MAGAZINE Vol

May 1996 MAGAZINE Vol. 1, No. 2 Women in Animation

WATCH OUT!! ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE Volume 1, No. 2 – May 1996

Editor’s Notebook by Harvey Deneroff 3 Women in Animation and Bill Everson ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK My Small Animation World by Aleksandra Korejwo 4 6525 Sunset Blvd., Polish animator Aleksandra Korejwo muses about life, animation, music, Disney and her salt of many colors. Garden Suite 10 Jim & Stephanie Graziano: An Interview by Harvey Deneroff 8 Hollywood, CA 90028 Jim and Stephanie Graziano have been behind some of the most successful TV shows around. Now DreamWorks has Phone : 213.468.2554 got them. Harvey Deneroff reports. Fax : 213.464.5914 Out of the Animation Ghetto: 11 Email : [email protected] Clare Kitson and Her Muffia by Jill McGreal Over the last few years, Channel 4 has helped put a new face on British animation. Jill McGreal reports how women will lead the broadcaster into series television using the irreverent talents of Candy Guard and Sarah Ann Kennedy. Rose Bond: An Animator's Profile by Rita Street 14 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE Independent animator Rose Bond is known for her use of mythology to explore the problems affecting humanity today. Rita Street explores her philosophy, methodology and her new foray into computer-assisted animation. [email protected] Splendid Artists: Central And 17 PUBLISHER East-European Women Animators by Marcin Gizycki Ron Diamond, President Communist propaganda about the role of women in and out of animation in the USSR, Poland and Czechoslovakia did Dan Sarto, Chief Operating Officer not always coincide with reality. Marcin Gizycki explains why and tells what has happened since then. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Meena and Sara: Two Characters in 20 Harvey Deneroff Search of a Brighter Future for Women by Neill McKee and Christian Clark ASSOCIATE EDITOR/PUBLICITY The United Nations is using animation as a means of social change in Asia and Africa. Neill McKee and Christian Clark report from the field. Frankie Kowalski Women In Animation: Changing the 23 CONTRIBUTORS : World: Person by Person, Cel by Cel by Rita Street Giannalberto Bendazzi The founder of Women in Animation reveals her personal odyssey in founding the organization. Christian Clark Women in the Animation Industry 27 Harvey Deneroff —Some Thoughts by Linda Simensky Marcin Gizycki The Cartoon Network's Linda Simensky offers some personal observations on the ways women make it in today's Wendy Jackson animation industry. by William Moritz Aleksandra Korejwo Mary Ellen Bute: Seeing Sound 29 Bill Moritz chronicles the work of pioneer experimental animator Mary Ellen Bute, whose films gained an unexpected Frankie Kowalski acceptance by both Hollywood and the public. Neil McKee Claire Parker, An Appreciation by Giannalberto Bendazzi 33 William Mortiz Alexandre Alexeïeff usually gets the most of the credit for the pinscreen animation he did with his wife, Claire Parker. Giannalberto Bendazzi, a friend of both, examines her role in their collaboration. Linda Simensky Film Reviews: Rita Street James And The Giant Peach by Wendy Jackson 35 Le WEBMASTER by Frankie Kowalski Guillaume Calop All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 38 DESIGN/LAYOUT : Festival Review: by Giannalberto Bendazzi Guillaume Calop Cartoons on the Bay [English]40 [Italiano]42 IMP Graphic Desert Island Series... 43 e-mail : [email protected] Women always have plenty to pack!! compiled by Frankie Kowalski ADVERTISING SALES Our intrepid Desert Island maven queries some women in animation about their top 10 picks for an island getaway. North America : Wendy Jackson News 45 Europe : Vincent Ferri Preview of Coming Attractions 46 Asia : Bruce Teitelbaum Cover: Pond Life, the Series

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Women in Animation meanwhile, explores the past and worked at Fleischer and Famous Studios s several articles in this issue present roles women have and during the 1930s and 1940s. He was also point out, women have often are playing in Russia, Poland a film buff, who had the pleasant habit Aplayed a key role in animation. and the former of renting old silent films to show to Unfortunately, within the animation Czechoslovakia in his piece, family and friends on Friday nights. industry itself, there remains a "Splendid Artists." Although he died just before I turned 6, dearth of directors and others in One of the more my older brother and I both maintained key creative positions. While this is exciting and useful a strong interest in film; thus, at age 12, starting to change, their participation organizations around these he took me to a series of films at New pales in comparison to the dominant days is Women in York's Museum of Modern Art, where I role they play among Animation. Rita imbibed such classics as Intolerance, All independent animators, Street, its founder Quiet on the Western Front and whose films often and leader, Rashomon. constitutes half the provides a offerings at major brief memoir However, it wasn't until I happened international animation on what led on the Theodore Huff Memorial Film festivals. This is where women have also to its founding and explains its activities Society, run by William K. Everson, who died come into their own have been in the and aims. on April 14, that my passion for films and executive ranks, both here and abroad. The way women have been film going really started to take focus. Thus, this issue is devoted largely to portrayed in animation has often been The Society, which in the 1950s held its women in animation, it is not surprising a subject of concern in recent years, but screenings in somewhat seedy meeting that we offer a selection of pieces by that is certainly not a problem with halls that also hosted such events as and about independent animators Thus, regards to UNICEF's Meena and Sara reunions of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Poland's Aleksandra Korejwo, in her first projects, which are being used to fight More importantly, it provided a place for attempt at writing an article in English, destructive stereotypes seen in third film buffs and scholars to meet, discuss provides us with a startling world countries. Neill McKee and Christian and argue film. In those days before autobiographical essay, rich with poetry Clark, who are both active in these Cinema Studies became a respectable and imagery, that attempts to explain projects, report on them in "Meena and academic discipline, the Huff Society was the sources of her inspiration. Sara: Two Characters in Search of a key to the education of many a budding Rita Street explores the evocative cinéaste, myself included. films of Rose Bond, while William Moritz I need not go into a litany of Bill's profiles the popular, but now largely The way women have been accomplishments or activities, which forgotten pioneer experimental filmmaker, portrayed in animation has including being a tenured professor of Mary Ellen Bute, and Giannalberto often been a subject of cinema studies at New York University, Bendazzi provides an appreciation of concern in recent years. despite being a high school dropout. Claire Parker, whose role in animation Though animation was not his prime history has often been subsumed to her husband. Brighter Future for Women." focus, he was not averse to showing As Linda Simensky points out in her Our focus on women in this issue Chuck Jones or Friz Freleng cartoons article, "Women in the Animation Industry- appropriately concludes with the before they became fashionable. -Some Thoughts," the way women get second of Frankie Kowalski's "Desert I recall the time he was on an to the executive suite in today's Island Series." American Film Institute committee animation industry often differs markedly New to this issue is our first set of evaluating my proposal to do an oral from the way men get there. This is film reviews of James and the Giant history interview with animation pioneer clearly illustrated by my interview with Peach and All Dogs Go To Heaven 2, by J.R. Bray; to his (and my) surprise, he was Jim and Stephanie Graziano, who both Wendy Jackson and Frankie Kowalski, as the only one who knew who Bray was, came to be major players in television well as our first festival coverage from and essentially shamed the others into animation by distinctly different routes. Giannalberto Bendazzi, who reports on approving my grant. For that and all the Jill McGreal in her piece, "Out of the Cartoons on the Bay, in Amalfi, Italy. other kindnesses he showed me and Animation Ghetto," reports on how others, I will always be grateful. women, in both the executive and Bill Everson creative side of the business, are always like to say that my interest in Harvey Deneroff transforming animation at Britain's film and animation stems from being Editor-in-Chief innovative Channel 4. Marcin Gizycki, Ian industry brat, my father having Animation World Magazine 3 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 My Small Animation World by Aleksandra Korejwo of research and hard work. Peo- I don’t like looking at animals ple often ask me, “How can you behind bars, but I know that do such difficult animation so some animals need man’s pro- fast? It is impossible.” But I have tection. It was spring and the been working for this moment all bird’s feathers were dropping my life. down onto the grass. They were Before my great meeting with long, strong feathers. I picked up animation, I studied painting. I a few and said, “Thanks” to the learned to play the violin and I condors. After that, I formed the wrote poetry. My first thought feathers in many ways and I have was to create unity between chosen the best ones, which I use painting, music and poetry. I to this day. Sometimes, the direc- could see that it was possible in tion of your search can lead you animation art film. It was a great to a surprise!

