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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Zim Books Coming Soon

DEBUTING AT THE SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON, JULY 23rd - 26th


Eugene "Zim" Zimmerman was one of America's greatest caricaturists. Here, reprinted for the first time in nearly a century is Zim's complete mail order cartooning course. Lavishly illustrated with nearly 1000 B&W illustrations and 22 hand tipped color plates, this landmark publication deserves a place on every cartoonist's bookshelf.


The Zim course is formatted in two large hardback volumes consisting of 20 lesson books spanning over 700 pages in total. The foreword is by Ralph Bakshi with an introduction and biography of Eugene Zimmerman by Stephen Worth. The set is digitally printed to exacting standards using high resolution archival scans from the collection of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive.


Proceeds from the sale of Zim's Correspondence School of Cartooning, Comic Art & Caricature go to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit museum, library and archive dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of animation. The two volumes will be available individually or as a set at this year's San Diego Comic Con at the ASIFA-Hollywood booth. Quantities are limited.


Soon after the Comic-Con, copies of the book and fine art prints by Zim will be available on this site. Check back for details.



For more on the Zim Course, see our Previous Post on the subject.
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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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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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Marc Deckter Challenge Bonus Round

This past weekend, a few more great supporters stepped up to bat to help us buy hard drives to back up the digital treasures we've collected over the past couple of years. The Marc Deckter Challenge is officially over until the next fundraising drive in the Spring, but I cajoled Marc into sharing some more wonderful comic strips from his collection with us to celebrate the support of the following great folks... our new Archive Hero, Barbara Miller, Cameron Bowes, Amir Avni, Keith Fuselier, Michael Bunker, Patrick Sevc, and Lou Copeland. Thanks for your help! It's greatly appreciated.

SALESMAN SAM
By C. D. Small
Created in 1921 by cartoonist George Swanson, Salesman Sam chronicles the life of Sam Howdy, a salesman at the J. Guzzlem General Store. The strip pioneered the screwball school of cartooning that gave birth to Milt Gross' Dave's Delicatessen and Bill Holman's Smokey Stover. Swanson refined the cartoon "take", a device later taken to extremes at MGM by cartoon director Tex Avery. It's likely that Avery was a fan of this strip, because it also includes another favorite Avery comic device, the sign in the background wryly commenting on the action.

In 1927, the popularity of Salesman Sam led King Features Syndicate to hire Swanson away from the Newspaper Enterprise Association. NEA continued the strip after Swanson's departure with magazine cartoonist, C. D. Small. This is one of the rare examples of an artist picking up another artist's creation and actually amplifying and improving it. Archive supporter, Mike Fontanelli speculates that perhaps the reason that this strip isn't as well known is because of comic fans' natural aversion to strips being continued by syndicates without the original creator involved. Thanks to Marc Deckter and the contributors to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, now the true story can be told.










MILT GROSS DAILIES
Around 1931, Milt Gross took an unique approach to his daily newspaper comic strip. Instead of establishing a title and set of characters, he established several titles and several sets of characters. The Meanest Man featured a mysterious little man in black who secretly sabotaged people in everyday situations. I Did It And I'm Glad starred a little milquetoast whose frustrations erupt in violence. Draw Your Own Conclusion set up a comic situation and left the payoff to the reader's imagination. Banana Oil coined a phrase which meant pretty much the same thing as "hogwash" or "hooey". Here's a heaping helping of prime daily Gross...













Thanks again to all of the great folks who supported the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive during the Marc Deckter Challenge. We promise to give you more than your money's worth over the next six months.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Marc Deckter Challenge Day Seven

Many thanks to Alex Vassilev for sponsoring this comic.

A PERSONAL WORD
There's power in numbers. At the beginning of this fundraising drive, I announced that the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog had just logged its two millionth unique visitor. If every one of those readers contributed the token amount of one dollar to the cause, we would be cutting the ribbon on a brick and mortar museum of animation today. But unfortunately, that isn't the way the world works.

There are a precious few individuals in this world who feel strongly about what they believe in- strong enough that they support their cause for everyone's benefit, not just their own. Over two million people have benefitted from the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, but these 14 people are the ones who feel what we are doing here is important enough to turn their appreciation into action during this week's fundraising drive...

Will Finn, Sherm Cohen, Dino's Pizza, Matthew DeCoster, Frank Hutchinson, Paul Higgins, Chappell Ellison, Brian Homan, Max Ward, Dennis Hyer, Brian Horst, Adam Caldwell, Alfredo Guisepp Castelli, and Vipin Sharma

Along with Marc Deckter, who made this challenge possible, and the faithful assistance of the handful of dedicated volunteers and supporters listed in the sidebar, these individuals are enabling us to bring the riches of a century of cartooning to you for FREE.

You've heard people referred to as "one in a million"... The people who support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive truly are that kind of person.

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTOR
Dennis Hyer contributed earlier in the week, and decided to contribute again. Thanks, Dennnis!








IF YOU VALUE THE ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD ANIMATION ARCHIVE, SUPPORT IT
I hope you will keep this in mind in the six months until our next fundraising drive. If you can help us, please do. Many thanks to those who added the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive to the blogroll on their site this week.

Thank you
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
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Marc Deckter Challenge Day Six

Many thanks to Vipin Sharma for sponsoring this comic.

