“Who’s Afraid of Song Of The South?”

After a lot of blood, sweat and tears, Jim Korkis’ latest book Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South? And Other Forbidden Disney Stories is finally ready for publication. It has just been listed on Amazon as both an e-book and a physical book (remember those?).

This time, Korkis (who has also revised his great volume The Vault of Walt) provides the most definitive account of the now-banned 1946 live action/animation Uncle Remus movie – the only Disney feature never released on DVD – its history, its production, and the controversy that still surrounds it. Is Song of the South racist? Is it inappropriate for modern audiences? Why has Disney refused to release the film theatrically since 1986? Using inside sources and dozens of personal interviews with those who worked on the film, Jim examines every aspect of Song of the South’s troubled history: the problems writing the screenplay, the background of the live actors, how the animation was created, Walt Disney’s personal contributions, why the film remains controversial today, and every other aspect of the film you can’t but should see.

The book also features a lengthy foreword by Disney Legend Floyd Norman. Jim also shares seventeen amazing — and equally forbidden — stories the Disney Company wishes were never told. You’ll learn about Disney’s sex education film, Walt’s plan for Mickey Mouse to commit suicide, Tim Burton’s depressed stint at the Disney Studios, Ward Kimball’s UFO obsession, Walt’s owl nightmares, the Disneyland Memorial Orgy poster, and lots more.

More info on this book will be posted soon on the publisher’s website – or order it on Amazon.com. Here’s a look at the contents:

Table of Contents

Part 1:
WHO’S AFRAID OF THESONG OF THE SOUTH?

Song of the South: The Beginning
Song of the South: The Screenplay
Song of the South: The Cast
Song of the South: The Live Action
Song of the South: The Animation
Song of the South: The Music
Song of the South: The World Premiere
Song of the South: The Controversy
Song of the South: The Reviews
Song of the South: The Conclusion

Part 2:
MORE SECRETS OF THE SONG OF THE SOUTH

Song of the South Credit List
Story Summary of the Film
Short Biography of Joel Chandler Harris
Song of the South Dummies
The Brer Characters
Song of the South Actors That Never Were
Disney Uncle Remus Comic Strip
The Disney Uncle Remus Comic Strip That Never Was
The Song of the South Song
The Power of Words
Song of the South Book
That’s What Uncle Remus Said
Splash Mountain
Saturday Night Live Parody

Part 3:
THE OTHER FORBIDDEN STORIES: SEX, WALT, AND FLUBBED FILMS

Whatever Happened to Little Black Sunflower?
Disney’s Story of Menstruation
Disney Attacks Venereal Disease
Disneyland Memorial Orgy Poster Story
Jessica Rabbit: Drawn to Be Bad
Mickey Mouse Attempts Suicide
Walt’s Owl Nightmare
The Mickey Rooney Myth
J. Edgar Hoover Watches Walt
The Myth of Walt’s Last Words
Walt Liked Ike
Disney’s Secret Commercial Studio
The Sweatbox: The Documentary Disney Doesn’t Want Seen
Tim Burton’s Real Nightmare at Disney
Disney John Carters That Never Were
Ward Kimball and UFOs
Walt’s Fantasy Failure: Baum’s Oz

Click on the thumbnails below to see the cover of the book, and a gallery of Song Of The South movie posters throughout the years:

Fyodor Khitruk (1917-2012)

A major figure in the world of international animation, and father of the Russian Winnie the Pooh (1969), Fyodor Khitruk has passed away at age 95.

He joined the Soviet-run Soyuzmultfilm Studio as an animator in 1937, and became a director in 1959. Khitruk was instrumental in bringing modern graphics to Russian animation and won numerous awards for his short films – including the Golden Palm at Cannes.

A lifelong fan of the art form, Khitruk released a two-volume book, The Profession of Animation, describing his 50 years of experience in 2008. He spent his final years teaching animation at the Moscow Academy.

As tribute, we present his 1968 satire on filmmaking – Film, Film, Film:

Annie Award Nominations 2012

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, has announced the nominations for its 40th Annual Annie Awards, recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.

