Fundraiser: Iron Giant Reunion

ASIFA-Hollywood invites you to attend...


IRON GIANT REUNION
Friday, October 23, 2009- 7:30 pm
Steven J. Ross Theater
Warner Bros Studio Lot
Burbank, CA

ASIFA-Hollywood will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of the 1999 animated masterpiece “The Iron Giant”, with an evening of lively discussion with some of the animators and crew members on Friday, October 23, 2009, at 7:30 p.m., at the Steven J. Ross Theater on the Warner Bros studio lot, in Burbank, California.

Parking will be at the Grant Parking Lot, on Barham Blvd across the street from Gate 2, near the Smoke House. Entrance will require photo- ID for WB Security.

The Event is Sold Out, however, a limited number of seats may become available. Please check back at this site. Ticket purchases are not refundable. We will be notifying ticket holders with confirmations by email soon. Parking is free. Proceeds benefit the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. This event is made possible by a generous grant from the Walter Lantz Foundation.

About The Iron Giant Reunion

ASIFA-Hollywood will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Annie Awards winning 1999 animated masterpiece "The Iron Giant", with an evening with lively discussion with some of the animators and crew members on Friday, October 23, 2009.

Among the many artists expected to attend will be writer and director Brad Bird, background artist Anne Guenther, art director Alan Bodner, lead animator Steve Markowski, and artistic coordinator Scott Johnston. The panel will be moderated by animator Tom Sito.

"The Iron Giant is one of those rare films that flawlessly merged CG with traditional animation and represented superior storytelling," said ASIFA-Hollywood Vice-President Tom Sito. "ASIFA-Hollywood wants to showcase the individuals who made the iconic film, and the event will be extra-special with a rare appearance by Brad Bird."
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FREE Screening Friday At Woodbury

FREE SUMMER SCREENING AT WOODBURY!


W. C. Fields, the comedian who broke all the rules to create one of the most vivid comic personas of the 20th century.
Pop Cultural Literacy 102
A Series of Summer Screenings
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Short Subjects Start At 7pm, The Feature Film Starts At 8:30.
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)


Lester Young
So far, we've screened some of the greatest musical performances of the 20th century, the granddaddy of all adventure films and the most anarchic comedy film ever made. This month we have a program featuring one of the most unique and under-appreciated film comics of them all. We'll be screening my personal choice for best comedy movie of all time. Don't miss it.

For more about the Pop Cultural Literacy programs at Woodbury, see...

Pop Culture 101: Famous Comedians

Pop Culture 101: Great Musicians

Pop Culture 101: Experimental Live Video Feed
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Pop Cultural Literacy 102: Second Helping of Fun

FREE SUMMER SCREENING AT WOODBURY!


The Marx Brothers
Pop Cultural Literacy 102
A Series of Summer Screenings
Friday, August 14th, 2009
September Date To Be Announced
Short Subjects Start At 7pm, The Feature Film Starts At 8:30.
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)


Laurel & Hardy
Last month, we screened some of the greatest musical performances of the 20th century along with the granddaddy of all adventure films. This month we have a laff-riot program planned with the funniest comedians to ever perform on celluloid. This show is guaranteed to make you say "WOW!" Don't miss it.

For more about the Pop Cultural Literacy programs at Woodbury, see...

Pop Culture 101: Famous Comedians

Pop Culture 101: Great Musicians

Pop Culture 101: Experimental Live Video Feed
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Comic Con: ASIFA Program Schedule

ASIFA-Hollywood invites you to join us at...



COMIC-CON 2009
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, California
July 23 -26, 2009


Visit us at Booth #5334 (To the right of the main entrance, against the lobby side wall) to get information on ASIFA-Hollywood membership, upcoming programs, the Annie Awards and the Animation Archive. The entire ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Database, which includes over 5,000 animated films and 15,000 images will be on hand for you to browse and enjoy. Stop by and see all the treasures!

ASIFA-Hollywood will also be presenting the following programs at Comic- Con:

Friday, July 24, 2009

2:30 pm -3:30 pm: State of the Animation Industry-- ASIFA-Hollywood's annual overview of trends in the animation industry. In this turbulent economy, how is the animation industry faring? Can games take up the slack? Is 2D coming back? Moderated by Tom Sito (Shrek, The Lion King). Panelists include Raul Garcia (The Missing Lynx), Frank Gladstone (producer, Starz Media, Dreamworks), Jun Falkenstein (The Tigger Movie, Mulan II), Helen Jen (Games), and Stephen Silver (Kim Possible) Room 10

Friday, July 24, 2009

9:00 pm -10:00 pm: Worst Cartoons Ever-- Animation historian Jerry Beck (Cartoon Brew) returns with an all new program of some of the worst cartoons ever made, including the Phys Ed super-hero Mighty Mr. Titan, space cadet Johnny Cypher and that crimefighting commander-in-chief, Super President. Have a ball with the best/bad animation ever! Room 6BCF

Saturday, July 25, 2009

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm What Is an Animated Film?-- Many people view animation as a genre. Like "westerns" and "science fiction," animation has come to follow a few tightly defined sets of conventions—anime, funny animal, and fairy tales form the basis of most animated cartoons. But animation is much more than just that. It is a medium capable of expressing a wide range of styles and stories. In this screening and talk, Stephen Worth, director of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, presents examples of animated films that don't follow the established formulas- films that experiment with technique and storytelling to push the envelope of the definition of animation. Room 3

Hope to see you at the Con!

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Pop Cultural Literacy Screening Experimental Live Feed

The crack team of electronic physicists at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has been working day and night to make it possible to stream a small portion of the Pop Cultural Literacy 101 Program at Woodbury to all of you who couldn't make it to the show- but that's not all. Our engineers have devised a method to GO BACK IN TIME to Friday night for a LIVE STREAMING VIDEO. It's still a little glitchy, but click on the link for a technical explanation from our chief engineer, T. Frothington Bellows and a sample live feed direct from Woodbury!


CLICK TO LAUNCH LIVE FEED
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Pop Cultural Literacy Screening FRIDAY

You never know who you might meet at the Pop Cultural Literacy show at Woodbury University Friday night!


Lena Horne
The 20th Century has been described as "the golden age of everything." Join us at Woodbury University for a sampling of some of the most incredible performers of the past- three solid hours of some of the greatest entertainment ever put on film. FREE admission. FREE parking. Don't be late! The show starts promptly at 7pm and the feature starts at 8:30pm. See you at Woodbury!

Pop Cultural Literacy 101: THE MUSIC
Pop Cultural Literacy 101: THE COMEDY


Johnny Cash
Pop Cultural Literacy 101
A Series of Summer Screenings
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Friday, August 14th, 2009
September Date To Be Announced
Short Subjects Start At 7pm, The Feature Film Starts At 8:30.
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)


Errol Flynn
It's ALL GOOD!

Thanks to Woodbury University and the Walter Lantz Foundation for making this event possible.
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Screening: Pop Cultural Literacy 101

FREE SUMMER SCREENING AT WOODBURY FRIDAY NIGHT!


The Marx Brothers
"I was teaching my animation history class and I overheard one of the students telling his friend about this great anti-war film he had just discovered... Duck Soup!" --Tom Sito overheard at an ASIFA meeting

Pop Cultural Literacy 101
A Series of Summer Screenings
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Friday, August 14th, 2009
September Date To Be Announced
Short Subjects Start At 7pm, The Feature Film Starts At 8:30.
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)


The Three Stooges
Music is the life force of great animation, and last week I posted a teaser about some of the great music we'd be featuring in the series of screenings at Woodbury University that begins this coming Friday. Today, I'm going to talk a little bit about the comedians we'll be seeing.


Harold Lloyd
That image up there is one of the most iconic in all of silent comedy, but I bet you have never seen the film it comes from, nor any of Harold Lloyd's other films for that matter. It's not your fault. The downright lousy programming on cable TV over the past decade or so has cheated a whole generation of cartoonists out of the opportunity to explore the world of the incredibly talented comedians of the past. I'm going to take a stab at rectifying that wrong at Woodbury University this summer with a series of screenings designed to give young animators a random sampling of great stuff that will amaze and inspire them.


W. C. Fields
Obviously, it's impossible to pack everything that was good in the 20th century into a few short hours, but my goal is to drop bread crumbs like in Hansel and Gretel which can act as a trail for artists taking their own trip of discovery through some of the best entertainment ever created.


Laurel & Hardy
You've probably seen caricatures of most of these famous faces in old cartoons. The animators didn't just caricature them because they liked their films, they analyzed and broke down their technique to refine their own comic staging and timing. Although the subject matter of these films may be dated, the techniques are not. These films are an encyclopedia of ideas for creating comedy.


Our Gang
There will be assorted musical and comedy shorts beginning at 7pm, and a classic feature at 8:30. Even if you've seen some of this before, it won't matter, because these are the kinds of films that you can watch over and over and still find new things in them.


Buster Keaton
This screening is presented FREE to the creative community by the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, Woodbury University and the Walter Lantz Foundation. Come on out and bring your friends. No RSVP is needed. Parking is free. Try to find a better way to spend a Friday night... You can't!

Pop Cultural Literacy 101
A Series of Summer Screenings
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Friday, August 14th, 2009
September Date To Be Announced
Short Subjects Start At 7pm, The Feature Film Starts At 8:30.
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)

See you at Woodbury this Summer!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

Many thanks to Dr. Macro's High Quality Movie Scans for the wonderful photos that illustrate this post.
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Pop Cultural Literacy 101: Summer Screening Series At Woodbury

Spike Jones and Doodles Weaver
Spike Jones: Clink, Clink Another Drink
Spike Jones: Pass The Biscuits Mirandy
Doodles Weaver: A Day With Doodles
I've written before about the creative explosion in the arts that occurred around the first half of the 20th century. It always surprises me when I meet a college student who is studying animation who doesn't know anything about the music that came before the Beatles or movies before Star Wars. This Summer, thanks to Woodbury University and the Walter Lantz Foundation, I have a chance to share the work of some of the most amazing entertainers who ever lived with a new generation of artists.


Maria Callas
Maria Callas: Habanera From Bizet's Carmen
The Golden Age animators knew and loved these performers. They studied them and incorporated elements of their style and caricatures of them into their cartoons. There is a lot to learn from this old stuff. The first thing you will learn is that it is surprisingly skillful and entertaining. Isn't that something you want your animation to be?


Buck Owens
Buck Owens: I've Got A Tiger By The Tail
Buck Owens: Foolin' Around
Another thing you'll discover is that the music of the 20th century is unbelievably diverse. Today, we have a million names to describe basically the same type of music. Back then, the names defined a myriad of sounds... country, opera, jazz, folk, blues, rock and roll... more kinds of music than existed in any other time period. We'll sample a little bit of this ocean of great stuff in a series of screenings this Summer at Woodbury.


Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway: The Reefer Man
Cab Calloway: Minnie the Moocher
In this post, I've given you an idea of the musical performers you'll discover at these screenings, but there's much more... rare examples of dance, comedy, drama... all kinds of entertainment that directly applies to your work as an animator... up on the big screen the way they were intended to be seen. I'll tell you more as the time gets nearer. Mark these dates down on your calendar, and plan to attend. It's FREE to students, the animation community and the general public courtesy of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, Woodbury University and the Walter Lantz Foundation.


Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters: Hoochie Coochie Man
Muddy Waters: I Can't Be Satisfied
Pop Cultural Literacy 101
A Series of Summer Screenings
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Friday, August 14th, 2009
September Date To Be Announced
Short Subjects Start At 7pm, The Feature Film Starts At 8:30.
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)


Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck: Take The A Train
Dave Brubeck: It's A Raggy Waltz

See you at Woodbury this Summer!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

Many thanks to Dr. Macro's High Quality Movie Scans for the wonderful photos that illustrate this post.
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EVENT: Little Mermaid Reunion May 21st

ASIFA-Hollywood Proudly Presents
The Little Mermaid Twentieth Anniversary Reunion
Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium
Woodbury University
7500 Glenoaks Bl, Burbank, California
Thursday, May 21, 2009 7-10 PM


Special guests for the panels will include the film's writers and directors John Musker & Ron Clements, animators Andreas Deja (King Triton), Mark Henn (Ariel), Duncan Marjoribanks (Sebastian), Reuben Aquino (Ursula) and Tina Price (CAPS system and early CGI). The panel will be moderated by animator Tom Sito.

Reservations are not required for this event. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of ASIFA-Hollywood and students of Woodbury admitted free; non-members $10. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Parking is free. Woodbury University is located at 7500 Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA 91510-7846.

Proceeds from this program will benefit the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive.

This event is made possible by a generous grant from the Walter Lantz Foundation
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Animation Salon: SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT! March 21

Woodbury University has graciously invited ASIFA-Hollywood to host events at their newly opened Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium. These events are free and open to the animation community.

AN ANIMATION SALON
Saturday, March 21st, 2009 7:30pm
Admission FREE
Woodbury University
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510


Jean Francois de Troy, "Reading from Moliere" 1728
On Saturday, March 21st at 7:30pm, we will be holding an Animation Salon to encourage animated filmmakers to...

SAY SOMETHING, DAMMIT!
Yesterday at Animation Nation, Don Bluth asked, "How did traditional animation come to be viewed by almost every American household as children's entertainment?"

It's a good question... one that we will be discussing this Saturday March 21st at 7:30pm at Woodbury University.

Animation didn't start out as a vehicle for fairy tales and trite moral platitudes. Pioneers like Winsor McCay saw animation as an outgrowth of print cartooning, a powerful medium for challenging social comment going all the way back to Thomas Nast.

In the years since McCay, animation has proven itself to be effective for education and persuasion. Animated propaganda films helped to win World War II, and animated commercials have sold billions of dollars worth of products.


In some countries, animation is a powerful tool of persuasion and enlightenment. Even though animation is by its very nature collaborative, some filmmakers have been able to use it as a medium of personal expression.

Why has it come to be perceived as children's entertainment then?

Not that children's entertainment is necessarily a bad thing. There have been animators who have pushed the envelope to create kids' TV that not only entertains, but has something interesting to say as well. But on the whole, animation that has a point is the exception, not the rule.

This Saturday, we will be screening some examples of animated films that successfully merge entertainment with meaningful comment on life and the world around us.

Some of them take a wide ranging view, tackling immense subjects...

...Others take the opposite approach, using a small scale to make a large point. Both are valid.

But when it comes to feature animation, films with something to say are as rare as hen's teeth. Sprinkled in amongst the talking dogs and fairy tale princesses are occasional sparks of life. But often those sparks are extinguished before the film even reaches the theater.

For instance, do you know about the hidden link between Disney's Fox and the Hound...

...and Ralph Bakshi's Coonskin?

You'll find out the secret if you attend ASIFA-Hollywood's Animation Salon at Woodbury this Saturday night!

Don't miss it!

Here as a little sneak peek is a clip from Bakshi's Coonskin. This sequence was designed by Mark Kausler and animated by Charlie Downs and John Walker. Here is a bit of Mark Kausler's storyboard for the sequence...


And here is the sequence as it appears in the film...

Malcolm the Cockroach
from Ralph Bakshi's "Coonskin" (1975)
(Quicktime 7 / 6.5 MB)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

We'll be discussing and screening examples related to these and many more topics at Woodbury University on March 21st. I hope you can join us.

Animation Salon: SAY SOMETHING, DAMMIT!
Saturday, March 21st, 2009 7:30pm
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Animation Salon: Acting For Animation Feb 21st

Woodbury University has graciously invited ASIFA-Hollywood to host events at their newly opened Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium. For the next several months, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive will be hosting Animation Salons on the third Saturday evening of every month. These events are free and open to the animation community.

AN ANIMATION SALON


Jean Francois de Troy, "Reading from Moliere" 1728
On Saturday, February 21st at 8pm, we will be holding an Animation Salon on the subject of...

Acting For Animation
What is "acting"? What constitutes a well acted performance?



What are the differences between acting for animation and acting in live action?



Are there things that can be done in live action that can't be done effectively in animation?



Are there are other ways to convey mood, emotion and personality besides acting?



What sort of inspiration did golden age animators look to for creating an animated performance? What do these models of pantomime acting have to inform modern animation?

Who was the greatest actor of all time? Was it John Barrymore who received acclaim for his performances in Hamlet and Richard III?



...Or was it the "wascaly wabbit", Bugs Bunny?