THIS IS THE LAST DAY TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE.
DON'T LET US DOWN!
Today marks the sixth day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. We've caught up with our backlog of comic page sponsorships, so it's up to you to support us today for tomorrow's final day of Sunday page treats. There's still one more chance to do your part and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

IT'S TIME TO SUPPORT THE ARCHIVE

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Archive volunteer and all-around great guy, Max Ward brings you these great Milt Gross pages...




Our good friend, Will Finn started the ball rolling on the Marc Deckter Challenge last week, and today he comes back to sponsor more great comics. Thanks, Will!








Marc Deckter pitched in this early Gross Nize Baby strip just because he's feelin' philanthropic today!


WANT TO SEE MORE?
You've got one more chance to participate in the Marc Deckter challenge. Tomorrow we will be posting the last set of Sunday pages for those who feel strongly enough about this project to support it. If this site has provided something of value to you through the hundreds of articles we've posted over the past couple of years, this is your opportunity to give something back. Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Marc Deckter Challenge Day Five

Here's a special treat brought to you by Joseph "JoJo" Baptista.

Today marks the fifth day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. Two great supporters stepped up to bat today, so there's a lot of exciting things to see- so much in fact, that I'll be rolling over a couple of contributors' comics until tomorrow. There's still time to do your part and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

IT'S TIME TO SUPPORT THE ARCHIVE

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Today, I have two new Archive Heros to introduce to you. The first is Chappell Ellison, who visited the archive recently to see the Grim Natwick exhibit. Here's a batch of great Otto Messmer Felix the Cat Sunday pages!








Next up is our new Archive Hero, Brian Homan. For Brian, Marc has selected a variety of Sunday pages... potpourri!







WANT TO SEE MORE?
If this site has provided something of value to you through the hundreds of articles we've posted over the past couple of years, this is your opportunity to give something back. Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Marc Deckter Challenge Day Four

This great Milt Gross Sunday page is brought to you by a contribution by our friend in Milan, Italy, Alfredo Guisepp Castelli.

Today marks the fourth day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. We had great response today, so there's a lot of exciting things to see- so much in fact, that I'll be rolling over a couple of contributors' comics until Tuesday. The material Marc Deckter is sharing with us here is truly remarkable, and your contributions are greatly appreciated. There's still time to do your part and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

IT'S TIME TO SUPPORT THE ARCHIVE

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Today's contributors also happen to be good friends of mine. First is cartoonist Sherm Cohen. For Sherm, Marc has picked a real rarity... Salesman Sam. Dating from 1930, these dailies by C. D. Small are not well remembered. But they sure are great! I'll have more on this pioneering strip in the near future.







The next batch of classic Felix strips is sponsored by our new Archive Hero, Dino's Pizza. Located just a few blocks down Burbank Bl at Hollywood Way, Dino's is my favorite lunchtime hangout. They make the best pizza in town. Thanks, Dinos for your support (and your great salads too!)










Here are two treats from Marc as an extra bonus for these good friends...




WANT TO SEE MORE?
If this site has provided something of value to you through the hundreds of articles we've posted over the past couple of years, this is your opportunity to give something back. Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

I'll be back in the Archive on Tuesday preparing a batch of great vintage comic strip Sunday pages courtesy of our latest Archive Heros, Chappell Ellison and Brian Homan.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Marc Deckter Challenge Day Two

This great Sunday page was sponsored by Adam Caldwell. Three cheers for Adam!

Today marks the second day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. Today, two readers stepped up and contributed to share some great vintage Sunday pages with you. There's still time to join in yourself and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

It's time to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive...

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
Frank Hutchinson lives on the other side of the planet from the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, but he still gets a lot out of what we do here. Frank is generously sponsoring these great comics for you to enjoy today...







To thank Adam and Frank for their support, Marc Deckter is kicking in this special treat...



DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE?
There's a LOT more where these came from! Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part. If you believe in what we're doing at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and you have benefitted from our posts in the past, you'll want to contribute so we can bring you even more.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Marc Deckter Challenge Day One

This great Sunday page was sponsored by Dennis Hyer. Thanks, Dennis!

Today was the first day of our bi-annual fundraising drive. Several readers stepped up and contributed to share some great vintage Sunday pages with you. There's still time to join in yourself and contribute to help us purchase hard drives to carry us through the next six months of digitization. Here's how it works...

THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

It's time to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive...

TODAY'S CONTRIBUTORS
We can all thank Matthew DeCoster, our latest Archive Hero for this mother lode of great Milt Gross and Otto Messmer pages...









To thank Matthew for his extra generous support, Marc Deckter is kicking in this special treat...


Next up is Archive supporter, Paul Higgins contributing to bring you these great Dave's Delicatessen strips...







And here's a special thank you to Brian Horst...



NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
Every day for the next week or so, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Another Milestone: Time For The Marc Deckter Challenge!

OVER 2,000,000 SERVED!

Every day, web surfers from all over the world take advantage of the amazing resources we present here. Great things are being accomplished. The word is getting out thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and contributors, as well as the hard work of our volunteers. Over the weekend, our hit counter clicked over the two million mark on unique visitors. That's a remarkable achievement that we can all feel proud about.

However, right now, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive is facing a challenge. We've filled up all of our available hard drives and we desperately need more to continue with this important project. We need six 1.5 TB hard drives to house the material we will be digitizing over the next six months.