The nominations for Best Animated Features totals eight this year and include: Brave (Pixar), Frankenweenie (Disney), Hotel Transylvania (Sony Animation), ParaNorman (Laika), The Pirates: Band Of Misfits (Aardman/Sony Animation), The Rabbi’s Cat (Autochenille Production/GKids), Rise Of The Guardians (Dreamworks Animation), Wreck-It Ralph (Disney). The Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement goes to Disney veteran Mark Henn, Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam and independent animator Oscar Grillo; and the June Foray Award for “significant and charitable impact on the art and industry of animation” will be presented to Disney communications VP (and every animation historian’s best-friend) Howard Green.

The 2012 Annie Award winners will be announced at the Annie Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 2nd, 2013, at UCLA’s Royce Hall, in Los Angeles, CA. A pre-reception begins at 5:00 pm with the awards ceremony following at 7:00 pm. A post-show celebration immediately follows the ceremony. For ticket and event information, please visit annieawards.org.

The complete list of nominees is below:

    PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature

Brave — Disney
Frankenweenie – Disney
Hotel Transylvania — Sony Animation
ParaNorman — Laika
The Pirates: Band of Misfits — Aardman Animation/Sony Animation
The Rabbi’s Cat — Autochenille Production/GKids
Rise of The Guardians — DreamWorks Animation
Wreck-It Ralph — Disney

Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 – Warner Bros. Animation
Before Orel – Trust – Starburns Industries, Inc.
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem – Illumination Entertainment
Disney Tron: Uprising – Beck’s Beginning – Disney TV Animation
Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury – DreamWorks Animation
Justice League: Doom – Warner Bros. Animation

Best Animated Short Subject

Brad and Gary (Illumination/Universal)
Bydlo (NFB)
Eyes On The Stars (StoryCorps)
Goodnight Mr Foot (Sony Animation)
Kali The Little Vampire (NFB)
Paperman (Disney)
Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare (20th Century-Fox)
The Simpsons – Bill Plympton Couch Gag (20th Century-Fox)

Best General Audience Animated TV Production For Preschool Children

Bubble Guppies ‘A Tooth on the Looth’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Chuggington ‘Magnetic Wilson’ – Ludorum
Jake & The Never Land Pirates ‘Peter Pan Returns’ – Disney TV Animation
Doc McStuffins ‘The Right Stuff’ – Disney TV Animation
Justin Time ‘Marcello’s Meatballs’ – Guru Studio

Best Animated Television Production For Children

Adventure Time ‘Princess Cookie’ – Cartoon Network Studios
Dragons: Riders of Berk ‘How to Pick Your Dragon’ – DreamWorks Animation
LEGO Star Wars ‘The Empire Strikes Out’ – Threshold Animation Studios
Penguins of Madagascar ‘Action Reaction’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
SpongeBob SquarePants ‘It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
The Amazing World of Gumball ‘The Job’ – Turner Broadcasting System Europe, Ltd.
The Fairly OddParents ‘Farm Pit’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
The Legend of Korra ‘Welcome to Republic City’/’A Leaf in the Wind’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Best General Audience Animated Television Production

Archer ‘Space Race, Part 1’ – Weissman Markovitz Communications for FX
BOB’S BURGERS ‘Earsy Rider’ – 20th Century Fox TV
Motorcity ‘Blond Thunder’ – Disney TV Animation
MAD ‘FrankenWinnie/ParaMorgan’ – Warner Bros. Animation
Robot Chicken ‘DC Comics Special’ – Stoopid Buddy Studios
South Park ‘Raising the Bar’ – Central Productions

Animated Video Game

Borderlands 2 – Gearbox Software
Family Guy – Back to the Mutiverse – Heavy Iron Studios
Journey – Sony Computer Entertainment America
Skullgirls – Lab Zero Games

Best Student Film

Can We Be Happy Now – Tahnee Gehm
Defective Detective – Avner Geller & Steve Lewis
Head Over Heels – Timothy Reckart
I Am Tom Moody – Ainslie Henderson
Ladies Knight – Joseph Rothenberg
Origin – Jessica Poon
The Ballad of Poisonberry Pete – Uri Lotan, Elizabeth McMahill and Adam Campbell
Tule Lake – Michelle Ikemoto

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Animated Effects in an Animated Production

Andrew Nawrot, Joe Gorski, Grant Laker – ‘ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

Andrew Schneider ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ – Blue Sky Studios

Andy Hayes, Carl Hooper, David Lipton – Rise of the Guardians – DreamWorks Animation

Bill Watral, Chris Chapman, Dave Hale, Keith Klohn, Michael K. O’Brien ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Brett Albert – ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Jihyun Yoon – ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ – DreamWorks Animation

Joel Aron – ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ – Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.

