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This 25th anniversary screening is sold out, but we've got a tip on how you can attend this special event.

The post May 9 in LA: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in 70mm With Cast and Crew Discussion appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Never-before-released home videos provide a glimpse of the early concept art and showreel for the Disney classic.

Focal press has released cover art for what is sure to be one of next year's most popular animation titles: Andreas Deja's "The Nine Old Men: Lessons, Techniques, and Inspiration from Disney's Greatest Animators."

The Walt Disney Family Museum has opened a new exhibit focused on one of the studio's legendary Nine Old Men: "Leading Ladies and Femmes Fatales: The Art of Marc Davis." The show will be up through November 3. Unlike the museum's current Mary Blair exhibition, the Davis show is much smaller, with around 70 pieces on display.

After three years of tryouts and short runs in a total of four different cities, Disney Theatrical’s version of "Aladdin" finally opened on Broadway March 20th at the New Amsterdam Theatre. So now that it's here, how does it compare to the animated "Aladdin" we all know and love? After seeing the musical a few days ago, here are my observations.

Today, Comic-Con International: San Diego released the event schedule for Friday, July 19th, the second day of programming at the convention. We’ve compiled all the animation-related events below.

The Con’s Friday line-up is heavy with TV animation programming, and the creators of many TV series will be putting in appearances including Pen Ward (Adventure Time, J.G. Quintel (Regular Show), Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino (The Legend of Korra), Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer (Venture Bros.), Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (Phineas and Ferb), Loren Bouchard (Bob’s Burgers) and numerous others. Other Friday events include a spotlight on Bruce Timm and a Who Framed Roger Rabbit panel with animators Andreas Deja, James Baxter and Tom Sito.

Animation Events: Friday, July 19

Cartoon Network: Regular Show
Care to join the not so regular cast and crew for an eventful hour of over the top regular? Yeeeeeeeeuh you do! Check out exclusive content and get the inside scoop on your favorite slackers and some of their closest friends. The panel features: Regular Show creator J. G. Quintel (voice of Mordecai), William Salyers (voice of Rigby), Sam Marin (voice of Benson, Pops, and Muscle Man), Sean Szeles (supervising director), Matt Price (writer), and storyboard artists Toby Jones and Calvin Wong. Part of the back-to-back Regular Show/Adventure Time Panel Extravaganza, continuing at 11:00.
Friday July 19, 2013 10:00am – 11:00am
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Cartoon Network: Adventure Time
What’s algebraic and schmowzow and righteous all over? It’s Adventure Time! Holy stuff! As if chatting up the coolest kids in the cartoon kingdom wasn’t enough, get ready for your eyeballs to be fixed on some never-before-seen content and your jaw to drop at a rad surprise or two. The panel features Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward (Lumpy Space Princess), Jeremy Shada (Finn), John DiMaggio (Jake), Tom Kenny (Ice King), Olivia Olson (Marceline), Kent Osborne (head of story), and Adam Muto (supervising producer). Part of the back-to-back Regular Show/Adventure Time Panel Extravaganza, beginning at 10:00.
Friday July 19, 2013 11:00am – 12:00pm
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra Returns!
Executive producer and creator team Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino (Avatar: The Last Airbender) and co-executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos (Avatar: The Last Airbender) discuss what’s in store for the highly anticipated Book 2: Spirits. The mind-bending panel will be full of never-before-seen artwork and the ultimate of sneak peeks. You’ll also get to hear from your favorite characters, as talented voice actors Janet Varney (voice of Korra), David Faustino (voice of Mako), and P. J. Byrne (voice of Bolin) share their experiences working on the series. Moderated by Bryan Konietzko.
Friday July 19, 2013 11:15am – 12:15pm
Ballroom 20

Grimm Fairy Tales Animated
Zenescope Entertainment co-founders and co-producers Joe Brusha (Grimm Fairy Tales, Neverland, Oz) and Ralph Tedesco (Grimm Fairy Tales, Inferno, Salem’s Daughter), along with director/producer Jon Schnepp (The Venture Bros, Metalocalypse, ABCs of Death), discuss the Grimm Fairy Tales Animated pilot. Find out about this horrific re-imagining of the Grimm Fairy Tales from Zenescope Entertainment, Titmouse Inc, and Schneppzone. Learn how the project came to fruition, and what big names have gotten involved in the project. With talent like Lena Headey, Chris Hardwick, Briana Evigan, and Robert Forster (to name a few), this project is turning a lot of heads!
Friday July 19, 2013 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Room 4