Aleksandra Korejwo at her animation stand. event in my life. But it was not enough just to know about it, I The Movement, The Color, “I only hope that we never lose sight wanted to do it. The Form of one thing—that it was all started by I have been developing my My search for unity between a mouse.” own technique for many years. painting, music and poetry —Walt Disney The most important thing was began during my studies at the finding the method of coloring Academy of Fine Arts, where I did or me, it all started with salt. salt. I found it. It is a complicated a lot of short musical composi- Everybody knows salt. It is a process, but the effect on film is tions “without music.” My belief common material. But for F great. was that the music could exist me, it is more than just salt. In The next task was finding spe- only in the viewer’s imagination. this material, I discovered my new cial tools for my unique material. Instead of from the sound, the way for Art, my new way for ani- It happened suddenly when I vis- music appeared in the move- mation. There were many years ited the zoo. ment, the color, the form! People said: “It is really colored music for our eyes.” At that time, I studied the works of John Cage. I prepared special scores for film, but I didn’t note musical notes. I noted form, color...they were my notes. I was groping in the musical world, but I knew intuitively that it was a good way. One day, something new happened. I was showing my film to a group of friends, but they had decided to give me a little surprise. When my film start- ed, they switched on some music (it was some old Greek music I had never heard before). They wanted to see what the effect The Swan by Aleksandra Korejwo

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would be with my film. It was just My parallel life motif which I forms—good play for children. a joke pairing this casual music was pursuing at this time, was to with my silent film. My friends create films for children. Fairyland in Salt (and I) were so surprised when Kids often visit me in my stu- we could see that the synchro- Colored Changing Pictures dio when I do my animation. nization was absolutely perfect! When I was a child, as my They love to play with me and My silent film became a family tells me, I used to watch create forms from fairyland in salt. “sound” film; a great event from Disney films and I would paint When I was making my next the history of cinematography something like storyboards. My film for children about seven little was being repeated in my own Mother laughs: “You used to sit colored ducks (from Julian life. on the floor and draw some rect- Tuwim’s poem, “Hard Calcula- From that moment, I began angular frames with colored tion”), I studied ducks walking in changing pictures inside.” At that the country. My idea was to trans- time, my Grandpa sent me a lot mit from the screen to the child a of coloring books with Disney visual knowledge of color theo- characters. I loved Disney’s “soft ry, the process of additive and animation.” subtractive mixing of colors, When I think about Walt Dis- through a good, humorous story. ney, I know that he felt move- ment. His characters really lived The most important thing in in his imagination. I believe the animation is to feel most important thing in anima- movement. tion is to feel movement. The Travels of AKO Therefore, before I start with my new adventures with the a film, I always work around the I was pleased when the orga- greatest classical music com- film. I paint a lot, I make draw- nizers of the International Ani- posers. I started creating films ings to find the best movement mation Festival in Annecy, France, with music. I “noted notes” and for each element. I like to study invited my film to the event. translated them into frames. My movement in nature. I prepare Later, I came back to making new scores were different than my special scores for films, of films for music, especially classi- before. In my silent films, I creat- course. I change my psyche and cal music. In 1989, I made The ed only one musical line, for my mind for new movement in Weaver to the music of Stanislaw movement. Now I had two lines: a new film. I work with my cam- Moniuszko, for which I received music and movement. The most era “face to face,” it is very impor- the Award for Animation from the important thing, was finding the tant to have movement in mind. Association of Polish Filmmakers. relationship between the two. Before I started with my first After that, I made The Swan to children’s film, The Travel of AKO, I the music of Camille Saint-Saëns. My belief was that the had thought about making a The idea for this film was born in music could exist only in series for children. Disney was my Annecy, during the Festival, the viewer’s imagination. inspiration, and I wanted to make where I sketched swans gestur- films just like he did. The Travels ing near the lake. As I walked of AKO is about three friends. The along the canals in this pretty Sometimes there was absolute first looks like a yellow circle and synchronization, but sometimes I is a very happy, optimistic “per- needed a counterpoint for a film son”; the second, which is a blue idea. I was learning to under- triangle, is an enthusiastic, stand the composers’ ideas and reserved, cold person; and the share my ideas with them. I tried last is a very active and sometimes to be very humble and to, very nervous person with a pink, subtly, rediscover the composers’ square form. They appear and dis- personalities. appear, transforming into other Eine Kleine Nachtmusic —Romanze Andante