Animated Effects in a Live Action Production

Jerome Platteaux, John Sigurdson, Ryan Hopkins, Raul Essig, Mark Chataway ‘The Avengers’ – Industrial Light & Magic

Stephen Marshall, Joseph Pepper, Dustin Wicke ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ – Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation

Sue Rowe, Simon Stanley-Clamp, Artemis Oikonomopoulou, Holger Voss, Nikki Makar, Catherine Elvidge ‘John Carter’ – Cinesite

Willi Geiger, Rick Hankins, Florent Andorra, Florian Witzel, Aron Bonar ‘Battleship’ – Industrial Light & Magic

Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Dan Driscoll ‘SpongeBob SquarePants: It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Jennifer Dickie ‘Justin Time: Yodel Odel Day’ – Guru Studio

Keith Kellogg ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Revenge’ – Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.

Forrest Savelen ‘SpongeBob SquarePants: It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Shi Zimu ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk’ – DreamWorks Animation

Sihanouk Marinona ‘Before Orel: Trust’ – Starburns Industries, Inc.

Teri Yam ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk’ – DreamWorks Animation

Yan Jiazhuang ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk’ – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Feature Production

Dan Nguyen ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

David Pate ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Jaime Landes ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Phillppe LeBrun ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Pierre Perifel ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Travis Hathaway ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Travis Knight “ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

Will Becher ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ – Aardman Animations

Character Animation in a Live Action Production

Erik de Boer, Amanda Dague, Matt Brown, Mary Lynn Machado, Aaron Grey ‘Life of Pi – Orangutan’ – Rhythm & Hues Studio

Erik de Boer, Matt Shumway, Brian Wells, Vinayak Pawar, Michael Holzl ‘Life of Pi – Tiger’ – Rhythm & Hues Studio

Jakub Pistecky, Maia Kayser, Scott Benzu, Steve King, Kiran Bhat ‘The Avengers’ – Industrial Light & Magic

Mike Beaulieu, Roger Vizard, Atushi Sato, Jackie Kochler, Derek Esparza, Richard Smith, Mac Tyrie – Columbia Pictures – THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN – Sony Pictures Animation

Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Andy Bialk ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Alvin and the Outcasts’ – DreamWorks Animaton

Andy Suriano ‘DC Nation-Plastic Man: The Many and the Fowl’ – Big Hair Productions, Inc.

Bryan Konietzko, Joaquim Dos Santos, Ryu Ki-Hyun, Kim Il Kwang, Kim Jin Sun ‘The Legend of Korra: Welcome to Republic City’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

“C” Raggio IV ‘Kick Buttowski: Petrified’ – Disney TV Animation

Derrick Wyatt, Chap Yaep, Steven Choi ‘Ben 10: Omniverse: The More Things Change, Pt. 2’ – Cartoon Network Studios

Gordon Hammond ‘T.U.F.F. Puppy: Dudley Do-Wrong’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Robert Valley ‘Disney Tron: Uprising: The Renegade, Part I’ – Disney TV Animation

Thaddeus Paul Cauldron ‘Secret Mountain Fort Awesome: Secret Mountain Uncle Grandpa’- Cartoon Network Studios

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production

Bill Schwab, Lorelay Bove, Cory Loftis, Minkyu Lee ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Carlos Grangel ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation

Carter Goodrich ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation

Craig Kellman ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ – DreamWorks Animation

Heidi Smith ‘ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

Yarrow Cheney, Eric Guillon, Colin Stimpson ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ – Illumination Entertainment

Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Howie Parkins ‘Jake and The Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns!’ – Disney TV Animation

John Eng ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Animal House’ – DreamWorks Animation

Mark Cabalero, Seamus Walsh ‘SpongeBob SquarePants: It’s a Spongebob Christmas’’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Mic Graves ‘The Amazing World of Gumball: The Job’ – Turner Broadcasting System Europe Ltd.

