BIRTH OF AN INDUSTRY (2015, Nicholas Sammond)

Nicholas Sammond. Birth of an Industry: Blackface Minstrelsy and the Rise of American Animation. Durham, Duke University Press, 2015.

/ PDF / English / 400 pages /0822358522 / 978-0822358527

In Birth of an Industry, Nicholas Sammond describes how popular early American cartoon characters were derived from blackface minstrelsy. He charts the industrialization of animation in the early twentieth century, its representation in the cartoons themselves, and how important blackface minstrels were to that performance, standing in for the frustrations of animation workers. Cherished cartoon characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat, were conceived and developed using blackface minstrelsy's visual and performative conventions: these characters are not like minstrels; they are minstrels. 

They play out the social, cultural, political, and racial anxieties and desires that link race to the laboring body, just as live minstrel show performers did. Carefully examining how early animation helped to naturalize virulent racial formations, Sammond explores how cartoons used laughter and sentimentality to make those stereotypes seem not only less cruel, but actually pleasurable. Although the visible links between cartoon characters and the minstrel stage faded long ago, Sammond shows how important those links are to thinking about animation then and now, and about how cartoons continue to help to illuminate the central place of race in American cultural and social life

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THE ART OF WALT DISNEY (1988, Christopher Finch)

Christopher Finch. The Art Of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms. New York. Portland House. 1988

/ PDF / English / 160 pages / 0517664747 / 978-0517664742

First published in 1973, The Art of Walt Disney is one of the most successful and influential illustrated art books on American popular culture ever published. This book was the first to reveal the wealth of concept art, animation drawings, and archival material created in the course of animating films. In this newly revised edition, author Christopher Finch has thoroughly reworked every chapter to incorporate the vast achievements of The Walt Disney Company in filmmaking, theater, and theme parks, from Walt’s day to the present, including all-new exciting chapters on Pixar Animation Studio and Walt Disney Animation along with extensive interviews with their chief creative officer, John Lasseter, and president, Ed Catmull. Offering hundreds of new images and unparalleled access to leading filmmakers and artists at The Walt Disney Company, The Art of Walt Disney will once again capture the imaginations of animation fans young and old.

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OUT OF THE INKWELL (2011, Richard Fleischer)

Richard Fleischer. Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution. Lexington,  University Press of Kentucky, 2011.

/ PDF / / English / / 232pages / 0813134641 / 978-0813134642

Max Fleischer (1883–1972) was for years considered Walt Disney's only real rival in the world of cartoon animation. The man behind the creation of such legendary characters as Betty Boop and the animation of Popeye the Sailor and Superman, Fleischer asserted himself as a major player in the development of Hollywood entertainment. Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution is a vivid portrait of the life and world of a man who shaped the look of cartoon animation. Also interested in technical innovation, Fleischer invented the rotoscope―a device that helped track live action and allowed his cartoons to revolutionize the way animated characters appeared and moved on-screen. In the 1920s, Fleischer created a series of "Out of the Inkwell" films, which led to a deal with Paramount.

Their character KoKo the Clown introduced new animation effects by growing out of Fleischer's pen on-screen. As the sound revolution hit film, the studio produced shorts featuring the characters interacting with songs and with the now-famous bouncing ball that dances across lyrics projected on the screen. Max Fleischer's story is also one of a creative genius struggling to fit in with the changing culture of golden age cinema. Out of the Inkwell captures the twists and turns, the triumphs and disappointments, and most of all the breathless energy of a life vibrantly lived in the world of animation magic. (Amazon)

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THE ART OF THE IRON GIANT (2016, Ramin Zahed)

Ramin Zahed. The Art of The Iron Giant. Insight Editions, 2016.

/ PDF / English / 144 pages / 1608878880 /  978-1608878888

This beautifully illustrated book revisits the classic film The Iron Giant, with unprecedented access to rarely seen development art and storyboards from the Warner Bros. archives.

In director Brad Bird’s beloved and critically acclaimed 1999 movie The Iron Giant, an inquisitive young boy named Hogarth Hughes forms a powerful friendship with a robot visitor from outer space. Set in the days of the Cold War, the film follows the adventures of Hogarth and the Iron Giant as they try to escape a town’s hysteria, a shady government agent, and the US military.

Featuring the voices of Vin Diesel, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Cloris Leachman, John Mahoney, and Eli Marienthal, The Iron Giant is considered one of the classic animated gems of the era, offering a beautiful mix of hand-drawn and CG animation. In celebration of the timeless legacy of the film, Warner Bros. released a special remastered Signature Edition featuring two new scenes.

The Art of The Iron Giant takes an in-depth look at the making of this modern classic, featuring interviews with the director and the talented members of the creative team who worked endless hours to bring their vision to the big screen. Including never-before-seen images, concept art, backgrounds, and storyboards, this deluxe volume provides fascinating insight into the creative process, in addition to offering a sneak peek at some of the alternative images and plotlines the filmmakers considered before coming up with the final version of the movie. Showcasing the brilliant work of Brad Bird and his tireless team of masterful artists, The Art of The Iron Giant is a must-have companion to the movie and a wonderful testament to the enduring magic of this animated classic. (Amazon)

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HOLLYWOOD CARTOONS (2003, Michael Barrier)

Michael Barrier. Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003.

/ PDF / English / 672 pages / 0195167295 / 978-0195167290

In Hollywood Cartoons, Michael Barrier takes us on a glorious guided tour of American animation in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, to meet the legendary artists and entrepreneurs who created Bugs Bunny, Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, Wile E. Coyote, Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry, and many other cartoon favorites.

Beginning with black-and-white silent cartoons, Barrier offers an insightful account, taking us inside early New York studios and such Hollywood giants as Disney, Warner Bros., and MGM. Barrier excels at illuminating the creative side of animation--revealing how stories are put together, how animators develop a character, how technical innovations enhance the "realism" of cartoons. Here too are colorful portraits of the giants of the field, from Walt and Roy Disney and their animators, to Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera.

Based on hundreds of interviews with veteran animators, Hollywood Cartoons gives us the definitive inside look at this colorful era and at the creative process behind these marvelous cartoons. (Amazon)

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