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town, I was fascinated by the the second. When I finish, all that would make four films for the pure white, majestic birds. remains is the dirty salt on the Austin Lyric Opera in Texas. In my film, I wanted to floor. The life of the material exists There were four 30 second achieve absolute perfect syn- only in movement, and only for a commercials to Opera music: La chronization between music and few minutes, but I hope it Traviata, Tannhäuser and Lucia di painting. My film would also syn- remains forever in the imagina- Lammermoor. I had to chose 30 chronize the ballet of a swan and tion of the audience. seconds from each of these a young girl. My next film was Exultate Jubi- operas for the films. Many ideas I had to be a choreographer late Alleluja (Hallelujah), also to the appeared in my mind. I think, I as well. Many ballerinas say The music of Mozart, followed by On chose the best parts for my tech- Swan is the most difficult compo- the Beautiful Blue Danube to the nique. sition for ballet. For this film, I music of Strauss. For this film the Now, when I think about my received two awards: The Special good fortune in meeting Dia- Prize for Perfect Transposition of mond, I am reminded of my aunt Music Into Pictures given by the who inspired me to create the Jury of the Festival of Films for film On the Beautiful Blue Danube. Children and Young People in She was interested in my films. Poznan, Poland (1992) and When I visited her, she would Grand Prix for the Best Animation pour coffee for me in a very pret- Film (Under 10 minutes) given by ty cup with a beautiful, delicate the International Jury of the Fes- design on it and we would talk tival of Animation Films in Shang- about my films. She became very hai (1992). ill and on the last night before At the Shanghai festival, I met her death, she gave me that pret- many people from around the On the Beautiful Blue Danube ty cup for memory. That cup world, and many famous anima- became a film star. tion personalities. At that time I organizers of the International I often think about the paral- became an ASIFA member. Animation Film Festivals in Cana- lels between my life and my films. My next projects were the da, Portugal and France invited Perhaps, one day I will make a films, Ave Maria to music by Schu- my film to their festivities. live-action film about these par- bert and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik— allels. Romanze Andante to music by Hollywood, Mozart. The Soul Of Film Synchronizing After my film was shown in With My Life I had to draw very fast Annecy (France) a man came up Every film has a different story because the horses wanted to me and said; “Congratula- and synchronizes with my own to eat my drawings. tions”—It was Ron Diamond from life. My most recent film project Acme Filmworks in Hollywood. (a three-part collection from the We began talking, I didn’t listen to Bizet opera Carmen: Carmen Suite, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was a anything else during that evening Carmen-Habanera and Carmen film about the sometimes sor- ... Hollywood always makes me Torero) was born in a little town in rowful life of Mozart. After the think of the soul of film—and Spain called Huesca. The Inter- filming, I too, experienced sor- Walt Disney, of course. national Film Festival there had row, when it was discovered that I was excited about the possi- invited me and my film. I could all of the film had been overex- bility of working in Hollywood, feel the warm Spanish sunlight posed due to a problem in the but I didn’t believe it could really on my face and also in my heart. camera. I had to start all over happen until Ron called me. I saw fiestas which took place in again, but it was not the same Now, I know that he is a brilliant the moonlight. In the morning, I film. In my technique, I animate manager and producer. He observed the sun above the directly under the camera; I found me work that was very brown-red Spanish land. Of destroy the first picture to create well suited to my personality. I course, before I started making

