Animation All-Stars Unite For UPA Tribute Panel, Screening In Los Angeles

A lineup of animation historians, filmmakers, and industry veterans will gather in L.A. next month to celebrate one of animation’s most influential studios, UPA.

A Night of UPA: Mid-Century Modern Animation Classics on the Big Screen! will take place on the evening of Thursday, January 15, at Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, California.

The evening centers on a panel discussion featuring Cartoon Brew co-founder and animation historian Jerry Beck, Sylvie BosRau (granddaughter of UPA co-founder Stephen Bosustow), director Jorge R. Gutiérrez (The Book of Life), David Silverman (The Simpsons), animator and historian Tom Sito, and documentary filmmaker Kevin Schreck. Together, the group will discuss the enduring legacy of United Productions of America, the studio that helped redefine animation aesthetics in the postwar era.

In a release, Beck said:

UPA changed the course of animation during the 20th Century as the studio’s influence is still being felt in practically every film and series made ever since. This tribute to the artists and their films, 75 years since winning their first Oscar for Gerald McBoing-Boing, is long overdue. An important reminder of the pioneers and their projects that shaped the medium, which is more popular today than ever before.

Schreck added:

UPA is a name that many animation aficionados recognize, but its films remain rarely seen and appreciated. I am honored to join an amazing lineup of speakers to help celebrate the legacy of this revolutionary studio which has been underrepresented for far too long.

Following the discussion, attendees will see rare theatrical screenings of key UPA shorts, including Gerald McBoing-Boing (1950), Rooty Toot Toot (1951), and Ragtime Bear (1949), the first appearance of Mr. Magoo. Films will be shown in the historic Old Town Music Hall, accompanied by its Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the panel beginning at 7:00 p.m. Seating is limited, and tickets are priced at $10, available now here.