Michael Chang ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Never Say Xever’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Zack Keller ‘Dick Figures: Kung Fu Winners’ – 6 Point Media

Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Genndy Tartakovsky ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation

Joann Sfar, Antoine Delesvaux ‘The Rabbi’s Cat – GKIDS

Remi Bezancon, Jean-Christophe Lie ‘Zarafa’ – GKIDS

Rich Moore ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Sam Fell, Chris Butler ‘ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Adam Berry ‘Penquins of Madagascar: Private and the Winky Factory’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Alf Clausen ‘The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXIII’ – Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV

Frederik Wiedmann ‘Green Lantern The Animated Series: Into the Abyss’ – F. Wiedmann, Composer

Guy Moon ‘T.U.F.F. Puppy: Really Big Mission’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

John Paesano ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: How to Pick Your Dragon’ – DreamWorks Animation

Michael Rubin ‘Bubble Guppies: Bubble Puppy’s Fin-tastic Fairytale!’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Music in an Animated Feature Production

Alexandre Desplat ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Bruce Retief ‘Adventures in Zambezia’ – Saltzman Communications

Henry Jackman ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Joel McNeely, Brendan Milburn, Valerie Vigoda ‘Secret of the Wings’ – DisneyToon Studios

John Powell, Adam Schlesinger, Ester Dean ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ – Blue Sky Studios

John Powell, Cinco Paul ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ – Illumination Entertainment

Mark Mothersbaugh ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation

Patrick Doyle, Mark Andrews, Alex Mandel ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Production Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Alberto Mielgo ‘Tron: Uprising: The Stranger’ – Disney TV Animation

Ian Worrel ‘Gravity Falls – Tourist Trapped’ – Disney TV Animation

Lynna Blankenship, Sean Coons, Hugh Macdonald, Debbie Peterson, Charles Ragins, Lance Wilder, Darrel Bowen, John Krause, Kevin Moore, Brent M. Bowen, Brice Mallier, Steven Fahey, Dima Malanitchev, Karen Bauer, Eli Balser, Anne Legge – ‘The Simpsons: Moe Goes From Rags to Riches’ – Film Roman

Nick Jennings, Martin Ansolebehere, Sandra Calleros, Ron Russell, Santino Lascano, Derek Hunter, Catherine E. Simmonds – ‘Adventure Time – The Hard Easy’ – Cartoon Network Studios

Peter Martin, Chris Grine, Ira Baker, Ramon Olivera, Scott Brown ‘hoops & yo yo’s Haunted Halloween’ – Hallmark

Scott Brandon James, Lee Keith ‘Justin Time: The Rubbery Dumplings’ – Guru Studio

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production

Kendal Cronkhite-Shaindlin, Shannon Jeffries, Lindsey Olivares, Kenard Pak ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ – DreamWorks Animation

Marcello Vignali ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation

Nash Dunnigan, Arden Chen, Jon Townley, Kyle McNaughton ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ – Blue Sky Studios

Nelson Lowry, Ross Stewart, Pete Oswald, Ean McNamara, Trevor Dalmer ‘ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

Norman Garwood, Matt Berry ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ – Aardman Animation

Patrick Hanenberger, Max Boas, Jayee Borcar, Woonyoung Jung, Perry Maple, Peter Maynez, Stan Seo, Felix Yoon ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Rick Heintzich ‘Frankenweenie’ – The Walt Disney Studios

Steve Pilcher ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Andy Kelly ‘Doc McStuffins: Righty-On-Lefty’ – Disney TV Animation

Cole Sanchez, Rebecca Sugar ‘Adventure Time: Lady & Peebles’ – Cartoon Network Studios

Doug Lovelace ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man’ – DreamWorks Animation

Holly Forsyth ‘Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess’ – Disney TV Animation

Irineo Marramba, Ciro Nieli ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman’’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Robert Valley, Kalvin Lee ‘Tron: Uprising: The Reward’ – Disney TV Animation

Ryan Kramer, Paul Linsley, Kenji Ono, Le Tang, Alice Herring, Mike Mullen, Aaron Hammersley ‘Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness: Enter the Dragon’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Tom Herpich, Skyler Page ‘Adventure Time: Goliad’ – Cartoon Network Studios

