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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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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THE NOBLE APPROACH (2013, Tod Polson)

Tod Polson. The Noble Approach: Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation Design. San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2013.

/ PDF / English / 176 pages / 1452102945 / 978-1452102948

Nice book about the most influential animation designer of all time. There's also a bit of a bio here: his humble beginnings at the art school, working with Disney: he was the background painter in many of the Silly Symphonies, notably the Oscar winning The Old Mill (1937), eventually he became a background/layout artist working in Snow Whites, Bambi, Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo... and then, he joined the strike against Disney! he was one of the very few "selected circle" artists to join, he had everything to lose but he did it anyways cause "it wasn't fair to the guys on the lower rungs". So he fought, won and... finally leave :(

During the war time period, started the first of many collaborations with Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Robert Mackimson.  

In 1951 he joined the Chuck Jones animation unit as layout designer and history was made, thus it begans his work at Warner Bros. Designing and creating background layouts for Duck Amuck, What's Opera Doc?, Kiss Me Cat. Then Working at MGM, retirement and coming out in the 90's. Etc. Etc.

But mainly this is an outline on the design philosophies of Maurice Noble, ilustrated with some of his designs: where to get inspiration from, how to choose color, how to break down the layout, etc. His logical approach to animation design: "Backgrounds and characters should work in harmony" and a simple line art style never interferes with a gag, design should always support a story not the other way around. (by pelida77)     

By the way, if you are any interested in background art take a peek at this amazing blog by Rob Richards:

animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com

"The real art of animation is filled with ideas and beauty and is never-ending joy"

(Maurice Noble)

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WORKING WITH DISNEY (2011, Don Peri)

Don Peri. Working with Disney: Interviews with Animators, Producers, and Artists. Jackson, University Press of Mississippi, 2011.

/ EPUB / English / 192 pages / 1604739401 / 978-1604739404

Frank Thomas reveal us a picture about Walt, and what exactly made him so great: couldn't actually animate or even draw, couldn't write, wasn't a designer... He just knew exactly which was the right way to go and what was good and what wasn't "He was always right" (Dave Hand) though he shares some of his regrets on how they weren't able to follow the path traced by Fantasia (1941) (seems to blame the war for that)

Ollie Johnston tell the story of the dark days of the strike... such an emotional episode, leaving a mark on everyone involved, almost 40 years later!

According to Marc Davis, Wilfred Jackson was pedantic as fuck and Le Clarc "way ahead of any of us"; seems that he hated a lot of persons in the studio but

"It was like being on a baseball team, and if a guy hits a Home Run, even if you don't like him you

love him at that moment because you win the game."

None of them try to hide the fact that Disney was a fucking pain in the ass (Lance Nolley remember multiple stories about the famous Disney's Wrath), but they all try to explain in awe his genius: like little children that cannot fully comprehend what just happened. 

And there's a lovely touching moment on the last time Marc saw an already very sick Walt, showing him his pictures and how he was very pleased laughing at them: if anyone has any doubts that Walt was an animator at heart, that's exactly how the Man spent the last days of his life... 

Any conversation with Walter Lantz is like diving on Animation History; he was in the business from the very first days of the William Randolph Heart and similar, he sort of gives the boss to boss perspective with Walt. 

Then you got some Inbetweeners, background artists and just good old simple animators interviews (which is great, cause gives a different perspective, ya'know?), TV shows, some park people... etc.

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THE HISTORY OF ANIMATION (1994, Charles Solomon)

Charles Solomon. Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation. Random House, New York, 1994.

/ PDF / English / 356 pages / 0517118599 / 978-0517118597

The definitive History of American Animation. The biggest, the greatest... is like the bible of animation books. For experts and newcomers alike, though I don't know how would you call yourself an expert without having read this. A little dated maybe... this a 1989 book after all (the 1994 revised edition... not the colour illustration edition). But very useful covering all the staples in 20th century animation, dividing it into periods:

An introduction on the 1600s till 19th century precursors and experiments (like magic lantern shows and similar)

- Silent Era (1914-1928): The New York/Los Angeles pioneers and their creations: Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur, Nemo and Lusitania. Raoul Barré: creator of the Peg System (punched papers). The John Randolph Bray Studio (background/cel innovation). Paul Terry (the animation assembly line) Max and Dave Fleischer (the rotoscope) and the popularity of the Out of the Inkwell series. Otto Messmer the creator of Felix the cat. The beginning of a new era: Steamboat Willie

- The Disney Era (1928-1941)

The introduction of sound and colour... In these years the Disney Brothers Studio absolutely dominate the scene taking the crown from the Fleischers. Walt Disney's vision prevailed over all personal styles... but somehow Walt managed to make each artist  deliver his own very best, a signature animation. Forming an extraordinary team of key animators: Ollie Johnston, Fred Moore, Hamilton Luske, Art Babbitt, Bill Tytla, Ward Kymball, Marc Davis. The making of the greatest animation movie of all time: Snow White. Following: Pinocchio, Bambi, Fantasia!

