Prologue (2015) - Richard Willams oscar nominated short full Anima: the animation archive 2019-06-18 | ...
Halloween Horror Classic Cartoons - Ub Iwerks Skeleton Frolic 1937 Anima: the animation archive 2021-10-23 | For all intents and purposes, the short "Skeleton Frolic" by Ub Iwerks serves as a remake of Iwerks' prior and more recognized short "The Skeleton Dance" from the Walt Disney series of shorts dubbed "Silly Symphonies." Prior to 1930, Ub Iwerks had been one of Walt Disney's earliest collaborators, having worked with him back when they made the Oswald and the Lucky Rabbit cartoons. Together, they created the character of Mickey Mouse, one of the most iconic animated characters ever made, who debuted in the short "Steamboat Willie," which is hailed as being one of the first cartoons with fully synchronized sound and post-produced soundtrack. Despite the duo's success, Iwerks would stop working for Walt Disney by 1930 due to creative differences and after being offered financial backing by Pat Powers, co-founder of Universal Pictures, to make his own animation studio. "Skeleton Frolic" is very emblematic of Ub Iwerks' style, reusing several tropes found in his shorts as well as incorporating gags from previous shorts. The trope of a band or orchestra going wrong can be seen in "The Opry House" (1929), and that's not the only reference to that short (the skeleton doing the Egyptian dance uses the same song Mickey dances to in Opry House). There is also a gag in Frolic where two skeletons dance together, and one of the skeleton's lower halves disjoins from the main body. This gag is taken straight from one of his Flip the Frog cartoons called "Spooks" (1931). Apart from reused gags, trademarks found in all of Iwerks' past works are also present here, including but not limited to: adding lots of drag to moving arms and held objects, visualizing musical keys through character animation, complex backgrounds, and characters moving along the z-axis to capture depth. A common criticism of Frolic is how the short does not attempt to be as frightening as the original cartoon it is based on. The skeletons in Frolic have quirky facial expressions and are presented in highly saturated Technicolor, a polar opposite to the classic black-and-white Silly Symphony cartoon. Critics point out that the scary atmosphere portrayed in the original fits the premise of skeletons dancing over a graveyard better than the vibrant colors and wacky tone found in Frolic. There are those who continue to praise the film's animation, however, critics have noted how outdated the concept for the short was even for its time, and that it was this lack of original ideas and characters, despite the impressive technical craft, that resulted in the poor reception of many Iwerks cartoons made during this time. The Ub Iwerks Studio shut down in 1936 after failing to produce any big hits or garner any positive critical reception. Iwerks would return to Disney after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to serve in the technical effects department, for which he would win two Academy Awards for his massive contributions to the special effects industry. His innovations included improvements to optical printing, xerox processing, and the invention of the multiplane camera. Thanks to the work of Iwerks, movies like Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmatians, The Parent Trap, Star Wars, Hitchcock's The Birds, and even Disney theme park attractions like It's a Small World and Circle-Vision at Epcot were made possible.He may have struggled after leaving Disney to make his own studio, nevertheless, he may be one of the most influencial artists in both animation and special effects. He not only ushered in the age of sound cartoons with "Steamboat Willie," but he also popularized cartoons in color with 1930's "Fiddlesticks." There were a few sound cartoons before "Steamboat Willie," and there were color cartoons before "Fiddlesticks," but it was Iwerks that proved to audiences and filmmakers that this was the future of animation. Iwerks was truly one of the greatest auteurs to ever grace the medium, and his influence continues to be seen to this day. Most audiences may not recognize his name, but his legacy will live on through the influence he continues to have on the artform today. For more classic cartoons, like, subscribe, and comment on this video! Stay tooned!
Toccata and Fugue - Disney’s Fantasia (1940) Opening Sequence Anima: the animation archive 2020-03-28 | This video presents in great picture quality the uninterrupted opening sequence to the revolutionary Disney classic, Fantasia. The clip skips Deems Taylor’s prelude to showcase only the sequence itself; from the silhouetted performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra all the way to the abstract animation directed by Samuel Armstrong.Subscribe for more classic animation, and feel free to comment and discuss amongst your fellow animation fans.
Sin Fronteras (animación puertorriqueña por Poli Marichal) + intro por la directora Anima: the animation archive 2019-07-04 | ...
Las plumas del múcaro (1989) por Paco Lopez [animación boricua] Anima: the animation archive 2019-07-04 | Hecha en Puerto Rico
Kick Heart - Japanese Dub/English Sub Anima: the animation archive 2019-05-24 | Directed by Masaaki Yuasa
