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PUBLICATIONS
SECRETS OF DISNEY'S VISUAL EFFECTS: THE SCHULTHEIS NOTEBOOKS is an article by John Canemaker in the March/April issue of PRINT ($7.50 at news stands). This is an impressive fact-filled article about the discovery and content of notebooks by Herman Schultheis who worked in the Disney processing lab and then in the special effects camera department from 1938-'41. The 9 page article is beautifully illustrated and it made me want to see the entire manuscript. If all goes well the manuscript may be published. Howard Lowery would like to see it come out in a facsimile limited edition.
McBOING BOING'S, #7, MAY, 1996 has scooped all the big magazines in reporting what Disney/Mirimax features are in production. Among the ones they list are Bugs, Pixar's current project; Selick's Toots and the Upside Down House; Dinosaurs, the computer animated Disney project directed by George Scribner (Oliver and Company) plus lots of other titles from Disney that have been mentioned in print before (Huntchback, Hercules, Fantasia Continued, Legend of Mulan, Aida, 101 Dalmations, Tarzan).
Most of the issue is part 2 of an article about the history of Fleischer's Popeye. There are also lots of reviews of books, tapes and disc including an explanation of what Disney censored in the "Best of Roger Rabbit" home video. (In the short Trail Mix-Up there is a barely visible poster of Jessica Rabbit posed as a lewd pin-up with a saw between her legs for a company called "Rigid Tools").
Subscriptions are $10 a year from Dewey McGuire, 134 Cardiff Circle, Iowa City, IA 52246 (319) 337-3233
FPS HAS A SOLID DOUBLE ISSUE filled with informative articles. There is also a 12 page Aeon Flux mini-magazine within the issue. FPS is a Canadian fan publication written by people who know and love animation. Almost half the magazine covers computer animation, including articles on "ReBoot," SIGGRAPH 95 and animation related computer software. There are long interviews with Tony Apodaca and Flip Phillips of Pixar (5 pages, not the short paragraph type interview found in some trade publications) and an equally long interview with Eric Darnell and Michael Collery of PDI (they did Gas Planet).
The second half of the issue concentrates on Japanese animation. There is an interview with Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of Mobile Suit Gundam, plus reviews of video releases, etc. There is also an article titled "Rotoscoping: Animation's Dirty Little Secret?"
The double issue has a cover price of $8.95 and is dated Summer and Autumn, 1995. Subscriptions are $18 for 4 issues from Pawn Press, attn: FPS, PO Box 355, Station H, Montreal, Quebec Canada H3G 2L1
ANIMATO! ISSUE 34, SPRING, 1996 ($4.50) has several good articles on voice actors including interviews with Jackson Beck (Bluto in Popeye cartoons) and Jess Harnell (Wakko on "Animaniacs"). There is an interview with Chris Brough, "Reboot's" producer; an article about Sunbow, and interviews with a wide range of people including Joe Barbera, Charles Solomon and John Dilworth. There is a review section that covers all or most of the TV shows released in 1995 and a lot more including a poorly researched article called "In Search of Sam Singer" in a column called Curiosity Shop. Trouble with the article is the author didn't find Sam who is alive, well, and listed in the LA phone book. Sam had worked at Disney, Columbia and Warners in the late 1930's and early '40's before becoming a pioneer of early TV animation. He now makes portable animation discs. They were mentioned along with his address and phone number in our May newsletter.
The issue is also full of reviews, news, and other articles. Subscriptions are $16 a year from 17 Spruce St. Springfield, MA 01105.
ANIMATION MAGAZINE, APRIL, 1996 contains several long articles about the commercial industry. There is a discussion of Softimage, a look at the making of James and the Giant Peach, an article on Film Roman, an illustrated guide to "The Most Influential in International Animation," articles on the industry in Europe, a digital ink and paint service named Chromacolour, a directory of foreign studios, lots of news items and much more.
MAY, 1996 issue features a multimedia producers directory that doesn't list most of the Bay Area companies, articles about Cardiff Animation Festival, ITEL, Nelvana, 3rd Dimension Technologies, Westwood Studios, 64-Bit games, and lots of other stuff.
If you want to subscribe, or let them know your multimedia company exists, call (800) 996-TOON. Subscriptions are $45 a year from 30101 Agoura Court Suite 110, Agoura Hills, CA 91301-9987.
ASIFA NEWS, VOL 9, #1 is free to people who pay their International ASIFA dues. The current issue contains a lot of news items not to be found anywhere else, a solid report on what is happening in animation in Israel, several illustrated pages covering the history of animation (reprinted from ASIFA-Canada's magazine) and most importantly a letter from Barry Purves about his experience working with Tim Burton in Hollywood (reprints in this issue).
People who renewed their $40 international membership this year or joined before March, should have their copy of this issue by now. If not give Marty McNamara a call at (415) 337-7079. If you joined recently we are holding your dues and will mail them to the international after the June membership drive (for people whose dues are due in the middle of the year).
IN TOON! SPRING, 1996 is a valuable publication for animation art collectors. There is an article on Jim Davis and Garfield on the 26th anniversary of the cat, a discussion on the importance of animation story art (regarding Mike Glad's exhibit of Dumbo art at the new Cartoon Art Museum in Boca Raton), an article about Chuck Jones' daughter Linda, a serious discussion on collecting posters and other advertising art for cartoons, plus lots of auction news, reviews of new laser discs, etc.
Subscriptions are $18 a year or $32 for 2 years from PO Box 487, White Plains, NY 10603
FROSTBITE FALLS FAR-FLUNG FLIER provides "all the moose that's fit to print." The Rocky and Bullwinkle unofficial newsletter is full of it too. And it is 14 pages of cool facts & other stuff - available for $750 for the final 3 issues (ok, make that $7.50) from Gary David, PO Box 39, Macedonia, Ohio 44056-0039