- The Studio Cartoon (1929-1941)

Examining the rise of the seven minutes studio cartoon. Disney's most serious rival: The Fleischer Studio. With Ko-ko the clown, Betty Boop (I gotta say: boop-boop-ba-doop), Bimbo and Popeye the sailor, Gulliver's Travels, Mr. Bug Goes to Town and Superman. And the artists: Shamus Cullhane, Ted Sears, Grim Natwick, Al Eugster. 

The Ub Iwerks Studio. Walter Lantz and the Universal animation studio (with their greatest creations: Oswald -sort of- Andy Panda and Woody Woodpecker) and the artists: LaVerne Harding, Cal Howard, Jack Carr, and Tex Avery. 

The Van Beurens, Paul Terry Terrytoons, and the Charles Mintz studio, with their artists: Pete Burness, Joe Barbera, Sid Marcus, Bill Nolan, Manny Gould, Art Babbitt, Frank Moser, Dick Huemer, Art Davis. More, more, moreeee.. And Leon Schlesinger's Looney tunes and the Warner Animation Studio.

There's an in-depth analysis of many cartoon animation movies (a rarity in this kind of history books) it doesn't dig as deep as it should in the Disney animated features... but that's fine, cause instead we got great info on the ones made by the Fleischers!!! (and others)

- The 40's / 50's cartoon: During this years Disney was eclipsed by the short cartoons of Warner and MGM. Their characters rival Disney's in enduring popularity. Their artist are among the very best of all time. Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Bob Mckimson, Frank Tashlin, Maurice Noble, Tex Avery, Joe Barbera, Emery Hawkins, Virgil Ross, Ken Harris, Lloyd Vaughn, Abe Levitow. Some of them are given a page or more of analysis  (with quotes from the artists or people who knew them)  

- Disney's Silver Age (1946-1960) Walt lost some interest in animation, focusing on live action movies and the parks. Still some of the best animation the Studio ever produced was made during this period: Cinderella, Alice, Peter Pan, The Lady and the Tramp, the Mickey, Donald and Goofy shorts.

-UPA: United Productions of America profoundly altered the course of animation with their contemporary graphic styles and different kinds of storytelling. Steve Bosustow, Zack Schwartz and Dave Hilberman     

- The Television Era: Rocky and Bullwinkle, Yogi bear, The Flintstones, The Archie Show, Fat Albert, The Smurfs, He-man... Historians are always very harsh with this period. Solomon shows there's a lot to love here.

- The 80's, Don Bluth, a little of Disney's renaissance, and the future of CGI...

(by pelida77)

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THE POCKET ESSENTIAL ANIMATION (2004, Mark Whitehead)

Mark Whitehead. The Pocket Essential Animation, London, Oldcastle Books, 2004.

1 MB / PDF / English / 160 pages / 1903047463 / 978-1903047460

This one is a concise pocket essential (brevity is the soul of wit, after all) An ideal introduction to the medium for newbies. 

A little bit of history: McCay, The Fleischers, Disney, Warner Bros. Classics like Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry; newcomers (relatively) like Wallace & Gromit and Woody & Buzz from Toy Story, Shrek, Sponge Bob, The Simpsons, Family Guy, etc.  And animation legends from around the globe: Japanese master film maker Hayao Miyazaki, Czech surrealist artist Jan Svankmajer, Canadian Norman McLaren,  American John Lasseter... and more.

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CHUCK JONES EXTREMES AND IN-BETWEENS (2000, Margaret Selby)

Chuck Jones Extremes and In-betweens: a Life in Animation / DIR: Margaret Selby / WRIT: Greg Ford; Margaret Selby / PHOTO: Mead Hunt / EDIT: Steven Wechsler / SOUND: Danny Caccavo / PRD: CAMI Spectrum / 2000 / 1h 24m.

