I love the work that came out of Zagreb Film in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. These years were responsible for some of the funkiest and most inventive cartooning produced by any animation outfit. The Zagreb animators managed to break every rule in the book, largely because they didn’t know the rules. It was a bunch of artists experimenting fearlessly and without inhibition. Sometimes they failed, sometimes they were successful, but the results are almost always fascinating.

Boris Kolar is among my favorite designer/directors at Zagreb. I’ve seen a lot of his work but had never run across Woof, Woof! (1964) until I saw this copy posted onto YouTube. As was customary with many of the studio’s shorts, a single artist (Kolar) directed, designed and animated the entire film (the credits also list an animation assistant). Also like many Zagreb films, Woof, Woof!’s daring visuals are complemented by an equally trippy sound design. It’s a fine effort that still holds up well. And if you like this one, don’t miss Vlado Kristl’s Don Quixote (1961) and Nedeljko Dragić’s Tup Tup (1972).

I forgot to mention I’m showing a few cartoons tonight at the Janet Klein concert in Hollywood. 8pm at the Steve Allen Theatre. More details here.

A new Pixar film usually means another great Chronicle Art Of book and, at the other end of the spectrum, another neat looking Little Golden Book.

It’s easy to overlook the Golden Books - and difficult to find them - even in major bookstores. I just came across the Ratatouille one at my local Ralphs supermarket this morning. It’s a 24 page delight (especially for $2.99), with gorgeous art, credited to Scott Tilley, Jean-Paul Orpinas (illustrators) and Tony Fejeran (designer). As a long time fan of vintage Little Golden Books, the recent Pixar volumes are excellent additions to the collection.

Have you noticed how Pixar’s character merchandising art translates perfectly in two-dimensional and hand drawn versions? That’s due, of course, to the characters basic design and Pixar’s cartooning aesthetic. It’s also due to the calibre of artists assigned to create this ancillary artwork. One particularly cool looking publicity project was a series of images inspired by A.M. Cassandre’s vintage French posters, designed and painted by Stephane Kardos (above) and Eric Tan. It’s this kind of attention to detail, and sense of style, that keeps Pixar ahead of the pack - on screen and off.

Just in time to ruin your holiday, this poster has popped up on various movie sites this week.

First Underdog, now this. It looks less like an adaptation of The Alvin Show and more like a bastardization of the Ralph Bakshi/John K. Mighty Mouse cartoon with Elwy and the Tree Weasels.

Awful.

Eric Leiser, a recent grad of the CalArts Experimental Animation program, has completed his first feature film, Imagination, which combines live-action with stop motion. Here is the film’s official website. LA folks can check out a couple midnight screenings this weekend, July 6 and 7, at Lammle’s Sunset 5 in West Hollywood. Other upcoming screenings are listed here.

The film sounds like a real departure from typical animated fare. It’s something I look forward to seeing. Below is the synopsis and trailer:

Dr. Reineger is a child neuro-psychologist who has dealt with extreme and abnormal cases his entire life. He has studied the Woodruff twins intensely for many years and has become confident of at least one thing: the twin Anna has a rare form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome, rendering her unable to cope with reality. As for her sister, Sarah, who has been blinded over the past year by a degenerative eye disease, the Doctor cannot say for sure why her visions map so closely to Anna’s. As he reflects on the twins’ ever increasing symbiosis and unified visions, he begins to see the girls as something quite special and outside of the bounds of his understanding.

Have a happy Fourth of July.

The awards ceremony of the Platform festival had some pretty funny moments, one of the funnier being Don Hertzfeldt’s acceptance speech after winning the prize for “Best Film Under $5000.” Check out what happened during his speech. The award presenter is Marv Newland.

If I weren’t going to the San Diego Comic Con, I’d love to be at the multiple Animation Block Party screenings around New York City, July 27-30. The line-up of films has just been announced and the programming includes work by our friends Bill Plympton, Don Hertzfeldt and lots of local talents. More info posted here.