Cartoon Modern

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve updated this blog, but I’m remedying the situation by starting the Cartoon Modern Tumblr at:

cartoonmodern.tumblr.com

I’ll try my best to post a daily dose of Fifties visual inspiration.

If you want to help the cause and see more of this stuff, please buy a copy of the book Cartoon Modern.

Satisfied customer Daniel Stone was awesome enough to post this photo of himself and the book on his blog

Good news just in time for your animation-related holiday shopping needs! I have received word from Tee Bosustow that the last of the pre-orders for Inside UPA are currently being mailed out and the the book is now available for immediate shipping. Not only is it the perfect accompaniment to Cartoon Modern, but all the proceeds go towards documenting more mid-century animation history: namely the completion of Tee Bosustow’s film documentary about the legendary UPA animation outfit.

To read more about the book, I direct you to this review on Drawn! by Ward Jenkins. Quotes from animation luminaries like John Canemaker and Lou Romano are also being posted on UPApix.com.

The book is available in a limited edition of 1000 hand-numbered copies, and of those, 50 come with a bookplate signed by the following UPA veterans: Millard Kaufman, Fred Crippen, Willis Pyle, Bob Dranko, Bob McIntosh, Erv Kaplan, Gene Deitch, Sam Clayberger, Dolores Cannata, Howard Beckerman, Joe Siracusa, David Weidman, Joe Messerli, Edna Jacobs, and Alan Zaslove. Only 17 signed copies remain! If you’re curious about what the signed card looks like, check out the pic posted on Daniel Stone’s blog. And if you’re wondering about whether the signed copy is worth it, just listen to what Mr. Stone has to say: “Even though my stomach is empty and I’m all out of coal for the furnace, it was worth it. Worse comes to worst… I can eat the book!”

I did a post a few weeks ago with photos of some of the artists signing the bookplate. Below is a new set of photos. The artists are, top to bottom: Gene Deitch, Dolores Cannata, David and Dorothy Weidman, Howard Beckerman, Edna Jacobs, Joe Siracusa, Fred Crippen, Joe Messerli.

Order your copy today at UPApix.com!

Calling all fans of Cartoon Modern. If you’re looking for the perfect companion book to Cartoon Modern, then you’ll definitely want to check out my new book project Inside UPA. This 64-page volume offers an unprecedented look into the legendary UPA animation studios. Packed with over fifty photos, most of which haven’t been seen in decades, the book offers a rare glimpse into what it was like to work at the mid-century’s greatest design-oriented animation studio.

Like the studio itself, this book is a bit of an experiment. It’s an animation book that treats artists like the stars they are and allows them to be appreciated in a way like never before. Personally I think it’s quite the appropriate companion to my earlier book Cartoon Modern because as that book focused on artwork and animation, this book recognizes the artists who made those groundbreaking films a reality.

Inside UPA captures long forgotten moments from the studio’s history including such images as John Hubley sketching dancer Olga Lunick during the production of Rooty Toot Toot, Aurie Battaglia and Leo Salkin working on the unproduced James Thurber feature The White Deer, architect John Lautner talking to UPA animators about his building plans for the studio, Pete Burness and Mister Magoo voice Jim Backus going through a storyboard, Gene Deitch and Cliff Roberts having an impromptu jam session at a picnic, and a late-night production staff meeting at the Smokehouse Restaurant.

Inside UPA, which measures 7.5″x8.7″, is a softcover with french flaps and b&w interior. All proceeds from the sale of the book will go towards the production of the UPA documentary that Tee Bosustow is working on so every purchase helps to further advance the documentation of the studio’s output. The book also includes a six-page filmography, which is the most complete UPA filmography to ever appear in print. It includes not only the studio’s theatrical shorts, but also its industrial and training films, TV commercials and shows, and other special projects.

The book is available in a numbered edition of 1000 copies. It’s a limited run and certainly not the type of book that will be available forever. The pre-order price (valid through Saturday, September 15) is $35 (plus S&H). After that date, the price increases to $45. Fifty of these copies will come with a bookplate signed by UPA veterans who are still alive. These are available at $150.

To order your copy today, visit UPApix.com.

