Finding the perfect book for the beloved animation fan in your life can be a big challenge, but these gift-book ideas will inform and inspire anyone who loves animation and drawing.
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 12/4/2014
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tante Hilda!, Folimage, Garry Apgar, Hermina Dodalova, Irena Dodalova, Karel Dodal, Books, Mickey Mouse, Criterion, Gustave Doré, John Canemaker, Criterion Collection, Jay Ward, Little Nemo, Winsor McCay, Michael Barrier, Darrell Van Citters, Masaaki Yuasa, Add a tag
By: Jerry Beck,
on 7/11/2014
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Walt Disney, Pinocchio, Ward Kimball, Michael Barrier, Untold Tales, Pete Young, Ken Anderson, Charles Philippi, Claude Coats, Funnyworld, The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Add a tag
By: Jerry Beck,
on 4/29/2013
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Michael Barrier, Cecile Starr, Donald Crafton, Giannalberto Bendazzi, Graham Webb, Leonard Maltin, Robert Russett, Books, Add a tag
(1982, revised in 1993) by Donald Crafton — Walt Disney was an important figure in the development of animation, but so were Raoul Barré, James Stuart Blackton, John R. Bray, Emile Cohl, Winsor McCay, Otto Messmer, Lotte Reiniger, and Paul Terry. This book covers all of them, and is essential grounding in the early history of animation.
2.) Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons
(1980, revised in 1987) by Leonard Maltin — Capsule histories of Golden Age theatrical animation studios, still unsurpassed as a primer on that era.
3.) Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age
(1999, paperback in 2003) by Michael Barrier — The yang to Maltin’s yin. A highly opinionated and meticulously researched take on Golden Age American animation. The book will be best appreciated if you have some existing knowledge of classic animation.
4.) The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
(1981) by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston — Everything that could have already been said about this book has been said. Suffice to say, if you can own just one book about Disney animation, this is it. The development of the studio’s approach to character animation has never been more clearly documented.
5.) Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation
(1994) by Giannalberto Bendazzi — From Argentina to Zaire, this is the most thorough survey of global animation. I refer to this book frequently, and more often than not, I’ll find the name I’m looking for. A long-awaited updated edition is due out later this year, which I plan to purchase the moment it’s released.
6.) Experimental Animation: An Illustrated Anthology
(1976, reprinted in 1988 as Experimental Animation: Origins of a New Art) by Robert Russett and Cecile Starr — Many of the innovative techniques we see in commercials and music videos nowadays were done decades ago by the likes of Walter Ruttmann, Viking Eggeling, Hans Richter, Oskar Fischinger, Len Lye, and Norman McLaren. This book is still the best source of information about these important abstract and experimental animators of the twentieth century.
7.) The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features, and Sequences, 1900-1999
(second edition released in 2011) by Graham Webb — Expensive but useful. This is a pure reference work and not something intended to be read, but with over 7,000 entries, it is the most complete listing of credits for Golden Age theatrical shorts, with plenty of credits not even found on IMDB.
Honorary mentions to the following three books: Design in Motion
(1962), Film & TV Graphics
(1967), and Film + TV Graphics 2
(1976) — These books are short on text, but filled with great images from animation produced between the late-1950s and mid-1970s. This vital, and poorly undocumented, period in animation history coincided with the growth and expansion of international and independent animation, which is fully flourishing today. Many important names and films are represented in these books, and I find myself often referencing them.
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 6/8/2012
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Animators, Classic, Bob Clampett, Warner Bros., Chuck Jones, Frank Tashlin, Michael Barrier, Friz Freleng, John Hubley, Pete Burness, Phil Monroe, Add a tag
By: Jerry Beck,
on 2/17/2011
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Looney Tunes, Michael Barrier, Robert McKimson, Animators, Classic, Add a tag
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 12/4/2014
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tante Hilda!, Folimage, Garry Apgar, Hermina Dodalova, Irena Dodalova, Karel Dodal, Books, Mickey Mouse, Criterion, Gustave Doré, John Canemaker, Criterion Collection, Jay Ward, Little Nemo, Winsor McCay, Michael Barrier, Darrell Van Citters, Masaaki Yuasa, Add a tag
By: Jerry Beck,
on 7/11/2014
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Walt Disney, Pinocchio, Ward Kimball, Michael Barrier, Untold Tales, Pete Young, Ken Anderson, Charles Philippi, Claude Coats, Funnyworld, The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Add a tag
Before I got hired at Disney Features, I sold a few magazine articles and developed a love of writing for print, where there was nothing between writer and reader but words on a page. When I became a Disney employee, I realized I was surrounded by animation veterans with vivid memories of the rambunctious days at the old Hyperion studio, and the creative struggles that went into making "Snow White," "Pinocchio," and the other early features. Talking to older Mouse House staffers, it dawned on me they could provide great source material for articles.
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 4/29/2013
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Michael Barrier, Cecile Starr, Donald Crafton, Giannalberto Bendazzi, Graham Webb, Leonard Maltin, Robert Russett, Books, Add a tag
What are the essential reference books that anyone with an interest in animation history should have on their bookshelf? It’s a question I’ve rarely seen discussed and would be curious to hear readers’ feedback. I’m not asking about the best written books about the art form, but rather the books that offer valuable information to those pursuing serious study of the history of 20th century animation.