[adult swim]: The Venture Bros.
Show creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer discuss the original series, now in its fifth season, and answer fan questions. They will be joined by the voice of Brock Samson, Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, The Tick).
Friday July 19, 2013 12:15pm – 1:00pm
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Phineas and Ferb
“Mom! Phineas and Ferb are doing a Comic-Con panel again!” Join show creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, along with voice talent Vincent Martella (Everybody Hates Chris), Alyson Stoner (Camp Rock), Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad), and Olivia Olson (Adventure Time) for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what’s to come for Disney Channel’s hit animated series, including a sneak peek at this summer’s epic crossover event Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel.
Friday July 19, 2013 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Room 6A

VIZ Anime Featuring Neon Alley
Find out what’s new and hot in the world of VIZ anime, distributors of Japan’s superhits Naruto, BLEACH and many more. Come join members of the VIZ animation team for announcements, a chance for prizes and an exclusive look at Neon Alley, the 24/7 anime streaming experience that’s like nothing you’ve seen before.
Friday July 19, 2013 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Room 32AB

Go Green! With the Lean, Mean, Ninja Team: Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
Check out Nick’s latest mutation as executive producer Ciro Nieli (Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!) and Peter Hastings (Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) discuss the upcoming finale for season 1, and get an exclusive look at what’s in store for Season 2. Meet members of the incredible Ninja cast: Sean Astin (voice of Raphael), Greg Cipes (voice of Michelangelo), Rob Paulsen (voice of Donatello), Mae Whitman (voice of April O’Neil) and Kevin Michael Richardson (voice of Shredder). Stick around for the “unmasking” of a fan-favorite character. Moderated by Peter Hastings.
Friday July 19, 2013 2:15pm – 3:15pm
Room 6A

Spotlight on Bruce Timm
Comic-Con special guest Bruce Timm is a legend in the world of animation. Starting with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, Timm’s name on a Warner Bros. Animation project has become synonymous with a faithful- but entirely original-translation of DC Comics characters from the comic page to the TV screen. Timm’s award-winning work includes Superman, Justice League, Batman Beyond, and Teen Titans, as well as executive producer of a series of original DC Universe animated movies whose premieres have packed Comic-Con panel rooms over the past six years, since Superman/Doomsday in 2007.
Friday July 19, 2013 2:45pm – 3:45pm
Room 5AB

[adult swim]: Robot Chicken
Co-creators/executive producers Seth Green and Matthew Senreich are joined by co-head writer/executive producer Tom Root, actor/writer Breckin Meyer, and writer Matthew Beans to discuss the Emmy-winning series. Get a sneak peek and get your questions answered about the upcoming new season and the next Robot Chicken DC Comics Special. Keith Crofford, vice president of production for Adult Swim, moderates.
Friday July 19, 2013 3:15pm – 4:00pm
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

ASIFA-Hollywood’s State of the Industry
What do the pros think of the animation scene today? Is 2D dead? What’s happening in VFX? How do you get a job? Join Tom Sito (Osmosis Jones), Zeb Wells (Robot Chicken), Jamie Kezlarian Bolio (Ernest & Celestine), Rick Farmiloe (Little Mermaid), Carol Wyatt (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends), and Joan Collins (Starship Troopers) for the discussion!
Friday July 19, 2013 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Room 9

Bob’s Burgers
Creator and executive producer Loren Bouchard, executive producer Jim Dauterive, and the always entertaining cast including H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, and Larry Murphy will be serving up hilarious never-before-seen footage followed by a Q&A.
Friday July 19, 2013 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Sony & Screen Gems
Among the projects that will be presented at this panel: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 — You remember Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs — Flint Lockwood invented a machine that turned water into food, and it worked, but it also unleashed a dangerously delicious tsunami of food weather and Flint was forced to destroy it. Or so he thought…In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, the adventure and fun continue when Flint discovers that his old invention is still working and is now creating new food-animal hybrids — foodimals! Come join stars Anna Faris and Terry Crews along with directors Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, to get a taste of this new animated movie from Sony Pictures Animation.
Friday July 19, 2013 4:05pm – 6:15pm
Hall H

