I: A Writer’s Progress (part one)–
Michael Maltese, like so many other giants of early animation, spent the first part of his life in New York City. Born in February of 1908, he was raised — primarily by his mother — on the Lower East Side. His upbringing was tenement-based and poor, so his prospects for a future were limited. He spent part of his teen years apprenticed to a plumber who installed pipes in new apartment buildings. One January morning, Maltese arrived at a job site to discover the coveralls he’d left there the night before had frozen solid. He vowed right then and there that whatever his life’s work ended up being it could not involve thawing out his clothing each and every day.
Information on the early lives of many cartoon pioneers is sketchy and sometimes contradictory. In his book Hollywood Cartoons, author Michael Barrier tells us that Maltese’s first job in animation (at the comparatively ripe old age of twenty-seven) was at the Fleischer Studio. Meanwhile, in his book Chuck Amuck, director Chuck Jones says that Maltese entered into cartoons via Terrytoons, another New York City outfit. Jones claims that Maltese secured the job after commenting that the rickety Terrytoons elevator should bear a plaque reading “Good to the Last Drop”. Despite the fact that Jones knew Maltese very well, Barrier makes a better accounting of Maltese’s early career so his version is probably the more accurate. According to Hollywood Cartoons, Maltese began at Fleischer as a cel painter and, during his year of employment, he rose to the position of inbetweener. Maltese was eventually fired for asking to be promoted to assistant animator — a no-no in the rigid caste system of the early animation industry. Following his dismissa...
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...ical cartoons. Most people agree that Jones’ Tom and Jerrys are not particularly good, but the better ones were, of course, written by Michael Maltese.
Chuck Jones (who died in 2002) became a beloved elder statesman of animation, and there’s no denying that his contributions to the medium were enormous. Even Jones, however, was willing to admit that his best work came about in partnership with Michael Maltese. The list of great shorts produced by these two men is both lengthy and awe-inspiring in its quality. An abbreviated version of that list (along with links to the appropriate Wikipedia pages) appears below. Beneath this list are a few of the better offerings presented in watchable form. This is, of course, the best way to appreciate the Jones/Maltese legacy — through the films themselves.
Michael Maltese died in February of 1981 at the age of seventy three.
Maltin, Lenard. Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Revised and Updated Edition. 3rd ed. Plume, 1987. Print.
The standard Disney story from the mid 1930s to the beginning of the 1940s is one of the pursuit and somewhat linear progression towards realism. Many theorists used the term ‘hyperrealism’ to describe what appeared to be Disney’s “attempt to represent reality in a medium predicated on artificiality” during the Disney-Formalist period (Disney Formalism, Pallant, 40). Indeed, as the animation and technology employed by the company became more advanced, productions relied less on gag-based humor and metamorphosis and more on realistic animation to develop character and narrative. Many critics of this evolution viewed them as “a move away from animation’s main province, as well as a kind of non-artistry produced from simply duplicating live
The first animated movie produced by Pixar, a famous space ranger named Buzz Light-year said, “To infinity and beyond!” and that is exactly where Pixar has taken the animation industry. The success of Pixar is duly noted worldwide and they remain a leader in the animation industry. The company reeled in more than 100 awards and nominations for their work on animated films, commercials, and technical contributions to the animation industry. The trials and triumphs of this company have earned it its spot as one of the leading animation companies in the entertainment industry today. With all this success it is hard to think it was almost over before it ever began. Pixar’s history of trials and triumphs starts with a group of men and their ideas that would revolutionize the entertainment industry.
Unfortunately, this first endeavor of owning his own studio was not successful. He had a few short animated fairy tales to produce, but the company soon went bankrupt. However, he did not give up on the idea of having his own stu...