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the films, I studied the Spanish are more uneasy and are looking incredible dialogue between cre- flamenco dance. inquiringly. ating shapes, sounds and move- Also, before I started on the “Only the swans are swim- ments. first Carmen film, I lived on a ming quietly certain of their pres- “It is a great play of many ranch. Everyday, I made lots of ence. My heart is full of conver- instruments, of many feelings. drawings among the horses. My sations and animated forms. I am The fantastic combination is joy- lovely horses used to come to me breathing the presence of peo- ful and sorrowful, dramatic and and look at my drawings or paint- ple I saw (maybe it was too short humorous—the true poetry of ings as if they were mirrors. It was to understand, too short to life. I feel like I am just one ele- very funny for me and I think for remember). Yet I can still observe ment from that composition, from them also. I had to draw very fast the animation of life. The ani- that landscape. My body speaks because the horses (especially mated film is going on. the same language, which is one of them) wanted to eat my “The swan as question marks, sometimes called dance, ballet or drawings. maybe it is enough to sail along pantomime.” My professor from the Acade- the route of God?” And all the time, I am looking my of Fine Arts used to say, “Keep for the point of meeting between your sketchbook in your pocket The Ocean of Life poetry, movement, music and always.” I try to make sketches This story is only a little drop in painting. I see that point not only every place I go. It is my princi- the ocean of life. My life and work in music films, not only in ballet or ple. I keep my flipbook in my really makes me think of the other dance, not only in opera. I pocket. ocean. Maybe every film is just see that point everyday in my life. I am very happy that I can par- like one wave? Always the same When I walk across the meadow, ticipate in animation festivals, that rhythm, but a different story, a when I look at the ocean, and at I can travel to other countries. different, unusual sound and the noisy intersection. There are many places for inter- form. I think the most important esting, sometimes surprising When I was teaching students thing is to be able to observe meetings with wonderful, sensi- at the Academy of Fine Arts they movement in its variety and still tive people who are making art asked me, “You very often make learn by looking at the world films more and more beautiful. films around ballet, dance, opera; through artists’ and children’s There is one heart of anima- what is the most interesting area eyes. tion art shared by all film direc- for you?” My answer is, “Every tors, animators, cameramen, moment is unusual for me. How Alexsandra Korewjo good producers and enthusiastic amazing is movement in nature. is a filmmaker based in Poz- people who love animation film. I observe it often and I find ideas nan, Poland. Each animation festival of the harmony in it. There is an impresses my mind and heart with a deep sign. I try to note these impressions with drawings and write them down. When the last Annecy fes- tival ended, I wrote a short impression: “The day after the end of the Annecy Festival: I am sitting on a bench at the side of a lake. Only the swans are unchanged. The surroundings get altered, deco- rations change, the water in the canals has fallen low. People are walking faster. Trucks, cruising the park, make noise. Even pigeons Carmen Habanera