INTERVIEWEES: Chuck Jones; Maurice Noble (Background Artist); Bob Givens (Layout); Martha Sigall (inker-painter); June Foray (Voice actress); Stan Freberg (Voice actor); Marian Jones (Wife); Linda Jones (Daughter); Richard Kent Jones (Brother); Glen Keane; John Lasseter; Eric Goldberg; Rob Minkoff; Matt Groening; Ken Burns (Director); Ron Howard; Steven Spielberg; Joe Dante; Robin Williams; Whoopi Goldberg; Roger Ebert (film critic); Leonard Maltin

Very few animators are as recognizable as Charles M. Jones; you can tell by the look of it, that you're watching a Chuck's piece. There's an emphasys on the characters expressions, and a tinge of irony in their attitudes (like if the characters were only actors performing their parts). The "camera" work; the odd angles; those briefs moments of stillness before the action begins; the astounding Maurice Noble's backgrounds. Even among the huge Warner Bros library; so many great directors, so many different styles, yet, his work always excelled. As John Lasseter says, "he's given us his versions of some of the most famous cartoon characters in history, but his versions are the definitive ones."

This documentary was shown as an episode for PBS "Great Perfomances" TV series. Covers a good part of Chuck's career. His beginnings working as a cel-washer. Joining the Leon Schlesinger's Studio, and developing an early style, a strongly Disney influenced animation e.g.: Sniffles Takes a Trip (1940)But working with Tex Avery and breathing through the whackiness atmosphere of Warner Bros, soon enough Chuck will find his own voice. And so, comes his first absolutely personal works: The Draft Horse (1942) and The Dover Boys (1942).

This will inevitably lead to the masterpieces: Rabbit of Seville (1950) Feed The Kitty (1952); Duck Amuck (1953); Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953); The Cats Bah (1954) One Froggy Evening (1955); Rocket Squad (1956) What's Opera, Doc? (1957); and so many more!!! great characters, like: Bugs Bunny; Elmer Fudd; Daffy Duck; The Roadrunner and the Coyote; Marvin the martian; Pepé le Pew; Papa, Mama and Junior Bears; Hubie and Bertie...    

His final period, always experimenting, always trying new things: How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) The Dot and the Line (1965); and even his attempt on the Tom and Jerry series (1963-1967).

There is a lot more to tell about Chuck's career, but this serves as a great introduction. (by pelida77)

"I discover isn't a question of drawing, it's a question of expression what makes every character come to life." (C. Jones)

AVI / 700 MB / 1h 24m / Audio: Eng / (5/5 RAR parts)
Video: MPEG-4 / 624x352 (16:9) / 1017 Kbps / 23.976 fps / 0.193 Qf
Audio: MP3 / 48.0 KHz / 122 Kbps
Part 1...
Part 2...
Part 3...
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Part 5...

THE COLORED CARTOON (2007, Christopher Lehman)

 

Christopher P. Lehman. The Colored Cartoon: Black Representation in American Animated Short Films, Amherst, University of Massachusetts Press, 2007.

PDF / 18 MB / 142 pp / 155849779X / 978-1558497795

The way in which black people were depicted during the Golden Age cartoon era was degrading, pure racism. Ethnic jokes, stereotypes, clownish roles, pejorative images, "negro dialect". Fortunately we've come a long way since those days.

The subject of this book is the colored cartoon: the black culture influenced animation during the golden age. In the first chapter Lehman will review stereotypes and traditional stories that configured the cartoon representations of blacks in the beginings of animation. 

Chapter Two detail the problems animation had with sound synchronization, and how the black culture helped to solve some of this problems: the minstrelsy tradition and the jazz-blues music were used for the 30's cartoon musicals. An interesting analysis of minstrelsy use in Van Beuren's Dixie Days (1930); Plane Dumb (1932) and The Lion Tamer (1934). The Bosko character, created by Harman and Ising, the first black-boy heroic cartoon figure. And the Fleischer's cool, empowered - non servile - black characters in Betty Boop's: Minnie the Moocher (1932); I'll be glad when you're dead you rascal you (1932) and The Old Man Of The Mountain (1933).

Chapter three impart on the representation of blackness during the Code era; a lot of cartoons from late 30's till mid 40's will be named and analized: the Hanna-Barbera "mammy" character; Ub Iwerks's Little Black Sambo (1935); the pale ending of Bosko; and Chuck Jones's Flop Goes the Weasel (1943). 

