was, participated
in the production of the CDs and was gratified by the
rediscovery of Scott’s work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3229, from switch, 170 chars, Fri Feb 11 20:38:34 1994
This is a comment to message 3228.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I only skimmed the Raymond Scott Project liner notes, but I believe he didn’t
like the idea of his tunes being used in cartoons. I’ll double-check and
post later.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3230, from davemackey, 188 chars, Fri Feb 11 20:43:31 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: It’s signed, sealed, delivered
A news report on E! confirms that Chuck Jones has signed a contract to
produce animation for Warner Bros. once again.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3231, from hkenner, 55 chars, Fri Feb 11 21:36:46 1994
This is a comment to message 3230.
There are additional comments to message 3230.
————————–
Heck, I knew that *months* ago. Where’s E! been?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3232, from davemackey, 140 chars, Sat Feb 12 09:51:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3226.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’ll call Irwin Chusid on Monday and see if I can get some more hard and fast
data regarding Scott’s death.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3233, from switch, 278 chars, Sat Feb 12 22:29:37 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Eat at Joe’s
I’ve been ODing on Tex Avery laserdiscs for the last few days, and I have to
wonder: did anyone ever open a restaurant called “Joe’s” in order to
capitalize on all the free cartoon advertising?
Emru
PS: Red is the sexiest cartoon character ever, bar none.
==========================
animation/main #3234, from srider, 94 chars, Sun Feb 13 12:16:46 1994
This is a comment to message 3233.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
There’s a restaurant/bar about 1/4 miles down the road from my house
called “Joe’s Place”.
==========================
animation/main #3235, from hmccracken, 376 chars, Sun Feb 13 12:55:47 1994
This is a comment to message 3234.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
…and in a similar vein that’s appropriate for this conference,
Wilkes-Barre, Pa. has Joe Palooka’s Diner, a vintage place that’s
been restored and now sports a neon sign of comic-strip boxer
Joe Palooka. Ham Fisher, Joe’s ill-fated creator, was a Wilkes-
Barre lad. The diner sells handsome t-shirts, emblazoned with
Joe’s likeness and the legend “EAT AT JOE’S.”
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3236, from hkenner, 28 chars, Sun Feb 13 14:01:57 1994
This is a comment to message 3235.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Ham Fisher ill-fated? How?
==========================
animation/main #3237, from hmccracken, 1613 chars, Sun Feb 13 16:41:53 1994
This is a comment to message 3236.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It’s a long and sad story, but here’s a capsule version: a few
years before he launched _Li’l Abner_, Al Capp took a job as
Fisher’s assistant on _Joe Palooka_. Soon, he was apparently
doing much of the writing and drawing himself. (Fisher was
never much of an artist and leaned heavily on his assistants.)
During this period, a family of hillbillies began appearing
in _Palooka_ and became popular. Then, Capp created and
sold _Li’l Abner_, and left Fisher’s employ. _Abner_, of
course, became *very* popular, which gnawed at Fisher.
Whenever _Palooka_’s hillbilly characters reappeared,
captions would remind readers that these were the
original comic-strip hillbillies, suggesting that
_Abner_ was a rip-off (and not mentioning Capp’s
hand in the Palooka characters’ creation).
Things got worse in the 1950s. Fisher began a one-man
crusdae to get Capp thrown out of the National
Cartoonists’ Society, on the grounds that Capp
secretly inserted pornographic references in _Abner_.
While Capp did indeed make his share of off-color
gags (as witness his blonde bombshell character
“Apassionata Von Climax”), Ham Fisher *forged*
examples of _Abner_ to back up his claim.
His fraud was obvious — and the NCS expelled Fisher,
instead of Capp. Fisher killed himself not long
thereafter.
In comic-strip fan circles, this unhappy story is
what Fisher is perhaps best remembered for.
However, when I think of Fisher, I recall the
fact that my grandfather attended grade school
with him, and had a few amsuing Fisher stories
he’d tell (none of which had to do with
young Ham being a cartooning prodigy).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3238, from hkenner, 239 chars, Sun Feb 13 17:49:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3237.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thanks, Harry! That’s *very* engrossing. All I’d known was that
Capp was Fisher’s employee. I seem to remember him somewhere (in
a L’il Abner sequence?) portraying himself locked in a closet with
a candle, grinding out drawings.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3239, from hmccracken, 309 chars, Sun Feb 13 18:01:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3238.
————————–
That’s right. My recap neglected to mention that Capp was carrying
on his own side of the feud all along, by including at least
one nefarious cartoonist based on Fisher in _Abner_ and by writing
a memoir of his time with Fisher (“I Remember Monster”) for the
_Atlantic Monthly_, among other things.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3240, from hmccracken, 587 chars, Mon Feb 14 22:23:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3229.
————————–
]Raymond Scott’s obituary in last Wednesday’s _New York Times_ provides the
following tidbits about his life: he was born Harry Warnow and didn’t
change his name until he was well into his 20s; he called his band
the Raymond Scott Quintet, even thoiugh it had only four members;
and he invented numerous electronic musical instruments, beginning
in the late 1940s. Berry Gordy, head of Motown Records, hired Scott
to head the electornic music division of Motown, a post Scott held
until 1977. Scott also served as bandleader for _Your Hit Parade_
for seven years in the 1950s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3241, from davemackey, 291 chars, Tue Feb 15 15:58:31 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Ken Moore
Ken Moore, animation cameraman, died on January 11 of pneumonia at the age of
85. Mr. Moore was camera operator for Warner Bros. cartoons during that
studio’s golden age and also worked for Disney and Hanna-Barbera.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3242, from davemackey, 334 chars, Tue Feb 15 20:01:10 1994
This is a comment to message 3232.
————————–
I didn’t need to call Chusid. I found the Variety obituary, which said that
Raymond Scott died on February 8 (one week ago) of pneumonia. He had broken a
shoulder in a fall a week prior to that. Variety noted his music’s liberal
use in animation in shows like “Buggs Bunny” (sic) and “Ren And Stimpy.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3243, from hkenner, 444 chars, Fri Feb 18 12:48:52 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Chuck Jones
According to an AP item, 200 people showed up last Monday at the
New York Warner Bros. Studio Store when Chuck Jones was there for
a cel signing.
Jones, 81, “said he’s working on a new Bugs Bunny short that will
air before movies this fall. … He said Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and
the rest of the Looney Tunes gang help keep him young.
“‘What you hope you can do is die young at the latest point
in time’, Jones said.”
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3244, from hmccracken, 168 chars, Fri Feb 18 13:23:27 1994
This is a comment to message 3243.
There are additional comments to message 3243.
————————–
That’s great (although 200 people is (are?) small potatoes — I’ve seen
Jones fill an auditorium with a capacity of several thousand to
standing-room-only).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3245, from hshubs, 111 chars, Fri Feb 18 13:25:05 1994
This is a comment to message 3243.
————————–
The man has a great attitude, no argument. Maybe that’s why he’s
still around after so many others have died?
==========================
animation/main #3246, from davemackey, 393 chars, Fri Feb 18 18:57:40 1994
This is a comment to message 3230.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Not only is Chuck Jones coming back to Warner Bros., but they have also hired
Maurice Noble to work with him on production design.
And it’s weird, because I heard this report on the radio the other day
not five minutes after it was reported that another gentleman named Chuck
Jones was found guilty of stealing and fondling the shoes of Mrs. Donald
Trump.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3247, from hkenner, 114 chars, Fri Feb 18 21:37:55 1994
This is a comment to message 3246.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And there’s a third Chuck Jones here in Athens (GA) who plays in a band
and is loosely referred to as “God.”
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3248, from mcsuman, 446 chars, Fri Feb 18 22:16:41 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: How to?
Well, this is kinda disappointing, I think, or else I haven’t found
the right channel.
Getting tired of bugs in operating systems (they multiply faster
than rabbits).
Seemed like time to try something new, why not computer animation.
Figured that I’d just log into the animation conference and find
out how to do it.
But it seems that all that’s here is talk about what others have
done.
Have I got it right?
==========================
animation/main #3249, from hmccracken, 207 chars, Fri Feb 18 23:21:42 1994
This is a comment to message 3248.
————————–
We definitely talk about creating computer animation in this
conference, Mike. Check out the animation/bit.by.bit topic.
We’ve got several folks who create computer animation online,
including me.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3250, from hmccracken, 406 chars, Fri Feb 18 23:27:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3247.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
There is a distinguished tradition of animators whose names are
the same as those of other famous people, as witness Bob Clampett
(no relation to the golfer, who calls himself Bobby) and
Disney animator Cy Young (no relation to the baseball player).
Come to think of it, MGM’s composer Scott Bradley and
Disney animator Frank Thomas are no relations to the
identically-named ballplayers, either.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3251, from dgh, 662 chars, Sat Feb 19 04:51:12 1994
This is a comment to message 3218.
————————–
Going by their logic, we should be calling him “The Smokey Bear”.
But, the bunny’s name is *not* Easter. He’s simply the bunny *of* easter,
so Easter Bunny is appropriate.
Smokey the Bear is *not* the bear of smokey, so Smokey Bear is *not*
appropriate. His name is Smokey and he’s a bear, and Smokey the Bear
became a popular way to address him. His name is *not* Smokey Bear,
he *is* Smokey the Bear. I’ll bet you that some snot-nosed upstart
who has *no* concept of Smokey’s history came up with the *stupid*
idea of “correcting” his name. The *moron* should be fired without
warning!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
Upset? Who, me? Whatever gave you that idea?
==========================
animation/main #3252, from hmccracken, 152 chars, Sun Feb 20 17:15:04 1994
————————–
TITLE: Check out today’s _Boston Sunday Globe_…
for an interesting story on the state of Boston’s thriving
independent animation community.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3253, from davemackey, 85 chars, Sun Feb 20 18:01:28 1994
This is a comment to message 3250.
————————–
You didn’t even bring up the two Ken Muses. Amazing.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3254, from hmccracken, 498 chars, Sun Feb 20 21:17:14 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: CalArts and the Quake
Here’s a late piece of news related to the Los Angeles earthquake that
may not have been reported elsewhere. CalArts, the art school founded
by Walt Disney which trains a goodly percentage of the young animators
entering the industry today, suffered serious damage in the quake,
including structural damage to its main building so severe that it
may be beyond repair. Some classes have relocated to a Lockheed plant
in Valencia, where CalArts makes its home.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3255, from hmccracken, 532 chars, Tue Feb 22 18:02:16 1994
————————–
TITLE: Finally
It used to be that only four things in all the world were
certain: death, taxes, Eustace Tilley appearing on the front cover of _The
New Yorker_ every February, and _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ being a
closely guarded treasure that Disney would never release on video.
We’re down to only two certainties in life. Disney announced today
that _Snow White_ would will be available on videotape this Fall.
No word yet on pricing and other details, but look for it to be
priced at a tempting $20 or less.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3256, from hmccracken, 657 chars, Thu Feb 24 21:13:40 1994
————————–
TITLE: Bulgarian Urban Legend?
On CNN’s financial news show today, the anchor retracted a story
that the show — and, apparently, a bunch of other news sources —
reported yesterday, concerning a Bulgarian fellow whose family
had supposedly invested some money in Disney stock during the
1940s. The stock was seized by the USSR, so the story goes, and
was recently returned to its rightful owner, now worth $4 million.
The story was apparently presented as part of a Disney presentation
of some sort — but the company said today that it was totally
ficticious, and meant only to illustrate how much the company’s
value had grown over the years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3257, from hmccracken, 627 chars, Thu Feb 24 22:03:48 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: RIP, Dinah Shore
What a terrible year it’s been for animation-related personalities!
Dinah Shore has passed away of cancer, at the age of 76. She was,
of course, primarily a popular singer — and in later years, a
talk-show hostess — but I’ll always have a soft spot for her work
as narrator of the “Bongo” segment of Walt Disney’s 1940s animated
feature _Fun and Fancy Free_.
(“Bongo,” by the way, was based on a story by Sinclair Lewis — and
given that it’s the tale of a circus bear who finds love, it must
be a pretty atypical Lewis work. I’d love to read it, but have
never seen it in print anywhere.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3258, from hmccracken, 353 chars, Fri Feb 25 17:53:26 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: See today’s _New York Times_…
for an engaging appreciation of Charles Addams, tying in with the current
Addams exhibit in New York City. The piece is by Paul Rudnick, who
worked on the scripts for both _Addams Family_ movies; if the movies
had had as much insight into Addams’ work as this article, they would
have been much better.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3259, from robairmackey, 263 chars, Fri Feb 25 20:56:01 1994
This is a comment to message 3257.
————————–
But the one greatest contribution Dinah made to cartoon culture was her
caricature in the “Beany and Cecil” series as the singing “Dinah-Sore.”
She even did her trademark “mmmm-wah!” kiss blow at the end.
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3260, from davemackey, 325 chars, Sat Feb 26 11:59:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3258.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Funny how this is relevant: I saw “Addams Family Values” last night and part
of “The Addams Family” today on cable. The first movie was definitely better,
but both were quite good. The second had the added value ingredient Joan
Cusack. That definitely kept my interest up during the lulls. 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3261, from hshubs, 164 chars, Sat Feb 26 12:48:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3260.
There are additional comments to message 3260.
————————–
The problem with the second movie that that there was someone in there
who didn’t understand the Addams Family concept. Where did worshipping
evil come into this?
==========================
animation/main #3262, from hkenner, 336 chars, Sat Feb 26 15:25:35 1994
This is a comment to message 3260.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
By “the first movie” do you mean the first one made–that’s *The
Addams Family*–or the first one mentioned–that’s *The Addams Family
Values*? In short, is it AF or AFV that you judge “definitely better”?
I’ve not seen AFV, but most reviews I read deemed it an improvement
over AF, which was a string of incidents with no story.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3263, from davemackey, 128 chars, Sat Feb 26 17:10:03 1994
This is a comment to message 3262.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hugh, I thought “Addams Family” was definitely better than “Addams
Family Values.” I thought “AFV” to be too muddled. –Dave
==========================
animation/main #3264, from hmccracken, 421 chars, Sat Feb 26 21:30:27 1994
This is a comment to message 3263.
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I share your sentiments, Dave. Neither movie is exactly rich in
well-developed plot — both storylines are much like ones from
the TV series, except stretched three times as long — but
_Addams I_ hews closer to the Charles Addams spirit overall.
_Addams II_ is okay, but it’s clear that the only reason
it was made was financial. It offers absolutely nothing
new over the first film (except for Joan Cusack).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3265, from elfhive, 713 chars, Sun Feb 27 17:02:14 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Lenburg Books
I’ve just picked up the latest editions of “The Great Cartoon Directors,”
and “The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons.” I note with some trepidation
Dave Mackey’s earlier comments on errors since I’m looking for references
that I can use in my upcoming article for LaserViews.
Dave, you’ve already mentioned “The American Tail” mistake, any other
major problems I should be aware of that you have handy?
Incidentally, for those who delight in typos, the liner notes for
the laserdisc release of “The Secret of NIMH” contains the following
beauty:
“. . . Mrs Brisby, the mother mouse, gets help from a wonderfully klutzy
_cow_, a wise owl, and some highly intelligent rats.” [emphasis added]
==========================
animation/main #3266, from hmccracken, 708 chars, Sun Feb 27 17:54:09 1994
This is a comment to message 3265.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Greg — Lenburg’s _Encyclopedia_ is a problematic book. There’s
a great deal of useful information, but there are also so many
mistakes of so many kinds that I’d be nervous about relying on
it to research any area I wasn’t already pretty familiar with.
I haven’t seen the new edition of his _Great Cartoon Directors_,
but the one of ten years ago doesn’t even have the _Encyclopedia’s_
good points. Again, full of mistakes, and full of material slightly
rephrased from other sources, I believe. And Lenburg is no critic.
As an alternative to Lenburg’s Encyclopedia, consider buying
George Woolery’s books, which are available from Whole Toon.
They’re just as exhaustive, and much more reliable.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3267, from elfhive, 504 chars, Sun Feb 27 20:26:52 1994
This is a comment to message 3266.
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Thanks, Harry. I’ll look into getting the Woolery books but I’m afraid
that I’m going to have to proceed with the article before I can get
them delivered. It’s disappointing about the Lenburg books. I’m
mostly interested in chronology so I may end up asking for
confirmation here. Also, I used his listing of personnel from the
Disney feature films as a source for what films Bluth worked on and
in what capacity. I’m not so much concerned with leaving out something
as I am with perpetuating an error.
==========================
animation/main #3268, from robairmackey, 726 chars, Tue Mar 1 18:42:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3267.
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Good point about the Lenburg books. I have much to gripe about with
his books and his lack of accuracy as regards spelling, titles, and
years. His index to the Encyclopedia is virtually useless because page
numbers don’t always match up to the pages the stuff is really on. I
submitted a Hal Smith “cartoonography” shortly after his death, and it took
me two hours to search the pages in the index–as well as the adjoining
pages–to get the titles of his works.
Many of the titles in his listings of Hanna-Barbera series are
wrong, too. I know there are even some inaccuracies in voice crediting.
(But then the H-B 50th Anniversary book had a few!)
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3269, from davemackey, 1193 chars, Wed Mar 2 05:56:20 1994
This is a comment to message 3268.
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As you probably know, Mark Evanier did a hell of a job getting some corrected
information on the Hanna-Barbera voice credits — an area on which he is a
noted expert — to Facts On File for use in the second edition. He doesn’t
think all those corrections made it in.
Among the errors I’ve noted were in series titles and some proper names
were positively mangled. Warner Bros. animator Warren Batchelder is
consistently identified as “Warren Batchelor” for his work on the 80’s WB
feature films.
On the bright side, they did straighten out a lot of the DePatie-Freleng
director credits — but not all. But it’s in DePatie-Freleng that the single
most glaring error in Lenburg’s book appears: he lists “Never Bug An Ant” as
a 1966 cartoon and the first entry in “The Ant And The Aardvark” series,
while “NBAA” was actually made in 1969 and was the fourth or fifth series
entry; the first was a film called, um, “The Ant And The Aardvark.”
I think the Lenburg book is a good basic reference for animation
scholars needing to know rudimentary facts, but you really have to know your
area of interest well to be able to use his information wisely.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3270, from hmccracken, 456 chars, Thu Mar 3 22:50:20 1994
————————–
TITLE: Syracuse Cinefest
For the third year, Dave Mackey, yrs. truly, and some other crazy cartoon
fans will be getting together at the Cinefest film convention in Syracuse,
N.Y. this weekend. We will be having a more-or-less continuous animation
party and screening from tomorrow night until Sunday morning, held at
the Days Inn and Quality Inn where the convention is being held. If
you happen to be in the neighborhood, please join us!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3271, from ggarramuno, 360 chars, Thu Mar 3 23:44:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3254.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Do you have any other news regarding Cal Arts? Any professors, students,
hurt? Any other buildings damaged? How will this influence their classes
and their acceptance of new students?
I am asking because I applied to Cal Arts for next semester. I had heard
they had had some problems with the quake but not that they were THAT
severe.
– Gonzalo Garramuno
==========================
animation/main #3272, from hmccracken, 237 chars, Fri Mar 4 00:42:22 1994
This is a comment to message 3271.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I haven’t heard any other details, Gonzalo. We can only hope for the
best; a large percentage of the young animation talent in the country
comes out of CalArts.
Good luck with your application! What are you planning to study?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3273, from ggarramuno, 370 chars, Sat Mar 5 00:11:25 1994
This is a comment to message 3272.
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My major will be experimental animation (ie. “anything goes” animation). My
main interest is computer animation, since that’s where I have more experience
(I worked for a year and a half as a computer animator for a tv studio in my
home country), but I would not be surprised if I decide to expand my
horizons to other forms of animation (clay, stop-motion, cel, etc).
==========================
animation/main #3274, from switch, 461 chars, Sat Mar 5 21:35:49 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: John Candy, RIP
John Candy passed away yesterday at the age of, I think, 42. I don’t think
he needs any explanation — from Second City to his various movies, he’s a
fairly well-known comedic figure (my favourite of his films is PLANES, TRAINS
AND AUTOMOBILES.) He apparently died of a cardiac arrest, while sleeping.
This is animation-related, if marginally — he did the voice of the bird
character (I forget the name) in RESCUERS DOWN UNDER.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3275, from srider, 85 chars, Sun Mar 6 13:12:14 1994
This is a comment to message 3274.
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————————–
He also voiced ‘Den of Earth’ in Heavy Metal. (You should know that one,
Emru! 😉
==========================
animation/main #3276, from linkster, 544 chars, Sun Mar 6 13:14:26 1994
This is a comment to message 3274.
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————————–
Also he supplied the voices to several characters in HEAVY METAL the 1979
movie with Harold Ramis. He was the Robot in “So Beautiful, So Dangerous”
and Dan/Den in the “Den” segment. I also think he voiced the desk sgt.
in “Harry Canyon”. I’ll have to double check the credits on that one.
If you play close attention to the animator credits you’ll see some big names
remember seeing Howard Chaykin’s name and I think I saw Dave Dorman’s name
as well. I’ll have to watch the credits again and play closer attention.
LInk
==========================
animation/main #3277, from ggarramuno, 377 chars, Sun Mar 6 14:21:51 1994
This is a comment to message 3276.
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Talking about “Heavy Metal”… I saw this movie for the second time after
several years (I was little kid who got afraid when I first saw it) and I
noticed something that really puzzled me.
Ivan Reitman is mentioned in the titles, as Executive Producer, I believe.
Is this the same guy from Ghostbusters, Kindergarden Cop, etc?
If he is, what is he doing in an animation film?
==========================
animation/main #3278, from srider, 190 chars, Sun Mar 6 14:35:45 1994
This is a comment to message 3277.
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That’s him. Being a Canadian Filmmaker, it becomes more understandable
that he would use Canadian actors in his movies. (Stripes, Ghostbusters,
HM, etc…. and of course Animal House.)
==========================
animation/main #3279, from switch, 60 chars, Sun Mar 6 18:05:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3275.
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I hang my head in shame. How could I have forgotten?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3280, from davemackey, 200 chars, Sun Mar 6 20:25:24 1994
This is a comment to message 3274.
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I can’t believe it! All this talk about John Candy passing away and not one
single mention of “Camp Candy” — a SatAM, later syndicated, show he did for
DIC Animation.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3281, from elfhive, 115 chars, Thu Mar 10 00:46:49 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Super Snooper
Does anyone know who voiced “the body” opposite Daffy in this 1951
Robert McKimson short?
==========================
animation/main #3282, from davemackey, 336 chars, Fri Mar 11 19:27:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3281.
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Conventional wisdom dictates that it should be Bea Benaderet, who did most of
the female voices in WB cartoons from the early 40’s to the mid-50’s, when
June Foray stepped in that role.
I haven’t seen “Super Snooper”, however, in a while, so I don’t quite
remember the character or how she sounded.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3283, from elfhive, 278 chars, Fri Mar 11 20:00:30 1994
This is a comment to message 3282.
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Thanks, Dave. It was just idle curiosity. Whoever it was did a wonderful
job. I think it is tragic that voice actors were not credited. Is the
anecdote in the Lenburg book (Great Cartoon Directors) about Schlesinger
giving Mel Blanc a screen credit instead of a raise accurate?
==========================
animation/main #3284, from elfhive, 125 chars, Sat Mar 12 16:47:32 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Who Killed Who?
Can anyone tell me if that is really Tex Avery himself at the intro and
close of this 1943 MGM short?
==========================
animation/main #3285, from elfhive, 464 chars, Sat Mar 12 16:50:53 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Tom and Jerry
Leonard Maltin (Of Mice and Magic) lists _The Cat Concerto_ as the
Academy Award winner for 1946 and _Johann Mouse_ as the Oscar winner
in 1952. The liner notes for _The Art of Tom and Jerry_ laserdisc
box set from MGM/UA Home Video (produced by George Feltenstein and
Jerry Beck) list the release dates for these two shorts as:
_The Cat Concerto_ (4/26/47)
_Johann Mouse_ (3/21/53)
How could they have won the awards for the previous year?
==========================
animation/main #3286, from switch, 22 chars, Sat Mar 12 18:22:40 1994
This is a comment to message 3284.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Nope. Not him.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3287, from switch, 103 chars, Sat Mar 12 18:24:19 1994
This is a comment to message 3285.
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————————–
I suppose it would depend on if the disc is using copyright dates or release
dates for its data.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3288, from elfhive, 422 chars, Sat Mar 12 21:06:06 1994
This is a comment to message 3287.
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Copyright dates are usually just listed as a year. I’ve never seen them
printed as MM/DD/YY before. Just judging by _The Night Before Christmas_
listed as 12/6/41 I would have to say it is a release or premiere date.
It doesn’t specify in the liner notes, just lists the date after each
title. It is difficult to imagine the author thinking “Oh, and I’ll bet
every reader will want to know the exact copyright date!”
🙂
==========================
animation/main #3289, from elfhive, 28 chars, Sat Mar 12 21:06:30 1994
This is a comment to message 3286.
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Anyone know who it is then?
==========================
animation/main #3290, from davemackey, 502 chars, Sun Mar 13 13:14:05 1994
This is a comment to message 3283.
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It’s something that Blanc has mentioned a lot in his later-life lectures. And
if you’ve heard one of Blanc’s lectures, you’ve heard them all, telling the
same exact stories in the same exact words.
I saw part of “Chuck Amuck: The Movie” which has clips of Blanc telling
how he got the job at Warner Bros., and I was able to almost exactly re-tell
the story based on the many times I’ve heard Blanc tell these stories,
despite never having seen the particular clip.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3291, from davemackey, 956 chars, Sun Mar 13 13:14:19 1994
This is a comment to message 3285.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The criteria for having an eligible film for the Academy Award is that it has
to play in at least one theatre in Los Angeles during the calendar year of
eligibility, and I think it has to play there for a week. Perhaps M-G-M snuck
“The Cat Concerto” and “Johann Mouse” into some L.A. theatres months ahead of
their “official” release date, possibly the last week of December in 1946 and
1952 respectively.
The irony is that “The Cat Concerto” was rushed to completion at M-G-M
because Technicolor delivered “rushes” of a similar Bugs Bunny cartoon
produced roughly around the same time to M-G-M by mistake. Quimby, upon
seeing the footage, demanded that “The Cat Concerto”, which wouldn’t have
been finished for months under normal circumstances, be given top priority on
the M-G-M production schedule. As it turns out, “Rhapsody Rabbit”, which
would have been a contender in any other year, didn’t even get nominated.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3292, from elfhive, 217 chars, Sun Mar 13 14:10:07 1994
This is a comment to message 3291.
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It would have been interesting to see the look on Bill Hanna or Joe
Barbera’s face when they screened the wrong rushes 🙂
I also wonder if Technicolor informed WB or merely delivered them “late”
without explanation.
==========================
animation/main #3293, from hmccracken, 653 chars, Mon Mar 14 20:08:53 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Bear That Finally Was Again
One of the rarest Chuck Jones cartoons is _The Bear That Wasn’t_, a 1967
cartoon made during his tenure at MGM that as far as I know has never
been shown on TV or anywhere else since its first release, due to
copyright problems. Until now, that is — I’m told that it was shown
last Sunday on the Cartoon Network’s _Moxy’s Pirate Cartoon Show_.
I didn’t see it, but am hoping to get a copy.
I don’t know anything about the Jones cartoon other than that it’s
extra-long; the book it’s based on, though, is wonderful. (It’s
by the versatile Frank Tashlin, who was a co-worker of Chuck’s at
Warner Bros.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3294, from robairmackey, 281 chars, Mon Mar 14 20:40:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3293.
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You know, Harry, Cartoon Network repeats the Moxy Show the following
Saturday at 9AM. The same cartoons are shown. So shortly after 9AM,
you can see “The Bear that Wasn’t.” It shows up occasionally on
“Bugs and Daffy Tonight.”
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3295, from kipw, 244 chars, Wed Mar 16 21:31:42 1994
This is a comment to message 3293.
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Blankety-blank! When will that idiot cable system of mine
quit bleeping around and give us the Cartoon Network? I keep
hearing about all this great stuff they’re showing (and I’ve
been a fan of Tashlin’s book for decades).
–frustrated ol’ Kip
==========================
animation/main #3296, from ggarramuno, 393 chars, Wed Mar 16 23:29:29 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Liquid TV
Hey guys! Any of you out there that has cable (I am living in a college
dorm where I can’t get my own cable AND they don’t have their own already),
could you tell me if MTV’s “Liquid Television” is still showing? If it is,
could you also tell me what days and at what time? BTW… Are they showing
a new season, the old seasons or both?
Thank you very much in advance.
==========================
animation/main #3297, from switch, 125 chars, Thu Mar 17 08:36:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3296.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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The new season has started, and it’s on at 11:30 on Sundays. I can’t tell you
much more, since we don’t get MTV here.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3298, from hmccracken, 635 chars, Thu Mar 17 23:28:18 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Elsa Lorne Harvey
Elsa Lorne Harvey has died in Larchmont, N.Y., at the age of 62. The wife of
Alfred Harvey, founder of Harvey Comics — home of Casper the Ghost,
Richie Rich, Sad Sack, and other characters — she worked early in her
career as the company’s advertising director.
The Harvey family sold their publishing company in the 1980s, then
founded Lorne-Harvey Publications in 1988. The new company published
reprints of some early Harvey comic book stories, including ones
starring the Black Cat (a Hollywood actress turned superheroine)
and Sad Sack. Mrs. Harvey served as CEO of the new company.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3299, from hmccracken, 637 chars, Thu Mar 17 23:33:50 1994
————————–
TITLE: French theme parks don’t have to be unsuccessful…
In the midst of all the bad news about Euro Disneyland, it is
interesting to learn that Parc Asterix, a six-year-old
theme park in Paris is apparently doing quite well. The park
is based on the popular and excellent French comic albums
about Asterix the Gaul, a Popeye-like Roman warrior.
Parc Asterix management credits the attraction’s success
in part to the fact that it’s rooted in French culture,
which Euro Disneyland obviously isn’t.
Another interesting fact about Parc Asterix: at 49 acres,
it occupies approximately 1% of the land that Euro Disney
does.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3300, from hmccracken, 785 chars, Thu Mar 17 23:38:15 1994
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TITLE: Overseas Disney theme parks don’t have to be failures, either
In other foreign theme-park news, Tokyo Disneyland is not only doing
quite a bit better than Euro Disney — it’s very quietly become
the most successful of Disney’s theme parks, and therefore the
most popular such beast in the world. More than 15,000,000 people
visited Tokyo Disney in 1993, compared to 12,000,000 for Disney
World and 11,400,000 for Disneyland.
On the other hand, the much-maligned Euro Disney is the fifth-
most visited park, with 10,000,000 1993 visitors — and that’s
topped only by Tokyo Disney, the Magic Kingdom at Disney World,
Disneyland, and Epcot Center. Obviously, it takes more than
a lot of bodies going through turnstiles to equal financial
success in the theme park biz.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3301, from hmccracken, 352 chars, Fri Mar 18 01:02:41 1994
————————–
TITLE: Another cartoonist on-line
Bob Thaves, the cartoonist behind the long-running comic strip
_Frank and Ernest_, has begun including his e-mail address in
his signature. (He’s Fa*******@ao*.com)
Thaves joins Scott Adams, creator of _Dilbert_, as a cartoonist
who’s on-line and who invites readers to correspond with him
electronically.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3302, from kipw, 132 chars, Tue Mar 22 22:08:40 1994
This is a comment to message 3297.
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In addition, it is a new season which is not as good as the last two.
There’s too much attitude and not enough entertainment.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3303, from davemackey, 465 chars, Tue Mar 22 22:53:05 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Walter Lantz 1899-1994
Walter Lantz died today at the age of 94. He would have been 95
next month.
Mr. Lantz created a stable of extremely beloved cartoon characters,
including Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy and The Beary
Family. Lantz released his cartoons through Universal from 1928 to
1972 with just a year or so break in the late 1940’s — the longest
producer/studio relationship in animation.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3304, from hmccracken, 1484 chars, Wed Mar 23 11:21:30 1994
This is a comment to message 3303.
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It is truly the end of an era.
Lantz was just short of celebrating his *eightieth* year in the animation
business — surely a record in the cartoon industry, and something only a
tiny number of people in any profession have done. He was also the last
great animation producer of the golden age to pass away: his
contemporaries were men like Walt Disney, Max Fleischer, Pat Sullivan, and
Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising.
My favorite fact about Lantz’s longevity was that the centurian Grim
Natwick, generally regarded as the grand old man of animation, credited
Walt Lantz as being his earliest mentor when he entered the business!
Lantz was already a veteran when Natwick first began animating.
Artistically, the legacy of the Lantz Studio is somewhat clouded; it
produced few films of merit during its last twenty years or so. But up
until the mid-1940s, its cartoons were always professional and sometimes
quite a bit more than that. At the recent Syracuse animation party, we
screened _Greatest Man in Siam_, a Lantz cartoon directed by Shamus
Culhane that was one of a series of excellent jazz-inspired Lantz films.
Today’s _New York Times_ has a reasonably long and very well-done
obituary, except for the fact that it says he died at the age of 93,
having been born in 1900. As reported here some months ago, Lantz recently
discovered he had been wrong about how old he was for nine decades — he
found his birth certificate, which revealed that he was born in 1899.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3305, from davemackey, 261 chars, Wed Mar 23 11:27:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3304.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
At least the Times didn’t do what one New York news radio station did:
they mentioned Lantz’s death, said that Gracie Stafford did the voice,
then played a cut of Woody Woodpecker singing — with Mel Blanc’s voice!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3306, from davemackey, 254 chars, Wed Mar 23 15:07:19 1994
————————–
TITLE: Walter Lantz memorials
Pam Scoville has asked me to pass this along… the family of Walter
Lantz has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to
the St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation, 501 S. Buena Vista St.,
Burbank, CA 91505.
==========================
animation/main #3307, from robairmackey, 549 chars, Wed Mar 23 20:39:29 1994
This is a comment to message 3305.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What is disappointing to me about the death of Lantz was its timing:
what with Woody’s corporate owners deciding to suppress all of his
older films (and those of Chilly, The Bearys, etc.) and show new,
made-for-an-age-that-we-don’t-have-to-explain-food-rationing-to
cartoons (perhaps the longest hyphenated word in the Englang).
I’da been happy if Lantz left this Earth knowing that his body
of work could be enjoyed by generations of fans and studied by
animation’s scholars.
–Robair
..
==========================
animation/main #3308, from davemackey, 251 chars, Fri Mar 25 00:19:05 1994
This is a comment to message 3307.
————————–
They can still do that if they buy a 16mm projector. Much of Lantz’ work was
released in film format by Castle Films, and lots of that stuff is still on
the collectors market, although some of it is in black and white.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3309, from hmccracken, 481 chars, Mon Mar 28 20:24:43 1994
————————–
TITLE: A New Disney Park
Both the _Boston Globe_ and _Boston Herald_ report today that
Disney is planning a fourth amusement park for its Orlando
site: a wild-animal park that will compete with Sea World and
Busch Gardens. The park will join Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom,
Epcot Center, Disney-MGM Studios, Euro Disneyland, and Tokyo
Disneyland in the Disney lineup; the company is also planning
a historical park in Virginia, as well as a major expansion
to Disneyland.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3310, from hmccracken, 257 chars, Mon Mar 28 20:26:53 1994
This is a comment to message 3294.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Robair — I alerted my friend who has the Cartoon Network to be on
the outlook for the re-broadcast of _The Bear That Wasn’t_ on
Saturday morning — but a different episode of “Moxy” got aired.
Apparently, I’m destined never to see that cartoon.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3311, from davemackey, 341 chars, Tue Mar 29 22:20:29 1994
This is a comment to message 3292.
————————–
They probably thought, “Well, I know that Bill and Joe are working on a piano
cartoon. So this piano footage must be theirs.”
Another irony: both cartoons used the same pianist, Jakob Gimpel, to
perform the classical pieces. Mr. Gimpel also played on the soundtrack to
HB’s Oscar-winning “Johann Mouse.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3312, from davemackey, 1037 chars, Thu Mar 31 10:09:28 1994
————————–
TITLE: An animation master on tour
A man who can truly be called an animation legend is currently touring
the country in support of his recent limited edition cel set-ups. Virgil
Ross will be appearing in Philadelphia at Animation Art Resources, 118
N. 3rd St. on Sunday, April 10. For information, call 215-925-2009.
Now in his 80’s, Virgil Ross was one of Friz Freleng’s team of brilliant
animation artists in the 1940’s and 1950’s at Warner Bros. He’d been with WB
since 1936, when he, Sid Sutherland and Tex Avery all came over from Walter
Lantz. There, Ross helped found the “Termite Terrace” unit. By 1942, Ross
moved over to the Clampett unit, and eventually settled with Freleng.
Throughout most of the rest of his career, which stretched well into the
1980’s, Ross freelanced for Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, DePatie-Freleng,
Walter Lantz, Chuck Jones Enterprises, and Warner Bros.
Anyone with information on further Ross tour dates (Mike and Pam?),
please share them with us.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3313, from robairmackey, 300 chars, Fri Apr 1 18:17:24 1994
This is a comment to message 3310.
————————–
Well, they by right should have shown the previous episode! I am awfully
sorry that happened…Well, given TCN’s rotation, it shoudl be coming
up on Bugs and Daffy Tonight one of these days. Perhaps “Toon Heads” will
do a Bear week…
–Robair that wasn’t
==========================
animation/main #3314, from robairmackey, 773 chars, Fri Apr 1 18:22:48 1994
————————–
TITLE: Woody mourns Walter
MCA Universal took two pages of color in Variety, Broadcasting and Cable
and Electronic Media trades to mourn the passing of Walter Lantz. Obviously
they took a very treacly path: a visibly distraught Woody Woodpecker cries
at a spotlit microphone, a direct ripoff of Warner’s pious “Mel is Dead”
ad.
Further propagating the myth that Walter Lantz’ only true creation is
Woody Woodpecker. (Useful to sell a new series, eh?)
BTW, that is Woody Woodpecker schmoozing with the crowd at Universal
Studios Florida in the background of the contest drawings on this week’s
“Wheel of Fortune” shows. Reminds me of Camus’ “L’Etranger” when the guy
went swimming after the funeral.
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3315, from hmccracken, 350 chars, Sun Apr 3 16:48:41 1994
————————–
TITLE: Museum Exhibit
“King of Comics: A Tribute to Jack Kirby” will be on display
at the Words and Pictures Museum at 244 Main St. in Northampton,
Mass. from April 6th through May 7th. The museum is open
Tuesday-Sunday from noon until 5pm. The exhibit is in honor of
artist Jack Kirby, whose recent passing was covered in this
conference.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3316, from hmccracken, 455 chars, Sun Apr 3 16:51:03 1994
————————–
TITLE: Upcoming Auction
The Howard Lowery Gallery in Burbank, Calif. will have an auction
of animation art on April 10th at 2pm at the Burbank Hilton.
A catalog is available for $10 postpaid, and it’s worth getting
even if you’re not planning to attend the auction; it’s slick,
scholarly, and full of high-qaulity reproductions of art from
the Disney, Warner, MGM, and other studios. For more information,
contact the gallery at (818) 972-9080.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3317, from hmccracken, 514 chars, Mon Apr 4 00:05:24 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Sad News
Frank Wells, the president of the Walt Disney Company, died on Easter
in a plane crash; he had been on a ski trip. Along with Michael Eisner
and Jeff Katzenberg, Wells wmade up the triumverate of Hollywood
executives who took control of Disney in the mid-1980s and pumped
a lot of life into the studio’s near moribund live-action, animation,
and theme-park activities — resulting in a great deal of financial
success. I just heard this reported on the news; more details as I
get them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3318, from davemackey, 355 chars, Mon Apr 4 13:04:35 1994
This is a comment to message 3317.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Wells and two other men died in the crash. The two other men, however,
were not Michael Eisner and Jeff Katzenberg. But the death of Wells is
devastating as Disney struggles to maintain its competitive position in
Florida tourism (Wayne Huizenga just announced plans for Blockbuster World
near Miami).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3319, from robairmackey, 165 chars, Mon Apr 4 23:36:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3318.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3318.
————————–
Blockbuster World, eh?
They’ll have a hotel there, I hear, but you can’t stay any
longer than three nights.
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3320, from hmccracken, 104 chars, Mon Apr 4 23:56:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3319.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
LOL! Go to Disney World if you want to unwind — and Blockbuster
World if you want to rewind!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3321, from elfhive, 125 chars, Tue Apr 5 00:02:45 1994
This is a comment to message 3320.
————————–
Actually you can stay for more than three nights at Blockbuster World
but you have to buy the hotel before you can leave 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3322, from hmccracken, 1156 chars, Tue Apr 5 13:38:36 1994
This is a comment to message 3318.
————————–
Wells was an interesting guy. He took a sabbatical from the movie
business to climb the highest mountain on every continent, and
did — except for Mount Everest. (Bad weather forced him to turn
back before he reached the peak.)
As president/COO of Disney, he was apparently a gifted and
creative money man who worked in tandem with Michael Eisner,
much as Roy Disney worked with his brother Walt for so many
years. (That’s not an original thought on my part; the
obituary on CNN made the same comparison.)
The CNN obit also had an inaccuracy, which I should correct
here for history’s sake. It credited the Eisner-Wells team
with creating Disney’s Touchstone label for non-kid oriented
movies, and with the success of _Splash_, the first movie
released under the Touchstone name. That’s wrong — the
prior Disney management, led by Walt’s son-in-law Ron
Miller, devised the Touchstone concept and were still in
charge when _Splash_ was released. Eisner and Wells
did, however, greatly increase Disney’s involvement in
mainstream Hollywood fare, and were responsible for
Disney’s first R-rated film (_Down and Out in Beverly
Hills_, I believe.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3323, from hmccracken, 844 chars, Tue Apr 12 13:46:54 1994
————————–
TITLE: ‘_Walt in Wonderland_
Last year, I postted a message raving about _Walt in Wonderland_, a superb
book about Walt Disney’s earliest days in animation — from his first
work as a teenager in Kansas City up until the dawn of sound and the
birth of Mickey Mouse.
The only problem was that the book was published in Italy, making it
expensive and difficult to find, and oddly formatted (English text
on one side, Italian on the other). Happily, the Johns Hopkins Press
has just released a U.S. edition that solves those problems. It
appears to be identical to the original edition, except that it’s
in English only — and despite being a hardcover rather than the
original’s paperback format, it’s cheaper. It’s still around $35,
but for anyone who’s interested in Walt Disney or the history of
animation in general, it’s a steal.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3324, from davemackey, 450 chars, Wed Apr 13 09:59:47 1994
————————–
TITLE: Two very quick obituaries
Both these gentlemen passed away in early February, but I am just hearing
about these now from the Local 839 newsletter.
Oscar Dufau, since 1956 a prominent animator, producer and director.
He worked for Hanna-Barbera most recently, also did some work for Chuck
Jones and UPA.
Charles Flekal, one of the animation cameramen during Hanna-Barbera’s
formative years.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3325, from hmccracken, 233 chars, Wed Apr 13 16:55:54 1994
————————–
TITLE: Pointer
See best.of.net #74 for an electronic version of the newsletter of
the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists and Affiliated Optical Electronic and
Graphic Arts, Local 839 IATSE, the Hollywood cartoonists’ union.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3326, from hmccracken, 589 chars, Tue Apr 19 10:41:14 1994
————————–
TITLE: _Off the Wall at Sardi’s_
If you’re a lover of Sardi’s restaurant in New York — or just
a fan of excellent caricature — get this book. (It’s by
Vincent Sardi, Jr. and Thomas Edward West, and is from
Applause Books.) It chronicles the story of Sardi’s famous
caricature-covered walls — a tradition that began in the
mid-1920s and continues to this day. Four artists have been
responsible for these drawings of celebrities, and all
of them have been very talented.
The book has reproductions of dozens of the caricatures,
all at a nice, large size and many in color.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3327, from hmccracken, 659 chars, Sat Apr 23 12:07:11 1994
————————–
TITLE: More Words, More Pictures
Words & Pictures Museum, the Northampton, Mass.-based museum of comic
art founded by Kevin Eastman (co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles) will be relocating to a new home in Northampton. The
new location will provide five times as much space as the current
one, and plans are underway for the first floor to be devoted to
a large comic book store and other areas to house interactive
displays, expanded galleries, and other exhibits.
The new location will be at 140 Main St., just up the street from
the museum’s current home at 244 Main St. Plans are for the
move to be completed by December 31st, 1994.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3328, from hmccracken, 505 chars, Sat Apr 23 12:10:14 1994
————————–
TITLE: Upcoming at the Words & Pictures Museum
Words & Pictures Museum has scheduled the following exhibits through
September:
April 6 – May 7: A Tribute to Jack “King” Kirby
May 10 – July 9: The Crow (art from the superhero comic book that
inspired the upcoming movie starring the late
Brandon Lee)
July 12 – Sept. 30: Frank Miller (art by the artist best known
for his gritty work on Batman and Daredevil
comic books)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3329, from hmccracken, 1318 chars, Sat Apr 23 12:21:40 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Farewell, Mr. Nixon
This conference is probably not an appropriate place to examine
the life and death of Richard Nixon in all its details, but
it’s worth noting that he was, among other things, probably
the greatest subject that American political cartoonists ever
had. (That many cartoonists have continued to draw Nixon-
inspired cartoons whenever possible in the years since he left
active political life is a sign that they miss him.)
More than any other cartoonist, the Washington Post’s Herblock
is famed for his Nixon-themed drawings; I believe the late
president first began appearing in Herblock cartoons in the
late 1940s, when he came to national prominence during the
Hiss case. Nixon is said to have cut Herblock cartoons out
of the morning paper to spare his daughters from seeing them;
Block drew him as a ill-shaven, sleazy character who on at
least one occasion was shown literally standing in a gutter
and slinging mud at his adversaries. Herblock’s drawings of
a Nixon needing a shave were so well known that when Nixon
finally was elected president in 1968, Block drew a cartoon
set in a barbershop and told his readers that he provided
free shaves for all newly-elected presidents. From then on,
Block’s Nixon was better-kempt, if no less archly caricatured
in other respects.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3330, from hshubs, 737 chars, Sat Apr 23 14:49:06 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Warner Bros. Store
I walked in to a Warner Brothers store last night. Picked up a shirt in
a red tube with a wick:
A C M E
[ picture of Coyote falling under a destroyed parachute ]
The Name You Can Trust
They showed me a print (or something like it) with all the major older
WB characters on it, and something like “Mel Blanc: 1908 – 1990” on it.
They wanted $150 for it. I’ll think about it. Oh, the characters are
in a group with heads bowed.
Another thing I had to think -hard- about was a collection of video tapes
containing uncut cartoons from 1930 – 1948. They wanted $80 for the five
tapes. I’m -still- considering that, but for later, after I’ve moved and
purchased a VCR.
==========================
animation/main #3331, from hmccracken, 177 chars, Sat Apr 23 17:44:24 1994
————————–
TITLE: Pointer
Messages 78-81 in animation/best.of.net include the FAQ (frequently
asked question) lists from the internet that cover Disney and
Disney World matters.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3332, from hmccracken, 234 chars, Sat Apr 23 17:45:32 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Tomorrow at 9pm ET…
we’ll meet in animation/cbix for our monthly get-together.
It’s an open house that will feature trivia and door prizes
(including books, magazines, and multimedia software).
Come one, come all!]
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3333, from elfhive, 417 chars, Sat Apr 23 19:04:06 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Virgil Ross
There was a brief interview with Virgil on the Fox Morning News here
in DC last Thursday morning. The outstanding quote for the day occurred
when Brian (the anchor) asked Virgil what current animation he liked.
“It’s more what I don’t like.”
“Well go ahead and tell us what you don’t like.”
“There this Butthead something show. I just don’t get what that’s about.”
From one of the masters. Amen.
==========================
animation/main #3334, from davemackey, 144 chars, Sat Apr 23 21:38:34 1994
This is a comment to message 3333.
————————–
Ha! Virgil Ross wouldn’t be caught dead in something like that, and
that speaks volumes about Virgil Ross.
Truly he is one of the masters.
==========================
animation/main #3335, from davemackey, 69 chars, Sat Apr 23 21:39:00 1994
This is a comment to message 3332.
————————–
Have fun, guys… I can’t make it, since I’ll be AFK tomorrow
night.
==========================
animation/main #3336, from davemackey, 155 chars, Sat Apr 23 21:39:57 1994
This is a comment to message 3330.
————————–
The litho you saw was a reproduction of a trade advertisement that WB
took out just after Mel Blanc’s death.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3337, from davemackey, 124 chars, Sat Apr 23 21:40:43 1994
This is a comment to message 3329.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Nixon inappropriate? I don’t think so. Remember the Nixon homage
in “Bebe’s Kids”?
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3338, from hmccracken, 698 chars, Sun Apr 24 20:50:47 1994
This is a comment to message 3337.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I just meant that this probably isn’t the proper place to hold
a full-fledged debate on Richard Nixon’s Place in History —
as fascinating as a Nixon-watcher like me would find such a
discussion.
But back on the topic of Nixon caricatures: the recent PBS
documentary on him, which the Boston public TV station
rebroadcast last night, shows a cartoon of young Dick Nixon
from his Whittier College yearbook, circa 1933. This
may have been the first Nixon caricature of them all, and
the unnamed artist got down all the fine points of
the artform — the ski-slope nose, prominent jowls,
stern brow, and widow’s peak — that legions of other
cartoonists would have to master decades later.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3339, from hkenner, 129 chars, Mon Apr 25 14:25:11 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
To watch for at your bookstore:
Pigtails and Frog legs
a family cookbook from Neiman Marcus
Illustrated by Chuck Jones.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3340, from elfhive, 44 chars, Mon Apr 25 21:25:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3339.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Is that one dish or two in the title, Hugh?
==========================
animation/main #3341, from hkenner, 40 chars, Mon Apr 25 22:09:22 1994
This is a comment to message 3340.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Huh? Two named dishes, re pigs & frogs
==========================
animation/main #3342, from elfhive, 53 chars, Tue Apr 26 23:51:45 1994
This is a comment to message 3341.
————————–
Are pigtails cooked with frog legs or separately 😕
==========================
animation/main #3343, from hmccracken, 1412 chars, Fri Apr 29 17:08:34 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The Most Popular Cartoons of All Time
The current _Emtertainment Weekly_’s cover story is on “The 100
Most Popular Movies of All Time.” _EW_ has ranked them based
on a formula which takes their box office grosses and videotape
sales and rentals and churns them into a figure which represents the number
of times someone has paid to see that particular film in one form or another.
Here are the cartoons — and partially-animated films — which made the list:
3. 101 Dalmatians (251,644,619 viewers)
5. Fantasia (243,093,478)
7. The Jungle Book (229,737,901)
10. Aladdin (217,299,476)
17. Beauty and the Beast (197,758,168)
29. Pinocchio (183,600,000)
31. Who Framed Roger Rabbit(177,746,957)
35. Bambi (168,600,000)
42. Sleeping Beauty (164,676,056)
75. Mary Poppins (133,000,000)
81. Alice in Wonderland (128,732,955)
87. Lady and the Tramp (125,734,884)
It’s interesting to note that *every* animated film on the list is a
Disney production. And while all the usual suspects are there, they’re not
in the order you might expect.
Several live-action movies based on comics also made the
list:
26. Batman (185,054,618)
33. Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles (173,877,758)
89. Superman (125,358,127)
94. Batman Returns (121,736,554)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3344, from davemackey, 364 chars, Sat Apr 30 16:35:31 1994
This is a comment to message 3343.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Tell us about the formula used to get these numbers. And hopefully it’s
slightly less complicated than LAR=2.04+.07*(MSO)=.0097*(LMS)+8.14*(RSS)
-1.45*(RTC)+.253*(PNB)+.103(PAO)+.172*(PRM)+.057*(PT2)+.353*(PTC)+.069*(LIN).
(Which is the recipe that could cut your cable TV costs by 17%. And you
thought your job was complicated! 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3345, from hmccracken, 225 chars, Sat Apr 30 19:11:12 1994
This is a comment to message 3344.
————————–
They don’t seem to give specific details on their calculations, but
it involved taking box office grosses and dividing them by average
ticket prices, then doing something similar to video sales and
rental figures.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3346, from kipw, 101 chars, Sat Apr 30 19:35:00 1994
This is a comment to message 3338.
————————–
Does this mean we won’t see the Tricky One on “The Simpsons”
any more? Maybe next Halloween…
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3347, from davemackey, 568 chars, Sun May 1 12:56:52 1994
This is a comment to message 3266.
————————–
On the Lenburg front, he has just reissued “The Three Stooges Scrapbook”,
which he co-authored with his brother Greg and Joan Howard Maurer, who is the
daughter of Moe Howard and widow of Norman Maurer, and in turn the mother of
Jeffrey Scott and Michael Maurer. About the only thing that was updated for
the new edition was the information about the death of Joe Besser in 1988.
Apparently, Lenburg was good friends with both Besser and his wife Ernie.
However, there’s no updated information on the more recent passing of Joe
DeRita.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3348, from hmccracken, 971 chars, Tue May 3 09:28:44 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: RIP, Richard Scarry
Richard Scarry, 74, has died in Switzerland. He was one of the
most successful children’s book author-illustrators of all
time, having been responsible for 8 of the 50 best-selling
children’s books on record.
Born in Boston, Scarry created books that were crowded with
animal characters going about the tasks of everyday living.
(His jam-packed drawings were likely an inspiration for the
“Where’s Waldo?” books.) His books never attracted the
slightest comment from grown-up critics that I know of;
they were too unpretentious and good-natured for that.
Yet several generations of young people loved them.
(I’m one of the legions who learned to read by staring
at Scarry books like the Best Word Book Ever, Busy Busy
World, and What Do People Do All Day?)
In recent years, Scarry’s work had been adapted into
several other media, including an animated TV series
for cable television and a line of educational
computer software.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3349, from switch, 333 chars, Tue May 3 10:42:49 1994
This is a comment to message 3348.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
_The Busy World of Richard Scarry_ is animated here in Montreal, about three
metro stops away. I’m submitting story proposals for the series next month.
Scarry apparently kept a close eye on the development of the series, to make
sure it stayed close to his concepts, and wrote up some of the treatments and
scripts himself.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3350, from hmccracken, 109 chars, Tue May 3 12:28:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3349.
————————–
Wow! Good luck with your proposals, and please don’t have Lowly
Worm do anything out of character.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3351, from hmccracken, 359 chars, Sat May 7 23:07:50 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: John Milton Morris
John Milton Morris has died in Costa Mesa, California, at the age
of 87. He was a political cartoonist for the Associated Press for 52
years, from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency to that of Ronald
Reagan. Lyndon Johnson was a fan of his work, and eight Morris
cartoons hang in the L.B.J. presidential library.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3352, from magi.d, 217 chars, Mon May 9 02:36:36 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Internships?
I have a friend here at school who is looking for Internships in the NYc
area… Anybody have any suggestions?
Her major doesn’t have a placement service the way most of the other
majors do.
Magi
==========================
animation/main #3353, from hmccracken, 164 chars, Mon May 9 08:58:24 1994
This is a comment to message 3352.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3352.
————————–
What type of internship, Magi? There are lots of animation-
related companies in the city, so there’s a good chance she
might be able to find something.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3354, from magi.d, 284 chars, Mon May 9 20:57:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3353.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I think she’s most interested in comics or TV animation….
But, anything. Could you tell me names and addresses of some of these
places?
I know she’s applying for Marvel Comics and mentioned NBC as an interest…
She’s definitely a graphic artist as opposed to just an artist.
Magi
==========================
animation/main #3355, from hmccracken, 697 chars, Wed May 11 10:55:07 1994
————————–
TITLE: Disney vs. the Historians
I heard a radio report this morning that said a group of prominent
historians, including David McCullough, have formally decried
the plans for Disney’s America, an American history-themed
amusement park to be built in Virginia. They’re concerned that
it will trivialize the Civil War and other events in our history
that it will use as the basis for rides, shows, and other
attractions.
Perhaps it will — although I don’t know how even so distinguished
a historian as McCullough can judge something he hasn’t seen yet.
This is reminiscent of the early days of Disneyland, when it
was the subject of much sneering and put-downs by architectural
types.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3356, from davemackey, 486 chars, Wed May 11 21:41:37 1994
————————–
TITLE: Spring into spring with A!
“Animato!” is out with its 28th edition. The Spring 1994 issue features
interviews with a number of prominent animation voice artists, including
Lucille Bliss, Billy West and Sid Raymond, as well as a comprehensive guide
to “Beavis and Butt-head”, as well as tons of video, TV and theatrical
animation reviews. It’s $4.25, but I can’t think of anything worthier to
spend your money on for animation coverage these days.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3357, from hmccracken, 384 chars, Thu May 12 09:46:39 1994
This is a comment to message 3354.
————————–
Magi —
I’ll try to get you some addresses, but here are some names to consider:
she should contact MTV and Nickelodeon (both of which do a lot with
animation), Buzzco (an animation studio in the city), DC Comics,
Marvel Comics, Archie Comics (which is actually in Marmaroneck (sp?)),
and Zander and Associates (another animation studio).
Anyone else have any suggestions?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3358, from hmccracken, 631 chars, Mon May 16 20:24:53 1994
————————–
TITLE: _Walt Disney: An American Original_…
has been reissued in a handsome paperback by Hyperion. Bob Thomas’s
1976 biography of Walt Disney isn’t perfect — as the authorized
biography, it tends to clean up many of the man’s rough spots —
but it remains the best Disney biography published to date.
(As biased as it might be towards presenting Disney in a favorable
light, many of the others are more heavily slanted in the opposite
direction. Perhaps those interested in learning about Walt’s
life should read both this and Richard Schickel’s _The Disney
Version_ and do a sort of mental average of the two books.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3359, from hmccracken, 183 chars, Tue May 17 21:30:49 1994
————————–
TITLE: Pointer
Check out new.england/long.messages #11 and #12 for two interesting messages —
interesting, that is, if you’re a fan of Scott Adams’s _Dilbert_ comic strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3360, from hmccracken, 389 chars, Tue May 17 23:16:34 1994
————————–
TITLE: Learn About Animation in Boston
The Art Institute of Boston will be offering a course in the
history of animation from May 31st to July 10th, each Monday
and Wednesday from 1:15 to 4:55pm. The instructor is Tom
Krepcio, a Boston-based animator and animation fan;
tuition is $475 (or you can audit it for $315).