Twice a year, I take time out from my regular posting schedule to ask you, the readers of this blog, to support our efforts. Two million people, each contributing a small amount, can move mountains. Unfortunately, not everyone on the internet is willing to give back for the riches they receive. The precious few who will step up to the plate to support the causes they believe in are the ones who make a difference for everyone. For the next week or so, I'm calling on those of you who feel strongly about what we are doing here to reach into your pocket and contribute to help us purchase the hard drive space that makes all of this possible.



THE MARC DECKTER CHALLENGE
One of our most steadfast supporters is Marc Deckter. Marc is allowing us to digitize hundreds and hundreds of rare 1930s Sunday pages from his extensive collection. Last year, Marc issued a challenge to readers of this blog. Today, he is challenging you to help again.

Contribute $20 to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive through the PayPal link below, and Marc will provide us with a vintage Sunday page to publish here on the website. Donate $50 and he will share three of them... donate $100 and he will allow us to post eight pages. Purchase one of these hard drives and have it shipped to the Archive, and Marc will post FORTY rare Sunday pages! Marc has classic Otto Messmer Felix the Cat, Chic Young's Blondie, Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals, Milt Gross Count Screwloose and other great pages ready to go. All you have to do to see them is contribute. As the total rises, Marc is prepared to throw in some extra treats, like he did last year. When you contribute, everyone benefits.

It's time to support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive...

OUR FIRST CONTRIBUTOR
Will Finn is one of this project's most faithful supporters. Just as he did last year, Will is the first to kick in to get the ball rolling. Thanks, Will!







NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
Every day for the next week or two, I'll post the names of the folks who are contributing to make this site possible along with the Sunday pages they sponsor. Please consider joining in and doing your part.

If you can, link to this post from your website or blog. Encourage your friends to join in the challenge. Let's all pull together, and take this project to the next level.

Thanks!
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Meta: Beyond The Blog- Need Your Input

Normally, this is the time of year when we take a week to do our bi-annual fundraising drive.We still might do that at a later date, but we're facing some new challenges and I want to get the input of our regular readers regarding the best way to address them. There are no pictures in this post, but if you value what we provide here, you'll read every word. This may be the most important post I've ever written.

From the very beginning, the Animation Archive project has been navigating uncharted territory. In the past, collections were organized in physical warehouses and history was published in books... But new technology demands new approaches. Today, we aim to organize large amounts of information in databases, and our commentary and analysis is presented in a blog, not a published physical book or magazine. We need to continue to think on our feet to be able to make this new process work.

Currently, there are two challenges to be addressed... The first one is purely practical. How do we insure that our progress continues to expand the way it has over the past two and a half years? Our rate of growth is governed by three things: the archival material contributed for digitization, the "sweat equity" provided by our volunteers, and cash flow. Thanks to great people like Mike Fontanelli, Marc Schimeister, Kent Butterworth and John Kricfalusi, we have more material in for digitization than we can keep up with. Dedicated volunteers like Gemma Ross, Kelsey Sorge-Toomey, JoJo Baptista and Alex Camarillo have made tremendous contributions in building out the structure of the collection. The chief problem we face is the same challenge many organizations face... How do we finance growth?

At this point, 95% of the sustaining budget for the Archive comes from contributors to our physical location... the Archive office in Burbank. The Walter Lantz Foundation, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Dreamworks Animation have provided grants and equipment to keep the doors open. We also receive funding from the thousands of general members of ASIFA-Hollywood, most of whom reside in Southern California. But although the contributions we have received through the PayPal link on the website are greatly appreciated, they don't come close to supporting the large amount of material we provide on the internet. We receive very little in the way of digitized contributions, volunteer help or funding from our internet readers- most of our support comes from people who have an interest the Archive facilities in Burbank. But I spend nearly half my time preparing material for the blog. That imbalanced division of resources just isn't fair.

The second challenge is conceptual... We're moving towards providing something entirely different on the internet than what we originally envisioned. When I first started this blog, my intent was simply to report on the progress of the project. But the postings here in the last year or so have gone far beyond that. The blog has become an important tool for distributing the information we are collecting. As the focus has shifted, my posts have become more in depth. The series of posts on Grim Natwick, Gustaf Tenggren and Milt Gross essentially constituted books, written "straight ahead" chapter by chapter as blog posts. I'm currently working on two more series that will prove to be just as comprehensive... Writing For Cartoons and a reappraisal of the art of Al Capp.

The other day, I went back and looked at the first post on Al Capp, and I realized that to fully absorb all the information there, it would take the better part of an hour. Most blogs, like Cartoon Brew and Boing-Boing are broken into bite sized chunks designed to take no longer than three minutes to read. What I'm creating here is evolving beyond being just another animation blog. I need your help to define what you want that to be.

Our primary purpose at the Archive is the creation of the Animation Database. Currently, our database contains over 3,000 animated cartoons and 40,000 high resolution scans. It would be ideal to be able to provide all of that material online, but the database currently measures in the terabytes. Serving all of that would require technical and financial resources that aren't even on the horizon yet. We need to come up with an achievable plan to work towards that goal.

The question to be answered is simple...

How do we increase the level of participation of the internet community through contributions of digitized material, volunteer labor and monetary donations?

I'm going to throw out a few ideas as suggestions. I would like to hear your opinions on these options. If you have any ideas, please feel free to offer them in the comments below.