In the fourth chapter Lehman describes Tex Avery "trickster animation", pointing out his use of the african american culture (an application of bebop to animation, without stereotyping black people). And here comes a bold thesis by the author. To him, the Avery's Bugs Bunny is a black character... To prove it, he claims that Bugs coolness and his postures, mimicked the ones made by jazz-bebop performers. 

The fifth chapter deals on the representation of blackness in animation during World War II. A Master piece at the beat of Swing music and with an outstanding animation: Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943). And the final effort of Hanna and Barbera to appropiate the black culture: The Zoot Cat (1944).

The post-war is the subject of the last two chapters; Particularly interesting are the pages dealing with UPA, and how this independent study made dissapear black characters from cartoons.

A cool book, really fun to read and very well documented. (by pelida77)

 

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HOW TO MAKE ANIMATED CARTOONS (1941, Nat Falk)

Falk Nat, How To Make Animated Cartoons , New York, Foundation Books, 1941.

JPG images / 10 MB / Eng / 73 pp (A scan made by animationresources)

The people from animationresources scanned this book, one of the very first on animation history.
A foreword was made by Paul Terry, which is real funny because he talks about the artistic possibilities of cartooning: animation as an art form! ... I mean, this comes from the same cheap bastard that proudly used to said: "If Disney is making chicken pâté, then we are making chickenshit!"
In the first chapter we have a brief history of the attempts to give illusion of movement to drawings: from the Altamira cave pictures till Emile Cohl's animated cartoons. A sweet mention to the Big Four: John Bray, Earl Hurd, Raoul Barre and... Paul Terry of course. According to the book he was the greatest pioneer of them all (I'm not being sarcastic here, I sort of agree with that). So Terry got the most pages and attention: Little Herman, Farmer Al Falfa, and the Aesop's Fables. And then the usual topics: McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur, Felix the Cat, Max Fleischer and Walt Disney (didn't give his permission to show pictures of Disney characters, BOO!!).
In the second chapter we take a journey through each of the "seven major" cartoon studios at the time: The Fleischer Studios; Walt Disney Productions; Terry-Toons; MGM cartoon Division; Walter Lantz Productions; Leon Schlesinger Productions and Screen Gems.

At the end of the chapter Walter Lantz explains how he created Andy Panda (But I'm not sure that he's telling the truth, cause I've once heard a very different story about the origins of Andy).
The third chapter is about the animation production process. Story and Gags, Design, Animation and Layout, Music and Sound Effects, The inking process... etc.
In the last chapter, there's an explanation on how to make your own animated cartoons... How to draw cartoon characters, Squash and stretch, etc. (There are hundreds of books that teachs you that, but the lessons here are made with...Famous characters, like Popeye!)

So, this book is awesome!!! (by pelida77)

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FUNNY PICTURES: Animation and Comedy in Studio-Era Hollywood (2011, Goldmark & Keil)

Goldmark Daniel and keil Charlie [Eds.], Funny Pictures: Animation and Comedy in Studio-Era Hollywood, Los Angeles, University of California Press, 2011.

PDF / 3 MB / 344 pp / Eng / 0520267249 / 978-0520267244

The comedy vein in American animation have always been favored, the goal of the golden age of animation was to amuse, that is: to make the audience laugh. But why there was such a predominance? In this collection of essays, the links between comedy and animation are explored from a variety of perspectives.

- Paul Wells focuses on the many ways Chaplin's cinema have influenced animation; e.g.: Felix in Hollywood (Otto Messmer, 1923), compare Modern Times (Chaplin, 1936) with Clock Cleaners (Disney, 1937).
- Mark Langer takes on the Fleischer Films to destroy the myth that they were failed gag narratives "made up as they went along". Instead he prefers to see their style as an inheir of the Vaudeville comedy and the New York urban context.
- J.B.Kaufman analizes the basic construction of comedy in early Mickey Mouse cartoons and what was different with Disney's later personality animation comedy.
- Gag oriented cartoons are seen as a reaction to the Great Depression in Donald Crafton essay. Expressing the Depression simbolically or literally: The three little Pigs (Disney, 1932); When my ship comes In (Fleischer, 1934); Honeymoon Hotel (Schlesinger, 1934); The Grasshopper and the Ants (Disney, 1934).
- The 30's cartoon gag narration is the subject of Richard Neupert study, focusing on three short masterpieces: Musicland (Disney, 1935); The Sunshine Makers (Van Beuren, 1935) and Funny Little Bunnies (Disney, 1934).
- Susan Ohmer reveal us Disney comedy as a precise Science to make us laugh (for profit), a narrative device constructed thanks to the efforts of the Audience Research Institute and George Gallup (one of the first attempts of marketing research).
- The golden age cartoons were racist... but funny. This is the subject of Nicholas Sammond research: the racist comedy in Golden Age animation.
- The relations between animation and live action comedy it's what gets Henry Jenkins atention (specially the Tex Avery cartoons).

