http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com The official blog of the new Chronicle book CARTOON MODERN: STYLE AND DESIGN IN FIFTIES ANIMATION. Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:32:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When I first started this blog in 2005, there wasn’t a whole lot online about Fifties animation. Recently, however, a number of animation directors have been posting about design-oriented ’50s cartoons on their blogs. Here’s a roundup: Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi discusses the modern color in the 1954 Disney ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/12/16/fifties-design-all-over/ When Flintstones designer Ed Benedict was freelancing on TV commercials for studios like Cascade Pictures, he would photograph all of his designs before delivering them to the studio. The images below are from color xeroxes of Ed’s photo contact sheets. The quality isn’t great and the images aren’t very big, ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/12/08/ed-benedict-commercial-designs-3/ 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 ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/11/19/inside-upa-now-shipping/ There’s a ton of rare content posted on this blog but today’s entry is one of the rarest of all. In Summer of 1955, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City hosted an exhibition called “UPA: Form in the Animated Cartoon.” With the exception of Disney, no animation ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/09/12/upa-moma-exhibit-1955/ 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 ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/09/07/announcing-inside-upa/ There’s no denying that many of the later Mister Magoo shorts are feeble, especially when compared to UPA’s early Magoo films, but some cool artwork can still be found in the late-period Magoos. Below are a couple eye-catching backgrounds from Scoutmaster Magoo (1958), which was one of only a couple ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/08/23/scoutmaster-magoo-1958/ I have no idea who did this bit of development for Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. It’s a much cartoonier take on the characters than most of the development art I’ve seen from the film. (click for big version) http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/08/12/random-bit-of-101-dalmatians/ Above: a coffee ad designed by Mordi Gerstein and animated by Grim Natwick. Here are some random stills from UPA TV commercials. Some of the stills have suffered water damage hence the funky quality. The designers of the ’50s made this type of simplified design look so effortless and appealing, not ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/08/09/upa-commercial-stills/ Through the end of August, the Tobey C. Moss Gallery (7321 Beverly Boulevard, LA, CA) has on display a show of animation artwork by Jules Engel. It’s a fairly small selection of artwork but includes pieces from Engel’s work on Disney’s Fantasia, UPA and Format Films color keys, and drawings ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/07/30/la-jules-engel-show-cartoon-mod-signing/ If I had to choose some ‘desert island’ Fifties shorts, Ernie Pintoff’s 1957 Terrytoons cartoon Flebus would definitely be among my selections. It embodies the “cartoon modern” aesthetic as well as any film from the era: fearless design values, a personal style of storytelling that matches the visual experimentation, and ... http://cartoonmodern.blogsome.com/2007/07/19/ernie-pintoffs-flebus-1957/