Author Archives: Jerry Beck

Fleischer Studios Gold

By
on
20

Okay historians, a treat for you today.

Animation art dealer-extraodinaire Mike Van Eaton has just come into a motherlode of vintage Fleischer Studios material, some of which will soon be up for sale (or auction). For the rest of us, Van Eaton has graciously allowed us to take a peak. This gallery below is of just a part of collection he recently acquired from the grandchildren of painter Mary Jones.

It includes inscribed photographs of Max and Dave Fleischer, model sheets of Betty Boop and Popeye, personal gag drawings from animators Dave Tendlar, George Germanetti, Tom Moore, Willard Bowsky, Gordon Sheehan, Tom Golden and “Jack” (Jack Mercer?). Click thumbnails below to enlarge:

If that little boy in Dave Tendlar’s drawing looks familiar – and even if he’s not – here’s the cartoon he appeared in, the 1936 Color Classic, Play Safe. Here’s a great Technicolor print (with French opening and closing titles, otherwise in English):

END OF AN ERA: Fred Flintstone Replaced on Fruity Pebbles Box

By
on
61

I’m no one to tell Warner Bros. how to license their cartoon characters (well actually I’m probably qualified… but I digress) but according to Sharon Pupel, marketing director with Post Cereals, the Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment super star John Cena will be replacing Fred Flintstone on four million Fruity Pebbles boxes starting this week.

fruity pebbles“We’ve just been talking with kids. They wanted more variety,” she said. “Fred isn’t necessarily the … coolest or [most] relevant guy for kids who we are going after.”

What!? Fred Flintstone IS the coolest (at least in the first two seasons)… This is an outrage! Fred has been fronting the cereal since 1971. It’s the end of an era!

But hold on to your Corn Flakes; don’t get your Wheaties in a bunch – it’s only for a limited-edition promotion. However, Post warns, “Cena may return to the cereal box in the fall when school is back in session”.

The official WWE Press Release, below:

WWE AND WWE SUPERSTAR JOHN CENA TEAM UP WITH POST PEBBLES CEREAL IN NEW PROMOTIONAL PARTNERSHIP

Parsippany, NJ / January 8, 2013 — Beginning today (for a limited time), WWE Superstar John Cena and Bamm-Bamm will replace Fred Flintstone on the front of more than 8 million Post Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles cereal boxes as part of a promotional partnership between Post Foods and WWE. Pebbles Cereal, WWE and John Cena started their partnership in 2012 after WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson teased Cena about the brightly colored ring gear he wore, saying Cena looked like he was “running around like a big bowl of Fruity Pebbles.” This led to fans chanting “Fruity Pebbles” in arenas whenever Cena would enter the ring.

In January 2012, Post printed more than 3 million Fruity Pebbles cereal boxes featuring Cena, including a sweepstakes to meet the WWE Superstar. Partnering with John Cena to communicate the powerful taste of Fruity Pebbles cereal resulted in the highest redeeming on pack promotion in recent Post history.

“Given the strength and fit of the two properties, we knew that the partnership would be successful since both brands share common consumer demographics,” said Sharon Pupel, Director of Marketing at Post. “WWE broadcasts are largely a family viewing event with more parents watching WWE with their children than any other sports league.”

Coming off the successful 2012 campaign, Post decided to build upon the partnership in 2013 with WWE and John Cena. In addition to making Cena more prominent on the packaging, which is currently on shelves, Post has developed several other marketing initiatives to be pulsed throughout the year. For example, fans can participate in a sweepstakes via the PebblesMania.com interactive gaming site to win tickets and a VIP experience to WWE’s WrestleMania 30 in 2014; all they need is the unique code found on specially marked boxes of Pebbles cereal. During the back to school window, Post will produce another 5 million packages of Pebbles cereal featuring a fun photo app where fans can create picture of themselves with Cena.