- Philip Brophy enunciate the idea that cartoons are comical because underneath they have a... sexualized base, and symbolizes paraphilia sexual practices (atraction to objects rather than persons). To prove it, he will analize different cartoon characters: Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, The Roadrunner, Tinker Bell, Gerald and Mr. Magoo.
- Charlie Bowers films are the subject of Rob King Essay (and of course also The Mutt and Jeff cartoons).
- Tex Avery obsessions and humour (the same thing really) get Scott Curtis atention. His tendency to repetitions on single gags, and the automatism aspects of Avery's comedy.
- Ethan de Seife writes on Frank Tashlin visual comic style.
- The music and the sound effects are what makes a cartoon funny, that's the thesis of Daniel Goldmark; he will analize the work of the most important animation composers: Carl W. Stalling; Scott Bradley; Max Steiner; Joe Denat and Edie Kilfeather; Frank Churchill; Leigh Harline; Oliver Wallace; Philip A. Scheib.
- Linda Simensky analizes 1990's cartoons comedy.

Some are brilliant, others pure nonsense... It's a fun collection of essays (with a lousy cover art job: there's nothing funny about that picture). (by pelida77)

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MARAVILLAS DE LOS DIBUJOS ANIMADOS (1968, Bob Thomas)

Bob Thomas, Maravillas de los Dibujos Animados, Valencia, Gaisa, 1968.

JPEG / 66 MB / Spanish - Espanol / 185 pp / (A scan made by Ernest Pfluger)

This is the spanish translation of The Art of Animation (1958, Bob Thomas) The original english book is no longer being published. (If you can't read spanish, you'll still be able to enjoy the art, and inside-studio photographs.)

Like the Thomas and Johnston Illusion of Life, this is an absolute classic of animation literature. This book inspired a whole generation to become animators. John Lasseter once said that through this book he realised that people made cartoons for living... and of course, that's what he wanted to do. The book was used as an advertising teaser for the upcoming release of Sleeping Beauty (1959); which is treated as the pinnacle of Disney's Art form, and so this movie serves as a unifying theme for the book. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of the animation process; explaining its history, with recurrent memories about the old days, how things were made in the 20's (or even before) and how far with Sleeping Beauty they've come.

This was the first Disney book that gave partial credit to the artist (though it's funny-awkward how Walt Disney is depicted as someone that would actually make the drawings; and every now and then we get a boss ass-kissing sentence). Of course the nine are credited Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Les Clark, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery and Eric Larson; and other famous artist like: Ub Iwerks, Fred Spencer, Wilfred Jackson, Albert Hurter, Gerry Geronimi, Fred Moore, Norm Ferguson, Burt Gillett, David Hand, Ham Luske, Byll Tytla... And more. But also some forgotten figures, like: Don DaGradi (writer); Webb Smith, Ed penner and Joe Rinaldi (Storyboards); Tead Sears and Dick Huemer (ex Fleischers animators). A MUST in your collection. (by pelida77)

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7 MINUTES (1993, Norman Klein) *Incomplete

Klein, Norman, M., 7 Minutes The Life and Death of The American Animated Cartoon, London, New Left Books, 1993.

JPG / 15 MB / Eng / *Incomplete (I'm being honest here) / 1859841503 / 978-1859841501

I recomend you use the Gonvisor or similar to read this book.

