June 1998
TALKING ANIMALS AND OTHER PEOPLE by Shamus Culhane has been reissues by Da Capo (1998) with a soft cover for $17.95. This autobiography by an animator and director who worked for Lantz, Disney, Warners, Fleischer and other studios before opening his own studio. It is an unusual look inside the industry. He told it like he remembered it which got him into trouble when the book came out in 1986. His outspoken comments about a union leader who helped put him out of business are most unkind. Others who remember the people Culhane disliked say his comments are sometimes untrue.
On the other hand nobody denies Culhane's stories about bootleg booze and prostitutes being part of the life of some of the young animators at Fleischer in the early 1930's. He talks about his brief stay at Warners with disgust for the way Leon Schlesinger ran the studio. He recalls the mental problems of Burt Gillett and tells lots of other stories that will surprise you.
Culhane's memory of his years at Disney should make the book a must-read for many people. Animation historians who reviewed the book complained a few dates and names are wrong, but the overall picture of what the studios were like in the 1930's and 40's is why I think this is an important document.
CARTOONS, ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF CINEMA ANIMATION by Giannalberto Bendazzi from Indiana University Press (800) 842-6796. When this book came out in the mid-1990's I reviewed it for our newsletter and mentioned the problems I had reading it due to errors caused by the translator (Bendazzi is from Italy). Despite its minor faults I now find the book quite useful as a reference. I often use it when I need to look up dates and other information about directors and films that were not made in Hollywood.
The book is quite large and it contains information you are not going to find anywhere else. For example, Bendazzi writes about animated features that were made in Italy, Germany and South America long before Disney made Snow White. This is the only book that I know that discusses animation in Africa and in several other parts of the world.
It seems like there are thousands of animated films mentioned in this work and unfortunately most are not available for screenings in the USA on film or tape. The book puts our own animation history into perspective with what has been produced in other countries. It may not be the easiest book to read, but it is a very valuable reference work.
WALT DISNEY AND EUROPE: EUROPEAN INFLUENCES ON THE ANIMATED FEATURE FILMS OF WALT DISNEY by Robin Allan. To be published by John Libbey - Fall, 1998. It will be available from Indiana University Press {812} 855-4203. The book, based on archival records, interviews and other documents, covers European cultural influences on the animated features from Snow White to Jungle Book. The book is the result of Allan's ten years of meticulous research. His slide lectures on the subject (including presentations a few years ago in the Bay Area) are fascinating and informative. I certainly look forward to seeing his contribution to animation studies.
ART IN MOTION: ANIMATION AESTHETICS by Dr. Maureen Furniss is another book scheduled to appear soon from John Libbey (Available from Indiana University Press {812} 855-4203.) The book will focus on techniques and issues affecting experimental and commercial animation produced for film and television throughout the world. Chapters cover a wide range of topics from "Foundations of Studio Practices," "Alternatives in Animation Production," and "An Introduction to Animation Studies," to "Institutional Regulators," "Animation and its Audiences," "Issues of Representation" and "Considering Form in Abstract Animation." There are also chapters on "Full and Limited Cel Animation," "Three-dimensional Animation," "New Technologies," "Mise-en-scene," "Sound Structure and Design," and "The Classical-era Disney Studio."