For more information, call the Institute at (617) 262-1223.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3361, from davemackey, 355 chars, Fri May 20 12:11:26 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Reuben Timmins
Reuben Timmins (nee Timinsky) died on March 10, 1994. He worked
for fifty years in animation, starting at New York
studios then moving west to Disney. He was also one of the
key animators at Trans Artists Productions, home of “Bucky
And Pepito
and others. He retired in 1980.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3362, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Fri May 20 22:11:25 1994
————————–
TITLE: Bill and Joe’s Bogus Journey
If you’re in New York City this weekend and anywhere near FAO Schwartz
on Fifth Avenue, you can meet Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera in person.
The country’s most famous expensive toystore has opened Toon Time
Animation Gallery, which is devoted to one of the most expensive
toys around: original and limited-edition animation art.
Bill and Joe will be appearing tomorrow (the 21st) from 7pm to 9pm,
and on Sunday from 2pm to 4pm.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3363, from hmccracken, 1678 chars, Wed May 25 16:32:20 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Don Thompson
Don Thompson died on Monday as the result of heart problems. With his
wife Maggie he was best known in recent years as co-editor of the
weekly _Comics Buyers’ Guide_ fanzine — but Don and Maggie’s important
role in comics fandom stretches back more than thirty years, to the
very earliest times that comics fans got together.
Don and Maggie published several fanzines in the 1960s, including _Comic
Art_ and _Newfangles_, which were instrumental in giving deserved
credit and appreciation to such cartoonists as Carl Barks and John Stanley
for the first time. They were also early members of CAPA-Alpha, the first
amateur press association (APA) for comics fans.
In the 1970s, Don and Maggie began _Beautiful Balloons_, a long running
column in _The Buyers Guide to Comic Fandom_, the early version of
_Comics Buyers’ Guide_. Don also co-edited, with Dick Lupoff, two fine
books about the golden age of comics: _All in Color for a Dime_ and _The
Comic Book Book_.
In the early 1980s, _The Buyers’ Guide_ was sold to Krause Publications,
and became _Comics Buyers’ Guide_; it happened not too long after the
Cleveland newspaper where Don worked shut down. The timing turned out to
be good — Don and Maggie became co-editors of _CBG_, jobs they have held
ever since.
This brief outline of Don’s work leaves out several magazines and books he
edited, and fails to convey what a huge contribution he made to comics
fandom. He will be missed enormously. Happily, his death was painless and
came at the close of a happy week in which Don and Maggie saw their son
Steve graduate from college.
No word yet on what will happen with _CBG_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3364, from davemackey, 279 chars, Wed May 25 21:01:02 1994
This is a comment to message 3363.
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————————–
I am sorry to hear of the death of Don Thompson. While I didn’t
always agree with the way he ran Comics Buyers Guide (all right,
I never agreed with the way he ran CBG), I grieve for the loss
of one of the leading lights of comics fandom.
Dave
==========================
animation/main #3365, from linkster, 137 chars, Wed May 25 23:14:50 1994
This is a comment to message 3363.
————————–
I’m in shock since I only recently discovered _CBG_ and was only beginning
to know him through his columns and editorials.
LInk
==========================
animation/main #3366, from linkster, 87 chars, Wed May 25 23:16:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3364.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m curious what you disagreed with about the running of _CBG_, Dave.
LInk
.
==========================
animation/main #3367, from davemackey, 371 chars, Thu May 26 19:57:06 1994
This is a comment to message 3366.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I found Thompson to be rather nitpicky. One of the biggest problems I had
with him is that he refused to accept editorial which was prepared on a
dot-matrix printer, yet advertising matter was routinely printed on such
devices.
Both Thompsons could be extremely brutal to letter writers when their
opinions didn’t match the writer’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3368, from davemackey, 172 chars, Thu May 26 19:57:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3361.
————————–
In my haste to get this up, I failed to mention that Reuben Timmins also
created the effects animation on Filmation’s “Star Trek” cartoons.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3369, from hmccracken, 618 chars, Mon May 30 19:27:12 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Disney’s America
Tonight’s edition of PBS’s Macneil-Lehrer report featured a report, by
Roger Mudd, on the controversy surrounding Disney’s planned Virginia theme
park. Among the highlights of the well-balanced segment were historian
Shelby Foote defending his opposition to the project by saying that Chip
and Dale threatened childrens’ safety (kids might believe that real
chipmunks sang, danced, and presented no danger); and a clip of park
protesters dressed in wonderfully sleazy Mickey and Goofy costumes,
leading another protester dressed as Virginia governor George Allen around
by his nose.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3370, from linkster, 144 chars, Mon May 30 20:49:50 1994
This is a comment to message 3367.
————————–
Odd that dot-matrix was not accepted for editorial. (shrug). I would
agree that they could/can be brutal to letter writers.
LInk
==========================
animation/main #3371, from switch, 163 chars, Mon May 30 22:00:52 1994
This is a comment to message 3352.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I haven’t had the chance to go looking for information like I’d hoped, but
if you’re friend’s still looking, MTV is starting to do more in-house
animation.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3372, from magi.d, 143 chars, Mon May 30 22:08:00 1994
This is a comment to message 3371.
————————–
she has an appointment/interview with Marvel the end of June, I believe…
I have passed on the suggestions about MTV, and such. Thanks!
Magi
==========================
animation/main #3373, from ianl, 631 chars, Tue May 31 23:01:43 1994
This is a comment to message 3369.
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This whole controversy is a crock, IMO. Of course Disney will trivialize
and even, where convenient, rewrite American history in their theme park.
So what? The cool thing about history is that it definitely exists, but
nobody can claim to own it. It can be sold, but nobody can have the exclusive
right to sell it. In a country of (relatively) free speech, nobody can claim
to be the sole purveyor of the One True Way Things Happened And What It
All Means.
Disney trivialized and rewrote fairy tales which had existed for generations.
Why should anybody be upset when they want to extend such treatment to other
areas?
==========================
animation/main #3374, from hkenner, 306 chars, Wed Jun 1 00:47:02 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m just back (in Georgia) from Los Angeles, a promotion session for my
Chuck Jones book (copies to be available about July 20). But the point
to dwell on is, Chuck, at 82, is in fantastically good shape, hand
perfectly steady, draws with his old authority, and has just completed
a RoadRunner. …
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3375, from hmccracken, 201 chars, Wed Jun 1 21:07:15 1994
This is a comment to message 3374.
There are additional comments to message 3374.
————————–
That’s great — with your book and the new Road Runner, it should be an eventful
Summer for Chuck Jones fans.
I’ve heard, by the way, that the title of the new cartoon is _Chariots of Fur_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3376, from linkster, 246 chars, Mon Jun 6 19:02:46 1994
————————–
TITLE: Update on _Comics Buyer’s Guide_’s Status
The editorial in the issue of _CBG_ that arrived in the mail today said that
Maggie Thompson would be taking over the editorship of the publication she
and her late husband founded.
LInk
==========================
animation/main #3377, from hmccracken, 398 chars, Thu Jun 9 22:51:02 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy Birthday, Quackface!
Today is Donald Duck’s 60th birthday (which, for some reason, has not
been highly publicized). Donald was the most popular cartoon character
in the world during the mid-to-late 1930s, and he remains one of
the few true cartoon superstars.
Happy birthday, Don, and here’s hoping that Daisy, Huey, Dewey, Louie,
and Uncle Scrooge throw you quite a party!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3378, from magi.d, 91 chars, Fri Jun 10 00:11:01 1994
This is a comment to message 3377.
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————————–
Thank-you, Harry…
Today’s my birthday too, and I’m /proud/ to share it with Donald!
Magi
==========================
animation/main #3379, from nicolas, 60 chars, Fri Jun 10 02:34:19 1994
This is a comment to message 3377.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It made the news here.
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #3380, from dgh, 62 chars, Fri Jun 10 03:58:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3378.
————————–
Happy (slightly belated) Birthday, Magi!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3381, from switch, 97 chars, Sat Jun 11 14:24:52 1994
This is a comment to message 3379.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Magi’s birthday?
I didn’t know she was that famous.
Magi, you’ve been holding out on us.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3382, from magi.d, 252 chars, Sat Jun 11 22:28:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3381.
There are additional comments to message 3381.
————————–
THanks, Emru… I’m /really/ Donald Duck in disguise you see…
Donald’s birthday made the back page of the front section of the evneing
paper here. They had an AP photo of the Donald Duck face they did at
the Tokyo DisneyWorld with the cars.
Magi
==========================
animation/main #3383, from nicolas, 110 chars, Mon Jun 13 02:33:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3381.
————————–
Naah Emru. Magi isn’t that famous. Yet. I was referring to Mr. Duck.
🙂
……….
. Nico .
……….
==========================
animation/main #3384, from davemackey, 818 chars, Tue Jun 14 14:31:08 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Henry Mancini
The man who composed the themes to the “Pink Panther” and “Inspector”
cartoon series, as well as a lifetime of other music for film and
television, has died. Henry Mancini was 70, and he died of complications
of liver and pancreatic cancer.
In the animation millieu, Mancini also wrote songs for a number of
animated features including “The Rescuers” and “Tom And Jerry: The Movie”.
Mancini wrote volumes of popular music, with his most prominent decade
the 1960’s. His television themes were for projects as diverse as the
crime drama “Peter Gunn”, the situation comedy “Newhart” and the game show
“Tic Tac Dough.” His film scores included virtually every Blake Edwards
project, as well as “Days Of Wine And Roses” and many more.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3385, from hmccracken, 213 chars, Tue Jun 14 16:58:40 1994
This is a comment to message 3384.
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————————–
He will be missed. (But I don’t think he wrote any songs for _The
Rescuers_ — he did, however, score _The Great Mouse Detective.)
To me, he will always be the man who wrote _The Baby Elephant March_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3386, from switch, 156 chars, Tue Jun 14 22:14:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3385.
There are additional comments to message 3385.
————————–
For me, he was always the man behind tje _Pink Panther_ and _Inspector_ themes,
until recently — I finally got around to watching _A Touch of Evil_.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3387, from hmccracken, 807 chars, Tue Jun 14 22:29:15 1994
————————–
TITLE: _Cartoon Movie Posters_…
is the title of an excellent paperback book that reproduces 391
promotional posters for cartoons, ranging from ones for silent
_Felix the Cat_ shorts to one for 1972’s _Fritz the Cat_.
The quality of reproduction is excellent (and everything’s
in color that was originally); the only cricism that comes
to mind is that a lot of cartoon posters were really, really
ugly. They were usually done not by animators but by artists
in a studio’s advertising department, and often the depictions
of the characters don’t look much at all like their on-screen
selves.
Still, if you’re interested in cartoon history, this book is
a must. I’m not sure of the exact price, but I think it’s $20.
The book is available from Bruce Hershenson, PO Box 874,
West Plains, MO 65775.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3388, from davemackey, 149 chars, Tue Jun 14 23:13:23 1994
This is a comment to message 3385.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Call it failure under pressure. I stand corrected and now do remember
Mancini’s work on “The Great Mouse Detective.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3389, from davemackey, 281 chars, Wed Jun 15 09:45:12 1994
————————–
TITLE: Cab Calloway ailing
Our prayers this morning are with Cab Calloway, who suffered a massive
stroke over the weekend. Doctors at a suburban New York hospital have told
his wife that it looks like the end is near for the Hi-De-Ho Man.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3390, from ianl, 380 chars, Thu Jun 16 20:01:25 1994
This is a comment to message 3384.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Oddly enough, I bought a Mancini Greatest Hits CD the day before he passed
away. Of course the Pink Pather theme and lots of other recognizable tunes
were on it. One tune, though, keeps haunting me: _A Shot In the Dark_. I
know I’ve never seen the movie of that name, so I’m thinking it must have
been the music used in some cartoons I saw as a child. Would that be right?
==========================
animation/main #3391, from switch, 155 chars, Thu Jun 16 21:05:40 1994
This is a comment to message 3390.
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————————–
_A Shot in the Dark_ is a 1968 Clouseau film. I don’t remember much of it —
I only saw it once — so I’m not sure if the music was used elsewhere.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3392, from davemackey, 342 chars, Sun Jun 19 07:37:47 1994
This is a comment to message 3391.
————————–
The “A Shot In The Dark” theme was the theme music for the “Inspector”
cartoons, which were close cousins to the Pink Panther cartoons, though
with different directors (Gerry Chiniquy, Bob McKimson, George Singer) than
had been working on the Panthers at the time (which were almost exclusively
Hawley Pratt).
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3393, from davemackey, 533 chars, Sun Jun 19 08:07:18 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Jack Hannah
Jack Hannah, 81, last of the great Disney short subject directors, died
on June 11 in Burbank.
MrHannah had been with Disney from the mid-1930’s, originally a
writer (sometimes teamed with the estimable Carl Barks) and, beginning
in the 1940’s, a dire
After Disney, Hannah went to the Walter Lantz studios, where he
directed primarly Chilly Willy and Woody Woodpecker cartoons. He was
active as an animation instructor after his retirement.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3394, from kipw, 249 chars, Mon Jun 20 20:36:48 1994
This is a comment to message 3388.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Henry Mancini wrote some great stuff. I’d like to find the solo album
he did some time. Sad as that made me, it’s not near as bummed as I was
to hear that Cab Calloway is about to be taken from us. A world without Cab
is a poor world, indeed.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3395, from switch, 119 chars, Mon Jun 20 22:37:43 1994
This is a comment to message 3394.
————————–
My thoughts exactly. He always seemed somewhat immortal, and hearing about
his ailment came as a bit of a blow.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3396, from dgh, 115 chars, Tue Jun 21 03:14:32 1994
This is a comment to message 3393.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>Jack Hannah
As in Hannah and Barbera? (And if so, why no mention of that connection?)
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3397, from switch, 30 chars, Tue Jun 21 18:26:24 1994
This is a comment to message 3396.
There are additional comments to message 3396.
————————–
Nope. Hanna has one H.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3398, from davemackey, 417 chars, Wed Jun 22 21:12:11 1994
This is a comment to message 3396.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
No, the Hanna who is part of Hanna-Barbera is Bill Hanna. Although I did
once come across an animation reference book that had cross-referenced
listings of several different studios, and the only articles listed for
Hanna-Barbera were all about Jack Hannah.
Nor is Jack Hannah related to the famous zookeeper Jack Hanna, who was
sort of the Joan Embery of David Letterman’s show.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3399, from dgh, 49 chars, Thu Jun 23 02:41:05 1994
This is a comment to message 3398.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Small wonder I was confused?
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3400, from hmccracken, 301 chars, Thu Jun 23 22:50:43 1994
This is a comment to message 3399.
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Don’t worry about it, David. I recall one book that explained
that Yogi Bear was such a talkative character because Bill
Hanna had spent so long dircting cartoons starrying the
unintelligible Donald Duck, and had grown tired of it. Of
course, it was Jack Hannah who was the Donald director.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3401, from hmccracken, 2177 chars, Wed Jul 6 09:44:13 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Casper’s Father is Dead
Alfred Harvey, founder of Harvey Comics, has died in Larchmont, N.Y., at
the age of 80. Along with his brothers, Harvey founded one of the country’s
most enduring comic-book publishers, a company best known for the characters
Richie Rich and Casper.
The Harvey company was founded around 1940, and is said to have flourished
in its early years because of Alfred Harey’s large supply of newsprint,
a hard-to-get commodity during the war. During the 1940s, the company
published superhero comics (among them _The Black Cat_), radio and
comic strip adaptations (_The Green Hornet_, _Blondie_, _Joe Palooka_),
and a broad range of other comics.
By 1950 or so, Harvey had begun to concentrate on humor comics, and as
time went on many of them were adaptations of the cartoon characters
created by Paramount’s Famous Studios division — Casper the Friendly
Ghost, Baby Huey, and others. The company supplemented these characters
with some of its own, many of whom were focused around obsessions of
one sort or another. Little Dot was crazy about polka dots, Little
Lotta thought of little but food, and Richie Rich was a rich kid
who loved money. Harvey also published the comic book adventures of Sad
Sack, George Baker’s comic soldier who had been a popular WWII creation.
In the late 1950s, Harvey bought out Famous Studios, owning Casper and the
other characters outright, as well as taking control of the Famous
library. (Harvey later produced its own Casper cartoons for TV.) Not long
thereafter, Richie Rich slowly became the company’s mainstay, until by the
late 1970s Harvey produced several *dozen* different Richie Rich titles,
and very little else.
Harvey, which is said to have long been troubled by family squabbles,
ceased publication in the early 1980s, then started up again a few years
later. In 1989, the company was sold to Jeffrey Montgomery, a young Los
Angeles businessman, who was turned it into a mini media empire. Major
theatrical films based on Casper and Richie Rich are in the works, and the
company recently announced a plan under which Marvel Comics will publish
comics based on the Harvey characters.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3402, from magi.d, 59 chars, Wed Jul 6 19:02:38 1994
This is a comment to message 3401.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I heard they were going to bring Baby Huey back… ?
Magi
==========================
animation/main #3403, from hmccracken, 743 chars, Thu Jul 7 18:15:36 1994
————————–
TITLE: OUR NEXT CBIX EVENT…
will be held this Sunday at 9pm EDT, and it’s a big one! We’ll have
our first special guest in quite awhile: Brian Bendis, the creator
of _The Realm_ (second series_, _Project Fire_, _High Caliber_, and
other comic books in a “film noir”-like style. Brian Bendis’s work
has been praised by Will Eisner — creator of _The Spirit_ — which
is about as impressive a testimonial as you can get!
This CBIX should be a lot of fun whether you’re a fan of Bendis’s
work or just want to talk to a real live cartoonist about the world
of comics in general. (We’ll have door prizes to give away, too!)
Special thanks to BIXen Linkster, who was instrumental in introducing
Brian to BIX and setting up this event.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3404, from davemackey, 393 chars, Fri Jul 8 22:24:11 1994
This is a comment to message 3402.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yes, they are, Magi. Carbunkle Cartoons, a former subcontractor for “The Ren
And Stimpy Show”, has produced 13 new Baby Huey cartoons (using the original
voice of Huey, Sid Raymond) for syndication beginning this fall. The program
will be rounded out with Paramount cartoons from the 1950’s specially
selected for the program by animation historian Jerry Beck.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3405, from magi.d, 256 chars, Fri Jul 8 23:42:53 1994
This is a comment to message 3404.
————————–
Neat. I like Baby Huey. I found Baby Huey books at a discount ‘junk’ store,
along with some really cool Garfield books, Little Golden Classics,
and Beatrix Potter. 😉
I could’ve easily gone broke buying books for my reading placement, but I
didn’t.
Magi
==========================
animation/main #3406, from hmccracken, 656 chars, Sat Jul 9 14:48:49 1994
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TITLE: Obituary: Robert E. Lee
Playwright Robert E. Lee has died in Los Angeles, California. With his
writing partner Jerome Lawrence, he was the author of _Inherit the
Wind_, _Auntie Mame_, _First Monday in October_, and more than three
dozen other plays; the Lee-Lawrence collaboration lasted over fifty
years.
Why am I reporting this in the animation conference, since Lee didn’t
do any work in cartoons as far as I know? Because he was married to
Janet Waldo, and it seems likely that his widow is the same Janet
Waldo who has had a long career as an animation voice actress —
most prominently as the voice of Judy Jetson in _The Jetsons_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3407, from hmccracken, 209 chars, Sun Jul 10 11:53:44 1994
————————–
TITLE: One last reminder…
Please join us tonight at 9pm EDT for our special CBIX get-together
with cartoonist Brian Bendis for discussion, questions, answers, door
prizes, and more! See you there!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3408, from hmccracken, 452 chars, Sun Jul 10 17:07:55 1994
————————–
TITLE: Walt in Wonderland Reviewed
Today’s issue of the _New York Times Book Review_ has a favorable review
of the new U.S. edition of _Walt in Wonderland_, the excellent book
about Walt Disney’s silent cartoons. (I reviewed the book here in an
earlier edition that included both English and Italian texts; the new
version seems to be identical, except it’s in English only.)
The review is by animator, writer, and historian John Canemaker.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3409, from hmccracken, 620 chars, Mon Jul 11 21:34:11 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Does the Mouse Have Its Eye on CBS?
The business section of today’s _New York Times_ has an article
that speculates that the Disney company may somehow become
involved in the proposed merger of CBS and QVC, leading to Disney
running the CBS network. This would give the studio a ready
customer for its TV productions (and continue a long tradition
of Disney-TV network involvement. stretching back to the days
when ABC owned part of Disneyland).
Meanwhile, the op ed page of today’s _Times_ has a rather shrill
advertisement protesting Disney’s plans to build a historical]
amusement park in Virginia.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3410, from davemackey, 429 chars, Wed Jul 13 09:52:19 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Dick Bickenbach
Warner Bros. and M-G-M animator/layout artist Dick Bickenbach died
in late June at the age of 86. Besides his long career working primarily
with Chuck Jones at WB and Hanna and Barbera at M-G-M, he also worked for
Hanna-Barbera Productions until his retirement in 1975. He started his career
in the early 1930’s at Walter Lantz and Ub Iwerks studios.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3411, from davemackey, 285 chars, Wed Jul 13 09:53:43 1994
This is a comment to message 3409.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, the CBS-QVC merger is off. Comcast, the third largest cable
TV operator (MSO, as it’s called in the trade), has made a competitive
bid, and it’s speculated that Laurence Tisch didn’t want to get
involved in a bidding war.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3412, from hmccracken, 264 chars, Thu Jul 14 18:21:11 1994
This is a comment to message 3411.
————————–
According to today’s _New York Times_, there’s a lot of speculation
that Disney may end up acquiring CBS. The paper quoted a CBS source
as saying words to the effect that you could hear the patter of
mouse feet running around the hallways of the place.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3413, from ianl, 158 chars, Thu Jul 14 21:50:02 1994
This is a comment to message 3410.
————————–
Not that I want to come off as too much of a cynic or anything (::snicker::)
but maybe this topic should be renamed animation/obits? Just a thought. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3414, from davemackey, 158 chars, Sat Jul 16 18:26:27 1994
This is a comment to message 3406.
————————–
If you’ll remember in Joe Barbera’s book, he refers to “Janet Lee, whose
stage name was Janet Waldo.” So it’s her, all right.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3415, from hmccracken, 202 chars, Sat Jul 16 23:03:59 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Get Well Soon
Michael Eisner, the chairman of the Walt Disney Company, underwent
heart bypass surgery today. Fortunatelym Eisnet is expected to make
a full recovery from the operation.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3416, from switch, 6583 chars, Sat Jul 16 23:49:05 1994
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————————–
TITLE: The Lion King: A Rambling Review
First, a little something about the opening, because my thoughts
on it more or less define my thoughts on the whole movie.
Months ago, reports started getting back to me about the trailer
to _The Lion King_, which was being shown before _The Three
Musketeers_. As anyone who’s seen it knows, the trailer was
really just the opening to the movie, leading up to the title.
Most people were fairly impressed by it. I was and I wasn’t.
The visuals were top-notch. Within the first thirty seconds, I
was transported back in time–to when I was ten years old, seeing
my first sunrise over Kilimanjaro from the Amboseli Game Reserve;
to seeing gazelles leaping in that boingy-boingy way of theirs
when they’re startled; to looking over the Rift Valley when I was
sixteen. I’m glad Disney saw fit to send a team of animators to
Kenya and Tanzania (I think) for three weeks–they were able to
capture the essence of that magical experience.
Most of it, anyway.
I rather suspect that if more of the production team had gone
over, they would have opted for a bit more scenery and a bit less
Elton John music. “Circle of Life” is the best song of the five
_The Lion King_ has to offer, and that’s not saying much. If
they had stuck with just the African voices and rhythms that were
heard at the beginning of the song, it probably would have been
more powerful an introduction.
And that sums up my overall feelings on _The Lion King_.
Technically excellent, it aims at drama, and the power of a story
involving royalty, family, and forces of nature–and every once
in a while a little pop-music sensibility comes in and knocks it
down a few pegs.
Now then, in a more or less point-counterpointish format, here
are my thoughts in no particular order.
* The Lion King is more cinematic than previous Disney films. By
this I mean more dynamic camera work, dissolves, and tighter
editing. This is one of the reasons I like such Japanese
animated productions as _Bubblegum Crisis_, _Wings of
Honneamise_, and _Dragonball Z_: the use of conventional film
technique, as appropriate to the genre of the film. The
stampede that leads to Mufasa’s death is a good example of this.
* There is such a thing as too much technique. The _Raging
Bull_-like segment of the battle between Simba and Scar was
pointless and dragged on too long. Slow motion should be used
sparingly, not as a dramatic bludgeon.
* Disney’s use of CAPS (their computer-based ink & paint,
multiplane, and composition system) has improved tremendously.
The colours stood out better here than in _Aladdin_, and the
consistency of the airbrush effects lent a particular lushness
to the feel of the film.
* Hans Zimmer’s score was wonderful; I wish more than four tracks
were available on the _Lion King_ soundtrack. The use of
honest-to-God African musicians and instruments lent a more
authentic (for want of a better word) feel to the whole thing.
I especially liked how the music rarely overpowered the scene,
unlike, say, a John Williams score.
* Elton John and Tim Rice were a mistake, but then I’m generally
biased against pop music. Man, this stuff was awful… and
completely out of place. If they had to have songs (and I don’t
think they did–Disney’s reliance on musicals became tiring years
ago) they should have at least gone with someone like Peter
Gabriel or David Byrne–big name musicians who understand African
music and rhythms, but also pop sensibilities. (It’d be too much
to expect Disney to go with Papa Lema or other East African
artists.)
* There’s an ecological message built into this film, but the
events and the script keep it from being too simplified, and it’s
not beaten over our heads by way of constant repetition, like a
certain _Animaniacs_ episode (it stars Mindy and Buttons, and
perhaps the least subtle ecological message I’ve ever seen.)
* Disney decided to go with an original story instead of an
established tale; it’s nice to see them trying to move in
different directions, however slightly. Maybe they’ll do a good
space opera without a musical bent before I’m 100. (That gives
you until 2069, guys; get cracking.)
* It may be not have been based on an existing work, but it’s not
that original. Let’s see: child born into royalty. While
young, birthright is usurped, goes into exile. Is eventually
prodded into coming back. Regains throne. …naaaah, I’ve never
seen this before.
* The family relationship seems better established here. Disney
has usually had stories where the main character either has a
single parent or where there is no parent at all. Even when
there is a parent in the picture, he/she is usually pretty
inconsequential. We’re told that the character loves the parent
and it’s left at that. The only well-developed family
relationships are those of hate and spite. _The Lion King_ spends
time illustrating the family bonds, so that when Mufasa is killed
and when Sarabi is struck by Scar, we feel more of Simba’s pain
and the scenes carry more impact.
* There’s no avoidance of the subject of death here. These are
animals, who are very direct in their actions. Scar declares
quite plainly that he’s going to kill Mufasa and Simba.
* Simba doesn’t kill Scar at the end. Not that I’m a
bloodthirsty maniac or anything (well, maybe a maniac) but
there’s this strange Disney thing where the main protagonist
cannot kill the antagonist. Oh, they can have the intent, but at
some point they have to back off, and someone else does the
actual killing. C’mon, fellas, grow up. There are situations in
life where virtuous people kill. They may not enjoy it, but they
do. And if it was good enough for the Brothers Grimm–heck, even
for the watered-down fairy tales–then what’s the problem?
* Timon and Pumbaa aren’t overdone–they have just the right amount
of Warner Bros. wiseass humour to add levity, without getting
completely ridiculous.
* Disney succeeded in making the characters quite naturalistic…
but why did they add a tail to Rafiki, who is a mandrill? Timon
acts the most human of the bunch in his gestures, but he’s so
funny you don’t realize it until after the movie’s been over for
hours.
Overall, I liked the movie. I’ll watch it again. As I said, I
like the signs of Disney’s diversification, but I wish they’d be
a bit more bold in their deviating from the formula. I also
which the soundtrack CD had more of Zimmer’s score.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3417, from elfhive, 279 chars, Sun Jul 17 12:48:22 1994
This is a comment to message 3416.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Regarding the familiarity of the plot, I’m told there was an interesting
article in USA Today last week that quotes Frederik Schodt on the
remarkable resemblance between _The Lion King_ and Osamu Tezuka’s
_Kimba The White Lion_. Disney, of course, claims they never heard of
it.
==========================
animation/main #3418, from davemackey, 501 chars, Mon Jul 18 19:24:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3415.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It’s somewhat eerily comforting to know that even the man who is so
successful in his business life — witness those “Lion King” grosses — can
have human health difficulties as well.
My first thought on hearing the news about Eisner was what if something
should go wrong, some unforseen complication? Disney could not bear to lose
two top executives in one year (and most of all their guiding spirit Eisner).
I wish him years of better health in the future.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3419, from hmccracken, 471 chars, Mon Jul 18 21:39:00 1994
This is a comment to message 3418.
————————–
An article in today’s _New York Times_ voices the concern of Wall Street on
that count. They’re anxious to see Eisner name a replacement for Frank Wells
as Disney’s number two executive. Apparently, he doesn’t want to name
Jeffrey Katzenberg — the man credited with reviving the fortunes of the
studio’s animation department — to that post, which may lead to Katzenberg
leaving the company. I wonder what *that* would mean for the future of
Disney animation?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3420, from switch, 448 chars, Tue Jul 19 13:02:54 1994
This is a comment to message 3417.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The “remarkable resemblance” has, thus far, done nothing to convince me. The
names — Kimba and Simba — are hardly a coincidence, as both are derived from
“simba”, the Swahili word for “lion.” The characterizations of primates as
wise, birds as chatty, and hyenas as unscrupulous henchmen predates Kimba by
several millenia and a continent or two. As for the similarity in overall
storyline… well, that’s hardly original to begin with.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3421, from elfhive, 248 chars, Tue Jul 19 21:51:54 1994
This is a comment to message 3420.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thinner resemblances haven’t stopped lawsuits in the past, and successful
ones at that. When the gross receipts are as large as they are in the
case of _The Lion King_ it would take a person of Japanese disposition
to refrain from such litigation.
==========================
animation/main #3422, from hmccracken, 696 chars, Sat Jul 23 12:06:03 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Dorothy Collins
Dorothy Collins has died, at her home in New York State. She was 67.
Collins, who was born Marjorie Chandler, was a singer best known for
her appearances on _Your Hit Parade_ and in cigarette commercials.
She was discovered in 1942 by band leader Raymond Scott, whom she
married ten years later (and eventually divorced).
Scott, who was the orchestra director for _Your Hit Parade_ and
the composer of the jingles Collins sang in the cigarette commercials,
has been recently re-discovered, primarily through the offbeat music
he composed which Warner Bros, cartoon composer Carl Stalling wove
into the scores of many Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3423, from davemackey, 213 chars, Sun Jul 24 09:27:38 1994
This is a comment to message 3422.
————————–
I saw that on the AP wire this morning, and made sure it was included in my
APATOONS contribution, and I didn’t even think to post it on BIX. See how
frazzled I get on deadline? 😉
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3424, from hmccracken, 598 chars, Tue Jul 26 22:11:57 1994
————————–
TITLE: A New Magazine
Look for _Hogan’s Alley_, a new magazine about comic strips, political
cartoons, and animation, to debut soon. This new quarterly publication is
co-edited by Rick Marschall, a legendary collector and former editor of
the very highly regarded _Nemo_. The focus will be on historical articles,
reviews, interviews, and the like.
I don’t have any connection with _Hogan’s Alley_, other than that I’m
looking forward to reading it. Subscriptions are $18.95/year, and include
a limited-edition poster of R.F. Outcault’s Yellow Kid.
Hogan’s Alley
PO Box 47684
Atlanta, GA 30362
==========================
animation/main #3425, from hmccracken, 612 chars, Tue Jul 26 22:15:11 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: A New Issue of an Old Magazine
_Animato_ #29 is out. The current issue of the Animation Fan’s Magazine
includes a tribute to Walter Lantz, with an interview and other articles;
several pieces on _The Lion King_, including a review; a section on
the Return of Creator-Driven Animation, with interviews with Ralph
Bakshi, John Kricfalusi, and others; a new column on animation preservation;
reviews, and quite a bit more. (Whew!) It also has the first installment of
a column by…Harry McCracken.
Look for _Animato_ at comics stores, large newsstands, Barnes & Noble
bookstores, and elsewhere.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3426, from davemackey, 142 chars, Tue Aug 9 20:59:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3425.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Tell us about your column. I don’t get out to Barnes & Noble much — and I
haven’t gotten my comp copies yet.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3427, from davemackey, 304 chars, Tue Aug 9 20:59:28 1994
This is a comment to message 3421.
————————–
Actually, latest I heard was that a dozen or so of Tezuka’s art crew are in
the process of preparing a lawsuit. (Possibly in response to Disney’s recent
legal action against Eastern artists who have appropriated Mickey and Pals in
picture books without proper clearance?)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3428, from hmccracken, 333 chars, Tue Aug 9 21:38:21 1994
This is a comment to message 3426.
————————–
My column is called _Curiosity Shop_, and is all about weird, obscure
cartoons that you’re unlikely to see discussed elsewhere. The first
installment covers _Porky and Daff Meet the Groovie Ghoulies_ (which
I also discussed here on BIX some months ago); the second will be about
Columbia’s _Scrappy_ cartoons of the 1930s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3429, from hmccracken, 302 chars, Tue Aug 9 21:49:06 1994
————————–
TITLE: Great Scott!
Check out the new issue of _Filmfax_ magazine for a very interesting, decade-
old interview with Bill Scott, conducted by noted animation fan Jim Korkis.
Scott is best-known as the writer and voice behind Bullwinkle, but he also
worked for Warner, UPA, and other studios.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3430, from davemackey, 289 chars, Sat Aug 13 08:18:34 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Raymond Johnson
Raymond Johnson, an animation artist who most recently worked at the
Klasky-Csupo studio, died on July 29 of cancer at the age of 33.
Mr. Johnson’s work could be seen in episodes of “Rugrats” and “Aahh!
Real Monsters.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3431, from switch, 393 chars, Thu Aug 18 17:41:30 1994
————————–
TITLE: Animation Writing & the WGA
According to Celcelia Cecconne of a Certain Information Service, the Writers
Guild of America has founded an Animation Writers Caucus, with benefits etc.
To qualify, you need only have written at least a half-hour of produced
animation.
The Guild can be contacted at (310) 550-1000 for more information. (Thanks
to linkster for forwarding the info.)
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3432, from hmccracken, 375 chars, Fri Aug 19 21:30:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3374.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hugh — I was just reading an old message in the animation conference
in which you spoke of the Jones book being available on or about
July 20th. I assume that the date slipped (at least I hope you’ll
announce its availability in the conference so everyone can go out
and buy it!), but I thought I’d check in for an update. I’m very
anxious to see it, of course…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3433, from hkenner, 238 chars, Sat Aug 20 12:35:14 1994
This is a comment to message 3432.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Pub dates are legal fictions. Despite the fact that the announced
pub date for *Chuck Jones : A Flurry of Drawings* is mid-Sept., I
believe U. of Calif. Press is now filling orders. My author’s copies
arrived day before yesterday.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3434, from hmccracken, 542 chars, Sun Aug 21 23:08:14 1994
This is a comment to message 3433.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Hugh’s book has indeed hit the bookstores — I saw a large
stack of copies today at WordsWorth’s in Harvard Square.
Animation conference members should have a keen interest in
this book even more than they ordinarily would in an excellent
volume about the greatest animation director of them all.
Hugh announced here that he had agreed to do the book several
years ago, and has shared comments, questions, and chunks of
the book ever since. Several BIXen, and BIX itself, are credited
with providing help in the book itself, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3435, from hmccracken, 522 chars, Wed Aug 24 23:33:24 1994
————————–
TITLE: Katzenberg Out at Disney
As has been widely predicted might happen, Jeffrey Katzenberg is leaving
the Walt Disney Company at the end of next month. As head of Disney’s
film studios, Katzenberg has been widely crediting with being the
primary person behind the revival of the studio’s animated fortunes
with such films as _The Little Mermaid_, _Beauty and the Beast_,
_Aladdin_, and _The Lion King_. It will be interesting to see if
Disney can go on producing animated hits without Katzenberg at
the helm.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3436, from davemackey, 151 chars, Tue Aug 30 19:50:52 1994
This is a comment to message 3434.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I haven’t seen it in print yet. Perhaps Mr. Kenner could advise us on how to
get a copy once more, now that it is out.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3437, from hmccracken, 170 chars, Tue Aug 30 20:12:42 1994
This is a comment to message 3436.
There are additional comments to message 3436.
————————–
Hugh is out of the country, Dave, but check your local bookstores. It’s
available in great profusion, at least here in Boston.
Perhaps Whole Toon has it, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3438, from hmccracken, 806 chars, Thu Sep 1 21:02:24 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: What’s Snow White Up to These Days?
Today’s _Boston Globe_ has an enjoyable article on Marge Champion, who at 75
is happy, healthy, and living in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Champion is best
known to the world as the dancing partner and ex-wife of the late Gower
Champion, but to cartoon fans she’ll always have a special place as the
young woman who posed for live-action footage that was turned into animation
of Snow White in Disney’s _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_.
Before she married Gower Champion, Ms. Champion was the wife of Art Babbitt,
one of Disney’s greatest animators of the 1930s and early 1940s, although
the _Globe_ article doesn’t mention that. Presumably Art will get at least
some brief coverage in Marge Champion’s autobiography, which she’s currently
working on.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3439, from davemackey, 214 chars, Sun Sep 4 10:13:39 1994
This is a comment to message 3438.
————————–
Expect lots of articles and stuff on Marge Champion, Adriana Caselotti, and
any surviving Disney animators as The Walt Disney Company prepares to release
“Snow White” on home video.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3440, from hmccracken, 358 chars, Sun Sep 4 16:48:35 1994
————————–
TITLE: RIP, Mike Gribble
Mike Gribble, who was one half of Spike and Mike, the producing team that
put together the “Festival of Animation” independent animation shows, has
passed away. (See animation/best.of.net for details.) The Spike and Mike
shows are always enjoyable, and Gribble’s passing is a real loss for
the independent animation scene.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3441, from hmccracken, 389 chars, Tue Sep 6 18:47:50 1994
This is a comment to message 3436.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If you can’t find hkenner’s _Chuck Jones: A Flurry of Drawings_ at your
local bookstore, you might consider ordering a copy from the Howard Lowery
Gallery, 3812 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, Calif. 91505; (818) 972-9080.
The price is $15.95, with a 10% discount for purchases made with cash,
check, or money order, and a 5% discount for Amex, Discover, Visa, or
Mastercard orders.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3442, from elfhive, 327 chars, Tue Sep 6 22:24:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3441.
————————–
Thanks for the pointer, Harry. I’ve checked with Kramers here in DC.
They are a pretty big local operation downtown. They assure me that
their database says Hugh’s book won’t be available until October 27th 🙂
I’ll reality check with Borders tomorrow, if possible, and if they
are confused, I may mail order it as indicated.
==========================
animation/main #3443, from elfhive, 340 chars, Tue Sep 6 22:40:22 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Dark Crystal
Can anyone tell me the year Jim Henson’s feature film was first released
in the US?
Looks like I could also use a recommendation for a recent reference work
that would give me a guide to film release dates. I have an old Oxford
from the early seventies, but perhaps there is something else in print
that is even better.
==========================
animation/main #3444, from elfhive, 257 chars, Tue Sep 6 22:41:53 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Anna and Bella
There is a quote at the beginning of the 1985 Academy Award (r) winning
Dutch animation short:
Quod Non Fecerunt Scoti Fecerunt Cariatidi
attributed to Byron.
Can anyone help with the translation and source material for this quote?
==========================
animation/main #3445, from hmccracken, 497 chars, Tue Sep 6 22:52:00 1994
This is a comment to message 3443.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3443.
————————–
I’m not sure offhand when _The Dark Crystal_ was released — I guess I need
one of those release date reference books, too. Do you need exact dates, or
will the year do? If the latter is acceptable, Leonard Maltin’s TV Movies Book
is inexpensive, reliable, and about as comprehensive as they come. Halliwell’s
similar volume would be another good choice. And if you have a computer with a
CD-ROM drive, check out Cinemania, Mega Movie Guide, or one of the similar
movie database discs.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3446, from switch, 82 chars, Tue Sep 6 23:22:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3443.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
According to Maltin’s _TV Movies and Video Guide_, it was released in 1983.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3447, from jshook, 131 chars, Wed Sep 7 00:00:01 1994
This is a comment to message 3444.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3444.
————————–
“What doen’t make you Scottish makes you a carved stone figure holding
up a balustrade.”
Can’t remember offhand who said it….
==========================
animation/main #3448, from peabo, 111 chars, Wed Sep 7 00:55:11 1994
This is a comment to message 3444.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
This is a very wild guess, but I’d say
“What cannot be done by intellect, can be done by the heart.”
peter
==========================
animation/main #3449, from peabo, 53 chars, Wed Sep 7 00:56:09 1994
This is a comment to message 3445.
————————–
1982 wouldn’t be too far off. Maybe 1983 …
peter
==========================
animation/main #3450, from elfhive, 68 chars, Wed Sep 7 21:01:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3447.
————————–
cute
sounds like the Byron attribution is probably correct.
thanks
==========================
animation/main #3451, from elfhive, 286 chars, Wed Sep 7 21:04:29 1994
This is a comment to message 3448.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yes, that was a SWAG 🙂
I’ll go with the Scotch interpretation, I know the “Cariatidi” translation
is correct and further refers to the women of Carya. I just couldn’t find
the verb “fecerunt” in our Latin dictionary since it is probably a
conjugation of the root that is dissimilar.
==========================
animation/main #3452, from elfhive, 263 chars, Wed Sep 7 21:06:09 1994
This is a comment to message 3446.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thanks. From the sound of things, it sounds like it might be worth
checking out the latest edition of the Oxford Companion to Film. I am
interested in the CD-ROM databases, however. I’ll check out some of my
catalogs to see if I find them there. Thanks everyone!
==========================
animation/main #3453, from hmccracken, 227 chars, Wed Sep 7 22:13:05 1994
This is a comment to message 3452.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3452.
————————–
I haven’t seen the recent editions of the Oxford Companion to Film, but
the first edition was notorious for its lousy entries about cartoons.
I think it was the book which made reference to “Ted” Avery, among others.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3454, from elfhive, 52 chars, Thu Sep 8 12:05:41 1994
This is a comment to message 3453.
————————–
I’ll have to check out my edition and report back.
==========================
animation/main #3455, from hmccracken, 452 chars, Sat Sep 10 17:50:36 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: So you want to be another Bill Hanna (or Joe Barbera?)
Hanna-Barbera and Animation Magazine have begun promoting their second
annual storyboard contest, a competition that lets cartoon fans and
aspiring artists submit cartoon concepts to HB for consideration.
The prizes include a top cash award of $5,000; the deadline is
November 15th, 1994. For more information (or contest materials),
contact Animation Magazine at (818) 991-2884.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3456, from hmccracken, 782 chars, Sat Sep 10 19:00:48 1994
This is a comment to message 3452.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
All this discussion of movie reference works prompted me to pick up
a copy of Mirosoft’s Cinemania today at the local computer swap meet.
I haven’t played with it enough to do a full-fledged review, but so
far it’s been terrific. It’s a real class act, with solid text
from people like Leonard Maltin, Pauline Kael, and Roger Ebert, and
lots of still images and a fair number of well-chosen film clips.
If you’re the sort of person who often has questions relating
to fil, and who has a Mac or PC with a CD-ROM drive, it looks like
a winner.
Of course, since it’s focused on full-length films, it’s not a
comprehensive guide to animation. There are, however, biographies
of folks like Walt Disney and Chuck Jones, plus lots of still images
from Disney animated features.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3457, from hshubs, 63 chars, Sat Sep 10 19:30:10 1994
This is a comment to message 3455.
There are additional comments to message 3455.
————————–
No, I wanna be another Chuck. H/B always seemed watered down.
==========================
animation/main #3458, from elfhive, 262 chars, Sat Sep 10 21:51:24 1994
This is a comment to message 3456.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thanks for the pointer, Harry. I also review live-action for LaserViews
so something like this will be quite helpful. Since I don’t have a
local computer swap meet (that I’m aware of), do you have a source
for the CD-ROM. I haven’t seen it in EduCorp or Tiger.
==========================
animation/main #3459, from hmccracken, 162 chars, Sat Sep 10 22:23:59 1994
This is a comment to message 3458.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Try PC Connection. It should also be available at consumer electronics
stores that carry CD-ROM titles. Being from Microsoft, it won’t be
hard to find.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3460, from dondumitru, 417 chars, Sun Sep 11 01:15:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3459.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>Try PC Connection. It should also be available at consumer electronics
>stores that carry CD-ROM titles. Being from Microsoft, it won’t be
>hard to find.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it is being sold in normal bookstores and such.
The Microsoft At Home titles (of which this is one) are being pushed out
through “non-traditional” channels – at least, non-traditional as far as
computer software is concerned.
–Don
==========================
animation/main #3461, from davemackey, 217 chars, Sun Sep 11 09:41:54 1994
This is a comment to message 3455.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3455.
————————–
Last year’s contest came under fire from a number of corners. I think once
you submit to this contest, the idea essentially becomes Hanna-Barbera’s
property. To do with as they please.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3462, from elfhive, 314 chars, Sun Sep 11 12:24:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3461.
————————–
I didn’t read the fine print on that one! Seems to me that is a very
cheap way to come up with lots of clever storyboards given the prices
I’ve seen Screen Writers Guild members commanding. I wouldn’t mind
sending something on a non-exclusive basis but to do work-for-hire on
a speculative basis seems pretty low.
==========================
animation/main #3463, from hkenner, 133 chars, Mon Sep 12 19:45:32 1994
This is a comment to message 3451.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You’d not find “fecerunt” in the dictionary because, as a past tense,
it contains a vowel change from the root facio / facere .
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3464, from elfhive, 164 chars, Mon Sep 12 21:32:45 1994
This is a comment to message 3463.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It’s a long way from my Latin days when I attended lycee in Nice. Thanks
for the heads up. Hope you are both well and that FX hasn’t changed his
character any 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3465, from hkenner, 48 chars, Tue Sep 13 11:05:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3464.
————————–
FX yawns, stretches, and sends his regards. …
==========================
animation/main #3466, from hmccracken, 353 chars, Tue Sep 13 11:24:57 1994
This is a comment to message 3460.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
_Cinemania_ can also be bought directly from Microsoft, which offers it in
its glossy Home Software Catalog. (Try calling 800/583-0040 to get a
copy.) It’s $59.95 in the catalog, plus shipping; I paid only $28
for mine at a local computer show. On the other hand, the catalog has
a buy-two-and-get-one-free offer that sounds like a good deal.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3467, from elfhive, 631 chars, Tue Sep 13 21:06:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3466.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yes, I got that catalog today and immediately looked for it. I also
got a copy of my regional Computer User rag and saw that there was a
“computer mart” scheduled for this weekend. I think I’ll check that out
first and then decide. Thanks, though.
Also, my copy of “A Flurry of Drawings” came to the bookstore today.
When I went in and asked for it the salesman took a look at the cover
and said, “Chuck Jones, where did that come from?” I explained that
you had to be a member of BIX and have all the right connections to
be able to get one. He immediately jotted down the author’s name and
title and ordered one for himself 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3468, from hmccracken, 236 chars, Tue Sep 13 22:10:26 1994
This is a comment to message 3467.
————————–
Computer shows — at least the ones in the Boston area — are great places
to find scads of CD-ROMs at low prices. On the other hand, they’re some of
the most crowded, sweatiest, generally uncomfortable places I’ve ever
been.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3469, from hmccracken, 567 chars, Wed Sep 14 22:07:11 1994
————————–
TITLE: Animation Screenings in Boston
The Anderson Auditorium at Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts will
be the home of a series of animation screenings that are open to the
public. Presented by Tom Krepcio, the shows include the following:
September 16th
Drawing Motion: A brief history animation
September 23rd
Sex, Violence, and Censorship in Animation
October 7th
Caricature, Distortion, and Stereotype in Animation
October 21
“Commercial” vs. “Independent”, aka The Artist and the Marketplace
The showings are all on Fridays from 12-2pm.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3470, from hmccracken, 814 chars, Sun Sep 18 00:31:41 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Dolly Haas
Dolly Haas has died in New York at the age of 84. Ms. Haas was the wife of
Al Hirschfeld, whose extraordinary career as a caricaturist has lasted
seventy years (so far).
Dolly Haas had an interesting career herself, as an actress who appeared
in musical comedies and cabaret in her native Germany beginning in the
1920s. She also appeared in German movies, including ones directed or
written by Billy Wilder, and others, before coming to the U.S., where
she also appeared in films and plays and worked with Yul Brynner,
Lillian Gish, Mary Martin, Alfred Hitchcock, and others.
Besides appearing in some of Hirchfeld’s drawings herself, she was
the mother of his daughter Nina, whose name has been woven into
the details of countless Hirschfeld drawings for several decades.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3471, from hshubs, 156 chars, Sun Sep 18 01:14:01 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Evil twins?
While working on an ethernet today, it came to me!
Twisted Pair is the Evil Twin(s) of Dirty Pair!
Why, this answers -everything-!
==========================
animation/main #3472, from switch, 83 chars, Sun Sep 18 11:03:55 1994
This is a comment to message 3471.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Eureka! You’ve got it, Howard?
Now, er, what are you going to do about it?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3473, from hshubs, 121 chars, Sun Sep 18 11:07:03 1994
This is a comment to message 3472.
————————–
More research! Yep, that’s what’s called for. Gotta find more Dirty Pair,
and I can’t help but find more Twisted Pair.
==========================
animation/main #3474, from hmccracken, 1295 chars, Sun Sep 25 10:39:53 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Bud Sagendorf
Bud Sagendorf has died in Sun City Center, Florida, at the age of 79.
He was a cartoonist whose association with Popeye stretched over
seven decades.
Sagendorf became an assistant to Elzie Segar, Popeye’s creator, on
the _Thumble Theater_ comic strip (the real name of the Popeye
strip) in the mid-1930s. When Segar died in 1938, the Popeye
newspaper strip was given to other cartoonists, but Sagendorf
continued his association with the one-eyed sailor by drawing
and writing Popeye comic books for many years.
In 1958, Sagendorf finally took over the Popeye newspaper comics,
and he drew the Sunday strip until his passing. (He turned over
the daily strip to Bobby London in 1986; London was later fired,
and the syndicate began running old Sagendorf strips.)
Sagendorf has always had a tough time of it with many Popeye
fans, simply because he never equalled the great work of
Elzie Segar (none of the other cartoonists who drew Popeye
ever did, either.) His Popeye newspaper strips were pleasant
but not particularly outstanding; earlier, however, he created
some Popeye comic books that were genuinely excellent, and
worthy of rediscovery. Sagendorf also drew his own comic
strip — _The Spur Line_, about railroading — for a time
in the 1950s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3475, from hmccracken, 929 chars, Thu Sep 29 09:05:59 1994
————————–
TITLE: Disney’s Surrender at Haymarket
The Walt Disney Company has announced that it will not locate its planned
Disney’s America historical theme park in its announced location of
Haymarket, Virginia. The plans had ignited a firestorm of protest among
historians of some Virginians, due to the site’s proximity to Civil War
battlefields and much natural beauty.
This announcement is the latest in a rapid series of setbacks for Disney,
including the lackluster performance of Euro Disney, the death of
President Frank Wells, the illness of Chairman Michael Eisner, and the
resignation of Jeffrey Katzenberg, who guided the animation department
to its recent successes.
The search is on for another site; Disney would still like to locate
it somewhere in Virginia. Maybe they should consider my hometown of
Arlington, Massachusetts. (Paul Revere came through town on his
ride, and we’re the birthplace of Uncle Sam.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3476, from switch, 1165 chars, Fri Sep 30 17:16:46 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Day Three, partly
I wonder why I posted my updates on the Ottawa Festival in /inkwell. I
must have been tired. Oh, well.
I’m taking a break, because I’m pooped. There was a very nice retrospective
of Australian animation this morning, and after that it was straight to the
Animators’ Picnic. There was food, drink (alcoholic and non), a bonfire,
marshmallows, pumpkin carving, etc. And, of course, people. Marv Newland
was there, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. Joyce Borenstein was
seen several times; I got a chance to talk to her a bit yesterday, but that
was for only a few minutes. Talked a bit with folks from Pacific Data
Images (Janna, I think her name was) and MTV (Andrew Jones, I think.)
Oh, yes — I talked a bit with Linda Simensky and Gabor Csupo — Csupo said
that Klasky-Csupo is looking at doing feature projects.
Right now, a few people are at Chez Ani, looking at people’s films.
Basically, whenever Chez Ani isn’t being used for a workshop or panel,
anyone can show their latest work or work in progress. Right now I’d love
to watch — some friends have some work in there — but I’m pooped. Time
to rest.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3477, from hmccracken, 105 chars, Fri Sep 30 17:37:52 1994
This is a comment to message 3476.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3476.
————————–
Wow! Why can’t anywhere in the U.S. have animation festivals as good
as the Ottawa bash sounds?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3478, from switch, 154 chars, Fri Sep 30 17:52:25 1994
This is a comment to message 3477.
————————–
What about the Los Angelese Animation Celebration?
Otherwise, all I can think of are festivals abroad: Annecy, Hiroshima, Zagreb.
Gee, I dunno 😉
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3479, from hmccracken, 460 chars, Sat Oct 1 14:18:48 1994
————————–
TITLE: The United States of America vs. The Pink Panther?
While channel-surfing yesterday, I chanced upon a news report that
previewed court cases which will be up before the Supreme Court this
session. One case apparently has something to do with the Pink Panther and
his role as spokespanther for Owens-Corning Fibreglas, but I came in on
the tail end (pun intended!) of the story, and didn’t get any details.
Anyone know what this case involves?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3480, from davemackey, 184 chars, Sun Oct 2 10:39:29 1994
This is a comment to message 3476.
————————–
I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying yourself at the Ottawa festival. Say hi to
Tom Knott and those wacky Nickelodeon folks, Jerry Beck and Linda Simensky!
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3481, from hmccracken, 10995 chars, Mon Oct 3 12:40:32 1994
————————–
From: hm********@BI*.com
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 12:40:05 -0400 (EDT)
To: hm********@BI*.com
Message-ID: <94*******************@BI*.com>
Subject: From rec.arts.animation
Path: news.delphi.com!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!usc!nic-nac.CSU.net!sutro.SFSU.EDU!shogun
From: sh****@su***.EDU (Mike M. Tatsugawa)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime,rec.arts.manga,rec.arts.animation
Subject: Anime Expo Info Posting
Date: 1 Oct 1994 08:28:30 GMT
Organization: The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
Lines: 283
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <36j6je$ba*@ni*****.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: sutro.sfsu.edu
Xref: news.delphi.com rec.arts.anime:117246 rec.arts.manga:9961 rec.arts.animation:23555
General Info
Anime Expo ’95
Los Angeles Airport Hilton
June 30 – July 2, 1995
“Welcome to the Wonderful World of Animation”
Updated September 28, 1994
New Information for September:
Video Simulcast theater to be added
Live Programming Hours Extended
New Hotel
New Pricing Structure for dealers
New Dates
Guests of Honor:
To be announced
Other Guests: Scott Frazier
Special Thanks to:
Bandai, Kitty Animation, Manga Video, Streamline, Mikado, Pioneer,
Tokuma Shoten, U.S. Manga Corps, U.S. Renditions, Viz Communications,
Nikaku Japanese Arts
Anime Expo will be focusing on three important areas this year:
Japanese Animation and Manga:
Anime Expo has a history of bringing in top name Guests of Honor, special
premieres and guests and fans from all over the world. As such, we
are the largest convention with a focus on Japanese animation and manga
in the United States.
Modeling:
We will continue with our tradition of having modeling contests and
displays.
Computer and American Animation:
In order to bridge the gap between East and West, and between
tradition and modernization, Anime Expo will feature American and
Computer Animation at our convention as equal partners to their
Japanese counterparts.
Memberships
Until Dec 1st: Dealers $200 Members $30
Until Apr 15th: Dealers $250 Members $35
Until June 1: Dealers $300 Members $40
At-Con Memberships: $45
One-Days: $25/day (Available only AT the convention)
Associate Memberships $15 (Assoc Memberships outside of NA cost $20)
** No memberships accepted between June 1st and the convention. **
All checks should be made payable to:
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
or
Anime Expo
Please allow 4-6 weeks for the processing of your membership or
dealers’ table.
Each table purchase includes two complimentary memberships. Additional
memberships available at prevailing rates. Each dealers table will be
8 x 10 feet. No limit on tables.
Room Rates are:
$75 for a single-quad at the Hilton (Primary Hotel)
Parking rates are $6/day for registered guests and $4/12 hr day for
visiting guests.
Hotel reservations can be arranged directly through the LAX Hilton at
(310) 410-4000 or 1-800-HILTONS or by contacting Ladera Travel at
(213)-772-1511. Their toll free number for those outside of California
is (800) 624-6679
Travel arrangements, including airline, rooms, rental cars, etc. can
be provided by Ladera Travel.
Package deals for foreign flights originating outside North America are
currently in the negotiation process. Please contact Ladera Travel for
more information.
Rates and other information provided is subject to change without
notice.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What kind of panels will Anime Expo have?
We will try to give each major attending company one panel to show
off all of their new products and do a Q&A with the audience so that
they can receive input on their work. We hope that this panel
facilitates better understanding among fans and professionals in the
anime and manga industry. The second key feature of our panels is
that we will be doing focuses on each of our GoH’s.