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production

Emmanuela Cozzi ‘ParaNorman’ – Focus Features

Johanne Matte ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Leo Matsuda ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Lissa Treiman ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Rob Koo ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ – DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

James Patrick Stuart as Private ‘Penguins of Madagascar: High Moltage’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Jeff Bennett as Keswick ‘T.U.F.F. Puppy: Pup Daddy’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Jessica Walter as Malory Archer ‘Archer: Lo Scandolo’ – Weissman Markovitz Communications for FX Network

Kevin Michael Richardson as Willem Viceroy ‘Randy Cunningham:
9th Grade Ninja: Gossip Boy’ – Disney TV Animation

Kristen Schaal as Mabel Pines ‘Gravity Falls: Tourist Trapped’ – Disney TV Animation

Mae Whitman as April O’Neil – ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rise of the Turtles’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Sam Witwer as Darth Maul ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Revenge’ – Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.

Tom McGrath as Skipper ‘Penguins of Madagascar: The Otter Woman’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

Adam Sandler as Dracula ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation

Alan Tudyk as King Candy ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Atticus Shaffer as “E”Gore ‘Frankenweenie’ – The Walt Disney Studios

Catherine O’Hara as Weird Girl ‘Frankenweenie’ – The Walt Disney Studios

Imelda Staunton as Queen Victoria ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ – Aardman Animations

Jim Cummings as Budzo ‘Adventures in Zambezia’ – Saltzman Communications

Jude Law as Pitch ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Kelly MacDonald as Merida ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Doug Langdale – Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness: Kung Fu Day Care’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Eric Horsted – Futurama: The Bots and the Bees’ – Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV

Gabe Garza – ‘Penguins of Madagascar: Endangerous Species’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Ian Maxtone-Graham, Billy Kimball ‘The Simpsons: How I Wet Your Mother’ – Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV

Kacey Arnold – ‘Robot and Monster: The Blimp’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Mike Teverbaugh, Linda Teverbaugh – Dragons: Riders of Berk: Animal House’ – DreamWorks Animation

Stephanie Gillis ‘The Simpsons: A Tree Grows in Springfield’ – Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV

Trey Parker – ‘South Park: Jewpacabra’ – Central Productions

Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Chris Butler – ParaNorman – Focus Features

Gideon Defoe – The Pirates! Band of Misfits – Aardman Animations

Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa, Karey Kirkpatrick – From Up on Poppy Hill – GKIDS

John August – Frankenweenie – The Walt Disney Studios

Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi – Brave – Pixar Animation Studios

Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee – Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Editorial in an Animated Television Production

Bret Marnell ‘Puss in Boots: Three Diablos’ – DreamWorks Animation

Chris Hink ‘Robot and Monster: Cheer Up Mr. Wheelie’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Hugo Morales, Adam Arnold, Davrik Waeden, Otto Ferraye ‘Kung Fu Panda: ‘Monkey in the Middle’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Hugo Morales, Adam Arnold, Davrik Waeden, Otto Ferraye ‘Kung Fu Panda – Enter the Dragon’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Jason Tucker ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Revival’ – Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.

Lynn Hobson ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Animal House’ – DreamWorks Animation

Pieter Kaufman ‘Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess’ – Disney TV Animation

Steffie Lucchesi, Matt Steinauer, May Blaisdell ‘Dan Vs Monster Under The Bed’ – Film Roman

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production

Catherine Apple ‘Hotel Transylvania’ – Sony Pictures Animation

Joyce Arrastia ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Mark Rosenbaum ‘Secret of the Wings’ – DisneyToon Studios

Nicholas A. Smith, ACE, Robert Graham Jones, ACE, David Suther ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Tim Mertens ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award – Oscar Grillo, Terry Gilliam, Mark Henn

June Foray Award – Howard Green

Ub Iwerks Award – Toon Boom Animation Pipeline

Thursday in NYC: An Illustrated Lecture on UPA

Animation historian Adam Abraham (author of When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA) will be doing a UPA talk and book signing at the New York Public Library’s Lincoln Center branch on Thursday December 6th at 6pm.

The format will be an illustrated lecture on the history of the UPA studio, with a screening of a handful of Columbia shorts (digital projection) and some rare behind-the-scenes footage (including the 50s documentary A Princess for Magoo).