A few spreads from the book are below:

I’ts been a lot of fun seeing the different ways that contemporary artists have been inspired by the artwork published in the book and on this blog. I’ve documented some of that artwork here and here. Here’s a fresh batch of artists inspired by CARTOON MODERN.

Animator Chris Chua says the book has inspired him to do “to do looser, more stylized drawings” like the one below:

Dagan Moriarty’s page of elf sketches is followed by the comment, “Can ya tell I’ve been looking at ‘Cartoon Modern’ A LOT?!”

Pedro Vargas has some great Tom Oreb Trix studies posted on his blog. The original Oreb Trix model is HERE.

Brian Smith, who I remember from the days of working on BOO BOO RUNS WILD, has posted some studies inspired by Mary Blair (below), Tom Oreb and Ray Favata:

And the French-Canadian band L’Orchestrol Parade took one of the TOOT WHISTLE PLUNK AND BOOM concepts I posted last month and is using it in a flyer to promote one of their upcoming shows.

Here’s a regularly updated listing of events where I’ll be doing screenings, lectures and signings related to CARTOON MODERN.

June 25-30 2007
Platform International Animation Festival (Portland, Oregon)
Official Festival Website
DETAILS ABOUT CARTOON MODERN PROGRAMS COMING SOON

Dec. 14, 2006
Disney Feature Animation (Burbank, CA)
(closed to the public) SCREENING OF 50s SHORTS

Oct. 11-14, 2006
Projector Festival (Dundee, Scotland)
Official Festival Website
MASTERCLASS: DESIGN IN 50S ANIMATION on Friday, October 13 @ 5pm
SCREENING OF 50S SHORTS - PART I on Friday, October 13 @ 8pm
SCREENING OF 50S SHORTS - PART II on Saturday, October 14 @ 3pm
The book will also be available for sale during the entire festival at the DCA bookshop.

Sept. 20-24, 2006
Ottawa International Animation Festival (Ottawa, Canada)
Official Festival Website

BOOK SIGNING on Friday, Sept. 22 @ 6pm (NAC - Southam Hall Main Lobby). The book will also be available for sale during the entire festival at the festival store located in the NAC (Southam Hall Main Lobby). Be sure to ask for the exclusive free dvd that comes with each book purchase.

My publisher, Chronicle Books, is having a holiday sale on their website through December 10. You can pick up CARTOON MODERN for only $24, which is 40% off. If you’re thinking of buying the book this holiday season, please consider purchasing direct from Chronicle, which benefits them more than Amazon and other third-party retailers. Though I’m sure they won’t complain if you buy it somewhere else besides the Chronicle website.

DIRECT LINK TO CARTOON MODERN ON CHRONICLEBOOKS.COM

In this section, I’ll provide links to mentions of CARTOON MODERN in blogs, newspapers, magazines and beyond. There will be an easy-to-access press link in the right sidebar if you’re curious to keep up with what people are saying about the book:

JANUARY 15, 2007
John Canemaker’s wonderful review of my book appears in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of PRINT magazine. Click the image below to read it.

JANUARY 7, 2007
The NY Times Book Review featured a nice blurb about my book along with a still from a UPA short.

NOVEMBER 1, 2006
Animation historian Mark Mayerson awarded CARTOON MODERN solid marks in a thoughtful review published in the October 2006 issue of FPS MAGAZINE. The issue can be purchased as a PDF file HERE:

EXCERPT
CARTOON MODERN is an essential volume for anyone interested in this period of animation history or in this design approach. Amidi thoroughly knows his subject, having done an enormous amount of research, and writes about it enthusiastically. He has assembled a stunning collection of artwork, much of which has not previously seen print. When a book about animation this good is published, it’s a cause for celebration.

OCTOBER 20, 2006
CARTOON MODERN got a fine review in the Fall 2006 issue of the arts and culture quarterly BOMB MAGAZINE. Click on the image below to read the review.

OCTOBER 18, 2006
Ward Jenkins of Drawn! offers praise for the book.

EXCERPT
Amid Amidi’s recent book, Cartoon Modern, is a brilliant and compelling collection of mid-century animation design. Chock full of bold and crisp images of conceptual art, layouts, backgrounds, character designs, model sheets and painted cels, Cartoon Modern gives the reader a solid reason for taking a second look at this unique era in animation design…Highly recommended.