A long Essay about the american seven-minute cartoon, starting with the coming of sound in 1928 till the death of the genre in the 60's.
Klein it's a confusing critic, very obscure at times... you may get lost with the terms and clasifications he uses. But if you read this book while you watch the cartoons he analyzes, it could be a fun experience. Some clever points combined with pure nuisance (sadly, this last is way more frequent).
Brilliant: Norman classifies the characters in cartoons in three essentials roles: The Over reactor (Yosemite Sam,Donald Duck); The nuissance (e.g.: Daffy, ); and The Controller (Bugs in Duck Amuck; sub role: The Censor: Grandma in Sylvester and Twetee; the Wizard in Fantasia or the black woman in Tom and Jerry); This roles will evolve and change throughout different periods but still stay recognizable.
I'll give a list of themes (because the chapter titles suck):
19th Century Illustration and The Vaudeville influence. A comic strip cartoon. The irreverence in earlier cartoons. Felix The Cat. The irruption of Disney's first sound shorts. Mickey Mouse The Fleischer Style: City, Machines and Madness. Betty Boop and Popeye. The Decline of New York. Merrie Melodies. The dramatic improvement of color. 1936, towards a movie-like "Full animation". Moral Melodrama: the cautionary cartoon. The Sadism period. The chase cartoon... and a little more

- The story development and the changes in Style through history.
- Koko the clown, Mickey Mouse, Bosko, Silly Symphonies, Looney Tunes, Superman, Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Woody Woodpecker,Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Porky, Daffy, Wile E. Coyote and The Roadrunner, Mr Magoo, Droopy, Wolfie, Barney Bear, Chilly Willy... And fortunately, many many more.
- Winsor McCay, Otto Messmer, Ub Iwerks, Max Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, Seymour Kneitel, Dave Tendlar, Grim Natwick, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Walter Lantz, Walt Disney, Bill Melendez, Fred Moore, Frank Thomas, Ward Kimball, Marc Davis.
- The notes are at the end of the book, that's a bit anoying.

(by pelida77)

As I've always said, this files are intended to be use as a preview (also a kind of a back up... in case your house... gets burned?); So STOP BITCHING about the missing pages; a 75 % of the book is complete: most of the missing pages are from the notes section
(and finally...books can be bought, you know?)

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Happy New Year!!!

DRAWING THE LINE (2006, Tom Sito)

Sito, Tom. Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson, Lexington, The University Press of Kentucky, 2006.

PDF / 7MB / Eng / 440 pages / 0813124077 / 978-0813124070

This one is a history of american animation unions. Tom Sito is said to be an important animator of the Disney "renaissance", and was once elected president of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonist Union.

Something that we easily forget is that Animation is a colective art form, made by many, many individuals. And very often they are exploted by the bosses (I sound like a Red :P...)
I think that knowing about animation labor history helps you understand that. Like Tom says:
"Hollywood is a union town [...] Love them or hate them, for the last century the unions are the one undeniable fact of life in Hollywood animation. No one can hope to really understand the history of the American animated cartoon without knowing the union's story."

But, more than a boring list of union achievements this book is an intriguing history of american cartoon, right from it origins, to the latest CGI films.

If all this doesn't convince you, I would said that you should read this book just for the juicy anecdotes. e.g.: Dumbo was made during one of the fiercest animation strikes of american history, the 1941 Disney strike.
While more than half of the Disney workers were outside the studio raising strike signs, crossing the line, some of their colleagues depict them as clowns for posterity (in the scene where after their success the clowns plan to go see the boss and demand from him a raise; And you can imagine what was Walt answer when you realise that the other production made in 1941 was...
The reluctant Dragon.)

List of Chapters:

1. The World of animation studio: the cartoon assembly line / 2. Suits: producers as artist see them /3. Hollywood labor 1933-1941: The Birth of cartoonists unions / 4. The Fleischer strike: a union busted a studio destroyed 5. The great Disney studio strike 1941: The civil war of animation / 6. The war of Hollywood and the Blacklist 1945-1953 / 7. A bag of oranges: the Terrytoons strikes and the great withe father / 8. Lost Generations 1952-1988 / 9. Animation and the global market: the runaway wars 1979-1982 / 10. Camelot 1988-2001 /11. Animation... Isn't That All done on Computers Now: Where to now?

- Thousands of anecdotes and stories of the greatest artist of the age: Virgil Ross, Bill Tytla, Ub Iwerks, Tex Avery, Call Howard, Brenda Chapman-Lima, Bob Clampett, Grim Natwick, Don Bluth, Iwao Takamoto, Chuck Jones, Walter Lantz, Jay Ward, Winsor McCay, Fred Moore, Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Pete Burness, John Lasseter, Frank Gonzalez, Gene Deitch, Ward Kimball, Bobe Cannon, and more...
- The working conditions during golden age of animation.
- The daily life of the Big Shots, a tale of Tiranny... (Well, you know what they say, only a whip could put up this tribe of grown up childrens to work): Walt Disney, Max Fleischer, Ted Turner, Leon Schlesinger, Amadee Van Beuren, Charles Mintz, Eddie Selzer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Margaret Winkler Mintz, Paul Terry, Fred Quimby, Pat Sullivan, Ralph Bakshi, James L. Brooks, Lou Scheimer... and many more.
- The Dirty side of animation business.
- Top cartoonist that were also Union supporters like: Bill Tytla, Chuck Jones, Steve Bosustow, Maurice Noble,Bill Melendez, Arthur Babbitt (hail to you troublemakers).