7 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Jim & Stephanie Graziano: An Interview by Harvey Deneroff ast November, Jeffrey Katzen- Spielberg was known for his worked under him as a producer. berg asked Jim and Stephanie hands on involvement in these LGraziano to head up produc- shows, which is likely to continue Why Would We tion for Dream- in the new venture. (In Even Want to Do It Works’ new televi- addition, former Disney “People often ask us,” sion animation divi- Television Animation Stephanie says, “about how we sion. While the offer President Gary Krisel has work together, or why we would was not surprising, been brought in to even want to do it. But we really given the Graziano’s oversee the whole are at our best working together. track record, what operation.) We actually have different mind was surprising is Stephanie Graziano sets, but they end up comple- how readily they explained that, We had menting each other.” accepted. After all, three previous offers to She explains that, “I come from their company, buy the studio, but the creative side, while Jim comes Graz Entertain- none of them made more from the technical end. So, ment, noted for any sense. DreamWorks in trying to find solutions to prob- such hit shows as was the first case where lems, we realize that not every per- X-Men and The Tick, we were offered things son is the same. Some artists are was one of the Stephanie Graziano that we were lacking as better dealt with in a creative fash- © Graz Entertainment hottest studios in a small studio. ion, while others town. There was also the fact are better dealt DreamWorks Television Ani- that it was a startup, with in a technical mation is the newest and so far which is always exciting, fashion. What we least clearly defined of Dream- and that we could work try to do is weigh Works SKG, Hollywood’s newest together. That was really a these situations super studio. The division’s man- big part of it.” and decipher date extends beyond only televi- Despite being one of which direction sion to also include direct-to-video Hollywood’s most suc- would be more productions and interactive ani- cessful animation couples, appropriate.” mation. The operation itself falls Jim and Stephanie This difference under the aegis of Steven Spiel- Graziano have not been also translates into Jim Graziano able to work together as different strengths much as they would like. In fact, vis-à-vis their roles atGraz. “When We actually have different Jim had just returned to Graz after we started Graz,” Stephanie notes, mind sets, but they end up complementing each other. a three year stint at Universal Car- “we opened it with three work for toon Studios when DreamWorks hire series. I did all of the admin- came along. Their longest stint istrative work and Jim actually ran berg, whose previous TV efforts in together was not at Graz, but at the studio. At that point, because collaboration with Warner Bros. Marvel Productions, where they it was really a function of his get- (Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, met (in 1984) and married (in ting the production going, it was Pinky and the Brain, etc.) helped rev- 1988)—he was Senior Vice Presi- perfect. After the first six months, olutionize broadcast animation. dent of Production and she when he went to Universal and I

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Angeles Valley College, and went on to UCLA to study Fine Arts, all while continuing to work in ani- mation. She recalls that, “I was at a point in the business where it was thriving. I was freelancing for two or three places, while work- ing during the day at Hanna-Bar- bera. It became such a lucrative situation that I thought, ‘Well, I can always go back to school!’” She left college and decided to “pursue various avenues and tried to become more versatile.” She became an ink and paint supervi- sor at Ruby-Spears, while, on her X-Men, Red Dawn episode © Saban Entertainment own, learned all she could about took over the studio, the timing to get “a real job.” As his father camera and editing. couldn’t have been more perfect. was a film editor with his own At this time, American studios The company had reached a point company, he “knew how to pop were beginning to send ink and where it needed to start going track and do a lot of other things. paint to Asia in an effort to cut after other properties and pro- So, I got a job at Warner Bros. as costs. She “did not really want the duction deals. And that isn’t what an apprentice editor,” eventually work to go over there, but I knew he does. Jim really does more of becoming “a full fledged editor.” that it was going to happen and the day-to-day management and After he worked with Friz Freleng wanted to know exactly what they talent recruiting, while I’m better at putting together such compilation were capable of.” Thus, she “vol- making acquisitions and trying to films as Daffy Duck’s Fantastic Island, unteered three or four times to go build relationships with distribu- he was hired in 1984 as studio overseas to set up shows for tors and creators.” production manager at Marvel them.” Productions, where he stayed until Stephanie became studio man- From Different Directions 1991, eventually becoming Senior ager for Tom Carter, before going Both Jim and Stephanie were Vice President of Production. to Marvel in 1984 as a production manager. Two years later, she got Despite being one of Hollywood’s most successful animation her first producing assignment couples, Jim and Stephanie Graziano have not been able to (The Humanoids), and then started work together as much as they would like. working in development with Mar- garet Loesch. born and raised in the Los Ange- Those were Marvel’s “big years,” les area, but they came into ani- Jim recalls, “when they did The mation and animation manage- Transformers, Muppet Babies and My ment from different directions. Little Pony.” For his part, Jim had bummed On the other hand, Stephanie’s around a few years after gradu- entry into animation was (for a ating from the University of Idaho woman) more conventional. In in 1975, where he had gone on 1972, right after high school, she a football scholarship (playing tight got a job as an inker at Hanna-

end) and majored in Physical Edu- Barbera. She earned an A.A. The Land Before Time 2 cation. In 1978, he finally decided degree in Advertising from Los © MCA/Universal Home Video

