Cartoon Brew

ANIMAL PLANET

Several months ago I was interviewed for a segment of Animal Icons, a series on the ANIMAL PLANET cable TV network. I just found out it has begun airing this month, and is airing again on Saturday. Mark Evanier, Bob Miller and several Cartoon Brew readers saw it and have informed me it will be rerun again Saturday June 11th at 2pm Eastern (11am on the west coast).

Entitled "Animated Animals", the hour discusses the history of animated animal cartoon stars with June Foray, Mark Hamill, Tom Kenny, Noel Blanc, Billy West and with numerous clips.

ALTERED STATES

Mark Kausler has made yet another discovery among his fabulous film collection...

His nitrate print of Tex Avery's 1945 cartoon THE SHOOTING OF DAN McGOO has several altered shots when compared to the common 1951 re-release version we are used to seeing on TV and home video. I've pictured several of these differences on my Cartoon Research.com MGM Original Titles page. Chief among the changes were the elimination of several gags relating to cigarettes - which in 1945 were rationed and considered valuable. Not so in 1951.

MGM's pre-1951 cartoon negatives were destroyed in a vault fire three decades ago. Thus the only master material available are dupe negs from the reissue versions - or rare one of a kind nitrate original release prints. Unfortunetly, not many of the volatile nitrate prints survive. Let's hope more turn up before it's too late.

RIDE 'EM BOSKO

Cartoon Brew reader Holly Melcher sent in this photo of a Bosko pillow pattern she found at an estate sale. Bosko merchandise is rare, but more and more of it keeps turning up. Apparently Harman & Ising exploited the character (The first Looney Tunes star) on their own after leaving the Schlesinger studio in the mid 1930s - and tried again in the early 1950s when the early cartoons were first sold to television.

Holly's find is a new one on me. Here's a larger picture, and close up of the copyright and product info.

SUPER MOUSE

Here's something we cartoon historians don't see everyday. In fact, baby boomers and everyone born since then have never seen it: The original opening title to a Terrytoons SUPER MOUSE cartoon (He Dood It Again, 1943).

Except for the few rare Super Mouse movie posters still in existence, all references to Terrytoons original 'Mouse of Tomorrow' were erased from history when the character was rechristened Mighty Mouse in 1943. Apparently another Super-Mouse was published in the October, 1942 dated first issue of Coo Coo Comics (Nedor Publishing Co.), the same month Terry's mouse of steel made his debut appearence in theatres. According to Don Markstein, Nedor and its successors, Standard Comics and Pines Comics, continued to publish Super Mouse regularly until 1958. However, Paul Terry, either fearing a lawsuit from DC Comics or not wanting to give a comic book character undo publicity, made the name change - which was for the better, if you ask me. However, the 1942 and '43 Super Mouse theatricals were altered in re-release to reflect the name change.

We've never seen the original on-screen opening title - until Mark Kausler came upon this nitrate print in a recent purchase. Thanks to Mark for contributing this gem to my Terrytoon original title page.

Cube à la Jenkins

Director Ward Jenkins has a really nice Flickr photoset of his workspace at Primal Screen. He writes more about the pictures at the Ward-O-Matic. It's always fascinating checking out other artists' workspaces and seeing the inspirational cocoons in which visually-oriented individuals enclose themselves in. I once even considered doing an article in the BLAST about some of the cool artist workspaces and personal art studios that I'd seen. Now, everybody can simply post their work areas on their blogs or Flickr.

LOONATICS UNLEASHED

The new designs are in.

Somebody stop this... In the name of humanity...

"Loonatics Unleashed", an all-new action packed, comedy-adventure series set seven hundred years in the future, stars an ensemble cast of six superheroes who are descendants of the Looney Tunes. Series will debut on Kids' WB! in fall 2005. (L to R): Lexi Bunny, Rev Runner, Tech E. Coyote, Ace Bunny, Danger Duck, Spaz B. Wilde.

(Thanks to Robert Evatt for the link)

ANIMATION BOOKSIGNING IN GLENDALE

The Mystery & Imagination bookshop (aka BookFellows) on Brand Blvd. in Glendale is hosting a gala animation book signing this Saturday at 2pm.

Yours truly Jerry Beck will be joined by Joe Adamson (The Walter Lantz Story), Maureen Furniss (Chuck Jones Conversations), Martha Sigall (Living Life Inside The Lines), Keith Scott (The Moose That Roared), and the infamous Gary Owens (How to Make a Million Dollars With Your Voice) and it should be pretty crazy. The book shop is on the same block as the Alex Theatre, at 238 N. Brand Blvd. - Join us!

Shadow Puppets on Nick

Who would have thought: Michel Gagné and Nickelodeon? Michel has been contracted by Nick to produce eleven short animated pieces of his INSANELY TWISTED SHADOW PUPPET SHOW project. The cartoons will air during Nick's Halloween programming this fall. The shorts range from bumpers (3-10 seconds) to interstitials (25 seconds), and Gagné will direct, produce and design all of them. Michel is one of those rare breeds who understands drawing and design, is an incredible animator and can tell a story. In other words, he's a complete filmmaker. I personally can't wait to see what he turns out, even in these truncated film lengths. Stay tuned to Michel's website for more details. And give credit to Nick for recognizing a great talent when they see it...at least in this particular instance.