Remember, the convention is here for the fans, not the other way
around, so tell us what you want to hear!
One major change that AX ’95 will have over previous years is that our
live programming will now go until Midnight to provide the evening with
as many things to do as the days.
Suggestions and correspondence should be sent to:
Mickey Dair & Steve Barnes (Live Programming Coordinators)
li**@an********.org
Q: What will be in the Art Show/Auction?
It will include the usual art show flats, but will also have space for
3-D models as well. We are looking at holding modeling workshops and
fans interested in having the art show do a lot of focuses on models
should let us know. One key workshop that we will be holding is a cel
workshop featuring Scott Frazier, the only foreigner to teach animation
in Japan and also the author of a textbook on anime used by many of the
animation schools in Japan. We will also have the usual artist’s ghetto
and will be taking reservations. Please mail if interested.
Correspondence regarding submissions and staffing should be sent to:
John Yung (Art Show Supervisor)
ar*@an********.org
Q: What will you guys be showing?
We will also be running three video programming tracks. One
or two will be broadcast and two will be in video theaters.
For obvious reasons, we can’t advertise what will be shown at the con.
What I can say is that the largest collection of subtitled anime in
the country will probably be brought together at the con.
We are hoping that U.S. Renditions, AnimEigo, Streamline and U.S.
Manga Corps, Manga Video, A.D. Visions, and all of our friends in
Japan will share their wealth of animation with us for showing
at the Expo. Expect a jam-packed weekend of non-stop anime.
There will also be numerous film and video premieres. Titles will be
listed in the upcoming progress reports.
We are also looking at setting up a simulcast theater for those of you
who will not be staying in the hotel.
Video submissions and questions should be directed to:
Patrick Lee (Video Programming Coordinator)
vi***@an********.org
Q: What else will there be?
We will be continuing the tradition of giving awards to the anime
industry for excellence in anime. The categories will be listed in PR
#1 and the actual voting will take place at the convention. The two
main awards will be for best video of 1995 and the Voter’s choice of
best Expo premier.
There will also be a masquerade/costume competition and karaoke.
There will be a gaming area for D&D, Magic, etc. but also with anime related
roll playing games. There will hopefully be a gaming competition. (This
will be announced in PR #2)
If there are things you guys want, write to:
Steven Barnes & Mickey Dair (Programming Coordinators)
li**@an********.org
Q: What will be the attendance?
Official attendance at Anime Expo ’94 was more than 2,100.
This year, with better publicity, and a year’s worth of momentum, Anime
Expo ’95 is shooting for 2,500. We’re America’s largest international
Japanese animation convention, and the diversity of our memberships
reflects it.
Q: What about the Dealers’ Room?
Most of the dealers from last year will be attending, and we expect a lot
of new additions to the family. We have created a 14,000 square foot Dealers’
Hall and have set aside approximately than 80 booths. We expect Anime Expo to
have the most dealers in anime history. With the dealers’ table requests
that we’ve received from everywhere, it seems obvious you will be able to
find things at Anime Expo you’ve never seen before and may never see again
(unless you go to Japan). One precaution though. The Convention will be
cracking down on illegal merchandise. Not only is it likely that
the designers and owners of the characters and movies will be
there, but we’re trying to get the message to Japanese wholesalers and
retailers that there is a market in the U.S. This policy will protect
both you the consumers and the legitimate owners of the goods.
There is no maximum on the numbers of booths a dealer can purchase. Each
dealers’ booth comes with two complimentary memberships, one membership
for the dealer and one additional membership for dealers’ assistants.
For more info, write to de*****@an********.org
Q. What should I do if I want to volunteer?
Volunteers are recommended to buy memberships at the cheapest
rate possible ASAP. Later, we will send out info on how to sign up as
well as the forms in Progress Report #1. Just send in the forms and our
volunteer liaison will contact you and you will just have report to the con
for your assignments. We will provide crash space and food (staff and
gofers get meager (i.e. two meals a day) amounts of food to sustain
themselves for three days). At the end of the con, turn in your volunteer
timecards and your membership money will be refunded through the mail.
We will not be taking volunteer sign-ups at the convention, so prospective
volunteers, get your money in! (Volunteering is also the best way to
get on the staff.)
To sign up or get more details, write to:
Rob Ketcherside (Volunteer Coordinator)
go***@an********.org
Q: What will be in the Progress Reports and when is it due out?
The Progress Reports will have info on all of the above mentioned topics
volunteer registration info, and flight and hotel registration information.
PR #1 and PR #2 will be mailed out in February and May. Progress Reports
will be mailed out until we run out of them.
Inquiries about lost PR’s should be sent to:
Terry Yeung (Registration Supervisor)
re*@an********.org
Q: What is this I’ve heard about The Anime Reference Guide?
Every year, Anime Expo cranks out their publication, The Anime Reference
Guide. We intend to continue this tradition. This year’s book should
feature a completely new generation of synopses and a new cover. Past
cover art has been done by Mikimoto and Sadamoto. It runs 112 pages.
They are also currently on sale through Diamond/Advanced Comics, Nikaku
and Books Nippan. We intend to do a new one this year, but we need
submissions by talented writers.
Submission Inquiries can be sent to Charles McCarter (ARG Copy Editor)
ar*@an********.org
Sales Inquries can be routed to Terry Yeung (ARG Sales Manager)
re*@an********.org
Please forward this to all Bulletin Boards
Electronic Mail Inquiries can be sent to:
Mike Tatsugawa (Anime Expo Publicity Coordinator)
sh****@su***.edu
or
sh****@sp**.com
To receive a copy of our most up-to-date posts, mail to
in**@an********.org and one will be automatically E-mailed to you.
You can also call the Anime Expo Info line at (310) 268-8454.
This line is for info purposes only, and you CANNOT leave messages.
Memberships and all mail correspondence should be sent to:
Anime Expo
c/o The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
2425 B Channing Way, Suite 684
Berkeley, California 94704
—
Mike Tatsugawa, AKA shogun: The busiest anime fan in the world!
President, SPJA: 2425 B Channing, Suite 684, Brk, CA 94704
Publicity Coordinator, Anime Expo ’95
==========================
animation/main #3482, from hmccracken, 496 chars, Tue Oct 4 12:33:22 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: See the Fifty Greatest Cartoons of All Time
Sorry for the late notice, but Boston-area BIXen should know that the
Brattle Theater in Harvard Square will be showing the fifty greatest
cartoons ever made — as determined by a poll of cartoon experts,
historians, and fans — over the next four Tuesday nights at
7:30pm, beginning tonight. The showings are in conjunction with
a new book, _Fifty Greatest Cartoons_, by Jerry Beck, who will be
at tonight’s show autographing copies.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3483, from hshubs, 50 chars, Tue Oct 4 13:45:02 1994
This is a comment to message 3482.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Is there going to be a videotape version of this?
==========================
animation/main #3484, from hmccracken, 265 chars, Tue Oct 4 14:31:15 1994
This is a comment to message 3483.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
There *should* be — it would make for a great tape — but I doubt that it’s
legally feasible, since the cartoons in question come from so many studios.
I doubt that Disney, Warner, MGM, and the others would all agree to put
their films on a single tape.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3485, from hshubs, 110 chars, Tue Oct 4 15:24:48 1994
This is a comment to message 3484.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What? You mean that there are cartoons from other than WB that would
qualify?? Hm, novel concept, that one.
==========================
animation/main #3486, from hmccracken, 193 chars, Tue Oct 4 22:41:00 1994
This is a comment to message 3485.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, if you haven’t seen any of Tex Avery’s great MGM cartoons —
several of which made the top fifty — you’re missing out on one
of life’s, and cartoon history’s, great pleasures.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3487, from hshubs, 129 chars, Wed Oct 5 12:33:58 1994
This is a comment to message 3486.
————————–
Tom and Jerry need not apply, though I’d love to be proved wrong. These
days, when T&J come on, I groan and change the channel.
==========================
animation/main #3488, from hmccracken, 3693 chars, Wed Oct 5 18:11:57 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: So What Are the Fifty Greatest Cartoons of All Time, Anyhow?
Well, according to _Fifty Greatest Cartoons_, a new book based on a poll of
animation fans, professionals, and others, the top fifty ‘toons are as follows:
1. What’s Opera, Doc? (Warner Bros., 1957; directed by Chuck Jones)
2. Duck Amuck (Warner Bros., 1953; directed by Chuck Jones)
3. The Band Concert (Disney, 1935; directed by Wilfred Jackson)
4. Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century (Warner Bros., 1953; directed by Chuck
Jones)
5. One Froggy Evening (Warner Bros., 1956; directed by Chuck
Jones)
6. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914; Winsor McCay)
7. Red Hot Riding Hood
(MGM, 1943; directed by Tex Avery)
8. Porky in Wackyland (Warner Bros.,1938; directed by Bob Clampett)
9. Gerald McBoing Boing (UPA, 1951; directed by Robert Cannon)
10. King-Size Canary (MGM, 1947; directed by Tex Avery)
11. Three Little Pigs (Disney, 1933; directed by Bert Gillett)
12. Rabbit of Seville (Warner Bros., 1950; directed by Chuck Jones)
13. Steamboat Willie (Disney, 1928; directed by Walt Disney)
14. The Old Mill (Disney, 1937; directed by Wilfred Jackson)
15. Bad Luck Blackie (MGM, 1949; directed by Tex Avery)
16. The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (Warner Bros., 1946; directed by Bob
Clampett)
17. Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (Fleischer, 1936; direction
credited to Dave Fleischer)
18. The Skeleton Dance (Disney, 1929; directed by Walt Disney)
19. Snow White (Fleischer, 1933; direction credited to Dave Fleischer)
20. Minnie the Moocher (Fleischer, 1932; direction credited to Dave
Fleischer)
21. Coal Black and de Sebben Dearfs (Warner Bros., 1943; directed by Bob
Clampett)
22. Der Fuehrer’s Face (Disney, 1943; directed by Jack Kinney)
23. Little Rural Riding Hood (MGM, 1949; directed by Tex Avery)
24. The Tell-Tale Heart (UPA, 1953; directed by Ted Parmalee)
25. The Big Snit (Nat. Film Board of Canada, 1985; directed by Richard
Condie)
26. Brave Little Tailor (Disney, 1938; directed by Bill Roberts)
27. Clock Cleaners (Disney, 1937; directed by Ben Sharpsteen)
28. Northwest Hounded Police (MGM, 1946; directed by Tex Avery)
29. Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom (Disney, 1953; directed by Ward Kimball)
30. Rabbit Seasoning (Warner Bros., 1952; directed by Chuck Jones)
31. The Scarlet Pumpernickel (Warner Bros., 1950; directed by Chuck Jones)
32. The Cat Came Back (Nat. Film Board of Canada; directed by Cordell Barker)
33. Superman (Fleischer, 1941; direction credited to Dave Fleischer)
34. You Ought to Be in Pictures (Warner Bros., 1940; directed by Friz Freleng)
35. Ali Baba Bunny (Warner Bros., 1957; directed by Chuck Jones)
36. Feed the Kitty (Warner Bros., 1952; directed by Chuck Jones)
37. Bimbo’s Initiation (Fleischer, 1931; direction credited to Dave Fleischer)
38. Bambi Meets Godzilla (International Rocketship, 1969; directed by Marv
Newland)
39. Little Red Riding Rabbit (Warner Bros., 1941; directed by Friz Freleng)
40. Peace on Earth (MGM, 1939; produced by Hugh Harman)
41. Rooty Toot Toot (UPA, 1952; directed by John Hubley)
42. The Cat Concerto (MGM, 1947; directed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera)
43. The Barber of Seville (Lantz, 1944; directed by Shamus Culhane)
44. The Man Who Planted Trees (Societe Radio-Canada, 1987; directed by
Frederick Back)
45. Book Revue (Warner Bros., 1946; directed by Bob Clampett)
46. Quasi at the Quackadero (1975; directed by Sally Cruikshank)
47. Corny Conerto (Warner Bros., 1943; directed by Bob Clampett)
48. A Unicorn in the Garden (UPA, 1953; directed by Bill Hurtz)
49. The Dover Boys (Warner Bros., 1942; directed by Chuck Jones)
50. Felix in Hollywood (Sullivan, 1923; animated by Otto Messmer)
(Read on for a review of the book…)
==========================
animation/main #3489, from hshubs, 119 chars, Wed Oct 5 18:15:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3488.
There are additional comments to message 3488.
————————–
That’s a heck of a list! I’ve not seen ’em all, either. I really
hope they put the compilation out on video somehow.
==========================
animation/main #3490, from hmccracken, 1563 chars, Wed Oct 5 18:19:06 1994
————————–
TITLE: Review: _The Fifty Greatest Cartoons_
Those animation fans who attended the aforementioned screening at the
Brattle Theater in Cambridge, Mass. not only saw a great show; they also
got to be among the first to purchase copies of _The Fifty Greatest
Cartoons_ (Turner, $29.95; edited by Jerry Beck). The book won’t be in
stores for another couple of weeks.
All in all, this coffee table book is a very nice job. Almost every
cartoon in the top fifty gets four pages (except for Disney films, which
get two pages apiece, probably for copyright reasons). Each listing
includes credits, a plot description, and an appreciation, the latter of
which are supplied by noted animation writers such as Leonard Maltin, mike
Barrier, Charles Solomon, Jami Bernard, and many others.
There are lots of gorgeous color illustrations, as well as pencil
drawings, model sheets, and other pieces, and they’re worth the price of
the book in themselves. (So is the cover, a wraparound illustration
featuring everyone from Mickey Mouse to Michigan J. Frog.) The one problem
— and it’s a fairly big one — is that virtually none of the artwork is
captioned. You’ve got to figure out exactly what it is for yourself, which
usually isn’t hard but sometimes is (especially since there are some
modern-day recreations as well as vintage art).
Even so, the book is a lot of fun — and in these days when animation
copyright-holders zealously guard their creations, it’s a wonder that MGM,
Disney, Warner, and the rest all participated in the production of this
volume.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3491, from hmccracken, 740 chars, Wed Oct 5 21:35:13 1994
————————–
TITLE: And speaking of top-cartoon lists…
The Cartoon Network recently aired a _Best of the Cartoon Network_ special
to mark its second birthday. The show contained the following shorts, deemed
by the network’s staff as the best they’ve ever shown:
_A Dream Walking_ (Popeye, 1934)
_Pecos Pest_ (Tom and Jerry, 1955)
_Corny Concerto_ (Bugs Bunny, 1943)
_Wabbit Twouble_ (Bugs Bunny, 1941)
_Great Piggy Bank Robbery_ (Daffy Duck, 1946)
_King-Size Canary_ (1947)
Oddly enough, while Chuck Jones directed nine of the top fifty cartoons in
the _Fifty Greatest Cartoons_ book, he didn’t direct any of these selections.
Bob Clampett, on the other hand, directed half of the six films chosen by
the ‘Toon Network as all-time greats.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3492, from jjanney, 269 chars, Thu Oct 6 05:02:48 1994
This is a comment to message 3488.
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————————–
I notice that the few entries after 1960 are mostly from Canada.
re: Quasi at the Quackadero — does anyone know what Sally Cruikshank
is doing these days? The most recent thing I can remember seeing was
some movie credits, I think it was _Nasty People_.
Jim Janney
==========================
animation/main #3493, from switch, 205 chars, Fri Oct 7 23:44:15 1994
————————–
TITLE: Ottawa
The introduction and first part of my retrospective of this year’s Ottawa
International Festival of Animation is now in /long.messages. Much more will
follow over the next week or so.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3494, from hmccracken, 386 chars, Mon Oct 10 00:31:31 1994
This is a comment to message 3492.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’m not sure what Sally Cruikshank has been up to lately — but as of 1992,
she was working on some projects for Sesame Street, and had just finished
the credits for the Kirstie Alley movie _Madhouse_. Other live-action films
with Cruikshank credits include _Ruthless People_, _Loverboy_, and _Mannequin_.
She was also contemplating working on a new short called _Mean Mall_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3495, from jjanney, 282 chars, Mon Oct 10 06:08:35 1994
This is a comment to message 3494.
There are additional comments to message 3494.
————————–
> _Ruthless People_
*That* was the one I was thinking of. And
it dates from 1987 or thereabouts. Glad to hear she’s still working.
I saw “Face Like a Frog” about a year ago in a “Best of..” collection
and it’s been running through my head ever since.
==========================
animation/main #3496, from hmccracken, 288 chars, Wed Oct 12 20:09:05 1994
————————–
TITLE: Mark Your Calendars…
…for the Animation Conference’s special Trivia Weekend, to mark our
fifth birthday! There will be two CBIX trivia events:
Saturday, October 22nd at 3pm ET, and
Sunday, October 23rd at 9pm ET.
Stay tuned for news of prizes and other details!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3497, from hmccracken, 392 chars, Wed Oct 12 21:38:41 1994
————————–
TITLE: The Dream Team
Jeffrey Katzenberg may have left the Disney studio, but he’s landed in some
pretty classy company. Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and music/movie mogul
David Geffen have announced plans to form an entertainment company together.
Among its projects will be animated films — which, with Katzenberg’s
involvement, could prove a real threat to Disney’s dominance.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3498, from hmccracken, 736 chars, Tue Oct 18 20:13:09 1994
————————–
TITLE: Fifth Birthday CBIX Weekend!
Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the BIX animation conference, and
we’re going to be holding two on-line trivia parties this weekend to
celebrate.
The first one will be this Saturday, the 22nd, at 3pm ET, and the second
one will be at 9pm ET on Sunday the 3rd. Naturally, there will be prizes,
among them:
* Free BIX time
* The International Tournee of Animation Volume 2 video
* The World of Ginger Fox graphic novel
* Abbott and Costello: The Classic Comics book
* Who Framed Roger Rabbit graphic novel
* Goofy: The Good Sport book
* Asterix and the Goths graphic novel
* 101 Dalmatians poster
…and more!
Please join us in the animation CBIX area for these two great bashes!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3499, from hmccracken, 627 chars, Wed Oct 19 12:27:47 1994
————————–
TITLE: …And we don’t look a day over four
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the BIX animation conference.
(The conference was created on October 19th, 1989, and opened to
the public shortly thereafter.)
The first half-decade has been a lot of fun, and I’d like to thank
the many BIXen who have contributed opinions, facts, and general
enthusiasm to our discussions (not to mention files to our listings
section).
Many thanks, everybody, and please stick around for the next five
years! In the immediate future, please attend one or both of
our CBIX trivia parties this weekend, during our big trivia weekend.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3500, from hmccracken, 888 chars, Fri Oct 21 00:16:12 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Jack Tippit
It’s getting so I dread opening the newspaper each morning — the number of
cartoonists who have passed away this year has been regrettably large.
The most recent one is Jack Tippit, who has died in Lubbock, Texas at the
age of 70. Tippit was a successful gag cartoonist who is perhaps best
known for _Amy_, a newspaper panel about a little girl which he drew
for several decades (and was drawing at the time of his death, as far as
I know; I don’t know if the strip will continue). Tippit also did several
other syndicated comic features over the year, including a stint as the
writer and artist of Carl Anderson’s _Henry_ in the 1980s. He gave the
long-running pantomime strip a vitality it had lacked for many years.
Tippit was also one of the founders of the Museum of Cartoon art, and served
as its first director, a post he held until 1979.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3501, from robairmackey, 100 chars, Fri Oct 21 22:17:50 1994
This is a comment to message 3500.
————————–
He also did a panel for one of the newsweekly magazines (Parade, I think)
called “The Family Flak”.
==========================
animation/main #3504, from davemackey, 400 chars, Sat Oct 22 20:18:29 1994
This is a comment to message 3264.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And on the subject of “Addams Family”, let’s all pray for the health and
well-being of Raul Julia, who suffered a massive stroke last weekend and is
now on life support. I like this guy. He’s played in lots of fine films,
chief among them “Kiss Of The Spider Woman” and “Moon Over Parador” and even
spent time on “Sesame Street” as Luis’ fix-it shop partner, Raphael.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3505, from hmccracken, 105 chars, Sat Oct 22 20:24:58 1994
This is a comment to message 3504.
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————————–
That’s *terrible* news! He’s a fine actor, and I hope he makes
a speedy and complete recovery.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3506, from hmccracken, 393 chars, Sun Oct 23 01:01:53 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Roger Rabbit on P-P-P-Pentiums
A few days ago, I said I didn’t know if Bill Gates was a cartoon
fan. I still don’t, but now I can safely say that Roger Rabbit is
a computer buff. More specifically, Charles Fleischer — Roger’s
voice — has a column in the current issue of _PC Computing_.
It’s called “Reality Bytes,” and I’m not sure if it’s a one-shot
or a monthly feature.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3507, from switch, 294 chars, Sun Oct 23 02:42:27 1994
This is a comment to message 3506.
————————–
Fleischer’s been knowledgeable about PCs for a while — when he was in
Montreal for the Just For Laughs festival about three years back, he paid a
visit to the computer store I worked at, and we chatted about the then-new
MS-DOS 5.0 at length before I couldn’t contain myself any longer.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3508, from hshubs, 53 chars, Sun Oct 23 13:30:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3505.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
No such luck. Last I heard, he slipped into a coma.
==========================
animation/main #3509, from rgswartz, 283 chars, Sun Oct 23 23:18:31 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Energizer commercial
Anyone know how the Energizer commercials with the fake people is done?
(The memorable wone is the Aunt(?) that does the face plant in her plate.)
I haven’t still framed it yet, but I wondered if perhaps they were people made
up and not real animation.
==========================
animation/main #3510, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Mon Oct 24 18:57:36 1994
This is a comment to message 3509.
There are additional comments to message 3509.
————————–
We were just discussing this very issue in CBIX last night.
I think the ad’s done mainly with real people in makeup, possibly with some
computer retouching (like _Max Headroom_).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3511, from lkaplan, 82 chars, Mon Oct 24 19:19:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3504.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Word on the CBS news this evening was that Raul Julia died
today at age 54.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3512, from davemackey, 424 chars, Mon Oct 24 21:46:17 1994
This is a comment to message 3509.
There are additional comments to message 3509.
————————–
It’s weird because I brought the subject up last night in CBIX. They’re real
people with lines painted on their faces to make them look like toys. Harry
speculates there may be computer touch-up.
I always wish that the guy with the giant battery on his back who is
barbecuing steaks on the grill would turn around for just one split second.
Did somebody say “do not dispose of in fire?”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3513, from davemackey, 96 chars, Mon Oct 24 21:46:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3508.
————————–
Raul Julia has died. He was 54. What a talent. He’ll be missed.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3514, from ianl, 277 chars, Mon Oct 24 22:51:04 1994
This is a comment to message 3509.
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————————–
I figured it was real people. The commercial reminds me of those gawd-awful
_Dog Boy_ segments from Liquid TV, which would be enough to make me shun
Energizers, except that I can’t do that because I’m already shunning all
non-rechargible batteries; have been for y
ears.
==========================
animation/main #3515, from hmccracken, 318 chars, Mon Oct 24 23:53:12 1994
This is a comment to message 3514.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Actually, I think the ads in question are for Duracell, not Energizers.
(Energizer currently has an ad in which their bunny meets Wile E. Coyote;
it’s very well designed, but it doesn’t feel like a Chuck Jones
cartoon, because they sped up the timing to meet the demands of the
30-second commercial format.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3516, from hshubs, 76 chars, Tue Oct 25 01:41:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3511.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yes, and the pinball newsgroups are ablaze with the fact. People are
down.
==========================
animation/main #3517, from hmccracken, 326 chars, Tue Oct 25 11:30:23 1994
This is a comment to message 3516.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
He was far to fine an actor to be remembered primarily for
_The Addams Family_ — but on the other hand, he was far too
fine a Gomez Addams to ignore it, either. (Especially in this
conference.)
I don’t know if any more _Addams_ movies are in the works, but
let’s hope that this sad event puts an end to any plans.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3518, from hshubs, 62 chars, Tue Oct 25 17:50:51 1994
This is a comment to message 3517.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What happened to the guy who played “Gomez” in the TV series?
==========================
animation/main #3519, from hkenner, 158 chars, Tue Oct 25 20:38:07 1994
This is a comment to message 3518.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>>..guy who played “Gomez” in the TV series ..
John Astin? Married Patty Duke and seems to have faded away. A pity
because he was a *very* able actor.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3520, from hmccracken, 374 chars, Tue Oct 25 21:05:38 1994
This is a comment to message 3519.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I meant no respect to John Astin (who made a fine Gomez himself). I’d just
hate to see them replace Julia with a ringer in order to keep the Addams
Family money machine going.
I haven’t seen Astin (who divorced Patty Duke some years ago) in anything
lately, but he does show up from time to time. Does the odd cartoon voice,
too — including one for _Taz-Mania_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3521, from hshubs, 51 chars, Wed Oct 26 11:15:49 1994
This is a comment to message 3520.
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————————–
Perhaps they could get him to play an “old Gomez”?
==========================
animation/main #3522, from kipw, 167 chars, Wed Oct 26 20:38:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3521.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
John Astin had recurring roles in “Eerie, Indiana” (currently
on Disney Channel) and “Brisco County, Jr.” You also see him
in a recurrent part in “Night Court.”
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3523, from kipw, 826 chars, Wed Oct 26 21:02:01 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The 10/29 TV GUIDE has an article by James Kaplan
(whose bio describes him as a father of two) called
“Superheroes or Zeros?” Kaplan says he has watched a
lot of cartoons, and the article bears him out.
These are not cursory or ignorant reviews.
He likes “Gargoyles” but notes that it requires some
parental supervision. He approves of “Batman” (and notes
that Robin is a more interesting character).
He rips into “bad animation” as personified by “X-Men”
and a few other shows. He includes “The Tick” in the
category of bad animation, but notes that the great
writing (which he quotes from) separates it from the
steroidal mass.
He also discusses merchandising a bit.
I’m glad to see “The Tick” get good press. I myself wouldn’t
say the animation was “bad,” just that it’s on the level
of X-Men, only with a brain.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3524, from lkaplan, 280 chars, Wed Oct 26 22:15:16 1994
This is a comment to message 3523.
————————–
>I’m glad to see “The Tick” get good press
I agree. I’ve got a 9-year-old (and no cable), and it’s nice to
find a network cartoon these days that’s OK for him to watch,
isn’t a blatant commercial, AND is intelligent enough that my
wife and I can sit and enjoy it with him.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3525, from dgh, 142 chars, Thu Oct 27 02:00:36 1994
This is a comment to message 3509.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I thought they were Copper-Top ads, with an Energizer-looking battery as the
short-lived one in the mother-in-law.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3526, from hmccracken, 409 chars, Thu Oct 27 09:59:53 1994
This is a comment to message 3525.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yup, they’re Duracell ads.
As incredibly popular and durable as the Energizer bunny is,
I’ve heard that most people don’t remember what brand of
battery he hawks. I believe the bunny was originally a take-off
on Duracell ads which showed battery-powered toys (which these
new Duracell ads with robotic people build upon)…but the two
ad campaigns seem to have blended together in the public mind.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3527, from hmccracken, 209 chars, Thu Oct 27 12:20:11 1994
————————–
TITLE: Trivia CBIX Redux
Due to popular demand, we’re having another CBIX Trivia Party this
Sunday night at 9pm ET. Please join us for questions, answers, fun,
and prizes! A good time is guaranteed.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3528, from hkenner, 123 chars, Thu Oct 27 12:22:50 1994
This is a comment to message 3526.
————————–
Certainly blended together in mine. I’ve *never* known for whom
the bunny bangs (the rabbit my wife loves to hate).
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3529, from ianl, 207 chars, Fri Oct 28 01:16:42 1994
This is a comment to message 3522.
————————–
Coincidentally, I saw John Astin just now, on E!, hosting some show about
old Hollywood scandals or some such. Interestingly, he doesn’t look as old
now as he did for the Night Court bits he used to do.
==========================
animation/main #3530, from hmccracken, 529 chars, Fri Oct 28 14:17:20 1994
————————–
TITLE: Disney Housekeeper Leaves Tidy Sum to Disadvantaged
Thelma Howard, who passed away last June, was the housekeeper in
the Disney home for more than thirty years. She used to receive gifts
of Disney stock from the family for birthdays, Christmas, and other
events — stock which ended up being worth more than nine million
dollars at the time of her death. Howard left half of her estate to
poor and otherwise disadvantaged children, and half to her son, who
lives in a home for the developmentally disadvantaged.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3531, from hmccracken, 663 chars, Sat Oct 29 17:16:22 1994
————————–
TITLE: Yes another book on the making of _Snow White_
At Barnes and Noble today, I saw a prominent display of animation books
(including Hugh Kenner’s _Chuck Jones: A Flurry of Drawings_, by the way).
The one brand-new book was _Snow White: An Art in its Making_, which is
the umpteenth volume on the making of _Snow White_ that’s come out over
the years. This one’s from Hyperion, Disney’s publishing arm. Since it was
rather slim and cost forty-five dollars, and all the copies were
shrinkwrapped, I didn’t pick it up. (Actually, with B&N’s discount, it
would have only been $36, but I’d still like to see the insides before I
plunk down my money.)
— Harry
_
==========================
animation/main #3532, from hmccracken, 305 chars, Sun Oct 30 18:05:46 1994
————————–
TITLE: Check out today’s _New York Times Book Review_…
for a highly favorable review of hkenner’s _Chuck Jones: A Flurry of
Drawings_. The review is by animator and historian John Canemaker
(author of the excellent _Winsor McCay_ and _Felix: The Twisted Tale
of the World’s Most Famous Cat_).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3533, from davemackey, 159 chars, Tue Nov 1 18:16:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3520.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3520.
————————–
John Astin also did the voice of Gomez for the most recent Hanna-Barbera
version of “The Addams Family” a couple of years ago.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3534, from hmccracken, 766 chars, Thu Nov 3 14:39:35 1994
————————–
TITLE: Chuck Jones Goes Interactive
Time Warner Interactive has released _Chuck Jones’ Peter and the Wolf_,
a multimedia CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh that turns Prokofiev’s
classic music into a high-tech experience with 22 minutes of animation
by Chuck Jones. (To be exact, Jones designed the characters; the direction
is by Disney veteran Bill Kroyer.) The disc comes packaged with an
audio CD of the music, and features the voices of Kirstie Alley and
Lloyd Bridges. Conductor George Daugherty — Jones’s collaborator on
_Bugs Bunny on Broadway_ — supervised the entire project.
I have the package here, but have not had a chance to load it up yet.
More comments once I do; if the disc is anywhere near as slick as the
packaging, it’ll be a treat.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3535, from hmccracken, 787 chars, Thu Nov 3 14:44:40 1994
————————–
TITLE: Burbank Auction
Animation auctioneer Howard Lowery will be holding his next event
at the Hilton hotel in Burbank, California, on November 13th.
The catalog for the auction shows some incredible material, including
a painting of Bugs Bunny that hung in Leon Schlesinger’s office in the
1940s (valued at 0$10,000 or more) and a script that Walt Disney annotated
with comments and numerous drawings of characters shortly before his
death. (This document is particularly interesting, because every book on
Disney has said that he did little or no drawing after 1928 or so.)
As I’ve said before, Lowery’s catalogs are worth getting even if you
can’t afford to bid on the glorious items inside them. Call his
gallery at (818) 972-9080 for more information on subscriptions.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3536, from hmccracken, 372 chars, Thu Nov 3 23:44:39 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Mad Memoirs
Look in your local bookstore for _Good Days and Mad_, a lavish-looking
behind-the-scenes book on _Mad_ magazine by Dick DeBartolo, who has
written for the publication for several decades. This is the second
such book by a _Mad_ author; the first was Frank Jacobs’s excellent
_The Mad World of William M. Gaines_, published in the early 1970s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3537, from lkaplan, 286 chars, Fri Nov 4 19:30:45 1994
This is a comment to message 3536.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Not written by a _Mad_ author, but worth a read also, is
_Completely Mad_, by Maria Reidelbach.
EC’s other comic books (“Tales from the Crypt”, “Weird
Fantasy”, and many others) and the Senate Subcommittee on
Juvenile Delinquency are also discussed in the beginning of the
book.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3538, from mikester, 455 chars, Sat Nov 5 20:00:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3520.
————————–
>I haven’t seen Astin (who divorced Patty Duke some years ago) in anything
>lately, but he does show up from time to time. Does the odd cartoon voice,
>too — including one for _Taz-Mania_.
Astin was in an episode of “Mad About You” last season playing a
dead-ringer for Gomez Addams. When Paul told Jamie that “Gomez Addams” was
living in the penthouse of their building, she replied “Raul Julia is
living _here?_”
—Mike (Satisfied user of Galahad)
==========================
animation/main #3539, from mikester, 326 chars, Sat Nov 5 20:00:45 1994
This is a comment to message 3515.
————————–
>Energizer currently has an ad in which their bunny meets Wile E. Coyote;
>it’s very well designed, but it doesn’t feel like a Chuck Jones
>cartoon, because they sped up the timing to meet the demands of the
>30-second commercial format.
I like the Energizer Bunny meets Darth Vader one.
—Mike (Satisfied user of Galahad)
==========================
animation/main #3540, from kipw, 112 chars, Sun Nov 6 19:08:53 1994
This is a comment to message 3533.
————————–
Also, I see by the TV Guide that John Astin’s voice is on
tonight’s episode of “Duckman.” He gets around.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3541, from hmccracken, 114 chars, Mon Nov 7 13:46:46 1994
This is a comment to message 3537.
————————–
I keep meaning to pick that book up, especially now that it’s
available as a remainder for $9.98 or so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3542, from hmccracken, 732 chars, Mon Nov 7 13:50:39 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Enchanted Drawings
Charles Solomon’s _Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation_
has been re-released in an affordable new hardcover edition.
When the book first appeared a few years ago, it was $75; the
new version is a much more sensible $29.95. (You do have to
forego the cel-like dustjacket of the initial edition, though.)
Solomon’s book has some superb illustrations, but the text (of
the first printing, anyway) is a disappoint, offering relatively
little information that can’t be found in Leonard Maltin’s
_Of Mice and Magic_. The first edition also had far too many
misspellings, misidentifications, and other small errors; the
preface to the new edition says that many of these have been
corrected.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3543, from davemackey, 433 chars, Tue Nov 8 00:51:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3542.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I did pick it up. It seems to have gone right onto the bargain
tables at my local Waldenbooks and Barnes and Noble (where I
finally picked up a copy of “Chuck Jones: A Flurry Of Drawings”,
which is a wonderful book). I never did get the original
“Enchanted Drawings” but do remember your criticism of the original’s
text being too close to Maltin. I can concur that it is in the
second edition.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3544, from hmccracken, 521 chars, Tue Nov 8 09:31:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3543.
————————–
The new edition of the Solomon book is an example of whatever
you call an edition that is produced to go directly into the
remainder section. Several animation books have been produced in
editions for this purpose, the most notable example being
Christopher Finch’s _The Art of Walt Disney_, which is still being
sold this way more than twenty years after its publication.
(You can tell that this is a book from another era when you see
that it concludes with a chapter on the making of Disney’s _Robin
Hood_.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3545, from hmccracken, 506 chars, Tue Nov 8 09:34:26 1994
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Shorty Rogers
Shortly Rogers has died in California, age 70. Rogers was a distinguished
jazz trumpeteer and composer,a TV/movie composer whose work ranged
from Brando’s _The Wild One_ to _The Partridge Family_, and an arranger
who contributed to some of the Monkees’ best work.
For animation fans, however, he will always be remembered as the composer
ansd musician behind Friz Freleng’s wonderful _Three Little Bops_, the
late 1950s jazz parody of Disney’s _Three Little Pigs_.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3546, from davemackey, 780 chars, Thu Nov 10 06:34:52 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Michael O’Donoghue
Michael O’Donoghue, one of the writers from the original “Saturday Night
Live” and a sometimes dabbler in animation, died on Monday of a stroke.
He was 54.
O’Donoghue was one of the meaner spirits of the original SNL
gang. He frequently appeared on the show in his “Mr. Mike” persona and
also showed up to describe how various people would react to having
steel needles plunged into their eye sockets.
O’Donoghue was also a contributor to “National Lampoon” in the
1970’s, and was the writer of the original theatrical cartoon “The
Itsy Bitsy Spider”, which was spun off into a weekly series for USA
Network.
Among O’Donoghue’s survivors is his wife, SNL musical director
Cheryl Hardwick.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3547, from davemackey, 385 chars, Thu Nov 10 07:00:46 1994
This is a comment to message 3455.
————————–
The Cartoon Network is also promoting this contest. You can call
1-800-515-TOON to get the details.
The promo is peppered with details from a number of storyboards and
model sheets of Cartoon Network characters, plus live-action gag footage of
the Termite Terrace gang. (There’s one scene of film editor Treg Brown making
a string of paper dolls.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3548, from hmccracken, 261 chars, Thu Nov 10 08:32:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3546.
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…And before he did any of those things, O’Donoghue gained
attention as the author of _Phoebe Zeit-Geist_, a satirical
science fiction comic strip that was drawn by Frank Springer.
It appeared in the pages of the _Evergreen Review_ starting
in 1966.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3549, from robairmackey, 172 chars, Thu Nov 10 20:49:59 1994
This is a comment to message 3546.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
For the last year, he was the writer of the back page of “Spin” magazine’s
called “Not My Fault!” It was vulgar, mean-spirited, sacrilegious…and very
Michael O’Donoghue.
==========================
animation/main #3550, from davemackey, 321 chars, Fri Nov 11 20:02:05 1994
This is a comment to message 3549.
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Mr. Mike also recently wrote a book of cartoons about the Presidential
cat, Socks.
I don’t read Spin any more, so it is in hindsight comforting to
know that O’Donoghue didn’t lose any of his acerbic tendencies. I thought
his marriage to Cheryl would have mellowed him a bit.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3551, from hmccracken, 453 chars, Sat Nov 19 00:40:31 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Betty’s Protected
Speaking of Betty Boop, as I just was in another topic, her classic
cartoon _Snow-White_ has been named by the Library of Congress to a
list of films of historic or artistic importance that shouldn’t
be tampered with. (Among the other new additions to this list is
the Zapruder film.)
I guess the LoC must like the Snow White story; I think the only other
cartoon they’ve named to the list is Disney’s _Snow White_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3552, from hshubs, 86 chars, Sat Nov 19 01:13:04 1994
This is a comment to message 3551.
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————————–
BB’s in a Snow White film??? She’s not -exactly- the type I’d think of
for the part.
==========================
animation/main #3553, from switch, 182 chars, Sat Nov 19 02:06:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3552.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
It’s a great short, and features a “live” (rotoscoped) performance by Cab
Calloway. If you find it in your local PD tape bin, pick it up and watch it
on a black and white TV.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3554, from davemackey, 476 chars, Sat Nov 19 06:22:23 1994
This is a comment to message 3553.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How ironic that we should be discussing Cab Calloway in the context
of the cartoon “Snow-White.”
I regret to report that Cab Calloway passed away last evening at
the age of 86. He had a long and prosperous career that was cut
short a few months back when he had a massive stroke.
Besides “Snow-White” Calloway also lent his talents to “Minnie
The Moocher” and “The Old Man Of The Mountain”, two other Betty
Boop cartoons.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3555, from jjanney, 171 chars, Sat Nov 19 10:41:24 1994
This is a comment to message 3551.
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————————–
I saw that a couple of years ago in a Max Fleisher retrospective.
Later, when I was watching some of the stuff the genie does in
_Aladdin_, I found myself thinking of it.
==========================
animation/main #3556, from hmccracken, 625 chars, Sat Nov 19 14:11:11 1994
This is a comment to message 3554.
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————————–
That’s sad about Cab, although he’s one of the few performers whose
careers could be described as being “cut short” at the age of 86!
He was on the road entertaining us for more than six decades — a
pretty amazing accomplishment.
Despite the fact that the Library of Congress chose _Snow-White_ to
honor, I think that both _Minnie the Moocher_ and _The Old Man of the
Mountain_ are better films — indeed, probably Betty Boop’s two best
cartoons. A lot of that had to do with Cab Calloway, both for his
singing and for the fact that he was probably the ideal performer to
be rotoscoped into a cartoon character.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3557, from davemackey, 119 chars, Sat Nov 19 19:16:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3551.
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————————–
Au contraire: I think “Fantasia” is also on the list, as well as “What’s
Opera, Doc?”.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3558, from ianl, 137 chars, Sat Nov 19 20:32:00 1994
This is a comment to message 3551.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
What exactly does that mean, “Shouldn’t be tampered with?” You can’t
colorize it? Can’t show just a piece of it out of context?
==========================
animation/main #3559, from davemackey, 337 chars, Sat Nov 19 23:00:36 1994
This is a comment to message 3556.
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————————–
Little tragic irony about Cab’s death: one of the New York newspapers
reported that Cab’s wife was down to see him at the nursing home in Delaware
where he died. Reportedly, she had made a prayer to God that if Cab was going
to continue to live that way, God should take him. Five minutes later, he
died.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3560, from hmccracken, 213 chars, Sat Nov 19 23:17:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3559.
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————————–
Did the papers mention Cab’s animation connection? I remember reading his
autobiography — _Minnie the Moocher and Me_ — and being disappointed that
he made no mention of his work with the Fleischers.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3561, from hshubs, 42 chars, Sun Nov 20 00:43:28 1994
This is a comment to message 3557.
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“What’s Opera, Doc?” is a good selection.
==========================
animation/main #3562, from hshubs, 60 chars, Sun Nov 20 00:44:28 1994
This is a comment to message 3559.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I’d have to agree with her. Was he in a coma or something?
==========================
animation/main #3563, from hmccracken, 447 chars, Sun Nov 20 21:53:00 1994
————————–
TITLE: Commercials on Your Computer
_TV Commercials of the 50s and 60s_ is the name of a new CD-ROM from
Chestnut that includes over 100 vintage commercials of the past in
Microsoft Video format. (Some of the ads are from the 1970s, and possibly
the 1980s, though.) A bunch of them are animated, including two cartoon
ads with the Burger King, several cereal commercials, and a very
interesting ad for 409 cleanser starring Betty Boop.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3564, from davemackey, 238 chars, Mon Nov 21 06:39:01 1994
This is a comment to message 3562.
————————–
Actually, Howard, Calloway had lost much of his faculties due to a stroke he
suffered back in June. (See message in animation/main #3389.)
He was not expected to recover, much less ever perform again.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3565, from davemackey, 332 chars, Mon Nov 21 06:39:09 1994
This is a comment to message 3560.
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There has been little written in the press about Cab’s animated persona in
the three Boops. Which is pretty sad, because I still maintain they are among
the most brilliant cartoons the Fleischers ever made, and certainly their
best use of established musical talent in the context of their cartoons.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3566, from hmccracken, 368 chars, Mon Nov 21 17:59:28 1994
————————–
TITLE: Breathed in Boston
Berke Breathed, the creator of _Bloom County_ and _Outland_, will
be appearing at Boston University’s Tsai Center to perform some sort
of a multimedia show and sign copies of his new children’s book.
The event is on November 30th at 7pm; it’s free, but you have to get
tickets in advance. For more information, call (617) 236-7421.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3567, from hmccracken, 396 chars, Mon Nov 21 18:01:56 1994
————————–
TITLE: Dennis’s Dad Does Fine Art
“From Menace to Matisse” is the title of an exhibit of _Dennis the
Menace_ creator Hank Ketcham’s recent paintings. It’s at Boston
University’s George Sherman Union (second floor) through November,
but I’m not sure of the exact days or hours. I will be attending
a reception in conjunction with this show tomorrow night; watch
this space for a report.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3568, from hmccracken, 246 chars, Mon Nov 21 20:47:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3558.
————————–
I think that being on the Library of Congress’s list means that the
LoC strongly disapproves of anyone editing, recoloring, or otherwise
fiddling with the film in any meaningful way. I don’t know if it carries
any legal weight, though.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3569, from hmccracken, 1034 chars, Wed Nov 23 09:49:16 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Hank Ketcham in Boston
I attended the reception for Hank Ketcham’s show at Boston
University last night. The exhibition features many of Ketcham’s
recent watercolors and oils, including landscapes, self portraits,
and several golf paintings, not to mention a picture of Dennis
the Menace as the Blue Boy. (On the whole, I liked the watercolors
a lot more than the oil paintings.) There are also several
Dennis the Menace originals on display, including the very first
one, originally published in 1951.
I chatted with Ketcham, an extremely nice guy who resembles what Dennis might
look like at the age of seventy or so. He is in the process of handing
responsibilities for Dennis over to his assistants, and says that
there will be a transition period before he gives up work on the
panel completely. (Even after his retirement, he plans to continue
in a supervisory role.) He said that the new Dennis team has been
working with him for quite awhile, and that there shouldn’t be
any striking changes in the feature.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3570, from hmccracken, 409 chars, Wed Nov 23 09:53:04 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Otter Nonsense_…
is the name of a new, pun-filled book by Norton Juster, the
author of _The Dot and the Line_ and _The Phantom Tollbooth_,
two sixties classics that were turned into Chuck Jones animated
films. Juster’s new work is illustrated by Michael Witte, the
excellent illustrator whose drawings can be seen everywhere
from _Time_ and _The New Yorker_ to _PC World_ (where I work!).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3571, from hshubs, 107 chars, Wed Nov 23 10:18:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3570.
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_The Phantom Tollbooth_ should really be made into a computer game, to
make kids more likely to “read” it.
==========================
animation/main #3572, from kipw, 1451 chars, Thu Nov 24 00:12:32 1994
This is a comment to message 3554.
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It may be subjective, but I prefer Betty Boop’s SNOW-WHITE to
almost any other cartoon made. It achieves a level of wierdness
that keeps surpassing itself, getting screwier by the second,
with a climactic performance by Cab/Koko of “Saint James Infirmary
Blues” in which the background keeps bringing into view new portions
of a mural that echoes and comments on the lyrics. Who can resist
when Cab’s voice rises and falls like a siren on “Hey boy, hand me
over another shot of that boo-OOO-ooze,” as Koko’s ghostly head
changes into a bottle, which he pours a shot and guzzles it from.
Question mark.
I can find no fault whatever with the cartoons you prefer, though,
Harry. The bit in “Minnie the Moocher” where the ghost warden pulls
the switch on the three electric chairs and fries three ghost convicts,
who then turn and give him rude gestures, is entirely satisfactory.
And combined with The Old Man of the Mountain’s dialog with Betty–
B: Whatcha gonna do now?
OM: Gonna do the best I can…
–we can see clearly how much the confluence of Fleischer and Calloway
impressed Tim Burton and Danny Elfman. As in the scene from NIGHTMARE
BEFORE CHRISTMAS between Santa and Oogie Boogie that echoes it. Or in
Elfman’s first movie score, the partially animated FORBIDDEN ZONE, in
which Elfman, playing Satan, performs a scene to the tune of “Minnie
the Moocher.”
Whew. Sorry for the length. I love to talk about these cartoons.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3573, from kipw, 507 chars, Thu Nov 24 00:22:26 1994
————————–
TITLE: For shame, Jay!
Last night (Tuesday, November 22), Jay Leno was doing some silly
stunt of invading “The Today Show.” They happened to be talking to
Adriana Casselotti (sic?), who was doing her Snow White voice. Jay
leaped right in and started yelling at her to shut up. He was really
being an [expletive deleted] about it. Show some respect, Leno! If I
got to choose between her entire output and yours, I’d opt for hers.
(Unless I was planning to record over the tapes, of course.)
–Crabby Old Kip
==========================
animation/main #3574, from rgswartz, 153 chars, Thu Nov 24 00:38:15 1994
This is a comment to message 3569.
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Have you caught the Frank Kozik posters in the Middle East (til the end of
November). It’s not animation but it’s certainly cartoonish (and very good).
==========================
animation/main #3575, from kipw, 6153 chars, Thu Nov 24 01:15:01 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Pocahantas in Gloucester (Warning: long post–89 lines)
Mike Griffith and I made the short drive up to Gloucester (VA) to
look in on the doings for Pocahantas’s 400th birthday. We missed the
parade, found a parking place, and headed for the theatre where Disney
was to give a presentation on their upcoming movie, set right here in
the same commonwealth that snubbed them on Disney America. (I’ll bet they
would have liked to couple the movie with the park.) As we waited and were
joined by numerous folks, some in buses, one thing was clear: the
presentation was going to be late. Less clear was what would be shown.
Would it be the four-minute preview they show with the reissued LION KING?
After a while, some of our fellow waitees (the important ones with badges)
were told it would be a 45-minute event. Aha! I said, a four-minute preview,
followed by 41 minutes on the many uses of corn!
45 minutes, as it happens, turned out to be the exact degree of lateness
of the thing, but we were happy to get in, considering that the folks in
buses and the folks with badges took precedence over the folks who had been
standing outside the theatre for an hour and a half.
So, at 2:44 pm (11/19/94), Jim Pentecost (sp?) began the wing-ding with a
talk on how it’s done. He spoke about how they started their research for
the movie two years ago. He showed a scene from THE LION KING in scratch
form, rough pencil, clean-up and final. He introduced the show’s characters
and described the actors. Mel Gibson’s “Captain John Smith” looks just like
him. Mel, that is. David Ogden Stiers plays the scheming, old, fat-faced
Governor Ratcliff. (I didn’t take more precise notes on what is most likely
pretty easy stuff to find out.)
Next came the “Burger King” characters: Meko, the loveable little raccoon
that Pocahantas plays with. Flit (full name: Quick Henry The Flit)(ho ho),
the cute little hummingbird. Percy, Ratcliff’s spoiled pugface dog who
learns humility and probably cuteness after being lost in the woods and
subjected to the other animals. And Grandma Willow (Linda Hunt, in her
first really tall role), a big tree with a face that talks to Pocahantas.
So, at a little before three, Michael Giamo (spelling again a “best guess”)
came out and justified himself to the citizens of Gloucester, explaining
the Art Director’s job to people he suspected wouldn’t understand. To the
accompaniment of slides of local scenery, he spoke about the need for a
visual symbol for Virginia. I should say “the majestic splendor that is
the great commonwealth of Virginia,” because he called it something like
that each time it came up in conversation. We saw four slides of the James
River, lined with trees, and he revealed that they chose two symbols for
the place: horizontals. And verticals. See, we have the river; that’s
horizontal. Then the trees. They’re vertical. Mike and I mocked him,
tastefully and discreetly.
Mr. Giamo went on to note that their models for the Indians came from
pioneering sketches and studies by Charles Wyatt (who was drawing Eastern
Indians, which were rather different from the usual images of Native
Americans from out West) and, somewhat surprisingly, with an injection of
the Saturday Evening Post stylings of J.C. Leyendecker! Not, however, in
the costume, but in the graphic approach. Then he showed the evolution of
the backgrounds, which started out looking like something from ALICE IN
WONDERLAND, but which ended up with a more restrained pallette and more
earthly looking trees that really do evoke some parts of the state.
At 3:10, Glen Keane came out, pen in hand, and spoke on character design
while dashing off ilustrative sketches on the overhead projector (So OtOtOt
that’s what took 45 minutes to set up!). He showed us a contemporary
likeness of Pocahantas, which was definitely not in the Disney style.
Glen described how he was at Jamestown (or another local site–my notes
were taken in the dark and between talks) and met Shirley Little Dove and
her sister, collateral descendants of Pocahantas, and used their features
to help determine Pocahantas’s pleasing facial contours. His end result,
put into appropriate costume, was not all that far from the engraving (as
he pointed out), just more user-friendly for the 90s. The Indian Princess’s
name, incidentally, means “Little Mischief.” I am told her character reflects
this.
All the while, a Greek chorus consisting of two small boys behind us kept
waiting real hard for the cartoons to start. False alarm after false alarm
disappointed them (me too). Slides of stills would seem for a moment like
a movie. Then there were movies, but they only showed one cel of Little
Miss Chief frozen in place as the camera panned around the multiplanes.
Finally, we got the four-minute clip of the feature, which had been finished
(the clip, not the movie) about two weeks earlier. It consisted mainly of
the song “Color of the Wind” in which P. lectures John Smith on imperialism
and unsound environmental policies while demonstrating that mother bears
love it when you pick up their kids. The animation looked great. I just hope
the rest of the movie is less heavy-handed. I prefer my inspirational
messages to be less obtrusive. The boys behind us didn’t care for it,
most likely because it was all a song, and full of romance stuff.
Afterwards, Keane was telling a young woman that art school was the best
way to proceed if she wanted to be an animator, and I poked my nose in
briefly to indulge the journalistic itch for a hot scoop. “Did any of the
Keane kids ever draw any of those annual ‘Billy fills in’ Family Circus
strips?” I asked, with the emphasis on “ever.” “No,” was the unsurprising
reply, “and Dad always said those were the hardest to draw.” I thanked him
politely and bowed out to let him continue his chat. Mike and I had to
scramble to try and get to Williamsburg to join my wife and some friends
at STAR TREK: GENERATIONS (which was sold out anyway). On the way, we found
the time to pause briefly at McDonalds, where we admired all the horizontals
and verticals in the restroom wall tiling.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3576, from davemackey, 254 chars, Thu Nov 24 23:13:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3575.
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————————–
I can help you on Mike’s spelling. Mike Giaimo is a former production
designer for Warner Bros. who worked on some of the recent projects of the
Classic Animation division like “Box Office Bunny.” He’ll do well at Disney.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3577, from hmccracken, 380 chars, Fri Nov 25 18:24:44 1994
This is a comment to message 3575.
————————–
Sounds like Disney is still trying to butter up the great commonwealth of
Virginia, perhaps with an eye towards building Disney’s America somewhere else
in the state. Thanks for the early report on _Pocahantas_, Kip! All I’ve seen
so far is the brief clip at the start of the _Snow White_ video, and I too
worry that it’s going to be a heavy-handed piece of p.c. stuff.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3578, from hmccracken, 215 chars, Fri Nov 25 18:26:03 1994
This is a comment to message 3576.
————————–
Giaimo is already a Disney veteran — he worked with Darrell Van Citters on the
early development of _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_. (See his drawings in _Animato_’s
article on the subject, back in issue #20.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3579, from hmccracken, 1505 chars, Thu Dec 1 09:44:10 1994
————————–
TITLE: Berkeley Breathed in Boston
Yesterday night, I attended Berkeley Breathed’s event at Boston
University. It was part of a book tour he’s doing to promote
_Red Ranger Came Calling_, his new picture book, and my first
reaction is to tell you that if the event comes to your city,
you should drop everything and attend!
Breathed began with some comments on cartooning, _Bloom County_,
_Outland_, and his career in general. He’s a blunt and funny
speaker who said he had never intended to become a cartoonist,
admitted that his early crash course in cartooning consisted
of copying _Doonesbury_, and said that he alienated most of
his readers by dropping the _Bloom County_ name and cast of
characters when he started _Outland_. (_Bloom County_, by the
way, was in about 1,000 papers; _Outland_ is in 250. That
may have something to do with the fact that Breathed seemed to
say that _Outland_ will probably cease publication in the not-
too-distant future.)
Breathed’s new interests lie not so much on the comics page as
in picture books, computer software, movies, and other media.
After he concluded his opening remarks, he presented a multimedia
version of _Red Ranger_, in which he read the text accompanied
by projected pictures from the book and background music. It was
extremely effective; it’s a fine Christmas story, and he did
a splendid job of reading it. He hopes to turn the story —
a deeply personal one inspired by his father’s tale-telling —
into a live-action TV movie.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3580, from hmccracken, 519 chars, Thu Dec 1 09:47:42 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Ralph Stein
Ralph Stein died on Sunday in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. He was
85.
Stein was a cartoonist who was one of several who drew Popeye’s
adventures in the _Thimble Theater_ comic strip in the years
after the death of E.C. Segar, Popeye’s creator. (He’s the
second Popeye artist to die in recent weeks; Bud Sagendorf passed
away recently.) Stein also drew a feature called _Here’s How_,
and wrote several books, including _Treasury of the Automobile_
and _The Pinup from 1852 to Now_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3581, from hshubs, 28 chars, Thu Dec 1 10:50:58 1994
This is a comment to message 3580.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
When was “now”, in “Pinup”?
==========================
animation/main #3582, from hmccracken, 64 chars, Thu Dec 1 13:05:22 1994
This is a comment to message 3581.
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I wondered that myself! The _Times_ obit didn’t say.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3583, from hmccracken, 721 chars, Fri Dec 2 15:43:44 1994
————————–
TITLE: Yet Another Obituary
Irwin Kostal, a veteran film composer and conductor, died on
November 23rd at the age of 83.
Kostal won Oscars for his work on _The Sound of Music_ and
_West Side Story_, but his passing is worth mentioning here
because of his work on several Disney films that combined
animation with live action, including _Mary Poppins_,
_Bedknobs and Broomsticks_, and _Pete’s Dragon_. Kostal
also conducted the score for the re-recorded version of
_Fantasia_ that was produced in the early 1980s. (This
version, which did away with Leopold Stokowski’s soundtrack,
is inaccurately called a “restoration” in today’s _New York
Times_ obituary. It has since been replaced with the original
track.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3584, from hmccracken, 1683 chars, Fri Dec 2 20:42:31 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Hurrah for the U.S. Postal Service!
No, I’m not celebrating the recent rise in the cost of stamps. But on May 4th,
1995, the post office will announce a series of stamps that I’m sure to buy
large quantities of: a set celebrating great American comic strips.
There will be twenty stamps in the set, and while the official list of
subjects has not been announced, the Washington Post says they will
include ones featuring Alley Oop, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, Blondie,
Brenda Starr, Bringing Up Father, Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, Gasoline
Alley, Krazy Kat, Li’l Abner, Little Nemo, Little Orphan Annie, Nancy,
Popeye, Prince Valiant, Terry and the Pirates, The Katzenjammer Kids,
Toonerville Folks, and Rube Goldberg’s crazy inventions.
Note that these are all strips that have been around for decades, and with
one exception, their creators have all died. The post office has a rule
that it doesn’t honor people with stamps until they’ve been dead for ten
years. Since cartoon characters tend not to die, they’ve apparently
applied that rule to the creators of the strips in question.
