I don’t read Japanese, but apparently the Ghibli Museum Library is hosting a tribute screening and exhibit celebrating Max and Dave Fleischer’s Mr. Bug Goes To Town (1941). Check out the website and blog with pictures and clips. There’s even a new one-sheet poster.

Is this a one-time screening or a re-release? Can anyone translate the site to tell us what’s going on?

(Thanks, Iain Robbins)

One of my favorite actors and character animation voices, Arnold Stang, has passed away at age 91. In animation, Stang will live forever as the voice of Hanna-Barbera’s Top Cat (1961). Stang was also unforgettable as wise-guy Herman Mouse (aka “Uncle Hoiman”) in the Paramount (Harvey) Herman and Katnip cartoons — and Blackie Sheep in the early Noveltoons. He also voiced Snurtle the Turtle in Pinocchio In the Outer Space (1965), Churchy LeFemme in I Go Pogo (1980), Quesy the Parrot in Richard Williams’ Raggedy Ann and Andy (1977) and voiced characters on Garfield, Courage the Cowardly Dog, among others.

In live action, he appeared in so many of my favorite movies (such as It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World) and guilty pleasures (Skidoo, Hercules in New York). His sequence with Jonathan Winters in Mad Mad World is one of the funniest and most memorable bits in that film. The publicity photo above promotes the American-International dub of Alakazam The Great (1961), in which Stang (center) participated with Winters (left) (and I think that’s Jackie Joseph at right) on the English track.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Stang. Here’s the NY Times obit.

I just got an advance copy of the Ralph Bakshi Mighty Mouse The New Adventures complete series DVD — and it turned out a lot better than I could have hoped. Most of us have been clinging to bootleg videos or our own deteriorating taped-off-the-air VHS copies for 20 years; now we have gorgeous restorations to enjoy for all time. Rewatching these has been an incredible pleasure; they hold up quite well. Sure, the animation is a little funky compared the shows that have come after, but this series has earned its place as an “industry game-changer”.

I was proud to act as a consultant on this DVD project from its inception. The only credit I receive here is as “Animation Consultant” in tiny letters in the credit roll on the bonus documentary (which is better than my non-credit on the two Woody Woodpecker DVD volumes from Universal). I might as well point out a 21 year old in-joke - note the headline on the newspaper (above left - click thumbnails above to enlarge) from the second season cartoon, Still Oily After All These Years: “Beck-Bakshi Detente!”.

Below are a few menus and the back cover. The DVD goes on sale January 5th, 2010. Good sales could lead to the restoration and release of more classic cartoons from the Viacom vaults (the vintage Terrytoons of Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, the Fleischer Betty Boops, Famous Little Lulu’s and George Pal Puppetoons). I can’t promise anything, but every purchase helps the cause. I’d appreciate it if you’d spread the word.

A few years ago I was discussing childhood fears with a couple friends. One of the fears, which I did not share, was that of animated corporate logos - specifically, the five-second company IDs tagged at the end of old TV shows. As time went on, I’d heard of others who shared this “logo-phobia”. In fact, there are now several websites and You Tube videos devoted to this particular fear.

Now a documentary filmmaker is creating a film about the scariest corporate symbol in history: The 1964 Screen Gems logo, aka The S From Hell. “Built around interviews with survivors still traumatized from viewing the logo after shows like Bewitched or The Monkees, the film brings their stories to life with animation, found footage, and reenactments.” Strange but true - here’s the trailer:

(Thanks, Keri Maijala)

December 8th is the 105th birthday of Elzie Segar, creator of the Thimble Theatre comic strip and Popeye the Sailor. Google is commemorating the day with this graphic on its main page.

UPDATE: The Popeye drawing was done by Stephen DeStefano.

(Thanks Joseph Game and Bill Andres)

In 1990, Chuck Jones sat down with animation director Jeff DeGrandis to discuss the art of drawing and character development. On February 1, 2010, the non-profit Chuck Jones Center for Creativity will release the chat onto dvd as the Chuck Jones Master Series. The project, designed to be a fundraiser for the organization, will be available on two separate 45-minute dvds. The first dvd can be pre-ordered for a minimum donation of $19.95. For more details, visit the official Chuck Jones blog and to order the dvd, contact DVD(at)ChuckJonesCenter(dot)org.

Here’s a preview:

I’d never seen this before. Oh I’d seen the cartoon, but not this title card.

Mike Kazaleh found a recent upload of a rare 2-color MGM Bosko cartoon on You Tube. It apparently comes from a newly restored print and contains a few flash frames of a previously unseen Bosko title card (above) at the end. This frame isn’t on the TV print that was in circulation in the 1960s. In fact, the old TV print has these frames curiously blacked out. The cartoon, Bosko’s Parlor Pranks from 1934, is one of the first of Hugh Harman and Rudloph Ising’s Happy Harmonies series. It’s also a “cheater” using ample stock shots and animation (now in color) from previous black & white Bosko Looney Tunes cartoons. Enjoy it now before it’s removed:

Animator and now author Darrell Van Citters will appear at events in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland to celebrate and sign his book Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol:The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special. Van Citters has scheduled book signing events to be held at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco next Tuesday December 8th and The Art Institute of Portland in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday December 9th.

In Los Angeles, the American Cinematheque will present a screening of the Magoo special at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Charles Solomon. Marie Matthews (voice of Young Scrooge), Jane Kean (voice of Belle) and layout artist Bob Singer will join Van Citters on the panel. The Aero Theatre event will begin at 4pm on Saturday December 19th.