Jerry Beck, Alan Greenfield, Will Friedwald, Mark Mayerson
probably inspecting the soundtrack of Bosko’s Picture Show
(circa 1978)

While I’ve dedicated my life to continued research and writing about animated cartoons, my erstwhile colleague Will Friedwald (co-author of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies and Warner Bros. Animation Art) has made quite a name for himself as a noted jazz historian, critic and producer. Author of several outstanding books on the likes of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, Will made news this week by proclaiming he has the world’s largest iTunes collection.

I have no idea if his claim is true, but back in the day no one was as fiercely determined to collect information and data on classic cartoons as Will (Note the images of Baby Huey and The Ghostly Trio on his t-shirt). Animation’s loss is jazz music’s gain. Check out his regular writings in The New York Sun.

An update at the Cartoon Modern blog: a collection of color keys by Walt Peregoy from Disney’s 101 Dalmatians.

Youth Opportunities United (aka YOU) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of abused and neglected children in Los Angeles. Each year they hold a series of animation seminars and workshops for several hundred teenagers on the 20th Century-Fox lot in Century City.

Matt Groening, Stan Lee, David Silverman, Bruce Smith, Don Bluth, Dan Castellaneta and many other big names have contributed their time and talents to this event in the past. The 16th annual Animagination Festival (open only to teens in L.A. foster care) is being held on Saturday June 16th. The organizers are looking for several more artists, animators and designers to help with the hands-on art and design workshops this year. If you can help, please contact Mary Ledding (323-465-7797 or ledfam6384-at-sbcglobal.net) or Sandy Bradley (310-558-3366 or bradley_design-at-yahoo.com).

Today’s post about the pixilated shorts of Chuck Menville and Len Janson makes me want to point out a more recent short in a similar technique, Iraqi Kurdistan by photojournalist Ed Kashi. It’s arguable whether the film qualifies as pixilation since it’s documenting existing action instead of designing original movement with live subjects, but the technique has its roots in pixilation and the striking results have a distinctly animated sensibility.

More about the film from its website:

Iraqi Kurdistan is an expansive look into the lives of the Kurdish people of northern Iraq. These images provide an alternative perspective on a changing culture, one different from the discord that dominates so much media coverage of the region. Documented by photojournalist Ed Kashi during a seven-week stay in 2005, the photographs of Iraqi Kurdistan are presented in flipbook-style animation; gradual changes between still images simulate motion.

Perhaps what I find most compelling about the project is how Kashi has employed animation techniques to give traditional documentary/journalistic photography a compelling narrative structure. The film, which has also been licensed by MSNBC.com, offers intriguing potential for further experiments combining hard news with animation, an area that is ripe for exploration.

Watch the film here

Diogo Kalil, an art director and animator from Brazil, currently living in Santa Monica, California, is looking to change his professional focus and move from advertising into other filmmaking opportunities. To that end he’s posted his new reel on his website and it’s quite good. Says Kalil, “I work with 3D and 2D software, and like to play with stop motion and cel animation.” I really like his work and hope he’ll keep us posted on his future plans.

Warning: The video below contains strong language.

Seriously though, would you expect anything less from the guy who created Lupo? This is an entertaining and informal interview with Danny Antonucci, who is also the creator of the long-running Cartoon Network series Ed Edd n Eddy. Antonucci speaks the truth when he says the industry is becoming too sterile; it’s encouraging to hear that he wants to shake things up and return to his indie animation roots.

All praise the Internet for making available three difficult-to-find LA-produced indie animation classics—Vicious Cycles, Blaze Glory, and Sergeant Swell of the Mounties. All three shorts were directed by Len Janson and the late Chuck Menville. The films make superb use of the pixilation technique, which is the frame-by-frame manipulation of live-action subjects.

Vicious Cycles (1967)
(Note: The leader of the bad bikers is Len Janson; the leader of the top-hatted fancy bikers is Chuck Menville.)

Blaze Glory (1968)
Interesting credits on this film include TV commercial director Bob Kurtz as co-writer, and Warner Bros. animator Ken Champin in the role of the Indian.

Sergeant Swell of the Mounties (1972)
Part 1 and Part 2 on YouTube

(Thanks, John Hudgens)

Van Eaton Gallery • Thursday night, 4.19.07, 9:30pm

Van Eaton Gallery • Thursday night, 4.19.07, 9:45pm

Last night’s Book Look at the Van Eaton Gallery in Sherman Oaks. Top photo is Mike Van Eaton himself, showing off a new acquistion: a background painting from Pluto Junior (1942). Bottom photo is of J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt, authors of Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies (a must-have new book).

Over 200 people attended, with a large crowd continuously in store from 6pm until after 10pm. Mike is hoping to turn this into an annual or bi-annual event. Authors in attendance included Nancy Beiman, Tom Sito, Steve Gordon, Stephen Silver, Dean Yeagle, Joe Adamson and Martha Sigall. A great time was had by all. Thanks to all the Brew readers who stopped by to say hello.