1.) SUBSCRIPTION MODEL

Shane Glines' excellent Cartoon Retro site provides lots of material to subscribers behind a password gate. Users pay a monthly fee for access. This blog could shift to providing short teasers for larger scale content behind the subscriber wall. If the subscriber base and subscription cost was high enough, we could eventually serve up significant chunks of the Archive Database.

2.) SALES BASED SUPPORT

We recently offered an eBook of Zim's Cartoons and Caricatures. The proceeds funded the purchase of a 1.5 TB hard drive, which was pretty good for a start. Every month, we could have a different digital product for sale, or provide subscriptions to packages of products, delivered over the course of a year.

3.) ADVERTISING BASED FUNDING

We've been struggling with this option for some time without a great deal of success. Currently, we receive about $100 a month from our banner advertising- not nearly enough to be able to fund content creation. In fact, when the banners were installed, traffic fell 10% and continues to be sluggish. I believe the advertising is an annoyance to many viewers.

4.) SOLICITATION OF DIRECT DONATIONS

We have been struggling with this model for the past couple of years as well. Every six months we do a "pledge drive" where we outline our accomplishments and ask for support. Response has been below the level we need to continue to grow the project. I've avoided doing more than two pledge drives a year to keep the focus on the project, not fundraising. I doubt if we could increase that without alienating our readers.

5.) REPURPOSING CONTENT

We currently have over 500 articles in our archive of posts. Although we provide related links at the bottom of each post and maintain a jump page with links to every post organized by subject, I don't think many readers are using them. If I reduced the number of new posts I do each week and filled in with "reruns", I could continue the blog pretty much the same as it is now.

6.) DIGITAL VOLUNTEERS

I have been trying to encourage readers to help build out the biographies in our Cartoon Hall of Fame. However the lion's share of the biographies there have been written by local animation students from ASIFA-Hollywood Board member, Larry Loc's classes. I would welcome ideas for how to get more volunteer support from the internet readers.

7.) DIGITIZED CONTRIBUTIONS

Every day, I see posts around the "blogosphere" with wonderful scans of articles, illustrations and artwork that would be terrific additions to our collection. I have contacted many of these bloggers asking that they scan at archival resolutions and contribute their images to the Animation Database. Very few of them do this. I would welcome ideas for how to encourage more digital contributions.

Those are the ideas that have been bouncing around in my head lately. I would appreciate your suggestions. If you consider this blog to be a valuable resource, please take the time to add your own thoughts to the comments below.

Thank you
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

We've Accomplished A Lot In Two Short Years!

WARNING! This post contains concentrated cartoon goodness! Link to it from your website or blog. Tell your friends!


THE ARCHIVE IS TWO YEARS OLD
The ASIFA-Hollywood Archive has been in operation now for two years. Every six months, we look back on everything we have accomplished to date and remind you that this is all possible because of your support. We hope that you'll appreciate the work being done here and find value in it. If that's the case, you'll want to contribute, so we can accomplish even more.

To date, we have digitized well over 15,000 images and 2,500 animated films. There are nearly 450 articles available here on the Archive blog covering a wide range of subjects. The blog is followed by readers all over the world. We recently had our 1 millionth unique visitor; and in the past two years, we have served 2.5 million articles. We've mounted several exhibits in the archive space, which has been visited by artists from all corners of the globe. The animation database has now completed its proof of concept phase, and volunteers are working nearly every day to build it out as quickly as possible. What kind of an impact is the Archive having on the art of animation? Read our Feedback and find out!

We're now ready to begin work on the second phase of our project- creating a stand-alone workstation version of the digital archive that can be syndicated to museums, libraries, universities and studios around the world. To accomplish this, we need your help.

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ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive / 2114 W Burbank Bl. Burbank, CA 91506 / 818.842.4691 / Office Hours: Tuesday through Friday 1pm to 9pm

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HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are a few things you can do for us that will help us reach our goal more quickly:

• Contribute
  
  If you have found the posts here useful in your work, please give back to help us continue to bring you more inspiration and information you can use. Please look over the Donor Catagories and help as much as you can.


• Link To Our Posts
  
  In order for this project to succeed, we need as many "eyeballs" as we can muster. Search engine ranking depends on incoming links. If you see a posting here that you think is great, please link to it from your own website or blog.


• Volunteer Your Time And Skills
  
  The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive depends on the generosity of its volunteers to move the project along. If you are willing to help, stop by the Archive offices in Burbank, or contribute to the Hall of Fame over the internet. Every little bit of effort is appreciated and helps us further the cause.


• Share Your Collection
  
  If you have material that would be an asset to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, consider loaning it to us for digitization or contact us for information on how you can digitize it yourself. Everything you see on this blog was contributed by artists and collectors who want to share their treasures with you. Return the favor.

NEED CONVINCING?

Well, the best way to prove the value of our efforts is to show you what those efforts have produced over the past two years. Keep in mind that what you see here on this blog is just a fraction of what we've entered into our rapidly growing database. Click through these links and be amazed at the rich resource we are all working together to build.

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Here are the top ten reasons the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive deserves your support...

10.) Special Exhibits At The Archive



The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has mounted several major exhibits. At our facility in Burbank, you can see a collection of animation drawings from the Fleischer Studios, including Grim Natwick's first character designs for Betty Boop. Also on display is the desk that Les Clark used at Disney's Hyperion studio from 1927 to 1938... from Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Steamboat Willie to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs... they were all animated on this desk. Come down any day between Tuesday and Friday and take the tour...

