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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ANIME CLASSICS ZETTAI! (2007, Camp / Davis)

/ PDF / English / 408 pages / 1933330228 / 978-1933330228

Brian Camp and Julie Davis. Anime Classics Zettai! 100 Must See Japanese Animation Masterpieces. Berkeley California, Stone Bridge Press, 2007

A concerted effort by two long time anime critics to identify the best works produced by japanese animators; narrowing down the 100 essential titles of all time. To name just a few: Panda and the Magic Serpent, Space Battleship Yamato, Akira, Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Neo Tokyo, Blue Submarine No. 6, My Neighbour Totoro, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Pom Poko, Ninja Scroll, Steamboy, Tokyo Godfathers, Howl’s Moving Castle... and many more.

Each entrance receives at least two pages of treatment, with a plot summary, a visual style description (design of the characters and the world setting), music soundtrack analysis, notes on the production of the animation, highlights of the film, and little about the precedents, influence and legacy.

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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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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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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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