Cartoon Brew

AESOPS FABLES

I usually wait until someone sends me a free copy of something before I plug it - but this new release from Thunderbean Animation looks so good, I gotta help spread the word now - before I've actually seen it.

This collection of 16 Aesops Fables from the Van Bueren studio has just been released. Many prints here are from rare original 35mm nitrate material, with original title cards restored and/or reconstructed. Titles include: Happy Polo (reissue with sound of 'Polo Match' 1929), Summertime ('29),The Iron Man (1930),The Haunted Ship (1930),Noah Knew his Ark (1930), A Romeo Robin (1930), Hot Tamale (1930), Gypped in Egypt (1930), Makin' 'em Move (1931),The Family Shoe (1931), The Cat's Canary (1932), Toy Time (aka Toyland Adventure) (1932), The Farmerette (1932), Chinese Jinks (1932) and Silvery Moon (aka Candy Town) (1933). Bonus Features include still galleries, original posters/ publicity materials, original title cards and much more.

Thunderbean's previous POPEYE and FELIX sets are superb - so based on their reputation, the price ($14.95 on Amazon.com) and this list of contents, I highly recommend this dvd collection.

101 Dalmatians - Polish Style

This Polish poster for 101 DALMATIANS by Liliana Baczewska caught my eye while I was browsing through the recent book A CENTURY OF MOVIE POSTERS. More examples of Baczewska's posters can be seen HERE and her poster for LADY AND THE TRAMP is HERE.

HUSH MY MOUSE

One of our readers has been privately sharing some images from his private cartoon art collection with me. But this one (above) is particularly intriguing. Is it the original title card art from HUSH MY MOUSE (1946, Chuck Jones)?

HUSH MY MOUSE is one of several dozen cartoons whose original title cards are lost - cut from the original negatives when Warner's theatrically re-issued their cartoons as Blue Ribbon Specials.

All the markings on the piece indicate that it was a production background - so it's my guess that it is indeed the original title (the white square at the center would have been where both the main title and director Jones credit would have gone, on a seperately shot cels). But unless an original print from the 1940s is found, we may never be able to confirm this hypothesis.

(Thanks Mike)

UPDATE: Michael Barrier has confirmed source of this art:

That title card is definitely from Hush My Mouse. I had a transparency shot of the title card for my aborted Warner Bros. book about 25 years ago, when the artwork was still owned by Collectors Book Store in Hollywood. The title card has a production number at the top that matches up with the production number for Hush My Mouse that I have from two other sources.

2-D EXPO POSTPONED

Asifa Hollywood's annual 2-D Expo, which had been announced for June 25th 2005, has been postponed.

I am part of the committee putting this event on, and due to various factors (including my recent move and telephone problems, as well as other overwhelming factors), the Board of Directors of Asifa Hollywood have decided to move the event to the fall. We have many exciting things lined up - and we'll keep them on hold. Stay tuned to Cartoon Brew for further updates on this event.

Pixar at MOMA

A few days ago, I mentioned a couple books that Chronicle Books will be publishing this winter in honor of Pixar's twentieth anniversary. Equally exciting, the Museum of Modern Art in New York has just announced a major Pixar retrospective that will take place December 14, 2005-February 6, 2006. The exhibit is being organized by MoMA's Steven Higgins (Curator, Department of Film and Media) and Ron Magliozzi (Assistant Curator). It is rare for an animation studio to receive such recognition at MoMA; the only other major studio exhibition at MoMA that comes to mind is when United Productions of America (UPA) was honored in the mid-50s. There's perhaps a few other examples, but it's certainly not an everday occurrence. Fortunately, I can't think of a modern animation studio more deserving of the honor.

Here's the MoMA press release:

The Museum of Modern Art presents Pixar, in the most extensive theater and gallery exhibition it has ever devoted to the art of animation. Pixar Animation Studios has had worldwide critical and box office success with its feature films, from Toy Story (1995) to The Incredibles (2004). The exhibition marks the first time Pixar is lending its art collection and films. In addition to six features and a number of shorts that will be screened in MoMA’s Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters, the Yoshiko and Akio Morita Gallery will be devoted to moving image work created especially by the studio for this exhibition, illustrating the processes involved in creating their signature works. Paintings, concept art and other works on paper will be installed in the Theater Gallery and on the first floor, showing the multiple evolutions that characters and environments go through before their final on-screen incarnation. Pixar illustrates the artistry and craft of a studio devoted to making believable animated imagery and acknowledges computer-generated animation as a moving image art form.

A QUICK QUIET PLUG FOR JANET KLEIN

Tonight at 8pm, the Steve Allen Theatre (4773 HOLLYWOOD BLVD, 2 blocks west of Vermont) in Los Feliz, Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys preceeded by Jerry Beck's 16mm movie short subjects. End of plug.

