The Animated Movie Guide - Softcover

Beck, Jerry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1556525915 ISBN 13: 9781556525919

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2005

Synopsis

Going beyond the box-office hits of Disney and Dreamworks, this guide to every animated movie ever released in the United States covers more than 300 films over the course of nearly 80 years of film history. Well-known films such as Finding Nemo and Shrek are profiled and hundreds of other films, many of them rarely discussed, are analyzed, compared, and catalogued. The origin of the genre and what it takes to make a great animated feature are discussed, and the influence of Japanese animation, computer graphics, and stop-motion puppet techniques are brought into perspective. Every film analysis includes reviews, four-star ratings, background information, plot synopses, accurate running times, consumer tips, and MPAA ratings. Brief guides to made-for-TV movies, direct-to-video releases, foreign films that were never theatrically released in the U.S., and live-action films with significant animation round out the volume.

About this title

About the Author

Jerry Beck helped create Animation Magazine and has contributed to such publications as Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He is the author of six books, including Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide and Outlaw Animation. He has taught courses on animation at the University of California–Los Angeles, New York University, and The School of the Visual Arts. He is the former vice president of animation for Nickelodeon Movies and has produced several animated television series. He lives in Hollywood, California.

From Booklist

That Walt Disney did not invent cartoons is deftly demonstrated in this attractive and comprehensive guide to more than 300 animated films that have been theatrically released in the U.S. Author Beck is one of the creators of Animation magazine, has written articles and books on his subject, has taught at UCLA and NYU, is a consultant for Cartoon Network, and has served as vice president for animation for Nickelodeon Movies. He maintains two Web sites: http://www.cartoonresearch.com, and, to keep this guide up-to-date, http://www.-animatedmovieguide.com, which is made of very brief entries.

The descriptions for the films include release date, credits, plot synopsis, commentary, and a star rating system--from zero stars for films that are "Pure Torture" to four for a masterpiece. Entries place each film into both artistic and historical context. Beck's comment sections are interesting, and his editorializing is amusing and insightful. He describes films from all of the major and relatively unknown studios, running the gamut from the most vapid of children's fare (My Little Pony) to the adult features of the swinging 1970s, such as Ralph Bakshi's X-rated Fritz the Cat. Japanese anime is one of the most popular forms of animation for children and adult, with anime clubs becoming active on many college and university campuses, and the entries on anime are particularly informative for the novice.

Beck includes a chronological list of all 308 features, from 1926's The Adventures of Prince Achmed, which is based upon stories from the Arabian Nights, to Sky Blue, a popular South Korean science fiction story. There are three appendixes: "Limited Release Animated Features," "Top 60 Animated Features Never Theatrically Released in the United States," and "Top 20 Live-Action Films Featuring Great Animation."

A good choice for collections of popular culture, film studies, and graphic arts, this will also be a popular title for fans of animated film and parents who want quality entertainment for the kids. Lisa Johnston
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1556525915
• ISBN 13: 9781556525919
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384