Acting For Animation
John Barrymore "Twentieth Century (1934)
Bugs Bunny in "Tortoise Wins By A Hare" (1943)
(Quicktime 7 / 6.7 MB)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

We'll be discussing and screening examples related to these and many more topics at Woodbury University on February 21st. I hope you can join us.

SPECIAL GUEST: EDDIE FITZGERALD


Joining us for this Animation Salon will be cartoonist Eddie Fitzgerald, the creator of Uncle Eddie's Theory Corner and story artist on Ren & Stimpy. Eddie will be screening one of his favorite films and sharing his theories on acting and building a characterful performance.

Don't miss it!

Animation Salon: Acting For Animation
Saturday, February 21st, 2009 8pm
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Animation's Big Night

A Backstage Look At
ASIFA-Hollywood's Annie Awards
We aren't your typical paparazzi. It was only six months ago that our creative aspirations drove us out of Orlando, Florida to pursue careers as animated filmmakers. It is conventional wisdom that the heart of the animated world beats here in Los Angeles, and it didn't take us long to realize that was where we needed to be. Somehow, between then and now, we have found ourselves residents, and because of our membership in ASIFA-Hollywood, we were granted the chance of a lifetime to see how a major award show comes to life, in an effort to discover the 36th Annual Annie Awards.


Kathy Turner and June Foray with the
June Foray Award winner, Bill Turner
Almost immediately, we had the great pleasure of sitting down with legendary voice actress June Foray and discussing the history of the Annies. In 1972, June Foray organized the first communion of animators to recognize individuals for their artistic achievements. The two recipients were Dave and Max Fleischer and June related to us that their awards were presented at the Sportsman's Lodge banquet room by a crowd of 400 people. Now, 37 years later, the famed Annie Awards take place in UCLA's Royce Hall, delivering 32 awards before a crowd of 1800.


The audience enjoying the show
Reciting the numbers out loud seemed to make them more impressive, and June was genuinely surprised to know that so many people had come out to show their appreciation for the art of animation. She had envisioned the awards as an "opportunity for animators to get together" because in 1972, there was no professional acknowledgment of animation. Given the expansion of popularity of the artform over the last 37 years, June said that it was an inspiration to see so many people come out and support what she had started 37 years ago.

For more info on the early days of the Annies, see this interview with June Foray.


The after-party featured a gourmet meal
and the music of the Blue Hawaiians
Although June originally intended Annies to be awarded specifically to individuals for lifetime achievement, the Annie Awards have since broadened the scope of categories to include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Short Subject, Best Animated Television Commercial, and more.


Presenters Brad Garret and Pat Fraley
This increased recognition has brought a lot of traditional Hollywood media talent to the event as well. Outside Royce Hall was a red carpet introduction and a slew of photographers to take advantage of it. This year's presenters included comedians and actors Fred Willard, Brad Garrett, James Hong, Seth Green and Donald Faison, among others. The master of ceremonies for the evening was the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, Tom Kenny.


Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich
arrive with actress Clare Grant
But as aspiring animated filmmakers, it was a particular treat to be able to speak backstage with the artists and directors who are currently shaping the industry we love. Nick Park, who not only won a Winsor McCay career award this year but took home the Annie for Best Animated Short Subject with Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death and Henry Selick, who presented the award to Nick Park on stage both allowed us to spend a little time with them.


Winsor McCay Award Honoree Nick Park
and presenter Henry Sellick backstage waiting for their cue
What is encouraging about the Annies, is that even directors whose visions lead to the creation of films as visually and stylistically distinct as Wallace and Gromit and The Nightmare Before Christmas are able to come together to celebrate the artform they share in common. Whether they use a pencil or a computer, clay or puppets, animators are a special type of artist. And at the Annies, they take time out to honor their own. This is exactly what June Foray envisioned for the event 37 years ago.


Chris Williams accepts his award for
Storyboarding for "Glago's Guest"
Some of the other big winners of the night were James Baxter for his animation in Kung Fu Panda, Joaquim Dos Santos for directing Avatar: The Last Airbender, Chris Williams for storyboarding on Glago's Guest, and Hans Zimmer and John Powell for the music in Kung Fu Panda. Keep in mind that these are just a few of the winners and that the complete list can be found on the Annie Awards web page.


Presenter, James Hong with his daughter, April
It wasn't just famous directors and animators milling behind the curtains of Royce Hall. More than a handful of volunteers worked tirelessly as they shepherded presenters, nominees, winners and guests seamlessly from seats to the wings to the stage to receive their awards.

The trophy assistants were constantly on point delivering to the next winner and headsets were humming up and down the halls on the heads of volunteers and stage crew. The fully catered and open bar before and after parties easily accommodated hundreds of people with live music, delicious food and an inviting atmosphere.


Presenters Crispin Freeman and Jennifer Taylor Lawrence
prepare backstage
But an event like this doesn't happen on its own. It takes months of planning and organization by the ASIFA-Hollywood board members and a few consulted coordinators. The current President of ASIFA-Hollywood, Antran Manoogian, is one of the few people responsible for making the Annie Awards the spectacle that it is at today. Come this November, he will have been President for twenty years, and a member of ASIFA-Hollywood for thirty.


Presenter Fred Willard has fun with the press
Antran's responsibilities to the Annies involve acting as executive producer of the event; which means overseeing rules, interfacing with staff and volunteers, working with the board of directors to put out the call for entrees and set up the judging, ballots and awards. In conversation, he had to admit that growing the Annies was no simple accomplishment. "I knew that when I started, I wanted it to be more, but ASIFA-Hollywood is a non-profit organization and run primarily on volunteer resources. Every year, we made it a little bit better." Slowly but surely, it has made the transformation into the highly respected event it is today, in great part due to his contributions.


ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Director, Stephen Worth
and ASIFA-Hollywood President, Antran Manoogian
visit with June Foray at the after party
This evolution of the awards is evident in the nomination process. Every year the categories for nomination are refined to extract the best quality of work possible. Also, it is not required that each award be offered. He made it clear that "the goal of the Annies is to honor excellence in animation, not merely the best of the batch." Nominating committees are instructed that they should pick only the nominees whom they feel should receive an award. "However many there may be, they should all be outstanding."


Ahmed Best receives the Annie for Voice Acting
in an Animated Television Program
The animation archive director and ASIFA-Hollywood board member Stephen Worth clarified that "the idea is that being nominated means the work is worthy enough to receive an award. From that point, it's up to the voting members of ASIFA-Hollywood to decide who their pick for the Annie will be."


Presenters Pat Fraley and Edie McClurg
The industry really seems to appreciate the level of quality that the awards maintain as well. We spent a lot of time inquiring how people receive the news that they have been nominated. Since this is the "Oscars of animation" do people treat it as such? Annette O'Neil, the assistant coordinator of the event had this to say:

"I've broken the news to many nominees over the years, and I never cease to be amazed at the thrill this recognition carries. The Annies story involves a long, rich history of groundbreaking artists and creators; folks are thrilled to be counted in that pantheon."


John Lasseter accepts his Winsor McCay Award
as presenter Billy Crystal looks on
After a long night of observing the animation industry, we were able to draw a few conclusions. ASIFA-Hollywood and the Annie Awards are defined by the people who participate in them. In contrast with the pomp and circumstance of most high profile awards shows, when animators get together to honor their own, it's more of a family affair. Professionals and fans alike are united in their passion for animation. It was a remarkable and inspiring experience to have been a part of it.


Producer Melissa Cobb and the crew of Kung Fu Panda
accepting the award for Best Animated Feature
Although the characters on-screen are familiar to everyone, the artists behind the scenes are not as well known as they should be. The ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards seek to shine a light on the incredible talents responsible for the animated films that we all love. It is clear that animated filmmakers posess a different sort of inspiration than many in the movie industry. For most of them, it's not about the fame and fortune, it's about the process of creation and the catharsis of completion. The Annie Awards are the recognition of a job well done.