Grant Morrison: 18 Days
Superstar creator Grant Morrison’s (Batman, Action Comics, Dinosaurs Vs. Aliens) only panel at Comic-Con this year will unveil the launch, with Graphic India, of his YouTube animated series 18 Days, based on the epic eastern myth the Mahabharata. See exclusive clips from the series and enter the mind of one of the most groundbreaking creators in the world today in this engaging debate on Eastern versus Western storytelling archetypes. He is joined by series executive producers Sharad Devarajan (co-founder and CEO, Liquid Comics/Graphic India) and author Gotham Chopra (The Sadhu, Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes).
Friday July 19, 2013 4:45pm – 5:45pm
Room 6A

Archer: Screening and Q&A
Archer is an animated comedy that revolves around the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and its employees, who use every covert operation and global crisis as another excuse to undermine, sabotage, and betray each other for personal gain. The voice cast of H. Jon Benjamin (Bob’s Burgers), Aisha Tyler (The Talk), Chris Parnell (30 Rock), Judy Greer (Arrested Development), Amber Nash (Frisky Dingo), and Lucky Yates (Good Eats), along with executive producers Adam Reed (Sealab 2021) and Matt Thompson (Sealab 2021), discuss bringing this animated series to life.
Friday July 19, 2013 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

[adult swim]: China, IL
Creator and executive producer Brad Neely and executive producer Daniel Weidenfeld discuss the second season of the animated series China, IL, which will air this fall. They will be joined by cast member Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, SNL). Moderated by Jonah Ray (The Meltdown, The Nerdist).
Friday July 19, 2013 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Room 25ABC

A Celebration on Walt Kelly’s 100th Birthday
The creator of one of comics’ great newspaper strips, Walt Kelly, would have been 100 years old on August 25th of this year. His magnum opus, Pogo, is now receiving its first ever complete reprinting in an Eisner Award-nominated series from Fantagraphics Books. So it’s a good time to remember him with Kelly fans Jeff Smith (Bone), Paul Dini (Batman), comic historian R. C. Harvey, Maggie Thompson (Comic Buyer’s Guide), Carolyn Kelly (co-editor of the Complete Pogo series and Walt’s daughter), and moderator Mark Evanier (Groo the Wanderer).
Friday July 19, 2013 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Room 8

Bravoman Animated Series: Comedy, Action, and Stretchy Romance!
Join ShiftyLook editor-in-chief and Bravoman producer-director Rob Pereyda as he shows what’s next for everyone’s favorite stretchy hero. Meet the cast: Bravoman and Alpha Man’s Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs), Doctor Bomb and Anti-Bravo’s Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad), and Waya Hime’s Romi Dames (Winx Club), with a special appearance by Jennifer Hale (Mass Effect). Hear from the Bravoman creative team of writer Matt Moylan and character designer-artist Dax Gordine too! Bravo-tastic fun for all!
Friday July 19, 2013 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Room 28DE

Making Roger Rabbit: 25th Anniversary
The making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is revealed with a world class panel of animators led by legendary producer Don Hahn and featuring a special appearance by the voice of Roger Rabbit himself, Charles Fleisher. The panel includes animation masters Andreas Deja and James Baxter, animator/writer/historian Tom Sito, and special effx wizard Dave Bossert, along with incredible clips and stories from the making of this classic film.
Friday July 19, 2013 5:45pm – 6:45pm
Room 6BCF

Brickleberry
Creators and executive producers Waco O’Guin and Roger Black, executive producer Zac Moncrief, and actors David Herman (Office Space), Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Jerry Minor (Anchorman) and Natasha Leggero (Community, Burning Love) will be on hand to premiere a hysterical episode from its second season, followed by a Q&A panel discussion.
Friday July 19, 2013 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Room 25ABC