LA Film Fest Animation Screenings

Tom Knott writes to let us know that there's a lot of interesting and rare animation programs happening this month during the Los Angeles Film Festival (June 16-26). For tickets and other details, visit LAFilmFest.com. Here are the program listings for the animation screenings:

ToonTime with THE RZA
Wed Jun 22, 8:30pm The Ford Theatre, $15.00
A founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, THE RZA has been on a non-stop hot streak since the early Nineties. A multi-talented hip hop phenomenon, THE RZA has recorded and produced countless albums, he's scored films for Jarmusch and Tarantino, he's acted in movies, and recently he published his first book. But now, he faces his greatest challenge… CARTOONS. While some of the strangest, coolest cartoons you've ever seen screen behind him, THE RZA will layer together a soundtrack live, demonstrating his skill at using music to complement the action on screen and evoke moods with a few notes. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime performance when the animated and the Wu collide.

Stan Brakhage: Last Films
Tue Jun 21, 7:15, Redcat, $10.00
The late Stan Brakhage became synonymous with personal and experimental filmmaking. This program of shorts from his last three years -- most made up of painted and hand-carved elements -- display an astonishing range and subtlety of emotion.

Before Anime: Japanese Animation 1925-1946
Tue Jun 21, 9:30pm / Sat Jun 25, 5pm, Directors Guild, $10.00
Long before anime became a multi-billion dollar industry, Japanese animation was already a thriving artform. From early attempts through the introduction of sound and culminating in propaganda from World War II, this program charts twenty years of work from some of the most influential artists of their times.

A Decade of Iranian Animation - The '70s
Jun 18, 4:45pm, Directors Guild, $10.00
Iranian cinema has made a big splash in recent years, but rarely have animated films from Iran been shown outside that country. We present ten seminal animated films produced in Iran in the decade of the '70s.

Tales and Legends from Africa
Sat. Jun 19, 4:30pm/Wed Jun 22, 1:30 pm, Directors Guild, $10.00
Frogs and princesses play a starring role in this collection of African animation from a number of different countries. The program starts and finishes with two films made 35 years apart by the inventive Moustapha Alassane, father of Nigerian cinema.

Walt Disney's Alice Comedies
Sun Jun 19, 1:30pm, Directors Guild, $10.00
Before Mickey came along, one of Walt Disney's early successes was a series of films starring a live action little girl who continuously finds herself in a cartoon wonderland.

ANIMATION AT MOMA IN JUNE

Anne D. Bernstein reports from New York:

There is a TON of animation-related programming at MOMA this month.

There's a Miyazaki retrospective June 3-30. Thirteen films and one is the North American premiere of HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (on Monday June 6th at 8:30pm).

Also, BEFORE MICKEY: EARLY ANIMATION MASTERWORKS FROM GEORGE EASTMAN HOUSE on June 1 and June 11. Program includes Domestic Difficulties (Mutt & Jeff, 1916), Felix Gets Revenge (1922), Felix Trips through Toyland (1925), Felix Flirts with Fate (1926), and Felix Kept on Walking (1926) Scaling the Alps (1928), Sky Scrappers (1928). Felix Trifles with Time (1925), the Fleischer Studios’ Trapped (1923), Paul Terry’s Scaling the Alps (1928), and two Oswald the Rabbit cartoons.

And Wednesday June 22 at 6:30 there is a program called PIERRE HUYGHE ON ANIMATION. He "leads a public conversation about animation and recent developments in techniques and processes."

Who is Pierre Huyghe and how does he rate holding court on animation at the Museum of Modern Art? I dunno - but here's some info.

Tuesday Morning Inspiration: Tom Oreb

A few random sketches by legendary animation designer Tom Oreb...

MADAGASCAR

Dreamworks Animation's MADAGASCAR is heading for a wonderful $40 million dollar plus opening weekend box office gross (ranking either #2 or #3 behind STAR WARS III, depending on its Sunday grosses against THE LONGEST YARD) and deserved success on the big screen. MADAGASCAR is a lot of fun - a pleasant summertime entertainment that is - for me - the best package Dreamworks has put together thus far.

While SHREK I & II are funnier films, and have better stories, the character designs (with several exceptions) never appealed to me. ANTZ and SHARK TALE had their pluses and minuses as well. But with MADAGASCAR, Dreamworks really nailed it. It looks great, is packed with visual & verbal wit, and is directed and paced to get the maximum laughs.

Oh, and the marketing is really great. Really. I mean, the film is called MADAGASCAR - They could have (and maybe should have) named it THE ZOO CREW (or does DC Comics own that title?) or THE NEW YORK GIANTS (does the NFL own that one?), or something... but they are pushing a film called MADAGASCAR, and have succeeded in selling tickets.

With THE CORPSE BRIDE, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, CHICKEN LITTLE and Dreamworks/Aardman's WALLACE & GROMIT coming, a very good year for animated features is shaping up.