I whittled down my ‘desert island’ list of animation reference books to just seven titles. There are, in fact, dozens of other excellent books, journals and articles related to specific filmmakers, studios, techniques and styles. I could have easily added another dozen titles to the list and still come up short. However, these are the seven books that I find myself returning to time and time again, and I think they provide a solid overview of 20th century animation for any intrepid researcher/historian/fan of the art form. Please share your favorite reference books in the comments.
1.) Before Mickey: The Animated Film 1898-1928
(1982, revised in 1993) by Donald Crafton — Walt Disney was an important figure in the development of animation, but so were Raoul Barré, James Stuart Blackton, John R. Bray, Emile Cohl, Winsor McCay, Otto Messmer, Lotte Reiniger, and Paul Terry. This book covers all of them, and is essential grounding in the early history of animation.2.) Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons
(1980, revised in 1987) by Leonard Maltin — Capsule histories of Golden Age theatrical animation studios, still unsurpassed as a primer on that era.3.) Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age
(1999, paperback in 2003) by Michael Barrier — The yang to Maltin’s yin. A highly opinionated and meticulously researched take on Golden Age American animation. The book will be best appreciated if you have some existing knowledge of classic animation.4.) The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
(1981) by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston — Everything that could have already been said about this book has been said. Suffice to say, if you can own just one book about Disney animation, this is it. The development of the studio’s approach to character animation has never been more clearly documented.5.) Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation
(1994) by Giannalberto Bendazzi — From Argentina to Zaire, this is the most thorough survey of global animation. I refer to this book frequently, and more often than not, I’ll find the name I’m looking for. A long-awaited updated edition is due out later this year, which I plan to purchase the moment it’s released.6.) Experimental Animation: An Illustrated Anthology
(1976, reprinted in 1988 as Experimental Animation: Origins of a New Art) by Robert Russett and Cecile Starr — Many of the innovative techniques we see in commercials and music videos nowadays were done decades ago by the likes of Walter Ruttmann, Viking Eggeling, Hans Richter, Oskar Fischinger, Len Lye, and Norman McLaren. This book is still the best source of information about these important abstract and experimental animators of the twentieth century.7.) The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features, and Sequences, 1900-1999
(second edition released in 2011) by Graham Webb — Expensive but useful. This is a pure reference work and not something intended to be read, but with over 7,000 entries, it is the most complete listing of credits for Golden Age theatrical shorts, with plenty of credits not even found on IMDB. Honorary mentions to the following three books: Design in Motion (1962), Film & TV Graphics (1967), and Film + TV Graphics 2 (1976) — These books are short on text, but filled with great images from animation produced between the late-1950s and mid-1970s. This vital, and poorly undocumented, period in animation history coincided with the growth and expansion of international and independent animation, which is fully flourishing today. Many important names and films are represented in these books, and I find myself often referencing them.
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 6/8/2012
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Animators, Classic, Bob Clampett, Warner Bros., Chuck Jones, Frank Tashlin, Michael Barrier, Friz Freleng, John Hubley, Pete Burness, Phil Monroe, Add a tag
Golden Age animator Phil Monroe (1916-1988) is rarely discussed, even amongst animation cognoscenti, which is unfortunate because he had an amazing career. Over the course of his career, he animated for an honor roll of legendary directors including Bob Clampett, John Hubley, Chuck Jones, Pete Burness, Friz Freleng, and Frank Tashlin. Animation historian Michael Barrier has posted a never-before-published 1976 interview with Phil Monroe that he and Milton Gray conducted.
The interview delves into details that may appeal to only a small portion of our twenty thousand-plus daily readers, but if you appreciate classic Warner Bros. shorts and animation history in general, the interview is guaranteed to blow your mind. There’s even a great story about how Monroe got Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng to square dance with one another, even though “they were barely on speaking terms.” Barrier conducted a follow-up interview with Monroe in 1987, which he promises to publish online soon.
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Post tags: Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Frank Tashlin, Friz Freleng, John Hubley, Michael Barrier, Pete Burness, Phil Monroe, Warner Bros.
By: Jerry Beck,
on 2/17/2011
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Looney Tunes, Michael Barrier, Robert McKimson, Animators, Classic, Add a tag
Whenever I want to remind myself why I love cartoons, I simply have to watch a classic Warner Bros. cartoon. Whenever I want to remind myself why I love animation history I pull out my set of Funnyworld magazines, edited by Michael Barrier. Mike’s website is a fount of knowledge and he has just post a must-read interview with Looney Tunes animator/director Robert McKimson (1910-1977). The interview, recorded in 1971, is one of the few McKimson ever did, and the conversation yields much information from the man and allows us to get to know a bit of his personality. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the guy who designed Bugs Bunny, created Foghorn Leghorn and the Tasmanian Devil, go here now!
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Post tags: Looney Tunes, Michael Barrier, Robert McKimson