This week, we’ll begin to cover the early contributions of the Hanna-Barbera studio to the circus genre. H-B probably set the record of all producers of television cartoons for number of stories including a circus angle. Of course, this may possibly be attributable to the fact that H-B was a veritable footage mill, churning out more episodes and series than any two of its closest competitors combined. Yet, at least in its early years, the studio maintained a high level of script quality, as well as a respectable knack for appealing graphics and attractive character design. In their heyday, i ..read more

The 1935-36 season was good to RKO and good to all its suppliers. The Van Beuren cartoons had demonstrated considerable improvement over anything from the preceding few seasons, and it didn’t hurt that they were all in color – moving from Cinecolor to full Technicolor. Furthermore, Van Beuren would make deals to get rights to well-known characters, either from comic strips (Toonerville Folks) or the still well-remembered Felix the Cat. Spinning Mice (4/5/35) – The Toddle Tale kids wonder about a collection of mice that chase their tails and spin on their noses. One of the mice explains to the ..read more

Although Catú (Jorge Martín, 1933-1997) began his work as an advertising animator in the 60’s, his signature would become representative of the best animated advertising produced in Argentina between the 70’s and 90’s, and many of his works were carved on fire in the brains of several generations. They are in mine, at least. However, very few are those who know the name of its author. Like many advertising directors, Catú has a parallel career as a director of more personal creations, “festival shorts”, so to speak. The interesting thing is to see that in many cases these personal creations ..read more

Donald may be a Duck, but he is relatable to everyone. We’ve all had our frustrations and reached our breaking points, but when Donald reaches his, and his hands fly in the air, the sailor’s outfit becomes a blur of blue. There is a torrent of imperceptible squawking, and we can all relate to this reaction to life’s most infuriating moments. This personality trait has endeared Donald Duck to audiences and earned him the title of one of animation’s most iconic stars, as this year marks the 90th anniversary of his first screen appearance. Donald debuted in The Wise Little Hen, Walt Disney’s Si ..read more

First off, here’s the official press release: Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced the launch of an all-new national television network, MeTV TOONS, dedicated exclusively to the very best of classic animation, from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites. In this new collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery and Weigel – the company behind the top rated MeTV Network – MeTV Toons will welcome dozens of the world’s most loved classic cartoons to this new destination, hearkening back to the glory days of cartoons on TV with familiar friends including Warner Bros.’ most famous anim ..read more

Just for fun, emphasis this week (with a few exceptions) is on some of the more obscure early television animation featuring circus themes. For balance, one major force in kids’ TV (Total Television) is included – but their output of episodes relating to circuses turns out to be surprisingly sparse. Other subjects of discussion include a studio practically no one has heard of, plus the frequently irregular “quality” of Sam Singer, and budget-cutting Cambria Studios. Cambria Studios is most remembered today for its ultimate cheater in saving on budget for television animation – the “synchro-v ..read more

Continuing our overview of the Argentine animated ad in four parts. Today, part 2: Manuel García Ferré. García Ferré is best known as an independent producer, but since advertising was the backbone of his not so small usine, it works perfectly as a showcase for the whole. Manuel García Ferré Manuel García Ferré (1929-2013) was a Spanish-born cartoonist, director and editor who built his career in Argentina. He was known as the creator of famous children’s characters, comics, cartoons, advertising, animated series, animated feature films and a true publishing industry generated around his c ..read more

In spite of having an internationally recognized tradition of comics (“historieta” is the local term, and perhaps the most appropriate, for the same reasons that a bande desinée is not exactly a manga), Argentina does not seem to have an equally powerful equivalent in animation. One could argue economic reasons, but it is true that with a publishing industry in retreat, the Argentine historieta continues to be drawn, to the point where it’s now almost an export product. One could argue organizational reasons, because, like cats, artists can be great on their own but it’s trickier to have mor ..read more

It’s the last week of classes here at the art college I teach, so things are a little short this week! In quick Thunderbean news: VERY briefly: Dave and Becky are continuing to work on getting the batch of special discs shipped, and I’m putting the finishing touches on Mid Century Modern 3. Luke is working on Felix and the Goose that Layed the Golden Egg on Friday and Devon is about to start on Bold King Cole. I’m incredibly excited to get Rainbow Parades 2 all the way though — and love the beautiful material. I think the thing I like best about Lantz cartoons in the 50s is that people have ..read more

As animation began to find its niche in television mass production during the mid-to-lare 50’s and early ‘60’s, the circus still remained a prominent fall-back genre for screenwriters – sort of like a safety net for a trapeze artist – which would be turned to again and again on both big and small screens. For the theaters, there were still films such as “Trapeze” (1956) with Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, and the American premiere of Gina Lollobrigida. Dean Martin ad Jerry Lewis would end their association with “3 Ring Circus” (1954). Danny Kaye would clown around in “Merry Andrew” (1958). Lat ..read more