Bill Plympton, whose film "Hot Dog" was nominated for
Best Short Subject draws a doodle for the press
All the nominees and winners should be proud of what they've accomplished, because the Annie Awards are truly the sincerest attempt by the animation community to honor excellence. And we couldn't be happier to be a part of it. Six months ago, we didn't know what we were signing up for when we joined ASIFA-Hollywood, but after tonight, for rags or riches, we believe in it. Thank you to everyone who organized the event, ASIFA-Hollywood members for supporting it, and the artists who give it a reason to exist. --Danny Young and Michael Woodside


Master of Ceremonies Tom Kenny, the voice of Spongebob Squarepants kept the audience entertained throughout the evening
ASIFA-Hollywood would like to congratulate all of the winners and nominees. Special congratulations to ASIFA-Hollywood Secretary, Bill Turner, the recipient of this year's June Foray Award, and Kathy Turner, Mike Fontanelli, Alex Vassilev and Amir Avni the Certificate of Merit honorees who have contributed so generously to ASIFA-Hollywood's Archive and events.


See you next year at the 37th Annual Annie Awards!
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Afternoon of Remembrance

The Animation Guild, ASIFA Hollywood and Women In Animation present
AN AFTERNOON OF REMEMBRANCE
a non-denominational celebration of departed friends from our animation community


Saturday February 7; reception 1 pm; memorials, 2 pm
Lasky-DeMille Barn, 2100 N. Highland, Hollywood
Across from the Hollywood Bowl

A non-denominational celebration of departed friends from our animation community. The 2008 honorees will include John Ahern, Gus Arriola, Phyllis Barnhart, Gordon Bellamy, Harriet Burns, Greg Burson, John W. Burton, Jr., Vivian Byrne, Joyce Carlson, Bob Carr, Rose Di Bucci, Charlie Downs, Ray Ellis, Joni Jones Fitts, Etsuko Fujioka, Steve Gerber, Fernando Gonzalez, Yoo Sik Ham, Larry Harmon, Margie Hermanson, Ollie Johnston, Ted Key, Eartha Kitt, Andy Knight, Harvey Korman, Lyn Kroeger, Brice Mack, Bill Melendez, David Mitton, Gary Mooney, Jim Mueller, June Nam, Ethan Ormsby, Bill Perez, Richard Pimm, Oliver Postgate, Denis Rich, Dodie Roberts, Irma Rosien, Gerard Salvio, Gina Sheppherd, Robert Smith, Jim Snider, Al Stetter, Dave Stevens, Morris Sullivan, Emru Townsend, Pat Raine Webb, Chiyoko Wergles, Bob Winquist and Justin Wright.

The Afternoon is free of charge and is open to all; no RSVPs necessary.

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Event Report: Don Hahn's Alchemy of Animation

The panelists and event coordinators gather for a photo after the show. Left to Right: Alexis Block, Nik Ranieri, Don Hahn, Mike Belzer, Danny Young, James Baxter, Michael Woodside and Alex Vassilev.
Last night at Woodbury University a fundraiser was held for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Producer Don Hahn hosted a panel discussion and multimedia presentation on the art of animation for a packed house of animation professionals and fans. The event was a great success and enough money was raised to be able to purchase two 1.5 terabyte hard drives for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Many thanks to Dori Littell-Herrick and Woodbury University for sponsoring the event, to Don Hahn, Nik Ranieri, Mike Belzer and James Baxter for putting on such an informative show, and to the dedicated crew of volunteers who made sure the whole event ran smoothly.


The Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater was packed to the gills.


Don Hahn (Beauty & the Beast, Lion King) was signing copies of his newly released book "The Alchemy of Animation".


Mike Belzer (Nightmare Before Christmas, Bolt) and Nik Ranieri (Beauty & the Beast, Bolt) sign autographs for the crowd.


Nik and James Baxer (Beauty & the Beast, Enchanted) visit with the crowd.


The volunteers who coordinated the event pose with a copy of Don's book. Left to Right: Danny Young, Alexis Block and Michael Woodside. He's not pictured here, but Alex Vassilev, the Archive's resident tech-guru, handled the technical aspects of the presentation.
A good time was had by all!
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An Animation Salon: What Is An Animated Film?

Woodbury University has graciously invited ASIFA-Hollywood to host events at their newly opened Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium. Our first two presentations there are The ASIFA-Hollywood Student Animation Festival on Saturday, October 18th, and the Don Hahn Alchemy of Animation booksigning fundraiser on Monday, October 20th.

AN ANIMATION SALON


Jean Francois de Troy, "Reading from Moliere" 1728
I've been asked to present a series of screenings at Woodbury, the first of which will take place as part of the ASIFA-Hollywood Student Animation Festival. This series will be aimed at professionals and students of the medium, and will consist of informal discussions on topics related to animation filmmaking. We'll have guest speakers, rare films from the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, panel discussions, audience participation and networking sessions. The goal is to create an animation salon to bring together the creative spirit of the animation community and foster the interaction of the membership of ASIFA-Hollywood.

The first program, which will take place on October 18th at 10 am will address a fundamental question...

What is an animated film?
Many people view animation as a genre. Like "westerns" and "science fiction", animation has come to follow a few tightly defined sets of conventions...


Anime generally involves stylized human characters with large sparkling eyes, big spiky hair and long thin limbs. Characters produce large sweat drops when under stress and strike static poses against backdrops of effects animation in dramatic situations. These characters inhabit futuristic or magical worlds and do battle using otherworldly forces in violent, complicated stories that frequently span multiple films. The character designs are usually based on realistic proportions and the overall stylization is very detailed and complicated.


The Funny Animal style is the staple of American animated short subjects. Star characters perform along with a supporting cast of comic foils consisting of anthropomorphized animals and childlike humans. Storylines are very simple, constructed from a basic beginning and end bookending variations on a theme performed in slapstick pantomime. Designs are round and simplified and the setting of the action usually takes place in rural environments, exotic locations relating to the theme of the cartoon, or idealized suburbs.


Feature Animation style consists of fairy tale settings with princesses, princes and evil villains. Comic relief is provided by anthropomorphic animals who perform pantomime derived from the funny animal style. Stories usually involve an innocent lead character being threatened by a villain and befriending comic relief characters that help him or her overcome the foe. Designs for lead characters are generally very realistic, with cartoony side characters, and the settings derive from storybook illustration.

There have been exceptions to these generalizations over the years to be sure, but these are the characteristics that most people think of when they hear the word "animation". Is animation a genre? Do animated films have to adhere to these categories? How did these classifications come about? Let's take that last style, feature animation, and see where it got its start, and where it might have gone if animation had followed a different path...

THE GODDESS OF SPRING 1934

Here we have "ground zero" for the feature animation style. "The Goddess of Spring" was Walt Disney's experiment in constructing a prototype for his first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It consists of a fairy tale (Pluto and Persephone) set in a magical woodland populated by cute animals and helpful dwarfs.


The lead character is a realistically designed princess. Les Clark, who animated many of the scenes featuring the character of Persephone, was disappointed with the results. The acting in the film is primitive, much like the acting in melodramas, and it was difficult for the artists to control the realistic proportions of the lead characters.


The story was largely dictated by the overall themes of the original fable, but Disney's focus is on the beautiful girl dancing in a wood full of friendly animals, the threat by the devilish villain and the eventual happy ending that returns everything to normal again.


In key poses, the drawing of the lead character is quite good; but in motion, her features crawl all over her face, and her limbs resemble rubbery spaghetti, rather than flesh and blood arms and legs.


The villain, Pluto is the prototype for the Disney villain- thoroughly evil and melodramatic. He is as two dimensionally evil as Persephone is two dimensionally good. Similar characters can be found in Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians and The Little Mermaid, as well as the recent film Kung Fu Panda. The relationship of Persephone and the dwarfs is echoed by the relationship of Pluto and the demons in Hades, just like Briar Rose's animal friends and Maleficent's goons in Sleeping Beauty.


The scenes are laid out with the characters in profile, moving left to right and right to left, as if the characters are performing on a stage in front of a painted backdrop. There is very little indication of depth between the characters in the scenes of Pluto and Persephone and they maintain a "stage distance" from each other while delivering their lines. This makes the stilted acting and melodramatic poses look even more mannered.


The film ends with an abrupt "picture postcard" happy ending, just like most Disney films. The real focus of the film is on the wild musical number in Hades. The happy ending is just the period on the end of the sentence, not the point of the picture itself.

