Top Story: Here Are You 2026 Animation and VFX Oscar Nominees
Disney

“Walt”: The Disney Biopic That Never Was

IN THE EARLY 1980S, CARDON WALKER JR. AND I produced the "Disney Family Album" series for The Disney Channel. It was one of the very first series funded by the Channel, and the first to get any kind of critical acclaim thanks to our nomination for a Cable Ace Award for Best Documentary Series. But we had an even bigger ambition, and that was to land the Great White Whale of Disney myths, the life story of Walt himself.

Cartoon Brew Pick

“Wind” by Robert Loebel

"Wind" is an animated short about the daily life of people living in a windy area who seem helplessly exposed to the weather. However, the inhabitants have learned to deal with their difficult living conditions. The wind creates a natural system for living.

Award Season Focus

“Croods” Directors Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders on Making An Ensemble Film

When the server enters the drawing room of the Crosby Hotel, Kirk DeMicco’s eyes begin to dance, “Mini desserts are coming! Many, many mini desserts!” Both DeMicco ("Racing Stripes," "Space Chimps") and Chris Sanders ("Lilo & Stitch," "How to Train Your Dragon") are in New York to take part in a presentation on the making of "The Croods," the animated film that they directed for Dreamworks earlier this year, which went on to gross nearly $600 million worldwide.

Ideas/Commentary

“Turmoil in the Toy Box” Revisited

Author Phil Phillips spent the 1980s warning parents about the occult forces in children's TV animation. While his notoriety has passed, fear of the messages in cartoons still exists today.

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