This program is part of a Meet The Scholar series at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. Admission is free. For more information, please check the library’s website.

“Popeye The Sailor Man” by Billy Murray

Apparently, someone on ebay is selling brand new cylinder records – I assume for those who still have working Edison Amberola phonograph machines. But the big news is that this particular cylinder features a 1931 recording of Billy Murray with Al Dollar & His Ten Cent Band performing a song called Popeye the Sailor Man. This is not the cartoon theme song, but its a fun little ditty performed by Murray, an occasional voice in classic Max Fleischer cartoons (often as Bimbo). So to heck with CDs and mp3 downloads, enjoy this recording as it was never meant to be heard – on cylinder:

“Based On A True Story” by Jacob Kafka

Don’t let the deceptively simple character design fool you – this sweet little film from New York animator Jacob Kafka won me over with its charm. Are they teaching sweetness and charm in film school these days? This was Kafka’s senior thesis; he recently graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Rough animated in Flash, inked/colored in Photoshop, composited in After Effects, 3D elements animated in Blender and rotoscoped in Photoshop – it’s a warm little children’s fable about a little girl trying to dig her way to the moon, and her adventures along the way. And I think you’ll like it:

FRIDAY IN LA: Robert McKimson Tribute with Darrell Van Citters and John K.

Call it “McKimson-palooza!” Next Friday December 7th, in Santa Monica, California, in celebration of the critically acclaimed book, I Say, I Say….Son! A Tribute to Legendary Animators Bob, Chuck, and Tom McKimson, the American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre is presenting a tribute the McKimson’s landmark Warner Bros. animation.

The lineup includes these classic cartoons in 35mm: Hillbilly Hare, Devil May Hare, Rabbit’s Kin, Hot Cross Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn, Bedevilled Rabbit, Bill of Hare, Tabasco Road, The High and the Flighty, Falling Hare and Walky Talky Hawky.

Robert McKimson Jr., John Kricfalusi (Spumco) and Darrell Van Citters (Renegade Animation) will sign copies of the book I Say, I Say….Son! at 6:00PM in the Aero theatre lobby. There will be a discussion following the screening with Kricfalusi, Van Citters and McKimson Jr. moderated by yours truly, Jerry Beck.

Where: Aero Theatre 1328 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA
(310) 260-1528

When: Friday, December 7th, at 7:30 p.m. (booksigning begins at 6:00 p.m.)

Disney names Jennifer Lee co-director of “Frozen”

The news today from Disney annoucing the promotion of Jennifer Lee (Screenplay, Wreck-It Ralph) to co-director (with Chris Buck) of Disney’s next major feature, Frozen, has animation people buzzing. After the PR debacle over the replacement of Brenda Chapman on Pixar’s Brave, could this be a sign of trouble – or just business as usual?

All I know is the advance visuals I’ve seen on the film look spectacular and I am prepared for a Frozen treat when Disney releases it next winter. Here’s the studio’s full press release:

BURBANK, Calif. (November 29, 2012) — Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS) taps Jennifer Lee to join Chris Buck at the helm of its 53rd full-length animated feature “Frozen,” which is slated for the big screen on Nov. 27, 2013. Lee, who has contributed to the film’s screenplay, is one of the screenplay writers of this year’s hit arcade-hopping adventure “Wreck-It Ralph.”

Featuring the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, “Frozen” is the coolest comedy-adventure ever to hit the big screen. When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna, a fearless optimist, teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff and his sidekick reindeer Sven on an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, the Snow Queen, and put an end to her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, a funny snowman named Olaf, Everest-like extremes and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.

“Frozen” producer Peter Del Vecho says the match-up is perfect. “Jenn has a real connection to the film and creates dynamic and relatable characters. Her sense of comedy, adventure and story structure paired with Chris Buck’s vast experience and incredible instincts create an ideal situation for this film.”

Lee’s screen adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights” is being produced by Troika Pictures. She has an original screenplay in development with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way, and her original script “Lucid Dreams” was optioned by Wolfgang Peterson’s Radiant Productions. Lee holds an MFA in Film from Columbia University and a BA in English from the University of New Hampshire.