Animation Domination High-Def
Nick Weidenfeld, head of FOX’s all-new Saturday late-night animation programming block, Animation Domination High-Def, will show an exclusive advance preview of two new animated series, Axe Cop and High School USA!, premiering July 27 on FOX. Joining Weidenfeld on the panel Q&A will be Axe Cop executive producers Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser (Drawn Together), High School USA! creator Dino Stamatopoulos (Community), Axe Cop comic creator Ethan Nicolle, and special surprise appearances by the series’ voice talent.
Friday July 19, 2013 6:45pm – 7:45pm
Room 6DE

World Premiere of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Animation invite you to be the first to experience Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the highly anticipated next entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash’s original timeline. Come for the film, but stay for the star-studded panel that features Grey’s Anatomy stars Justin Chambers and Kevin McKidd as Flash and Batman, respectively, along with C. Thomas Howell (Southland), Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), Sam Daly (The Daly Show), and a few surprise voice cast members, plus the filmmaking team of producer James Tucker (Superman: Unbound), director Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), dialogue director Andrea Romano (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), screenwriter Jim Krieg (Green Lantern: The Animated Series), and character designer Phil Bourassa (Young Justice). Moderator Gary Miereanu will add to the fun with a special announcement of the 2014 DCU movie slate, as well as exclusive, cast-autographed prizes for a few lucky fans.
Friday July 19, 2013 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Ballroom 20

Axe Cop
Join brothers Ethan Nicolle and Malachai Nicolle, the 32-year-old and 9-year-old creators of the Dark Horse comic series Axe Cop, with surprise guests to celebrate the premiere of the new Axe Cop TV series as part of Animation Domination Hi-Def, beginning Saturday, July 27 on FOX. Panel events will include a live Ask Axe Cop Q&A, a series of staged battles between cosplayers choreographed by Malachai, and a screening of the premiere episode of Axe Cop.
Friday July 19, 2013 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Room 6DE

Showcasing the Best in Korean Comics, Animation, and Its Influence in Today’s Hottest Comics
A team of Korea’s prolific artists and animation studios represented by Jongmin Shin (Padak, Breakups, Demian) showcases the latest and greatest trends in Korean comics and animation. They will also showcase their recent and upcoming productions on some of today’s hottest comics. Join Jongmin and crew for this Q&A session moderated by Austin Osueke (Publisher of eigoMANGA).
Friday July 19, 2013 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Room 32AB

Worst Cartoons Ever!
Presented by ASIFA-Hollywood, animation historian Jerry Beck (CartoonResearch.com) returns with an all new program of some of the worst cartoons ever made, including more episodes of Phys Ed super-hero Mighty Mr. Titan, space cadet Johnny Cypher and some of those 1960s Marvel Super Heroes cartoons. Have a ball with the best/bad animation ever!
Friday July 19, 2013 8:15pm – 9:15pm
Room 6BCF

Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Gauntlet of Animation
You, the lunatic fringe of society, vote on the new Sick & Twisted films, love or hate! See the craziest, most grossed-out, gut wrenching, bloodthirsty, sexy, and hilarious animated short films the world has to offer. Highlights include films from around the world: My Bloody Lad, Pool Cat, and more. Please note: adult content.
Friday July 19, 2013 9:30pm – 11:30pm
Room 6BCF

ROSS ANDERSON is currently writing the definitive book about the making of Roger Rabbit, beginning with Gary K. Wolf’s novel and Disney’s early Roger Rabbit development unit, continuing with the production of “Who framed Roger Rabbit”, and through the follow-up shorts, merchandising and theme park presence, and development work on sequels. He wrote this piece exclusively for Cartoon Brew about the 25th anniversary screening of “Roger Rabbit” that took place last week in Los Angeles.

On Thursday evening, April 4th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the first public screening of the new digital print of Who framed Roger Rabbit. The preparation of the digital print coincides with the release of the 25th anniversary Blu-ray edition of the film, and the Academy hosted a terrific show.

When the tickets were made available on-line they sold out within a day or two. The film was enormously popular when it was released and it has been a touchstone for film and animation enthusiasts ever since. I can’t take credit for the touchstone/Touchstone remark—that came from Rich Moore, director of Wreck-It Ralph, who was the moderator of the panel discussion that followed the film screening.