Goddess of Spring
(Disney/1934)
(Quicktime 7 / 21.5 MB)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

JOIE DE VIVRE 1934

Here is a French animated cartoon released the exact same year as "Goddess of Spring" which illustrates similar themes depicted in a totally different way. I was introduced to this film by cartoonist, Milton Knight, who pointed out its unique animation style to me. In 1930, Anthony Gross, a French printmaker and painter was inspired by Walt Disney's cartoons to create his own animated films along with Hector Hoppin. Like "Goddess of Spring", "Joei de Vivre" is a retelling of a traditional fable... in this case a sophisticated version of Perrault's Cinderella.


Instead of working from designs from children's illustrated books, this film incorporates elements from French art nouveau posters, the fine art of Matisse and visual ideas from the Post Impressionists and Italian Futurists. The choreography is very imaginative, and constantly plays with the movement of the two dimensional abstractions in three dimensional space. Like Disney's films, the effects animation is particularly impressive.


The dreamlike atmosphere of the film comes from the total integration between motion and music. Unlike Disney's film, "Joei de Vivre" does not require draftsmanship that exceeds the ability of the animators. The motion is stylized to suit the design, and vice versa. The film exhibits a strikingly unique conceptual unity.


This film starts and ends with dynamic images of modern power plants and trainyards, with a calm dreamlike center that takes place in a wooded glade. Structurally, it's like a mirror image of "Goddess of Spring" which begins and ends with pastoral scenes with dynamic scenes in Hades in the middle. Instead of abduction, "Joei de Vivre" deals with escape.


There is no stereotypical villain, melodramatic acting or stilted rhyming dialogue trying to put across plot points. Instead, it's a simple story of a boy struggling to pursue two girls on his bicycle, teaming up with them at the end to tame technology and escaping together into the clouds. The reactions of the boy to the girls is much more natural and believable than the mannered stage acting of Pluto. The situations all make perfect sense without having to be explained in words.


This film is more symbolic and less dependent on plot or traditional narrative than "Goddess of Spring". It's more of a visual poem than it is a literal visualization of a children's fairy tale. The music functions to set the mood in this film much more than in Disney's borderline kitsch pseudo-operetta.


What would animated features be like today if this was the model instead of "Goddess of Spring"? Why aren't there more films that tell stories in more visual and abstract ways? Would animation be better if films rethought aspects of style for the story being told instead of repeating elements from previous films? Is the animated film really a genre? Or are there other styles and stories suitable for the medium that just aren't being told?

Joei De Vivre
(Anthony Gross & Hector Hoppin/1934)
(Quicktime 7 / 19.9 MB)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

This is just one of the subjects we'll be covering at our first Animation Salon at Woodbury University. We'll be screening and discussing a program of animated films that illustrate the width and breadth of styles and techniques possible in animation. If you are interested in the art of animation, you won't want to miss it.


The ASIFA-Hollywood
Student Animation Festival
October 18th, 2008
Screening starts at 10am
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

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Event: Don Hahn's Alchemy of Animation

In celebration of the release of Don Hahn's latest book, The Alchemy of Animation, Woodbury University and ASIFA-Hollywood invite members of ASIFA-Hollywood to attend a panel discussion hosted by Author/Producer Don Hahn to benefit the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Several of the most influential animators working today will be joining Don for a panel discussion...

• James Baxter ("Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," "Shrek 2", "Enchanted")


• Mike Belzer ("The Nightmare Before Christmas," "James and the Giant Peach," "Meet the Robinsons," the upcoming "Bolt")


• Nik Ranieri ("Beauty and the Beast," "Hercules," "Meet the Robinsons," the upcoming "The Princess and the Frog")

Don Hahn and his panel of colleagues from the past 20 years will share their insights into the highly creative and involved process of making animated films across a variety of mediums - traditional, computer and stop-motion animation - as reflected in The Alchemy of Animation. The varied experience and talent among this group will serve students and fans of animation well through this educational yet entertaining gathering.

Monday, October 20, 2008, 7:00 p.m
Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium
Woodbury University
7500 Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91510
ASIFA-Hollywood Members Only
RSVP Required

Following the panel discussion, Don Hahn will sign copies of his book, The Alchemy of Animation. A limited number of copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. Proceeds from the sale of books to benefit the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive.

To RSVP please email alchemy@asifa-hollywood.org
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Event: Some Pics From Comic-Con

Archive Director Stephen Worth, Archive Assistants
JoJo Baptista and Alex Vassilev, Annie Award Coordinator
Annette O'Neil and ASIFA-Hollywood Treasurer Jerry Beck.


ASIFA-Hollywood President Antran Manoogian joins the fun.


JoJo meets Doug Sneyd


More superheroes than you can shake a stick at!


Aaargh! Pirates!

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ASIFA-Hollywood Comic-Con Schedule

The San Diego Comic-Con
July 24th - 27th, 2008

ASIFA-Hollywood
Booth 5334
(To the right of the main entrance, against the lobby side wall.)

ASIFA's booth this year is completely redesigned, with information on membership, the Annie Awards and the Animation Archive. Members of the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors will be on hand, as well as Annie and Archive organizers. The Animation Archive Database, which includes over 3,000 animated films and 10,000 images will be demonstrated. Stop by and see all the treasures on display!

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Booth Schedule


Wednesday July 23rd

8 am Setup: Volunteers needed to help move the displays in and set them up. If you are available to help setup, contact... sworth@animationarchive.org

6 pm - 9 pm Preview Night: Volunteers may stop by any time to give breaks to the booth workers. Just stop by the booth when you are available.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 24th - 26th

9 am - 7 pm ComicCon Public Hours: : Volunteers may stop by any time to give breaks to the booth workers. Just stop by the booth when you are available.

Sunday July 27th

9 am - 5 pm ComicCon Public Hours: : Volunteers may stop by any time to give breaks to the booth workers. Just stop by the booth when you are available.

5 pm Break Down: Volunteers needed to pack up the displays and load them in the car. If you are available to help break down, contact... sworth@animationarchive.org

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Events Schedule


Thursday July 24th

10 - 11 am: CLICK & CLACK'S AS THE WRENCH TURNS ASIFA-Hollywood Vice President, Tom Sito hosts a behind-the-scenes look at PBS's new primetime cartoon based on the radio show "Car Talk". Also scheduled are Bill Kroyer, Stephen Silver, Floyd Norman, Helen Jen, Tom Minton and Howard Grossman. Room 2

2 - 3:30 pm: ANIMATION ON A SHOESTRING- ASIFA-Hollywood Board Member, Larry Loc offers tips and advice to do it yourself animators on how to achieve bang for the buck. Room 30CDF

8pm: CLICK & CLACK PARTY- Private Party to celebrate PBS's new television series based on the radio show, "Car Talk" at the ASIFA-Hollywood suite at the Gaslight Marriott. Private party open to those who worked on CAR TALK and their friends. (For invitation, email cartalkparty@asifa-hollywood.org)


Friday July 25th

6 - 7 pm: STATE OF THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY- A group of animation professionals discuss current trends in the business. Room 3

9:30 - 10:30 pm: WORST CARTOONS EVER- ASIFA-Hollywood Treasurer, Jerry Beck hosts his annual collection of jaw-dropping animated faux-pas and just plain awful cartoons. Room 6CDEF

8 pm: ANNIE AWARDS PARTY- Announcement of the 2009 Winsor McCay Award honorees at the ASIFA-Hollywood suite at the Gaslight Marriott. Private party open to all past Annie Award winners and nominees. (For invitation, email annieparty@asifa-hollywood.org)


Saturday July 26th

4:30 - 5:30 pm: ARTISTS ONLY: A DISCUSSION WITH RALPH BAKSHI- alph Bakshi is responsible for some of the most wildly original animated features ever made- including Heavy Traffic, Coonskin and Wizards. Working in a largely collaborative medium hide-bound by the legacy of Walt Disney, Bakshi was able to rip the lid off of the moribund medium and create films with remarkable honesty and a startlingly unique point of view.

The legendary cartoonist Ralph Bakshi will be on hand to be interviewed by ASIFA-Hollywood Archive Director Stephen Worth on his life and career. He will be offering advice to aspiring cartoonists and reflecting on what it means to be an artist in today’s world. Whether you’re lucky enough to make a living doodling or whether you still dream of being paid to create, you won’t want to miss this important presentation. Comic-Con Room 10

8 pm: BAKSHI PARTY- Private Party open to all of Ralph's friends and former employees of Bakshi Productions. (For invitation, email bakshiparty@asifa-hollywood.org)

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Event: Meet Ralph Bakshi At The San Diego ComicCon

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see the bonus reason on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts featuring animation art.