As the science of technology rose into entertainment, not even Hollywood could compete with the new stars of animation. The first broadcast ever was in 1928 and the technology used for the broadcasts consisted of a turntable, which was solely used to be the base for the Felix the Cat figurine and propped him up for the shoot; studio lights, which helped transmit the picture and they also needed to be constant; an actor was needed and had to be impervious to heat, cheap, and also constant. In turn, the use of a Felix figurine was perfect for the job not only because of these reasons, but also because the picture was black and white, and Felix was a black and white cat. A scanning disk was also needed since it was the part of the equipment that actually made the broadcast, so was an electric kinescope receiver and a rotoscope. A rotoscope was needed to trace images of the characters on paper frame by frame and was invented by Max Fleischer in 1915. (Felixthecat.com) In the history of animation there were many directors and famous characters. The most famous of them were those of the 1920’s. This includes Otto Messmer and his character Felix the Cat, Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, and finally Grim Natwick and his character Betty Boop.
On August 25, 1958, Timothy Walter Burton was born (“Biography”). Burton had a painful childhood in which the relationship with his parents and brother was nonexistent (Morgenstern). Through his intense feeling of isolation, his visual talent began to develop. The comfort found in hobbies such as writing and drawing led him to attend the California Institute of the Arts which led him to his first job in any artistic field at the Disney Animation Studios (“Biography”). Burton has since been referred to as one of the most visually gifted writers, artists, and filmmakers that America has seen (Hanke). His short stories, poems, and film scripts are centered on an inner darkness which he has been slowly acquiring since his childhood. He throws himself into everything he writes and makes even the simplest characters have a deep, complex meaning. His famous darkness and symbolism is shown in his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. The book contains a collection of his short stories, poems, and illustrations about a variety of fictional characters that can be compared to Burton and his life. Tim Burton’s home life and previous hardships have made a significant impact on his work. In my paper, I will draw parallels to his life and work as well as prove that there is reasoning and beauty in the way he is.
By this time there is the emergence of many new concepts and techniques in animation such as color, sound, and feature length animations. While Walt Disney is mostly reliable for creating the golden age with his recognizable characters and techniques, there were other key players in the success of this time. Two of these men were Max and Dave Fleischer who help develope audio techniques such as synchronization in animation (“History”). Another animator of note was Paul Terry, creator of Terrytoons, he helped create memorable characters that were easily recognizable. The emergence of iconic characters in this time really made animation stand out to family audiences and the feature length nature of animations at the time allowed animation to be viewed as a medium for both adults and children (”Baker”). During this time the animation industry faced little to no adversity and expanded greatly, but like all golden ages it had to come to
Everybody knows and loves Mickey Mouse, Ever since Walt Disney sparked life into his most beloved character, children all over the world have been mesmerized by Mickey Mouse’s iconic red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. Created in 1928, the desperation to save his business and name probably was the necessary inspiration for Disney to create the bold and iconic mouse that would dominate the entertainment industry for decades. However that desperation manifested out of another character’s short lived fame, for more than six decades Oswald the Lucky rabbit has lingered in the shadows of obscurity. Playing a crucial part in Disney’s history, bridging the gap between the Alice films and the all famous Mickey Mouse.
In the mid-70s, Jittlov was a math/language major at UCLA, but he'd taken an animation course to satisfy an art requirement in order to graduate, and that's when something clicked. He began making films, first on Super 8mm, and he enjoyed the creative process. One of those films, The Leap, was enlarged to 16mm in order be able for Jittlov to participate in film festivals in the early 70s. Jittlov then entered his 16mm student film Good Grief into Academy Awards competition for short films, and it made it to the finals, the first of several of his short films to do so. Some of his other original film shorts -- including The Interview, Swing Shift, Animato, and Time Tripper (released separately and as a collection called Animato) -- began winning top short film awards, and were screened at multiple film festivals, bringing Jittlov to the attention of Disney's animation company.