The event attendees were polite and mature in their behavior, although many of them hadn’t been born when the film was released. The enthusiasm for the film has some of the earmarks of coltishness, but it is not as though the adoration is a personal ‘find’ and a delight against all reason. There are ample reasons to delight in the film, and everybody has their own joys that they find in it. Mine – is that I had been a life-long animation enthusiast who found it difficult to share my enthusiasm with friends. I was in university when Robin Hood was released. I would have been harassed unmercifully if my interest in Disney animation had become known to my dorm-mates. Who framed Roger Rabbit made animation ‘cool’ again…and it made money, which increased the enthusiasm of the studios. Many people in the animation industry credit the film with ushering in a silver age of feature animation.

Academy member and veteran animation director Bill Kroyer introduced the screening. Bill was a young animator at the Disney studio prior to the first onslaught of CalArts grads, who included John Lasseter, Tim Burton, Brad Bird, Henry Selick, John Musker, Jerry Rees, and Darrell Van Citters. They were all frustrated with how Disney animation was functioning in the early-1980s.

Tom Wilhite, the young Disney Live-Action Studio Head, saw their frustration and did what he could to enable projects that would satisfy their creative juices and keep them at the studio. Aside from John Musker, they were all eventually fired or left the studio of their own accord, but out of that early grouping came Tim Burton’s Vincent and Frankenweenie and John Lasseter’s The Brave Little Toaster, which Wilhite eventually produced, with Jerry Rees directing, as ‘Hyperion Pictures’, after he, too, left Disney. Wilhite also brought Tron to the Disney studio and was responsible for setting up the Roger Rabbit development unit at Disney in 1981, helmed by Darrell Van Citters.

Bill Kroyer was one of the first ‘animators’ to do computer animation. He and Jerry Rees were assigned to the Tron production to work with the early CGI providers. The computer software at that time was not intuitive at all, so there was more hand-drawn ‘logistical guidance’ for the programmers than most people realize. That was Bill and Jerry. Their involvement also fired up John Lasseter’s interest in computer animation. The Brave Little Toaster was intended to be the first full length CGI animated feature.

Tron was released in 1982, at a time that the Darrell Van Citters’ Roger Rabbit development unit was getting into full swing. Screenwriters Peter Seaman and Jeffrey Price had just come off of Trenchcoat, a Disney mystery/comedy, and Wilhite assigned them to prepare a screenplay for Roger Rabbit. At that time Wilhite also sent memos to Darrell and Marc Stirdivant, the Disney house producer assigned to the development unit, to scoop up Bill Kroyer, Jerry Rees, John Lasseter, Ron Clements, Randy Cartwright, Mike Gabriel, and Glen Keane for the Roger Rabbit unit. Other things were happening at the studio, and soon most of those people were gone… but wouldn’t that have been something?

Back to the screening – Bill Kroyer called out many of the attendees who had been instrumental in making the film. This list isn’t exhaustive, but those who did stand up included voice actors Charles Fleischer (Roger Rabbit, Benny the Cab and others), June Foray (Lena Hyena), and Tony Anselmo (Donald Duck), animators Andreas Dejas and Nik Ranieri, screenwriters Seaman and Price, editor Artie Schmidt, London studio manager Max Howard, producers Steve Starkey and Don Hahn, and, of course, director Bob Zemeckis.

The film screening was wonderful. The digital print was clear and fresh and the colors popped out at you. Not having seen the film on the big screen for twenty-five years, I found it difficult to discern whether the viewing pleasure was due to anything particular associated with the digital print or simply that I was sharing the big screen experience with a room full of similarly enthusiastic viewers. The quality aspects of the digital restoration were being hotly debated within knots of people after the screening was over.

A panel discussion followed the screening. It was hosted by Rich Moore and included Peter Seaman, Jeffrey Price, Andreas Deja, Charles Fleischer, Joanna Cassidy, Steve Starkey, Bob Zemeckis, and Don Hahn. There were many reminiscences from the production. Most of them were well known to the real Roger Rabbit enthusiasts, but the ones who resonated the most for me were those that put the ‘25-years’ into perspective. We have heard about Who framed Roger Rabbit having way more special effects than Star Wars, but it was also one of the last of the great ‘optical’ effects films. It was a different era.