Today, I hope you'll allow me to tell you about someone I have had the honor of working closely with. He's my hero too. If anyone ever creates a Mount Rushmore of animation, his head should be right up front, grinning with a stub of a cigarette in his mouth-- Ralph Bakshi.


I'll be doing a panel discussion with Ralph at the San Diego ComicCon this year. The subject of the discussion will be what it means to be an artist and cartoonist in today's world. Whether you're lucky enough to be able to make a living doodling, or if you still dream of being paid to create, you won't want to miss this important presentation...

Artists Only: A Chat With Ralph Bakshi
San Diego ComicCon Room 10
Saturday, July 26th, 2008
4:30 to 5:30 pm

Ralph will be appearing at other events at the ComicCon this year as well. More info on those as his schedule is finalized.


If you are an artist working in animation, whether you know it or not, Ralph Bakshi is the reason you're here. Don't believe me? Throw your mind back to 1970. Look at what the animation business had turned into... Disney was cranking out Robin Hood, a film without a single new idea. On TV, Filmation was lowering the bar so Hanna Barbera could play "quality limbo" with them. Animation was dying, animators were choosing retirement over flogging the dead carcass of the art form they loved, and it looked like it the situation would never get any better.


Enter Bakshi. With his first three films, he turned animation upside down. He showed that it wasn't just a medium for big bears with Phil Harris's voice and crappy sitcom characters in outer space. His films shocked and terrified people... they were crass and sloppy. They were made on a shoestring, and sometimes it showed. But they had something honest to say, and that got noticed. Ralph showed that animation- the most collaborative art form ever- could be an intensely personal medium.


Ralph's first three films- Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic, and Coonskin- came totally out of the blue. They are the animation equivalent of Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives. Great old time animators like Irv Spence, Ambi Paliwoda and Virgil Ross were offered the opportunity to cut loose and make films that weren't just cats chasing mice and dogs chasing cats. These films dealt with what it meant to be an artist, the battle of the sexes, race relations, and the unsenimentalized realities of urban life. They were improvisational and had no rules.


These three films, made in the darkest of the dark ages of animation, offered a glint of hope for what animation could become. If all you've seen of Ralph's work is Lord of the Rings and Fire and Ice you don't know what I'm talking about here. All of the adult targeted animation you see in the US today has its roots in Ralph's example in these three films. They stirred up controversy and caused riots at screenings back in the day, but now they seem to us like they could have been made yesterday, not three decades ago- except for the fact that today's world has trouble accepting brutal honesty when it comes to politically charged topics. Ralph has never been one to pull punches.



In the 1980s, Ralph did for television animation what he did for theatrical features, blowing the lid off of CBS's Saturday morning schedule with Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures. Ralph took a chance on the ideas of a kid named John Kricfalusi, and set up the studio after the unit structure model used at Warners. Stories were written with storyboards again. (See the note from John K in the comments.) Artists were cut loose to create cartoons. Without Mighty Mouse, there never would have been Ren & Stimpy or The Simpsons. The artists who worked on Mighty Mouse have gone on to lead the TV animation industry.


Ralph is an absolute genius when it comes to spotting raw talent. He can take a kid straight out of school and turn him into a pro faster than anyone else. Every film had its "graduating class" of kids. Those kids now populate the animation business on every level, from the top Producer at Disney feature to the creative sparks at Warners. I know of Bakshi alumni who are top dogs at Dreamworks and the CGI companies too.



As a filmmaker, Ralph is one-of-a-kind. He doesn't make films for executives... he doesn't even make films for a specific audience. He makes them for himself. You can count the number of animators capable of using this unweildy medium for personal expression on one hand and still have fingers left. Ralph is one of them.


But Ralph is not only the greatest living animation artist. He is the catylist that has more than once pulled the industry out of a hole so deep people had just about given up on cartoons. For that alone, he deserves the respect of any and all animators, whether they like his work or not.


If this business needs anything right now, it's another go round with Bakshi. The era of shi-shi "distressed" animation desks complete with faux wormholes, and middle management producers driving Jaguars paid for by their bonus checks is over. That was great for the people lucky enough to hook up to the gravy train while it lasted. But times have changed. The people left standing will be the ones who REALLY CARE about the medium of animation.


You can take my word for the fact that no one loves cartoons more than Ralph. Sit down and ask him about Jim Tyer. (Ralph was Tyer's assistant...) Listen to what he has to say about Spence or Maltese or any of the other old timers he brought in to work on his films. Ralph lives and breathes animation. His drawings are imbued with the whole history of the medium. He announces his retirement every once in a while, and swears off cartoons forever, but it's in his blood. Just count the days till the bellowing voice out of the blue hollers "BAKSHI'S BACK, YOU BASTUHDS!" over the studio intercom again.



It's time for Ralph to rent a warehouse, fill it full of kids with big dreams, raw talent and lots of ideas and crank out a film. It doesn't even matter if it turns out crappy. It'll be a shot in the arm to the whole business, and it just might lead to something even better. I know I'd love to be a part of it. --Stephen Worth


Visit Ralph's web page... RalphBakshi.com.

UNFILTERED: The Complete Ralph Bakshi isn't one of those "art books" with postage stamp sized pictures floating in oceans of tasteful white space and huge text blocks of scholarly blather that crowds out the images. It's just pictures, pictures and more pictures... along with just enough text to put them in context. The book is organized to show Ralph's career from his earliest days at Terry-Toons, to his groundbreaking features, to his revolutionary TV work, to his most recent fine art paintings. Even if you think you know all there is to know about Bakshi, this book will grab you by the lapels and shake you and show you things you've never seen the likes of before. Click through the link to pick up the Bakshi book at Amazon.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

6.26.08
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Event: Bakshi Party Pictures

If you weren't there, you missed an amazing party last Saturday night. Ralph Bakshi was in town and all his old friends came out to see him.



Before the party started, Ralph visited with the guys who put together his recent book, Unfiltered... Chris McDonnell and Jon Gibson.


It wasn't really a signing party, but Ralph still made sure everyone who wanted a signature got one.


Ralph greets animator, Steve Gordon with Barry Jackson and Trish Docktor.


Conrad Vernon


Kent Butterworth


Tom Minton and Eddie Fitzgerald


Kali Fontecchio and John Kricfalusi


Eddie and Ralph share some memories.


Tom McGrath and Dave Spafford

UNFILTERED: The Complete Ralph Bakshi isn't one of those "art books" with postage stamp sized pictures floating in oceans of tasteful white space and huge text blocks of scholarly blather that crowds out the images. It's just pictures, pictures and more pictures... along with just enough text to put them in context. The book is organized to show Ralph's career from his earliest days at Terry-Toons, to his groundbreaking features, to his revolutionary TV work, to his most recent fine art paintings. Even if you think you know all there is to know about Bakshi, this book will grab you by the lapels and shake you and show you things you've never seen the likes of before. Click through the link to pick up the Bakshi book at Amazon.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

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Event: May 17- Animation Book Look

The 2nd annual Animation Book Look is the place to be. Creative Talent Network and Van Eaton Galleries present appearances by well-known visual and literary artists, as well as several "undiscovered" animation authors. This years' event will bring a large number of artists/authors representing over seventy-five books, ranging from children's books to artist's sketchbooks, from illustration to fine-art, and from How Tos to History Ofs. Join The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive at the Book Look along with Jerry Beck, Martha Sigall, Tom Sito, Rik Maki, Tony White, Willie Ito, Jim Smith, Amanda Visell, Stephen Silver, Maureen Furniss, Jon Gibson, Mike Kunkel and dozens more on Saturday May 17th, 2008 from 1:00pm-6:00pm.

VAN EATON GALLERIES
13613 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818-788-2357

Animation Book Look is FREE and open to the public. For a List of Authors and Books visit the website. You may pre-order signed and dedicated books online starting May 1st. If you have any questions, please call Van Eaton Galleries at 818-788-2357.