Additionally, young fans can participate in Pebbles’ tailgating-like experiences at three major WWE events in 2013, starting with Royal Rumble on January 27. Young fans will be able to jump into a ball pit designed to look like a giant bowl of Fruity Pebbles, create “Pebbles fan” posters used to cheer on their favorite WWE Superstars in the arena, and of course, sample Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cereal.

“It’s been a life-long dream to be on a cereal box and I’m proud to represent WWE as part of our partnership with Post,” said WWE Superstar John Cena. “It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by Post, and I’m looking forward to joining millions of families at their breakfast table across the country.”

“We are excited to have a multi-year deal with Post and see the WWE and John Cena on the front of millions of Pebbles cereal boxes all across the country,” said Andrew Judelson, Executive Vice President, Sales and Partnership Marketing, WWE. “At WWE, we pride ourselves on delivering family-friendly entertainment and look forward to activating our partnership with Post even further at key WWE events later this year.”

“John Cena is definitely a favorite celebrity among many of our Pebbles Cereal fans,” said Ms. Pupel. “We are excited that he will temporarily flex his muscle on our boxes alongside Bamm-Bamm, one of the most-loved Flintstones characters. We’re looking forward to engaging with our fans in 2013 at premiere WWE events.”

What next? Howard Wolowitz on Froot Loops?

(Thanks, Pedro Nakama)

Warner Bros. New Theatrical Animation “Think Tank”

By
on
54

Warner Bros. is bringing back its feature animation division, starting with The Lego Movie, which comes out next year; Storks, which comes out in 2015; and Smallfoot, which comes out in 2016.

They announced yesterday the formation of a new in-house “consortium” of various writers and directors who will form a brain trust to lead the creative direction of future theatrical animated features. After the distribution mishandling of The Iron Giant, the creative debacle of Yogi Bear and the disaster of Happy Feet 2 – call me optimistic, at least the studio is making an attempt to understand the modern day animation marketplace.

Here is the complete press release:

Warner Bros. Pictures has formed a feature animation creative consortium, marking a new and innovative approach to the establishment of a diverse and far-reaching animation slate. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

The mission of the new think tank is to help develop and produce high-end animated motion pictures, with the goal of releasing one feature per year under the Warner Bros. Pictures banner. The select team of accomplished filmmakers will collaborate with the Studio to frame and guide a variety of projects from start to finish.

The artists who will be involved in Warner Bros.’ new feature animation venture are: John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, (“Crazy, Stupid, Love.,” “Cats & Dogs”); Nicholas Stoller (“The Muppets”); Phil Lord and Chris Miller (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”); and Jared Stern (“Mr. Popper’s Penguins”).

The filmmakers will work both individually and collectively, supporting one another artistically in the making of the films. They will not be exclusive to the Studio’s animated film productions; rather they will also continue to write and direct live-action movies. This new endeavor reflects Warner Bros.’ ongoing commitment to being a filmmaker friendly studio, which invites and fosters original projects, continually expanding the entertainment scope of its slate.

In making the announcement, Robinov stated, “Warner Bros. has an extraordinary legacy in the world of animation, including some of the most enduring characters in cinema history. Looking to the future, we have now gathered some of the best and brightest talents in the industry to help us grow and broaden that legacy. Drawing upon their imaginations and inspiration, the Studio will produce a slate of new and original animated films that are sure to delight audiences of all ages.”

The first feature in the pipeline is the upcoming 3D animated adventure “The LEGO Movie,” being directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller from their own screenplay. Bringing the globally popular LEGO construction toys to the big screen for the first time, the film is being produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee and stars the voices of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, and Morgan Freeman. The animation is largely being accomplished at Australia’s Animal Logic. A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, “The LEGO Movie” is slated for release on February 7, 2014.

Among the other projects being developed are: “Storks,” conceived and being written by Nicholas Stoller and to be directed by Oscar(R) nominee Doug Sweetland (PIXAR short “Presto”); and “Smallfoot,” to be written by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, from an original idea by Sergio Pablos (“Despicable Me”), who is also set to direct. The films are being targeted for release in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

The development of animated features will be overseen at Warner Bros. by Courtenay Valenti, Chris deFaria and Greg Silverman. Overall look, character design and the story reel process will be housed in Burbank; however the Studio will look to partner with established animation studios for production of the films.