OCTOBER 5, 2006
Evan Dorkin (MILK AND CHEESE, WELCOME TO ELTINGVILLE) picked up my book and likes it. He comments about it on his BLOG.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2006
Leonard Maltin, one of America’s top film critics and author of the classic animation text OF MICE AND MAGIC, has made CARTOON MODERN one of his book picks on his website. You can read his review HERE.

EXCERPT
I devoured every page of this book, reveling in the illustrations and learning new things about many artists and designers whose work I’ve admired for years, from John Hubley to Ernie Pintoff.

Fifties modernism has been in vogue for some time now—what some architecture buffs call “mid-century modern”—and it’s high time someone recognized the contribution that the animation world made to that bold art movement.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2006
ANIMATION MAGAZINE did a nice write-up about CARTOON MODERN in their October issue. Click on the clipping below to read their plug:

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006
Eminent animation historian Michael Barrier has reviewed CARTOON MODERN. I wholeheartedly agree with Mike’s parting thought: “Anyone who cares about Hollywood animation’s history should buy Amidi’s book without hesitation.”

SEPTEMBER 14, 2006
Book illustrator/author Lane Smith (THE STINKY CHEESE MAN) likes my book: “If you love 50s animation and design, this is the bible. Amid has invested years of research which is apparent on every page of this classic.”

SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
A lot of people are blogging about the just-released book. It’s hard to keep track of everybody’s comments but here’s a few of the fine folks who’ve written about CARTOON MODERN:

Lili Chin
XK9 Design
Subconscious Ink
Will Kane
Donnachada Daly

SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
Splog blog
by Michael Sporn

EXCERPT
Amid Amidi’s book Cartoon Modern is the best book on animation I’ve encountered since Michael Barrier’s Hollywood Cartoons. …The story, here, isn’t about the pioneers who built a business and an artform; it’s about the artists who rebelled from that business to advance the art. Their story is every bit as thrilling and certainly as much of an inspiration. This is especially so in that I grew up while these guys developed the look they advanced. In some small way I was taught - through their cartoons - that modern art was good. Also, as a small business animator, how could I not associate with these guys? …My delight in this book couldn’t be more sincere.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
Toonfuse audio podcast by Lee and Tony
Listen to it HERE. (Note: The discussion about CARTOON MODERN begins about halfway through the podcast.)

EXCERPT
I’m going to say this book is going to be the #1 animation book sold and bought this year…There is a picture on every single page and the best part about these pictures is they relate directly to what you’re talking about, where in some other history books you are reading along and you see a plate and a picture and they’re from an article that was on page 5 when you’re on page 690…Everything is where it needs to be.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2006
Bud Plant, one of the largest mail order catalogs for comic art, animation and pop culture books, has given CARTOON MODERN their coveted “Highly Recommended” mark. Bud Plant calls the book, “A first class, beautifully done art book.” Also, in their weekly newsletter, it’s listed as one of “Bud’s Favorites” and he writes, “Super design work, lots of fun sketches, fascinating history — simply delightful!” This means a lot to me, not only because Bud Plant’s booth is one of my favorite places to shop every year at the San Diego Comic-Con, but also because Bud sees thousands of art books every year and I know I’m up against strong competition when I receive such a high grade from him. Here’s a screengrab of CARTOON MODERN’s appearance in their online newsletter.

AUGUST 28, 2006
Blackwing Diaries blog
by Jenny Lerew

EXCERPT
The publisher, Chronicle, has a well-earned reputation for excellent, attractive layout and design and their approach is a perfect fit with the subject matter, tailor-made for prominent placement on coffee tables of design and animation lovers everywhere.

“Cartoon Modern-style and design in fifties animation” is arranged as a encyclopedia of studios, from Academy Pictures to Warner Bros., each chapter filled with eye-popping and mostly, I’m sure, unpublished designs, character models, backgrounds, storyboards–you name it. Leafing through the 200-odd pages I’m struck with the caliber of work from studios I’ve never heard of in my life: Elektra Films, Grantray-Lawrence Animation, Academy Pictures–next to Disney, UPA, Playhouse, Warner Bros. and a dozen others…I haven’t even begun to really dig in, but it’s gorgeous, inspiring, and obviously fills a pretty fair-sized gap in animation history to date.