(via Cartoon Brew)

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Event: Afternoon of Remembrance

The Animation Guild, ASIFA Hollywood and Women In Animation present...
AN AFTERNOON OF REMEMBRANCE
a non-denominational celebration of departed friends from our animation community


Renee Alcazar - Roger Armstrong - Dick Arnall - Warren Batchelder - Max Becraft - Pat Boyd - Sheila Brown - Erica Cassetti - Harvey Cohen - Alberto De Mello - Greg Drolette - Walker Edmiston - Ray Erlenborn - Natatcha Estebanez - Becky Fallberg - Mary Lou Ferguson - Ben Ferrer - Lu Guarnier - Ed Hansen - Terry Harrison - Florence Heintz - Dave Hilberman - Dick Hoffman - Steve Krantz - Ryan Larkin - Carol Lundberg - Celine Miles Marcus - John Marshall - Roberta Gruetert Marshall - Tom O'Loughlin - Henry Ortiz - Brant Parker - Nicole Pascal - Charles Nelson Reilly - Will Schaefer - Charlene Singleton - Ken Southworth - Art Stevens - James Street - Iwao Takamoto - Aleksandr Tatarskiy - Caren Terry - Jim Thurman - Elbert Tuganov - Al Wilson - Jack Zander

Saturday, March 1, 2008
Food and refreshments, 1 pm - Memoriams, 2 pm
Hollywood Heritage Museum (Lasky-DeMille Barn)
2100 N. Highland (across from Hollywood Bowl), Hollywood
The Afternoon is free of charge and is open to all; no RSVPs necessary.

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35th Annual Annie Awards Winners and Nominees

Winners in bold. For more information, see www.annieawards.org.

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature

Winner: Ratatouille - Pixar Animation Studios
Bee Movie - DreamWorks Animation
Persepolis - Sony Pictures Classics
Surf's Up - Sony Pictures Animation
The Simpsons Movie - Twentieth Century Fox

Best Home Entertainment Production

Winner: Futurama "Bender's Big Score" - The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Doctor Strange - MLG Productions

Best Animated Short Subject

Winner: Your Friend the Rat - Pixar Animation Studios
Everything Will Be OK - Bitter Films
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Shorty McShorts' Shorts "Mascot Prep" - Walt Disney Television Animation
The Chestnut Tree - Picnic Pictures

Best Animated Television Commercial

Winner: Power Shares Escape Average - Acme Filmworks
CVS Watering Can - Acme Filmworks
Esurance "Homeowners" - Wild Brain
Idaho Lottery: Twister - Acme Filmworks
Oregon Lottery "Alaska" - Laika/house

Best Animated Television Production

Winner: Creature Comforts America - Aardman Animations
Jane and the Dragon - Weta Productions Limited & Nelvana Limited
Moral Orel - ShadowMachine
Robot Chicken Star Wars- ShadowMachine
Kim Possible - Walt Disney Television Animation

Best Animated Television Production for Children

Winner: El Tigre - Nickelodeon
Chowder - Cartoon Network Studios
Little Einsteins - Disney Channel
Peep and the Big Wide World - Discovery Kids
The Backyardigans - Nickelodeon

Best Animated Video Game

Winner: Ratatouille - THQ, Inc.
Avatar: The Last Airbender "The Burning Earth" - THQ, Inc.
Bee Movie Game - Activision
Transformers: The Game - Blur Studios

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Animated Effects

Winner: Deborah Carlson - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Gary Bruins - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Ryan Laney - "Spider-Man 3" - Sony Pictures Imageworks
James Mansfield - "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater" - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Jon Reisch - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios

Animation Production Artist

Winner: John Clark - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Michael Isaak - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation
Hyun-Min Lee - "The Chestnut Tree" - Picnic Pictures
Natasha Liberman - "Growing Up Creepie "Creepie & The Candy Factory" - Taffy Entertainment LLC, Telegrael Teoranta, Discovery Communications Inc., SunWoo Entertainment, Peach Blossom Media
Jim Worthy - My Gym Partner's A Monkey "Meet the Spidermonkeys" - Cartoon Network Studios

Character Animation in a Feature Production

Winner: Michal Makarewicz - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Dave Hardin - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Alan Hawkins - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation

Character Animation in a Television Production

Winner: Eric Towner - Robot Chicken - ShadowMachine
Elizabeth Harvatine - Moral Orel "Nature 2" - ShadowMachine
Monica Kennedy - El Tigre - Nickelodeon

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Carter Goodrich - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Sylvain Deboissy - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation

Character Design in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Jorge R. Gutierrez - El Tigre "Fistful of Collars" - Nickelodeon

Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Brad Bird "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Ash Brannon & Chris Buck "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Chris Miller & Raman Hui - "Shrek The Third" - DreamWorks Animation
Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi - "Persepolis" - Sony Pictures Classics
David Silverman - "The Simpsons Movie" - Twentieth Century Fox

Directing in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Seth Green "Robot Chicken Star Wars" - ShadowMachine
David Hartman - Tigger & Pooh "Turtles Need for Speed" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Raymie Muzquiz - Squirrel Boy "Gumfight at the S'Okay Corral" - Cartoon Network Studios
Howy Parkins - The Emperor's New School "Emperor's New Musical" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Gary Trousdale "Shrek The Halls" - DreamWorks Animation

Music in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Michael Giacchino - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Olivier Bernet - "Persepolis" - Sony Pictures Classics
Danny Elfman, Rufus Wainwright & Rob Thomas - "Meet The Robinsons" - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Rupert Gregson-Williams - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation
Amy Powers, Russ DeSalvo & Jeff Danna - "Disney Princess Enchanted Tales" - DisneyToon Studios/Walt Disney Video/Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Music in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Alf Clausen & Michael Price - The Simpsons "Yokel Chords" - Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox
Evan Lurie, Robert Scull & Steven Bernstein - The Backyardigans "International Super Spy" - Nickelodeon
Drew Neumann & Gregory Hinde - Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure - Cartoon Network Studios
Shawn Patterson - El Tigre "Yellow Pantera" - Nickelodeon
James L. Venable & Jennifer Kes Remington - Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends "The Bloo Superdude and the Magic Potato Power" - Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Harley Jessup - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Doug Chiang - "Beowulf" - Paramount Pictures
Marcelo Vignali - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Ted Mathot - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Don Hall - ‘Meet The Robinsons' - Walt Disney Feature Animation
Denise Koyama - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Sean Song - "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" - IMAGI Animation Studios
Nassos Vakalis - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production

Wnner: Steve Fonti - Family Guy "No Chris Left Behind" - Fox TV Animation/Fuzzy Door Ben Balistreri - Danny Phantom "Torrent of Terror" - Nickelodeon
Aldin Baroza - The Replacements "London Calling" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Dave Bennett - Tom and Jerry Tales - Warner Bros. Animation
Productions
Roy Meurin - My Friends Tigger and Pooh "Good Night to Pooh" - Walt Disney Television Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Ian Holm - Voice of Skinner - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Janeane Garofalo - Voice of Collette - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Julie Kavner - Voice of Marge Simpson - "The Simpsons Movie" - Twentieth Century Fox
Patton Oswalt - Voice of Remy - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
Patrick Warburton - Voice of Ken - "Bee Movie" - DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Eartha Kitt - Voice of Yzma - The Emperor's New School "Emperor's New Musical" - Walt Disney Television Animation
Scott Adsit - Voice of Clay Puppington - "Moral Orel" - ShadowMachine
Madison Davenport - Voice of Sophianna - "Christmas is Here Again!" - Easy To Dream Entertainment
Tom Kenny - Voice of SpongeBob - SpongeBob SquarePants "Spy Buddies" - Nickelodeon
Eddie Murphy - Voice of Donkey - "Shrek The Halls" - DreamWorks Animation

Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Winner: Brad Bird - "Ratatouille" - Pixar Animation Studios
James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David, Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder & Jon Vitti - "The Simpsons Movie" - Twentieth Century Fox
Don Rhymer and Ash Brannon & Chris Buck & Christopher Jenkins - "Surf's Up" - Sony Pictures Animation
Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud - "Persepolis" - Sony Pictures Classics

Writing in an Animated Television Production

Winner: Ian Maxtone-Graham & Billy Kimball - The Simpsons "24 Minutes" - Gracie Films
C.H. Greenblatt & William Reiss - Chowder "Burple Nurples" - Cartoon Network Studios
Gene Grillo - Back at the Barnyard "Cowman and Ratboy" - Nickelodeon
Christopher Painter - Squirrel Boy "I Only Have Eye For You" - Cartoon Network Studios
Tom Sheppard - My Gym Partner's A Monkey "The Butt of the Jake" - Cartoon Network Studios


WINSOR McCAY AWARD WINNERS (career contributions to the art of animation)

John Canemaker
Glen Keane
John Kricfalusi

JUNE FORAY (significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation)

Jerry Beck

UB IWERKS (technical achievement)

Jonathan Gay, Gary Grossman and Robert Tatsumi - the creators of FLASH computer software

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT ANNIE AWARD

Edwin R. Leonard - promoting the Linux open system for animation in animation studios and gaming software development

CERTIFICATE OF MERIT

Marcus Adams
Joseph Baptista
Steve Gattuso
Jon Reeves
Gemma Ross
Woodbury University


Eddie Fitzgerald at the Annie Awards
Cold Hard Flash Goes to the Annie Awards
Grand Masters Of Flash: An Interview With The Ub Iwerks Award Winners
Harvey Deneroff: Annie Awards Make History

If you have pictures, post them and EMAIL us a link and we will add it to this list.
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Exhibit: Original Leyendecker Art in Fullerton

A hot tip from Archive supporter David Hofmann...