DISNEY DRAWINGS

THE ART OF THE STORYBOARD
(See also... John K's Stimpy's Invention Part One and Part Two, Ren & Stimpy in Big House Blues Part One, Part Two and Part Three; Alvin Show Pilot Board and Alvin Show: The Whistler)

THE GOLDEN AGE OF MEXICAN LOBBY CARDS
(See also... Ernesto Garcia Cabral Part One / Part Two / Sci-Fi and Horror Lobby Cards / Mexican Lobby Card Fiesta)

Another special event... An Evening With Andreas Deja and Follow-Up

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9.) Features On Playboy Cartoonists



In the 1950s and 60s, Playboy magazine employed many of the most talented cartoonists of the day. There's a lot to learn from these beautiful and deceptively simple cartoons. Many of them are models of color harmony, composition and staging. There's also a wide variety of styles, from the fast watercolor washes of Eldon Dedini to the carefully rendered airbrush work of Alberto Vargas. Style is something sadly lacking in theatrical animation today. These cartoons have style in abundance. We were lucky enough to be able to digitize a collection of vintage magazines courtesy of Archive supporters, Mike Fontanelli and Chad Coyle. Here are some of the artists we've profiled so far...

Eldon Dedini Part One / Eldon Dedini's Satyr's & Nymphs / Early Erich Sokol Cartoons / More Erich Sokol / Jack Cole And More Great 50s Playboy Cartoonists / Doug Sneyd - Phil Interlandi / More Phil Interlandi Playboy Cartoons / Alberto Vargas / Harvey Kurtzman & Will Elder's Little Annie Fanny Part One and Part Two (See also... George Petty's Ridgid Tools Calendars & his 1947 Calendar / John Held Jr's Flappers)

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8.) Art Instruction Materials



Founded by Norman Rockwell in the early 1950s, Famous Artists had three courses... Painting, Illustration/Design and Cartooning. Each course consisted of 24 lessons in three oversized binders covering a wide variety of subjects. To design the courses, Rockwell brought together the top artists of the day... Albert Dorne, Stevan Dohanos, Rube Goldberg, Milton Caniff, Al Capp, Willard Mullen, Virgil Partch, and Whitney Darrow Jr, among others. The result was a correspondence course that puts many current university programs to shame. ASIFA-Hollywood has been digitizing these powerful lessons and sharing some of them with you on this website. In addition, we have provided a wealth of educational material written by top cartoonist educators like Grim Natwick and Gene Byrnes; as well as invaluable articles on art theory.

Chad's Design For Television / Willard Mullin On How To Draw Animals / Clair Weeks' Disney Animal Studies 1940 / Fundamentals Of Composition: Part One and Part Two / Carlo Vinci: The Training of a Golden Age Animator / Willy Pogany's Drawing Lessons Part One and Part Two / W. L. Evans Cartooning & Caricaturing Course Part One / Bill Nolan: Cartooning Self Taught / Grim Natwick on Animation Design / A Drawing Lesson From Walter Lantz / Ralph Bakshi Speaks To CGI Animators Part One and Part Two / Owen Jones' The Grammar of Ornament Part One, Part Two and Part Three / Musical Timing Rediscovered / Originality vs. Imitation: Chaplin's Shadow / Incorporating Natural Forms: Haeckel's Art Forms In Nature / Nat Falk's How To Draw Animated Cartoons Part Three: How Cartoons Are Made, Part Four: How To Draw Animated Cartoons and Part Five: How To Animate / John K Advice and Eddie's Boney Finger and John K on Character Design / 1938 Disney Artitst Tryout Book / Gene Byrnes' Complete Guide To Cartooning Part One: Newspaper Strip Cartoonists, Part Two: Studying Comic Strips, Part Three: Single Panel and Sports Cartoons, Part Four: Editorial Cartoons and Comic Books, Part Five: Sketching, Part Six: Magazine Cartoons

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7.) Classic Cartoons To Study



Through our Film Preservation Program ASIFA-Hollywood has rescued dozens of cartoons in danger of being lost to nitrate deterioration. The volunteers at the Animation Archive are hard at work digitizing cartoons for inclusion in our database. This will allow students and cartoonists to instantly access animated films that are not available commercially. To date, we have digitized over 2,500 cartoons... Fleischer Popeyes, Bouncing Ball Cartoons, Terrytoons and many more that haven't been seen in decades. Here are just a few of the cartoons in our collection...

Fleischer Studios: Swing, You Sinners, Mariutch, Betty Boop in Snow White & You're Driving Me Crazy / Van Beuren: The Little King in On The Pan 1933 / Famous Studios: Chiquita Banana / Terrytoons: Barnyard Actor, Farmer Al Falfa's Prize Package, Pink Elephants, The Temperamental Lion (1940), Gandy & Sourpuss in Aladdin's Lamp & Catnip Capers, Bill Tytla's Mighty Mouse Meets Jekyll & Hyde Cat / H-B's The Bodyguard and Avery's Bad Luck Blackie / Uproar In Heaven (China/1961) Part One, Part Two / Ruff and Reddy and Pinky the Pint-Sized Pachyderm, Tex Avery's KoolAid Spots: UPA Done Right

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6.) Golden Age Illustration



One of the goals of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive is to gather together the material that provided inspiration to animators in the 30s and 40s. Artists like Kay Nielsen and Gustaf Tenggren made the trip to California and ended up working for Disney. These books contain a wealth of inspiration for color, design and technique. We are also archiving the work of great illustrators from the 40s and 50s, like Arthur Szyk and Boris Artzybasheff. Click on a few of these links and be amazed at what you see...