The exception is Brenda Starr; creator Dale Messick is still around,
although she’s been retired for many years. If I had to guess, I’d suspect
that the post office wanted to honor at least one strip created by a
woman, and couldn’t think of any notable strips invented by dead female
cartoonists. (Perhaps they should have selected Little Lulu, created by the
late Marge?)
Anyhow, this has been years in the making, and it’s great news. I’ve never
been a stamp collector, but I’m going to be waiting in line the day these
are available, sometime in October of next year.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3585, from davemackey, 664 chars, Sat Dec 3 08:38:57 1994
This is a comment to message 3584.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
There seems to be a movement at the USPS toward these 20-stamp collectible
sheets. They are currently pushing a similar 20-stamp sheet of Old West
stamps, which have information about their subjects printed on the reverse
(something the Post Office has done from time to time). My guess is that many
of them in the hands of collectors will stay in the more collectible sheet
form, with the decorative selvage still attached.
Unlike you, I have been a stamp collector at times, though not
actively these days. I have a pretty solid United States collection covering
the years 1940 to 1988, and a small Great Britain collection.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3586, from hmccracken, 220 chars, Sat Dec 3 16:08:19 1994
This is a comment to message 3585.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Two updates on the comic-strip stamps:
1) The list I posted above was missing one character who will appear on
one of the stamps: the first great comic character of them all, the
Yellow Kid.
2) WHERE’S POGO?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3587, from lkaplan, 328 chars, Sat Dec 3 20:47:11 1994
This is a comment to message 3586.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
> WHERE’S POGO?
Might it be considered too “politically incorrect” nowadays? I
hope not, but I recall reading some years back that there were
people upset with the strip for attacking sacred cows (mostly
the sacred cows, I think ;-).
-Len
(OTOH, Yellow Kid had its political moments, and Krazy Kat, and
Li’l Abner, and ….)
==========================
animation/main #3588, from hmccracken, 604 chars, Sun Dec 4 13:02:08 1994
This is a comment to message 3587.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t think political correctness explains Pogo’s absence. The post
office is paying tribute to Little Orphan Annie and Dick Tracy, two strips
that were decidedly right-wing and politically incorrect in their day.
They’re also giving a stamp to Li’l Abner, which managed to offend members
of both ends of the political spectrum.
I think it’s possible that Pogo didn’t get a stamp because he didn’t
appear in a nationally-syndicated comic strip until around 1950 or so; the
other honorees all started before that. In any event, the list I posted
was a preliminary one; Pogo may make it yet.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3589, from lkaplan, 479 chars, Sun Dec 4 13:42:22 1994
This is a comment to message 3588.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3588.
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>I don’t think political correctness explains Pogo’s absence.
>The post office is paying tribute to Little Orphan Annie and
>Dick Tracy, two strips that were decidedly right-wing and
>politically incorrect in their day.
You’re probably right, it was just a thought (I suppose I’ve
been reading too much about PC lately).
I can see LOA’s politics, but Dick Tracy? What were the
politics there? (I’m sure they were there, but I missed them at
the age I last saw the strip)
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3590, from rgswartz, 63 chars, Sun Dec 4 14:12:10 1994
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There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I neever got much out of Pogo–at any age. What’s the appeal?
==========================
animation/main #3591, from hmccracken, 902 chars, Sun Dec 4 21:34:01 1994
This is a comment to message 3590.
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I can understand not getting much (or anything, actually) out of the recent
_Pogo_ revival done by Walt Kelly’s kids and others. And Kelly’s own work
went into decline from a narrative standpoint after the first ten years
or so. But have you seen _Pogo_ in its glory days, from 1950 to 1960?
Extraordinary art and an incredible range of humor — slapstick,
literary allusions, political satire, and more. And a cast of characters
that are, for me, the most real people ever to appear in a newspaper
comic strip — despite the fact that they’re a possum, alligator,
owl, and other animals.
If you’ve seen this stuff and don’t like it, I don’t think anything
I can say will convince you of its greatness. Take a look at
Kelly’s book _Ten Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Years with Pogo_ (which
was published around 1960 but may still be in print); it provides
a great overview of _Pogo_’s best period.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3592, from rgswartz, 137 chars, Mon Dec 5 00:26:03 1994
This is a comment to message 3591.
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All I have seen was whatever was being published in the late 60s and a
smattering sinnce. I’ll have to look for the original some time.
==========================
animation/main #3593, from hmccracken, 374 chars, Wed Dec 7 00:16:26 1994
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TITLE: The battery commercials with the robotic people…
which we were discussing awhile ago were the subject of a short piece
on tonight’s _Dateline NBC_ program. (Thanks to kipw for alerting
me to this!) I thought that computers were somehow involved in
creating the effect, but apparently it’s all done with high-tech
masks, fancy costumes, and clever makeup.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3594, from elfhive, 1074 chars, Wed Dec 7 09:26:47 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Bart’s voice on Scientology
Monday morning brought a truly odd couple to the FOX Morning News here in
DC — IVeronica Cartwright and Isaac Hayes. The occasion of their visit was
some promotional convention by the Church of Scientology — L.Ron Hubbard’s
science fiction “religion.” It constantly amazes me that people are still
caught up in this organization which was essentially created on a dare
back in the 40’s that Hubbard could come up with a “religion” with some
kind of scientific basis.
Veronica was bright and chipper but had to defer to Isaac when it came to
trying to answer questions about how the “E-meter” works. He was obviously
having difficulty conveying the concept that it could actually measure the
mass of thought. At least that was what I got out of it. This whole topic
would truly be worthy of at least one satirical episode of the Simpsons.
I wonder if Veronica would do it?
The reporter finally got around to asking the one question I think they
were really on the show for: “Would you please do Bart’s voice?” The answer:
“No way, man!”
==========================
animation/main #3595, from hmccracken, 84 chars, Wed Dec 7 09:28:32 1994
This is a comment to message 3594.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Great story, but isn’t Bart’s voice named Nancy Cartwright, not
Veronica?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3596, from hmccracken, 806 chars, Wed Dec 7 09:44:33 1994
This is a comment to message 3589.
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Maybe it’s not politicis per se, but _Dick Tracy_ was always
unswervingly hard-nosed and brutal. One famous quote from
the strip was “Violence is golden — when it’s used to defeat
evil,” or somesuch. This prompted criticism, as did a sequence
in which Tracy cheerfully *vaporized* some bad guys and commented
that you could smell their remains in the air!
I’m a _Dick Tracy_ fan, but I can’t disagree with my father’s
comment that one of the lessons of the strip appears to be that
ugliness is a sign of a criminal mind — if you’re unfortunate
enough to look like a Prunceface or Flattop, you’re a substandard
human being. (Of course, Dick himself is no glamour boy, but I
think that’s due to Chester Gould’s drawing style. That razor-
edged lantern jaw profile is intended to look handsome.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3597, from switch, 19 chars, Wed Dec 7 17:20:59 1994
This is a comment to message 3595.
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It is Nancy.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3598, from hmccracken, 903 chars, Sun Dec 11 10:13:39 1994
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TITLE: Obituary: Kenny Kneitel
Kenny Kneitel, age 52, has died in New York. Kneitel was a successful
graphic designer who created work for _Saturday Night Live_, Lucky
Striky, the Roxy nightclub, and other clients.
While it isn’t mentioned in his _New York Times_ obituary, I believe
that Kneitel comes from a distinguished animation/moviemaking family.
His mother is Ruth F. Kneitel, and unless we’re talking about two
different Ruth F. Kneitels here, that makes him the grandson of’
Max Fleischer and the son of Seymour Kneitel, an animation director
who was one of the heads of Famous Studios (the studio that Fleischer
evolved into after it was taken over by Paramount). Ruth F. Kneitel’s
brother is Richard Fleischer, the director of _20,000 Leagues Under the
Sea_ and many other films; in recent years, he’s been trying to
spearhead a live-action film based on his father’s Betty Boop.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3599, from hmccracken, 501 chars, Thu Dec 15 21:12:30 1994
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TITLE: Breathed Boycotts Groundbreaking
Work has begun, finally, on construction for the Museum of Cartoon Art’s
new home in Florida. I discovered this when I read in the _Boston Globe_
that _Bloom County_ creator Berke Breathed refused to be involved in the
groundbreaking ceremony. Apparently, _Garfield_’s Jim Davis was a
participant, and Breathed thinks that any museum in which the oft-merchandised
cat gets the same treatment as _Krazy Kat_ or _Prince Valiant_ isn’t worth
supporting.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3600, from hmccracken, 1823 chars, Sun Dec 18 23:25:31 1994
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TITLE: Chuck Jones at the Museum of the Moving Image
Davemackey, former BIXen Tom Shim, and your moderator went to see the
Chuck Jones event at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens,
New York, this afternoon. It was a wonderful three hours which the
sold-out audience appeared to enjoy very much.
There were ten cartoons on the program, including classics like _Feed the
Kitty_ and _One Froggy Evening_, as well as less-known films like
‘the funny _Much Ado About Nutting_. We got to see three unannounced
bonus cartoons as well, including _Rabbit Seasoning_, _Fast and
Furry-ous_ (the first Road Runner) — and Chuck’s first new theatrical
Road Runner in thirty years, _Chariots of Fur_.
_Chariots_ is a good, solid Road Runner cartoon, with excellent art
direction by Maurice Noble and some fine gags. It’s not on a par
with the best Road Runner/Coyote outings, but it’s many notches
above most contemporary theatrical cartoons, and gives one reason
to be optimistic about the other cartoons Jones is working on
(including sequels to _One Froggy Evening_ and _What’s Opera, Doc?_).
After the screenings, Jones spoke for almost two hours, and was
very funny and incisive, though he tended to go off on tangents
(which was fine, since most of them were fascinating). He spoke of
having a case of “Gingrich’s Ear,” which he defined as only hearing
the questions he felt like answering — but even when he didn’t
exactly answer the question, he was a lot of fun to listen to.
As mentioned here recently, Jones is a remarkably hale and hearty
82; I think he would have talked with us for another couple of hours
if another show hadn’t been starting. At the conclusion of the event,
he hung around on stage to shake hands with every audience member
who wanted to do so — which was a lot of people.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3601, from hmccracken, 666 chars, Mon Dec 19 21:47:12 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: _Time_ and _Newsweek_: The Year in Review in Cartoons
The new issues of _Time_ and _Newsweek_ both look back at 1994,
and both involve cartoons in interesting ways.
_Time_’s 10-best lists for TV and movies both include an animated
work: _The Lion King_ is one of the movies honored, while
Gary Larson’s _Tales from the Far Side_ is one of the TV shows.
Meanwhile, _Newsweek_ used a clever way to sum up 1994’s events:
It included an extremely large section of political cartoons
published during the year, on every imaginable topic. I’m
sure it’s the most extensive use of cartoons that any of the
newsmagazines has ever made in a single issue.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3602, from hmccracken, 443 chars, Mon Dec 19 21:49:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3494.
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I can now provide a slightly more detailed report on what Sally Cruikshank
has been up to in recent times — because I just discovered that an
acquaintance of mine was Sally’s best childhood buddy, and remains a
friend. Sally has not been doing much animation recently because
she’s busy being the mother of a seven year-old daughter. She’s married
to a wealthy film producer, who was responsible for _Airplane_ among
other movies.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3603, from lkaplan, 567 chars, Mon Dec 19 23:10:11 1994
This is a comment to message 3601.
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>It included an extremely large section of political cartoons
>published during the year, on every imaginable topic
That’s interesting, I’m going to have to try to get a copy of
the magazine. I find it interesting that cartoons have always
been a better indicator of the state of a situation than any
rhetoric. Some years ago I read an article discussing the
political cartoons that were printed in _Krokodil_ (I believe
that’s the correct anglicized spelling), the Russian humor
magazine. They were a better education than anything I’d been
taught in school.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3604, from davemackey, 635 chars, Tue Dec 20 19:25:13 1994
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TITLE: A big Yoe-Ho-Ho for Barbie
Craig Yoe, who a few years ago put out a compilation book called “The Art Of
Mickey Mouse”, has taken on another American cultural icon: Barbie.
The artist, who was known a number of years ago for the “Yoe-Ho-Ho”
feature in the Comics Buyers Guide, has just published “The Art Of Barbie.”
Like its predecessor, it includes a number of unique artistic impressions of
America’s favorite 10-3/4″ fashion doll.
In an animation context, the book may be worth sneaking a peek at in the
book store: one of the artists who has contributed to the book is Chuck
Jones.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3605, from jjanney, 55 chars, Tue Dec 20 22:39:13 1994
This is a comment to message 3602.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Good for her. It’s a loss for the rest of us, though.
==========================
animation/main #3606, from hmccracken, 160 chars, Wed Dec 21 21:28:59 1994
This is a comment to message 3605.
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Unfortunately, Sally lives in Northridge, epicenter of the January L.A.
quake. She’s apparently had to spend much of the last year just cleaning up.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3607, from lkaplan, 509 chars, Thu Dec 22 00:10:14 1994
This is a comment to message 3604.
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(re: “The Art of Barbie”)
>Like its predecessor, it includes a number of unique artistic
>impressions of America’s favorite 10-3/4″ fashion doll
You’re not kidding about THAT, I had a look at the book today
and laughed my a*s off! I’ll probably get a copy for my little
sister for her birthday (she had Barbies when she was little,
and her daughters have a bunch of the stuff).
-Len
(the Chuck Jones picture is a classic (but I won’t reveal what
it is here since most people probably haven’t seen it yet)
==========================
animation/main #3608, from hmccracken, 674 chars, Fri Dec 23 11:18:15 1994
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TITLE: Disney’s _Jungle Book_ opens today…
…no, not the 1967 animated version, but a new live-action adaptation
that looks like it may be more faithful to Rudyard Kipling’s tales
than Disney’s first film was. (Although it does feature an orangutan
wearing a crown in the ad; was King Louie part of Kipling’s book?)
As far as I know, this is the first time that Disney has gone back
and made a live-action film based on the same source the studio used
for a cartoon (although they’ve done the reverse, having made
_Robin Hood_ in live action, then later as an animated film). If it’s
a hit, maybe we’ll see a live action _Snow White_ or _Sword in the
Stone_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3609, from switch, 102 chars, Fri Dec 23 22:17:18 1994
This is a comment to message 3608.
There are additional comments to message 3608.
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Meanwhile, someone on Pulse News referred to it as a “remake of the Disney
cartoon”. Ouille…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3610, from hmccracken, 405 chars, Sat Dec 24 22:59:07 1994
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Merry Christmas, Everybody!
Just a quick note to wish every member of the animation conference
the merriest of Christmases (not to mention the happiest of New
Years!). Thanks for all your contributions during 1994, and here’s
to a great 1995!
And while I’m thinking of Christmas: can anyone tell me if the
Cartoon Network is doing its Black-and-White Christmas marathon
again this year?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3611, from hmccracken, 484 chars, Tue Dec 27 01:03:25 1994
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TITLE: Better Late than Never…
Every true Pogo fan knows that the greatest Christmas carol
of them all is Walt Kelly’s Deck Us All With Boston Charlie.
Here it is, a bit late but as wonderful as ever:
Deck us all with Boston Charlie
Walla Walla, Wash., an’ Kalamazoo!
Nora’s freezin’ on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower
alley-garoo!
Don’t we know archaic barrel
Lullaby Lilla Boy Lousiville Lou?
Trolly Molly don’t lovel Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullbaloo!
— Harry
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animation/main #3612, from davemackey, 84 chars, Tue Dec 27 23:45:37 1994
This is a comment to message 3610.
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No, they’ve put that little promotion on the shelf.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3613, from jjanney, 124 chars, Thu Dec 29 22:45:53 1994
This is a comment to message 3608.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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King Louie was *not* in Kipling’s book. I loved that book when I was
a kid — the movie put me off Disney for a long time.
==========================
animation/main #3614, from hmccracken, 373 chars, Fri Dec 30 21:56:09 1994
This is a comment to message 3613.
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————————–
I read Kipling’s books long ago, but don’t remember them as well as I should.
I’m also familiar with them from having been a Cub Scout in London when I read Kipling’s books long ago, but don’t remember them as well as I should.
I’m also familiar with them from having been a British Cub Scout when I
hant that involved crouching down on all fours and howling like wolves!
==========================
animation/main #3615, from jjanney, 194 chars, Sat Dec 31 16:36:56 1994
This is a comment to message 3614.
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I don’t remember The Jungle Books very well myself at this point. It
was my first experience with how different a movie can be from the
book it is based on, and I took it rather too seriously.
==========================
animation/main #3616, from hmccracken, 646 chars, Sun Jan 1 22:14:42 1995
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TITLE: It Was a Bad Year for Cartoonists…
Today’s _New York Times Magazine_ features a section of tributes
to noted personalities that died during 1994, and so many
cartoonists are among them that they’re remembered en masse
with some text and a drawing by Michael Witte.
The _Times_ mentions Bud Sagendorf, Jack Kirby, Walter Lantz,
Alfred Harvey, and Richard Scarry; unfortunately, that’s
only scratching the surface of the cartoonists and cartoon-
related people who died during the year. Most of the passings
were covered in this conference (although we missed a few, such
as the death last week of the satirist Robert Osborn.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3617, from hmccracken, 452 chars, Wed Jan 4 10:43:35 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Mr. Gingrich, Meet the Blue Ranger
You’ve all heard by now that today’s opening session of the
104th congress will be a serious, productive day of sweeping
legislation, free from the wasteful ceremony that usually
comes with the first day of a new session.
Well, maybe. Among the events planned for the day are a meeting
between members of congress and the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers,
the hyperactive ninja superheroes of TV fame.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3618, from robairmackey, 109 chars, Fri Jan 6 01:13:50 1995
This is a comment to message 3617.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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And his Mom will tell you what he thinks about the Pink Ranger, only if
you ask her to whisper it. 😉
==========================
animation/main #3619, from hmccracken, 229 chars, Fri Jan 6 16:03:07 1995
This is a comment to message 3618.
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Newt’s meeting with the Power Rangers must have made quite an impression —
on _Nightline_ last night, he compared his current popularity to that of
the Rangers, or of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles three years ago.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3620, from lkaplan, 373 chars, Fri Jan 6 20:20:07 1995
This is a comment to message 3619.
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> he compared his current popularity to that of the Rangers
That may be pretty close to the truth – Saban fired 3 of them
recently because they asked for more money!
(OK, so maybe it was the DEMOCRATS that were as popular as the
Rangers 😉
-Len
(BTW, Newt said something about the Rangers being “wonderful
multiethnic icons”, but I don’t have an exact quote on that)
==========================
animation/main #3621, from hmccracken, 234 chars, Sun Jan 8 18:11:23 1995
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TITLE: Our Next Animation CBIX…
will be Sunday, January 15th, at 9pm ET! Come join our first
animation open house of 1995 to discuss comics, animation, and
related topics — and to qualify for door prizes! See you there!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3622, from hmccracken, 609 chars, Mon Jan 9 21:56:29 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Peter Cook, RIP
British comedian and actor Peter Cook has died, at the far too early
age of 57. Cook was not an animator or cartoonist, but he was
the founder of _Private Eye_, the excellent British satirical
magazine that that has published some of England’s best political
and social cartooning over the past three decades.
Cook will always have a special place in my heart for his
marvelously funny performance in _The Wrong Box_, his first
film and one of my favorite movies, as well as his role in
_The Two of Us_, a short-lived situation comedy of the 1980s
that I enjoyed very much.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3623, from hmccracken, 1147 chars, Tue Jan 10 00:57:04 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Obituary: Gary Kalkin
Gary Kalkin, senior vice president of domestic marketing at
Walt Disney Pictures’ distribution arm Buena Vista, has died
in Los Angeles at the age of 44. The cause of his death
was AIDS.
Kalkin’s marketing prowess is credited with much of the
success of _Beauty and the Beast_, _The Lion King_, and
Disney’s other recent animated blockbusters. He successfully
led moviegoers and critics to regard _Beauty_ as something
more than a mere cartoon by previewing a rough cut at
film festivals; the strategy led to the film becoming the
biggest animated hit of all time, and the first cartoon
to be nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture. Similar
techniques resulted in both _Aladdin_ and _The Lion King_
surpassing _Beauty_’s remarkable success.
This death hasn’t made the splash in the media that the
passing last year of Frank Wells, Disney’s president, did,
but it must be regarded as yet another major setback for
the Disney company and its animated films in particular.
Coming on the heels of the resignation of Jeffrey Katzenberg,
it may spell trouble for such upcoming Disney cartoons as
_Pocahantas_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3624, from rgswartz, 40 chars, Tue Jan 10 01:23:47 1995
This is a comment to message 3623.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Sheesh, is everyone dying off of late
?
==========================
animation/main #3625, from mikester, 89 chars, Tue Jan 10 12:13:01 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Foxtrot
We seem to be getting repeats from 1991. Anyone know what’s up?
—Mike
==========================
animation/main #3626, from hmccracken, 127 chars, Tue Jan 10 13:20:57 1995
This is a comment to message 3625.
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Bill Amend is probably on a brief vacation. That’s been the case in
past instances when _Foxtrot_ went into reruns…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3627, from elfhive, 565 chars, Tue Jan 10 22:19:51 1995
This is a comment to message 3622.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Peter Cook teamed up with Dudley Moore in the sixties to provide some very
good laughs, possibly Dudley’s best years. In the classic film, Bedazzled,
Cook plays Satan to Moore’s lovestruck fast food “chef.” Satan gives the
chef seven tries to create a situation in which the object of his affections
falls for him. Naturally he keeps being foiled.
There is some very funny animation in one sequence where Dudley accidentally
wishes he could be a fly on the wall in a morgue. If you haven’t seen this
film, seek it out!
I was lucky enough to find a laserdisc copy.
==========================
animation/main #3628, from hmccracken, 294 chars, Tue Jan 10 22:55:00 1995
This is a comment to message 3627.
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_Bedazzled_ is another wonderful film. And who could forget the
wonderful Cook-Moore sketch about Frog a la Peche (and Peche a la
Frog)? They were also responsible for one of the all-time great
Saturday Night Live sketches, which involved auditions for a
prison production of _Gigi_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3629, from lkaplan, 600 chars, Tue Jan 10 23:55:23 1995
This is a comment to message 3628.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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>They were also responsible for one of the all-time great
>Saturday Night Live sketches, which involved auditions for a
>prison production of _Gigi_
Ah yes. I think I’ve got the script for that (SNL published a book of
_really_ weird stuff their second or third year). It’s a shame that show
isn’t really funny any more (except for their (usually first break)
“commercials…
Since we’re in “animation”, have you noticed that for the last 6 or 8
months Pizza Hut has been ripping off the old “Mr. Bill” with their
commercials? They’re definitely better than the old “come to Pizza Hut”
one.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3630, from davemackey, 175 chars, Wed Jan 11 18:20:14 1995
This is a comment to message 3629.
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And that book you mention was designed by the Ken Kneitel, the son of Seymour
Kneitel who passed away recently. (See? It’s animation-related.)
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3631, from hshubs, 52 chars, Thu Jan 12 01:31:45 1995
This is a comment to message 3624.
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Well, births of such people just aren’t as obvious.
==========================
animation/main #3632, from hmccracken, 400 chars, Sat Jan 14 20:39:03 1995
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TITLE: Come CBIX with us!
Just a reminder that the animation conference will be
holding its first CBIX of 1995 tomorrow night (Sunday)
at 9pm ET.
This will be an animation open house, and like any good
open house, it will involve door prizes — in fact, everyone
who attends will get one. It’ll be a great opportunity to
discuss comics, cartoons, and related topics, too. Please
join us!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3633, from hmccracken, 1392 chars, Sat Jan 14 22:08:45 1995
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TITLE: Obiturary: George Price
So far, 1995 is proving no kinder to cartoonists than 1994 was.
I’m sad to report the death of George Price, the great _New
Yorker_ cartoonist. At least his passing was in no way
premature — he was 93.
Price contributed to the _New Yorker_ for more than sixty
years — from 1929 until just three or four years ago.
(He was already a successful cartoonist before becoming
associated with that magazine, for magazines like the’
original _Life_ and _Judge_.)
Price’s sense of humor and the subjects of his cartoons
didn’t change much over the years: He drew eccentric, often
elderly folk who surrounded themselves with the oddest
collectionss of bricabrack imaginable. (He undoubtedly had
a huge influence on other _New Yorker_ cartoonists, especially
George Booth.)
His drawing only got more brilliant over the years — it was
beautifully designed and simple, and his line was often the
subject of speculation by his fellow cartoonists, who wondered
what pen produced such a distinctive look.
Anyone who thinks that life is over at 30, 40, 70, or 80 should
look at Price’s career. He produced some of his greatest work
in the early 1990s, and a Price cartoon was generally the highlight
of whatever issue oof the _New Yorker_ it appeared in — and I
was always disappointed when I reached the end of an issue without
having seen a Price cartoon.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3634, from hmccracken, 576 chars, Tue Jan 17 21:31:31 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Dr. Seuss Lives
According to a full-page ad in today’s _New York Times_,
_Daisy-Head Maysie_ — the “lost” Dr. Seuss book that’s been
turned into an upcoming TNT animated special — is now available
in bookstores.
I’ll be interested in seeing what it’s like. Wsas it found in completed
form, or did someone else do the final artwork? And why exactly
wasn’t it ever published?
Also, when Seuss died, there were reports of a final, unfinished book —
I don’t think it was _Maysie_ — that would be published with art
by someone else. Did this ever come out?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3635, from robairmackey, 699 chars, Sun Jan 22 02:43:01 1995
This is a comment to message 3634.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
According the the initial buzz, this was a complete unpublished book
found by Ted Geisel’s widow, in a dresser drawer. Why was it unpublished?
My guess is that despite being the general width of your typical Seuss
oeuvre, it is quite a wordy story–no “Hop on Pop” or “GE&H”, but still
in that standard Seuss meter. Plus I’m certain that the subtle message it
carries–the usual acceptance of visible differences–would have caused it
to be quite out of place in 1960, when Seuss tucked this one away. Maybe
8 yeras later it would have been a hit. Maybe if he had published it then,
we’d have been better off for it. Who knows?
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3636, from davemackey, 586 chars, Fri Jan 27 05:47:53 1995
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Martin Taras
The creator of Baby Huey, Martin Taras, died on November 14. He began his
animation career in 1933 at Van Beuren, but is best known as an animator for
Paramount Studios from 1945-1956 and again from 1961-1966. The intervening
years were spent at Terrytoons, where he directed a handful of cartoons.
Since 1966 Taras worked for a variety of different studios on a
freelance basis, including Hal Seeger Productions, Kim And Gifford,
Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears. He also drew comic books for Harvey and other
companies.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3637, from hmccracken, 482 chars, Fri Jan 27 13:21:00 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: H-B Announces Storyboard Contest Winners
Hanna-Barbera has announced the winners of its second annual
Hanna-Barbera/Cartoon Network Storyboard Contest. Chris Headrick of
Brookfield, WI was the grand prize winner; he gets $5,000, an all-expenses
paid trip to Los Angeles, and a tour of the H-B studios.
Among the nine runners-up is Neal Sternecky, who may be known to members
of this conference as the artist and sometime writer of the revived _Pogo_
comic strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3638, from hmccracken, 1244 chars, Fri Jan 27 13:27:34 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Virtual Cartoons
Everybody’s talking about virtual reality these days, and since animation
has been creating virtual realities for decades, its not surprising that
there are some cartoon-related virtual reality projects in the works.
Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center has an excellent new attraction in which
you can learn about Disney Imagineering, the fabled, and usually
secretive, group which designs the Disney theme parks’ rides. Those who
attend the show get a preview of an upcoming ride based on _Aladdin_,
which uses a virtual-reality technology dubbed _Disneyvision_. Once you’ve
put on a cumbersome, two-piece helmet, you get to ride around Aladdin’s
world on a magic carpet. Everything’s rendered in amazing 3-D computer
graphics, and it looks sensational. My only concern is that the
complicated procedure for donning the helmet will lead to waiting times
for the attraction that are scary even by Disney standards.
The other upcoming cartoon virtual reality project will presumably be less
expensive, if less ambitious: Fox Interactive is developing _Virtual
Springfield_, a CD-ROM which lets you explore Springfield, the home town
of the Simpsons. This PC-based product won’t be out until some time in 1996.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3639, from robairmackey, 638 chars, Sat Jan 28 00:44:00 1995
This is a comment to message 3638.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Springfield USA is LESS ambitious than the world of Aladdin? Hmmm…I’d
have to disagreee. There are lots of places featured on each episode of
“Simpsons” and plenty of point-and-click characters. From the school to
the nuclear power plant to Moe’s to Apu’s convenience store to Krusty’s
TV studio, to the park, to church, the Flanders’ house next door…the
folks who write and upkeep the show know there’s a very keen sense of
community in Springfield and have maintained a conscious sense of
continutity throughout the course of the series.
Me? I can’t wait to explore Springfield on my own. Just so Otto isn’t
driving the bus…
==========================
animation/main #3640, from hmccracken, 340 chars, Sat Jan 28 10:03:16 1995
This is a comment to message 3639.
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————————–
I agree that Springfield is in some ways a richer world than that of
_Aladdin_. I was thinking more in terms of technology and graphics —
the Aladdin attraction will feature spectacular 3-D animation that
comes close to matching the slickness of the _Aladdin_ film. I assume
that _Virtual Springfield_ won’t be able to top that.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3641, from lkaplan, 514 chars, Sat Jan 28 16:53:23 1995
This is a comment to message 3639.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>…the folks who write and upkeep the show know there’s a very keen sense of
>community in Springfield and have maintained a conscious sense of
>continutity throughout the course of the series.
Funny how that same concept shows up in good science fiction (book and TV) …
I think it was Robert Heinlein that said that if one wants to build a
world, it should be consistent with itself, and _never_ break the rules
that have been established for it.
The existence of the “big picture” is very important.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3642, from davemackey, 185 chars, Sun Jan 29 06:42:00 1995
This is a comment to message 3637.
————————–
Sternecky has worked for a number of years at the Startoons studio in
Chicago, where he’s worked on episodes of “Tiny Toon Adventures” and
“Animaniacs.”
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3643, from davemackey, 475 chars, Sun Jan 29 06:57:22 1995
This is a comment to message 3635.
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————————–
I took a look at “Daisy-Head Mayzie” in the bookstore the other day, and the
artwork didn’t look like Seuss as all, so he had probably just written it and
not illustrated it.
In fact, if you look at the indicia, it says somewhere “Based on the
animated special by Hanna-Barbera Productions.”
The design of Mayzie is typical Seuss, but some of the ancillary
characters don’t look like anything that would spring from his imagination.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3644, from hmccracken, 1824 chars, Sun Jan 29 17:30:55 1995
————————–
TITLE: Review: The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
I first heard about The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera — an attraction
at Universal Studios Florida — six years or so ago, before Universal
Florida even opened. (A friend worked on it.) But I didn’t get to
actually experience the ride until last weekend, when I was in Orlando
for business.
It was worth the wait. It’s an excellent ride, and arguably the best
attraction to be found at Universal Florida. After waiting in line
(and watching H-B cartoons on video monitors), you are let into
a room where Yogi Bear and Boo Boo greet you from video screens mounted
on the wall. On another screen, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera appear and
speak about animation. One of them draws Elroy Jetson, and then somebody
makes a disparaging remark about Dick Dastardly. Dastardly appears and’
kidnaps Elroy — then the audience is let into the ride itself, which is
a rocketship simulator piloted by Yogi Bear!
Yogi and the audience set off to rescue Elroy, which involves riding through
scenes from Hanna-Barbera cartoons that combine character animation with
computer-generated backgrounds. You travel through Bedrock (which is crammed
with street scenes full of details that rush by so fast that they’re
almost subliminal), then through a haunted castle accompanied by Scooby-Doo,
and finally into the futuristic world of the Jetsons.
There are surprises along the way that I won’t spoil for you. I’m not really
a Hanna-Barbera fan, but I enjoyed this ride mightily — it’s exciting and
funny, and the most creative of the many simulator rides I’ve been on
lately. While no one at H-B will admit to it, the animation for the
attraction was actually done by the Bluth studio; H-B was deemed unable
to create the slick, full character animation required for the ride.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3645, from hmccracken, 2210 chars, Sun Jan 29 17:41:34 1995
————————–
TITLE: More Stuff About Cartoons at Universal Studios Florida
What do Woody Woodpecker, Mighty Mouse, Casper, Fievel, Fred Flintstone,
Popeye, and Bullwinkle have in common? They’re all cartoon character who make
appearances in one form or another at Universal Studios Florida.
While Woody and the other Lantz characters have been associated with
Universal for more than fifty years, they apparently weren’t deemed
strong enough to support the park all by themselves — so Universal
has called in the motley crew of old and new characters mentioned
above.
Fievel has an _American Tail_ section of the park all to himself, with
rides aimed at very small children. Bullwinkle and Rocky get a stage
show (which wasn’t running the day I was there), plus a small store
that sells nothing but Jay Ward merchandise. The Hanna-Barbera characters
appear in the aforementioned simulator ride, which is next door to
an H-B activity center and a large gift store that sells only Hanna-
Barbera stuff.
Popeye, who also appears at the MGM Grand theme park in Las Vegas, appears
in the form of a real live actor made up to look like the one-eyed sailor.
Woody and Winnie Woodpecker also roam the park and greet guests. As far as I
could see, Mighty Mouse and Casper only appear on the sign of a large gift
shop devoted to toon merchandise, but I presume that Casper will become
more prominent once the upcoming Spielberg Casper film is released.
Despite, or perhaps because of, this wealth of very different cartoon
characters, Universal seems uncomfortable with the world of animation
compared to Disney-MGM Studios, its competitor at Walt Disney World.
Disney-MGM features the more consistent, coherent world of Disney
animation, and has a real animation studio on the premises; Universal’s
cartoon-related offerings are more fragmented, and seem to be present
mainly because people expect to find cartoon characters at a theme park.
As an animation fan, I’d like to see Universal make at least a little
effort to pay tribute to ita long association with Walter Lantz. Other
than the roaming Woody and Winnie characters, and lots of merchandise,
there’s nothing in the park dedicated to Lantz’s creations.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3646, from hmccracken, 641 chars, Tue Jan 31 14:18:07 1995
This is a comment to message 3643.
There are additional comments to message 3643.
————————–
I checked out _Daisy-Head Mayzie_ yesterday, and the book has the scent of
a scam about it. It says “By Dr. Seuss,” but it’s obvious that the
finished art is by someone else. (It may or may not be based on
preliminary art by Seuss.) Presumably, the publishers think that the book
is more likely to sell a lot of copies if it’s credited to Seuss alone,
rather than to Seuss and Joe Q. Cartoonist, so the book’s illustrator goes
without credit. I guess you’re supposed to assume that Seuss was
responsible for the art.
Also, the book is dedicated to Theodor Geisel. Isn’t it a bit odd for a
book to be dedicated to its own author?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3647, from kipw, 746 chars, Tue Jan 31 20:00:15 1995
————————–
TITLE: Rushdie plugs Hanna-Barbera
The February 6 issue of Newsweek (in our mailbox today) has an
article on Salman Rushdie and his new book of stories. Author Sarah
Chrichton starts off “To be sure, it isn’t the first time Salman
Rushdie’s work has been suppressed. It’s just the dumbest.”
She goes on to note (with appropriate sarcasm) that Turner
Broadcasting demanded the deletion of some lines from the
“Flintstones” theme. Rushdie is quoted as asking “…it sure
as hell is chickensh–. If I quoted these lines, somebody
would shoot _Fred_Flintstone?_”
Sadly, the article deviates from this promising beginning,
mentioning the Flintstones again only in passing. Rushdie
should be glad he didn’t choose to tangle with Disney lawyers.
–Kip
==========================
animation/main #3648, from robairmackey, 182 chars, Tue Jan 31 23:48:06 1995
This is a comment to message 3640.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Since it’s a cruder and easier to manipulate atmosphere, you could possibly
pack more of Bart’s world onto a CD-ROM than Aladdin’s.
When does “Poca’s Canoe Ride” come out? 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3649, from robairmackey, 755 chars, Tue Jan 31 23:52:39 1995
This is a comment to message 3641.
————————–
Take “The Flintstones”, for example: there is absolutely no continuity
running through the first six years of the series. There were about four
different Mr. Slates, where Fred worked went through name changes, even
parts of Fred’s house looked different from episode to episode.
This is why it rankles me whenever Turner tries to create continuity
in its published works for Bedrock–why dabble in revisionist history?
(On a comics note, this was a malaise Archie Comics suffered through
in the 1950’s and 1960’s: I even saw some “model sheets” drawn by Archie
juggernaut Dan DeCarlo of his room, Reggie’s room, etc…that were rarely,
if ever, used by Archie’s stable of artists.
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3650, from robairmackey, 238 chars, Tue Jan 31 23:54:17 1995
This is a comment to message 3643.
————————–
“Daisy-Head Mayzie” may well be the Cheez-Whiz of Dr. Seuss books. Must
see the special before deciding for sure. (What the hell is “Time” magazine
doing in Seuss’ universe?)
–Robair
==========================
animation/main #3651, from davemackey, 184 chars, Wed Feb 1 18:16:07 1995
This is a comment to message 3648.
————————–
Two weeks before the movie is released… its premiere, by the way, is set
for June 10th in Central Park. Tickets to be distributed via a free lottery.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3652, from davemackey, 651 chars, Fri Feb 3 23:45:09 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Famous Studios: the tribute
Last evening was opening night of the Museum Of Modern Art’s tribute
to Famous Studios, 1942-1967. Among the luminaries in attendance:
Jackson Beck, Myron Waldman, John Gentilella, Shamus Culhane, Howard
Post, and Ralph Bakshi.
Additionally, on Friday, Jerry Beck hosted an ASIFA-East screening
of a number of Paramount cartoons and Howard Beckerman spoke at length
on what working for Paramount was like. Tony Peters, a writer and
designer in the 1960’s, was aboard as well.
The screenings run through Sunday, if you care to trudge to the
snow to get to them.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3653, from davemackey, 774 chars, Sat Feb 4 21:00:42 1995
————————–
TITLE: Who wields the DNA Pen?
CNN has been running a report this weekend on how DNA is used to authenticate
animation art. The report is part of an ongoing series called “Tomorrow
Today.”
You will remember a while ago (animation/tie.ins #340. 5/28/92) that
Hanna-Barbera’s art program announced that all future issues will include the
DNA of Joe Barbera. How this is accomplished: Joe signs the artwork with a
special Sharpie-like pen which has ink infused with Joe’s DNA pattern taken
from hair and saliva samples. There is a method of authenticating the
signature with a special computer scanner.
The founder of Art Guard, the company that provides the verification
process, was interviewed for the piece along with Joe Barbera.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3654, from davemackey, 696 chars, Sun Feb 5 22:23:19 1995
This is a comment to message 3652.
————————–
I did happen to catch the final two screenings today, and among those in
attendance were Eddie Lawrence, the Old Philosopher himself (and a prolific
voice/writer in the 1960’s), and Eddy Taras, daughter of the late animator
Martin Taras.
One of the treats in the 1950’s program not previously mentioned: a
rare pencil-test version of the 1957 Casper cartoon “Ice Scream.”
And guess what? If you can get the right prints, Paramount cartoons look
GREAT on the big screen! Even the 16mm Harveytoons prints looked pretty good,
but the 35mm IB Technicolor prints were outstanding. Hopefully Jerry Beck
will let these cartoons out to play sometime again soon.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3655, from edejesus, 1182 chars, Mon Feb 6 08:29:46 1995
————————–
TITLE: Help Byte Magazine?
To Whom It May Concern:
For a State of The Art series of articles on 3D technology to
appear in the July 1995 Byte Magazine, I would like to find out
about topics of interest to you. In a Byte State of the Art,
we present three articles in a single issue, all examining
different aspects of a central theme. July’s central theme is
3D technology. As the name “State of the Art” suggests, we are
looking at the latest, leading-edge technology in software and
in hardware. This may involve research work, R&D, or an actual
product.
I can imagine 3D topics might include:
new algorithms
visualization systems for medical, scientific
or other uses
simulation
games
perspectives on computer 3D development
existing and available hardware
As always in Byte, we want to cover all the technical details
in as much depth as possible.
What do you think? What would you like to see covered in 3D?
Thank you in advance.
Ed DeJesus
Senior Editor
Byte Magazine
PS
My address/phone/fax/e-mail information is:
Internet: ed******@bi*.com
CompuServe: 76443,1723
Please send e-mail to me directly, if possible, so I don’t miss
your reply. Thanks!
==========================
animation/main #3656, from davemackey, 1261 chars, Mon Feb 6 22:41:28 1995
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: John Halas
John Halas, 82, co-founder of the Halas And Batchelor animation studio, died
on January 20, in London.
Born in Hungary in 1912, Halas moved to London in 1936, where he met a
fellow aspiring animator, Joy Batchelor. They married in 1940 and founded
Halas And Batchelor the same year. It soon became England’s most renowned
animation studio, with more than 2200 productions to its credit. The studio’s
masterpiece was undoubtedly an ambitious animated feature version of George
Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, released in 1954. They also subcontracted for a
number of American animation concerns, including King Features Syndicate (the
Popeye cartoons), Rankin-Bass (“The Jackson 5ive”) and DePatie-Freleng (“Hoot
Kloot”). Other films of theirs seen in this country included “Snip Snap” and
“Dodo, The Kid From Outer Space.”
Halas also authored or co-authored more than twenty books on animation.
Among them: “Masters Of Animation”, “Graphics In Motion”, “The Great Movie
Cartoon Parade” with David Rider, “How To Cartoon” with Bob Privett, “Visual
Scripting”, “Contemporary Animators”, and “The Technique Of Film Animation”
with Roger Manvell.
Joy Batchelor died in 1991.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3657, from hmccracken, 452 chars, Sat Feb 11 12:06:30 1995
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Cecil Roy
Cecil Roy has died at the Actors’ Extended Care Facility in
Englewood, New Jersey, at the age of 94. Ms. Roy was a radio
performer known as “The Girl of a Thousand Voices;” she also
provided the voice of Little Lulu for Famous Studios’ animated
cartoons, and was one of several actresses to portray Casper
the Friendly Ghost. I don’t know much about her career —
if anyone has any specifics, I’d love to hear them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3658, from hkenner, 244 chars, Sat Feb 11 12:52:45 1995
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————————–
TITLE: A Star for CJ
On Monday, Feb. 13, at 11:30 a.m., Chuck Jones will receive a Star
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Place, 7007 Hollywood Blvd, north
side, in front of
CC Brown’s and across from the Roosevelt Hotel. The public is invited.
==========================
animation/main #3659, from hmccracken, 264 chars, Sat Feb 11 23:09:34 1995
This is a comment to message 3658.
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There are additional comments to message 3658.
————————–
I wish I could be there to see Jones get his star. I’ll be sure to visit
it on my next trip to LA.
How many animators have been awarded this honor? Walt Disney has a star,
I’m sure, but is Jones only the second? How about Walter Lantz and Friz
Freleng?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3660, from davemackey, 200 chars, Sun Feb 12 09:26:32 1995
This is a comment to message 3659.
————————–
Freleng got his star in 1993. Lantz may have a star, too, but I don’t know
for sure. There are some cartoon characters who have stars like Bugs Bunny
and Mickey Mouse.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3661, from hmccracken, 476 chars, Sun Feb 12 23:37:22 1995
————————–
TITLE: $2,000,000 in Non-Existent Cels
CNN just broadcast a report on a recent Sotheby’s auction
of cels from _The Lion King_. Over $2,000,000 was bid for
the artwork from the Disney blockbuster.
What CNN didn’t mention — and what Disney tries to gloss
over — is that no cels were made during the production
of _The Lion King_. Like other recent Disney features, it
was colored by computer. The cels in the auction were
made specifically to be sold to collectors.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3662, from elfhive, 315 chars, Mon Feb 13 21:54:04 1995
This is a comment to message 3658.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Shucks, just missed it. I returned from LA on Sunday. I even went to
Hollywood for an afternoon. Found out that Larry Edmund’s Bookstore is
even less stocked on animation books that last year. I did pick up
Shamus Culhane’s primer on animation at a Santa Monica bookstore, though.
It is terrific. So well written!
==========================
animation/main #3663, from hmccracken, 437 chars, Mon Feb 13 21:58:19 1995
This is a comment to message 3662.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That’s OK, Elf, I know how you feel. I was in LA the week before
Grim Natwick’s 100th birthday party, and couldn’t stay…
Somebody should write an article, or maybe even a slim book, on
animation-related sites to see in the LA area. My favorite is the Dudley
Do-Right Emporium, the tiny store on Sunset Boulevard where you can buy
Bullwinkle merchandise from Jay Ward’s widow. (If it’s gone out of
business, don’t tell me!)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3664, from elfhive, 221 chars, Mon Feb 13 22:27:05 1995
This is a comment to message 3663.
————————–
I stayed at the Park Sunset Hotel just down the street from the Emporium
last year. It seemed alive and well then (same time as this year), I
have to confess that I stayed out of it to protect my fragile credit
cards 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3665, from davemackey, 444 chars, Sat Feb 25 19:34:55 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Walter Clinton: reports of his demise?
I just read the electronic edition of the Peg-Board for February, and noted
an item that stated that Walter Clinton is desirous of hearing from former
colleagues at his Sun City, AZ address.
Didn’t Walter Clinton die two years or so? I’ve been looking through my
old BIX messages and APATOONS to find answers, but as yet can’t finger the
exact date of passing.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3666, from hmccracken, 180 chars, Sat Feb 25 21:03:42 1995
This is a comment to message 3665.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Gee whiz, I thought so. He was interviewed in an issue of _Animato_
a couple of years or so ago, and I thought the interview was printed
after his death. Very strange…
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3667, from davemackey, 342 chars, Sun Feb 26 08:17:22 1995
This is a comment to message 3666.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I sent some e-mail to Jeff Massie on this question, and it was
returned with a note saying he’d be on vacation until March 6.
So it may be some time before we crack this one wide open.
If Walter Clinton is indeed still alive, it’s a miracle
he’s survived this long, as sick as he was.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3668, from hmccracken, 410 chars, Sun Feb 26 11:01:21 1995
This is a comment to message 3667.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, I dug out my copy of _Animato_ #23, which features an interview with
Clinton. It says that it’s the last one he ever did, and that he passed
away in January of 1992. Unless this report of Clinton’s death is
greatly exaggerated, I’d tend to believe that he is no longer with us,
and the Peg-Board’s blurb is garbled somehow. (Perhaps Clinton’s family
is interested in contacting his co-workers.)
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3669, from davemackey, 159 chars, Sun Feb 26 12:09:57 1995
This is a comment to message 3668.
————————–
Well, you can see it for yourself… “The Peg-Board” has been posted in
animation/best.of.net. Which, I believe, you posted…
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3670, from davemackey, 1103 chars, Thu Mar 2 22:31:27 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Carl Stalling, take two
Warner Bros. Records has released “The Carl Stalling Project, Volume 2: More
Music From Warner Bros. Cartoons, 1939-1957.” (9-45430-2) Less a historical
overview of his career than the first volume was, this one is very heavy on
the 1950’s period of his career and is more reliant on entire scores of
Stalling taken from the music master tapes (Volume 1 specialized more in
montages)..
Cartoons whose scores are heard in their entirety are: “Zoom And Bored”,
“The High And The Flighty”, “The Slap-Hoppy Mouse”, “Guided Muscle”, “The
Unexpected Pest”, “Barbary Coast Bunny”, “Pappy’s Puppy”, and “Mouse-Taken
Identity”. Again the sound quality is bright and vibrant and producers Greg
Ford and Hal Willner have put out a first-class product.
Liner notes include testimony from three Warner Bros. directors: Chuck
Jones, Friz Freleng, and Norm McCabe, as well as other critics and experts,
including former WB animator Sam Nicholson, “Animaniacs” musical director
Richard Stone (a latter-day Stalling disciple), and Will Friedwald.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3671, from davemackey, 485 chars, Thu Mar 2 22:31:35 1995
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Larry Silverman
Larry Silverman, an animator whose career spanned fifty-six years (from 1926
to 1982), died on January 30. He is perhaps best known for his 1950’s tenure
at Famous Studios under head animator Myron Waldman, most notably on Casper
cartoons, though he also worked for Harman-Ising during their Warner Bros.
years (with screen credit on “Wake Up The Gypsy In Me”) and with
Hanna-Barbera and Filmation in the 70’s and 80’s.
–Dave
==========================
animation/main #3672, from hshubs, 59 chars, Thu Mar 2 23:54:44 1995
This is a comment to message 3670.
————————–
This is good news. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for it.
==========================
animation/main #3673, from hmccracken, 863 chars, Sun Mar 12 19:34:44 1995
————————–
TITLE: News From Maurice
I just had a nice chat with Maurice Noble, the designer of most of Chuck Jones’s
greatest cartoons (and a Disney veteran who worked on _Snow White_, _Bambi_, and
other films).
Maurice is busier than ever, having recently returned from a 17-day tour of
Turkey and a guest appearance at the recent _Snow White_ museum show in
Indianapolis. After finishing work on _Chariots of Fur_, Chuck Jones’s
new Road Runner cartoon, he moved to a startup feature animation group
at Turner, which is involved in the very early stages of planning for
a theatrical film.
Why is Maurice working on this project, rather than contributing to
Chuck Jones’s upcoming sequels to _One Froggy Evening_ and _What’s
Opera, Doc?_ Just because he’d rather work on new ideas right now.
He may be involved in future Jones projects if they sound appealing.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3674, from hmccracken, 377 chars, Sun Mar 12 21:15:08 1995
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TITLE: Inbetweener in /long.messages
Check out the long.messages topic for an electronic version of the
current issue of _Inbetweener_, ASIFA-Hollywood’s newsletter. It’s
full of interesting stuff, including the news that the upcoming
revised version of _Fantasia_ will feature a segment that involves
Donald Duck as Noah’s helper, set to _Pomp and Circumstance_ (!).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3675, from hmccracken, 295 chars, Wed Mar 22 18:28:17 1995
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TITLE: CBIX This Sunday!
Its been quite awhile since our last CBIX session, so let’s get together
this Sunday at 9pm eastern time for a comics/cartoons open house.
There won’t be a set agenda, but I’ll cheerfully relate news from my
London trip to anyone who’ll listen. Please join us!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3676, from hmccracken, 567 chars, Tue Mar 28 20:34:24 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: What Are Katzenberg & Co. Up To?
Last week’s _Time_ magazine had a cover story on Dreamworks SKG, the much-touted
film studio being set up by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David
Geffen. The article devotes a fair amount of space to the new studio’s animation
plans, and notes that its first animated production will be _Prince of Egypt_,
a biblical tale with music by Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer. That film
will be released in time for Christmas, 1998; the next planned release after
that is _El Dorado: Cortez and the City of Gold_.
— Harry
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animation/main #3677, from hkenner, 130 chars, Tue Mar 28 20:59:36 1995
This is a comment to message 3676.
There are additional comments to message 3676.
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Re Katzenberg & Co. —
Alonmgside last week’s TIME, this week’s NEWSWEEK suggests that they
are out on a financial limb. …
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3678, from switch, 42 chars, Wed Mar 29 21:26:06 1995
This is a comment to message 3676.
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Don’t plan to start small, do they?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3679, from hmccracken, 564 chars, Wed Apr 5 09:00:02 1995
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TITLE: Time for another Animation CBIX Trivia Night!
Please join us this Sunday (April 9th) at 9pm ET for our first
Animation CBIX Trivia Night of 1995! We’ll offer our usual
multiple-choice quiz (which is fun even if you don’t know much
about comics and cartoons), and will be giving away books, magazines,
and other prizes. It’s an extremely sociable and enjoyable event.
Also, we’ll be saying goodbye to BIXen davemackey, an invaluable
participant who is unfortunately leaving BIX this month. Please join
us to win some prizes and wish Dave the best!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3680, from hmccracken, 652 chars, Sat Apr 8 15:05:58 1995
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TITLE: Trivia Night Prizes!
Just a reminder: tomorrow night (Sunday) at 9pm ET, we’ll be holding an
Animation CBIX Trivia Night, which will also serve as a farewell party
for BIXen Dave Mackey. Here are the prizes that we’ll be giving away:
* A subscription to Animato magazine
* Multiple copies of Animato #31, hot off the press
* _Pogo Even Better_ (An excellent book collection of the classic strip)
* _Disney’s the Art of Animation_ (lavish Bob Thomas book on the studio)
* _The Best of H.T. Webster_ (large 1951 collection of drawings by the
great cartoonist)
That’s just a sampling — we’ll also have some surprises. See you there!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3681, from hmccracken, 785 chars, Sat Apr 8 15:11:53 1995
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TITLE: Animato’s Latest
The new issue of _Animato_ magazine (number 31) is out, and it’s full of nifty
stuff. The cover story is an interview with Gerald Scarfe, the vitriolic British
caricaturist, on his work on the film _Pink Floyd: The Wall_. There are also
interviews with Stan Lee and voice artist Don Messick, reviews of books and
videos (including an interesting-sounding volume called _Walt Disney: The FBI
Files), an obituary for Doug Wildey, the creator of _Jonny Quest_, a story
on stop-motion animators the Bolex Brothers, the results of the Animato
film poll, and lots of other material.
The issue also includes my _Curiosity Shop_ column, which is devoted this
time to the imitation Mickey Mouse characters who dominated American
animation in the early 1930s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3682, from hmccracken, 932 chars, Sun Apr 9 18:10:55 1995
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TITLE: Prizes for tonight’s trivia get-together!
Here’s a complete list of the prizes for tonight’s CBIX bash:
* A subscription to Animato magazine
* _Pogo Even Better_ (An excellent book collection of the classic strip)
* _Disney’s the Art of Animation_ (lavish Bob Thomas book on the studio)
* _The Best of H.T. Webster_ (large 1951 collection of drawings by the
great cartoonist)
* _Dahl’s Boston_ (terrific book of cartoons by the seasoned social
cartoonist)
* _Duckman_ comics #1
* _Krusty Comics_ #1
* _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ (reprint of the classic adaptation_
Our top scorer tonight gets to pick any three of the above. The
second-place finisher gets to pick two of the remaining prizes. And the
third place finisher gets his or her choice of two of the remaining prizes
adter that.
Plus: Every participant gets to choose between a free copy of _Animato_ or
_fps_ magazines, just for playing!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3683, from hmccracken, 545 chars, Fri Apr 14 10:14:53 1995
————————–
TITLE: Burl Ives, 1909-1995
Burl Ies has died. Ives was equally excellent as a folk singer and
as an actor, and had at least a few animation-related credits: He acted in
_So Dear to My Heart_, a Disney film that combined live-action and
animation, and narrated _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_, the fixture of
Christmas TV. I’m sorry he didn’t do more animation work — his voice
would have been great for it.
Ives also did a great album of animal songs, on the Disney label, that I
must have played a million times when I was a kid.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3684, from dgh, 1907 chars, Thu May 25 09:36:58 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: June Foray Radio Interview
The morning DJ on WAOR in Niles, MI did a phone interview with June Foray,
“the queen of cartoon voice work” this morning. I listened to it and took
notes (on paper). I’, going to be late for work this morning so that I can
transcribe my notes while the interview is still fresh in my memory. She
rendered samples of all of the characters mentioned in the interview.
Woody mentioned that she’s considered the “female Mel Blanc” and she
related that Mel Blanc used to say that he was the “male June Foray”.
When she was a kid, she did impersonations of the stars in the movies her
parents took her to see.
She started out doing children’s story albums for a record company.
Her first cartoon voice was for Witch Hazel for Disney. Chuck Jones liked
her so much, that he hired her to do Witch Hazel for Warner Bros.
She’s the voice for Rocky and Natasha from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show.
Also Nell–Dudley Doright’s girlfriend and most of the female voices in
Fractured Fairytales.
She’s Granny in the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, including (32?) newly
recorded episodes that will premiere on September 19 (no mention of where).
She will be working on an Energizer battery commercial (I assume as Rocky,
from the context in which it came up), in which Boris and Natasha will
appear, possibly Dudley Doright, and maybe Bullwinkle (which brought up how
Warner Bros. rejected Noel Blanc as Bullwinkle’s voice, because they felt
that he didn’t sound enough like his father’s Bullwinkle).
She’s also Alice in the Honeymousers. She mentioned who did the other
voices, but I didn’t write them down…
—end of interview—
After the first song following the interview, a promo for the morning show
came on, featuring Rocky the Squirrel! “When I vacation in southwestern
Michigan, I always listen to _Waking up with Woody_ on WAOR, 95.3 FM.”
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3685, from dgh, 122 chars, Thu May 25 22:18:15 1995
This is a comment to message 3684.
There are additional comments to message 3684.
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On the drive to work, I caught another promo for “Wake up With Woody” with
June Foray as Witch Hazel.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3686, from hmccracken, 770 chars, Thu May 25 23:28:14 1995
This is a comment to message 3684.
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Sounds like it was a great interview, and similar to the personal appearance
June made here in San Francisco in April. She still does all her voices
perfectly, and is at least as engaging and funny just being herself as
she is when being Rocky or Witch Hazel.
One note: Warner’s didn’t object to Noel Blanc doing Bullwinkle, since
Bullwinkle isn’t a Warner character, and Mel Blanc never did his voice.
Noel was, however, his father’s choice to be his successor as voice
of Bugs Bunny and all the other Warner characters whom Mel voiced.
While Noel has done a Warner voice or two from time to time, he hasn’t
done many — both because others come closer to Mel’s voices than Noel
can, and because he apparently has no great interest in doing voices
full time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3687, from hmccracken, 1808 chars, Fri May 26 19:33:37 1995
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TITLE: Two Giants are Dead
Friz Freleng died this morning, following a long illness. Freleng was
one of the last surviving directors from the golden age of Warner Bros.
animation (others include Chuck Jones, as well as the lesser-known
Art Davis and Norm McCabe), and the co-founder of the Depatie-Freleng
studio, which produced the Pink Panther cartoons and many other
animated works for theaters and TV.
