Monthly Archives: October 2011

CHECK IT OUT: “Paul Terry Nitratoons”

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Calling all animation historians! Today on animator Mark Kausler’s essential It’s The Cat blog, Mark discusses his restoration of two 1930s nitrate Terrytoons. Whatever you think of early Terrytoons (many serious historians consider them practically worthless) they have not been preserved and are essentially being neglected by their present day owner (cough, Viacom, cough). Mark’s descriptions (and frame grabs) of the two shorts he just acquired only increase my appetite for these rare cartoons. Read all about it here.

“Kooky” trailer

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I’ve been aware of this 2010 live-action/puppet film from the Czech Republic – and its new English trailer (below) intrigues me. Kooky, by Academy Award-winning (Kolya) live action filmmaker Jan Sverak, isn’t stop-frame animation per se, but since we’ve showcased The Muppets on several occasions, I think this is worthy of notice on the Brew. The story concerns a seven year old boy whose teddy bear has been 
thrown away and how he imagines the doll will find his way home.
 Hope it gets seen in the US at some point:

(Thanks, Ben Ettinger)

FASHION ALERT: Bloomingdale’s trendy overpriced Popeye merch

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I love Popeye cartoons as much as the next guy – maybe a little more than the next guy – but even I can’t afford the new clothing line now on sale at Bloomingdale’s. The store is promoting its new King Features Collection featuring designs using Popeye, Beetle Bailey, The Phantom and Hagar the Horrible at its stores this week. Popeye T-Shirts for $40 bucks, a pair of socks (left) is $45 and a Popeye scarf for $145? Blow that down! The department store even took out full page ads in major newspapers yesterday to hype its annual “New York Nights” event, taking place tonight at 6pm in stores in New York (including the Men’s Store on 59th street and Third Avenue in Manhattan) and Los Angeles (in Sherman Oaks, Santa Monica, and at The Beverly Center). “Attendees are invited from 6 to 8 p.m. to see the merchandise, which includes everything from T-shirts and overcoats to sneakers and toys. All of the merch will be available for purchase through the holiday season.” All of it way overpriced! In this economy, I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday (2016) for those Popeye socks at today.

Disney Chief Bob Iger Plans to Step Down

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Robert Iger

Bob Iger, we hardly knew ye. Last Friday, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that he will step down as chief executive in 2015. Prior to that, Iger will add the title of executive chairman in March 2012, and will remain in that role until June 2016, at which time he will retire from the company at the age of 65. The announcement of his impending departure was a surprise to the business world, but according to the Wall Street Journal‘s analysis, the decision to also make him executive chairman “was a sign the board is eager to lock Mr. Iger in for a significant period of time, while also assuring an orderly transition when he departs.”

The paper reports that the top two candidates to replace him in 2015 are Thomas Staggs, who used to be the company’s chief financial officer and now runs the theme park division, and Jay Rasulo, who used to run the theme park division and currently is the company’s chief financial officer. As for Iger, the WSJ suggests that he has “often privately expressed interest in government and politics,” but that “politics isn’t the only option Mr. Iger is considering.”

More MUST-HAVE stuff from Stanchfield and Yoe

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I know, I know… you think I’m simply a shill for everything Craig Yoe and Steve Stanchfield produce. I admit I’m a minor contributor to many of their projects… but ya gotta believe me: their stuff is great! Both are back this week with two new items I can’t recommend highly enough:

Making ‘Em Move:Rare Behind the Scenes footage of Vintage Animation Studios, is the new DVD from Stanchfield’s Thunderbean Animation studio. I really thought I knew of all the classic studio “behind-the-scenes” films – like the Paramount Popular Science short (from 1939) at the Fleischer Studio (included on the Warner Bros. Popeye Vol. 2 dvd set), Disney’s Reluctant Dragon feature (1941), the Universal Cartoonland Mysteries (1936) short that goes to the Walter Lantz studio, heck even Gertie The Dinosaur (1914)… but none of those are included here. Instead Steve packs this disc with ten rarely seen films made from 1919 through 1967 that are equal parts educational, entertaining and eye-opening!

The set begins with the long lost educational film, How Animated Cartoons Are Made (1919), featuring animator Wallace Carlson showing us how they did it at the pioneering Bray Studio. This print has been gorgeously restored from an uber-obscure 28mm original! Other incredible finds on this disc include the Jam Handy Drawing Account (1941) featuring animator Robert Allen explaining the nuts and bolts (literally) of cartoon production in the 1940s; Old Chinese Proverb (1941) featuring a look inside the Jerry Fairbanks (Speaking of Animals) Studio; rare color footage of animators at work at Terrytoons in the 1940s; Disney animator Clair Weeks setting up a modern (1956) animation studio in India; and Otto Messmer animating the giant electric Time Square billboards. There is also a Disney behind-the-scenes promo from a forgotten RKO Newsreel; a rare Paul Terry Social Security sales pitch; and just for fun, Van Bueren’s rubber-hose animation classic Makin’ ‘Em Move (1931) – which is probably the most accurate film in the whole bunch!

This is a must-have video compilation for everyone reading this blog – yeah, even you! Animators, educators, students, vintage cartoon collectors. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore – here’s everything you need to know about how they did it. Buy it today.