Bland Tomtar Och Troll: John Bauer 1915 / Einar Norelius 1929, Einar Norelius 1934, Bauer & Norelius 1944/1949 / Kay Nielsen: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Twelve Dancing Princesses & Hansel & Gretel / Gustaf Tenggren: Small Fry And The Winged Horse, D'Aulnoy's Fairy Tales, Good Dog Book, Heidi - Wonderbook - Juan & Juanita & Grimms Fairy Tales / Edmund Dulac: Hans Christian Anderson, Poe's Poetical Works & Tanglewood Tales / Maxfield Parrish's Arabian Nights (1909) / N. C. Wyeth's Legends of Charlemagne / Frank Reynolds Paints Pickwick / Monks By Eduard von Grutzner / Artzybasheff: Neurotica, Machinalia & Diablerie / Arthur Szyk: The New Order / WWI Propaganda Posters Part One and Part Two / Mid-1930s Colliers Illustrations / Late 40s Colliers Illustrations / Coronet Magazine / Lawson Wood- The Monkey Painter Part One and Part Two

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5.) Historical Info & Interviews



We are in the process of publishing an important interview with three of animation's pioneers... Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera and Friz Freleng. Interviewed by cartoon director, John Kricfalusi, they speak with candor about their careers and the state of animation in the modern age. The interview is illustrated extensively with pictures and videos of cartoons so you can instantly see what they are talking about. This sort of interactive presentation takes full advantage of the power of the internet as a learning tool. There are two installments now online, with more to come in the near future. We also posted an interesting audio clip of Grim Natwick discussing his friend and former boss, Ub Iwerks, a fascinating article on Bill Tytla by animation historian John Canemaker, and a documentary on China's pioneer animators, the Wan Brothers...

Bill-Joe-Friz Interview Pt. 1 / Bill-Joe-Friz Interview Pt. 2 / Natwick on Iwerks / Three Interesting Documents / Berny Wolf (1911-2006) Terrytoons Studio Tour 1939 / Louise Zingarelli: Cool World / Biography: The Wan Brothers- Cinese Animation Pioneers / Nat Falk's "How To Make Animated Cartoons Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five / Life Magazine: Disney Studios at War / John Canemaker on Bill Tytla / Lotte Reiniger's Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) Part One and Part Two / Clair Weeks' Goodbye Book (Disney/1952) and Pioneer of Indian Animation / Bob Clampett's Swimming Pool 1962 / Ward Kimball: Escapader Cum Laude and Will Finn's Letter From Ward Kimball / Building Of The Disney Studio In Burbank / Dispatch From Disney's 1943 Part One and Part Two / Milton Caniff: A Remembrance

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4.) The Cartoon Hall Of Fame



ASIFA-Hollywood has been recognizing the important figures in the history of animation for over three decades with the Annie Awards. We continue that tradition with our online biographical wiki, the Cartoon Hall Of Fame. Thanks to the hard work of the students in Charlie Lawing and Larry Loc's animation classes, the Hall Of Fame is beginning to take shape. We still need volunteers to help us edit and format the entries, as well as people to draft the biographical sketches of their favorite artists. If you would like to help, please email me at sworth@animationarchive.org. In the meantime, check out the wonderful biographies of these greats...

James Stuart Blackton (See also... Animation Centennial 1906-2006) / Carlo Vinci / Art Babbitt (See also... Pencil Test of Art's Best Scene) / Shamus Culhane / John Kricfalusi / Ralph Bakshi (See also... Mel Blanc on Advertising / Milton Caniff and Norman Rockwell in Coronet / Bakshi Phone Doodles) / Oskar Fischinger / Ollie Johnston / Osamu Tezuka

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3.) Classic Golden Books



We've collected and digitized an amazing library of images from the classic Golden Books of the 1940s through the 60s. Some of the finest artists in the business worked for Western Publishing on this series, including Gustaf Tenggren, Mel Crawford, Mary Blair and J.P. Miller. We are still working on digitizing the collection donated to us by John Kricfalusi, but so far, we have scanned the following books...

Tibor Gergely: A Day In The Jungle / Gustaf Tenggren: The Little Trapper / Mary Blair's Baby's House, Little Verses Part One and Part Two, The New Golden Song Book Part One, Part Two & Part Three / Al White: Rocky & His Friends & Huck Hound Builds A House / Mel Crawford: Rootie Kazootie Joins The Circus / 50s & 60s Album Covers Part One and Part Two / Early 50s Disney Christmas Cards / Disney's Uncle Remus Stories Part One and Part Two / Rojankovsky's Frog Went A-Courtin'

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2.) Vintage Newspaper Cartoons And Comics



Along with our Archive Alliance member, Digital Funnies, comic collector Kent Butterworth and the Milton Caniff Estate, we've brought you some wonderful newspaper strips, magazine cartoons, and comic books, many of which have never been reprinted. Here is just a small sampling of the material we've added to the archive database...