Freleng’s career began in the mid-1920s in Kansas City, at the same
advertising agency that gave Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, and several other
important animators their start. After relocating to Los Angeles to
work with Disney, he ended up working for Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising,
where he was involved with Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes and Merrie
Melodies from the beginning. He became a director — the longest-serving
of all Warners’ cartoon directors — and did the first Porky Pig cartoon,
nearly all the Tweety and Sylvester and Yosemite Sam films, and many others.
When the Warner studio closed in the early 1960s, he founded Depatie-
Freleng, where he created the Pink Panther and made new films starring
the Warner characters. Eventually, in the early 1980s, he ended up heading
a revived Warner studio, and produced several theatrical compilation films
which featured both old and new animation. His involvement with the
industry continued until very recently, and he had been creating limited-
edition cels in recent years.
Freleng won several Oscars for his work, including one for the Bugs
Bunny film _Knighty Knight Bugs_. Many of his greatest cartoons, such
as the jazzy Disney parody _Three Little Bops_, featured musical
themes.
This message’s subject line referred to two giants dying, but the other
one deserves a message of his own — so I will continue in the next
message.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3688, from hmccracken, 1129 chars, Fri May 26 19:39:45 1995
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TITLE: RIP, Preston Blair
As if losing Friz Freleng isn’t enough, we’ve also lost Preston Blair, one
of the greatest of all animators. I just heard of Blair’s death, but have
not been able to confirm if it just happened recently or not.
Blair is most famous for his animation of Red Riding Hood, the sexy blonde
co-star of most of Tex Avery’s greatest MGM cartoons of the 1940s.
He also did some excellent work for Disney in the late 1930s and early
40s, including the owl in _Bambi_ and the dancing hippoes in the Dance of
the Hours sequence of _Fantasia_. While Blair is best known as an
animator, he directed or co-directed films as well, including some
entertaining Barney Bear cartoons in the 1950s, and headed his own
TV animation studio for some years.
Preston Blair was also responsible for two how-to books on animation
published by Walter Foster, which have been in print for decades
(and have recently been repacked into a single volume). These indispensable
works have been a bible for aspiring animators for so long that Blair
probably ranks as the most influential teacher of animation who ever lived.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3689, from hmccracken, 436 chars, Wed May 31 00:03:36 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: And the Reuben goes to…
Last week in Boca Raton, Florida, the annual National Cartoonists’
Society awards were given out. Winning the Reuben as outstanding cartoonist
of the year was Gary Larson, for _The Far Side_ (which he discontinued at
the end of last year). Garry Trudeau took the award for outstanding humor
strip — he’s been nominated for many NCS awards over the years, but this
is the first time he’s won.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3690, from hkenner, 47 chars, Wed May 31 16:21:40 1995
This is a comment to message 3689.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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And has Berke Breathed ever won anything?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3691, from hmccracken, 370 chars, Thu Jun 1 13:56:04 1995
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TITLE: Christopher Reeve’s Accident
Actor Christopher Reeve, best known for his portrayal of Superman
(but a darn good actor in other roles, too) has suffered a serious
horse-riding accident. Reeve is currently paralyzed and on a
respirator, and his doctors have no public comments to make on
his long-term prognosis.
Let’s hope for the best for Chris Reeve.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3692, from hmccracken, 432 chars, Thu Jun 1 14:01:48 1995
This is a comment to message 3690.
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I’m not sure if Breathed has ever won an NCS award, but he is one of only
two strip artists to get a Pulitzer, along with Trudeau.
Speaking of Breathed, NBC’s recent documentary on Bill Gates (_Tycoon_)
featured an interview with Breathed, and clips of his satirical screen
saver which was pulled from the market after Microsoft complained.
(It was a parody of _Jurassic Park_, except with Gates in the dinosaur’s
role.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3693, from hmccracken, 311 chars, Wed Jun 7 03:21:47 1995
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TITLE: Obituary: Steve Fiott
Steve Fiott, editor of the New Hampshire-based Disney fanzine
_Storyboard_, passed away in his sleep last night. Fiott’s will
asks that his wife have him cremated — then sprinkle the ashes
over Disneyland.
No word on the fate of _Storyboard_ after this untimely passing.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3694, from hmccracken, 858 chars, Sat Jun 10 01:41:27 1995
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TITLE: _The 100 Greatest Cartoons of the Century_…
is the title of a new book which purports to contain the hundred
funniest newspaper and magazine cartoons ever published. It *does*
include many extremely amusing pieces (as well as a few duds), but
I refuse to believe that nearly all the top hundred funnies were
published in the last five or ten years — yet nearly all the ones
in the book are that recent. The book includes multiple Dilberts,
Calvin and Hobbeses, and the like, yet no work by many brilliant
cartoonists.
I guess this sort of book boils down to being a collection of the
editor’s favorite comics, and I don’t quite share the taste of
this particular editor. My version of this book would include works
by George Herriman, Walt Kelly, George Price, and Tom (_Tumbleweeds_)
Ryan — but I don’t think any are represented here.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3695, from elfhive, 369 chars, Sat Jun 10 10:16:45 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _fps_ #5
Received my issue last week and congrats are in order for Emru. Nice issue!
I particularly enjoyed Jerry Beck’s article on widescreen cartoons and emru
interview with Hanna-Barbera’s Ellen Cockrill. Thanks to Dave Mackey to
for all the news bits. The new publisher seems to have infused the magazine
with some higher production values. Keep ’em coming!
==========================
animation/main #3696, from switch, 98 chars, Sat Jun 10 11:24:14 1995
This is a comment to message 3695.
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Thanks, Elf! And I’m sure Michael (the publisher) will be happy to hear your
kind words 😉
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3697, from hmccracken, 145 chars, Tue Jun 13 00:09:22 1995
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TITLE: Our next animation CBIX session…
will be at 9pm ET on Sunday, June 25th. Mark your calendars,
and stay tuned for more details!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3698, from hmccracken, 766 chars, Sun Jun 18 02:38:58 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The current issue of _Premiere_
has an excellent article by Peter Baskind on the state of
the animation business in Hollywood. The piece focuses mainly
on Disney’s current talent wars with DreamWorks; Jeffrey
Katzenberg has lured a bunch of Disney’s top animators
to his new studio. DreamWorks’ first animated feature, a
cartoon version of the Ten Commandments called _Prince of
Egypt_, is due to be released for Christmas 1997.
Elsewhere in the issue, there are two passing references
to Disney’s _101 Dalmatians_ — and in each case, they
spell the name of the dogs as “Dalmations.” As we’ve discussed
here in the conference in the past, few words are spelled as
consistently wrong as this one, even in publications with armies of
proofreaders.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3699, from lkaplan, 483 chars, Sun Jun 18 11:53:40 1995
This is a comment to message 3698.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3698.
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Re: The current issue of _Premiere_
>DreamWorks’ first animated feature, a
>cartoon version of the Ten Commandments called _Prince of
>Egypt_, is due to be released for Christmas 1997.
Did they give any details on this? Was it sponsored by a religious group,
or are they doing it on their own?
It would be nice to see something like this done _right_, and not the usual
schlocky 5 or 6 frame-per-second (it looks like) animation that religious
material usually seems to get.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3700, from hkenner, 122 chars, Sun Jun 18 15:15:56 1995
This is a comment to message 3698.
————————–
Misspellings run in cycles. “Dalmations” is currently tops. It
even surfaced in *National Review* 2-3 issues back.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3701, from hmccracken, 550 chars, Sun Jun 18 23:54:15 1995
This is a comment to message 3699.
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They didn’t give too many details on _Prince of Egypt_, except to say
that it was Steven Spielberg’s idea. Katzenberg expressed the desire
that Dreamworks should tackle an un-Disneyesque topic for its
first animated film, and Spielberg said, “You mean like _The Ten
Commandments_?” “That’s *exactly* what I mean!” said Katzenberg.
I don’t have any other details, but I would assume that they’ll
handle the story in as entertaining a manner as possible, not as
a religious tract. And look for it to be full of excellent
character animation.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3702, from hmccracken, 143 chars, Sat Jun 24 21:54:09 1995
————————–
TITLE: Animation CBIX on Sunday!
Please join on Sunday night at 9pm ET for our latest animation
conference open house. See you there!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3703, from hmccracken, 520 chars, Wed Jul 5 22:48:47 1995
————————–
TITLE: RIP, Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor has passed away after an unexpected illness caused by
complications from a broken hip; she was believed to be 74.
The youngest of the famous Gabor sisters may have been best
known for her role on the _Green Acres_ sitcom, but she also
provided voices for three Disney animated cartoons: _The Aristocats_
(in which, oddly enough, the Hungarian actress played a French
cat) and _The Rescuers_ and _The Rescuers Down Under_ (in which se
voiced Miss Bianca, a crime-fighting mouse).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3704, from hmccracken, 1064 chars, Mon Jul 10 00:09:16 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: When in Santa Rosa, Do as Snoopy Does
Yesterday, I visited Snoopy’s Gallery and Gift Shop, a mecca for
_Peanuts_ fans that’s located in Santa Rosa, California, next door
to the Redwood Empire Ice Arena, a handsome skating rink built years
ago by skating fan Charles M. Schulz.
The Gallery and Gift Shop is a medium-sized, two-story building; on
the first floor, it houses a gift store full of _Peanuts_-inspired
clothing, coffee mugs, writing instruments, books, prints, and other
merchandise, as well as a fairly large selection of ice skate and
in-line skating paraphanalia. The second story is a small but interesting
museum devoted to _Peanuts_, made up mostly of Schulz originals from
recent years, plus some of the many awards that the strip and its
creator have won over the past forty-five (!) years.
I wouldn’t plan a cross-country trip just to visit this attraction, but
if you find yourself in Northern California — especially in neighboring
Sonoma or Napa — it’s definitely worth a trip. See animation/sources
for more information.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3705, from hmccracken, 429 chars, Thu Jul 13 21:32:59 1995
This is a comment to message 3704.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Little did I know when I visited Santa Rosa that as soon as I got back,
I’d discover a bit of horrifying comics-related news that happened in
the town. Last week, the ex-wife of Charles Schulz’s business manager
shot him (the manager, not Schulz) and herself while at the Schulz
studio in Santa Rosa. Both were wounded but not critically so, and
while Schulz was in the building when all this happened, he was not
hurt.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3706, from elfhive, 739 chars, Thu Jul 13 23:19:06 1995
This is a comment to message 3705.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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That’s kind of creepy. I visited Charles Schulz’s daughter, Meredith, when
I was on my way to college many, many moons ago (we had meet in Europe,
which is another story entirely :-). I sat at dinner with the whole
family one night and stayed for a couple of days. He was kind enough to
autograph one of his books for me which I’ve managed to hold on to. He
went through his own divorce a few months after that visit, but I haven’t
kept in touch with anyone in that family.
He used to work in a studio that was in the same building as the guest
house I stayed in. It overlooked his nine-hole golf course. That was in
Sebastopol near Santa Rosa. I assume he still lives and works there. Why
would anyone want to leave that arrangement 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3707, from hmccracken, 238 chars, Fri Jul 14 00:39:07 1995
This is a comment to message 3706.
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It’s not just kind of creepy, it’s *really* creepy. IT’s sad to think
of the unpleasantries (?) of modern life intruding on the world of
_Peanuts_.
Schulz’s office is at One Snoopy Lane, which I believe is in Santa Rosa
proper.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3708, from hmccracken, 865 chars, Mon Jul 17 02:32:32 1995
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TITLE: The August issue of _Home PC_ has an article…
…about comic-related on-line resources. While it’s a veritable
collection of all the cliches of mass-market articles about comics
(it begins, “Look! Up in the sky!”), it’s full of interesting
information. Some tidbits:
* For the web site of Forbidden Planet, London’s comics megastore,
check out http://www.maths.tcd.ie/mmm/ReviewsFromTheForbiddenPlanet.
html
* Jack “King” Kirby has a site of his own, too: http://www.mordor.com/
thehop/kirby
* For political cartoons, go to http://www.unitedmedia.com/inkwell
* For a selection of United Features comic strips, see http://
www.unitedmedia.com/comics
* Calvin and Hobbes fans will want to visit http://www.csd.uu.se/~d94her/
calvin/jumpstation.html
* Shopping for comics? Do it over the web at http://www.onramp.net:80/
RecordWeb/comics.html
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3709, from edejesus, 199 chars, Mon Jul 17 13:42:39 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Little King
Does anyone out there remember a comic strip called “The Little
King”? I’m wondering if there are any books or files with
images of some of the characters.
Thanks in advance.
==========================
animation/main #3710, from hmccracken, 554 chars, Mon Jul 17 23:10:36 1995
This is a comment to message 3709.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Yup — _The Little King_ was a very long-running strip by Otto Soglow,
which was around (I believe) from the 1930s to the 1970s. It was an
excellent pantomime strip, and was the inspiration for a series of
Van Beuren cartoons in the 1930s, as well as a single Fleischer short
which teamed the King with Betty Boop.
Unfortunately, I’m in San Francisco and my reference works are all in
Boston, so I can’t tell you for sure where you can find a picture of
the King. If you can wait a couple of weeks or so, I may be able to
supply you with one.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3711, from edejesus, 104 chars, Tue Jul 18 08:36:52 1995
This is a comment to message 3710.
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Soglow! Right! Thanks for the memory jog!
Hey, I’m near Boston. Fax me your key.
Thanks for the help.
==========================
animation/main #3712, from hmccracken, 909 chars, Fri Jul 28 00:32:41 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: San Diego Report #1
Harry here, reporting on-site from sunny San Diego and the 1995
San Diego Comicon.
I flew in late this afternoon and haven’t been to the show yet, but
tonight, I went to a wonderful party at thw Circle Gallery in Old
Townn. The guest of honor was Virginia Davis, a piece of living
animation history who played Alice, the live-action little girl
who played with animated animals in _Alice in Cartoonland_,
Walt Disney’s first successful carrtoon series. It’s not often
you can chat with someone who has vivid memories of working in
animation in the mid-1920s, but Miss Davis’s memories ofthe films
she made at the age f five or so are wonderfully vivid. I came away
with an autographed copy of _Walt in Wonderland_, the excellent
book on Disney’s silent filmns — a book I already own, but I
couldn’t resist getting a copy inscribed by Alice herself.
More news tomorrow,
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3713, from hmccracken, 575 chars, Sat Jul 29 11:36:17 1995
This is a comment to message 3712.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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The last San Diego Con I’d been to was in 1990 — it was huge
then, but it must be at least three times as large now.
The dealers room features aisle upon aisle of booths selling
old comics, original art, and the like, along with displays
from major comics companies and other media concerns. There
are also a ton of panel discussions (often two or three
interesting-sounding ones at once).
One bit of interesting news from the con: Disney has acquired
worldwide marketing rights to the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police. I wonder what this means for Dudley Do-Right?
p– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3714, from jenn, 417 chars, Sat Jul 29 12:38:54 1995
This is a comment to message 3713.
There are additional comments to message 3713.
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Apparantly they had 34,000 people attend last year and they
expect to exceed that number this year…
‘jgoddin’ and ‘mwillmoth’ are there…if there’s a ‘voodoo board’,
you should try looking them up! They’re posting info (er, it’s
only been about two messages) in the sf/consuite area about
their visit to ComicCon.
Jean is apparantly helping out in tW artist’s alley and Mike is
introducing panelists and stuff.
==========================
animation/main #3715, from dgh, 80 chars, Tue Aug 1 00:05:06 1995
This is a comment to message 3713.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
On top of that, Disney also acquired ABC. No joke!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3716, from switch, 1022 chars, Tue Aug 1 00:37:49 1995
————————–
TITLE: Emmy nominations
I’ve had these on my hard disk for a week, and haven’t had the chance to
even glance at them until now. They’re the Emmy nominations for this year
that relate to animated programs:
Animated program
—————-
Dexter’s Laboratory in Changes (Cartoon Network)
Dr. Seuss’ Daisy-Head Mayzie (TNT)
A Rugrats Passover (Nickelodeon)
The Simpsons (Fox)
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toons Night (Fox)
Song
—-
Marvin Hamlisch, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Barbra Streisand: The Concert:
Ordinary Miracles
Nan Schwartz Mishkin, Cagney & Lacey: Together Again: All the Days
Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson: Going Home: Pray
Ken Thorne, A Season of Hope: A Love Like You
Alf Clausen, John Swartzwelder, The Simpsons: Homer the Great: We Do
(The Stonecutter’s Song)
Sound mixing, comedy series
—————————
Marc Gilmartin, Dream On
Dana Mark McClure, Frasier
Klaus Landsberg, Home Improvement
Phil Brown, Love & War
Peter Damski, Mad About You
Ronald Cox, The Simpsons
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3717, from hmccracken, 86 chars, Tue Aug 1 01:17:10 1995
This is a comment to message 3715.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And on top of *that*, Euro Disneyland actually turned a profit
last quarter!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3718, from hmccracken, 309 chars, Tue Aug 1 01:18:52 1995
————————–
TITLE: More on the Disney-ABC Merger
Will they call the new company ABCDisney? Seriously, it’s worth
noting that the Disney-ABC relationship dates back forty years —
to the time when ABC invested in Disneyland, and such early
Disney TV shows as _Disneyland_ and _The Mickey Mouse Club_
were on ABC.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3719, from hmccracken, 1228 chars, Tue Aug 1 01:24:53 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: More on the Comics Stamps
At the San Diego Con, I chatted with Rick Marschall, the comic-strip
expert who played a large role in putting together the comics stamps
which the post office will release this October. Rick says that
the USPS is considering additional series based on comic books and
animation, and might even do some stamps of contemporary strips like
_Calvin and Hobbes_. Since the great success of the Elvis stamp, the
post-office people aren’t nearly as opposed to using comemercial properties
as they once were.
Rick also explained, once and for all, why Pogo will not appear on a
stamp. Walt Kelly’s possum *was* going to get a stamp, but then the
Powers That Be decided that the series needed to have one stamp
representing a female cartoonist. That’s why Dale Messick’s _Brenda
Starr_ was chosen — and for some reason, the post office decided that
it was only logical that the most recently-created strip on the initial
list should be bumped. That strip was _Pogo_.
Rick showed me a mockup of the _Pogo_ stamp that will never be, and
also told me that he suggested to the post-office folks that they
do a stamp of Edwina Dunn’s excellent strip _Cap Stubbs and Tippie_ rather
than _Brenda_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3720, from hmccracken, 480 chars, Tue Aug 1 01:27:04 1995
This is a comment to message 3719.
————————–
…and I forgot to mention that Rick has written a terrific-looking
book on the history of comic strips, which the post office will
publish in October. (The introduction is by Johnny Hart.) Grab
your copy when you buy your stamps.
(Also, Rick mentioned that he told the post office that it should
print the stamps in some manner that would allow collectors to buy
stamps of only a certain character, not the entire set — a great
idea, but the post office didn’t bite.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3721, from dgh, 34 chars, Wed Aug 2 04:36:09 1995
This is a comment to message 3717.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Unbelievable!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3722, from switch, 44 chars, Wed Aug 2 07:18:13 1995
This is a comment to message 3721.
————————–
I guess the end of the world is near!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3723, from hmccracken, 1200 chars, Wed Aug 9 00:06:29 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy Boop-Oop-a-Birthday!
Tuesday was Betty Boop’s 65th birthday — she certainly doesn’t look old
enough to retire.
The American Movie Classics cable channel marked the event with an
excellent program of Betty cartoons, including her first film (_Dizzy
Dishes_), most of her best works (such as _Old Man of the Mountain_), and
a number of rarities, including two of her appearances in live-action
films. The show was hosted by Richard Fleischer, son of Max Fleischer;
interestingly, he never mentioned his Uncle Dave, the other key Fleischer
at the studio (Max and Dave’s sides of the family have been feuding for
fifty years).
Dick Fleischer also credited his father with creating Betty, but most
animation scholars believe that Grim Natwick, who animated her first film,
deserves that honor. In addition, he claimed that Max invented the
Cinecolor color process — I’m 99 44/100th% sure that he had nothing to do
with inventing the process, which was used in cartoons and live-action
films made by many studios.
Anyhow, I apologize for not alerting BIXen to this special before it aired
— I heard about it at the last moment. If AMC airs it again, it’s well
worth catching.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3724, from hkenner, 301 chars, Wed Aug 9 13:36:21 1995
This is a comment to message 3723.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
The Atlanta Constitution echoed Dick’s claim that Max created Betty Boop.
There’s an old Fleischer tradition of claiming that one or another
Fleischer (but usually Max) created *everything*. It’s of course of a
piece with Pat Sullivan claiming all credit for Felix, no mention of
Otto Messmer.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3725, from hmccracken, 705 chars, Wed Aug 9 15:20:11 1995
This is a comment to message 3724.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And of course, every Disney character is “Walt Disney’s ,” whether Walt was even present at the creation
or not. (Heck, it’s “Disney’s Pocahontas” even though Walt has been
dead for nearly thirty years.
Animation being a collaborative medium, it’s often hard to say who
created what — and more than one person can have fair claim to playing
a role in a character’s creation. Who created Betty Boop — the gagman
who wrote the story of her first cartoon, or the animator (Grim Natwick)
who first drew her? It’s also possible that multiple gagmen and multiple
animators all began work on Betty at the same time, and that Max and/or
Dave were involved from the start.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3726, from switch, 169 chars, Wed Aug 9 18:47:22 1995
This is a comment to message 3725.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Harry, I’m surprised at you! I thought you knew Walt was still alive and
secretly manipulating everything behind the scenes, along with Elvis and
Amelia Earhart.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3727, from lkaplan, 58 chars, Wed Aug 9 19:59:44 1995
This is a comment to message 3726.
————————–
You forgot Judge Crater, he’s probably helping too.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3728, from hmccracken, 604 chars, Fri Aug 11 22:29:10 1995
————————–
TITLE: Dilbert’s Dad Loses Job
I believe we’ve discussed here the fact that Scott Adams, creator of the
_Dilbert_ comic strips, also had a day job as a software engineer at
Pacific Bell in California. No longer — he was recently let go. Adams
says he doesn’t know why he lost his job (which he originally used as a
source of ideas in his strip, although less so in recent times), but he
recently gained a new boss, and Pac Bell is going through a restructuring.
It’s likely that the loss won’t be a financial hardship for Adams:
_Dilbert_ is very successful and appears in about 500 papers.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3729, from hmccracken, 606 chars, Sun Aug 13 01:22:16 1995
————————–
TITLE: RIP Phil Harris
Phil Harris has died, at the age of 89 (or perhaps 91, depending on which source
you believe). Harris was the last surviving major cast member of _The Jack Benny
Show_ radio program, and a popular musician of the 1940s — but is most
appropriately remembered here for his vocal performances in several Disney
animated features, including _The Jungle Book_ (in which he played Baloo),
_The Aristocats_, and _Robin Hood_. In recent years, Harris recreated his
role of Baloo in the pilot for Disney’s _Tailspin_ TV cartoon and performed
in Don Bluth’s _Rock-a-Doodle_ feature.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3730, from switch, 189 chars, Wed Aug 30 22:31:16 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Andre and Wally B — when?
My references have availed me naught, so I turn to the mighty forces of BIX
to answer my question: in what year did Pixar produce Andre and Wally B?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3731, from hmccracken, 241 chars, Wed Aug 30 22:51:48 1995
This is a comment to message 3730.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
1984; the film was directed by Alvy Ray Smith and animated by John Lasseter.
I got this information from that invaluable resource, “Pixar Film by Film:
A Filmography,” in Animato #19 (Winter 1990); the author was Harry
McCracken.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3732, from hmccracken, 895 chars, Wed Aug 30 22:58:47 1995
————————–
TITLE: Time-Warner to Buy Turner
Today’s newspapers say that Time-Warner is trying to acquire the
Turner Broadcasting System. From a business standpoint, the merger
would create the biggest media company of them all (bigger even
than Disney-ABC); from a cartoon fan’s view, it would mean that
one company would again own all the Warner Bros. cartoons.
(Several decades ago, Warner sold its pre-1949 films to United Artists,
which was bought by MGM, which was later sold to Turner — as a result,
there have long been competing Warner TV cartoon programs, two lines of
videotapes, and the like.)
If the deal comes off, Time-Warner would also own the Cartoon Network,
Hanna-Barbera, the Pink Panther, Tom and Jerry, and all of Tex Avery’s MGM
cartoons. Come to think of it, it would make the company a cartoon
powerhouse that could compete quite closely with Disney in some respects.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3733, from switch, 190 chars, Thu Aug 31 07:16:44 1995
This is a comment to message 3731.
————————–
Fifteen minutes later, I found the date in my notes from my first History of
Animated Film class. No director, though. Thanks! And thank that Harry
guy for writing the filmography.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3734, from hmccracken, 1801 chars, Mon Sep 4 22:08:14 1995
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Giles
Giles has died. The British cartoonist was 78, and although he did have a
first name — Carl — he never used it in his cartoons and had no need to
do so, since his work for the London _Daily Express_ was a basic fact
of British life from the 1940s until the 1990s.
American readers would probably identify Giles as a political cartoonist,
although he was really a social cartoonist of a time that really doesn’t
exist in this country, and has never been very common. While he did draw
his share of cartoons about the Prime Minister, the Royal Family, and other
political targets, his real subject was usually contemporary English life
in general, as lived by a large family of very funny characters, the most
popular of whom was an ornery, energetic Grandma.
Giles was a brilliant draughtsman whose influence was huge on several
generations of British artists. (Among those whom Americans may be
familiar with, it can certainly be seen in the work of Ronald Searle, as
well as Gerald Scarfe, Ralph Steadman, and Canadian-born cartoonist Paul
Szep.) His drawings were remarkably detailed and crammed with comic
details, and his use of line and shadow only got better over the decades.
He was also one of the few, if not the only, British cartoonists whom his
country realized was a natural treasure: For decades, his work was
reprinted in annual Christmas collections, and there are several lavish
books on his career in print. When I was in London earlier this year,
there were two different Giles museum retrospectives going on. I haven’t
seen any British accounts of his death yet, but I’m sure his passing has
prompted an outpouring of tributes to the man whom was once called “One of
the funniest men in the world” by no less an authority than Frank Sinatra.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3735, from hmccracken, 1338 chars, Wed Sep 13 10:55:29 1995
————————–
TITLE: The Cartoon Art Museum…
had been a San Francisco institution for years, but had recently
been closed for a year and a half as it seeked funds to pay for
a new home. (This seems to be a disease that strikes comics-
related museums — the east coast’s Museum of Comic Art has been
closed for several years as it plans a new move to Florida.)
The San Francisco museum reopened in late April, and since it’s
near my employer’s SF headquarters (and across the street from
Yerba Buena Gardens and the Moscone Center), I made a visit this
week. I never saw the museum in its old location, but the new
one is good-looking and respectable in size (several largish
rooms).
Three exhibits are on right now: An excellent one on the 100th
anniversary of the comic strip and the upcoming postage stamp
series, with original art from all the strips that are becoming
stamps; a show of new-wave comics by women, including Diane
Noomin, Carol Lay, and others; and an offbeat collection of
painted cartoons about show business by William Link, the co-
creator of _Columbo_ and _Murder She Wrote_. The museum also
has a large gift shop full of comics collections, and it holds
regular artist appearances and other activities.
The Cartoon Art Museum is located at 814 Mission Street in
San Franicsco, and can be reached at 415-CAR-TOON.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3736, from hmccracken, 624 chars, Fri Sep 22 23:09:40 1995
————————–
TITLE: It’s Official
Time-Warner and Turner Broadcasting have agreed to merge. Assuming
that this goes through, Time-Warner will not only own the rights
to the Warner Bros. cartoon characters but also all the cartoons
starring them (Turner owns the pre-1948 ones). T-W will also own
Hanna-Barbera, the Cartoon Network, the rights to all MGM cartoons, the
Pink Panther, and assorted other cartoon copyrights currently held by Turner.
Does this mean we’ll see new cartoons teaming Bugs Bunny and the Piunk
Panther? Will Fred Flintstone finally meet Tweety? Only time (pun
intended) will tell.
— Harry
hm********@bi*.com
==========================
animation/main #3737, from hmccracken, 374 chars, Sat Sep 30 21:09:59 1995
————————–
TITLE: October 2nd is nearly here
Some folks camp out in front of box offices to buy concert tickets. Others
make midnight runs to the computer store to be the first on their block to
have Windows 95.
Me, I’ll be making an early trip to the post office on Monday to buy a large
quantity of postage stamps starring classic American comic strip characters.
Yippeee!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3738, from hmccracken, 1093 chars, Sat Sep 30 21:18:21 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: …and the U.S. comics stamps aren’t all, folks
The Canadian postal service will also be issuing comics-related commemorative
stamps on Monday. The Canadian stamps pay tribute to five Canadian superheroes:
Superman, Fleur De Lys, Captain Canuck, Nelvana, and Johnny Canuck.
What’s that — Superman originated in the U.S.? True, but Jerry Siegel, his
co-creator and original writer, immigrated from Canada as a youth. As for the
other characters: Johnny Canuck and Nelvana are heroes from 1940s comic
books, and the latter is best known, at least in the U.S., for having inspired
the name of the Nelvana animation studios. Captain Canuck is a contemporary
hero who first appeared in 1975, and Fleur De Lys is a heroine who was created
in 1975.
It’s interesting that Canada seems to have had no problem paying tribute to
contemporary creations, while the U.S. stamps only feature characters created
before 1950. It’s also worth noting that Canada issued a Superman stamp, while
the U.S. post office has yet to pay honor to Superman, or any superhero
(unless you count Popeye).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3739, from hmccracken, 996 chars, Sat Sep 30 21:22:57 1995
————————–
TITLE: New Books
A few recent arrivals in bookstores that should be of interest to participants
in this conference:
_The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Collection_, by Bill Watterson:
A generous selection of comic strips, plus notes by Watterson on his work and
comic art in general, including his explanation of why he’s opposed to
merchandising his creations.
_The Disney Films_, by Leonard Maltin: A new edition of the essential
reference work, first published in 1973. This new edition covers such recent
works as _Aladdin_ and _The Lion King_, but as with earlier updates, it
still focuses on the films made during Walt Disney’s lifetime — the
live-action and animated films made since 1966 are covered in less detail
in the back. In any event, it’s one of the few books which every Disney fan
should own.
_DC Comics_, by Les Daniels: A lavish hardcover history of DC comics, from
the 1930s to the present. Daniels wrote a similar volume on Marvel comics
a few years ago.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3740, from edejesus, 81 chars, Sat Sep 30 22:42:53 1995
This is a comment to message 3738.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Besides, wasn’t Superman’s Fortress of Solitude somewhere in the Canadian north?
==========================
animation/main #3741, from switch, 74 chars, Sun Oct 1 17:05:37 1995
This is a comment to message 3740.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
No, the Arctic. But hey, sometimes there’s not much difference. 🙂
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3742, from edejesus, 67 chars, Sun Oct 1 20:02:01 1995
This is a comment to message 3741.
————————–
Ah! What threw me was that, in the movie, Clark Kent walked there.
==========================
animation/main #3743, from hmccracken, 515 chars, Sun Oct 8 21:53:12 1995
————————–
TITLE: Hurrah for the comic-strip stamps!
They came out last Monday, and they’re terrific. Naturally, I bought enough to
use on my mail until some time well into the next century.
I’d seen the images before I got the stamps, but the vivid colors and good
printing make them look especially good. You could quibble that some of the
drawings are a bit complex considering the small size of the stamps — the’
_Blondie_ one requires a bit of squinting — but all in all, comics fans
should be very pleased.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3744, from hmccracken, 337 chars, Mon Oct 9 09:50:40 1995
————————–
TITLE: Animation CBIX This Sunday
It’s been awhile since we last opened up the animation CBIX area for
a get-together/open house, so let’s do it this Sunday at 9pm ET.
There will be door prizes for all attendees (to be announced), plus
lots of good company and animation/comics opinions to be shared.
Please join us on Sunday!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3745, from hmccracken, 2765 chars, Mon Oct 9 21:02:01 1995
————————–
TITLE: Two Classic Books Return
Christmas must be coming. Two enormous Disney coffee-table books are out in
new editions, and at $60 apiece they’re presumably designed to be given as
gifts.
The first one is Christopher Finch’s _The Art of Walt Disney_ — which has
never been unavailable since it was published in 1973, but has never been
updated until now. (This explains why a large chunk of it is devoted to the
making of Disney’s enormously forgettable _Robin Hood_ cartoon — it happened
to be the film in production at the time the book was published.) This
book’s tremendous success — it has sold over half-a-million copies —
inspired the many, many expensive books on Disney and other animation
studios that have seen print over the last twenty years.
The revised edition has several new chapters that bring the book up to the
present, covering live-action and animated films, tv shows, and Disneyland,
Disney World, and other theme parks. It also has several pages of handsome
artwork from _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_, Disney’s next animated feature.
Missing are the original edition’s _Robin Hood_ chapter and an essay by
someone other than Finch on Disneyland and Disney World (the latter loss
is a real disappointment, because the essay was one of the best things
I’ve ever read about any facet of Disney). And even though this new edition
costs nearly twice what the 1973 one did, it’s a less lavish volume —
the original one had a canvas-bound cover with a three-dimensional cutout
of Mickey Mouse and many foldouts, all of which are missing from the new
version. Still, this looks like a respectable upgrade to one of the best
Disney books; if you don’t have the 1973 edition, this one is worth buying.
(Beware of a thin, heavily abridged version that is also widely available.)
If you can own only one book about the films of Walt Disney, though, it should
be Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston’s _Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life_.
Now back in print, and apparently unchanged from its original printing in the
early 1980s, this is a masterwork by two of Disney’s greatest animators.
The analysis of how the great Disney films came to be is hard to beat, the
discussion of their coworkers is absorbing, and the collection of artwork is
as good as in any of the many lavish Disney books that have been published
over the years.
Since Thomas and Johnston were *there* in Disney’s great days, they can’t
be counted on as impartial historians; the wounds caused by the infamous
Disney strike, for example, were clearly still painful when they wrote
their book forty years later, and they shortchange the contributions of
some artists who struck. Even so, their perspective is invaluable, and
this book is a bargain even at $60.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3746, from elfhive, 468 chars, Tue Oct 10 22:31:07 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Annie Awards
It’s encouraging to see Macross Plus being nominated for outstanding
achievement on the Annie Awards. This is truly one of the best recent
anime series from Japan. The combination of cel and computer animation
is one of the best integrations I have seen. The quality of the animation
truly transports you to other worlds. The soundtrack is memorable bridging
rock and the classics with a haunting love theme melody. I wish they made
more of these.
==========================
animation/main #3747, from switch, 156 chars, Tue Oct 10 22:33:49 1995
This is a comment to message 3746.
There are additional comments to message 3746.
————————–
Macross Plus was also in the running for an award in this year’s Images du
Futur in Montreal, for its CG effects. It certainly deserved to be there.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3748, from hmccracken, 474 chars, Sat Oct 14 18:33:02 1995
————————–
TITLE: Come win door prizes!
Just a reminder: Our animation CBIX open house begins tomorrow night (Sunday)
at 9pm ET. If you drop by, you’re eligible to win the following prizes:
_How to Go to Hell_ by Matt Groening
_The Four Elements_ (collected cartoons by Roz Chast)
_Nancy’s Dreams and Schemes by Ernie Bushmiller_ (with an introduction by
Roy Blount, Jr.!)
_One Shoe Fits All_ by Jeff Macnelly
Various issues of _Animato_ magazine
Please join us tomorrow!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3749, from sfmcnally, 56 chars, Wed Oct 18 08:23:35 1995
This is a comment to message 3746.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Can Macross Plus be seen on Satellite anywhere?
Seumas
==========================
animation/main #3750, from elfhive, 266 chars, Wed Oct 18 16:21:55 1995
This is a comment to message 3749.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Not that I’m aware of. In fact, I’m not sure it was ever broadcast, I
believe it is an OAV (original animation video) series produced directly
for home distribution. I could be wrong though, but there are only
four episodes so it wouldn’t be a very good tv “series”
==========================
animation/main #3751, from switch, 19 chars, Wed Oct 18 22:10:48 1995
This is a comment to message 3750.
————————–
It’s an OAV.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3753, from hmccracken, 444 chars, Mon Oct 23 10:04:41 1995
————————–
TITLE: Another Obituary
You’ve probably heard that Maxine Andrews, one-third of the singing
Andrews Sisters, has died in Hyannis, Mass. at the age of 79. Along with
sisters Patty and Laverne, Maxine Andrews had at least one animation
credit: the sisters performed the soundtrack for “Johnny Fedora and Alice
Bluebonnet,” a clever love story about two hats that was includerd in
Disney’s 1940s anothology feature _Make Mine Music_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3754, from hmccracken, 243 chars, Mon Oct 23 10:14:36 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: A Few Days Late, But…
last Thursday marked the sixth birthday of the BIX animation
conference. Thanks to everybody who has participated over
the years (lurkers included), and here’s to many more years
of animated discussion!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3755, from switch, 62 chars, Mon Oct 23 22:29:17 1995
This is a comment to message 3754.
————————–
Has it been six years already? Where does the time go?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3756, from hmccracken, 615 chars, Tue Oct 31 18:58:15 1995
————————–
TITLE: Another Obituary
Mary Wickes, a remarkably successful character actress from the 1930s
through the present, died last week at the age of 85. Besides being
almost certainly the only performer to co-star in movies with both
Abbott and Costello and Whoopi Goldberg, she appeared in hundreds of
TV shows and films, usually portraying a wonderfully taciturn house-
keeper, authoirity figure of some sort, or spinster aunt.
The reason I’m recording her passing here: her last performance was
as the voice of a gargoyle in _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_, a
Disney cartoon scheduled for release next year.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3757, from switch, 264 chars, Sat Nov 18 14:25:49 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Toy Story
I caught the advance screening of Toy Story today, and it was thorougly
enjoyable. Good acting (animation and voice), solid story, and a bunch of
toys that the kids in the crowd wouldn’t recognize, and gags they wouldn’t
get.
More later..
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3758, from lkaplan, 118 chars, Sat Nov 18 20:24:39 1995
This is a comment to message 3757.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: Toy Story
Good to hear! Especially about there being some things aimed at people
older than little kids …
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3759, from switch, 179 chars, Sat Nov 18 22:20:29 1995
This is a comment to message 3758.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Lots of it is aimed at people older than kids. It had the same sort of feel
as Aladdin — either the younger or older set could watch it, without
any of it seeming forced.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3760, from hmccracken, 181 chars, Sun Nov 19 18:38:01 1995
This is a comment to message 3759.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
If you want to learn more about _Toy Story_, check out the excellent
article in today’s _New York Times_, the new making-of book, or
the film’s web site: www.toystory.com.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3761, from elfhive, 544 chars, Tue Nov 21 13:05:35 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Phoenix Fox
I’m going to be in Phoenix in mid-December with my Turkish partner who is
an animator. We would like to visit the new studios that have been set
up in Phoenix but lack any current information. Does anyone here have some
details on the status of the project, whether it is up and running, if
Bluth is there at present? Also it would be appreciated if anyone has
a contact point there that would help me arrange a meeting?
If there are any pointers to a web site or an article about this facility
I would be grateful, thanks!
==========================
animation/main #3762, from hmccracken, 350 chars, Wed Nov 22 00:34:22 1995
This is a comment to message 3761.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Greg–
Fox Phoenix had an ad in the October 3rd Hollywood Reporter seeking artists
to work on an animated version of _Anastasia_ (which the ad says is
already in production). They’re at 2747 East Camelback Rd., Phoenix, Arizona, 85016; phone 602/808-4660 and FAX 602/808-4699.
I don’t have the name of an actual person there to talk with.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3763, from hmccracken, 496 chars, Wed Nov 22 23:34:48 1995
This is a comment to message 3760.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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_Toy Story_ opened today, and so far all the reviews I’ve seen have
been raves, in the _Boston Globe_, _New York Times_ _Boston Herald_,
_USA Today_, and _Time_. I can’t wait to see it.
_Wired_ magazine features a cover story this month on John Lasseter,
_Toy Story_’s director, as well. As former editor of _Animato_, I
am proud that we did cover articles on two animation directors —
Lasseter and John Kricfalusi — years before they became fodder
for mainstream national magazines.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3764, from hkenner, 299 chars, Thu Nov 23 12:41:16 1995
This is a comment to message 3763.
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On the strength of reviews, I want to see _Toy Story_ too. Earlier
I posted here my disinclination, based on sitting twice thru a trailer.
That may have been the most misleading trailer in history: no hint
of any subtlety, any characterization: just one 1-second slice of noise
after another.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3765, from hkenner, 327 chars, Thu Nov 23 17:14:24 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Toy Story
Just back from seeing it. Absolutely incredible quality: of story,
visuals, characterizations, dialogue, everything. Sort of deeply
satisfying tour de force you realize you’ll have to see a second
time to garner additional nuances. A LOT of dialogue by animation
standards, all of it superbly nuanced.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3766, from elfhive, 238 chars, Thu Nov 23 17:55:14 1995
This is a comment to message 3762.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3762.
————————–
Thanks for the info on Fox, Harry. I’m surprised I haven’t seen more in
the way of news on this in Animation magazine. I seem to recall that Fox
took out a full page ad seeking animators for the Phoenix operation at
least one issue ago.
==========================
animation/main #3767, from hmccracken, 271 chars, Fri Nov 24 23:42:48 1995
This is a comment to message 3766.
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Bluth may be laying low. From wht I can tell, few former Bluth employees
have much nice to say about the studio, and former Bluth employees are
legion. Indeed, that may be one reason that Bluth relocated to Phoenix —
he’s the only animation game in town there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3768, from hmccracken, 745 chars, Fri Nov 24 23:46:36 1995
This is a comment to message 3765.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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I think Disney especially *tries* to create misleading previews of its
films. Often, it creates multiple previews that mislead in different
ways — one that indicates that a film is a comedy, another that it’s
a romance, and so on. Presumably, the preview you saw was aimed at little
kids, who are thought to like Loud and Noisy and not appreciate Subtle and
Restrained.
Anyhow, I’ll definitely see _Toy Story_ this weekend. Having been a
fan of John Lasseter’s short films for years, it’s great to see
him make a splash with his first feature. And since you mention that
the dialogue is well-handled, it’s interesting to note that Lasseter
has done very little dialogue until now — his short films were
brilliant works of pantomime.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3769, from switch, 196 chars, Fri Nov 24 23:52:19 1995
This is a comment to message 3768.
There are additional comments to message 3768.
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There’s one scene that’s almost entirely in pantomime (four words spoken)
that is wonderfully acted, and truly saddening.
I can’t wait to see it again, to try to catch the things I missed.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3770, from hmccracken, 560 chars, Sat Nov 25 00:08:21 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: So Long, Whole Toon
December 31st will be a sad day for another reason besides the end of
_Calvin and Hobbes_. The Whole Toon Catalog, the excellent mail-order
business that sold nothing but animation videos, books, and other
cartoon-related items, will be closing down that day.
Doug Ranney, Whole Toon’s proprietor (and a former BIXen), did cartoon
fans a great service with his catalogs (as well as a shorter-lived retail
store in the Seattle area). Here’s wishing him the best of luck in
whatever he does with his post-Whole Toon career.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3771, from switch, 70 chars, Sat Nov 25 00:15:12 1995
This is a comment to message 3770.
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Oh, no! That’s a great shame. I hope it’s not money or sales.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3772, from hmccracken, 2877 chars, Sat Nov 25 18:20:25 1995
This is a comment to message 3768.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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_Toy Story_ is a wonder! As Emru and Hugh have said, it’s a film of
remarkable imagination in visuals, storyline, and characters. Woody,
the cowboy who’s the film’s main protagonist, is a more multidimensional
(no pun intended) character than any of those who have appeared in
more traditional Disney animated films in many years.
Indeed, the fact that this ISN’T strictly speaking a Disney cartoon
(since it was made by Pixar) seems to have unleashed its creators to
create something that’s very Disneysque in spirit but which never
seems remotely like a retread (as even the best of the recent
Disney animated films such as _Aladdin_ often do). As a computer-animated
film, _Toy Story_ LOOKS nothing like other Disney films, of course, but
it also has its own sense of humor and a freshness that few if any
recent animated films from anywhere can equal. And while it’s very
contemporary, it’s devoid of cheap laughs or pandering to the sensibilities
of small children — it’s witty and humane in ways that the best childrens’
movies have always been.
Visually, director Lasseter and the other Pixar artists, made a wise
decision by choosing the toy theme. This helps them get around many of
the remaining limitations of computer animation — computer-generated
characters still are a bit inflexible and move like puppets, but that’s
what we’d expect of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the other playthings in
this film. It only becomes a bit of an issue in the relatively few scenes
that include human characters — who, ironically enough, aren’t as believable
and as human as the toys.
The conceit that toys come to life when people aren’t looking is as least
as old ass Johnny Gruelle’s _Raggedy Ann_ tales (and probably a lot older),
but _Toy Story_ gives it lots of original twists and handles it exceedingly
well. Animation fans who have seen the film _Brave Little Toaster_ (which was
financed by Disney, and which Lasseter worked on, may notice a lot of
similarities between it and _Toy Story_, most strikingly the way that
both films feature a villain who takes perverse pleasure from performing
bizarre operations on the films’ anthropomorphized characters (appliances
in _Toaster_, toys in _Toy Story_).
_Toy Story_ is the first of three Pixar cartoons to be released by Disney,
and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. If this film is as
big a hit as I suspect it might be, we may see LOTS of Pixar features, and
I’m excited by that prospect, too. (Note that Steve Jobs, co-founder of
Apple Computer, is the head of Pixar and one of _Toy Story_’s co-producers
— thank you, Steve.) In its own way, _Toy Story_ is almost as innovative
as Disney’s _Snow White_ was in its day. But like _Snow White_, it’s not
just a shining example of technology — it’s a memorable film that might
have proved just as entertaining if it had been hand-drawn.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3773, from peabo, 421 chars, Sun Nov 26 22:50:57 1995
This is a comment to message 3772.
————————–
I went to see “Toy Story” over the weekend and was equally blown away. I don’t
think people are going to be able to belittle computer animation as something
only for technonerds any more.
The worst thing about it was trying to figure out who was speaking Woody’s
part. It wasn’t until (spoiler omitted) that it suddenly clicked who it
was, and then I realized the appearance of Woody should have given it away.
peter
==========================
animation/main #3774, from elfhive, 365 chars, Mon Nov 27 16:44:16 1995
This is a comment to message 3762.
————————–
For anyone who wishes to contact Fox Animation, the number in this original
message reaches an internal number which probably shouldn’t be disturbed.
The main switchboard number is (602)808-4600.
This animation studio is exclusively working on feature-length animation
for 20th Century Fox. They don’t deal with anything else. They are not
open for public visits.
==========================
animation/main #3775, from hmccracken, 1115 chars, Fri Dec 1 00:57:30 1995
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Billionaire Steve
As reported on the front page of today’s (er, yesterday’s) _New
York Times_, one of the side effects of _Toy Story_’s box-office
success is that it has helped make Steve Jobs an instant
billionaire. Jobs, who co-founded Apple Computer at a ridculously
young age in the 1970s, was the owner of Pixar, _Toy Story_’s
creator — which went public on Wednesday and immediately
became a much sought-after company on Wall Street.
I’ve long thought that Jobs and Walt Disney were similar types:
Brilliant businessmen who founded garage business that melded
technology and aesethetics and which turned into icons of
corporate America. Like Disney, Jobs knows a lot about creating
a product that will appeal to America and the world (witness
two of his enduring legacies, the Apple II and the Mac). He
also is said to share Walt’s passion and fiery personality.
And I think there’s even a physical likeness between the two.
But I never expected the relationship between the two to
become so close that Jobs would take credit as executive producer
on a Disney cartoon, as he did with _Toy_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3776, from peabo, 316 chars, Fri Dec 1 01:15:06 1995
This is a comment to message 3775.
————————–
Yes, he’s an instant overnight success after 20 years. It’s worth recalling
that Steve Jobs was worth something like $300 million back in the early ’80s
as a result of his success with Apple. I’m not sure that “instant billionaire”
really compares to that earlier success, which was really out of the blue!
peter
==========================
animation/main #3777, from hmccracken, 195 chars, Sun Dec 24 22:40:07 1995
————————–
TITLE: Happy holidays, everyone!
Merry Christmas to all animation conference members — not
to mention a belated happy Hannukah and a premature best wishes
for a happy and healthy 1996!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3778, from hmccracken, 707 chars, Thu Dec 28 22:23:57 1995
————————–
TITLE: Obituaries
Sorry to say, here are brief obituaries for three animation/comics
figures who have fied in the past week:
* Madge Sinclair, a stage and film actress whose last role was voicing
Siomba’s mother in _The Lion King_, has died;
* So has William Cottrell, a long-time Disney employee who worked as a
camera operator and storyman on many of the classic Disney features before
becoming an executive at Disneyland, where he worked until his retirement
in the early 1980s;
* And so, unfortunately, has Connie Hutchinson, the founder of Determined
Productions, the publisher of Charles Schulz’s best-selling _Happiness is
a Warm Puppy_ and numerous other Peanuts-related publications.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3779, from hmccracken, 644 chars, Thu Dec 28 22:27:05 1995
————————–
TITLE: Disneyland to Grow?
The Walt Disney Co. is planning to close the Grand Hotel, a property
it owns which is located on 11 acres near Disneyland in Anaheim,’
California. Rumor has it that this is being done to get ready for
an expansion of Disneyland, a park that has always been unable to
expand — it’s surrounded by motels and hotels as far as the eye can
see on all four sides.
Disney had planned, a few years ago, to close the Disneyland parking
lot and replace it with something called “Westcot” but that never
actually happened. Nor did its plans for another, water-themed park
in nearby Long Beach, ever come to fruition.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3780, from hmccracken, 142 chars, Mon Jan 1 16:02:17 1996
————————–
TITLE: Happy New Year, Everybody!
Here’s hoping that 1996 proves to be a terrific, comics-and-animation-filled
year for every BIXen.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3781, from hmccracken, 381 chars, Sat Jan 13 20:57:36 1996
————————–
TITLE: Forgotten Disney in Syracuse
Cinefest, an annual silent and early sound film festival in
Syracuse, N.Y., will include a program of Disney outtakes
this year, hosted by Scott McQueen, restoration manager for
the Disney studio.
Cinefest is from March 7th-10th at the Sheraton Inn Syracuse;
information can be had from Phil Serling, 315-637-8985. I
plan to be there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3782, from hmccracken, 423 chars, Sat Jan 13 20:59:42 1996
————————–
TITLE: At the same time Cinefest is going on…
…the International Museum of Cartoon Art will finally be holding
its grand opening in its new Boca Raton, Florida home. I’ve
seen a photograph of the new building, and it looks
large and impressive. But I still wish that the museum had
stayed in its Rye, N.Y. location, where I could drive down from
Boston on the spur of the moment for an interesting exhibition,
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3783, from hmccracken, 656 chars, Sat Jan 13 21:06:12 1996
————————–
TITLE: Cartoonists are authors after all…
Paul Mavrides, veteran underground cartoonist best know for his
work on _The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers_, has won a long-standing
tax dispute with the state of California, which in 1991 declared that
cartoonists were subject to the state sales tax of 7.25%, which they tried
to retroactively collect from Mavrides for years’ worth of work.
Journalists and other writers who use words instead of artwork to convey
ideas have never been subject to this tax, but cartoonists were told that
their work wasn’t quite in the same class. Bravo to Mavrides for fighting
the good fight and finally winning.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3784, from hmccracken, 1697 chars, Mon Jan 15 21:27:01 1996
————————–
TITLE: _The Art of the New Yorker_
My relatives have me pegged: They gave me so many cartoon-related
books for Christmas that I’m still catching up. As I finish them,
I’ll review them here.
One of the best is Lee Lorenz’s _The Art of the New Yorker_, a history
of the cartoons (and other illustrations) that have made the _New
Yorker_ a cartoon fan’s delight for seventy years — and one of the
few magazines that still runs a healthy dose of gag cartoons.
Lorenz’s introduction says something about his book not being a
definitive, all-encompassing work, and he’s right. It’s not terribly
long, and there’s lots that I would have liked to see that it lacks:
More biographical information on cartoonists past and present, for
instance, and more cartoons.
But what this book does, it does very well. Lorenz has edited the
magazine’s cartoons for more than twenty years, and his text is
thoughtful about the art of cartooning and quite open about the
changes the magazine’s cartoons have seen under editors Ross,
Shawn, Gottlieb, and now Tina Brown. His first-person discussion
of the Shawn-Gottlieb-Brown transition should be required reasing
for anyone interested in the tumult that _The New Yorker_ has
seen in recent years.
While the quantity of cartoons is merely generous and not overwhelming,
the quality is high — and good evidence that the best current
contributors can compete with such legendary artists as Addams, Price,
and Arno. Lorenz’s book is good enough to whet my appetite for at
least two more _New Yorker_ works: A thicker, more encyclopedic
collection of cartoons, and a purely prose volume in which
Lorenz discusses his years as a cartoonist and cartoon editor.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3785, from hkenner, 190 chars, Fri Jan 19 12:03:34 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Oscars
Today’s Atlanta Constitution informs us that this year’s Academy Awards
will include two special Oscars for long-term services: to Kirk
Douglas (79) and Chuck Jones (83).
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3786, from hmccracken, 269 chars, Fri Jan 19 22:06:06 1996
This is a comment to message 3785.
————————–
…And John Lasseter will also get a special Oscar, for _Toy Story_.
Not unlike when Walt Disney got one for advancing the cinematic art
with _Snow White_. (Walt’s was one big Oscar and seven little ones;
maybe Lasseter’s will be shaped like Mr. Potato Head.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3787, from hmccracken, 3012 chars, Mon Jan 29 22:34:27 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Two Obituaries
Two figures of enormous importance in the history of comics have died
in the space of the last day or so.
Superman, I’m sorry to say, is now an orphan: Jerry Siegel, his co-creator
with the late Joe Shuster, has died at the age of 81. Born in Cleveland,
Ohio, Siegel (a writer) collaborated with artist Shuster to create
Superman in the mid-1930s. They labored unsuccessfully to sell the character
for quite some time, until DC Comics purchased all rights to the character
(allegedly for a total of $500) in 1938. Superman made his debut in _Action
Comics_ #1, and the rest is history — all other superheroes draw enormous
amounts of inspiration from him.
Siegel and Shuster wrote and drew the character’s adventures into the
mid-1940s, but an unsuccessful lawsuit against DC Comics ended their
association with the character. They worked on other creations, including
a character called Funnyman, but Shuster’s failing eyesight cut his
career short. Siegel eventually returned to write more Superman comics,
again sued DC Comics, and eventually settled, along with Shuster, for a
fairly modest pension deal with DC in the late 1970s. (This happened at
the time the movie rights to Superman were sold for several million dollars;
DC understandably found it embarassing that the Man of Steel’s creators had
both been living in poverty, or something close to it, for many years.)
Siegel wrote many other comics, from the mid-1930s until recent years, and
also created the Spectre, a supernatural hero who has been around for
many decades. Of course, he’ll always be remembered for his role in the
creation of one of America’s great fictional heroes, along with Tarzan,
the Shadow, and Doc Savage. And while you can’t say that Superman was
ever great art, his early adventures were great fun (including those
done in animation by the Fleischer studio). I’m sure that Superman,
Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White will outlive us all.
Speaking of Tarzan, we’ve also lost cartoonist Burne Hogarth, who turned
84 on Christmas day. Hogarth took over the _Tarzan_ comic strip from
Hal Foster in 1937, and drew it into the late 1940s; he also illustrated
the Ape Man’s adventures in a couple of graphic novels published in the
1970s. But Hogarth may have been most influential as a teacher: He was
a co-founder of what eventually became New York’ School of the Visual
Arts, and he authored many books on anatomical and life drawing which
have been in print for decades.
_The World Encyclopedia of the Comics_ said that Hogarth was “widely
regarded as the greatest living artist of the comics;” given that
Milton Caniff, Al Capp, and Hal Foster, among others, were alive
at the time of that statement, it’s certainly open to debate.
But there’s no question that Hogarth’s accomplished, dynamic
illustrative style was extremely influential, and that his
work as a teacher and book author have had a great effect on
several generations of cartoonists and other artists.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3788, from switch, 103 chars, Mon Jan 29 22:53:38 1996
This is a comment to message 3787.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Two in as many days! I was just waxing eloquent about Hogarth’s work to a
friend the other day.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3789, from hmccracken, 152 chars, Tue Jan 30 13:10:31 1996
This is a comment to message 3788.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Sad to say, veteran comic-book artist Bernard Bailey — who co-created
the Spectre with Jerry Siegel — ALSO passed away in the last few days.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3790, from hmccracken, 509 chars, Tue Jan 30 21:05:25 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Toy Story_ News, Good and Bad
According to _Entertainment Weekly_, _Toy Story_ was *the* biggest-
grossing film of 1995; the magazine estimates that its finall gross
will be around $200 million. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer
cartoon.
_EW_ also reports that Disney and Pixar may be working on a
quickie sequel to the movie, to be released directly to vdieotape.
I’m not adverse to a _Toy Story_ sequel, but if they do one, I
hope it gets the same tender loving care as the original.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3791, from hmccracken, 284 chars, Wed Jan 31 20:43:00 1996
This is a comment to message 3789.
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Update on the death of Jerry Siegel: According to the _New York
Times_ obituary and an exellent piece on NPR’s _All Things Considered_,
I was wrong when I said that Siegel and Shuster got only a measly
$500 for the rights to Superman.
The correct figure is $130, not $500.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3792, from sfmcnally, 226 chars, Fri Feb 2 08:13:41 1996
This is a comment to message 3790.
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The thing about doing a sequal direct to video is that it should take a lot
less time to render it all. They only need to do NTSC resolution, vs however
high the resolution was that they used for the theatrical film.