What say you? Will this help Warner Bros. compete in a field dominated by artist-driven films from Disney-Pxar, Fox-Blue Sky-Dreamworks, Universal-Illumination, Sony, et al?

(Thanks, Liam Scanlan)

Cartoon Funny Animals Won The War

By
on
11

I posted this 1943 comic book cover on my Facebook page yesterday and got quite a strong reaction from it. Seems most people have forgotten who really won World War II. It wasn’t only Captain America and Spy Smasher – They had ample help from the likes of Bugs Bunny, Andy Panda and Gandy Goose.

Courtesy of some quick research on Mike’s Amazing World website, I created a gallery of 15 comics covers from the war years (thumbnails below) – featuring popular characters from Disney, Warner Bros., Terrytoons and Walter Lantz as well as some lesser known rabbits from Fawcett and Timely. Characters from from MGM, Famous Studios and Screen Gems also did their bit – on screen.

And it wasn’t only “brand name” cartoon super-stars that helped in the war effort. Even obscure characters from obscure studios chipped in. Here’s a great example, from the Ted Eshbaugh Studio (more stuff like this is featured on the oft-plugged Cartoons For Victory Vol. 1 and Vol. 2):

Here’s the gallery of patriotic covers I spoke about:

Don’t expect to see this one on DVD anytime soon…

And now you know!

“Annette” by Kevin Kidney

By
on
8

I’ve plugged Anaheim artist/designer Kevin Kidney and his wonderful creations, paper sculptures and blog before. Now I have a special reason.

We share a special fondness for those cool Bill Justice and X. Atencio paper cut-out opening titles for The Mis-Adventures of Merlin Jones (1964, see embed below), and a special affection for Disney icon Annette Funicello. Now Kidney has been able to use his talents to do a tribute to that papercraft animation and, at the same time, do a good deed to help to Annette and others with Multiple Sclerosis.

Kidney has created several versions of Paper Annette, one from the Tommy Kirk masterpiece, another as a hostess at the Golden Horseshoe and a third as a “pineapple princess”. The artwork is now available in endless varieties of coffee mugs, iphone covers, key chains, candy jars and even postage stamps. Every purchase goes to the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases. Giving to a good cause has never been so much fun.

Click here to see the merch at the Zazzle shop for Annette’s Place store.

Below is a gallery of several of Kevin’s paper-sculpts for Mickey’s Soundsational Parade at Disneyland (click thumbnails to enlarge):

(via Los Angeles Magazine)

Artsy, Fartsy… and Cool

By
on
1

Here’s a trio of new short films (each less than 2 minutes) from a few artists I admire. They might make you laugh, or think, or simply smile. But all are worth your attention.

Helvetia Rocks by Martine Ulmer and Jonas Ott

Here is a animated promo video for a Swiss music/social network website. It is all about women rocking on stage – or some such. All I know is, it’s cool:

The Hunter by Charlyne Yi and Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs

Comedian/performer Charlyne Yi (House, This Is 40) and songwriter/musician Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs (The Finches) collaborated on this sweet little animated fable. It’s Artsy and Cool – or at least I think so…

Lodden Land by Gina Thorstensen and Nacho Rodriquez

This is the “fartsy” one, a new project from Barcelona-based ThorstenCoo (Giving Me A Chance): Lodden Land, which (I’ve been told) means “hairy land” in Norwegian. Gina Thorstensen directed and built the giant puppets which Nacho Rodriquez animated.

Thursday in LA: Len Lye at LACMA

By
on
3

This is the creepiest puppet film ever made, an experimental piece by filmmaker Len Lye in 1933.

What better way to greet the new year, than to watch a mind-blowing set of incredible abstract works by pioneering animator Len Lye. This Thursday’s Len Lye program at LACMA features rare film prints – flown in from New Zealand, there’s no admission fee (it’s FREE!) and the films are a-ma-zing.