The Father of Cartooning: T. S. Sullivant / Virgil Partch: Here We Go Again, The Wild, Wild Women Part One Part Two and Part Three, & Man The Beast / Milt Gross: Cartoon Tour of New York, Dave's Delicatessen Dailies, Sunday Pages Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five and Part Six / Cliff Sterrett: Polly And Her Pals Part One, Part Two and Part Three / Otto Messmer's 1932 Felix Sundays and Felix in Mother Goose Land / Dudley Fisher's Right Around Home / Hanna-Barbera: Huckleberry Hound Weekly / Harrison Cady: Bird's Eye Views / Jim Tyer: Funny Animal Comics Part One and Part Two / Basil Wolverton: Powerhouse Pepper / Chic Young's Blondie and More of Chic Young's Blondie / Boody Rogers: Babe Comics Part One, Part Two & Part Three / George Lichty's Grin and Bear It and Even More Great Lichty Grin & Bear It Comics / Rube Goldberg's Side Show / Milt Stein's Supermouse Comics No. 4 / Harvey Kurtzman's Comic Books / Dan Gordon's Superkatt / Parody: Whack Comics (1953) / Basil Wolverton on Cartoon Sounds Part One and Part Two / Milton Knight's Great Brown-Pericord Motor / Harvey Eisenberg's Foxy Fagan 1946 / Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon and More Steve Canyon Dalies / Walt Kelly's Pogo / People on Paper (MGM/1945)

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1.) The $100,000 Animation Drawing Course



How much would it be worth to you to learn to draw for animation from two masters... one from the "golden age" of animation, and one of the top talents in the industry today? Well, you can do that right here on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog with our online drawing course. Overseen by Ren & Stimpy creator, John Kricfalusi and using the long out-of-print original edition of Preston Blair's handbook on animation techniques, you can't find a better resource for honing your drawing skills. The individual lessons are in the sidebar of this site, but start out with the...

Introduction to the $100K Drawing Course
Preston Blair's Animation 1st Edition Part One / Part Two

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And That's Not All Folks...



Not surprisingly, the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has one of the most extensive collections of animation artwork in the world- material from every studio and era, from the earliest silent cartoons all the way through current television productions. Our focus is on artwork not archived elsewhere... drawings and cels from 1950s commercial animation houses, extinct New York studios and obscure cartoon producers from the golden age of cartoons. Here is just a small sampling of our collection...

Mike Lah and Quartet Films / Ray Patin Studios Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six / Carlo Vinci's Terry-Toons Notes / Vincent Waller Spumco Drawings and Jim Smith Spumco Layouts / Herb Klynn's Unmade Animated Feature / Ralph Bakshi Phone Doodles / Katie Rice's Designs / Chuck Jones Layouts / Grim Natwick's Post UPA Commercials / Early 50s UPA Model Sheets / Reluctant Dragon and Pinocchio Model Sheets / Jules Engel's Alvin Show Color Keys / Model Sheets by Hurter and Thorson, Mice and Duck Model Sheets, and More Disney Model Sheets / Artwork from Disney's Bambi / Terrytoons Model Sheets / Herb Klynn's Pitch For The Shrimp / MGM Animation Drawings / Alex Toth Model Sheets

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Please donate whatever you can to support this important project. Your generosity is what keeps the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive going. If you aren't financially able to contribute or if you already made a donation, please tell your friends about the Archive Project Blog. Link to this post from your website or blog, tell everyone you know about the ten good reasons to contribute to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive.


It's impossible for me to thank everyone who has helped this project in such a small space. But I'm going to make an effort to try. (excuse me if I don't mention you!) Thanks to the Walter Lantz Foundation for its support of this project from its inception. I'd also like to thank our project sponsors, Sony Pictures, Dreamworks, and The Animation Guild. A big thank you to our celebrity supporters, June Foray, Leonard Maltin, Andreas Deja, John Kricfalusi, and Nancy Cartwright. We owe a debt of gratitude to the schools that have rallied behind us, Woodbury University, Brooks College and LA Valley College. So many people have come forward to share their treasures with us... Jerry Beck, Mark Kausler, Van Eaton Galleries, NoCloo.com, the Vincis, the Milton Caniff estate, Digital Funnies, Mike Fontinelli, Kent Butterworth, the family of Clair Weeks, John Canemaker, Rich Borowy, Marc Deckter, and Marc Crisafulli. This project would not be possible without the support of the Board of Directors and members of ASIFA-Hollywood. My biggest thanks go to the handful of volunteers who patiently work their way through the files day after day, turning bits and bytes into useful information that will make a difference for the better long after all of us are gone. You know who you are. You're all heros.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

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

Stumble It!

Meta: What Is ASIFA-Hollywood

Don't Be Left Out! Join ASIFA-Hollywood!

Those of you who have been following the progress of the Animation Archive may not be familiar with the organization behind it... ASIFA-Hollywood. If you love animation and live in Los Angeles, you have no excuse to not be a member of ASIFA-Hollywood. The benefits far outweigh the cost of the annual dues. Even if you don't live in LA, there are plenty of reasons to join, or to seek out a chapter of ASIFA near you. (There are ASIFA chapters all over the world.)

Bookmark the ASIFA-Hollywood Homepage and read on to find out...

What Is ASIFA-Hollywood?