Seumas
==========================
animation/main #3793, from hmccracken, 716 chars, Sat Feb 3 22:32:02 1996
————————–
TITLE: Gene Kelly
You’ve probably seen many tributes already to Gene Kelly, who died
yesterday. But we can’t let his passing go unmentioned in the
animation conference. In 1945, he combined live-action of his own
dancing with MGM’s animation of Jerry to create the famous sequence
in _Anchors Aweigh_, probably the most elaborate blend of live
action and cartoons created until that time. Later, he created
an even more ambitious live action-cartoon dance sequence for
_Invitation to the Dance_, a film he directed in the 1950s. I haven’t
seen that film, but it sounds like it’s worth tracking down.
Anyhow, there have been far too many deaths of note to the members of
this conference so far this year.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3794, from hmccracken, 2698 chars, Sun Feb 4 17:25:21 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Shamus Culhane
We seem to be entering another one of those unfortunate periods in
which many of my BIX messages are obituaries. This one is particularly
difficult to write, because it’s about a friend of mine: Shamus Culhane.
Shamus died on Friday at his home in New York, at the age of 87. I
only knew him for a few years (he wrote some pieces for _Animato_), but
his association with animation goes back to 1925 or so, when he took
a job at the Mintz studio in the dying days of silent animation. From
there, he went on to work at nearly every animation studio of any consequence:
Fleischer (where he worked on Betty Boop), Ub Iwerks, Disney (working on
short cartoons as well as _Snow White_ and _Pinocchio_), Fleischer
again (where he worked on the studio’s two animated features), Warner’s
(working for Chuck Jones), and Lantz (where he was for a time the studio’s
primary director). In the 1950s, he started his own studio, which became a
pioneering producer of animated commercials; later, he headed the
Paramount studio for a time, worked as a freelance animated, and made
several TV specials. As he neared his eightieth birthday, he took up
writing and produced two excellent books: _Talking Animals and Other
People_ (his indispensable autobiography) and _Animation From Script to
Screen_.
Shamus, who was born (and sometimes credited) as James Culhane, was
probably most famous for his Disney stint, during which he produced the
immortal animation of the Seven Dwarfs’ “Heigh Ho” march and some of the
best moments in _Pinocchio_. He was underappreciated as a director — his
Lantz shorts combined music and animation in some genuinely innovative ways.
His personality was exactly the one conveyed by his books: Profane, hashly
critical of things he disliked, but exceedinly generous as a teacher. He
was as interested in _Animato_ as any youthful cartoon fan, and
invited me into his home for some unforgettable discussions about life,
animation, and art. To the end, he considered himself something of an
outsider in the animation business; he had begun his career as a “serious
artist” and stumbled into cartooning, which he greatly enjoyed but viewed
with a perspective that was somehow both distanced and passionate. His
house was full of interesting art, by himself and others; none of it was
animation-related.
Shamus lived to a reasonably old age, and lived long enough to see his
work widely appreciated, and his films exhibited in several tribute
screenings. _Animation From Script to Screen_ is still in print, and I
hope his autobiography becomes available again; it was the first of a
number of animators’ memoirs, and by far the best. I’ll miss him.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3795, from switch, 111 chars, Wed Feb 7 21:17:27 1996
This is a comment to message 3794.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I found out on Sunday when my mother pointed the obituary out to me in the
paper. Another giant gone…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3796, from hmccracken, 182 chars, Wed Feb 7 22:10:29 1996
This is a comment to message 3795.
————————–
The _New York Times_ ran a lengthy and very good obituary of Shamus.
The author either knew the guy or did some terrific research with
people who did (probably the latter).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3797, from hmccracken, 472 chars, Fri Feb 9 09:43:59 1996
————————–
TITLE: IS Phil Gramm a Comic Book Fan?
On CNN last night, I saw a sound bite in which Phil Gramm described
a potential Steve Forbes vs. Bill Clinton presidential campaign as
“Richie Rich versus Tom Sawyer.”
Richie Rich, of course, is the Harvey comic book hero who is the richest
kid in the world. Oddly, President Clinton once likened himself to
another Harvey character: He said that, like Baby Huey, he was big, fat,
and ugly, but too persistent too ignore.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3798, from hmccracken, 131 chars, Mon Feb 12 15:32:37 1996
————————–
TITLE: Mark Your Calendars….
…For our next animation CBIX open hous, this coming Sunday at 9pm ET. More
details soon!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3799, from switch, 375 chars, Tue Feb 13 22:32:26 1996
————————–
TITLE: Swing
The February 1996 issue of Swing (the magazine about “Life in your Twenties”
has a 10-page feature dubbed “Behind the Scenes in Toontown,” focusing on
twentysomethings working on The Tick, Earthworm Jim, Aeon Flux, The Head, and
Reboot. I haven’t read the article yet — I don’t think I’ll have the time
before March or April — but it looks interesting.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3800, from hmccracken, 283 chars, Fri Feb 16 23:10:31 1996
————————–
TITLE: CBIX This Sunday
Please join us on Sunday at 9PM ET for our animation/comics open house.
There will be door prizes — your choice of Animato magazines and
Cartoon Network videos — for all attendees, and the floor will be
open for all topics. Hope to see you there!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3801, from hmccracken, 1330 chars, Sun Feb 25 20:33:45 1996
————————–
TITLE: Maurice Noble Update
I got quite a shock recently when I read a newgroup posting on the Internet
which mentioned that Maurice Noble had died recently. I hadn’t heard about it,
so I called the person who was most likely to know for sure about the matter —
Maurice Noble himself. (Maurice is best known as the brilliant designer
who worked closely with Chuck Jones for many years, most notably on
_What’s Opera Doc_; he also worked on _Snow White_ and _Bambi_.)
Happily, the rumors of his death turned out to be about as greatly
exaggerated as you could imagine. Maurice is not only alive, he just got
back from a lengthy trip to Java, Cambodia, and Thailand (where he visited
a leper colony founded by his family).
The trip was a vacation from work: Maurice is working on a new,
pirate-themed animated feature being produced by Ted Turner. He’s also
moonlighting as a consultant for Warner Bros. and Chuck Jones Productions,
and has formed his own production company which is working on a proposed
TV series. In his copious spare time, he produces serigraphed,
non-animation-related prints.
Anyhow, seeing how much time I spend reporting the deaths of animation
veterans here, it’s wonderful to be able to report on a animation legend
who’s alive, well, and busy — sixty years after he entered the business.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3802, from hmccracken, 323 chars, Sat Mar 2 21:16:49 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Whole Toon Returns
As we discussed here towards the end of last year, Whole Toon Access, the
fine mail-order purveyor of animation videos, books, and other products,
was recently forced to close its doors. Good news: The owners have found
new financing, and are planning to reopen the business this Spring.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3803, from hmccracken, 309 chars, Sat Mar 2 21:18:39 1996
————————–
TITLE: Another Returnee
Whole Toon isn’t the only cartoon-related institution that’s undergoing a
rebirth. England’s _Punch_ magazine, which was around for 140 years before
shutting down (in 1994, I think) has been purchased by the owner of
Harrods’ department store, and a revival is in the works.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3804, from hkenner, 8 chars, Sat Mar 2 21:26:57 1996
This is a comment to message 3802.
There are additional comments to message 3802.
————————–
Huzzah!
==========================
animation/main #3805, from switch, 26 chars, Mon Mar 4 22:53:38 1996
This is a comment to message 3802.
————————–
Cheers and huzzahs!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3806, from hmccracken, 2065 chars, Sat Mar 16 20:57:20 1996
————————–
TITLE: A Tribute to Shamus
Yesterday night, I traveled to New York City for a tribute to Shamus Culhane,
the animator and director who passed away recently. This wonderful program was
put together by ASIFA-NY, the east coast animation society — considering
that Shamus spent the majority of his career and life in New York, the
location was appropriate. (And considering that he was the very model of a
modern Irishman, it made sense that the event was held during St. Patrick’s
Day weekend.)
Naturally, the program included lots of examples of Shamus’s work,
including the priceless animation he did for _Snow White_ of the dwarfs
marching home and singing “Heigh Ho,” as well as some of his animation of
Betty Boop, moments from the cartoons he directed for Walt Lantz in
the 1940s, a selection of his very entertaining animated commercials,
and scenes from his animated TV specials of the 1970s, his last work
as a director.
Several friends of Shamus’s spoke, including his cousin, author
John Culhane, who remembered Shamus both as a relative and friend and as
a collaborator on several animated TV specials. Other speakers included
Howard Beckerman, who worked for Shamus at his pioneering animted
commercial studio on the 1950s, and Hal Seeger, who started out working
with Shamus at the Fleischer studio and eventually hired Shamus to work
at Hal Seeger Productions, which produced _Milton the Monster_ and other
TV cartoons in the 1950s. Mrs. Culhane could not be present, but sent
along a moving letter recounting a trip the Culhanes made to Mexico last
November, when Shamus was already very ill.
And Shamus *himself* spoke about his life and work, thanks to the wonders
of videotape. Some of these video sequences were apparently prepared for an
event for which Shamus could not be present, so he addresses the camera,
regrets his inability to be with us personally, and bid us goodbye at the
conclusion of the evening. Goodbye, old friend — it was a memorable
evening, and it’s nice that Shamus was present, in a way, to be part of it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3807, from hmccracken, 1338 chars, Mon Mar 25 22:17:21 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: And the Oscars go to…
Kudos to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for scheduling
all of tonight’s animation-related Oscars in a block near the
start of the program. A recap:
* Robin Williams appeared and did a moderately funny routine to introduce Chuck
Jones, who won an honorary Oscar. Jones, who walked with a cane but looked
well, otherwise, gave a brief, nice acceptance speech. And it was nice to
see the Master get a standing ovation from the likes of Sharon Stone and
Quentin Tarrentino.
* John Lasseter got an honorary Oscar for pioneering the use of computer
animation in _Toy Story_, and was followed by a cute sequence starring
_Toy_’s Woody and Buzz.
* Nick Park won his second Oscar (or is it his third?), for _A Close
Shave_. I haven’t seen it yet, but am certainly looking forward to it. In
most recent years, this award has been presented by a cartoon character,
but not this year. (Perhaps the Academy decided to put its animation
budget into the _Toy Story_ scene, or perhaps the fact that a Mickey Mouse
cartoon was up for best animated short affected its decision.)
There are actually two awards yet to come for which animated films have
been nominated: _Toy Story_ and _Pocahontas_ are both up for best song,
and _Toy Story_ is a dark horse nominee for best original screenplay.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3808, from hmccracken, 163 chars, Tue Mar 26 00:07:56 1996
This is a comment to message 3807.
There are additional comments to message 3807.
————————–
Two more Oscars turned out to be animated: _Pocahontas_ won for best score for
a musical or comedy, as well as for best song (for _Colors of the Wind_).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3809, from nicolas, 348 chars, Tue Mar 26 04:36:57 1996
This is a comment to message 3807.
————————–
Re: And the Oscars go to…
>* Nick Park won his second Oscar (or is it his third?), for _A Close
>Shave_. I haven’t seen it yet, but am certainly looking forward to i
Good for him! _A Close Shave is_ as funny as the other two. It’s out on
video in the UK.
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
==========================
animation/main #3810, from hmccracken, 1347 chars, Sun Apr 7 15:43:49 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Masterpiece Theater
If you’ve watched TV in recent weeks, you’ve probably seen at least one
of Disney’s ads for a video called _The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh._
The commercials call this tape “Walt Disney’s masterpiece” and “the original
film that started it all.”
Now, aside from the fact that A.A. Milne is probably spinning in his grave,
_The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh_ didn’t start anything. In fact,
it’s hardly even a film, and Walt Disney himself didn’t have much
connection with it.
What it is is a compilation, originally released in the mid-1970s, of
three short Pooh films: _Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree_, _Winnie the
Pooh and the Blustery Day_, and _Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too_. Only one
of these was released during Walt Disney’s lifetime, and as a compilation
film which was only briefly released to theaters, it’s nothing that most
people would mention in the same breath as Disney’s greatest films.
(Unless, of course, they were trying to sell you a video copy of it.)
The Disney studios has been responsible for a handful of films that are
masterpieces by almost anybody’s definition. Too bad that they promote
almost all the animation features they’ve ever made as such — including
_Robin Hood_, a 1973 film that’s quite possible the WORST animated film
the studio ever produced.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3811, from hkenner, 44 chars, Sun Apr 7 17:51:13 1996
This is a comment to message 3810.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thank you, Harry! That needed saying.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3812, from hmccracken, 505 chars, Sun Apr 7 20:49:22 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: And now, some news about a *real* Disney masterpiece…
Can Pope John Paul II be a cartoon fan? The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for
Social Communications has honored forty-five films for their religious
themes, values, or artistic merit. As you might expect, ones such as
_Ben-Hur_ and _The Gospel According to St. Matthew_ made the list, but so
did _Fantasia_. Actually, the list is remarkably varied: It also incoudes
_The Lavender Hill Mob_, +Nosferatu_, _Stagecoach_, and _2001_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3813, from hmccracken, 46 chars, Sun Apr 7 20:49:41 1996
This is a comment to message 3811.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thank you for the kind words, Hugh!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3814, from hmccracken, 284 chars, Sun Apr 7 22:06:51 1996
This is a comment to message 3813.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I forgot to mention another thing about that OPooh ad — it claims
that the video stars “all your favorite Disney characters.” Which
is only true if your favorite Disney characters include Pooh, Rabbit, and
Tigger, and DON’T include Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, et al.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3815, from peabo, 64 chars, Mon Apr 8 00:42:51 1996
This is a comment to message 3812.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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————————–
Maybe they liked the “Ave Maria” at the end of Fantasia?
peter
==========================
animation/main #3816, from hkenner, 172 chars, Mon Apr 8 13:01:18 1996
This is a comment to message 3814.
————————–
An unpleasant aspect of Disney marketing has always been the studio’s
claim to have *created* any character it animated. Thus Milne was
routinely displaced by Walt.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3817, from hmccracken, 217 chars, Tue Apr 9 22:25:22 1996
This is a comment to message 3815.
————————–
No doubt the Vatican DID like the “Ave Maria” sequence, but they gave
_Fantasia_ its honor for “artistic merit.” (The films were divided into
three categories: Religious Themes, Values, and Artistic Merit.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3818, from edejesus, 34 chars, Wed Apr 10 09:47:22 1996
This is a comment to message 3812.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I’d like to see that entire list!
==========================
animation/main #3819, from hmccracken, 547 chars, Thu Apr 11 09:45:19 1996
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Richard Condon
Richard Condon has died at the age of 81. Best known as the author of _The
Manchurian Candidate_, _Prizzi’s Honor_, _Winter Kills_, and other comic-but-edgy
novels, Condon got his start by working as a publicist for the Disney Studio in
the late 1930s and 1940s.
Curiously enough, he was not the only Disney publicist to go onto a measure of
fame in a different business. H.R. Haldeman, Nixon’s Watergate-tainted chief of
staff, was a P.R. man for Disneyland before getting into the political racket.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3820, from switch, 2770 chars, Sat Apr 13 09:37:58 1996
This is a comment to message 3818.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Ask and ye shall receive:
From: be*****@ne****.com (Don Bertino)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 19:29:49 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney.misc,rec.arts.disney.animation
Subject: Re: Vatican Picks Fantasia Pix
Previously si*****@uc*****.edu wrote:
>In article <Pi**************************************@jo**.com> Rich Koster <rk*****@sh***.com> wri
tes:
>>
>> The Vatican has commemorated 100 years of motion pictures by
>> picking what it considers the greatest movies of all time. One
>> of the categories are films which “are, simply, masterpieces of
>> the cinematic language and art.” Included on their list in
>> that category is Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.”
>>
> Where can we get our hands on this list? Sounds interesting. Is there a
>Vatican announcements Web page? Or was it published somewhere?
The Vatican’s list of best movies, in three categories:
*RELIGION:
Andrei Roublev
Mission
La Passion De Jean D’Arc
La Passion Pathe’
Francesco, Giullare Di Dio
Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo
Therese
Ordet
Sacrificio
Francesco
Ben Hur
Babette’s Feast
Nazarin
Monsieur Vincent
A Man for All Seasons
*VALUES:
Gandhi
Intolerance
Il Decalogo
Au Revoir Les Infants
Dersu Uzala
L’Albero Degli Zoccoli
Roma Citta’ Aperta
Smultronstallet
Det Sjunde Inselglet
Chariots of Fire
Ladri Di Biciclette
It’s a Wonderful Life
Schindler’s List
On the Waterfront
Biruma No Tategoto
*ART:
2001: A Space Odyssey
La Strada
Citizen Kane
Metropolis
Modern Times
Napoleon
Otto E. Mezzo
La Grande Illusion
Nosferatu
Stagecoach
Il Gattopardo
Fantasia
Wizard of Oz
The Lavender Hill Mob
Little Women
don
—
be*****@ne****.com ____/^\_____________________________________
Disney ascii art & / \ || FDC MCP || / \
animations are at <______\ [] [] [] || [] [] [] || [] [] [] /______>
ftp.netcom.com ======\—————-||———-||—————-/===
/pub/be/bertino========\______________||__________||______________/=====
Dynamite Disney Document of the Day (available at the above FTP site):
** Attraction Descriptions/Scripts: EPCOT.listen.to.the.land.Z
don
—
be*****@ne****.com ____/^\_____________________________________
Disney ascii art & / \ || FDC MCP || / \
animations are at <______\ [] [] [] || [] [] [] || [] [] [] /______>
ftp.netcom.com ======\—————-||———-||—————-/===
/pub/be/bertino========\______________||__________||______________/=====
Dynamite Disney Document of the Day (available at the above FTP site):
** Attraction Descriptions/Scripts: EPCOT.horizons.Z
==========================
animation/main #3821, from hmccracken, 837 chars, Mon Apr 15 23:07:30 1996
————————–
TITLE: Entertainment Weekly’s Fifty Greatest Directors
The new issue of _Entertainment Weekly_ features the magazine’s picks
for the fifty greatest directors of all time. There aren’t any
animation directors on the list, but there is a sidebar on Chuck
Jones, reporting on his Oscar honors (he disliked the film clip
collection they showed) and his _Another Froggy Evening_ cartoon
(he’s not sure if it’s a success or not, artistically speaking).
I may be biased, but I think Jones deserved a spot on the top
fifty list, too — certainly more so than an Oliver Stone or a
Jerry Lewis. Tex Avery, too, ought to have been on the list.
(Walt Disney isn’t on it, but technically speaking he wasn’t
really a director.)
Of course, the list doesn’t include Charlie Chaplin, either (!!!) —
so it’s inadequate in other respects, too.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3822, from edejesus, 11 chars, Tue Apr 16 08:50:06 1996
This is a comment to message 3820.
————————–
Thank you!
==========================
animation/main #3823, from nicolas, 552 chars, Wed Apr 17 08:48:20 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: New Disney Animation
I caught the end of an animation item on CNN last night. Does anyone know
what it’s about and when it is coming out in the theatres. It looked very
stopmotion animation like _Night before christmas_ and featured characters
like Ladybug and Earthworm.
In that same item they mentioned something about a direct to video sequel
to _Lion King_. Probably the same animation degradation as in _Return of
Jafar_. Anyone know more details?
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
==========================
animation/main #3824, from hmccracken, 1128 chars, Wed Apr 17 09:51:53 1996
This is a comment to message 3823.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3823.
————————–
Nico, the film you saw previewed is _James and the Giant Peach_, which
opened in the U.S. last Friday. (Not sure when it’s coming to your part
of the world.) It’s directed by Henry Selick, the same guy who did
_The Nightmare Before Christmas_, and is based on the book by Roald
Dahl.
I plan to see it this weekend, despite the fact that I’ve had a grudge
against _James and the Giant Peach_ — which I’ve never read — for
more than twenty-five years. In 1971, when I was in first grade, my
teacher was reading us the book out loud; I found it boring, and went
by myself into another room, where I sat in a chair and rocked back and forth
by myself. The chair tipped too far backwards, I fell over, and I cracked
my head against a wall, requiring an emergeny hospital visit and stitches.
I’ve always felt that if _James and the Giant Peach_ had been a more
interesting book, my accident would never have happened.
Fortunately, you can’t tip a movie theater seat over, so I should be
safe even if the movie isn’t any better. (Actually, it’s gotten very
good reviews — _Time_ said it’s an improvement over the book.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3825, from edejesus, 145 chars, Wed Apr 17 10:04:45 1996
This is a comment to message 3823.
————————–
I think that’s “James and the Giant Peach”, done by the same folks who
did “Nightmare Before Christmas” and produced, I believe, by Tim Burton.
==========================
animation/main #3826, from nicolas, 364 chars, Thu Apr 18 02:29:03 1996
This is a comment to message 3824.
————————–
Harry, thanks for the info. Usually it takes about half a year to a year
for a movie to reach our theatres. Unfortunately AFAIK _Nightmare before
Christmas_ never reached the theatres here and I could only watch it on
video. The same will probably happen with _James…_ 🙁
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
==========================
animation/main #3827, from hmccracken, 1704 chars, Mon Apr 22 20:03:42 1996
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Christopher Milne
Christopher Milne has died at the age of 75. Milne earned certain immortality
by the very fact that he was the son of British author A.A. Milne — who
turned the stories he told he young son about a bear called Winnie-the-Pooh
into classics of children’s literature. Eventually, of course, the books
were turned into theatrical and TV cartoons by the Disney company — and
sadly, it is this version of Christopher Robin, who has been known to speak
with an american accent, who is probably best known to U.S. children.
The younger Milne, who worked as a bookseller as an adult, apparently didn’t
have much fun being the inspiration for the Pooh books’ Christopher Robin;
he wrote three memoirs, the first of which, at least, is filled with
unhappiness — Christopher didn’t seem to care much for his father and
distinctly disliked the fact that his childhood had been memorialized in the
way it was.
Oddly, the _New York Times_ obituary says that “In photographs, it was clear
how closely A.A. Milne had modeled the fictional Christopher Robin on
his son: the same wide, inquisitive brown eyes, the same carefully cropped mop
top, the same gingham smock.” Of course, A.A. Milne didn’t illustrate the
Pooh books –E.H. Shephard did. The photograph the _Times_ reproduces of
a young Christopher Milne doesn’t look that much like the drawings —
Milne had dark hair, while the boy in the books had light hair. And how
can the _Times_ say that the real boy and the fictional one had the same
brown eyes when the books were illustrated in black and white? I’m not
posititve, but I believe that Shephard used a different little boy as a
model for his drawings.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3828, from hmccracken, 1200 chars, Thu Apr 25 17:34:09 1996
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: P.L. Travers
First we lose Christopher Robin; now P.L. Travers is gone. Travers, 96, was the
creator of Mary Poppins, the magical and mysterious nanny who appeared in numerous
books and was the inspiration for Disney’s 1964 live-action/animated film, which
won Julie Andrews a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the title role.
(Travers’ books were illustrated by Mary Shepard, the daughter of E.H. Shepard,
the artist for the Pooh books.)
Travers, who was born Helen Goff but took the stage name of Pamela Lyndon Travers
when she worked as an actress in her youth, was born in Australia but spent most
of her life in England. Walt Disney very much wanted the rights to the Poppins books, and
spent many years trying to convince Travers to sell them. Eventually she did, but
she seems not to have thought much of the movie Disney made. (And while it is
undoubtedly one of the best live-action films Disney ever produced, Julie Andrews
does seem singularly miscast as Mary Poppins — she’s far too young, pretty, and
bubbly.)
Disney has made noises in recent years about producing a sequel to _Mary Poppins_,
but I don’t know if it’s an active project these days.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3829, from hmccracken, 2444 chars, Sat Apr 27 20:54:09 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: New Publications
Quick notes on some new animation-related publications of interest:
* _fps_ is our own Emru (Switch) Townsend’s magazine, and I’m mentioning
it because he’s too modest to plug it very often here. I’m looking at
double issue #6/7 — it’s dated Summer/Autumn 1995, so it may not be
that new, but I just got my copy (the first I’ve seen with slick color
covers). And it’s excellent — there are a bunch of articles on
computer animation, a profusion of reviews, a lot of news and opinion
pieces, and even a mini magazine-within-the-magazine. _fps_ is one of the
most diverse animation magazines being published; it covers nearly everything
related to the artform, but does especially well with articles on new
films and coverage of technology-related issues. This double issue is
$8.95 (Canadian?), and I’m sure Emru can tell you how to get a copy.
* Almost exactly five years ago, I got too busy to continue editing
_Animato_, my own animation magazine. I’m happy to report that _Animato_
has continued to flourish without me (except as a writer) — the new
issue, #34, has just been published. Like _fps_, _Animato_ is packed with
articles on almost every aspect of animation; the cover story this time is
on animation voice artists, and there are also interviews with Joe
Barbera, John Dilworth, and Charles Solomon, lots of news and reviews,
industry profiles, and even a young readers’ page and a trivia quiz. It
also has my column on Sam Singer, my candidate for the title of Worst
Animation Producer of All Time. This 72-page issue costs $4.50, and while
_Animato_ was distributed mainly through comics shops in my day, it’s now
fairly easy to find in the magazine sections of large, well-stocked book
chains such as Borders and Barnes and Noble.
* All the world may be gaga over the Jackie Kennedy Onassis auction, but
for cartoon fans, the auctions of Burbank’s Howard Lowery Gallery are at
least as exciting. The next one is being held this coming Monday, and as
usual, the gallery has put out a lavishly-illustrated catalog that’s a
terrific read even if you can’t even contemplate bidding on the materials
it contains. The emphasis is on Disney art (and books, and autographs, and
posters), but there are also pieces from Warner Bros. and other studios. I
don’t recall how much I paid for the catalog, but it was about $10 and
worth every penny. The Lowery gallery can be reached at 818/972-9080.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3830, from sfmcnally, 163 chars, Sun Apr 28 12:30:56 1996
This is a comment to message 3829.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3829.
————————–
I’d be very interested in subscribing to _fps_, for one, if it deals a fair bit
with computers being used in 3D and 2D animation. Have any specific info?
Seumas
==========================
animation/main #3831, from switch, 581 chars, Wed May 1 22:32:06 1996
This is a comment to message 3829.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Thanks for the kind words, Harry; fps #6/7 is the issue of which I’m the
proudest, in terms of content and presentation. All the more so because of
the problems I had to contend with in terms of putting it together (#6 looks
different from #7 in subtle ways because I was forced to switch computer
platforms and software between issues.) It’s also the last issue where I did
the layout myself; as of the eighth issue, Rene Walling, a friend and fellow
Concordia ex-inmate, is handling that.
fps is also being carried by Borders Books as of the next (ninth) issue.
Yippee!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3832, from switch, 623 chars, Wed May 1 22:36:16 1996
This is a comment to message 3830.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
To be fair, fps doesn’t cover computers as much as in the 7th issue; that
was a special issue on computers and animation. Since then we are going to
have regular reviews of animation-related software (#9 reviews Crystal
Graphics’ Flying Fonts Pro, #10 reviews 3D/Eye’s TriSpectives Professional) in
most of our upcoming issues, as well as our regular feature on creating your
own 2D animation on a personal computer.
I do have some nifty information on new SoftImage products coming down the
pike. Unfortunately, maddeningly enough, I’m under a non-disclosure
agreement. I’m hoping that I can say something soon.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3833, from hkenner, 51 chars, Wed May 1 23:14:15 1996
This is a comment to message 3831.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And “fps” stands for … ?
Feet per second?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3834, from switch, 25 chars, Wed May 1 23:18:15 1996
This is a comment to message 3833.
————————–
Frames per second.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3835, from sfmcnally, 139 chars, Fri May 3 04:55:59 1996
This is a comment to message 3832.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Have you done any articles on NewTek’s Lightwave in the past? I hear version
5.0 with OpenGL support should be released soon/now.
Seumas
==========================
animation/main #3836, from switch, 46 chars, Sat May 4 09:04:26 1996
This is a comment to message 3835.
————————–
Not yet. It’s in the pipeline, though.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3837, from hmccracken, 1193 chars, Sun May 5 23:06:38 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Black in the New Yorker
I’m not the first one to comment on this fact: Normally, there are about
as many black people in _New Yorker_ cartoons as you’d find at a
Jesse Helms pep rally. But the April 29th-May 6th issue of the magazine
is a special “Black in America,” one, so it’s not surprising that
it’s a little more racially balanced than usual.
Unfortunately, most of the cartoons are really about white people —
white people who say good-naturedly patronizing things about black
people who stand there in non-speaking supporting roles. (More
than usual, this issue’s cartoons appear to have been sitting in a
vault for thirty or so years before publication.) Apparently,
these black _New Yorker_ cartoon characters who appear this week have been
bussed in from somewhere for this issue, and presumably, they’ll be bussed
out again as of next week.
I have no interest in doing a racial breakdown of the artists who
contributed to this special issue, but for the most part they’re the usual
crew, and most (if not all) of the usual crew are of the white persuasion.
There is one cartoon by Robb Armstrong, who is black, and who does the
_Jump Start_ newspaper strip.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3838, from switch, 204 chars, Mon May 6 21:52:33 1996
This is a comment to message 3837.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You know, I’ve been wondering for years if anyone in this conference has ever
read Luther or any other strip by Brumsic Brandon Jr., aside from me. Or, for
that matter, even heard of him. Anyone?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3839, from hmccracken, 425 chars, Mon May 6 22:47:28 1996
This is a comment to message 3838.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Sure — It was never in a local paper, but I did see it from time to time.
It ran for many years, but eventually faded out in the 1980s. His
daughter now does a syndicated strip for Universal Press, in a
Feifferesque format. (Come to think of it, she would have been been
a good cartoonist to contribute to that New Yorker issue.)
The Maurice Horn encyclopedia I mentioned yesterday has an
entry on both Brandons.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3840, from switch, 83 chars, Mon May 6 22:55:29 1996
This is a comment to message 3839.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Luther lasted that long? I wonder if there are any reprints kicking around.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3841, from hmccracken, 408 chars, Tue May 7 11:21:39 1996
This is a comment to message 3840.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
According to Horn’s strip encyclopedia, there were at least six
Luther books published. One of the maddening things about this
book is how vague it is about dates: It seems to imply that Luther
started in the late 1960s or early 1970s (1960s, I think), and
that it is no longer in syndication — but it doesn’t really
specify. I’m pretty sure it ran from the mid-1960s until the
mid-to-late 1980s.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3842, from switch, 42 chars, Wed May 8 22:39:17 1996
This is a comment to message 3841.
————————–
Thanks for the info. It’s a start!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3843, from hmccracken, 464 chars, Sun May 12 14:13:05 1996
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Luana Patten
Luana Patten has died. Patten, who was 57, was one of the first Disney
stars who was a real live person rather than a mouse, duck, or pig;
as a child, she starred in Disney’s _Somg of the South_, _Melody Time_,
and _So Dear to my Heart_, three films that combined animation and
live action. As a contract player, she also appeared in several
purely live-action Disney films, including _Johnny Tremain_ and
_Follow Me Boys!_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3844, from hmccracken, 1163 chars, Sun May 19 00:20:38 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Virgil Ross
Just got an e-mail from former BIXen Dave Mackey with the sad news
that Virgil Ross passed away last Wednesday. Ross was an animator
for Warner Bros. for more thasn thirty years, and while he was
best known for working on films directed by Friz Freleng, he also
worked with Bob Clampett and Tex Avery. Ross began his career
in 1930 at the Mintz Studio, and also worked for Ub Iwerks and
Walter Lantz before ending up at Warner’s.
Ross was well known for being an excellent all-around animator
who was especially good at animating dance sequences.
I always had a felling for flowing motion, and I don’t like
to see anything jerky,” he told John Province. “What pleases
me is watching something like ice skaters, or Fred Astaire.
That’s the type of thing I always liked to put into my animation,
something with a flowing quality. I always had an eye for
movement, and I think this kept me in the business a lot
longer than a lot of guys, despite the fact that I really wasn’t
very good at drawing.”
For more on Virgil Ross, see the interview with him in _Animato_
#19, Winter 1990, from which the above quotation is taken.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3845, from hmccracken, 497 chars, Sun May 19 11:38:47 1996
————————–
TITLE: Animation in the _Times_
The Arts and Leisure section of today’s _New York Times_ certainly
doesn’t skimp on animation-related items: The lead story is an excellent
profile of Disney animator Andreas Deja (a Polish-German-American who
has been responsible for drawing the villains in most of Disney’s
recent films), as well as a shorter piece on Cal Arts, the Valencia,
California art school which was founded by Walt Disney and is the
leading training ground for young animators.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3846, from hkenner, 57 chars, Sun May 19 13:18:00 1996
This is a comment to message 3844.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How old was Virgil Ross, Harry? In his 80’s maybe?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3847, from hmccracken, 144 chars, Mon May 20 21:56:29 1996
This is a comment to message 3846.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Well, he was 83 at the time of the 1990 _Animato_ interview, so that
would place his age at the time of his passing at about 89 or so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3848, from hmccracken, 119 chars, Fri May 24 14:46:26 1996
This is a comment to message 3847.
————————–
An update on Virgil Ross’s age at the time of his passing: according to
former BIXen Dave Mackey, he was 88.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3849, from hmccracken, 662 chars, Mon May 27 21:10:17 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Buzz and Woody, International Stars
Today’s _New York Times_ has an interesting spread which surveys varying
entertainment tastes around the world by listing the top three TV shows,
movies, magazines, CDs, and books in nine different countries around
the world. Mostly, the results show how much our likes differ. But
John Lasseter’s _Toy Story_ seems to know no boundaries: it’s currently
a hit in England, France, Poland, and Japan. (It’s also still in the
top 10 in the U.S., after *six* months of release.)
One other comics/cartoons-related tidbit from the _Times_ charts: the
top two magazines in Japan are both adult-oriented comic books.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3850, from nicolas, 160 chars, Wed May 29 04:39:09 1996
This is a comment to message 3849.
————————–
Re: Buzz and Woody, International Stars
Include The Netherlands too.
—
Nico Veenkamp Cybrarian at large
http://www.xs4all.nl/~nicolas/index.html
==========================
animation/main #3851, from hmccracken, 1203 chars, Sun Jun 2 18:36:34 1996
————————–
TITLE: Is Disney Going Down the Drain?
Okay, that message title is a bit hyperbolic, but I was surprised to
find that the Disney Store at my local shopping center (the Burlington
Mall) has closed its doors. In the ten years or so since the first
Disney Store opened, the chain has become remarkably ubiquitous —
just about every mall of any size around here has one. It’s also
inspired imitators, most notably the Warner Bros. Studio Stores,
which also seem to be almost everywhere I look. (Indeed, there’s
one directly across from the Disney location that closed.)
I’m sure the Disney Stores did well when they were a novelty, but I
wonder if Disney has flooded the market. The stores themselves are
usually not all that large, and much of the merchandise they contain
is nothing out the ordinary, and is overpriced. Warner’s seems to have
a slightly different marketing strategy: its stores are larger on
average, contain merchandise aimed at teenagers and grown-ups,
and seem to have more out-of-the-ordinary, clever products.
Of course, there’s no chance that the Disney Stores will go out
of business any time soon. In fact, there’s another that’s
about to open at another local mall.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3852, from lkaplan, 361 chars, Wed Jun 5 14:19:12 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: New animated feature!
I just heard a brief review on NPR of “The Best of ArdMan (sp?) Animation”,
which will be opening soon in the U.S. — sounds like limited release,
major cities for right now.
It consists of several of Nick Park’s “Wallace & Grommet” claymation movies
… (sorry, I caught this one in the background, so I don’t have a list).
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3853, from jjanney, 313 chars, Wed Jun 5 15:20:44 1996
This is a comment to message 3852.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That’s been playing in Salt Lake for a couple of weeks now — well
worth seeing. Lots of Nick Park, but only one with with Wallace &
Grommet: the latest one, “A Close Shave”.
I think the one I enjoyed the most was the “Pib and Pog” show, because
I kept thinking “gee, I see this every day on the internet”. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3854, from hmccracken, 253 chars, Wed Jun 5 20:37:04 1996
This is a comment to message 3853.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
How is _A Close Shave_? The Aardman show has gotten rave reviews everythere
(including in _The New Yorker_), but hasn’t made it to Boston yet.
I regard Nick Park as one of the best animators working today, so I’m
looking forward to seeing it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3855, from jjanney, 257 chars, Wed Jun 5 21:30:02 1996
This is a comment to message 3854.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t kept hearing how it
was “even better than _The Wrong Trousers_”: I kept waiting for it to
be better, and IMHO it wasn’t. But it’s still very good, probably the
second best of the “Wallace & Grommit” series.
==========================
animation/main #3856, from hmccracken, 1361 chars, Fri Jun 7 00:00:15 1996
————————–
TITLE: Bill Hanna Speaks Out
Bill Hanna has written his autobiography, _A Cast of Friends_. Since his
business partner of 60 years, Joe Barbera, recently wrote *his* autobiography,
_My Life in Toons_, we now have both sides of the story of the famous
Hanna-Barbera team.
I haven’t finished Hanna’s book yet, but so far it seems like a nice book by
a nice man. Hanna, a lifelong Boy Scouting nut who has attended regular
reunions of his Scout Troop since the 1920s, is an Eagle Scout, both
literally and figuratively. I’m only up through his early years at MGM,
and so far he has some pleasant anecdotes about the golden age of animation,
but none of the revealing anecdotes or earthy tales you’ll find in such books
as Shamus Culhane’s _Talking Animals and Other People_ or Jack Kinney’s
_Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters_. I’m worried that the book will
get progressively blander, since that’s what happened to Hanna-Barbera’s
work as they entered the TV cartoon business and turned out bushels of
remarkably rotten limited animation.
Both Hanna and Barbera are still at work, by the way. And both cheerfully admit
that they are business associates, not buddies, and have never hung out
together outside the studio. I’ve heard rumors that they actively dislike each
other, in Abbott-and-Costello fashion, but I don’t know if they’re true.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3857, from lkaplan, 235 chars, Fri Jun 7 10:34:32 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Cartoon Music
Who did the music for the Heckle & Jeckle cartoons? I’m sitting here
listening to some Tex Williams recordings from the late 1940s (classified
as “Western Swing”, I guess), and those 2 birds come to mind …
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3858, from hmccracken, 390 chars, Fri Jun 7 13:31:29 1996
This is a comment to message 3857.
————————–
Phil Scheib was the Terry composer for several decades, so he was probably
responsible for most, if not all, of the Heckle and Jeckle scores.
Terry music always has a distinctive cheesiness about it, in part
because it’s so cheap. It seems to be performed by a three-man band
consisting of a kazoo player, a cigar-box banjoist, and somebody
thumping out a rhythm on a countertop.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3859, from switch, 358 chars, Fri Jun 7 22:45:22 1996
This is a comment to message 3855.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I concur. I caught A Close Shave at a special screening here about two
months ago, where they showed Creature Comforts, A Grand Day Out, The Wrong
Trousers, and A Close Shave back to back. While A Close Shave is
technically brilliant and a fine film in its own right, it’s still comes in
second to Trousers. A close second, but second nonetheless.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3860, from elfhive, 885 chars, Sat Jun 8 10:52:53 1996
This is a comment to message 3859.
————————–
I just managed to catch the Aardman show at the Biograph here in DC because
it had been rescheduled. The Biograph, by the way, is about to close at
the end of the month. For almost thirty years it has been a major venue
for animation specials and anime theatricals.
I have to say that I found A Close Shave a superior film to The Wrong
Trousers, particularly from a writer’s perspective. I think the love
interest element was outstandingly handled and gave the simple dramatic
plot greater depth. If this had been left out, then I would have seen
the third film as simply a formulaic repetition of the second. As it is
there is a dramatic evolution at work in Parks material.
I also particularly liked Wat Pig which I felt was a nice twist to a
classic storyline. I can’t remember the names of the two creators, but
I’m impressed with the talent that Aardman is fostering in the UK>
==========================
animation/main #3861, from hmccracken, 1390 chars, Sun Jun 9 21:34:33 1996
————————–
TITLE: Details on the San Diego Comics Convention
…or Comic Con International: San Diego, as its proprietors call it these
days. As you probably know if you’re a long-time member of this conference,
the San Diego Con is an enormous event that includes dozens of guests
from comics, animation, and related fields, lots of panel discussions and
films, and several football fields’ worth of merchandise for sale.
(If you doubt the size of the con, watch this year’s Republican Convention,
which is also being held in the San Diego Convention Hall, then imagine
the same amount of space taken up by comics stuff instead of Republicans.)
The convention — the comics one, not the Republican one — runs from July
4th through the 7th this year. A tiny sample of the guests: Mark (Luke
Skywalker) Hamill, Will (The Spirit) Eisner, John (Spiderman) Romita,
Kurt (Captain Marvel) Schaffenberger, Mort (Mad Magazine) Drucker, and
Marie Severin, the legendary comics colorist. The list of exhibitors takes
up three larg pages of tiny type, and panels range from the First National
Comic Book Grading Symposium to an Homage to Nobility in Comics.
I’ve been to three San Diego cons, and they’ve all been terrific. I’d be
there again this year — I have business in California earlier that week —
but some family responsibilities will bring me home to Boston before the
convention begins.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3862, from hmccracken, 851 chars, Sun Jun 9 21:43:34 1996
————————–
TITLE: Animation Books by Mail
Want to shop for animation books from the comfort of your favorite armchair?
Call the Howard Lowery Gallery at 818/972-9080 and ask for a copy of
its new animation book catalog. It’s the best one I’ve seen, with everything
from the expected (_The Art of Walt Disney_) to the unexpected (_Walt
Disney’s Famous Quotes_, _Wer Ist Carl Barks?_) to several books that
haven’t been published yet. It’s also got some videos, CDs, and oddities
such as Uncle Scrooge money clips.
If you live in Southern California, you can go to the Lowery Gallery itself
(appropriately located in Burbank) for its frequent signings.
A fun-sounding one happened yesterday: Adriana Caselotti (the voice of
Snow White) and Ilene Woods (the voice of Cinderella) appeared to sign
copies of a limited-edition cel entitled _Royal Couples_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3863, from hmccracken, 283 chars, Mon Jul 22 00:19:30 1996
————————–
TITLE: BIX CBIX Open House this Sunday!
Please join us this Sunday, July 28th, at 9pm for a BIX CBIX open house.
It’s been much too long since we last got together to discuss comics, cartoons,
and whatever other topics come to mind. More details to follow — see you there!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3864, from hmccracken, 133 chars, Sat Jul 27 19:42:39 1996
————————–
TITLE: CBIX Reminder
Just a reminder that we’ll be having a CBIX session tomorrow (Sunday) night
at 9pm ET. Please join us!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3865, from hmccracken, 214 chars, Tue Jul 30 20:52:29 1996
————————–
TITLE: _Disney from A to Z_…
is the name of — you guessed it — a new encyclopedia of all things
Disney, written by chief Disney archivist Dave Smith. A review will
follow once I’ve picked up the book.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3866, from hmccracken, 233 chars, Wed Jul 31 22:08:38 1996
————————–
TITLE: More Items in /long.messages
See animation/long.messages for two of my recent columns for
_Animato_ magazine: one on Sam Singer, the worst animation
producer of all time, and one in praise of 8mm home-movie cartoons.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3867, from hmccracken, 1655 chars, Fri Aug 2 23:35:40 1996
————————–
TITLE: Comic-shop distribution changes
As reported in an Internet message from _Animato_ editor Mike Dobbs
in /best.of.net, Diamond, the biggest distributor of periodicals to comic
book stores, has bought its only significant competitor, Capital City.
This is the latest of many changes in comic-shop distribution in recent
months, most of which came as a result of comic-book behemoth Marvel
Comics buying its own distribution company and sidestepping the
independent distributors entirely.
As someone who used to deal with Diamond, Capital, and Heroes World (which
Marvel bought) when I published _Animato_, all this has me worried about
the prospects for small publishers of comics and cartoon-related magazines
such as _Animato_. It now looks like it will be *very* hard to get your
publications into stores unless Diamond wants to carry them — and
Diamond, reasonably enough, is more interested in carrying large,
profitable publications than ones which may only sell a few hundred or
thousand copies.
Fortunately for _Animato_, it’s also carried by several mainstream
distributors who deal with the big bookstore chains; it’s not nearly as
dependent on comic-shop sales as it was when I published it. And this
points out what may eventually become one of the biggest virtues of
publishing on the World Wide Web — you don’t need to convince a
distributor that carrying a Web publication is worth its while. Just put
a publication up on the Web, and if it’s got a natural audience, it will find
it. Now all we need to do is figure out a way to make Web magazines as
easy to read as paper ones — I suspect that will take a *long* time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3868, from hmccracken, 527 chars, Sun Aug 11 21:07:57 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Three hours a week
It’s official: TV stations have to begin showing three hours of
educational TV for kids a week. This much-publicized mandate
comes in the wake of a period in which stations were showing
such thoroughly uneducational fare as _The Jetsons_ and
claiming it was educational TV. (Hey, I learned everything
*I* know about the future from that show.)
No word on what shows will emerge from the three-hour rule, but
it will likely result in lots of new programming — both
animated and live-action.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3869, from elfhive, 85 chars, Mon Aug 12 18:35:29 1996
This is a comment to message 3868.
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> I learned everything I know about the future
Hey, it was a better future too 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3870, from hmccracken, 609 chars, Sat Aug 17 20:47:17 1996
————————–
TITLE: Two new Disney books…
will appear this fall. _Before the Animation Begins_, by John Canemaker, is
a look at the inspirational artists who prepared (and prepare) rough sketches
suring the studio’s earliest work at turning an idea into a full-realized
story. Canemaker’s books on Winsor McCay and Felix the Cat are both terrific,
so I have high hopes for this volume.
_Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Scenes Look at Making the Magic_ is
about the Disney division that has created all the rides and other attractions
at Disneyland, Disney World, Disneyland Tokyo, and Disneyland Paris.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3871, from hmccracken, 380 chars, Fri Aug 23 19:40:02 1996
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Al Bertino
Al Bertino has died in Los Angeles. Bertino, who was 84, was a
Disney veteran who worked as an animator on _Fantasia_ and _Pinocchio_.
He later went to work designing attractions for Disneyland, and was
involved in the creation of the popular Country Bear Jamboree show
there — which stars a bear named Big Al, whom Bertino based on
himself.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3872, from hmccracken, 830 chars, Tue Aug 27 21:33:48 1996
————————–
TITLE: Ronald Reagan: Statesman, Actor, Cartoonist
I just got back from a short trip to Los Angeles, during which I
visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.
(I’m a presidential library junkie — I’ve also been to the
Kennedy, Nixon, and Carter ones.)
I’ve seen several examples of Reagan’s doodles over the years —
he has a pleasantly cartoony style that’s clearly inspired by
the comic strips he must have enjoyed as a kid in the 1930s. But
the Reagan library has the best example I’ve seen: a portrait
of George McManus’s Jiggs, which Reagan presented to his wife
Nancy along with a sentimental inscription saying that Maggie
never made Jiggs as happy has Nancy had made him. Whatever you
think of Reagan’s politics, it’s nice to know that we’ve had
at least one president who was a comics fan.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3873, from hmccracken, 629 chars, Tue Aug 27 21:36:50 1996
————————–
TITLE: Disney architecture
If you ever find yourself in Burbank, California, be sure and drive by
the Disney studios on Buena Vista Street. If you’re not a big-shot movie
star or director, you may not be able to get past the guards, but you
can stand outside and peer through the fences. And at least two of
the buildings you’ll see are well worth peering at: the new animation
building, a huge, 1940s-styled structure with a cone-shaped sculpture (?)
outside inspired by Mickey Mouse’s hat in _The Sorcerer’s Apprentice_,
and the big building near the front gate that’s supported by giant
statues of the Seven Dwarfs.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3874, from hmccracken, 1003 chars, Wed Aug 28 21:11:52 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Bugs Stamps
I’ve only heard the following tidbit over the Internet, so I’m not
100% positive it’s true, but it SEEMS to be accurate: the Post
Office has struck a deal with Warner Bros. to use Looney Tunes
characters in ads designed to encourage kids to collect stamps.
In return, the US Post Office will release a series of stamps
with Looney Tunes characters on them, starting with a Bugs
Bunny one this December. These would be the first stamps
with animation characters on them, and also the first with
still-heavily merchandised characters of any sort. Walt Disney
himself appeared on a stamp shortly after his death, and
we got a series of comic-strip stamps last year — but they
were mainly of characters from defunct or not-heavily-promoted
strips.
I’m in favor of classic cartoon characters appearing on stamps,
though I’d rather see a series with truly great characters from
all studios (Mickey, Felix, Betty Boop, etc.) than one that
includes only Warner Bros. characters.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3875, from lkaplan, 308 chars, Thu Aug 29 22:19:50 1996
This is a comment to message 3874.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: Bugs Stamps
It’ll be neat to see the stamps, of course, but I can’t help thinking that
this is just as bad as sporting events that have the sponsor’s name before
(or instead of) the actual event name …
How soon will it be before we see the USPS mentioned in a Spam commercial,
and a Spam stamp?
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3876, from sfmcnally, 65 chars, Fri Aug 30 02:32:48 1996
This is a comment to message 3875.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3875.
————————–
Blech, who would want to lick one of _those_ stamps. 😉
Seumas
==========================
animation/main #3877, from hmccracken, 207 chars, Fri Aug 30 11:16:27 1996
This is a comment to message 3875.
————————–
Right — While I think that Bugs probably deserves a stamp (at least as
much so as James Dean!), I’m sorry it came to pass through a marketing
cross-promotion. Let’s hope it’s a good-looking stamp.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3878, from lkaplan, 51 chars, Fri Aug 30 18:15:34 1996
This is a comment to message 3876.
————————–
ROFL!
I suppose I asked for that, didn’t I?
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3879, from hmccracken, 540 chars, Mon Sep 9 11:03:10 1996
————————–
TITLE: Al Hirschfeld, Landmark
Al Hirschfeld, who has been the _New York Times_’s theatrical caricaturist for
more than 70 (!) years, can add a new honor to his long list of distinctions:
he’s probably the first cartoonist ever to be named a landmark.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private, non-profit organization names
a group of prominent New Yorkers as “Living Landmarks” each year. Hirschfeld
is one of the honorees for 1996, joining such other Living Landmarks as
Walter Cronkite, Liz Smith, and Helen Gurley Brown.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3880, from hmccracken, 422 chars, Mon Sep 9 12:12:46 1996
————————–
TITLE: Whole Toon is back
As reported here recently, Whole toon Catalog, the indispensable mail-order
vendor of animation books, tapes, and related products, has returned from
the dead. The new owners have mailed out a new catalog; I haven’t seen it
yet, but just called for a copy. For a full report, and the phone number
for catalog requests, see animation/best.of.net #281.
Has anyone here gotten a copy yet?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3881, from hmccracken, 402 chars, Thu Sep 12 19:14:06 1996
————————–
TITLE: Watch Out for that Tree!
Today’s All Things Considered program on NPR had a segment on
a dispute between Dreamworks SKG and some L.A. environmentalists;
in passing, it mentioned that Disney is doing a live-action
film based on Jay Ward’s classic 1967 cartoon series _George of
the Jungle_. I wonder who will play George, Fella (George’s girlfriend),
amd Shep (George’s loyal elephant)?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3882, from hmccracken, 1016 chars, Thu Sep 12 22:42:37 1996
————————–
TITLE: Warner Bros.: Together Again
The FTC has approved the Time Warner-Turner merger, which means
it’s likely to go through.
No matter how you feel about the concentration of media ownership
in this country, this is probbly a good thing. For decades, the
onwership of the Warner Bros. cartoon library has been broken up —
Warner sold all its pre-1948 films years ago (they eventually ended
up in Turner’s hands) and kept the later ones. This has meant that
there have been two competing packages of Warner cartoons on TV,
two lines of Warner videos, etc. After the merger, we’ll probably
see the post-1948 Warner cartoons on Turner’s cable stations —
a positive development, since they usually treat cartoons pretty
well — and perhaps we’ll see videos that mix and match the best
films from all periods.
This also means that Time Warner will own both the Looney Tunes
characters and the Hanna-Barbera ones. We could end up with a TV
special teaming Bugs Bunny and Fred Flintstone — let’s hope not!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3883, from hmccracken, 910 chars, Sun Sep 15 00:24:30 1996
————————–
TITLE: Disneyland II
Next door to Disneyland is a great big parking lot. By the year
2001, according to Disney’s plans, that lot will be replaced by
Disney’s California Adventure, a new theme park built around a
California theme. Visitors will get to tour a Disneyfied version
of Hollywood Boulevard, ride simulated hang gliders over California
landscapes, and participate in other rides and attractions
inspired by California themes. All of this will be distinct from
Disneyland itself; you’l have to pay another admission to get in.
Besides the theme park, the expansion plans include a new hotel,
as well as a shopping area. These plans seem pretty firm, but I’ve
reported here on several other Southern Califonia Disney expansion
announcements that never resulted in anything over the years, including
Westcot (a western version of Disney World’s EPCOT Center) and a water
park in Long Beach.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3884, from hmccracken, 296 chars, Sun Sep 15 00:29:37 1996
————————–
TITLE: Animation CBIX this Tuesday
No special reason other than that it’s been awhile: please
join me in animation/cbix at 9pm ET this Tuesday, September 17th,
for an animation conference get-together.
Free copies of the new issue of _Animato_ (hot off the presses)
for all attendees!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3885, from hmccracken, 582 chars, Sun Sep 29 20:17:17 1996
————————–
TITLE: Addams in the _Times_
Today’s _New York Times_ has an enjoyable article by
_New Yorker_ artist Art Spiegleman on the work of Charles
Addams, in connection with an ongoing, rotating exhibit
of Addams’ original cartoons at the New York Public Library.
The only problem with the _Times_ story: It devotes a large
amount of space to the first six panels of an Addams cartoon —
and the other six, which deliver the punchline, are nowhere
to be found. Perhaps it’s just as well that this paper
generally doesn’t run comic strips; they don’t quite seem
to get the point.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3886, from pwirtz, 271 chars, Mon Sep 30 00:25:36 1996
————————–
TITLE: Animation and Traffic.
For about a month now a local L.A. news station, KFWV has started the
traffic reports with the theam muisc to The Jetsons, The Flintstones or The
Simsons.
|||||paul|||||
Now on Warp 4.0
Southern Calif OS/2 Users Group
http://www.scoug.com
==========================
animation/main #3887, from hmccracken, 3311 chars, Mon Sep 30 22:04:09 1996
————————–
TITLE: _The Rocky and Bullwinkle Book_
I’ve been waiting for a book on the Jay Ward animation studio’s TV
cartoons for twenty
years or more — it’s just about the last major animation topic that’s
never been covered at book length.
_The Rocky and Bullwinkle Book_ (Bantam) is the first book on the Ward
studio’s work, and while there are some very nice things about it, the
more I think about it the more disappointed I am.
The book’s very format is a bad omen — it’s a gigantic $50 coffee-table
volume with lots of large color illustrations. Now, given that the Ward
cartoons were justifiably famous for their chintzy animation and lack of
elegant drawing (a fact discussed at length in this very book!), the
lavish production values are overkill.
Indeed, while the book *looks* good (the designers took their styling cues
from the Ward cartoons themselves), it’s really, really padded. There are
countless examples of a small picture or single sentence being given an
entire page, and many pages are given over to reprints of the Ward
studio’s early 1960s publicity materials which, although still funny,
don’t deserve nearly as much space as they get.
Another large chunk of space is devoted to a complete episode guide to the
Bullwinkle cartoons. When you get down to it, the amount of space given to
the book’s primary text is remarkably small. And that’s my biggest
disappointment.
The text that’s there is enjoyable and informative, but it tells only a
tiny piece of the Ward studio’s history. You’d never know that Jay Ward
was in the animation business for ten years before the premiere of _Rocky
and his Friends_, pioneering TV cartoons with _Crusder Rabbit_. You can
barely tell that he produced a number of other excellent TV cartoons after
_Bullwinkle_’s demise, as well as some live-action TV shows and twenty
years’ worth of enjoyable animated commercials starring Captain Crunch,
Quake and Quisp, and others. You even get almost no information on Dudley
Do-Right, Fractured Fairy Tales, and the other series that were part of
_Bullwinkle_.
Sticklers might point out that the title _The Rocky and Bullwinkle Book_
doesn’t promise anything other than information about Rocky and
Bullwinkle, but even here the level of information is shallow. There’s no
discussion of the Bullwinkle newspaper strip by Al Kilgore (maybe the best
newspaper strip ever based on an animated cartoon) or _Bowl-Winkle_, an
unaired Bullwinkle special produced in the early 1980s. Nor of such other
spin-offs as the Bullwinkle’s Family Restaurant chain, still extant in
California.
Then there’s the fact that the book’s text is set in a bold, sans-serif
typeface that’s almost impossible to read — and that absolutely none of
its dozens of illustrations are captioned, despite the fact that many of
them really need explanation.
If I sound like I’m being harsh, it’s because the Ward studio’s output is
such a niche-y subject that the existence of this book probably means we
won’t see any others on the topic for many years, if at all. The
publication of a bad book on Disney, and there have been many, doesn’t
prevent us from getting other, better books. But unless _The Rocky and
Bullwinkle Book_ is a smash, it’s almost certainly all we’ll get on the
wonderful Ward cartoons. They deserve better.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3888, from hmccracken, 724 chars, Tue Oct 1 00:21:18 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _Punch_ is back
After suspending publication for a couple of years or so,
the British weekly _Punch_ is back, in a slick new format
bankrolled by the guy who owns Harrod’s department store
in London. It’s full of color cartoons, and as usual,
it’s so topical that an American reader like me can’t
figure half of them out.
As I reported here in March of last year, veteran British
cartoonist Bill Tidy had spearheaded a campaign to revive
_Punch_; I don’t know if he’s involved in running this
new incarnation, but he does have a full-page strip in
the issue.
If you’re not sure how long _Punch_ had been published before
its brief period in limbo, do the math on this: The issue
I bought is number 7891.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3889, from lkaplan, 519 chars, Wed Oct 2 14:07:50 1996
This is a comment to message 3888.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: _Punch_ is back
Do you know if it is (or will be) available at places like bookstores, or
is it subscription-only?