Buck directed (with Kevin Lima) Disney’s 1999 high-swinging feature “Tarzan,” which won an Oscar® and a Golden Globe® for Best Music/Original Song (Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be in My Heart”). He directed (with Ash Brannon) 2007’s Oscar-nominated “Surf’s Up” for Sony Pictures Animation. His credits within animation also include 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” “The Rescuers Down Under” (1990) and “Pocahontas” (1995).

With original songs by Tony®-award winner Robert Lopez (“The Book of Mormon,” “Avenue Q”) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“In Transit”), “Frozen” journeys into theaters Nov. 27, 2013, in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters. For more information, like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyFrozen.

“The Adventures of Fat Louis” by AJ Smith

Former Cartoon Network animation artist Andy J. Smith has a thriving illustration, children’s book and advertising career in Newburyport Massachusetts. He’s just finished up a series of gorgeous animated spots for Fat Louis Wines. The project was done mostly in Flash, and aided by a handful of super talented artists from the animation world (like former Sesame Street Workshop AD, Dagan Moriarty) and a few kid lit illustrators (like the uber-prolific Kelly Murphy). Here they are collected into a 3-minute compilation:

Bigger and Better: Revised Editions of “Magoo” and “Rankin-Bass”

Just in time for the holidays… I’ve received hard cover revised editions of two essential animation books. Both were must-have’s in their original printings. Now both are even better.

First up, animator Darrell Van Citters has added 40 more pages to his labor of love, Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol: The Making of The First Animated Christmas Special. I first raved about this book back in 2009. This new edition comes in a slipcover, and is a limited edition of 250 copies (I hear he’s got less than 100 left – order it now!). Darrell has expanded every section, with additional text incorporating research he uncovered while writing his companion blog; more rare artwork, recently unearthed; and revised layouts making this a richer experience. Literally the final word on the subject – Van Citters’ Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol Commemorative 50th Anniversary Edition is a must for all UPA fans and vintage TV buffs.


Rick Goldschmidt – the Rankin-Bass expert-of-experts – has gone overboard (in a good way) by expanding his already essential 176-page 1997 labor-of-love, The Enchanted World of Rankin-Bass, into a monster 296-page (120 additional pages!) limited edition. This 15th Anniversary Edition is for anyone who worships at the altar of Rudolf, Frosty and Mad Monster Party. It contains 84 new color pages of rare photos and artwork, including original concept sketches and storyboard artwork – and beautiful tribute pieces by Bruce Timm, Mike Fontenelli, Patrick Owsley, Mark Christiansen, Matt Pott and others. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Order it now!

Designer Nelson Lowry on ParaNorman

The producers at Laika created a series of brief behind-the-scenes virals to communicate the handmade production details that went into making ParaNorman – which went on sale on DVD and blu-ray yesterday. Here’s the one I like best, and it was just posted online today: production designer Nelson Lowry walking us through the intricate process of bringing the handmade world of ParaNorman to life, one frame at a time.

“My Home’s Furniture” by Pedro Eboli

Pedro Eboli directed, designed and animated this kids music video with Brazilian based Birdo Studio. Its being played at live concerts, as an animated backdrop for Brazilian childrens band Little Citizen (aka “Pequeno Cidadão“); the lyrics tell the story of a kid who goes into the living room and sees the furniture dancing.

There´s more info and images over at the Birdo website. Studio founders Paulo Muppet and Luciana Eguti produced the piece.

Also check out this Birdo piece I posted in 2008, one of my favorite bits of retro animation.

“See Jane” by Adrian Garcia

To bring attention to gender inequality and the poor representation of girls and women in children’s media, Newton Massachusetts-based Hero4Hire Creative partnered with actress/advocate Geena Davis to launch See Jane, a national public awareness campaign. This beautiful new PSA uses a combination of traditional hand drawn with computer animation techniques. Adrian Garcia directed based on designs by Lindsay Small-Butera.

CREDITS
Director: Adrian Garcia
Designer: Lindsay Small-Butera
Animators: Dan Flynn, Mike Nordstorm, Adrian Garcia
Writer: Allison Dressler Kramer
Original Score: Daniel Koren
Voiceover Talent: Mira Downie
Sound Design: John Moreland
Executive Producers: Allison Kramer/Joan Meister
Creative Director: Evan Sussman