AUGUST 26, 2006
The first customer review of the book has appeared on Amazon. I was surprised and delighted to see that it’s by one of America’s foremost independent animators, George Griffin. Here’s what he has to say:

Forget “limited animation,” decline of the “golden age,” fairy tales and cuddley cuteness. This gorgeous sampling of abstract cartoon animation design from the dynamic postwar era examines shorts, industrials, TV spots, feature titles. Amidi’s insightful comments hint at the delirious blend of bebop rhythm, lefty politics, spatial/tonal compression, and optimistically experimental world-view that fueled the renaissance. An artbook for your Noguchi coffee table that celebrates little-known studio designers and provokes further debate on animation history.

AUGUST 23, 2006
Mad Professor blog
by Mark Frauenfelder

EXCERPT
This is a book I’ve dreamed about writing for years. Fortunately, I procrastinated long enough that someone came along who is much more knowledgeable than I am about mid twentieth century animation…If you’ve ever marveled at the flat, bold, and sophisticated art in Gerald McBoingBoing, you’ll love finding out more about this wonderful era in animation, an era that today’s animators like Craig McCracken (Powerpuff Girls) mine for inspiration.

Gene Deitch draws his creation, Tom Terrific, in the late-1950s. His soon-to-be-famous cartoonist sons, Kim (l.) and Simon, are standing around him.

I recently received a nice email about CARTOON MODERN from Fifties-era designer and director Gene Deitch. Gene, who is 82 now and lives in the Czech Republic, is still directing new animated shorts based on children’s books for Weston Woods/Scholastic. Also a new book collecting his long-lost newspaper comic strip TERR’BLE THOMPSON will be released by Fantagraphics this holiday season. Here’s what Gene has to say:

Hello Amid! Today I received your book CARTOON MODERN from Amazon, and it is a truly thrilling compendium! I guess I never realized fully what a golden era the 1950s were. When I see it all together in your book, it becomes clear that we were all doing slight variations of the same thing. We were all working under common influences, and many of the key designers, were doing work for various studios. We all felt that we were on the high road. Some of us may feel we were the first, or the pioneers. It probably all started at UPA Hollywood. We did feel that we were opening the door to the wider world of graphic design and content for animation.

I am certainly pleased with what you wrote about my naive attempt to create an animation Camelot at Terrytoons. I thank you for such a broadly covered review of our output. I’m proud to be so well placed in your book! Many thanks.

Besides being a special souvenir for myself, your book is rich display of all the great people of those days, and with so many of the rarest photographs of the talented and brilliant people who worked with me and made me look good. You have an astonishing collection of photographs. For example, it never occured to me to take a photo of Cliff Roberts, and I am glad to see him once again within your pages. Cliff was my trademark designer and close friend, for many years, and I treasure his memory. We also spent many happy evenings drumming together. He shared my passion for hand drumming. We couldn’t resist beating on anything that could make a noise, driving everyone around us mad, but immensely enjoying ourselves..

What with Dan Nadel’s book and your book, I’m getting a very nice late-in-life boost. Next month my most obscure creation of all, my 50-year-old United Features Syndicate comic strip, Terr’ble Thompson will be restored in book form from Fantagraphics.

I’m super-excited to announce that I’ll be Scotland for the Projector 2006 festival, which takes place next week from October 11-14. The festival takes place in Dundee, Scotland, about a one-hour drive north of Edinburgh. I’ll be doing a “masterclass” about 50s design on Friday, October 13, and will also be presenting a couple different programs of rare 1950s animated shorts. These are screenings you won’t want to miss if you’re anywhere close to the festival. Even though I’ve personally seen all the films in the 50s programs, I’m anxious to attend the screenings myself because there’s nothing quite like seeing amazing animation design projected via film onto the bigscreen, the way it was meant to be seen.