Wowie-KaZowie! Speaking of “not making ‘em like this anymore” – The Carl Barks Big Book of Barney Bear is the latest Craig Yoe hardcover collection of classic comic book stories, this time bringing together the 1940s Barney Bear comics – written and drawn by Disney Legend Carl Barks (Uncle Scrooge)! Barney Bear was an MGM animated cartoon star and these stories originally appeared in Dell’s Our Gang Comics. They feature Barney teamed with one Benny Burro – a team that began on screen in MGM’s The Prospecting Bear (1941) and ended with Half Pint Palomino (1953); though Benny also appears solo in Rudolph Ising’s short Little Gravel Voice (1942). Barks was a major creative figure in comics: an outstanding gag writer and story-teller who’s work has gone on to influence comic artists, filmmakers and animators. Everything he did is worth a read – and this is no exception. Barney and Benny may not been Disney characters, but these stories are pure Barks – superbly drawn, cleverly staged and very funny. My favorite is one where Barney tries to catch an escaped convict, Klepto Klippo – a character designed to look like a 8-foot Mickey Mouse. I almost forgot to mention that Jeff Smith provides an Introduction and a wonderful tribute cover. If you love cartoons, MGM cartoons in particular or Carl Barks you need to buy this right now.

David Stainton in as President of Paramount Animation

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David Stainton

Paramount has named David Stainton president of its new animation division. Stainton, the controversial former president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, will now report to Adam Goodman, President of the Paramount Motion Picture Group and will begin setting up shop this week. According to the Paramount press release:

“Paramount Animation aims to focus on high-quality animation with budgets per picture of up to $100 million, with an initial target of one release per year. The division’s mandate will be the development of the broadest range of family CGI animated films, with a key piece being titles under the label of Viacom’s Nickelodeon, the No. 1 entertainment brand for kids worldwide. Paramount will also build on Viacom’s already thriving global consumer products business by seeking to capitalize on merchandising opportunities tied to all Paramount Animation releases.

“David’s accomplishments speak for themselves, and I am glad to welcome him to the lot as we start this exciting new chapter,” Adam Goodman added. “With David’s leadership, we will look to build on what has been a very strong year for our studio in animation, with Rango and the upcoming Adventures of Tintin pointing to the kind of artist-driven, broad-appeal films we intend to make at Paramount Animation.”

Paramount announced last July that it was launching an in-house animation division. It expects to release its first feature under Stainton in 2014.

“MTV Top Ten at Ten” by Pepper Melon

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Our friends at Pepper Melon, a motion graphics company based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, sent us their latest project, created for client MTV Stockholm. I don’t completely understand what’s going on, and there is considerable live action, but it’s certainly visually arresting. Tomas Garcia directed and designed.

(Thanks, Fernando Sarmiento)

“Tiny Toon Staff” by Bruce Timm (1990)

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This is pretty neat: a caricature of the layout, story and assorted production crew on the staff of Tiny Toon Adventures drawn by Bruce Timm (circa 1990). Among the notable names and faces are future Spumco bigshots Jim Smith, Bob Camp, Chris Riccardi, Eddie Fitzgerald, Mike Fontenelli, Charlie Bean and Rich Pursel, veteran animators Norm McCabe, Art Leonardi, Gerard Baldwin, Tom Ray and Art Vitello, Pixar’s Jeff Pidgeon and future Simpsons, Pixar, Disney writer Jim Reardon as well as friends Paul Dini, Mike Kazaleh, Jenny Lerew, Rich Arons, Tom Minton, Ken Boyer, Kent Butterworth and on and on…

Click on thumbnail at left below to see the drawing at full size; at right below for a key to identifying this incredible group of artists. (And if anyone can I.D. #28, please let us know)

Four Inspiring Pieces of Computer Animation

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If my diet of computer animation existed solely of the work being produced by mainstream commercial studios, I might come to the conclusion that CG is a graphically stagnant, artistic dead end. Thankfully, I know better than that. I know that there’s plenty of amazing, forward-thinking pieces of computer animation being produced around the world. A lot of it exists on the fringes and doesn’t garner as much attention as commercial CG, but the animation points towards a truly original form of expression that is unique to the toolset and not reliant on mimicking earlier forms of graphic art. Below are four such pieces that explore the possibilities and potential of computer animation:

Topologies–Tiepolo (Excerpt) by Quayola (UK)

Pico by Takcom (Japan)

Prismatic Planes by Alex McLeod (Canada)

Chiral by Robert Seidel (Germany)

WB Classic Animation on Facebook

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Warner Home Video has launched a Facebook page that is worth a look – and a “Like”. WB Classic Animation went live late yesterday and the first thing posted is a simple comparison video showing two steps in the restoration process for upcoming Tom & Jerry Golden Collection Blu-Ray DVD set. But coming in the next few days and weeks will be direct input from Senior VP George Feltenstein, including new product information direct from the source, with accurate on-sale dates and content information on new releases.

I’m always asked how one can communicate directly with Warner Home Video. At last, I have an answer. You can now voice your opinions, ask your questions and send your comments to the powers that be – and they will actually read it. George Feltenstein himself will be doing a once-a-month live Q&A; their will be clips, previews and contests. Note that this Facebook page is solely for information on their classic theatrical cartoon library – Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry titles for now; hopefully Popeye, Tex Avery, Censored 11 in the future. Other classic properties owned by the studio (Hanna Barbera TV cartooons, animated features and TV specials, etc.) are not being covered on this page.

So go on over there and “like” ‘em. And keep checking in to see what’s up… doc.