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Forty-three years after its release, one of the weirdest Japanese animated features is receiving its due recognition in the United States.

The post ‘Belladonna of Sadness,’ 1970s Anime Erotica Masterpiece, Gets A U.S. Theatrical Release, Blu-Ray, and Art Book appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

The rarely-seen 42-year-old classic will be distributed theatrically and on Blu-Ray.

90-year-old 'Schoolhouse Rock!' composer and singer Bob Dorough performs live in Los Angeles tonight!

Next week, the Cinefamily in Los Angeles will present its Animation Breakdown festival comprised of nineteen events over six days.

The Los Angeles indie animation event of the season takes place tomorrow, Saturday March 8th, at The Cinefamily. Animation Breakdown Roundup! is a collection of over two dozen shorts by seasoned indie stars (Vince Collins, Emily Hubley), current filmmakers (Kirsten Lepore, Takeshi Murata, Devin Flynn, Allison Schulnik, Galen Pehrson, Amy Lockhart, Matt & Paul Layzell, Garrett Davis, Charles Huettner, Caleb Wood, Alex Schubert) and next-wavers (Peter Millard, Sean Buckelew, Quique Rivera Rivera.)

This Thursday, Cinefamily (611 North Fairfax Ave, LA, CA) will present “Autarky: Frontier Animation,” a collection of 26 animated shorts from current CalArts students in both the Experimental and Character Animation programs. The trailer above shows an impressively eclectic range of student work. It will be interesting to see how students curate their own work as opposed to the school’s year-end shows. The late-night screening begins at 11:59pm and tickets can be pre-purchased HERE.

L.A’s The Cinefamily is hosting a three-day celebration of classic Warner Bros. cartoons (co-presented by The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity) on Presidents Day weekend (February 16-18).

The festivities begin on Saturday afternoon (2/16) with a panel discussion on the work of Chuck Jones (speakers to be announced – but I’m moderating), a big screen 35mm showing of the 1973 TV special A Cricket In Times Square, and the following classic Chuck Jones-directed Looney Tunes shorts in 35mm: What’s Opera, Doc?, One Froggy Evening, Duck Amuck, From A to ZZZZ, Bully for Bugs, Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 Century, Feed The Kitty, Rabbit Seasoning.

Sunday afternoon (2/17), a double feature of collaborations between Chuck Jones and author Norton Juster: the 1970 feature film The Phantom Tollbooth and the 1965 Academy Award winning MGM short The Dot And The Line: A Romance In Lower Mathematics.

Monday (2/18) we go insane. A six-hour Looney Tunes marathon – all on film, mostly 35mm, many in Technicolor… all my favorite Looney Tunes shorts – and more: rarities, odds n’ ends and ephemera. I’m not mentioning titles in advance (you gotta trust me on this), but I promise: no 1960s DePatie-Frelengs. Rare behind the scenes footage, oddball material including (at some point during the marathon) bridging sequences from The Bugs Bunny Show (1960) and Tang commercials. Good stuff. Prizes for those who spend the entire six hours with us. NOTE: This event kicks off with a potluck lunch; things like bags of chips and drinks are not encouraged — please bring a dish. Impress us!

MONDAY February 18th
POTLUCK LUNCH: noon-1PM
LOONEY TUNES-A-PALOOZA: 1PM-7PM

Click Here and scroll down for more details. See you there!

Be prepared, foolish mortals! For the fifth year in a row, I will be screening a selection of spooky, kooky, strange and creepy Halloween-related cartoons – using vintage prints in 16mm and 35mm that range from ghoulishly red Eastmancolor to gorgeously garish Technicolor. Everyone from Koko The Clown to Casper the Friendly Ghost will be there in costume and on the big screen, along with black and white classics starring Oswald Rabbit, Flip The Frog, Bosko, Bimbo, Scrappy, Puddy, Popeye – even Waffles and Don – and all the famous monsters of filmland. Join us for a lot of fun (and candy) next Monday October 29th at 7:30pm, at The Cinefamily (at Silent Movie Theatre) on Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood. Advance tickets on sale here!