A full schedule of Projector events can be found at ProjectorFest.com. Festival director Susie Wilson has put together a strong slate of screenings and talks that also includes Chris Landreth of RYAN fame and sound designer Larry Sider, a frequent collaborator with the Brothers Quay. It promises to be a lot of fun. I’m also going to try and check out Edinburgh for a day or two. If there’s any good anmation sights to see over there, let me know at amid [at] animationblast [dot] com. Below are some of the shorts that I’ll be screening at Projector:

In the world of animation, you can’t get Punk’d, only Barrier’d. For those who aren’t aware of the meaning of this new verb I just made up, to be “Barrier’d” means that animation historian and critic Michael Barrier has reviewed something you’ve done related to the world of animation. And if you’re familiar with Mike’s reviews, you know it’s guaranteed to be interesting and thought-provoking. In this instance, Barrier has reviewed my book CARTOON MODERN. There’s a lot to chew on in his appraisal and at some point, I’ll think of a more appropriate response, but in short, I agree with some of the points he makes and vehemently disagree with other things he says in there. All in all though, I’m incredibly flattered that Mike took the time to write such a thoughtful review of my book. (Thanks Mike!) This discussion about the merits of animation design wouldn’t have even happened a couple decades ago so definite progress is being made in the recognition of Modern animation artists and their body of work, even if we don’t always reach the same conclusions.

Many people have been emailing me to ask what’s up with the 7-10 delay for CARTOON MODERN at Amazon. I’ve been curious too so I checked in with Chronicle to see when the book will be readily available on their site. My editor says that the delay has to do with how Amazon works and the way they process orders on certain books. There is good news though. My editor writes, “Right now much stock is on the way to Amazon. They should receive today or tomorrow at the Nevada warehouse and then the availability will be 24 hours.” Plenty of CARTOON MODERN for all…and that’s how it should be!

Since Amazon.com says that they won’t be shipping CARTOON MODERN for another 7-13 days, I thought it’s worth mentioning the annual summer sale at Chronicle’s own website. Not only do they have my book in stock, but through August 20, CARTOON MODERN can be bought at their site for $28 (30% off). Plus, if you order $35 or more, shipping is free. To round out the order, I’d recommend Chronicle’s recent reprints of the children’s books by superstar graphic designer Paul Rand and his wife Ann Rand: LITTLE ONE and SPARKLE AND SPIN.

I made another Flickr set: Cartoon Modern Yearbook. It is a photo collection of the Modernist animation artists who were working during the 1950s. You’ll find images of nearly everybody discussed in CARTOON MODERN: directors, animators, story artists, character designers, layout artists, background painters and even a few important studio owners.

There’s a similar ‘yearbook’ section in my book. Not to take anything away from the book, but I think this particular section works even better online. For one, the images can be shown at a much larger size. Also, as I uncover new photos, I can add them to the set and continue expanding the yearbook until it’s complete. At some point, I’ll go back and add biographical details for each of the artists and link their photos to relevant sites online.

I made my first Flickr set.
Check it out here.

TOP CEL was the newsletter of the New York animator’s union (Screen Cartoonists Local 841). Every month a different animation artist/designer would draw the cover. This Flickr set contains just a few of the more interesting covers from the 1950s and early-1960s. The publication hit something of a peak during this period because it was edited by Ed Smith, who was an animator at John Hubley’s Storyboard, and he would always get progressive design-oriented artists to contribute covers and inside art. These covers were all scanned in from Michael Sporn’s collection of the newsletter.

I’m delighted to announce that CARTOON MODERN is now listed as “just released” at Chronicle’s website and should ship immediately if you purchase it at their site. The book’s listing on Amazon has also been changed from pre-order to “usually ships within 5 to 8 weeks.” I’m assuming that the people who’ve pre-ordered it at Amazon will receive it much sooner than the 5-8 weeks listed but I’m not exactly sure how Amazon deals with this type of stuff. The book is also currently in stock and ready to ship at other online booksellers like BarnesAndNoble.com and Powells.com.

And finally, what’s the only thing better than a copy of CARTOON MODERN? How about a free copy of CARTOON MODERN. My pals at FPS magazine are holding a CARTOON MODERN contest. The deadline to enter for a free copy of my book is August 31 so make sure to get over there.