Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution - Hardcover

Fleischer, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813123550 ISBN 13: 9780813123554

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky, 2005

Synopsis

Max Fleischer (1883–1972) was for years considered Walt Disney's only real rival in the world of cartoon animation. The man behind the creation of such legendary characters as Betty Boop and the animation of Popeye the Sailor and Superman, Fleischer asserted himself as a major player in the development of Hollywood entertainment. Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution is a vivid portrait of the life and world of a man who shaped the look of cartoon animation. Also interested in technical innovation, Fleischer invented the rotoscope―a device that helped track live action and allowed his cartoons to revolutionize the way animated characters appeared and moved on-screen. In the 1920s, Fleischer created a series of "Out of the Inkwell" films, which led to a deal with Paramount. Their character KoKo the Clown introduced new animation effects by growing out of Fleischer's pen on-screen. As the sound revolution hit film, the studio produced shorts featuring the characters interacting with songs and with the now-famous bouncing ball that dances across lyrics projected on the screen. Max Fleischer's story is also one of a creative genius struggling to fit in with the changing culture of golden age cinema. Out of the Inkwell captures the twists and turns, the triumphs and disappointments, and most of all the breathless energy of a life vibrantly lived in the world of animation magic.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Fleischer (1916-2006) was an accomplished director, producer, and Academy Award winner who directed films such as Soylent Green (1973), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).

Reviews

Richard Fleischer achieved a measure of success as the director of such movies as Fantastic Voyage, but in Hollywood history he is dwarfed by his father, animated-cartoon pioneer and technological innovator Max Fleischer. Besides creating the jazz-age siren Betty Boop and bringing Popeye and Superman to the screen, Max invented the rotoscope, a process for creating animated cartoons by tracing live-action footage. Curiously, in this lively memoir his son seems more enthusiastic about Max's inventions than about his cartoons, which get relatively short shrift, perhaps because, while Max ran the studio (much like rival Walt Disney), others directed the cartoons. Richard also dwells heavily on business matters, especially Max's disastrous 1938 decision to move his studio from New York to Miami, which set the stage for Paramount to seize control and drive him out of business. There was no second act for Max, who slowly declined until his death in 1972. Richard's loving if not exactly unbiased portrait is an entertaining supplement to more substantive and objective accounts of Max's significance to cinema. Gordon Flagg
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Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813123550
• ISBN 13: 9780813123554
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 184