Dumbo, directed by Ben Sharpsteen and written by Dick Huemer and Joe Grant, one of the most beloved of early Disney movies, is still dogged by accusations of racism. Not only do I think it racist, but I would even argue that the film is anti-racist in somewhat the same way as earlier proto-civil rights [...]
Entries from July 30th, 2009
On Dumbo as Superhero and Other Matters
July 30th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Film history and criticism, Politics
Tags:
Pequeñas Voces (Born Under Fire)
July 29th, 2009 · No Comments · Documentary films
Cartoon Brew’s Amid Amidi has posted this trailer for Eduardo Carrillo’s forthcoming Pequeñas Voces (Little Voices/Born Under Fire), a feature animated documentary about the ongoing guerrilla war in Columbia. The film’s website describes it as: … an animated documentary based on interviews and drawing workshops with a new generation of children (8 to 13 years [...]
Tags:
Mideast Animation
July 21st, 2009 · No Comments · Arabic cinema, Mideast cinema, Television animation
I came across this modest story in Dubai’s Khaleej Times about locally-produced Mideast animation. It notes: Cartoons are fast becoming a serious business in the region. New animation companies and talented creatives are gaining international attention for their inspirational characters and shows that focus on life and culture in the Middle East. … Companies in [...]
Tags:
African Animation (Sub-Saharan)
July 17th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Africa, Kenyan cinema, South African cinema
The major film industry in sub-Saharan Africa has always been South Africa, which also includes animation. While a number of internationally recognized live-action filmmakers have emerged in other countries in the recent past, animated films have lagged behind. The African Digital Art website, in an interesting post on “Animation in Kenya” notes: The growth of [...]
Tags:
Fatenah
July 17th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Documentary films, Politics, Short films
I’m a bit late on this, but I think it important to take note of Fatenah, the new Palestinian animated documentary, which Erika Solomon at Reuters described on July 3rd as: The true story of a young Gazan woman’s futile battle against breast cancer has been commemorated in the first-ever Palestinian animated commercial film. “Fatenah” [...]
Tags:
New DVDs
July 15th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Short films
A number of interesting new DVD compilations of short films have recently been announced starting with The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osamu from Kino Video, featuring 13 personal films by the renown “god of manga” and “father of anime” made between 1962 and 1988. (The last, his 1988 animated self-portrait, which is also included, was [...]
Tags:
Eleven Roses
July 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Canadian cinema, Short films
Canadian filmmaker Pedram Goshtasbpour, for some reason, describes his short film Eleven Roses (aka E1even Roses) (2008) as a “romantic comedy,” though it is more aptly seen as a 98 lb. weakling tale gone horribly wrong. Pedram, who is someone with whom I’ve had a productive, long-standing correspondence with, shows himself to be a expert [...]
Tags:
Animation-Related Events in Atlanta
July 9th, 2009 · No Comments · Animation conferences
The Persistence of Animation: 21st Annual Society for Animation Studies Conference Theres an unusual number of animation-related events in Atlanta this coming week starting, of course, with the Society for Animation Studies Conference, July 10-12, at the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design (1600 Peachtree St., NW, 4th floor of the [...]
Tags:
Behind the Cels: Selections from SCAD’s Don Bluth Collection
July 1st, 2009 · No Comments · Animation conferences, Exhibitions
That’s the name of the free exhibit the Savannah College of Art and Design Library featuring animation art from the Don Bluth Collection, which was donated to the school by Bluth and Gary Goldman. The exhibit is being done in conjunction with the forthcoming Society for Animation Studies conference at SCAD-Atlanta, July 10-12. The exhibit, [...]
Tags: