Our friend David Gerstein has been hard at work for many months compiling a new book for Gemstone that, I will tell you now, is a must-have. Mickey and the Gang: Classic Stories in Verse, doesn’t immediately sound (by its title) like the major historical resource it is. But believe me, you want this book.The main feature of the 360-page full color tome is the 123 lavish studio-produced “Disney pages” originally published in Good Housekeeping magazine between 1934 and 1944. This alone is worth the price of the book. But David has added much more background information and “bonus material” to each piece, including never-before-reprinted Disney Sunday strips by Floyd Gottfredson, rare comic art by Walt Kelly, Al Taliaferro, and Daan Jippes; gag cartoons and text features from Mickey Mouse Magazine, Mickey Mouse Weekly, and Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories; photos of Disney toys and games from the period; and rare animation sketches by Carl Barks, Albert Hurter, and others. David explains the genesis of each of these Disney Pages, and explains why there is more there than meets the eye.The book will be published in November and will retail for $29.95. Highly Recommended!

Does Ross Bagdasarian know about this? Oy!

Animation Meat notes that animator Eric Goldberg (the Genie in ALADDIN, animation director of LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION) is working on two how-to books about animation. No word on when they’ll be published, but certainly something to look forward to.

SUPER TIBETAN RACER is an animated short best described as Tibetan monks meet Super Mario Kart. Like another film we plugged here a while back, LE BUILDING, this is a student film project produced by the insanely talented students at the French animation school Gobelins, and it was used as one of the opening films at this year’s Annecy animation festival.

John Canemaker’s opinion piece in the WALL STREET JOURNAL, documenting the demise of hand-drawn animation at Disney, can now be read on-line HERE. Canemaker, who is one of our foremost historians on the art of Disney animation, is succinct and doesn’t mince words. He writes, “…for me, as an animation historian, Disney’s decision to eliminate hand-drawn animation for its features is sad. It implies on the part of management disrespect for the studio’s history and a lamentable lack of flexibility and vision.” Canemaker is the first to say that he thinks Walt Disney himself would have been excited by computer animation and would have explored everything the technique had to offer. But Walt would have done so in a dignified manner, without dismantling the entire legacy of the studio:

But somehow I doubt he would have thrown the baby out with the bath water by abandoning hand-drawn animation. Walt was known to spend years trying to find the best way to deploy the talents of certain of his artists, and perhaps he would have found new ways to use the unique qualities of the hand-made moving image–its inherent warmth; the happy accidents of the human touch; the immediate intuitive link between brain, hand and drawing instrument; the special flexibility and style that is so different from the dimensionality, essential coolness and realistic imagery of CGI.

Another bit of Canemaker news worth noting: Part Three of the interview with him has been posted at Animation World Magazine. It is an excellent read wherein John speaks candidly about his multi-faceted career as indie filmmaker, historian and educator. Be sure to check out parts ONE and TWO as well.

If you love Looney Tunes (and who doesn’t?), you’ll probably like these compilations of Mel Blanc novelty records and radio excerpts. PARTY PANIC was released a few years ago with the classic “Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody”. That CD is now joined by THE BEST OF MEL BLANC which has 25 tracks and includes Mel’s WOODY WOODPECKER song and a rendition of BARNEY GOOGLE. THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY, an import, is also worthy for the bits with Jack Benny and Burns & Allen.(Thanks to Mark Dillman) That’s all, Folks!

For my money, these recent celebrity caricatures by John Kricfalusi are some of the most outstanding examples of caricature I’ve seen in a long time. We tend to overlook the quirks of people’s facial features, but John picks up on these slight differences in our human architecture and exaggerates them to achieve a grotesquely beautiful comic effect. This is not the generic exaggeration of facial and body features that typifies most caricature work today (eg. almost anything in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY); these drawings have an intensity and specificity that truly comes from another place. It’s the same reason I love the work of Ronald Searle and Expressionists like George Grosz and Otto Dix: these artists, like John, don’t rely on the stereotypical images of beauty that have guided artists for centuries. Rather, they draw from the gut and search out their own truths, and the resulting work is infinitely richer and more honest.

Once again it’s time to plug the ongoing 52 week project of Basic Hip Digital Oddio - their KIDDIE RECORDS WEEKLY archive/website devoted to showcasing classic 1940s and 50s children’s recordings (and their packaging: the covers, sleeves and labels). Each album is available to download and the selections have been remarkable. Disney soundtracks for SONG OF THE SOUTH and SALUDOS AMIGOS, the original Dr. Suess recording of GERALD McBOING BOING, Mel Blanc as WOODY WOODPECKER are among the recordings of interest to animation buffs.Two interesting finds among the collection: IT’S FUN TO EAT (1946) by Winston Sharples, features Jack Mercer on vocals and sports a Jim Tyer cover (above, signed on lower left as James Tyer) and label. Also note BELDA TALKING COMICS (from 1949, audio to be posted week 40, on Oct. 3rd) featuring artwork by Melvin “Tubby” Millar (of Termite Terrace fame), with vocals by Daws Butler and Marvin Miller.