What is critically known as the best American musical, Gypsy provides American musical theatregoers with dynamic characters, a captivating story and extraordinary music. Gypsy is an American musical that is based on the self-written book, “The Memoirs of ‘Gypsy Rose Lee’”. It is often referred to as, Gypsy: A Musical Fable. The musical made its debut on May 21, 1959 at The Broadway Theatre in Manhattan. The characters have been subject to many in depth analysis throughout its lifetime, adding a lot of new content and progressive thinking to the world of musical theatre. The history of the musical, musical acts, correlation to the real story of Gypsy Rose Lee, awards won and impact Gypsy had on musical theatre will be discussed in further detail.
Bliss, John, Art that Moves: Animation Around the World. Chicago, Illinois: Heinemann Raintree, 2011. Print
...w any other animation out of the water. On November 28th, 1928 Mickey Mouse debuted in his first animation as Steamboat Willie. Thus begins the start of one of the most revolutionary companies ever in the art of animated cartoon features. The Walt Disney Company would soon take it’s feet as Mickey Mouse features incorporated the first picture and sound films of it’s time. Walt’s journey through life led him to take on a new found love for animation where he wanted to better it so that all sorts of families could enjoy motion pictures. From his influences in the theatres as a child, to his new ideas on how to improve animation, Walt began shaping the way animated cartoons functioned. From 1928 to The Walt Disney Company’s current operation, the success of one mouse has put Walt Disney into the history books as one of the most prominent managerial leaders of our time.
The use of techniques and strategies in animation is significant as it greatly emphasizes the overall message of the film, and most importantly it allows the audience to understand and identify the film in their own individual perspective. All techniques used in animation films have potential in their own distinctive ways. Films such as ‘200,000 Phantoms/ Nijuman No Borei’ (2007), ‘Philips Broadcast of 1938’ (1938), ‘Uncle’ (1996), ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ (1940), ‘Felix in Hollywood’ (1923), ‘Billy’s Balloon’ (1998), ‘Mt. Head/ Atama Yama’ (2003) and ‘Simonova Sand Performance’ (2009) demonstrates a variety of techniques and strategies in the most effective ways. In some of the films, there are techniques and strategies used that are similar and some that are very different, nevertheless each are unique in their respective ways. We will explore the techniques used in these films, including its historical or contemporary context based on the methods of production used and the cultural environment from which they arose. We will also see how the films contrast from each other.
Animation played a major role for the advancement of motion film in 1900’s. Before motion picture camera, frame by frame photographs were used to understand animal and human movement. Eventually a series of famous cartoons would be created which would lead to the expansion of animation studios in New York and California. One famous animation studio that opened up was Walt Disney, which would eventually dominate animation for many years. Disney animation brought many spectacular films and entertainment to people of the U.S.A. Disneys was dragged into WWII as it was requested by the government for its talented art and propaganda during WWII. But Disney was able to continue to strive in producing more animated films after its effort for the war. Walt Disney was a cinematographer who took his career into animation.Walt graduated from Kansas City Art Institute, where he met Ub Iwerks, a greatly skilled animator and Walts collaborated partner. Walts career would begin while working for the Kansas City Film Ad Company in Missouri in 1920. They would be the founders of the Laugh-O-gram Films studio working to to produce several cartoons based off fables and fairy tales. Walt Disney created several pilot shorts of a show called Alice in Cartoonland, a film combining both live action and animation. Alice in cartoonland, a comedic show about a young girl who enters another universe
The first 2D animation was created in by Emile Cohl in 1908 called “Fantasmagorie”. The animated film was 70 seconds made with 700 images and 24 frames per second for making the ending according to Kieran Kane’s presentation “The History of Animation”. In 1928, Walt Disney used 2D animation to create the first Mickey Mouse cartoon “ Steamboat Willie”. The cartoon was also the first animated film to have a sound track in the background according to “ The History of Animation”. After this event, many companies like Walt Disney, Warner Bros, and Hanna-Barbera started creating cartoons and commercials with paper 2D animation in 1930s to 1970s; these were known as the “year of animation”. Now, most animations have the problem of consuming time