Zemeckis reminisced that, “we had FedEx and ¾” tape – we had technology by the tail.” He spoke about the first finished animation that came over from the London studio unit. It was the portion of the introductory Something Cookin’ cartoon in which the chili sauce falls off the shelf in Roger’s kettle-head. The British animators spelled ‘chili’ in the British manner, with two l’s (‘chilli’). The scene had to be completely re-animated.

In the scene which the camera trucks over the newspaper headlines showing the Toon cases solved by Valiant & Valiant on Eddie’s desk, the London studio had used the banners of LA newspapers of the time (1947), without having asked permission of the newspapers. One newspaper ended up refusing permission to use their banner – and this complicated scene had to be completely re-shot. Another anecdote was that Paul Newman had been considered for the role of Eddie Valiant. Charles Fleischer immediately shot back that Judge Doom would then have had to use ‘dressing’ instead of ‘dip’.

Don Hahn made a call out for Richard Williams, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Richard had hoped to attend but was unable to make it. Also, during the panel discussion, it became clear that the presence of Bob Hoskins was greatly missed. He was universally acclaimed for his work on the film. I must say that the greatest benefit that I saw with the digital presentation was in the close-ups on the actors’ faces. There was sublime acting and emotion that contributed enormously to the ‘reality’ of their interaction with the ’toons. We ‘felt’ it and it was an integral aspect of the great ‘conceit’ of the live-action/toon combination, but the subliminal effects were often lost in the chaos of the action. In this viewing, they popped out at me.

It was a great night. Following the conclusion of the panel discussionm, the many Roger Rabbit production participants reunited on stage to catch up on 25 years. The ‘celebrities’ amongst them were cornered for autographs, and the ‘no photography’ policy of the Academy theater was completely thrown out the window as the hundreds of cameras that were spirited into the theater finally came out.

A group shot was hastily organized and there were many more Roger Rabbit alumni present than had been called out during the evening’s introduction. I counted at least twenty-five alumni. I had the pleasure of speaking to many of them and seeing several of them the next day. It was a special night for Roger Rabbit fans and a special night for those who were involved in making it.

Small press publisher Picture This Press will release two-volumes of The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley next month at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland. The book will be available to order on-line afterward. The German cartoonist Kley has been an especially important influence on Disney artists from the 1930s through today. In the words of animator Andreas Deja, “Kley was doing with illustration what Walt was doing with animation. Making impossible characters and situations look completely plausible and believable.”

The publisher’s description of The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley is printed below:

The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley Volumes One & Two collect over 450 drawings and paintings from a wide array of sources. Neither volume overlaps with past books on Kley, as nearly none of these drawings have been collected and reprinted since their original publication a century or more ago. Both volumes also provide groundbreaking scholarship on Kley’s life and work by German art historian Alexander Kunkel—whose recent research is presented in these volumes for the first time in English—along with incisive appreciations by contemporary artists Michael Wm. Kaluta and Jesse Hamm.

Volume One focuses on Kley’s ink drawings, and reprints for the first time a substantial selection of his illustration work for children’s books and adult genre fiction, a side of Kley’s career previously unexplored in other collections. This volume also includes a wide sampling of Kley’s cartoons and magazine work, with newly collected examples taken directly from a variety of rare sources such as Jugend, Simplicissimus, and the historic Der Orchideengarten (the world’s first fantasy fiction magazine). In all, over 300 Kley illustrations and cartoons fill this first volume.

Volume Two also breaks new ground by being the first book to present a large number of Kley’s paintings and preparatory drawings, some reproduced directly from the original art. These color works reveal a heretofore rarely glimpsed pool of talent, and expand on the subject matter traditionally associated with the artist by including examples of his landscapes and industrial paintings. This volume’s preparatory drawings are culled from the Library of Congress’ untapped Kley archive, and show the artist working out concepts for book illustrations, reworking ink drawings into color paintings, and doodling for his own amusement. Approximately 150 drawings, many in color, appear in this volume.

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