The original cover sucked so much, that I decide to make one by myself... My very first book cover,Is not that bad, is it? ... Hell, I think this one could sell the book infinitely better.

(by pelida77)

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THE SIMPSONS: AN UNCENSORED UNAUTHORIZED HISTORY (John Ortved)

ORTVED, John, The Simpsons: An Uncensored Unauthorized History, New York, Faber & Faber, 2009.

PDF/ 1.1 MB / Eng / 352 pp. / 0865479887 / 978-0865479883

La historia de cómo se creó el show de animación más importante de los 90's (para algunos uno de los más importantes de la historia). Aproximación biográfica a Matt Groening.

Múltiples entrevistas a sus creadores, personajes del espectáculo (y del mundo de la comedia).

El PDF es espantoso, fue así como lo conseguí (pero se deja leer).

The Simpsons is one of the most successful shows to ever run on television. From its first moment on air, the series's rich characters, subversive themes, and layered humor resounded deeply with audiences both young and old who wanted more from their entertainment than what was being meted out at the time by the likes of Full House, Growing Pains, and Family Matters. Spawned as an animated short on The Tracy Ullman Show—mere filler on the way to commercial breaks—the series grew from a controversial cult favorite to a mainstream powerhouse, and after nineteen years the residents of Springfield no longer simply hold up a mirror to our way of life: they have ingrained themselves into it.

John Ortved's oral history will be the first-ever look behind the scenes at the creation and day-to-day running of The Simpsons, as told by many of the people who made it: among them writers, animators, producers, and network executives. It’s an intriguing yet hilarious tale, full of betrayal, ambition, and love. Like the family it depicts, the show's creative forces have been riven by dysfunction from the get-go—outsize egos clashing with studio executives and one another over credit for and control of a pop-culture institution. Contrary to popular belief, The Simpsons did not spring out of one man's brain, fully formed, like a hilarious Athena. Its inception was a process, with many parents, and this book tells the story.

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THE ILLUSION OF LIFE (Frank Thomas y Ollie Johnston)

THOMAS Frank y Ollie Johnston, Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life , New York, Disney Edition, 1981.

PDF or JPG images / 111 MB or 138 MB / Eng / 548 pp /0786860707 / 978-0786860708

Este es el mejor libro para poder apreciar el arte del estudio Disney y de la animación en general. La razón principal se encuentra en que sus autores no son críticos sino animadores de la vieja escuela. Nos ofrecen testimonio de un mundo que hoy ha dejado de existir, el de la Edad de Oro de la Animación (Verflossen ist das Gold der Tage). Disney representa el punto más alto que ha alcanzado este arte. Frente a las extraordinarias películas de los americanos las producciones del resto del mundo palidecen.

- Principios de la animación de Disney. Thomas y Johnston (los autores, y miembros del grupo de los 9) fueron los primeros en enunciar y explicar los principios aquí contenidos (muchos especialistas luego repetirán estos principios). Debido a esto The Illusion of Life se ha vuelto una obra canónica de la crítica de animación.

- Visión y Figura de Walt Disney. Un acercamiento distinto al genio estadounidense a través de los ojos de sus más íntimos colaboradores y amigos.

- Historia de la animación de Disney, desde los orígenes, atravesando distintas etapas de descubrimiento 1923-1936, pasando por la Edad de Oro de la animación (propiamente dicha): 1937- 1943; y el Período posterior a 1944, hasta finales de los 70's.

- Distintos aspectos en una obra de Arte de animación: Sonido, Diseño de Personajes, Planos, Background, Argumento, Color, etc. Con consejos, técnicas, secretos, etc., de los principales creativos de la historia de Disney.

- Tecnologías utilizadas. El libro explica las dificultades técnicas que debieron superar los animadores, y logra transmitir la excitación que provocaba cada uno de los descubrimientos.