Lye began experimenting with animation in 1929 (see his first film below) working mainly in London, until he moved to New York in the 1940s. His work was among the first to treat animation as art, and his films influenced artists in all mediums. Here’s a small taste:

Tusalava (1929)

Trade Tattoo (1937) in Technicolor

If you are in LA on Thursday, check out the Len Lye film program at LACMA, Thursday night January 3rd at 7:30pm. You won’t regret it!

“I Have Your Heart” by Crabapple, Boekbinder, & Batt

By
on
4

I Have Your Heart is a new stop-motion paper animated music video; a delightful collaboration between New York illustrator Molly Crabapple, musician/performer Kim Boekbinder, and Melbourne-based animator Jim Batt (director behind the very cool Want It Back music video for Amanda Palmer).

This video was crowdfunded through Kickstarter – and as for distribution, Batt told us:

“We are going straight to the people with an online premiere, rather than play the politics of the festival circuit. We feel websites like Cartoon Brew are a far more relevant way of our film reaching it’s audience.”

“Figaro Pho” teaser

By
on
4

Check out this great looking 30-second teaser for a new Australian kids show called The Adventures of Figaro Pho. We first posted about about this show back in April 2011 and it recently made its debut on Australia’s ABC3.

Figaro Pho was created by children’s book illustrator Luke Jurevicius, who introduced the character in 2008 in a series of short interstitials. The series is produced down under by Ambience Entertainment with production designer Deane Taylor (A Nightmare Before Christmas) and animation director David Webster (an animator on Space Jam, Balto). If the series looks as good as this clip, they’ve certainly raised the bar for design for a kids CG show.

“A Pale Blue Dot” by Joel Somerfield

By
on
4

A visualization of Carl Sagan’s famed Pale Blue Dot monologue, where he muses on our planet’s appearance in a photograph taken by the Voyager 1 space probe – the most distant photograph ever taken of Earth. Joel Somerfield of East London-based digital production house, Order, created this film in his free-time, working on it periodically over the last 3 months. Designed and created in After Effects with music from Cosmos and spoken words from Sagan.

(Thanks, Graeme Edgeler)

Saturday in Glendale: The Greatest Cartoons Ever!

By
on
4

Holiday boredom setting in? This will snap you out of it.

This Saturday, December 29th at 2 & 7 pm, The Alex Film Society (of which I am a part of) will be presenting the 3rd annual Greatest Cartoons Ever event at The Alex Theatre in Glendale California (216 N. Brand Boulevard).

Each year we select ten great cartoon shorts from the golden age of animation, then project rare 35mm film prints (some of them in original Technicolor; all of the from the studio vaults) on the large Alex Theatre screen. Great characters, great films and an incredible movie-going experience.

General Admission: $15 general admission; $12.50 seniors/kids & groups of 15 or more. Advance tickets are on sale now online or you can buy them before the show at the box office. Asifa-Hollywood president Frank Gladstone and I will be there to introduce the program.

The Alex Theatre
216 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203

“Marvin The Martian” “Hong Kong Phooey” Live/CG Footage Leaked [UPDATED]

By
on
121

You hated Yogi Bear, you despised Underdog, You wonder what-the-hell they’ll do to Hong Hong Phooey. Well, wonder no more.

We reported over a year ago about an in-development Hong Kong Phooey live action movie (with a voice by Eddie Murphy) to be directed by Alex Zamm (Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2) with producer Bob Engelman (Foodfight, The Mask) for Alcon Entertainment. Apparently Zamm has posted test footage from the proposed film (his voice sounds like a Murphy imitator) online – and we’ve found the link.

Additionally, Zamm posted footage from a more-promising, but shelved, Marvin the Martian hybrid movie (we posted about it in 2008). Click here to see that footage. At least the animation on Marvin is a bit more “cartoony” than most of the hybrids produced these days.

Quick! Check these out before they remove them from the internet… and let us know what you think.

(UPDATE): New video link:

(Thanks, Chris Leonido)