This interview with Bob Iger is an interesting read. He discusses the Pixar acquisition at some length, and says that in his five months as Disney CEO, the Pixar deal is “what I’m most proud of.” The interview also lays out his three strategic priorities for Disney:

1. Creating great content.
2. Applying technology in the creation and distribution of your businesses.
3. Growing internationally, in terms of both expanding Disney’s businesses around the world and changing the notion that Burbank has a monopoly on creativity.

(via Animated-News)

University Press of Mississippi has two great new Disney books coming out in the next few months. Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records by Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar, is an appreciative overview of the oft-overlooked Disney record company.

The book chronicles for the first time the fifty-year history of the Disney recording companies launched by Walt Disney and Roy Disney in the mid-1950s, when Disneyland Park, Davy Crockett, and the Mickey Mouse Club were taking the world by storm. The book provides a perspective on all-time Disney favorites and features anecdotes, reminiscences, and biographies of the artists who brought Disney magic to audio. Authors Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar go behind the scenes at the Walt Disney Studios and discover that in the early days Walt Disney and Roy Disney resisted going into the record business before the success of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” ignited the in-house label. Mouse Tracks reveals the struggles, major successes, and occasional misfires. Included are impressions and details of teen-pop princesses Annette Funicello and Hayley Mills, the Mary Poppins phenomenon, a Disney-style “British Invasion,” and a low period when sagging sales forced Walt Disney to suggest closing the division down.

The book is loaded with performer biographies, reproductions of album covers and art, and facsimiles of related promotional material. It’ll be out in May.The other book, Carl Barks and the Disney Comic Book: Unmasking the Myth of Modernity by Thomas Andrae, will be published in July. This is a critical study of Barks’s work from a cultural perspective. Andrae analyzes all phases of Barks’s career from his work in animation to his postretirement years writing Junior Woodchucks stories. Barks is one of America’s greatest storytellers and, Andrae contends, “lifted the comic book form to the level of great literature.”

There’s lots of new blogs I’ve been meaning to mention recently and haven’t found the time. Here are five good ones for the moment:

Dan Krall (SAMURAI JACK, POWERPUFF GIRLS and currently on Laika’s CORALINE) now has a BLOG.

So does Bill Wray (REN & STIMPY, BIG BLOWN BABY) who has decided to go legit and become a fine art painter.

Not only can Andrea Blasich draw well, but he does terrific character maquettes.

The boys at the Animation Guild, Local 839 IATSE are blogging now too. This is shaping up into a solid resource for insider-type industry news.

CINEMA 4: CEL BLOC is a site where Rik reviews one classic animated short every day – from Felix the Cat to Popeye and Clampett to DePatie-Freleng. The writing is solid (if a bit long occasionally) and his write-ups make me want to see these films again (or in some cases, for the first time).

Tonight, March 2nd at 8pm, Janet Klein and the Parlor Boys celebrate the release of their 5th album, entitled: “Oh!” So, if you have yet to thrill to the sweet syncopations of Janet and her band, then this is the night! As always, the musical program will be preceded by another great selection of vintage cinematic goodies presented by Brewmaster Jerry Beck. THE STEVE ALLEN THEATER (Center for Inquiry-West), 4773 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood (Two blocks west of Vermont — Plenty of FREE parking in the rear). Tickets $15.

Ok folks, something a bit different. We’re looking to redesign the CartoonBrew logo. It’s been up for two years, and we think it’s high time for a new look. We want something really solid, worthy of the Brew name. The project is a little more involved than just a logo for the site, so make sure you’re good. Also, we are paying. Not a fortune, but enough that hopefully you won’t want to do bodily harm to us. Please send links to your portfolio site or email examples of your work to both of us at:
amid at animationblast dot com
jbeck6540 at aol dot comThanks,
Your Brewmasters

O-Meon.com is reporting that veteran Disney directing duo John Musker and Ron Clements (THE LITTLE MERMAID, ALADDIN) are returning to Walt Disney Feature Animation. They had left Disney in 2005 because of the studio’s deteriorating creative atmosphere. This is great news…as long as they don’t make another TREASURE PLANET, or for that matter, another HERCULES.

This is a genius trailer mash-up of TOY STORY 2 and Darren Aronofsky’s gritty REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. (Click on the image above to watch the video.) It also inadvertently makes a powerful point about contemporary cartoons: the problem with most animated films today isn’t the actual artwork or animation, but rather the writing, the voice acting and the lack of directorial vision. TOY STORY 2 is a great film to begin with, but this trailer shows how so many weaker animated films could be improved if other aspects, besides the visuals, were overhauled.
(Official TOY STORY 2 REQUIEM trailer mash-up site HERE)

A super-cool and incredibly rare 1928 Oswald The Lucky Rabbit Stencil Set sold on ebay today for $1525. Click here for photo gallery of this item, one of the earliest known pieces of Disney licensed merchandise to exist. Would this have sold at that price a few weeks ago?