- Cientos de Ilustraciones (a color), Background Art, Células, Storyboards, etc., de las distintas películas y cortos de Disney (con interesantes anécdotas acerca del proceso creativo en cada una de ellas).

En unas pocas palabras, es un libro absolutamente apasionante. (by pelida77)

Thomas and Johnston, two of Disney's original animators, here give the inside scoop on how the studio created the works that have charmed the world. "The text is ambitious. The authors simultaneously give a history of Disney animation and explain the processes involved in clear, nontechnical terms." Along with the splendid text are dozens of color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations. A "magnificent volume" that remains "essential for film collections and a feast for the most casual peruser."

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Or maybe you want to have this book in a better quality (JPEG images)

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JAPANESE VISUAL CULTURE (Mark W. McWilliams)

MACWILLIAMS, Mark W. [ed.], Japanese Visual Culture: Explorations in the World of Manga and Anime, New York, East Gate Books, 2008.

PDF / 10 MB / Eng / 365 pag / 0765616017 / 978-0765616012

Otro de los mejores libros que podrás encontrar aquí (aunque la portada es un asco). La crítica Kinko Ito testimonia cuán importante fue el manga en su formación moral y profesional; además realiza una estupenda historia del manga, comenzando por sus antecedentes en el Japón premoderno (según ella en el periodo Tokugawa), siguiendo por los padres fundadores del manga contemporáneo (por supuesto referencia obligada al trabajo de Tezuka), para finalmente analizar las décadas del ’60, ’70 y ’80. Su trabajo viene a completarse con el de Rajyashree Pandey, quien rastrea las genealogías medievales del manga; el de Eldad Nakar, con un agudo análisis del manga japonés en el período de posguerra; el de Susanne Phillips, quien analiza la excelsa obra de Tezuka Osamu; y finalmente, el de Mizuki Takahashi, que examina variantes y simbolismo del género Shôjo en el Manga. Pero el libro tiene además numerosos trabajos dedicados al animé. Gilles Poitras realiza una breve historia del animé, destacando aquellos elementos que lo hacen diferente de animaciones de otros países. Hay trabajos de análisis de obras de Rintaro, Miyazaki, y Kôn, entre otros... (by pelida77)

Just in terms of the expansive area with which MacWilliams covers the topic of Japanese Visual Culture is enough to warrant kudos. This book collects writers from across the globe to comment on Japanese visuals, aesthetics, and media from before the world knew of Hokusai's views of Mount Fuji all the way up to computer-generated animation in films like Ghost in the Shell 2.
However, this book does not merely cover the historicity of Japanese visual culture but how it has impacted gender relations, politics, international relations, and cultural identity. While this book does tend to get bogged down in certain areas through repetition in multiple articles (how much do we really need to hear about the changes Shojo manga brought to the industry or how Osamu Tezuka is the founder of modern manga and anime?) the book is a great foundational piece for anyone looking to further their own studies on the subject of Japanese visual culture.

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ANIME From Akira To Howl’s Moving Castle (Susan Napier)

NAPIER, Susan J., Anime. From Akira To Howl’s Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation [updated edition], New York, Palgrave Mcmillan, 2005.

PDF / 17 MB / Eng / 384 pag / 1403970521 / 978-1403970527

Este es a mi gusto uno de los mejores. Susan Napier es profesora de Literatura y Cultura Japonesa en la universidad de Austin (Texas). Es una de las críticas más reconocidas y respetadas del mundo. En el 2001 publica From Akira to Princess Mononoke, que actualizará en el 2004 tras la consagración definitiva en USA de Hayao Miyazaki. En este libro hace un repaso por los distintos géneros del animé con un análisis siempre incisivo de sus mejores ejemplos: Akira, Ranma, Urusei Yatsura, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Nausicaä, Urotsukidoji (clásico del hentai), Ghost in the Shell, y más... Una obra fundamental para todo aquel que busque comprender el mundo del animé (by pelida77)

This new edition of the groundbreaking popular book is a must-have for both seasoned and new fans of anime. Japanese animation is more popular than ever following the 2002 Academy Award given to Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. It confirmed that anime is more than just children's cartoons, often portraying important social and cultural themes. With new chapters on Spirited Away and other recent releases, including Howl's Moving Castle--Miyazaki's latest hit film, already breaking records in Japan--this edition will be the authoritative source on anime for an exploding market of viewers who want to know more.

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