In his lifetime, Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951) created 48 cover paintings for Collier’s magazine and 322 covers for Saturday Evening Post, more than even Norman Rockwell. His work over the years also included advertising campaigns with illustrations for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Arrow shirts, and Kuppenheimer menswear. His popularity was due to his ability to convey in paintings the essence of both everyday life and international events. His unique sense of drama, romanticism, and humor captured America’s imagination. This exhibition is organized by the Haggin Museum in Stockton California and includes 50 original paintings, sketches, magaizine covers, and advertisements.

J.C. Leyendecker: America's "Other" Illustrator
September 21-November 18
Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun: noon to 4:00 pm
Thur: noon to 8:00 pm

Fullerton Museum Center
301 N. Pomona Ave.
Fullerton, CA, 92832
(714) 738-6545
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Event Oct 19: June Foray Birthday Party

ASIFA-Hollywood invites ASIFA members and a guest to special June Foray Birthday Celebration



Friday, October 19, 2007, 7-10 p.m.
Pickwick Gardens
Terrace Room
1001 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91506

7 p.m. Cocktail Reception (no host bar)
8:30 p.m. Cake Cutting
Admission $25 per person

This celebration is for ASIFA-Hollywood members and their guests only. Tickets will be sold at the door, however you must RSVP by emailing juneforay@asifa-hollywood.org, in order to attend. The deadline to RSVP is Friday, October 12, 2007. In lieu of presents, June has requested that you make a donation to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive.

Proceeds from this event to benefit the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive.

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Event Oct 21: Treasures Screening in Hollywood

Milt Kahl, Carlo Vinci, Grim Natwick, Ed Benedict, Rod Scribner, Tex Avery, Warren Foster, Mike Lah, Max & Dave Fleischer... You've read about them on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive blog. Now, here's your chance to see some of their rarest and most wonderful cartoons on the big screen in the heart of Hollywood. You won't see these cartoons on TV! Meet the special guests! Networking party after the screening!

Treasures of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive
Sunday October 21st at 2.00 pm
Tickets $10 (includes after party)
Silent Movie Theatre
611 N Fairfax Av
Los Angeles, CA 90036


The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood is embarked on an ambitious project-- building a library, museum and digital archive dedicated to the art of animation. On Sunday October 21st at 2.00 pm, ASIFA-Hollywood will be presenting a screening at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax as part of LAAF 2007, the Los Angeles Animation Festival. The program is titled "Treasures of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive", and it will include rarely seen cartoons covering a wide spectrum of animation's rich history.


"Hollywood was the place animation reached its absolute peak" says ASIFA-Hollywood President, Antran Manoogian, "and it's still the place to be for an artist looking to break into the business. Technological advances and an upsurge in interest in the medium indicate that cartoons will be even be even more a part of our lives as time goes on. The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive is making that happen by providing much needed resources to students and artists working in the field."


"The goal of our project is to help artists build on the accomplishments of the past, rather than reinventing the wheel." says Stephen Worth, Director of the ASIFA-Hollywood Archive. "There's no better resource for doing that than our archive." Located on Burbank Bl. in Burbank, ASIFA-Hollywood's Animation Archive is open to the public four days a week, with thousands of animated cartoons and images available for viewing in an interactive computer database. "Something like this has never been attempted before." says Worth. "Our archive is like the Library of Alexandria or the Louvre- just for cartoons!"


The program of animated films will include classic cartoons by many of the most famous names in animation. It will also put the spotlight on artists you might not have ever heard of, but who were responsible for creating the cartoon characters you know and love. After the program, there will be a reception in the Silent Movie Theater's beautiful Spanish Patio with special guests. Proceeds from this event will be going to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive project.


Because of the limited number of seats available, it is suggested that you purchase admission in advance. Any remaining tickets will go on sale one hour prior to showtime.

Treasures of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive
Sunday October 21st at 2.00 pm
Tickets $10 (includes after party)
Silent Movie Theatre
611 N Fairfax Av
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Advance tickets are exclusively available online.
(Click on Program 5 for the Archive Screening.)

For the full schedule of the Los Angeles Animation Festival 2007, visit...
www.laafest.org/

For more information on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, contact...
Stephen Worth, sworth@animationarchive.org
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Event: An Evening With Andreas Deja Follow-Up

Last night at the Van Eaton Gallery in Sherman Oaks, CA, we had a rare opportunity to gain insight into the career and working method of one of animation's top talents... Andreas Deja. Andreas covered a huge range of subjects and shared his thoughts and passion for hand drawn animation with a packed house of enthusiastic fans, professionals and students of the artform.


On a big screen, Andreas peppered his talk with sketches, memoribilia and photos from his personal collection, and drew on the overhead projector to illustrate the concepts he was discussing.


After his talk, Andreas generously met with the audience and signed autographs on the great artwork assembled by the Van Eatons. He offered encouragement and advice to the students in the audience, like the contingent from Laguna College of Art and Design pictured above.


Many thanks to Andreas, the folks at the Van Eaton Gallery and the great group of people who came out to support the archive project.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

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Event: An Evening With Andreas Deja

Tell Everyone You Know!

AN EVENING WITH ANDREAS DEJA



A BENEFIT FOR THE ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD ANIMATION ARCHIVE, Thursday June 21st, 7:00pm to 10:00pm

Andreas Deja, one of the most talented and well-known of contemporary Disney animators will be making a special appearance for an evening of animation and fun at Van Eaton Galleries! Andreas' animation has had a huge impact on American popular culture over the past couple of decades.... Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King are among the most popular and successful animated features of all time. Andreas will be sharing his behind-the-scenes stories, showing examples of his work, and answering your questions in this unique program.

Event Exclusive! By special permission from Walt Disney Studios, and with the help of Collectors Editions, Andreas has created a Limited Edition Giclee especially for this event! Be one of the first to own this beautiful piece of art featuring some of his most famous characters! Limited to only 200 pieces, this very special Limited Edition, (image above), can be signed by Andreas, and will be available by PRE-ORDER, as well as on sale at the event. Proceeds will be going to The ASIFA Hollywood Animation Archive Project. Call 818-788-2357 to Pre-Order today!

The walls of the Van Eaton Gallery will be packed with original production artwork, including some of Deja's own production work and his original wire sculptures. It will be a rare opportunity to add a very special piece to your collection. A portion of all sales on the evening of the event will also go to The ASIFA Hollywood Animation Project.

Seating Is Extremely Limited!

Tickets $10:00 in Advance and $12:00 at the Door
All proceeds go to The ASIFA Hollywood Animation Archive
To purchase tickets and for more information, call 818-788-2357.

Don't Miss Out!

ABOUT THE CAUSE

The International Animated Film Society: ASIFA-Hollywood, a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, has embarked on an ambitious project to create an animation archive, museum, and library for the benefit of the animation community, students and general public. Located in Burbank CA, the archive is currently building a database of images, filmographic data and biographical sketches. More info at http://www.animationarchive.org

Sincerely,
Van Eaton Galleries Staff
13613 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
http://www.vegalleries.com/old_site/index.html

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