>and as usual,
>it’s so topical that an American reader like me can’t
>figure half of them out.
Heheheh … remember what John Cleese said about “A Fish Called Wanda” —
(I’m not sure if I have this exact, but …) “There are 5 jokes that
Americans will understand and the British won’t, 5 jokes that the British
will understand and Americans won’t, and 5 jokes that nobody will
understand.”
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3890, from hmccracken, 250 chars, Wed Oct 2 21:51:04 1996
This is a comment to message 3889.
————————–
It is available by subscription to U.S. residents. I know
this because my father was considering subscribing, until
he found out that is costs something like $550 a year.
Presumably that’s for airmail.
On newsstands, it’s $3.50 — not bad.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3891, from lkaplan, 549 chars, Sun Oct 6 19:29:32 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Wallace and Gromit
We just went to see “The Wallace and Gromit Show” (as it was called around
here). This is the same show, I believe, that Harry mentioned several
months ago (A Close Shave, Rex the Runt, Pib and Pog, a few commercials for
the British Electric Board). A good time was had by all, though
unfortunately not that many people knew about it, the advertising was
minimal.
Is “A Great Day Out” (title?) available on videotape? I think that’s the
name of the story about Wallace and Gromit building a very fanciful
spaceship.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3892, from hmccracken, 190 chars, Sun Oct 6 22:40:50 1996
This is a comment to message 3891.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Yup, _A Grand Day Out_ is available on video, as is _The Wrong
Trousers_, the second Wallace and Grommit film.
what are _Rex the Runt_ and _Pib and Pog_? I’ve never heard of
them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3893, from lkaplan, 1172 chars, Mon Oct 7 17:34:27 1996
This is a comment to message 3892.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>_Rex the Runt_
Rex is a dog modeled in the way that a small child would draw a dog …
sort of flat (the legs next to each other, that kind of thing). There were
two short films with him, one which was about dinosaurs becoming extinct,
the other about a bad dream. They were much less polished than A Close
Shave, but neat anyways.
>_Pib and Pog_
Pib and Pog, whom are both sort of blob shaped, are the hosts of a
children’s show, apparently. The film was about them having a bit of a
fight on the air, while the lady announcer (whom you never saw), speaking
in the typical cloying “talking to little children” style, was apparently
oblivious to what was really going on.
(Pib walks on with bucket – bucket has skull and crossbones on the side)
“Oh _my_, Pib, what’s _that_ you have?”
(Pib hides bucket from Pog … Pog keeps trying to look around Pib)
“Oh, Pib, it looks like Pog is going to look in your bucket!”
(Pog goes over, puts head in bucket, quivers a bit, gets out … eyes and
facial
features have fallen off)
“What was that you said, Pib? Sulphuric acid?”
(machine guns, cannons, and the like also)
It was pretty funny, actually.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3894, from jjanney, 120 chars, Mon Oct 7 18:00:38 1996
This is a comment to message 3893.
————————–
> (machine guns, cannons, and the like also)
As I said before, very much like some of the stuff you see on Usenet 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3895, from hmccracken, 2910 chars, Sun Oct 13 00:41:41 1996
————————–
TITLE: _Tex Avery_
In France, Tex Avery is the most revered of American cartoon
directors, and numerous lavish art books have been published
about his work. One of these is now out in an American edition.
_Tex Avery_ (priced at a reasonable $34.95) is based on a
book by French author Pierre Lambert, but it retains only the
illustrations; the text, by John Canemaker, is entirely new.
Canemaker has been responsible for three of the best animation-
related books ever written — his ones on Felix the Cat, Winsor
McCay, and the making of the 1970s Raggedy Ann feature are all
top-notch. But I’m disappointed in his _Tex Avery_ text. There’s
a fairly short biography, which is short on new information
except for depressing facts about Avery’s later life: his
son died of a drug overdose, his thirty-year marriage broke up,
and he developed a drinking problem. Indeed, the whole biography
is remarkably downbeat, painting Avery as a guy who had an
inferiority complex, ran out of ideas, and died a broken man.
All of which may be true, but Avery was also a man who was deeply
loved by most (maybe all) of his colleagues, something that
doesn’t come across in Canemaker’s text. (It does, however, in
the prefaces by Bill Hanna and Chuck Jones.)
Canemaker also supplies year-by-year looks at Avery’s work for
the MGM studio, from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s, but they’re
also disappointing. For one thing, Canemaker’s writing is a bit
stuffy; the manic humor of Avery’s world never comes across.
For another, I got the feeling that Canemaker may not be that
big an Avery fan; his discussions are more like plot capsules
than appreciations.
What makes this book worth getting — and it *is* worth buying —
are its wonderful illustrations. There’s nothing on Avery’s
early work at Warner Bros. (and curiously, only one photograph
of him, I believe), but there’s an enormous selection of materials
from his MGM films — cels, posters, layout drawings, model sheets,
and more. The reproduction is excellent, and if you’ve seen any
of these films — and maybe even if you haven’t — you’ll probably
chuckle as you peruse them.
Overall, this book does not supercede the one other U.S. book on
Avery, Joe Adamson’s _Tex Avery: King of Cartoons_ (which was
published in 1975 but is still in print, I think). Adamson’s
book has no glossy color illustrations, but it’s otherwise
terrific: Adamson is a very funny writer who does a good
job of capturing the Avery spirit, he provides interviews with
Avery and several key colleagues, and his critical filmography
remains an essential research work. And though Avery may have
had his problems, Adamson certainly finds many positive things
to say about Avery’s long career; you come away thinking that
Avery was a decent, well-loved man, whatever his personal problems.
(Adamson’s book, published before Avery’s death, does not discuss
his family problems.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3896, from hmccracken, 937 chars, Mon Oct 14 22:03:16 1996
————————–
TITLE: Jones Writes Again
When Chuck Jones published his autobiography a few years ago, he
titled it _Chuck Amuck_. Hence, it sort of makes sense that his
second volume of memoirs, just out, is called _Chuck Reducks_ —
especially since Daffy is on the cover.
I just picked up the book and have only begun to read it, but
I already know that it’s beautifully designed and brimming with
illustrations — oftentimes two or three to the page. In fact,
the vintage phtographs from Warner’s and other studios look
like they’re almost worth the $26.95 price all by themselves.
What does Jones write about in this second book? Looks like it’s
more of the same — more memories, more analysis of his characters,
more discussion of the craft of animation and art in general.
That’s fine with me!
At the start of the book, by the way, Jones thanks a bunch
of folks for their help — including our own Hugh Kenner.
— Harry
hm********@bi*.com
==========================
animation/main #3897, from lkaplan, 360 chars, Tue Oct 22 09:04:58 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Wallace and Gromit lost, then found!
According to the BBC and the London Times, Nick Park lost the original
“Close Shave” Wallace and Gromit figures in a NYC cab yesterday. The
figures were returned by the cab driver, who found them in his trunk and
then heard a news story on the radio.
-Len
*no electrons were harmed in the posting of this message*
==========================
animation/main #3898, from hmccracken, 26 chars, Tue Oct 22 18:28:07 1996
This is a comment to message 3897.
————————–
Thank goodness!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3899, from hmccracken, 369 chars, Tue Oct 22 22:13:11 1996
————————–
TITLE: Oliphant in Northampton
_The New World Order_, an exhibit of drawings and sculpture by
political cartoonist Pat Oliphant, will be at the Words and
Pictures cartoon museum in Northampton, Mass. from October 16th
to November 24th.
Oliphant is one of the best draftsman left in the political cartooning
game, and I’m going to try to get down to the show.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3900, from hmccracken, 520 chars, Wed Oct 23 21:08:23 1996
————————–
TITLE: Ferd Johnson Obituary
Ferd Johnson has died at the age of 90. Johnson was best known for
his work on the classic _Moon Mullins_ strip; he began assisting
its creator, Frank Willard, in 1923, and too the strip over
completely upon Willard’s death in the late 1950s.
Johnson continued to write and draw _Moon_, in later years in
collaboration with his son Tom, until the strip’s cancellation in 1991 —
his tenure was an incredible 68 years, with a few breaks during which he
worked on his own strips.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3901, from hmccracken, 688 chars, Sun Oct 27 21:35:12 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Jim Davis versus Norman Rockwell
If anything in America is as sacred as mom and apple pie, it’s the work of
Norman Rockwell.
Or at least I thought so, until I saw a new 1997 _Garfield_ calendar
that’s built around the idea of adding Garfield to famous Rockwell
paintings. Generally, Garfield is shown mimicing the action of the
painting’s protagonist. For instance, in the well-known rockwell work
which depicts a satisfied-looking little girl sitting outside the
principal’s office with a black eye, Garfield sits bwside her on the
bench, equally satisfied and also sporting a shiner.
I like Norman Rockwell, I tolerate _Garfield_, but I’m horrified by this
calendar.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3902, from hmccracken, 298 chars, Sun Oct 27 21:36:45 1996
————————–
TITLE: Wallace and Gromit meet Her Majesty
Nick Park’s clay animation characters really are getting around
these days. I’ve heard that Queen Elizabeth is such a fan of
their adventures that she requested, and got, a tour of Aardman
Animation, the British studio that produces their films.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3903, from dgh, 106 chars, Mon Oct 28 00:25:57 1996
This is a comment to message 3901.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Don’t hava a cow, man. Norman Rockwell was good, but his work isn’t sacred…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3904, from hkenner, 63 chars, Mon Oct 28 18:59:12 1996
This is a comment to message 3903.
There are additional comments to message 3903.
————————–
On the other hand, “Garfield” is neither sacred nor good.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #3905, from hmccracken, 473 chars, Mon Oct 28 20:22:14 1996
This is a comment to message 3903.
————————–
Well, I *do* have a sense of humor. Come to think of it, I’m
a fan of _Art Afterpieces_, a wonderful 1964 book by Disney
animator Ward Kimball that’s based around a similar idea —
Kimball painted gags onto famous works of art.
Maybe if you see the calendar you’ll see why it irritates me;
the changes aren’t very imaginative and the whole thing has
a sleazy feel to it. It looks like it was done to make a
fast buck, not as a loving tribute to Rockwell’s work.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3906, from hmccracken, 995 chars, Mon Oct 28 20:57:26 1996
————————–
TITLE: The Toon Top Ten
This just in from the new _Time_: Here are the 10 most popular
cartoon characters among six-to-11 year olds, as measured by their
Q-score (a scoring system that’s used to rate real-live celebrities
as well as animated ones):
1) Timon and Pumbaa (from _The Lion King_)
2) Rugrats (from the Nickelodeon series)
3) Bugs Bunny
4) Mickey Mouse
5) and 6) (tied) Milo (from _The Mask_) and the Road Runner
7) The Tasmanian Devil
8), 9), 10) (tied) Casper, Garfield, and Snoopy
If you think that today’s kids have nothing in common with their parents
or grandparents, take note: Six of the 10 characters are at least
forty-five years old. If you’d done this survey forty years ago, Bugs,
Mickey, the Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil, Casper, and Snoopy might
have all appeared. If you’d done it fifty years ago, Mickey and Bugs, and,
just possibly, Casper, might have made it. And if you’d done it in 1936,
there’s little doubt that Mickey Mouse would have been #1.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3907, from hmccracken, 1021 chars, Mon Nov 4 22:59:55 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The 100 greatest movie stars of all time…
…is the topic of a special issue of _Entertainment Weekly_ that’s
out on the stands now.
Naturally, as a good cartoon fan, my immediate thought was to
wonder how many cartoon characters made the list. The answer?
Z-E-R-O.
Well, to be fair, Mickey Mouse is included, sort of — he’s not
on the top-10 list, but he does get the last page of the entire
magazine to himself. It’s sort of an honorable mention.
I’d say that Mick deserved to be on the list itself, along with
at least two other animated actors: Bugs Bunny and Felix the Cat.
Bugs, of course, is the only movie star around who began his career
in the late 1930s and is about to star in a huge blockbuster film
in the late 1990s. Felix, by contrast, had a short career as a
movie star, but he was BIG in the teens — probably as much so
as Chaplin. Sure, _EW_ might have had to knock Sharon Stone or
Bruce Willis off the list to make room for these ‘toon stars, but
it would have been worth it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3908, from hmccracken, 850 chars, Mon Nov 4 23:04:19 1996
————————–
TITLE: Pooh Postage
According to an ad I saw in the Sunday paper, Canada has released
a set of commemorative stamps celebrating the career of Winnie the
Pooh. The reason why Pooh gets the honor? Apparently, the character
can be traced, somehow, to a real-life bear who made his home in
Winnepeg.
There are four stamps in the series: the first features the
aforementioned Canadian cub, the second shows the actual stuffed
bear who was beloved by A.A. Milne’s son Christopher, the third
shows E.H. Shephard’s Pooh from Milne’s books, and the last
shows the Disneyfied Pooh grinning in front of the Disney World
castle.
For those of us who grew up on the Milne books, and who consider the
Disney Pooh to be a watered-down imposter, the emphasis of these stamps
seems all wrong — they should have ALL featured the Milne/Shephard character.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3909, from hmccracken, 376 chars, Sat Nov 9 18:42:09 1996
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TITLE: The Lion President
The current issue of _Time_ magazine — the election special —
includes an interesting article which compares President Bill Clinton
to Simba, Disney’s Lion King. (I’m more fond of the comparison
that Clinton once made himself: He said he was like Baby Huey,
because they were both big, fat, funny-looking guys who didn’t
give up easily.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3910, from hmccracken, 280 chars, Tue Nov 12 22:32:03 1996
————————–
TITLE: Animation CBIX this Saturday
It’s been almost two months since our last CBIX get-together, so we’re
overdue for one. Please join us in animation/CBIX at 9pm ET for our
traditional chatter on a wide variety of topics related and unrelated to
comics and cartoons!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3911, from switch, 126 chars, Fri Nov 15 21:57:56 1996
This is a comment to message 3907.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone were listed as two of the greatest movie stars of
all time? What is the world coming to?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3912, from hmccracken, 228 chars, Sat Nov 16 07:03:52 1996
This is a comment to message 3911.
————————–
Well, the list was broken down into sections for each decade.
Willias and Stone were deemed two of the biggest stars of
the 1990s, which I guess is true. But I wonder if anyone will
remember them twenty years from now?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3913, from hmccracken, 552 chars, Sun Nov 24 22:21:02 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Live action and animation
Today’s _New York Times_ has an interesting article, by
John Canemaker, which discusses the boundaries between live-action
films and animated ones — and how they’ve been blurring for
decades. It’s well known that Walt Disney increassingly wanted
his animated films to look as realistic as possible; now his
studio is releasing a live-action remake of _101 Dalmatians_.
Canemaker also reports, I’m sorry to say, that Disney is
plannning to do more live remakes of its animated classics.
Next up: _Peter Pan_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3914, from hmccracken, 574 chars, Sun Nov 24 22:24:29 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: You read it here first…
Never let it be said that BIX’s animation conference doesn’t
spot trends early on. Years ago (five or more), we began
noting that the word “Dalamatian” is apparently incredibly
hard to spell — it gets rendered as “Dalmation” much of
the time.
With Disney’s live-action _101 Dalmatians_ about to come
out, Dalmations — er, Dalmatians — are in the news, and last week’s
_Entertainment Weekly_ ran an *entire* article on the confusion over the
word’s spelling. Apparently,even the folks at Disney have trouble getting
it right.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3915, from hmccracken, 914 chars, Sun Nov 24 22:29:03 1996
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TITLE: Bullwinkle is Back
From some time in the early 1960s through the early 1980s, one of
the highlights of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was its giant
balloon of Bullwinkle J. Moose. Eventually, the aging Bullwinkle
balloon was retired — I assume they don’t last forever — and
was replaced by latter-day characters such as Bart Simpson and
Garfield.
I’m pleased to report that Bullwinkle will be back this year, in
a new balloon that also includes his friend Rocky the Flying
Squirrel. In fact, Macy’s appears to be getting into Bullwinkle
in a big way — its advertising features the friendly moose, it’s
selling good-looking Bullwinkle dolls in a Christmas promotion,
and its downtown Boston location currently has a gigantic Rocky
balloon towering over one of the entrances (I suspect that
there may be a Bullwinkle on the other side of the building;
I just haven’t walked around yet to see).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3916, from switch, 33 chars, Tue Dec 3 07:51:35 1996
This is a comment to message 3913.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>Peter Pan
Aaaarrrrggghh!
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3917, from switch, 138 chars, Tue Dec 3 07:52:05 1996
This is a comment to message 3914.
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An article in Montreal’s Gazette has them flipping back and forth between
correct and incorrect spellings — even in the headlines.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #3918, from hmccracken, 309 chars, Tue Dec 3 08:58:39 1996
This is a comment to message 3916.
————————–
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making a new movie based directly
on Barrie’s book — after all, Disney was far from the first to adapt it —
but I have the horrible feeling that a live-action Disney _Peter Pan_
would be based on the cartoon, complete with Marilyn Monroe-style Tinkerbell.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3919, from hmccracken, 1238 chars, Fri Dec 13 19:28:53 1996
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: RIP, Neil Reagan
Neil Reagan, the elder brother of former President Ronald Reagan,
has died in San Diego at the age of 88. He had a long and successful
career in advertising, and never embarassed his brother by appearing
on TV in a suite made out of beer pop-tops (as Billy Carter did) or
accepting a questionable loan from Howard Hughes to start a hamburger
chain that traded on the family name (as F. Donald Nixon did).
But why am I recording Neil Reagan’s death here? Just because his
nickname, as a child and grownup, was Moon — after Moon Mullins,
the great comic-strip character.
This I learned from today’s _New York Times_, which also reports
the deaths of the writer Vance Packard and Charles Hamilton, the
expert on handwriting and forgeries. Hamilton wrote a wonderful
book on famous forgers, the most unforgettable being “Pinny” Field,
son of the poet Eugene Field. Pinny, a ne’er do well type, specialized
in forging his dad’s signature and that of the western artist Frederic
Remington; sometimes he’d forge both signatures on one document.
Hamilton’s discussion of Pinny’s career is so funny that my family
still makes frequent joking references to it, years after we all
read the book.
But I digress.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3920, from hmccracken, 390 chars, Fri Dec 13 19:30:18 1996
This is a comment to message 3919.
————————–
By the way, as I recall, Hamilton was also an expert on the
signatures of Walt Disney — which is an interesting topic, since
Disney usually let his secretary or other studio employees sign
stuff for him. Most of the Disney signatures floating around were
done by other hands, and Walt himself couldn’t really replicate
the famous Disney signature that’s still the company’s logo.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3921, from hmccracken, 903 chars, Sat Dec 14 21:10:02 1996
————————–
TITLE: The $90 Million Man
Here in the BIX animation conference, we usually don’t spend that
much time paying attention to the business doings of the Walt Disney
Company. For instance, we made no mention of the company’s recent
wranglings with the Chinese government, which was upset with
Disney’s involvement with a film on the Dalai Lama.
However, the resignation of Michael Ovitz, who had been the CEO
of the company for less than a year, seems to be really big news —
it made the front page of the _New York Times_ two days in a row.
Despite having apparently failed at his job, Ovitz is said to be
getitng a $90 payoff. As the _Times_ points out, this would be
enough money to take 6 million New Yorkers to see a movie, complete
with snacks, if Ovitz wanted to do so. Presumably it’s also WAY more
money than Walt Disney ever saw in his entire career, maybe even
adjusted for inflation.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3922, from hmccracken, 610 chars, Sat Dec 21 22:15:51 1996
————————–
TITLE: Whole Toon *is* Back
I reported the return of the Whole Toon Catalog awhile ago, but
I only just got conclusive proof in my mailbox — the first copy
of the new version that I’ve seen. The new Whole Toon looks just
like the late, lamented one, with a huge selection of videos, books,
and other cartoon-related products, including lots of stuff you
probably won’t be able to find anywhere else. Featured in this
issue is the indispensable new _Betty Boop: The Definitive
Collection_ (an 8-tape set of Betty Boop cartoons).
To get a copy of the catalog, call Facets Multimedia at 800/331-6917.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3923, from hmccracken, 972 chars, Sun Dec 22 23:22:08 1996
————————–
TITLE: Recent Deaths
Two recent deaths of folks with some relevance to this conference:
Margaret Rey has died in Cambridge, Mass., at the age of 90.
Along with her husband, the late H.A. Rey, she invented Curious
George — the engaging monkey who has been a superstar of children’s
literature for the last 50 years. George and his friend, the Man in the
Yellow Hat, have sold more than 20 million copies of their adventures
over the years, have starred in TV cartoons, and have appeared on
a wide range of merchandise. Curious George Goes to Wordsworth,
a children’s bookstore that spotlights George, opened earlier
this year in the heart of Harvard Square, not far from Mrs. Rey’s home.
Irving Cohen died last week at the age of 101. Cohen was a legendary song-
writer, who wrote _Tea for Two_, _Just a Gigolo_, _Swanee_ (with George
Gershwin, in 1917 (!)), and a 1930s song with the wonderful title of
_What! No Mickey Mouse? What Kind of a Party is This?_
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3924, from hmccracken, 1438 chars, Mon Dec 23 23:26:33 1996
————————–
TITLE: Doonesbury Flashbacks
I have never counted myself as a huge Doonesbury fan, but when
I happened across this CD-ROM for $5.00 at a software sale
going-out-of-business sale, I couldn’t resist. And I’m glad
I bought _Doonesbury Flashbacks_ — it’s really very good,
and an exciting example of what can be done with comic
strips on CD-ROM.
The main attraction on the disc is a complete run of Doonesbury
from the first strip in 1970 through mid-1985 — 9,000 strips in
all. You browse them by topic, chronologically, or with word
searches, or choose a favroite character and see how he or she
has evolved throughout the years. The disc also has biographies
of major characters, video clips from the 1970s Doonesbury TV
special, scripts for the special and the 1980s Broadway show,
lots of articles about the strip, artwork from books and magazines,
and quite a bit more. The interface is clever, too, with lots
of amusing animation of Trudeau’s characters.
I haven’t read all 9,000 strips yet, of course, but I’m working
my way through it. So far I’m concluding that Doonesbury’s
best years were its early ones. Sure, the art was scruffy, but
it was funny and innovative and hadn’t yet acquired the smug
tone it later developed.
I consider my $5.00 to have been well spent. And if anyone’s
smart enough to publish a similar CD-ROM of Pogo, Li’l Abner,
Peanuts, or Krazy Kat, I’d spend a *lot* more than five bucks
on them.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3925, from hmccracken, 227 chars, Wed Jan 1 12:28:22 1997
————————–
TITLE: Happy new year!
Here’s wishing that 1997 is full of health, peace, and good cartoons
and comics for the members of this conference and their family and
friends. Many thanks for your contributions during 1996.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3926, from hmccracken, 898 chars, Thu Jan 2 20:16:14 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The Year in Cartoons
Last night, PBS’s _NewsHour with Jim Lehrer_ featured a roundtable
discussion by prominent political cartoonists, including
Doug Marlette and Steve Kelley, reviewing the events of 1996.
It was a nice segment, but they did something that always drives
me crazy: They flashed political cartoons on the screen and asked
their artists to explain what was going on. Naturally, this isn’t
funny (is their ANY form of humor that’s amusing when described?).
And just as naturally, the cartoons don’t need explanations
(after all, they didn’t have any when they appeared in print).
Yet whenever political cartoonists appear on TV, they treat them
this way. They don’t do it to, say, Garry Trudeau or Scott Adams,
and they definitely don’t do it to any other sort of humorist. (“Mr.
Youngman, you just told us to take your wife, please. What did you mean by
that?”)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3927, from elfhive, 379 chars, Fri Jan 3 16:26:36 1997
This is a comment to message 3926.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I can appreciate your point, Harry, but there aren’t too many options
in the interview situation you describe. You want to show the image and
you don’t want the audio to die, but you can’t stray too far (e.g. so
tell us what your artistic influences when you were just starting out?).
On the other hand, I sure wish someone would ask Trudeau to explain some
of his concepts 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3928, from hmccracken, 317 chars, Tue Jan 7 22:02:01 1997
————————–
TITLE: Al Eugster dies
See animation/best.of.net for former BIXen Dave Mackey’s obituary
of veteran animator Al Eugster. One correction to Dave’s message:
Eugster’s career began on April Fools’ Day, 1925, when he took a
job as an inker at the Pat Sullivan Studio, which produced the
Felix the Cat cartoons.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3929, from hmccracken, 690 chars, Thu Jan 16 20:53:06 1997
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: Sheldon Leonard
Sheldon Leonard has died, at the age of 89. Leonard was perhaps
the last remaining significant cast member of the Jack Benny
radio show (he played “the Tout,” who was a semi-regular) and
a movie actor for many years, usually playing tough guys.
He also produced the Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show,
I Spy, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. And I mention his passing
here because he found time to do some cartoon voice work:
In the 1950s, he portrayed a fat cat named Dodsworth — sort of a
proto-Garfield — in a couple of Warner Bros. cartoons, and in the 1960s
provided the voice for Linus the Lion-Hearted in the TV show of the same name.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3930, from hmccracken, 502 chars, Sun Jan 26 17:26:23 1997
————————–
TITLE: Mooses on the Radio
The Sunday version of National Public Radio’s _Weekend Edition_,
which is my wake-up alarm every Sunday, had a nice interview
this morning with Tiffany Ward, daughter of Jay Ward. She
discussed _Bullwinkle_ with host Leigh Anne (sp?) Hansen,
apparently a Bullwinkle fan, and there were some nice osund
bytes from the show. No new information for serious Bullwinkle
fans, but it’s always nice to see (er, hear) NPR paying
attention to the important things in life.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3931, from peabo, 150 chars, Tue Jan 28 00:29:07 1997
This is a comment to message 3927.
————————–
Hmmm, I dunno … I seem to recall reading in a history of editorial cartoons
something from Herblock about the evolution of the “Nixon Nose”.
peter
==========================
animation/main #3932, from hmccracken, 363 chars, Sun Feb 2 11:11:50 1997
————————–
TITLE: Garfield touts a minivan
Just saw a very clever TV commercial for a minivan —
the Plymouth Voyager, I think — with a computer-animation
Garfield doll (the type with suction-cup feet). He’s
stuck to the window of a different car; when he sees
the Plymouth at a gas station, he unsticks himself,
scampers over, and sticks himself to *its* window.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3933, from hmccracken, 628 chars, Thu Feb 6 22:12:57 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: The Cartoon Network Comes to Arlington
My hometown’s cable system has just installed a snazzy new
fiber-optic network and added a lot of channels. Among the
new choices are the Classic Sports Network, an all-golf
channel — and the Cartoon Network.
I’m still not familiar with the ‘toon Network’s programming
lineup, but I have discovered that it shows _Bullwinkle_
every night at 11:30 — a nice way to end the day — and
that it shows far too much _Scooby Doo_. Oh, and it shows
Warner Bros. cartoons in prime time; they’re clearly a
star attraction.
Does anyone else here get this channel? Anyone watch it?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3934, from jgoddin, 186 chars, Fri Feb 7 23:47:07 1997
This is a comment to message 3933.
There are additional comments to message 3933.
————————–
Yes, and yes. That network and the Sci-Fi network are the
reasons we told our cable company to take a hike and purchased
a big dish! You will also find the Jetsons hiding on there too.
==========================
animation/main #3935, from dgh, 568 chars, Sat Feb 8 01:06:12 1997
This is a comment to message 3933.
There are additional comments to message 3933.
————————–
We got it in my area when they dropped MTV, Fox-32 (a Chicago affiliate),
and the “local origination” channel, shuffled some of the stations around,
and added Discovery Animal Planet, PLEX, and Cartoon Network.
I watch WAY TOO MUCH Cartoon Network and Cartoon Network plays WAY TOO MUCH
Scooby Doo and Cartoon Planet (that excecrable Space Ghost “talk show”)!
I used to turn the TV off if there was nothing worth watching, but now I
switch to the Cartoon Network instead. Can you say “serious addiction,”
boys and girls? I knew you could!
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3936, from dgh, 87 chars, Mon Feb 10 00:30:52 1997
This is a comment to message 3933.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
_The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show_ appears to have moved to 11:00 pm.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3937, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Tue Feb 18 21:16:37 1997
————————–
TITLE: It’s Been Quiet Here…
Anyone seen any good animation lately? Like maybe any of
the Oscar nominees for best animated short? (I don’t
have the names of the films, but I’ll find them.)
I do know that _The Line King_, the excellent documentary
on caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, was nominated for best
documentary. Great news.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3938, from hmccracken, 1729 chars, Sat Feb 22 10:11:31 1997
————————–
TITLE: Maurice Noble News
News from Maurice Noble, the great animation designer who
began his career more than sixty years ago working on
Silly Symphonies for Disney, then went on to create the
settings for most of Chuck Jones’s greatest Warner Bros.
cartoons (_What’s Opera, Doc?_, _Duck Dodgers_, _How the
Grinch Stole Christmas_, etc.):
* At 3pm yesterday, he finished work on the background for
a new Marvin Martian limited-edition cel — a Jones-Noble
collaboration — which will be sold at the Warner Bros.
Studio Stores.
* Noble had been working as a conceptual artist at
Turner Animation; when Turner was acquired by Time
Warner, the animation department was shut down, but
Warner was sensible enough to keep Maurice on in *its*
animation department. So once again, Noble is working
on Warner Bros. cartoons, including _The Iron Giant_,
a proposed feature.
* He’s also doing some work for Chuck Jones Productions,
which, as reported in a message here a few weeks ago,
may become a casualty of thee Time Warner-Turner merger,
but is at the moment finishing up some of its projects
and looking for outside financing.
* Besides that, Maurice is financing, out of his own
pocket, a test film for a proposed series called
Noble Tales, which would be a series of modern
versions of fables from around the world.
* He’s also lecturing quite frequently, and will
soon be flying to Northern California to talk to
the artists at Pixar, which is working on _Bugs_,
a follow-up to _Toy Story_.
As that work schedule suggests, Maurice hasn’t only
not slowed down (he’s in his late 80s), he’s probably
busier than ever! Not bad for one of the few animation
artists who began his career in the 1930s and is still
at it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3939, from hmccracken, 454 chars, Sat Feb 22 10:13:39 1997
————————–
TITLE: Faster than a speeding violin…
National Public Radio’s Wekkend Edition show had a report
this morning on Metropolis Symphony, a piece of classical
music by Michael Dougherty that’s about none other than the Man of Steel
— Superman. (Dougherty specializes in pop-culture symphonies: He’s also
written ones about Elvis and _I Love Lucy_.)
The brief clips of Metropolis Symphony I heard sounded interesting – the
work is out on CD now.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3940, from hmccracken, 1284 chars, Sun Feb 23 21:01:22 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Disney in the _Times_
Today’s _New York Times_ has an interesting article on an
interesting topic: Walt Disney, the Disney company, and the
future of technology. It’s prompted by the new, redone Tomorrowland
at Disney World, which makes no attempt to predict the future —
rather, it’s inspired by Jules Verne, Buck Rogers, and other
classic, optimistic views of things to come. The article speculates
on the reasons for this — maybe it’s because utopian views are
harder to come by these days, or because today’s cutting-edge
technology is less glamorous than, say, moon travel was in its
day.
The article goes on to point out that Walt Disney himself was
a great popularizer of technology — the Disney TV show in the
1950s did some excellent episodes on space travel with the help
of Werner Von Braun, for instance. One of Walt’s last projects
was EPCOT, which he saw as a real, prototypical city of the
future; by the time the Disney company got around to building it,
it had become a rather bland, World’s Fair-like series of exhibits.
As the article rightly points out, much of EPCOT has dated badly
in the fifteen years since it opened — more so than some other
Disneyland and Disney World rides that have gone on for thirty or
forty years with few changes.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3941, from jgoddin, 147 chars, Wed Feb 26 01:47:16 1997
This is a comment to message 3940.
————————–
I also saw where Disney and Pixar have signed an agreement for
5 more feature-length animated movies started by Toy Story over
the next few years.
==========================
animation/main #3942, from hmccracken, 338 chars, Thu Feb 27 22:20:23 1997
————————–
TITLE: CBIXes every Sunday in March
Long ago, the animation conference had a weekly CBIX session
that was a great opportunity to get together and discuss
comics, cartoons, and other fun topics. For the month of
March, we’ll revive the tradition.
Please join us this Sunday at 9pm ET for the first of our
month of Sunday CBIXes!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3943, from hmccracken, 493 chars, Fri Feb 28 19:12:25 1997
————————–
TITLE: More Comics Classics
I reported here recently on a symphony about Superman; today’s
New York Times brings news a new one about Charles M. Schulz’s
Peanuts characters. (I’ve misplaced my newspaper and have
forgotten the name of the composer; it’s a woman composer who
wrote the work after Peppermint Patty made an approving
comment about her in a Peanuts strip.)
Naturally, an entire movement of the symphony is devoted to
Schroeder. the strip’s Beethoven-worshipping pianist.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3944, from hmccracken, 381 chars, Sun Mar 2 16:22:38 1997
————————–
TITLE: Obituary: David Doyle
Actor David Doyle has died at the age of 67. Doyle was best known
for playing the role of Bosley on _Charlie’s Angels_, but also
had a long-running job in animation, as the voice of the grandfather
in Nickelodeon’s _Rugrats_ cartoon series. I think that _Rugrats_
is still in production, so producer Klasky-Csupo may need to recast
the voice.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3945, from hmccracken, 141 chars, Sun Mar 2 16:23:18 1997
————————–
TITLE: CBIX reminder
Please join us at 9pm ET tonight for the first of weekly Sunday-
night CBIXes in March! Hope to see you there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3946, from dgh, 252 chars, Wed Mar 5 01:59:19 1997
This is a comment to message 3936.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I finally flipped past the Cartoon Network between 11 and 11:30 pm on a
weekday without hitting a commercial and there were Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Previously, I’d only seen them on Sunday night, when they are on at 11:30.
Mea Culpa.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3947, from hmccracken, 272 chars, Wed Mar 5 09:07:08 1997
This is a comment to message 3946.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
No mea culpa expected, David, but a small correction: R+B are on
weeknights at 11:30 and Sundays at 11.
It’s an important distinction for me: If they were on at 11
every night, I’d almost always watch them. At 11:30, it’s a
toss-up between them and Ted Koppel.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3948, from dgh, 244 chars, Thu Mar 6 00:26:05 1997
This is a comment to message 3947.
————————–
>R+B weeknights 11:30, Sundays 11:00
That’s what I *meant* to say (because I had originally said that I thought
that they had moved to 11 weeknights) but it came out backwards. (I’ve got
to stop staying up so late!)
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #3949, from hmccracken, 894 chars, Sat Mar 8 15:34:30 1997
————————–
TITLE: _A Sketchbook: Bambi_…
…is the name of the newest Disney art book to be published
by Hyperion, Disney’s book-publishing arm. As the name suggests,
it’s a collection of sketches that were made during the production
of _Bambi_ — apparently the first in a series of such books
covering different Disney films.
The art is wonderful, but the book is far from perfect: The $30 price
seems stiff considering its limited size and lack of color. None of the
individual pieces of art are credited to the artists, and the overall
credits in the back have at least one glaring mistake — they credit
Maurice Noble as having been a supervising director for _Bambi_. (Noble
was an inspirational artist, and was never an animator at Disney or
anywhere else to my knowledge.)
Criticisms aside, I’m looking forward to future books in this serious–
one on _Pinocchio_ could be a treat.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3950, from hmccracken, 573 chars, Sat Mar 8 15:37:45 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Kids, Don’t Try This at Home
A rather scary article in the _New York Times_ this week on excessive
warning labels on consumer products reports that a Batman costume
currently being sold carries a label warning the purchaser that
wearing the Batman cape does not actually allow one to fly.
Of course, even a casual Batman fan could tell you that Batman can’t
fly, so it would be pretty silly to assume that a Batman costume
woukd let you do so. I could have told you that at the age of two,
when I was a rabid fan of the _Batman_ TV series with Adam West.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3951, from hmccracken, 133 chars, Sat Mar 8 15:38:29 1997
————————–
TITLE: Don’t Forget…
Please join us for a comics/animation CBIX this Sunday night at
9pm ET, and every Sunday this month.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3952, from jdow, 62 chars, Sun Mar 9 03:03:23 1997
This is a comment to message 3950.
There are additional comments to message 3950.
————————–
Wull – you can’t use that cape as an paraglider either.
{O.O}
==========================
animation/main #3953, from lkaplan, 780 chars, Sun Mar 9 08:02:23 1997
This is a comment to message 3950.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: Kids, Don’t Try This at Home
>A rather scary article in the _New York Times_ this week on excessive
>warning labels on consumer products reports that a Batman costume
>currently being sold carries a label warning the purchaser that
>wearing the Batman cape does not actually allow one to fly.
Maybe the label makes the cape more realistic … after all, everything
_else_ on the Batman TV show had labels 😉
Seriously, that _is_ ridiculous … I wonder if somebody actually tried to
sue after their kid fell off a roof wearing the costume, or the company’s
lawyers have just gone off the deep end.
I’m surprised that the Saturday-morning WB cartoons (Bugs Bunny, etc.)
don’t carry a warning about violence (or do they? I haven’t had a chance to
watch them lately).
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3954, from hmccracken, 544 chars, Sun Mar 9 17:31:39 1997
This is a comment to message 3953.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Apparently, bizarrely obvious warning messages are now very common
on consumer products. The reason, of course, is that juries are
granting large payments to consumers who suffer ill fates after
doing tremendously stupid things with products that they’ve bought.
In the case of the Batman costume’s warning, I guess the manufacturer
envisioned some overeager lad donning the costume and then leaping
from a rooftop. One always hears stories of that sort, usually
involving Superman suits, but ss far as I know, they’re urban
legends.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3955, from ddsnell, 791 chars, Wed Mar 12 02:30:01 1997
This is a comment to message 3954.
————————–
[hmccracken on 9-Mar-1997]
|
| Apparently, bizarrely obvious warning messages are now very common
| on consumer products.
|
Yup, I’ve seen a few of those. One of my favorites was (and still
is, I think) found on the back of a box of frozen fish fillets — I’ve
forgotten the brand. Right there, on the back of the box, in all caps,
boldface, it sez: “CAUTION. PRODUCT MAY BE HOT.” Really? It’s just
spent half an hour in a 400 degree F oven, and you say it _may_ be
hot??? Geeze. Well, I suppose if the person cooking them forgot to
turn on the oven… (Actually, I said something else the first time I
saw it, but Bixie Bluenose would have sixteen fits and a litter of
lizards if I repeated it here. 🙂
It is also a truism that stupidity is its own reward.
–dds
==========================
animation/main #3956, from hmccracken, 281 chars, Fri Mar 14 15:06:52 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: CBIX on Monday This Week
We’ll continue our special March weekly CBIXes next week, but with
a slightly different schedule. Instead of holding the event at 9pm
ET on Sunday, March 16th, we’ll gather at 9pm on the next day,
Monday, March 17th. Hope to see you there.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3957, from jgoddin, 43 chars, Fri Mar 14 23:52:24 1997
This is a comment to message 3956.
————————–
A good way to spend St. Patrick’s evening.
==========================
animation/main #3958, from hmccracken, 99 chars, Mon Mar 17 09:29:57 1997
————————–
TITLE: Don’t forget..
We’ll be having a CBIX event tonight at 9pm ET. Come one, come all!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3959, from hmccracken, 1331 chars, Mon Mar 17 09:36:39 1997
————————–
TITLE: If you find yourself in Boston, on or near
Commonwealth Avenue, stop in at Boston University’s Mugar Library.
Two small-but-interesting, cartoon-related exhibits are on display.
The first, “Dalmatians before Disney,” concerns Dodie Smith, the
author of _101 Dalmatians_, and includes a page of her original
manuscript, original illustrations from the book, and other items.
The second display is on the life and work of F.B. Opper, the legendary
comic-strip and political cartoonist who created Happy Hooligan,
Alphonse and Gaston, Maud the mule, and other newspaper superstars
of the early part of this century. This display contains some original
Opper cartoons, the manucript of an article he wrote late in life on
his work, and other materials.
The largest display at the library right now isn’t on comics, but
it’s not all that distant in topic: It’s about mystery novels and movies.
The library is open to the public.
The BU library’s special collections department is home to an impressive
assortment of materials relating to American cartooning — among the
artists who have deposited their work there are Harold Gray (45 years’
worth of Little Orphan Annie originals), Hank Ketcham (Dennis the Menace),
and Ferd Johnson (Moon Mullins). All of these are available to anyone
engaging in relevant research.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3960, from hmccracken, 1027 chars, Sat Mar 22 22:48:25 1997
————————–
TITLE: Oscar-nominated cartoons
See animation/press.releases for information on tomorrow night’s show of
Oscar-nominated and -winning cartoons, which will air on the Cartoon
Network. It sounds like a good program, although it’s certainly far from
all-inclusive. It’s not surprising that the 1930s aren’t represented —
Disney practically monopolized the awards in those years, and the Disney
library is about the only major cartoon library that the Cartoon Network
doesn’t have the rights to.
I am surprised, however, by how many MGM cartoons (which the ‘Toon Network
DOES have) aren’t in the show. Tom and Jerry won the Oscar many times in
the 1940s, yet only three T&J shorts are included. (Remarkably, _The Cat
Concerto_, probably the greatest of all T&J cartoons, isn’t represented.) And
Tex Avery’s wonderful _Blitz Wolf_ was nominated, but it’s not in the show.
Still, I plant to watch — this is the fifth year the channel has done
this, but the first in which I get the channel as part of my cable lineup.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3961, from hmccracken, 114 chars, Sat Mar 22 22:49:00 1997
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TITLE: Don’t Forget…
Our next-to-last Sunday CBIX for March will be tomorrow at 9pm ET.
See you there!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3962, from hmccracken, 446 chars, Mon Mar 24 22:33:55 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: And the Oscar Goes To…
Tyon Montgomery and Thomas Stellmach for _Quest_. That’s the
Oscar for best animated short film, of course. The film appears
to be a stop-motion cartoon about a little man made out of sand;
has anyone here seen it? (Or seen any of the other nominees, which include
Richard Condie’s computer-animared _La Salla_, Peter Lord’s _Wat’s
Pig_, and a film whose name I can’t read in my hastily-scrawled
notes?)
–Harry
==========================
animation/main #3963, from jjanney, 385 chars, Tue Mar 25 00:21:13 1997
This is a comment to message 3962.
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I’ve seen _Wat’s Pig_. Twin medieval princes are separated at birth.
One of them is raised as a lord and turns out to be pretty nasty. The
other ends up being raised by a friendly pig. I think it uses
stop-motion clay animation, but I’m not sure. The story isn’t really
as interesting as it sounds, IMO, and the animation, while not bad,
didn’t really strike me as award-winning.
==========================
animation/main #3964, from hmccracken, 149 chars, Sun Mar 30 16:44:20 1997
————————–
TITLE: Easter CBIX Tonight
Please join us tonight at 9pm ET for the last of of our weekly
CBIX events in March. And happy Easter, everyone!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3965, from hmccracken, 1029 chars, Tue Apr 1 16:45:31 1997
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TITLE: April Fools the Comics/Cartoons Way
The Cartoon Network has been showing the same cartoon — Tex
Avery’s _Happy Go Nutty_, starring Screwy Squirrel — over and
over again today in stead of its regular programming. This is
with the explnation that Screwy has taken over the channel and
i srefusing to show anything else. (Of course, it only dawned on
me that it was intentional half-way into the third airing I saw —
before that, I thought it was a technical glitch of some sort.)
Then on the comics pages, a bunch of cartoonists decided to swap
jobs today: Jim (_Garfield_) David draws today’s _Blondie_,
Bil (_The Family Circus_) Keane does _Dilbert_, Mort
(_Beetle Bailey_) Walker does _Shoe_, and so forth. I almost
missed this because of an April Fools joke played by Mother Nature:
Boston had its first substanial snowstorm of the year today,
and newspapers are hard to find today. I eventually discovered that
United Media’s World Wide Web site — www.unitedmedia.com —
has all the April Fools’ strips.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3966, from hmccracken, 206 chars, Sat Apr 5 21:33:09 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: CBIX again this Sunday night
By popular demand, we’ll have another animation CBIX session
this Sunday night, beginning at 9pm ET. (We usually stay arounbd
until about 11pm.) Please join us!
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3967, from jgoddin, 125 chars, Sun Apr 6 00:18:39 1997
This is a comment to message 3966.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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EST? or EDT? When does the rest of the country go on Daylight
Useless Time?? (Here in AZ we don’t do that reset clocks bit.)
==========================
animation/main #3968, from hmccracken, 123 chars, Sun Apr 6 11:30:29 1997
This is a comment to message 3967.
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That’s right, it can get very confusing. We went on daylight savings
time this morning, so it’s 9pm EST, I guess.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3969, from hmccracken, 874 chars, Tue Apr 8 17:59:23 1997
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TITLE: Rube Goldberg Lives!
Or at least his spirit does, at Purdue University, which holds
a Robe Goldberg invention contest each year. The goal, of course,
is to create a real-world replica of one of the crazy, hopelessly
complex inventions that Rube drew for decades.
As reported in yesterday’s New York Times, the challenge in this
year’s contest, the tenth annual one, was to build a compact disc
changer. The winning invention accomplished this, in part, this way:
“A block falls, opening a valve, which releases compressed air from
a Scuba tank to rotate a fan, which operates gears, driving a
water wheel, which carries water to a trough, where it runs down an
aqueduct into a bucket that eventually gets so heavy it falls.”
That’s just part of the 35-step process.
Rube, who died in 1970, wouldn’t know what a compact disc was, but
I think he’d be proud.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3970, from hmccracken, 687 chars, Tue Apr 8 18:02:15 1997
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TITLE: The Return of Eugene the Jeep
A current Chrysler ad, unexpectedly, features a large drawing of
eugene the Jeep, the wonderful, magical dog-like creaure from the
golden age of E.C. Segar’s _Thimble Theater_ comic strip (the
proper name of the strip that starred Popeye). Chrysler is the
current manufacturer of Jeeps — the trucks, not the magical
creatures — and the ad discusses the theory that Jeeps (the
vehicles) were named after Jeeps (the magical creatures). It seems
to find this theory unlikely, but doesn’t explain why.
Anyhow, it’s good to see Eugene — especially since the Popeye
strip, which is still running, hardly appears in any U.S. newspapers
at all.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3971, from hmccracken, 881 chars, Sun Apr 27 21:05:33 1997
————————–
TITLE: Cartoon Characters Make the Lists
Two magazines have recently devoted cover stories to lists —
_Entertainment Weekly’s “Funniest People Alive” and
Time’s “Most Influential People” — and in both cases,
at least onbe cartoon character made the grade.
_ET_’s list included Homer Simpson, Beavis, and Butt-Head,
but not, alas, any classic cartoon comedian. (Surely, Bugs
Bunny and Daffy Duck are among the greatest comedians of
the century, and they’re still with us.) _Time_, not
surprisingly, says that Dilbert is among the most influential
folks of the year.
For some reason, such lists always name cartoon characters, never
the creators of the characters in question. So let’s give credit
where credit is due: Matt Groening invented Homer Simpson,
Mike Judge is the father of Beavis and Butt-Head, and Scott
Adams, of course, is the cartoonist behind Dilbert.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3972, from hmccracken, 1385 chars, Mon May 5 01:13:13 1997
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TITLE: _Serious Business_…
is the title of a new book about American animation by Stefan Kanfer,
a long-time _Time_ contributor whose work I’ve followed. I didn’t know,
however, that Kanfer is a long-time cartoon buff. His book is an attempt
to put animation into the context of 20th-century American history and
culture, and for the most part, I’m enjoying it so far. (I haven’t
finished it so far, so consider this a review-in-progress.)
Kanfer is an entertaining writer, and though he seems to rely mostly on
published sources rather than original research, he puts a fresh spin on
things. I’m a little concerned by some of his sources — he draws on
_Disney’s World_ and _Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince_, two Disney
hatchet jobs that make Walt out to be a fairly loathsome anti-Semite. (I’m
not saying that Walt WASN’T an anti-Semite, but so much of what these
books has to say is demonstrably false that I’m not sure what to think.)
The book goes all the way from the earliest animation experiments to the
present; I’ve gotten up to the mid-1940s so far.
Kanfer’s association with _Time_ is interesting; it sometimes seems that
almost everyone who’s written for that magazine in the last thirty years
is a cartoon fan — Richard Schickel, Richard Corliss, and Jay Cocks, who
wrote the first mainstream appreciation of Chuck Jones, are all _Time_
stalwarts.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3973, from hmccracken, 408 chars, Fri May 9 22:25:38 1997
————————–
TITLE: Cartoon books in _Time_
The current issue of _Time_ has a nice roundup of recent books
about animation — Chuck Jones’s _Chuck Reducks_, John
Canemaker’s _Tex Avery_ and _Before the Animation Begins_,
Stefan Kanfer’s _Serious Business_, and others. The point
of the review, which I’m not sure I agree with: The great
cartoons may have been great to watch, but they weren’t much fun to make.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3975, from hmccracken, 314 chars, Tue May 13 20:18:04 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: The Reuben Awards,
cartooning’s equivalents of the Oscars, have been awarded.
See animation/best.of.net #298 for the winners. The
Reuben itself — the award for the cartoonist of the
year — went to Sergio Aragones, best known for his
work for _Mad_ magazine and his _Groo the Warrior_
comic book.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3976, from jgoddin, 377 chars, Wed May 14 22:23:24 1997
This is a comment to message 3975.
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Sergio is a sweetie too. IMHO of course. I had the chance to
watch him work at San Diego Comic Con a couple of years ago.
He is amazing! Closest thing to perpetual motion I’ve seen on
2 feet. And he works very rapidly too. He was on stage creating
a special donation piece of artwork for the charity auction
for a total of almost 20 minutes. And he is friendly, not
phony too.
==========================
animation/main #3977, from hmccracken, 794 chars, Mon May 26 18:53:11 1997
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TITLE: The Disney Version Revisited
Richard Schickel’s _The Disney Version_, first published in 1967
(shortly after Walt Disney’s death), is back in print. One of the
first critical books about Walt and the studio (though more recent
works have been far more critical), Schickel’s book has long
had a bad reputation among cartoon fans, partially because of its
negative tone, and partially because of its many factual errors.
(Schickel got no cooperation from the studio.)
The new edition doesn’t have a section that appeared in an earlier
reissue of about ten years ago that covered the studio’s history in
the post-Walt days. It does, however, have an interesting new intro-
duction by Schickel, in which he says that he was too harsh on
Walt and the early Disney films (at least).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3978, from hmccracken, 656 chars, Fri May 30 00:17:40 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Joe Camel, Criminal?
The FTC, it seems, has it in for Joe Camel, the controversial spokescamel
for Camel cigarettes. As you probably know, the sunglasses-wearing Joe is
thought to be designed to appeal to young smokers and would-be smokers (a
survey supposedly showed that little kids recognize him more readily than
they do Mickey Mouse). RJ Reynolds, manufacturer of Camels, denies all of,
course.
Anyhow, according to today’s _New York Times_, the FTC now says that Joe
is illegal. It’ll be interesting to see what happens — Joe could wind up
being the first cartoon character ever to face the death penalty,
metaphorically speaking.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3979, from jgoddin, 324 chars, Sat May 31 13:39:17 1997
This is a comment to message 3978.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3978.
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Here in AZ there is a rumor that ‘Young Country” radio station,
KMLE is owned by the cigarette folks. Everything they give their
call information you hear ‘Camel Country’. This is not a station
I listen to, but that is the rumor that was floating around work
just last week. If true, I guess it is aimed at subliminals. 🙂
==========================
animation/main #3980, from lkaplan, 250 chars, Sun Jun 1 20:59:04 1997
This is a comment to message 3979.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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>KMLE
According to the FCC engineering database, they’re owned by an outfit named
“Shamrock Broadcasting, Inc.” You might want to check around further to see
who owns _them_ (InfoTrac might have the data, I haven’t checked up on the
web yet).
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3981, from jgoddin, 197 chars, Tue Jun 3 22:29:11 1997
This is a comment to message 3980.
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Thanks Len! I never thought of checking ownership via the web.
I research many things at work via the Web, but there I’m only
allowed to access computer related items so I never thought of it.
🙂
==========================
animation/main #3982, from pwirtz, 369 chars, Sat Jun 14 20:04:43 1997
This is a comment to message 3978.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Re: Joe Camel, Criminal?
>Anyhow, according to today’s _New York Times_, the FTC now says that Joe
>is illegal. It’ll be interesting to see what happens — Joe could wind up
>being the first cartoon character ever to face the death penalty,
>metaphorically speaking.
>– Harry
While Joe may be dipped by the law. The Frito Bandito was an early victum
of the PC police.
==========================
animation/main #3983, from lkaplan, 244 chars, Mon Jun 16 06:03:57 1997
This is a comment to message 3982.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 3982.
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Re: Joe Camel, Criminal?
>The Frito Bandito was an early victum of the PC police.
What about the 2 Mexican mice in the WB cartoons? One was very energetic,
the other very lazy … (this is embarrassing, I can’t think of their names
now)
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3984, from jdow, 92 chars, Mon Jun 16 21:04:19 1997
This is a comment to message 3983.
There are additional comments to message 3983.
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Speedy Gonzales was the energetic one. The other’s name escapes me if I ever
knew it.
{^_^}
==========================
animation/main #3985, from jgoddin, 168 chars, Mon Jun 16 23:32:09 1997
This is a comment to message 3982.
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Joe has already been involved in a law suit. Seems the creator
of the character felt he wasn’t properly paid per contract and
sued. I didn’t hear the outcome though.
==========================
animation/main #3986, from pwirtz, 286 chars, Tue Jun 17 12:35:55 1997
This is a comment to message 3983.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: Joe Camel, Criminal?
>What about the 2 Mexican mice in the WB cartoons? One was very energetic,
>the other very lazy … (this is embarrassing, I can’t think of their names
>now)
>
>-Len
Speedy Gonzales was verrry verrry fast. In some of his cartoons he some
sesta loving friends.
==========================
animation/main #3987, from hmccracken, 143 chars, Mon Jun 23 20:52:57 1997
This is a comment to message 3986.
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Speedy’s cousin, who appeared in at least one cartoon, was Slowpoke
Rodruigez — I have a drinking glass with a fine portrait of him.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3988, from hmccracken, 858 chars, Fri Jun 27 23:25:50 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Walt’s Choo Choo
In September, a company called Pentrex Publishing will release
a book on what would seem to be a very limited topic: Walt
Disney’s interest in trains. Actually, it’s an intereesting
subject — Disney spent huge amounts of time working on his
home model train layout, which snaked around his propoerty and
could be ridden (you sat astride it). He was one of several
long-time Disney employees who were train nuts — animator
Ward Kimball eventually purchased several REAL locomotics
and installed them at his home, along with enough track to
pilot them around. The Donald Duck cartoon _Donald’s Toy Train_ was
inspired by the railroading bug that hit the studio.
_Walt Disney’s Railroad Story_ will have a foreword by Mrs.
Disney (who’s still with us); it’s by Michael Broggie, whose
father was a long-time Disney employee.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3989, from hmccracken, 1322 chars, Fri Jun 27 23:31:44 1997
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TITLE: Daffy on Fifth
The 9-story (!) Warner Bros. Studio Store on Fifth Avenue in New
York is home to Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension, a
Warner Bros. cartoon that was produced entirely with computers.
You can see the 12-minute film for a reasonable $2.00, refundable with
any purchase at the store.
The cartoon is a sort of a sequel to Chuck Jones’s classic _Duck
Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century_, and involves more space combat
between Marvin and Daffy Duck. Though done with computers, its
creators have tried to simulate a hand-drawn look; though it
looks a bit stiff, it’s an interesting effect. Voice-work is
well done, and I’ve forgotten so far to mention that the movie
is in 3-D (I guess it didn’t make much of an impact on me,
maybe because it’s tough for me to fit the 3-D spectacles over
my own eyeglasses).
The only problem is that the cartoon is not particularly funny,
and they’ve made the fatal mistake of showing the brilliant
_Duck Dodgers_ as a warm-up — so as the new film begins, you’re
aware of just how funny the premise CAN be. The new cartoon
was produced for a German theme park, and while I can’t say that
it’s terribly entertaining, I’m glad it made its way to the U.S.
It’s worth seeing if you’re in New York (I don’t know if it
plays at any other Warner Bros. stores).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3990, from lkaplan, 659 chars, Sat Jun 28 09:08:02 1997
This is a comment to message 3988.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Re: Walt’s Choo Choo
>He was one of several
>long-time Disney employees who were train nuts — animator
>Ward Kimball eventually purchased several REAL locomotics
>and installed them at his home, along with enough track to
>pilot them around.
Yes, the Grizzly Flats RR was pretty amazing (there was an article
published in one of the model RR magazines many years ago) … I’ve heard
that the locomotives and cars have been donated to a group that will run
them again, also.
John Olson, who is involved w/theme park design, is quite a model
railroader – he and his wife have authored many articles on small layouts.
Thanks for the info on the book!
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3991, from hmccracken, 302 chars, Sat Jun 28 19:42:49 1997
This is a comment to message 3990.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Twenty years or more ago, Kimball showed off his trains on a
wonderful episode of the old _Tomorrow show. I’ve heard that
he’s donating them, too, but as of a couple of months ago,
he still has ’em — he had an open house (or should that be
open train?) that a friend of mine was invited to.
– Harry
==========================
animation/main #3992, from lkaplan, 372 chars, Sun Jun 29 19:29:08 1997
This is a comment to message 3991.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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>as of a couple of months ago, he still has ’em
He’s still alive? I thought he died last year … (I’ll bet that was a
wonderful open house, too … our club meetings are a lot of fun (and there
were lots of smiles when people heard about the Walt Disney book, also))
Ward Kimball was the model for Jiminy Cricket, wasn’t he? The eyes and
smile seem very similar.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3993, from hmccracken, 663 chars, Mon Jun 30 01:03:20 1997
This is a comment to message 3992.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Yes, Ward is still alive, thank goodness. One of an
ever-shrinking number of major animation figures of
thw 1930s who are still with us.