We are the Los Angeles chapter of the international organization, ASIFA: The International Animated Film Society. Founded by a group of animators in 1957, and chartered by UNESCO in 1960, ASIFA encourages the art of animation and futhers international understanding and goodwill through the medium. Today, there are about thirty chapters of ASIFA all over the globe. ASIFA is a French acronym... "Association Internationale du Film D'Animation".

ASIFA- Hollywood was established over thirty years ago as a 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization. It is the largest chapter of ASIFA in the world. We are self-sustaining through our membership dues and the proceeds from our various projects and events.

Can I Please Be A Member?

Certainly! ASIFA-Hollywood membership is open to animation professionals, students and fans of animation. Anyone who loves animation can be a member of ASIFA!

There are three types of membership categories... General Member, Patron and Student Member. To find out about these and read about our goals and ongoing projects, read on...

What's The Concept Behind ASIFA-Hollywood?

ASIFA-Hollywood is the place where professional animators and fans, employees from competing studios and artists of different disciplines can join together on neutral ground where the common denominator is a passion for animation.

ASIFA-Hollywood's Goals

• To support and encourage animation education
• To support the preservation and critical evaluation of animation history
• To recognize the achievement of excellence in the art and industry of animation
• To increase public awareness of animation
• To act as a liason to encourage the free exchange of ideas within the animation community
• To encourage journalism documenting current trends and activities in animation
• To encourage the social interaction of professional and non-professional animation enthusiasts
• To encourage the development and expression of all forms of animation

So What Does ASIFA Do?

If you love animation, you'll find lots to do as a member of ASIFA-Hollywood. Here are just a few of our ongoing projects and programs...

MEMBER EVENTS AND SCREENINGS

Throughout the year, we host a packed calendar of events, including screenings of rare cartoons, members-only sneak peeks at current animated features and shows, lectures and workshops by noted animation professionals and social networking meetings. For up to date info on our activities, bookmark our Calendar of Events for more info.

THE ANNIE AWARDS

First held in 1972, the Annie Awards have grown to become animation's highest honor. The Annies are dedicated to honoring the best animated films of the year, as well as recognizing individual achievement. All members of ASIFA-Hollywood may vote for the winners. See AnnieAwards.org for more info.

THE ANIMATION ARCHIVE

The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has been collecting material related to the art of animation for over thirty years. Recently, the Board of Directors resolved to create a world-class archive, library and museum dedicated to the artform. Work is underway to build a digital archive- a database containing hundreds of thousands of image files, biographical sketches, filmographic data and animated films- all searchable by keyword. You can read about the day by day progress of this project on the Archive Blog located at AnimationArchive.org.

AND THAT'S NOT ALL FOLKS...

ASIFA-Hollywood is at the forefront of the LA animation scene. We preserve films in danger of being lost to nitrate deterioration through our Animated Film Preservation Project. We maintain a charitable fund, The Animation Aid Foundation, and we foster education through the Stephen Bosustow and Art Babbitt Educational Endowment Funds.

Okie Doke... Sign Me Up!

ASIFA membership is available in three levels...

Patron Membership includes International Membership and provides a donation for the Animation Archive and Film Preservation projects.

General Membership ($75/year within the US/$100 outside the US) includes International Membership

Student Membership ($30/year) does not include International Membership. Student ID required.

Volunteer opportunities are available in the following areas: Annie Awards, Comic Con, Publicity, Animation Archive, Events & Screenings and the Animation Rescue Team. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering by sending an email to... volunteer@asifa-hollywood.org

Print Out The Membership Form

• PDF Membership Form

Mail It With Payment To...

ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD
2114 W Burbank Bl
Burbank, CA 91506

Inquiries about membership status should be directed to... membership@asifa-hollywood.org

ABOUT ASIFA INTERNATIONAL
Find out about what ASIFA does all over the world.

ASIFA INTERNATIONAL CONTACT DIRECTORY
Find a chapter of ASIFA near you.

JOIN ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD
Join us.

Drawings on this page by Grim Natwick and Tissa David.

Stumble It!

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

Stumble It!

Meta: Fundraiser Update

I would like to thank the people who helped spread the word about the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive last week... Craig D, Zep, Lee, NateBear, Jorge Garrido, Paul Etcheverry, P-E Fronning, Amir Avni, Loon, James Suhr, Dungeon Warden, Childewolf, In-Sect, Calmspirit and Max Ward. (excuse me if I missed anybody!)

As you know, every six months we take a week to promote the Archive project and encourage those who have benefitted from it to contribute. ASIFA-Hollywood is a non-profit arts organization, and the Archive project depends on donations to fund its operations. Unfortunately, last week's fundraiser didn't generate a single donation.

I'm working on other ways to generate funding, but it is going to take some of my time away from digitizing and drafting new posts. Instead of three posts a week as I have been doing, I am going to go to two posts a week. I am working on a series of charity auctions that will include occasional ebay lots as well as a live auction event this Summer. We have plans for fundraising events tied in with upcoming screenings and celebrity appearances in the Los Angeles area. And I am looking into ways to publish art prints and books based on the material in our collection. We continue to look for corporate sponsors and advertisers to cover the expenses of the website content creation and hosting.

If anyone out there has fundraising ideas, or if you are willing to help us generate funds to operate and expand the archive, please let me know at sworth@animationarchive.org.

Thanks for your support.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

Stumble It!