To kick off a new year of animation programs at the Cinefamily/Silent Movie Theater in Hollywood, this Thursday (2/9) we will celebrate with our traditional Valentines Day program – aka Valentoons – an assortment of classic Hollywood cartoons based on the theme of love. From the sex-starved Pepe LePew to the appropriately named Woody Woodpecker (and yes, Herman and Katnip). This year our program features all 35mm Technicolor film prints, projected the way they are supposed to be seen on the big screen. Suitable for cartoon-lovers of all ages, for more information or advance tickets, please click the CineFamily website.

EXTRA BONUS: It’s my birthday on Thursday, so we’ll start the show (at 8pm) with one of my favorite “party” themed cartoons and a free slice of cake to everyone in attendence!

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The holidays are upon us – but that’s no excuse to stop watching cartoons on the big screen in Los Angeles! Ye olde Brewmaster (Jerry Beck) is involved in two theatrical animation events – one this weekend, the other next weekend – that will be a lot of fun to see and participate in.

Next weekend, the day after Christmas (Monday December 26th) the Alex Film Society will present the 2nd annual Greatest Cartoons Ever. Frank Gladstone and I will host this big screen event that presents some of the most acclaimed, beautifully realized and funniest animated films from Hollywood’s Golden Age on the huge screen of the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA.

All films screened will be 35mm vault prints (several in Technicolor) direct from the studios, and will feature Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry, Gerald McBoing Boing, Woody Woodpecker and Mighty Mouse among others (I’ll announce the specific titles in my reminder post next week – or you can sneak a peek here). If you love these films or characters you’ll really enjoy this experience. On-line tickets are available now for two shows, at 2pm and 7pm, and will also be available at the door – at the historic Alex Theatre, 216 North Brand Blvd. in Glendale. If you happen to be in Southern California for the holidays, join us there!

As you know, I run an animation night each month at The Cinefamily (at the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax). The Cinefamily is a non-profit organization of extreme film fanatics that run the greatest repertory cinema in Los Angeles. This weekend they are staging what they’re calling “The Craziest Thing We’ve Ever Done!”, a Fantastic Elastic 24-hour Fundraiser Telethon.

This marathon event – which is FREE to attend and will be live streaming on the internet – will feature film screenings hosted by filmmaker Spike Jonze, actors Michael Cera and Benicio Del Toro, as well as on-stage interviews with actors Elliot Gould and Robert Forester. I will be screening semi-obscure Saturday Morning Cartoons on Sunday Morning sometime between 8am-11am (Pacific Time) on Sunday Dec. 18th, sharing the time with DJ Lance Rock (from Yo Gabba Gabba) and my hero, actor/puppeteer and classic kiddie show host, Chuck McCann! For more information, visit Cinefamily.org – and join me Sunday morning live or online.

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Hot on the heels of this week’s CTN Expo, animators and animation fans will be treated to the L.A. based Animation Breakdown festival at The Cinefamily (in Hollywood). Cartoon Brew and Animation Block Party are co-presenting this 6 day festival that celebrates the greatest in international animation, old and new, shorts and features.

Highlights include an advance screening of Pixar’s new short La Luna (with director Enrico Casarosa in person), new films by the Brothers Quay and Spike Jonze; live in-person appearances from animator Don Hertfzeldt, comics and cartoon creator Brad Neely (China IL), a cast & crew reunion of Cartoon Network’s Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Frank Zappa’s legendary go-to claymation freakster, Bruce Bickford. An extensive 35mm retrospective of Polish animation is planned, with prints being flown in from Europe; and Cartoon Network will present world-premeire of Pen Ward and Thomas Herpich’s short Thank You.

Other events include:

- Rare 35mm restorations of Disney’s Laugh-O-Grams, Walt Disney’s long-lost silent era shorts, presented by Brewmaster Jerry Beck.
- Don Hertzfeldt in person for the LA premiere of his new film It’s Such A Beautiful Day
- Space Ghost: Coast to Coast cast & crew reunion and panel, C. Martin Croker and Andy Merrill in person.
- Pixar’s La Luna with director Enrico Casarosa in person for an advance screening and behind the scenes presentation.

All this and more (to be announced). For information and tickets (seating is limited) visit cinefamily.org.

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