Others include his fellow Disney animators Marc
Davs, Frank
Thomas, and Ollie Johnston; Warner/
Disney designer Maurice Noble* and, of course, Chuck
Jones. Mae Questel, the voice of Betty Boop, is also
alive, but not well.
I don’t knbow that Jiminy was inspire by Ward, but
Ward animated the cricket, so anby similarity you
se is probably not coincidental. Just as many of
Chuck Jones’s characters look rather like Jones.
What club do you belong to?
(Apologies for typos — I typed this on my palmtop
computer.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3994, from hmccracken, 519 chars, Thu Jul 3 22:50:30 1997
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TITLE: RIP, Jimmy Stewart
You’ve undoubtedly heard that Jimmy Stewart has died, and may have
read some eloquent tributes to the man who was one of America’s
favorite actors from the 1930s to the present. The reason why
I bring his passing up here: his last role was in a cartoon.
Stewart provided the voice of Wylie Burp, a canine cowboy,
in the 1991 animated feature _An American Tail II: Fievel Goes
West_. It was not one his more memorable roles, but it was nice
to hear that endearing voice one last time.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3995, from lkaplan, 533 chars, Thu Jul 17 11:50:59 1997
This is a comment to message 3993.
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>What club do you belong to?
The Central NY Division/Northeast Region of the NMRA (National Model
Railroad Association) – it’s actually a very casual group, we don’t have a
layout, but visit different homes and places every meeting (for instance,
last weekend we met at a local train show). And, unlike some clubs I’ve
heard of, they’re encouraging young members – my 12-year-old son was
welcomed with open arms.
(sorry for the delay answering your question – I posted a mental yellow
sticky to myself, but it came unglued!)
-Len
==========================
animation/main #3996, from hmccracken, 609 chars, Thu Jul 31 22:37:38 1997
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TITLE: What’s New, Mr. Magoo?
Today’s _Wall Street Journal_ has a lengthy and excellent article
about Mr. Magoo. The reason for the article is the planned Disney
live-action movie about the character, which is getting flack
from organizations that don’t find much humor in vision problems.
However, the article digs way back, looking at Magoo’s
career from this first appearance in 1950 to the present,
and how changing social attitudes have shaped the character.
The author of the story really did his (or her? I forget) job,
interviewing a bunch of folks who worked on the original UPA
cartoons.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3997, from hmccracken, 325 chars, Mon Aug 11 21:58:22 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Hell freezes over, sort of
Other than death and taxes, one of the few certainties in life
used to be that the _New York Times_ would never run syndicated
comic strips. It still doesn’t in print, but the _Times_’ Web page
now carries _Dilbert_ and _Doonesbury_. (A pretty unimaginative
pick of strips, that.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #3998, from jdow, 55 chars, Tue Aug 12 00:11:45 1997
This is a comment to message 3997.
There are additional comments to message 3997.
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9 Chickweed Ln is WAY too highclass for the NYT.
{^_-}
==========================
animation/main #3999, from samiller, 245 chars, Tue Aug 12 08:34:56 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Animation authoring info
I’m looking for a BIX conference or NN group on technical aspects & tools
for PC/Internet animation. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Scott
Be wary of strong drink. It may make
you shoot at tax collectors — and miss!
==========================
animation/main #4000, from switch, 781 chars, Wed Aug 13 22:34:52 1997
This is a comment to message 3999.
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> TITLE: Animation authoring info
> I’m looking for a BIX conference or NN group on technical aspects &
> tools for PC/Internet animation. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Locally, I would suggest animation/bit.by.bit or animation/multimedia
(which is linked to multimedia/animation). I wouldn’t mind discussing
it here, as I’m becoming increasingly interested in doing animation on
the desktop (recently wrote a longish article on just that topic for The
Computer Paper here in Canada), and I’m spending more time on BIX these
days.
On Usenet, I would suggest comp.graphics.animation, and maybe
rec.arts.animation, though the latter is more for fans than animators.
You might also try the Animate mailing list, which you can join by
e-mailing an*************@pe**.com.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4001, from jgoddin, 108 chars, Fri Aug 15 00:52:02 1997
This is a comment to message 3997.
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And if you are feeling nostalgic, Yahoo has Calvin and Hobbes
reprints of the strip which began in Nov. ’85
==========================
animation/main #4002, from jdow, 186 chars, Fri Sep 5 17:15:22 1997
————————–
TITLE: OK – who knows the Wiley Coyote animators?
Ask them “What would happen if Wiley tried to run down the RoadRunner on
the Information Highway using his AcmeWindows computer?”
{O,o}
==========================
animation/main #4003, from hmccracken, 1302 chars, Sun Sep 14 21:30:34 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Magazines Worth Reading
Two new animation-related magazines that are worth seeking out:
_Hogan’s Alley_ #4 is finally here — the magazine is supposed to be
a quarterly, but I think that it’s been well over a year since the
last issue. Fortunately, this publication is bursting with interesting
articles; it’s probably the best general-interest magazine on
cartoons (strips, books, animation, and editorial cartooning) currently
being published. The new 144-page issue has an interview with
Chip Dunham (creator of the _Overboard_ newspaper strip, a talk
with the woman who was named the “Sweetest Face in the World” in
a 1950s Li’l Abner contest, reprints of _Stumble Inn_ (a strip by
George (Krazy Kat) Herriman, an interview with Harvey (American
Splendor) Pekar, and tons of interesting columns among other things.
_Animation Planet_ #1 is a new animation fanzine out of Springfield,
Massachusetts. You say that you thought _Animato_ was published there?
Well, it is — its editor and publisher recently parted ways, and the
editor, Mike Dobbs, has launched his own magazine. The 56-page
debut issue has an article on _Hercules_, one on HBO’s _Little Lulu_
cartoons, a bunch of features about voice actors, an article on
MAD TV’s animation sequences, lots of reviews, and more.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4004, from hmccracken, 290 chars, Thu Sep 18 20:35:30 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Happy Birthday, Chuck!
On Sunday, Chuck Jones will turn 85. For anyone that lovres cartoons,
that’s cause for celebration. (And yes, I’m wishing him happy birthday
a few days in advance, but I’m in good company — Warner Bros.
thew him a big birthday bash yesterday night.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4005, from hmccracken, 450 chars, Thu Sep 18 20:38:15 1997
————————–
TITLE: Speaking of Jones…
Maurice Noble, the layout designer who’s worked with Jones for more than
forty years (including on _What’s Opera, Doc?_, _How the Grinch Stole
Christmas_, and several other masterpieces) has signed a contract
to design a production for an opera company in Southern California.
This is Maurice’s first opera (and he certainly waited long enough
to get around to it –he’s older than Chuck Jones by several years.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4006, from hmccracken, 285 chars, Fri Sep 19 20:03:26 1997
This is a comment to message 4004.
There are additional comments to message 4004.
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And I’ve just heard that ABC News named Mr. Jones as its Person of
the Week tonight, to mark his birthday. A classy gesture. Especially
considering that ABC is now part of Disney, arch-rival of most of
the companies Jones worked for during his long (and still-active)
career.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4007, from dgh, 269 chars, Fri Sep 19 21:07:57 1997
This is a comment to message 4004.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
ABC World News Tonight named Chuck Jones “Person of the Week”. They had an
interview with him, clips from Looney Toons, a clip from Grinch, showed some
of the work he’s currently doing, and showed clips from the birthday bash at
Warner Bros.
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #4008, from hkenner, 94 chars, Fri Sep 19 22:09:23 1997
This is a comment to message 4007.
————————–
Did anyone by any chance make a video copy of the Chuck Jones segment
on tonight’s ABC News??
==========================
animation/main #4009, from switch, 560 chars, Sun Sep 21 21:42:06 1997
This is a comment to message 4003.
————————–
Also on the shelves is the long-delayed fps #12 — I’ve just been told that it
has finally seen the light of day, though I’ve yet to receive my copies.
This is also a good a time as any to mention that I am no longer the managing
editor of fps. Financial reality just sort of got in the way. The magazine is
still being published by Pawn Press, but they have as yet as to name a new editor
(the remainder of fps #14 and the any subsequent issues until such time will be
handled by an editorial collective of five people).
Oh well, it was a good run.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4010, from hmccracken, 856 chars, Mon Oct 13 19:25:04 1997
————————–
TITLE: _Warner Bros. Animation Art_…
is the title of a gigantic new art book that’s just been published.
It’s very impressive looking, but after flipping through it at
the bookstore, I decided that I didn’t need to spend my $75 bucks
on it just yet. That’s because it turned out to be mainly
about the limited-edition Warner’s cels that have been produced
over the last fifteen years or so — dozens and dozens of them,
from Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, the Bob Clampett famiy, and others.
Those pieces are designed to be sold to collectors at high prices,
and really don’t have that much to do with the real art that was
drawn for the vintage cartoons of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
The new book’s text, however, is by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald —
authors of the indispenable _Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies_ —
so I’d expect that it’s good.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4011, from hmccracken, 693 chars, Tue Oct 14 21:54:10 1997
————————–
TITLE: Support Your Local Comics Museum
An interesting but depressing article in the current
_Comics Journal_ reports that two of the major U.S. comics
museums — San Francisco’s Comic Art Museum and Northampton,
Mass.’s Words and Pictures Museum — are having money problems
and could be forced to close their doors. The biggest such
museum, the International Museum of Cartoon Art, in Baca
Raton, has also seen attendance figures drop.
I’ll try to do my part — I live within driving distance of Words
and Pictures and visit San Francsico frequently, so I’ll see if
I can get to two out of the three museums. (I’ve been to all
three in the past, and they’re well worth visiting.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4012, from hmccracken, 1003 chars, Tue Oct 14 21:59:53 1997
————————–
TITLE: Mickey Mouse Has Written his Autobiography
I’m surprised it took him this long, but Mr. Mouse — who will turn
70 years old in about a year — has penned an autobiography.
No, it’s not a tell-all confessional sort of thing — it’s
_Mickey Mouse My Life in Pictures_, and it’s just what the title
sounds like. Naturally, it’s from Disney Press.
The book gives a prominent credit to one Russell Schroeder (I’d
guess that he was Mickey’s ghost, but I can’t believe that the
Mouse would stoop so low). Schroeder has, however, written
_Walt Disney: His Life in Pictures_, a similar picture book
about Disney. Both books are in stores now.
Also new from Disney (its Hyperion subsidiary, to be exact) is
_Disney’s Wonderful World of TV_, a thick, encyclopedia-like
volume on Disney’s TV programming from the 1950s to the
present. It’s by Bill Cotter, and I first heard of the project
about fifteen years ago — so while I don’t know if it’s any good,
I do know that it’s not a quickie job.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4013, from hmccracken, 502 chars, Wed Oct 29 22:55:16 1997
————————–
TITLE: Don Messick RIP
Don Messick has died. Along with the late Daws Butler, Messick
was responsible for doing most of the major voices for early
Hanna-Barbera cartoons — he was Scooby Doo, boo boo Bear,
Ranger Smith, Astro, and many others. His career continued until
recent years (for instance, he played Hampton Pig on Tiny Toon
Adventures_). A great talent who cannot be replaced. (Although
I’m sure he *will* be replaced as new shows and commercials featuring
his characters are made.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4014, from hmccracken, 828 chars, Mon Nov 3 20:09:40 1997
————————–
TITLE: Calling Maurice Sendak…
Here in Boston — and throughout New England and New York, I’d
guess — we’re being bombarded with Bell Atlantic ads that
use the characters from Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s
book _Where the Wild Things Are_. The TV ads are animated, and are done in a
respectable imitation of Sendak’s style, although I still can’t figure out
what they have to do with telephone service.
This isn’t the first time that Sendak has been translated into animation.
In the 1970s, a TV special called _Really Rosie_ was based on his work;
then in the 1980s, Disney contemplated making a feature out of _Wild
Things_ and produced a short test film that used a combination of
hand-drawn characters and computer backgrounds. (It was directed by John
Lasseter, later to become famous for _Toy Story_).
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4015, from hmccracken, 711 chars, Fri Nov 28 23:12:32 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Dilbert the Shill
No doubt about it: Dilbert is the most over-exposed cartoon character
since Garfield in his heyday. The latest example — he’s doing TV ads for
the Office Depot office-supply chain. Each ad is a animated Dilbert gag
that segues into an Office Depot plug. The animation’s quite faithful to
Scott Adams’ crude style, although the voices almost have too much
expression (in my head, I hear the strip’s dialog being spoken in an
extremely deadpan style).
Anyhow, the commercials give us an idea of what an animated _Dilbert_ TV
series might look like. I haven’t heard any news lately about the planned
_Dilbert_ series, which (last I knew) was going to be a live-action program.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4016, from hmccracken, 688 chars, Fri Nov 28 23:15:38 1997
————————–
TITLE: Attack of the Giant Cartoon Characters
When watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday, I was
surprised by how few giant cartoon-character balloons seemed to be in the
parade. Today, the New York Times explained what was going on: It was
extremely windy in New York city yesterday, which meant that many of the
balloons didn’t make it to Times Square (where the parade was televised
from), and some didn’t make it into the parade at all. Numerous balloons
were damaged (the paper has a front-page photo of a very
distressed-looking Pink Panther), and some spectators were hurt, I’m sorry
to report, when a gust of wind caused the Cat in the Hat to go berserk.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4017, from dgh, 227 chars, Sat Nov 29 03:47:41 1997
This is a comment to message 4015.
————————–
Have you seen “Working” starring Fred Savage? (It used to be on Fridays,
but seems to have disappeared). It seemed to me to be the logical outcome
of attempting to adapt Dilbert to TV by committee…
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #4018, from hmccracken, 1080 chars, Fri Dec 5 23:19:11 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Scrooge on the ECC
The European newspaper _The European_ has Donald Duck on the
cover this week — turns out it’s illustrating a story about
the Euro, the upcoming pan-European currency. To tout the
Euro’s benefits, the Italian government got together with
Disney and published a comic book, in which Uncle Scrooge
McDuck is initially wary of the Euro but comes to realize
that it’s a wonderful thing.
This seems odd on several points. First, everyone knows
that Uncle Scrooge lives in Duckburg, Calisota, which is
right here in the U.S. He shouldn’t need to worry about
the Euro too much one way or the other. Second, Scrooge
seems like the type who’d be dubious about anything
that smacked of world government, and we know that he’s
very supersitious about money — he zealously protects his
old number one dime, which he credits as being the good luck
that led to his subsequent fortune. The guy’s a hidebound
rugged individualist. And besides, he’d shudder at the idea
of having to convert his three cubic acres of money into a
different currency altogether.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4019, from jdow, 85 chars, Fri Dec 5 23:27:49 1997
This is a comment to message 4018.
————————–
Scrooge is a multinational concern. As such he is concerned about the Euro….
{^_-}
==========================
animation/main #4020, from hmccracken, 1163 chars, Tue Dec 9 21:06:07 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: _The New Yorker_ goes cartoon crazy
The current issue of _The New Yorker_ is a special cartoon one.
It’s mostly devoted to cartoons (with a large quantity of both
old and new ones), has several features about the magazine’s
cartoons and cartoonists (including a nifty group photograph),
and also includes several articles related to cartoons in general,
including one on William Hogarth, another on Thos. Nast —
and a short piece about Chuck Jones that begins with a reference
to our own Hugh Kenner.
The issue’s not perfect — the cover is a somewhat tacky collage of work
by several generations of cartoonists, and some of the most brilliant of
the magazine’s artists get short shrift, including Sam Cobean and Helen
Hokinson. There are also a few ads in the form of fake New Yorker
cartoons, which is an awful idea. (On the other hand, there are two
marvelous ads drawn by Al Hirschfeld; not sure if this is just a
coincidence, since he’s not generally associated with the magazine.)
All in all, though, it’s a good issue. I hope it becomes an annual
tradition — heck, I wouldn’t complain if they went to an all-cartoon
format EVERY issue.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4021, from hmccracken, 613 chars, Tue Dec 9 21:08:44 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: 24 Hours of Disney
The Disney company has announced plans for Toon Disney, a 24-hour
all-cartoon channel that it will launch in April. Apparently,
it’ll only be available to a relatively small number of cable-TV
subscribers whose cable companies have adopted the latest and
greatest converter boxes.
No word on what the channel’s lineup will be. I’d love to think
that it’ll show lots of early black-and-white Mickey Mouse and
Silly Symphony cartoons, but it’s a better bet that it will
rely heavily on the many mediocre TV series that the company
has produced over the last fifteen years or so.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4022, from hmccracken, 382 chars, Tue Dec 9 21:10:44 1997
————————–
TITLE: Sufferin’ Succotash!
More 1998 cartoon news: The U.S. Post Office will release its
second stamp honoring an animated cartoon character, or two of them,
actually — Tweety and Sylvester. You’ll recall that the P.O. made a deal
with Warner Bros. to give the studio’s characters stamps in return for the
right to use Bugs Bunny as a spokesrabbit for stamp collecting.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4023, from hkenner, 361 chars, Wed Dec 10 18:08:44 1997
This is a comment to message 4020.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
And Hugh Kenner hastens to point out that despite the New Yorker’s
repution for scrupulous accuracy, they’re hopelessly confused here.
I’d like to know what Chuck Jones makes of their statement that in
an interview with them he referred to a remark of mine about “a
flurry of drawings.” I made it perfectly clear in my book that the
phrase came from him.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #4024, from hmccracken, 523 chars, Wed Dec 10 19:05:30 1997
This is a comment to message 4023.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
That’s what I thought, Hugh, but I was afraid to bring it up.
I assumed that I was was one misremembering things, not
the famously-accurate New Yorker.
This despite the fact that when my mother and father were
discussed at some length in the magazine fifteen years
ago (in an excerpt from one of Bill Buckley’s memoirs)
they called to fact-check all the pertinent details —
but somehow let a reference to my mom as being a “beautiful
Oriental lady” through. She’s beautiful, and she’s a lady,
but not Oriental.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4025, from hkenner, 184 chars, Fri Dec 12 15:37:12 1997
This is a comment to message 4024.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Harry, it’s in WFB’s *Overdrive*, Doubleday, 1983, pp. 235-6, where
she’s still not only beautiful but oriental. Bill is still 6n MCI
Mail should you ever want to contact him.
–Hugh
==========================
animation/main #4026, from hmccracken, 401 chars, Sat Dec 13 02:36:50 1997
This is a comment to message 4025.
————————–
She’s a beautiful Oriental lady in the hardcover and a beautiful
lady of unspecified ethnic background in the paperback reprint.
I think that Bill Buckley thought she looked exotic (which she does), and
somehow translated that into being Oriental as he remembered her years later.
But for awhile, a lot of my father’s friends thought that
he had had a first wife that they didn’t know about.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4027, from hmccracken, 939 chars, Wed Dec 17 22:08:50 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Deaths
Just heard on the BBC radio news that Lillian Disney — Walt’s widow —
has died. She was 98, and had remarried years ago. Lily Disney, history
tells us, gave Mickey Mouse his name — Walt wanted to call him
Mortimer, but she thought that sounded pretentious. In recent years,
Mrs. Disney gave $250 million to the city of Los Angeles towards
a new concert hall to be named after her late husband; the project’s
been an on-again, off-again affair, but looks like it may eventually
be built.
Stubby Kaye, too, has passed away. He’ll probably be best remembered
for having played Nicely Nicely in the Broadway and film versions of
_Guys and Dolls_, but two of his major credits were cartoon-related:
he played Marryin’ Sam in the late 1950s movie musical of _Li’l
Abner_ (and maybe on stage, too — I’m not sure), and he was perfectly
cast as Marvin Acme, the head of a novelty company, in _Who Framed
Roger Rabbit_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4028, from hmccracken, 277 chars, Wed Dec 17 22:10:22 1997
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Weird News from Japan
CNN is reporting that an episode of _Pocket Monsters_, a very
populark kids’ TV cartoon in Japan, somehow caused dozens or
hundreds of young viewers to go into seizures, apparently from
colors that flashed on-screen in a particular way.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4029, from jjanney, 217 chars, Thu Dec 18 00:20:31 1997
This is a comment to message 4027.
There are additional comments to message 4027.
————————–
Yes, Stubby Kaye was in the stage version of Li’l Abner, too. Vol 22
of the Kitchen Sink collections has a long article by Mark Evanier on
the musical. Stubby’s real first name was apparently known only to
himself.
==========================
animation/main #4030, from hkenner, 149 chars, Thu Dec 18 11:58:06 1997
This is a comment to message 4027.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
>>>,,,Lillian Disney “had remarried years ago” …
Funny, neither the NYTimes nor the Associated Press obituary mentions
a second marriage. …
–HK
==========================
animation/main #4031, from lkaplan, 740 chars, Thu Dec 18 15:22:50 1997
This is a comment to message 4028.
————————–
Re: Weird News from Japan
>apparently from colors that flashed on-screen in a particular way.
There’s an article about it in today’s NY Times, also (Thursday 12/18). As
I understand it, the Japanese use 2 techniques to create “flashing” – one
with alternating red and blue flashes, and one somehow related to flashing
beams of light (I’m not sure I understand that one).
Why the artists would even consider using a flashing red is beyond me …
red light flashing in a certain frequency range has been a known problem
for some epilectics (sp?) for many years. I think Nintendo had trouble with
an early game for this reason, in fact – if I recall correctly, it was
withdrawn from the market before it was released by distributors.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #4032, from hmccracken, 1070 chars, Thu Dec 18 23:24:53 1997
This is a comment to message 4030.
————————–
Well, Hugh, I noticed the lack of a mention of husband #2 in the _Times_
obit, too. After seeing your mesage, I went to my library to
verify it, and for a while I thought I had been imagining things.
I checked four biographies of Walt Disney — no mention of Mrs.
Disney remarrying. I then went on the World Wide Web and read
several obituaries, including a very long one in the _Los Angeles
Times_. No mention.
Finally, I found the Reuters obituary, which says the following:
“Three years after Walt Disney died, his widow married John Truyens. She
was widowed again in 1981.”
How very peculiar that this went largely unmentioned. Maybe there’s
something in the American psyche that resists the idea that the widow of
a one-of-a-kind original such as Walt would ever fall in love with someone
else. Then again, the Times_ obit of Stubby Kaye makes no mention of Roger
Rabbit or anything else he did in the past thirty years.
I did make a mistake in my note about Mrs. Disney’s passing: she gave $50
million, not $250 million, towards the concert hall.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4033, from switch, 430 chars, Tue Dec 23 21:24:51 1997
This is a comment to message 4021.
————————–
I was finally able to find the information on this… (my office is in
complete disarray these days; it only seems to get worse when I try to
organize it).
Much of the programming will come from Disney’s existing TV animation
properties, but there will be showinf early Disney shorts, much like
The Disney Channel’s Vault Disney show. About a quarter of the channel’s
content will be created specifically for Toon Disney.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4034, from hkenner, 353 chars, Sun Jan 4 21:22:26 1998
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Video wanted
A few years ago, Warner Bros. issued as number of cartoon videos, all
in blue boxes, commemorating a major anniversary. One was called
SALUTE TO CHUCK JONES. It is really cream-of-the-crop. And now my
copy has mysteriously disappeared. Can someone out there supply me
with a copy of yours? Expenses, of course, to be paid.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #4035, from switch, 179 chars, Tue Jan 6 22:40:03 1998
This is a comment to message 4034.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
You’ll have a tough time finding that one, Hugh — it’s been out of, er,
print for the longest time. I think you can find some of the shorts on
various other collections.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4036, from hmccracken, 796 chars, Tue Jan 6 22:56:58 1998
————————–
TITLE: Al Hirschfeld…
…is about to celebrate his seventieth (repeat, seventieth) anniversary
as the _New York Times_’ theatrical artist. An even more amazing record
when you consider that he’d been drawing for another New York paper for a
couple of years before that.
Just think — when Hirschfeld began his stint (during the Coolidge
administration):
* Mickey Mouse hadn’t been invented yet
* Charles M. Schulz — who’s been drawing _Peanuts_ for forty-seven years
— was five years old
* Winsor McCay was still active
* Dick Tracy, Blondie, Terry and the Pirates, and Popeye had yet to make
their first appearances.
Viva Al! Though he may not produce quite as many published drawings as he
did a few years ago, he’s still quite prolofic, and his work is as
wonderful as ever.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4037, from hkenner, 138 chars, Wed Jan 7 11:18:08 1998
This is a comment to message 4035.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I don’t understand. How does the fact that it’s been out of print
affect the possibility that some BIXen may have their own copies?
–HK
==========================
animation/main #4038, from hmccracken, 1047 chars, Thu Jan 8 23:02:30 1998
————————–
TITLE: RIP, Mae Questel
I’m sorry to report that Mae Questel has died in Manhattan, at the age
of 89. Miss Questel was one of the legendary voice artists in cartoon
history. While she wasn’t the first performer to provide a speaking
voice for Betty Boop or Olive Oyl, she had by far the longest and most
memorable tenure on both characters. (In fact, she did Olive’s voice for
something like thirty years, for several different studios, and reprised
Betty’s voice in 1988 for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”)
Mae’s best known for her work on Fleischer cartoons in the 1930s, but
she also worked steasily at Famous Studios in the 1940s and 1950s (she
did the voice of Little Audrey), and did some TV work. In recent decades,
she did more live-action acting than voice work — she was “Aunt Bluebell”
in those 1970s paper-towel commercials, and played Woody Allen’s mother
in the film “New York Stories.”
Other performers will no doubt carry on most of Mae Questel’s high-profile
voices, but, like Mel Blance, she can never truly be replaced.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4039, from switch, 166 chars, Sat Jan 10 16:48:22 1998
This is a comment to message 4037.
————————–
Oh! Silly me. I made a quick note to myself to check on the availability
of the tape, and forgot about the original context.
In my case, no tape. Oh, well.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4040, from hmccracken, 1071 chars, Tue Jan 20 21:50:41 1998
————————–
TITLE: _Disney’s World_…
is the name of a new biography of Walt Disney, and while I’m only
about halfway through it, I like it very much so far. Author
Steven Watts is a bona-fide historian rather than a Hollywood
journalist or poison-pen type, and this is a very serious, mostly
well=written work which tries to look at Walt Disney and his studio
in the context of their times — times which both influenced the
studio’s work and, increasingly, were influenced by Disney themselves.
Watts appears to have done a lot of research, and the book is much
more accurate than most Disney tomes. If I’ve got any complaints,
the biggest is that he seems to have read everything ever written about
the studio, and feels obligated to quote about half of what he’s
read. More Watts and less quotes would have been even better. Also,
like a lot of books these days, this one could have stood more editing.
Watts repeats himself from time to time and tells the same anecdote
more than once. Still, this is one of the best books about animation
I’ve read in several years.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4041, from hmccracken, 585 chars, Sun Jan 25 10:45:10 1998
————————–
TITLE: _The Comics Journal_ #200…
has just been published. (Love it or hate it, the Journal is one
of the longest-lived publications about comics — it’s been around
for more than twenty years now.)
Issue #200 costs $12.95 and is the size of a small phone book, and
the main attraction is a 50-page (!) interview with Charles Schulz —
a fascinating talk on his 47 years with Charlie Brown and friends.
It’s a great read. The issue also has a large section of Schulz
tributes, the complete text of Jules Feiffer’s classic book
_The Great Comic Book Heroes_, and lots more.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4042, from hmccracken, 489 chars, Fri Feb 6 20:26:59 1998
————————–
TITLE: Toy Story II
Disney and Pixar were planning to release a sequel to _Toy Story_ directly
to video. But the film (which has been in production for more than a
year) must be turning out well — they’ve decided to release it to
theaters, for Christmas of 1998.
The plot involves a mad toy collector who kidnames Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
All the voice actors from the original film are back for this outing,
including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Don “Mr. Potato Head” Rickles.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4043, from hmccracken, 558 chars, Tue Mar 17 22:45:29 1998
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: Cathy on the radio
Cathy, the star of the comic strip of the same name, is doing
radio spots for J.C. Penney’s these days. Logically enough, I
guess, she has to introduce herself as “Cathy from the comic
strip” — since we can’t see her, it’s not obvious who she is.
They did, however, do a nice job of finding an appropriate voice,
and by the end of the commercial she’s been indecisive about
clothing and shouted “Arrgh!” a time or two. That’s Cathy, all
right.
Wonder when the last time was that a comics character did
radio commercials?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4044, from samiller, 207 chars, Wed Mar 18 10:39:50 1998
This is a comment to message 4043.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
Re: Cathy on the radio
>Wonder when the last time was that a comics character did
>radio commercials?
Well, politicians do them regularly ;>)
Scott
Just think of Bill Gates as “the O.J. Simpson of Software”
==========================
animation/main #4045, from hmccracken, 451 chars, Wed Mar 18 11:53:12 1998
This is a comment to message 4044.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
There are additional comments to message 4044.
————————–
Speaking of Bill Gates and Cathy (and how often do they come up in
the same conversation?): Microsoft is going to introduce a product
called Plus 98, an updated version of the Plus CD-ROM of Windows 95
add-ons, but designed for Windows 98. It will include desktop themes
(collections of icons, sounds, wallpaper, etc.) that let you dress
up Windows 98 with a variety of comic-strip themes: Peanuts,
Doonesbury, Foxtrot, Garfield…and Cathy.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4046, from dgh, 90 chars, Thu Mar 19 01:17:06 1998
This is a comment to message 4044.
————————–
He said “comics character”, not “comical character”… <-.o>
,
|) /\ \/ | +)
==========================
animation/main #4047, from samiller, 492 chars, Thu Mar 19 09:16:58 1998
This is a comment to message 4045.
————————–
> It will include desktop themes
>(collections of icons, sounds, wallpaper, etc.) that let you dress
>up Windows 98 with a variety of comic-strip themes
Although that _does_ sound neat, my personal preference would be for
Microsoft to direct the resources they expended for licensing fees for such
frills towards producing a (more) competent operating system (I’m obviously
assuming they’re selling this product at a loss) :>(
Scott
Just think of Bill Gates as “the O.J. Simpson of Software”
==========================
animation/main #4048, from switch, 135 chars, Mon Mar 23 22:19:43 1998
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
TITLE: And the Oscar goes to…
A few minutes ago, the Oscar for Best Animated Short went to Geri’s Game.
Has anyone seen this?
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4049, from hmccracken, 477 chars, Tue Mar 24 21:49:50 1998
This is a comment to message 4048.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
————————–
I haven’t seen Geri’s Game, but I’ve heard good things about it.
It’s a Pixar film, and they say it’s a breakthrough in terms of
showing a semi-realistic human being in computer animation.
(Geri’s an elderly Russian man.)
This marks Pixar’s third Oscar — the first two went to John Lasseter’s
Luxo Jr. and Tin Toy — which places them pretty high up in the list
of animation studios who have won multiple Oscars. (Disney and MGM
probably are #1 and 2 in that area.)
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4050, from hshubs, 122 chars, Tue Mar 24 22:47:56 1998
This is a comment to message 4049.
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Is there a way to see this short, other than hoping it will show up at
one of the film festivals they’ve submitted it to?
==========================
animation/main #4051, from switch, 115 chars, Wed Apr 1 22:08:10 1998
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That’s probably it. Most animated nominated shorts aren’t seen outside of
festivals and rare TV broadcasts.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4052, from samiller, 264 chars, Thu Apr 2 12:42:25 1998
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>That’s probably it. Most animated nominated shorts aren’t seen outside of
>festivals and rare TV broadcasts
Are there no distribution channels for the product on VHS media? One would
expect that it would be a relatively low entry fee/overhead enterprise.
Scott
==========================
animation/main #4053, from switch, 332 chars, Wed Apr 8 22:26:46 1998
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Some festivals do end up having their highlights distributed to tape or
disc. I have a number of Expanded Entertainment compilations on laserdisc,
and one Spike & Mike compilation on VHS.
Your best bet would be to get the next release of the Whole Toon Catalog.
The current address should be easy to find in the conference.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4054, from switch, 238 chars, Wed Apr 8 22:38:37 1998
This is a comment to message 4049.
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A quick trip to the Internet Movie Database reveals otherwise. While
Disney is at the top of the heap, MGM, Warner, UPA, and the National Film
Board of Canada (if you consider that a studio) have all taken more than
Pixar’s three.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4055, from switch, 1863 chars, Wed Apr 8 22:58:36 1998
This is a comment to message 4053.
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As if by magic, this was in my e-mail, from yesterday’s Animation Flash
newsletter:
3. SPIKE & MIKE FEST. No, it’s not “sick and twisted.” It’s “Spike & Mike’s
1998 Classic Festival of Animation,” opening this Friday, April 10 at the
Castro Theatre in San Francisco, California (running through April 22). The
program includes Pixar’s Oscar-winning short, “Geri’s Game,” Piet Kroon’s
“T.R.A.N.S.I.T.,” Aardman’s “Stage Fright,” Lasse Persson’s “Hand in Hand,”
Ben Gluck’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Berad Beyreuther, Daniel Binder and Robert
A. Zwirner’s “G|ten Appetit,” Don Hertzfeldt’s “Lily and Jim,” Blair
Thornley’s “Underwear Stories,” Rob Breyne, Nico Meulemans and Lef Goosen’s
“Museum,” Silke Parzich’s “Spring,” Zlatin Radev’s “Shock” and Alexei
Karaev’s “Welcome.” The show is also booked at San Francisco’s Palace of
Fine Arts (April 24-May 9), and elsewhere in California, in Spike and
Mike’s home town of La Jolla (April 3-June 13), Landmark’s UC Theater in
Berkeley (April 17-26), the Towne Theater in San Jose (April 24-May 14),
The Lark Theater in Larkspur (May 15-28), Stanford University in Palo Alto
(May 14-23), Lakeside Cinemas in Santa Rosa (May 29-June 4) and theaters in
Sonoma (June 26-July 2), and in Los Angeles (July 3-9) and Orange County
(July 17-23). Additional confirmed showings are slated for Austin, Texas
(June 26-July 16), Louisville, Kentucky (June 26-July 9), Kansas City,
Missouri (July 3-9), Lexington, Kentucky (July 17-30), Atlanta, Georgia
(August 7-13), Charleston, South Carolina (August 21-27), and in Canada at
the Ridge Theatre in Vancouver (April 17-May 10) and the Roxy Theatre in
Victoria (May 15-21). “Geri’s Game” director Jan Pinkava, producer Karen
Dufilho and others from Pixar will make appearances at the San Francisco
Castro show on Friday, April 10. Call (510) 762-BASS for advance tickets to
this show.
==========================
animation/main #4056, from hmccracken, 533 chars, Tue Apr 21 21:25:34 1998
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TITLE: Another Froggy Evening
Attention, Boston-based fans: The Brattle Theater is currently
showing a program of Warner Brothers cartoons, and on this
Thursday, the selection will include _Another Froggy Evening_,
jones’s recent, rarely-seen sequel to his masterpiece, _One
Froggy Evening_. 14 vintage Warners, mostly by Jones, will also
be shown.
There are showings at 5:30, 7:45, and 10; the theater is in Harvard
Square. The program is on tour, so folks in other parts of the country
may get the opportunity to see it.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4057, from hmccracken, 1691 chars, Sun Apr 26 22:06:17 1998
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TITLE: Another Froggy Evening
Well, I’ve finally seen Another Froggy Evening — Chuck Jones’s sequel
to his masterpiece, One Froggy Evening. AFE was made in 1995, but hasn’t
been widely shown; it came to Boston as part of a program that was
mostly made up of classic Warners’ cartoons.
I’d heard extremely bad things about Another Froggy Evening, but it
is not the weakest of the cartoons Jones has made in recent years.
It got a respectful response from the audience, and a few gags
provoked sincere belly laughs. I don’t want to give away too much of
the plot, but it follows Michigan J. Frog through history, which tends
to repeat itself. In effect, it’s a series of mini-remakes of the
original film, set in the stone age, Colonial times, and other eras.
The film is adequately animated and sports excellent backgrounds
(done by Warner veteran Bob Givens). While Jones was once known for
the rigorous LOGIC of his cartoon world, he’s a little sloppy here.
Michigan J. seems to change size depending on the gag needs of each
scene — he’s mostly frog-sized, but roughly the size of a human being
in the closing scene. for no apparent reason, he appears to have gained
the ability to fly, or at least float about in a distinctly unfroglike
fashion. The cartoon also has perhaps one too many in-joke references
to earlier Jones work. It’s a little self-indulgent, but then no
animator has done more to earn the right to a little self-indulgence
than Jones.
Ultimately, Another Froggy Evening is pretty harmless, but I can’t
figure out why it was made. Maybe Warner’s, which uses the frog as
mascot for its TV network, though it was time to give Michigan J.
a little publicity.
— Harry
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animation/main #4058, from hmccracken, 671 chars, Sat May 2 00:08:21 1998
————————–
TITLE: Happy Birthday, Maurice Noble
Friday was the birthday of Maurice Noble, Chuck Jones’s master
designer and the man behind much of the look and feel of _What’s
Opera, Doc?_, _Duck Amuck_, and other
Jones classics. He began his long career at Disney in the 1930s
(where he worked on Sily Symphonies and Snow White), worked on
the Private Snafu series during WWII, and is still active today
(he’s planning a series of international fables called Noble Tales).
I’m not sure precisely how old Maurice is, other than that he’s several
years older than Jones, who is 85. Yet another example of the remarkably
long lifespans that great animators seem to have on average.
==========================
animation/main #4059, from hmccracken, 934 chars, Mon May 11 21:28:45 1998
This is a comment to message 4055.
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I finally saw GERI’S GAME, the Pixar computer-animated film that
won the Oscar, when the Mike and Spike festival came to Boston.
And it’s a wonderful film that’s thoroughly deserving of the award.
I don’t want to give away too much of the films premise, except to say
that it involves an elderly man who plays chess in a park, in a unique
fashion. Geri is as realistic a character as I’ve seen done in
computer animation — not because he looks like a real person (he
doesn’t) but because he moves and thinks like one. He wears an amazingly
realistic-looking camel-hair jacket, too, but his skin still looks
rather plasticky — rendering accurate-looking human skin is a
trick that even Pixar can’t quite pull off yet.
Anyhow, the film is quite funny, Geri is a winning character, and Pixar
remains the Disney of computer-animation studios. I can’t wait to
see its two forthcoming features: TOY STORY II and A BUG’S LIFE.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4060, from hmccracken, 571 chars, Sun May 24 17:54:41 1998
————————–
TITLE: “Dilbert” takes home a Reuben
This news isn’t new, but I didn’t hear it until today: Scott Adams,
the creator of “Dilbert,” accepted the Reuben award as cartoonist of
the year last month.
Adams is unquestionably the hottest newspaper-comic cartoonist around,
and “Dilbert” is good for a chuckle from time to time, but that art!
Previous Reuben winners have included such masters as Walt Kelly,
Charles Schulz, and Milt Caniff (the first Reuben winner). Adams
isn’t fit to sharpen their pencils, but then again, what contemporary
newspaper cartoonist is?
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4061, from hkenner, 676 chars, Sun May 24 20:16:32 1998
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TITLE: Camelot
And in a similar vein to #4060: Reviewers are going mad over an animated
feature called *Quest for Camelot* (“An instant classic”; “An Incredible
Achievement”). There has never, in the ads, been any indication of where
the animation came from; emphasis is solely on the music. And the one
lengthy review I’ve seen (in the NYTimes, about a week ago) dwelt on the
visual deficiencies, e.g. eyes looking in different directions from the
same face, with no plausible cause save carelessness. For that matter,
the male in all the ads has a problem with his nose and chin, which are
not agreed on direction. “Top Notch”, says another review. Bah Humbug.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #4062, from hmccracken, 273 chars, Sun May 24 23:38:24 1998
This is a comment to message 4061.
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QUEST FOR CAMELOT is from Warner Bros., and despite the studio’s
long association with animation, it’s apparently the first a–
animated feature it’s ever done. I haven’t seen it yet (I may
tomorrow), but from the ads, it looks like another piece of PseudoDisney.
— Harry
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animation/main #4063, from hkenner, 117 chars, Mon May 25 11:44:47 1998
This is a comment to message 4062.
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When you see it, Harry, please let us know if the credits contain any
mention of where the animation came from.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #4064, from hmccracken, 184 chars, Mon May 25 20:46:48 1998
This is a comment to message 4063.
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Hugh: It’s from a division of Warner’s called Warner Bros. Feature
Animation, based in Hollywood. Last time I heard, the group was
at work on a second film, _The Iron Giant_.
— Harry
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animation/main #4065, from switch, 235 chars, Mon May 25 21:04:30 1998
This is a comment to message 4061.
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All is not lost, Hugh; I have about a dozen articles that slam Quest for
Camelot, and rightly so. I saw the film on Saturday with my fiancee, her
niece, and her nephews. I haven’t wanted to walk out of a film in a long
time…
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4066, from hmccracken, 555 chars, Thu May 28 14:55:45 1998
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TITLE: RIP, Phil Hartman
Terrible news: Phil Hartman has died in what is apparently a murder-
suicide. (CNN says his wife apears to have shot him and then taken
her own life.)
Hartman is best known for his long stint on Saturday Night Live and
his current NewsRadio sitcom, but he has endeared himself to
fans of _The Simpsons_ by providing voices for an array of memorable
characters, including shyster lawyer Lionel Hutz and washed-up
movie actor Troy McClure. He’s done voices for other cartoons, too,
including _The Brave Little Toaster_.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4067, from switch, 371 chars, Sun May 31 20:20:01 1998
This is a comment to message 4066.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Hartman also did voices for two animated features being released stateside
this year: Dreamworks’ Small Soldiers (at least, I think it’s Dreamworks) and
Disney’s video release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service.
It really is a shame. I always liked him because he seemed to genuinely
enjoy what he was doing, without falling into annoying Hollywoodism.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4068, from lkaplan, 722 chars, Thu Jun 4 01:07:09 1998
This is a comment to message 4067.
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>Kiki’s Delivery Service.
What’s that about? The title is interesting …
>It really is a shame. I always liked him because he seemed to genuinely
>enjoy what he was doing, without falling into annoying Hollywoodism.
I agree … I watched an episode of “News Radio” last night where
Hartmann’s character was considering switching careers from radio announcer
to Mark Russell clone (“Never heard of him.”), and was really outrageous –
I can’t even imagine what the outtakes from that show must be like.
There’s going to be a special Saturday Night Live either this or next
weekend (June 13th), showing some of his contributions – this should be
funny, Hartmann was one of the most-talented people on that show.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #4069, from hmccracken, 519 chars, Sun Jun 7 21:35:47 1998
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Disney’s No Smoking Policy
The 1940s Disney animated film _Melody Time_, a pleasant if unexceptional
compilation of several short, music-themed stories, is now available on
video. I mention this fact here mostly to alert you that it’s been
censored: the in the “Pecos Bill” section, Pecos (or should that be Bill?)
has had his cigarette electronically erase, and a scene in which he
rolls his own is completely gone.
Let’s just hope that nobody gets the bright idea to do the same with
Popeye’s pipe.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4070, from hmccracken, 1014 chars, Sun Jun 7 21:41:13 1998
This is a comment to message 4065.
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I finally saw _Quest for Camelot_ myself last week. I thought I’d
heard that it would attempt to aim at an older audience than the
typical new Disney cartoon, but my friend and I were just about the
only audience members who weren’t A) five-year-old girls; or B)
the parents of five-year-old girls. (I’m not kidding — I didn’t
even see any five-year-old boys.)
The movie, based on a book with a different title, tells the tale
of a teenaged girl who finds Excalibur, meets King Arthur, etc.
Most every scene seems to recall Disney films (the most striking
rip-off is a moment where she leaps onto a rock surrounded b
crashing waves, a la the Little Mermaid). Songs are unmemorable (and
sometimes unintelligble — the sound mixing is weird) and the quality
of animation and production is several notches lower than current
Disney product. The kids seemed mildly entertained, but the highlight
for me was a trailer for Disney’s _Mulan_, which opens later this
month and which looked kind of interesting.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4071, from switch, 632 chars, Sun Jun 7 22:31:17 1998
This is a comment to message 4068.
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————————–
Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of the nine anime films Disney has picked up
for worldwide distribution, and the first to be released (it’s due out
on September 1). Kiki is a 13-year-old witch, and as such must live away
from home for a year, in order find her particular talent. It’s really a
coming-of-age story.
Early on in the film, she finds a town to settle into, and sets up a
delivery service, where the deliveries are conducted by broom. Though
sometimes she needs a little help with her flying skills.
It’s a nice film — heartwarming without being sappy. Hartman provided the
voice for Jiji, Kiki’s black cat.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4072, from lkaplan, 769 chars, Mon Jun 8 20:42:52 1998
This is a comment to message 4069.
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Re: Disney’s No Smoking Policy
>in the “Pecos Bill” section, Pecos (or should that be Bill?)
>has had his cigarette electronically erase, and a scene in which he
>rolls his own is completely gone.
Arrrgggh …
>Let’s just hope that nobody gets the bright idea to do the same with
>Popeye’s pipe.
That was suggested years ago, wasn’t it? Of course, there was that
religious guy a few years ago who started a fuss against CBS by claiming
that the revived Mighty Mouse (Ralph Bakshi was the artist?) was actually
“sniffing drugs” when he sniffed dried flowers in one episode …
Cartoons are too important historically to censor. They sometimes need to
be viewed in the context of when they were produced, but that is probably
true for a lot of creative work.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #4073, from lkaplan, 61 chars, Mon Jun 8 20:42:54 1998
This is a comment to message 4071.
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That sounds neat, I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
-Len
==========================
animation/main #4074, from switch, 319 chars, Mon Jun 15 22:53:55 1998
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TITLE: Mulan
Vicky and I saw Mulan on Saturday.
The short review, until I have the time for a longer one: Disney is getting
back on the right track. Less songs, more story. And while I don’t agree
on the dragon (Eddie Murphy) and cricket (a chirping Frank Welker) in
principle, I didn’t mind them in the film.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4075, from ecbrown, 140 chars, Thu Jun 18 21:29:28 1998
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TITLE: Invasion America
Anybody seen any previews (aside from commercials) for this? It looks like
Anime comes to prime time…..
— Eric
==========================
animation/main #4076, from switch, 141 chars, Thu Jun 18 22:42:08 1998
This is a comment to message 4075.
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Actually, Invasion America started last week; three episodes have run so
far. I haven’t had the chance to watch my tapes yet, though.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4077, from hmccracken, 2699 chars, Fri Jul 17 22:59:40 1998
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Disney’s MULAN
I saw it a couple of weeks ago and have been remiss in not reviewing it
here.
MULAN’s an enjoyable film — no masterpiece, to be sure, but I liked
it better than most of Disney’s other recent efforts (including
HERCULES, HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, POCAHONTAS, and THE LION KING, the
last of which I couldn’t stand). If you capsulize the plot — teenaged
girl in ancient China disguises herself as a man and goes off to war
against the Huns — it sounds like a huge departure from typical
Disney fare. Actually, the treatment is pretty typical Disney, but at
least the unusual plot gives it a slightly offbeat flavor.
Part of “typical Disney fare” is giving the protagonist a wise-cracking
animal sidekick — a tradition that goes back to Jiminy Cricket in PINOCCHIO
(1939). This time around, the sidekick is a midget dragon voiced by Eddie
Murphy. While I probably wouldn’t choose to cast Eddie Murphy in a film
set in ancient China (at least not if he was going to give a typical Eddie
Murphy performance, which he does here), the dragon is genuinely funny and
engaging. I even began to forget that just about every word out of his
mouth is so America-in-the-1990s that this movie will date very quickly.
Storywise, MULAN goes down easy; the plot moves along and the songs,
though not memorable, don’t sound like retreads of earlier songs, and are
well integrated into the action. Some of the ads for the film make it
look like a grim drama, but it’s really more of a light comedy in
most important respects. Many of the (mostly very favorable)
reviews of the film make a big deal about how the crossdressing, macho
Mulan is a breakthrough Disney heroine — not really. She looks and acts a
lot like her predecessors, all the way back to Snow White, in many
respects — you could plug the Little Mermaid into this movie and it
wouldn’t make a huge difference.
As usual, the film looks great in many respects — Mulan, Mu-Shu the
dragon, and many other characters are nicely designed and animated, and
the color and backgrounds are lavish and fun to look at. Also as usual,
many of the subsidiary characters are drawn with no consistency — they
don’t look like they belong on the same planet, let alone in the same
film. I can’t figure out why this is such a nagging problem with recent
Disney films, given that for decades, the studio’s cartoons had such a
coherent look to them.
MULAN is a vastly better film than Warner Bros.’ QUEST FOR CAMELOT, which
had a somewhat similar story and which died a quiet death at the boxoffice
earlier this Summer. I can’t remember what the next Disney feature will be
— I know that FANTASIA 2000 and TARZAN are in the works.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4078, from hmccracken, 680 chars, Fri Jul 17 23:02:40 1998
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TITLE: Computer bugs this Fall
No, not anything relating to the Year 2000 problem. There will be two
computer-animated theatrical features about insects late this year.
First will be ANTZ, from Dreamworks; it was supposed to be released next
year, but the schedule was moved up. Woody Allen, among various other
celebrities, will provide a voice.
ANTZ was sped up in order to trump A BUG’S LIFE, the second animated
feature directed by John (TOY STORY) Lasseter. I saw a coming attraction
for this film before MULAN, and it looks very promising. Let’s hope that
there’s room at the box office for both contenders — especially if they
both turn out to be good films.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4079, from switch, 1177 chars, Fri Jul 24 08:55:43 1998
This is a comment to message 4077.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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Many of the (mostly very favorable)
reviews of the film make a big deal about how the crossdressing, macho
Mulan is a breakthrough Disney heroine — not really. She looks and acts a
lot like her predecessors, all the way back to Snow White, in many
respects — you could plug the Little Mermaid into this movie and it
wouldn’t make a huge difference.
Tarzan should be the next film.
I don’t think I agree with you about Mulan as a Disney heroine. Unlike
Ariel, she has a strong sense of responsibility already. I couldn’t
imagine her having a teenage snit. Unlike Belle, she has no desire to
leave her simple life. She has a brain and knows how to use it, but
she loves her home. Unlike Pocahontas, she’s not a leader. Unlike Meg,
she doesn’t have a massive, cynical chip on her shoulder. And, most
important —
*SPOILER*
She doesn’t unequivocally fall in love with the male lead. Also, she’s
fully prepared to leave the him — and a position in the court — to return
to her home. Hercules did something similar, but considering he still had
super strength and godly heritage, it didn’t seem like much of a sacrifice.
Emru
==========================
animation/main #4080, from hmccracken, 364 chars, Fri Jul 24 09:52:41 1998
This is a comment to message 4079.
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Good points. I thought that the film made a mistake in depicting Mulan’s
failure to be a traditional Chinese maiden mostly in the context of an
outrageously slapsticky sequence in which a lot of things go wrong that
weren’t really her fault. I wasn’t ever clear on why she considered
herself an oddball and an outsider.
— Harry (who’s looking forward to Tarzan)
==========================
animation/main #4081, from hmccracken, 1003 chars, Sat Aug 1 17:50:18 1998
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Disney’s _The Black Cauldron_…
…will be released on video later this month. That’s a bit of a
surprise because the film is an orphan — it was made under the
regime of Ron Miller (Walt’s son-in-law) but released shortly after
Michael Eisner & Co. took over. They didn’t put much effort into
promoting it, and it’s become one of the most obscure Disney animated
features. It’s also the only one that’s rated PG.
The film, which the studio worked on for many years and spent a
lot of money on (by the standards of the time) is no masterpiece.
It’s a sort of Tolkien knockoff, the story is a mishmosh, and the
protagonist, a young pig keeper, doesn’t have much personality.
But there are some good action scenes, some fun secondary characters
(including Gurgi, a furry critter, and Creeper, a sort of hunchbacked
evil elf), and enjoyable music by Elmer Bernstein. It’s nice to know that
it’ll be available again, for the first time since it was released to
theaters in (I think) 1985.
— Harry
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animation/main #4082, from jjanney, 161 chars, Mon Aug 3 11:47:26 1998
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> The film … is no masterpiece.
I haven’t seen it, but I’ve always been fond of the book. Come to
think of it, that’s probably why I never saw the movie 🙂
==========================
animation/main #4083, from jjanney, 246 chars, Sun Aug 9 00:35:00 1998
This is a comment to message 4082.
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There was a plot summary of “The Black Cauldron” in the newspaper
today, that suggests that the film-makers tried to combine the stories
of the first and second books in the series into one movie. If so,
it’s no wonder the result was confusing.
==========================
animation/main #4084, from hmccracken, 971 chars, Tue Aug 18 02:45:35 1998
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TITLE: Reading the Rabbit
I’m still travelling. I’m here in Seattle (I’m meeting with a large
software company tomorrow that shall remain nameless), but I spent the day
in Portland, my hometown. One of the virtues of which is Powell’s, a
bookstore of staggering size and quality.
My most interesting find at Powell’s: _Reading the Rabbit_, an (apparently
new) collection of essays about Warner Bros. cartoons. Among the essays:
“The View from Termite Terrace: Caricature and Parody in Warner Bros.
Animation,” “The Image of the Hillbilly in Warner Bros. Cartoons of the
Thirties,” Fans versus Time Warner: Who Owns Looney Tunes?,” and “Hybrid
Cinema: the Mask, Masques, and Tex Avery.” The book looks kind of dry and
serious overall, but a number of the essays look promising. Once I’ve read
it (I’ll dip into it during the trip), I’ll report back with a review.
Oh, the book is edited by Kevin S. Sandler, and it’s from Rutgers
University Press. I paid $20.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4085, from hmccracken, 588 chars, Tue Oct 20 23:33:40 1998
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Jones on CNN
CNN’s “Newsstand” program featured a nice segment on Chuck Jones the
other night. Jones, 86 now, finally seems to be aging a bit, but is
as sharp and funny as ever. The show featured a lot of clips from
Jones’ classic cartoons and interviews with the artist, his daughter
(and business partner in an extremely successful limited-edition art
company), and wife.
Unfortunately, the program didn’t pay tribute to any of the supremely
talented coworkers who collaborated with Jones: Mike Maltese, Mel Blanc,
Maurice Noble, Ken Harris, Carl Stalling, and others.
— Harry
==========================
animation/main #4086, from hkenner, 56 chars, Wed Oct 21 10:27:43 1998
This is a comment to message 4085.
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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…AND it had absolutely nothing new on Jones.
–HK
==========================
animation/main #4087, from hmccracken, 396 chars, Wed Oct 21 15:32:29 1998
This is a comment to message 4086.
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Interestingly, they did acknowledge the fact that Jones gets no
royalties from Warner Bros. But I don’t remember whether they
also noted that CNN and Warner Bros. are part of the same company.
I have a bit of Jones news (not from CNN): he’s going to be travelling
on some sort of cruise for well-heeled folks who want to hobnonb with
celebs. Jones being one of the famous folk onboard.
— Harry
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animation/main #4088, from hmccracken, 1103 chars, Tue Mar 16 17:35:47 1999
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TITLE: _Hollywood Cartoons_
I’m not sure if anyone’s still here, but if you are: Mike Barrier’s
_The Hollywood Cartoons_ has just been published. Years ago, Barrier
was the editor of _Funnyworld_, the best magazine ever published on
animated cartoons, and he’s been working on this book since 1969.
(I first heard about it in 1976 or so, when it was supposed to be
nearly complete.)
The endless wait turned out to be woethwhile — _Hollywood Cartoons_
is a superb history of American theatrical animation (Barrier ends
the book in 1966, with Walt Disney’s death). Mike interviewed dozens,
if not hundreds, of important figures — most of who, alas, have passed
away. He’s also an excellent, exceptionally demanding critic, and his
book is certainly one of the finest works of animation criticism ever
written. He’s particularly strong on Disney in the 1930s and Warner Bros.
in the 1940s.
My only serious gripe is that the book could use more illustrations —
there are only about fifty of them, and no color. But that leaves 600+
of some of the best writing about animation I’ve ever read.
— Harry
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animation/main #4089, from hshubs, 170 chars, Fri Nov 19 09:47:54 1999
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TITLE: Mary Kay Bergman is dead
She did all but one of the female voices on South Park, as well as many other
things. Apparently committed suicide a week ago yesterday.
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animation/main #4090, from lkaplan, 202 chars, Tue Dec 14 14:34:32 1999
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: end of an era
I just heard on a Canadian radio station that Charles Schultz is retiring,
the last new daily “Peanuts” strip will be on January 3. He’s also battling
colon cancer.
Sigh …
-Len
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animation/main #4091, from jjanney, 9 chars, Tue Dec 14 15:17:39 1999
This is a comment to message 4090.
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Damn 🙁
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animation/main #4092, from hmccracken, 404 chars, Sun May 13 20:49:33 2001
There is/are comment(s) on this message.
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TITLE: Well, I guess this is it
I’m sorry to say that I just logged into BIX for the first time since
the announcement of its impending closure. Anybody out there? I’d
love to see some activity in this conference for old time’s sake.
Meanwhile, if anyone’s looking for a place to discuss animation,
come to my Web site, wwww.harrymccracken.com. Quite a few BIXen
hang out in my MessageCenter.
— Harry
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animation/main #4093, from dgh, 73 chars, Sun May 13 22:27:03 2001
This is a comment to message 4092.
There are additional comments to message 4092.
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I’ll be hanging around BIX until it stops responding to Telnet logins…
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animation/main #4094, from denverd, 110 chars, Mon May 14 01:22:22 2001
This is a comment to message 4092.
There are additional comments to message 4092.
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Re: Well, I guess this is it
> if anyone’s looking for a place to discuss animation
have you considered nlz?
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animation/main #4095, from jdow, 101 chars, Tue May 15 19:45:05 2001
This is a comment to message 4092.
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Come visit “nlzero.com” if you are interested. You telnet to it the same as
you telnet to BIX.
{^_^}