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By last year, Graz had reached the likes of Hanna-Barbera in the their long term goal of having an early days of Saturday morning ownership interest in half their pro- animation. ductions (with the other half being At Graz, there was a conscious done on a for hire basis). effort to cast each artist for each Stephanie states that, “I didn’t real- show, while encouraging interac- ly see it getting too much bigger, tion between the crew in order to or it probably wouldn’t have been promote greater creativity. Steph- as enjoyable in the same way. I anie notes that their new studio really anticipated it’s future being will be planned with “production more of a maintenance base than units that will be defined by, in a growth base.” almost all cases, individual offices At the same time, the anima- on the exterior. In almost all cases, tion market was also changing, as individual offices, with a living the industry was becoming room setting in the center. That increasingly dominated by the will act as a meeting place, a com- major studios. As a result, munications center, with screen- Stephanie says, “it will be interest- ing capabilities, that will encour- ing to see how small, indepen- age people to interact together dent studios who want to retain and be part of a team.” (It’s inter- The Tick ownership survive in a market, esting to note, in this regard, as © Sunbow Entertainment where the big guys want to own Jim points out that, “there are no When Loesch left to start the everything. It was something that titles within any division of Dream- Fox Children’s Network, Stephanie I really couldn’t analyze at Graz, Works.”) went along as Director of Anima- but it was something interesting tion Programming and Produc- to consider.” It will be interesting to see tion. When Jim started Graz in Jim concurs, feeling that while how small, independent 1992, she stayed on at Fox, but Graz would have been able to studios survive in a market helped him out with administra- maintain its work flow and per- where the big guys want to tive tasks in her spare time. After haps “grown a bit,” but wonders own everything. Jim went to Universal, Stephanie what would have happened, with stepped in to run Graz full-time. “all the big guns really gearing Given the fact that no shows up.” have yet been given the green Expanding the Studio For the Grazianos, their new light at DreamWorks Television Ani- At Universal, Jim oversaw pro- position means stepping up from mation, it is too early to tell how duction on such shows as modest budgets set by clients, to the new operation will fare. But Beethoven, Shelly Duvall’s Bedtime Sto- dictating their own budgets and given its all-star management line ries and Earthworm Jim, along with schedules. However, they plan to up—including Jim and Stephanie three made-for-video sequels to continue the same creator friend- —it is an operation which in many The Land Before Time. Meanwhile, ly approach that had contributed ways seems to have everything Graz, under Stephanie’s direction, so much to Graz’ success. In this, going for it. expanded from a studio for hire the Grazianos are part of a new Harvey Deneroff, in addition to his to the point where it had an own- generation of studio managers duties as Editor of Animation ership interest in half of its projects, who have transformed the cre- World Magazine, edits and publish- as well as expanded into such ative environment. As such, they es The Animation Report, an areas as home videos (Cathy), have helped television animation, industry newsletter, which has taken video games (Shadoan) and TV especially, turn away from the fac- over operation of the annual Ojai Ani- commercials. tory approach initially heralded by mation Conference.

10 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Out of the Animation Ghetto: Clare Kitson and Her Muffia by Jill McGreal nimation moves around despite the succession of the UK; indeed, Channel 4’s role in the globe finding the scandals, resignations, the benign circle of funding and A right conditions of pro- sackings, by-election stimulation of talent has been rec- duction and digging in for the losses and a distinct ognized at all levels. duration. At various times, and change in the politi- for various reasons, the best cal atmosphere. Narrative is no longer the work has to come out of Amer- But not all of the province of male ica, Canada, Eastern social change of the filmmakers—if it ever was. Europe...wherever the climate last decade has permitted. been for the Sometime in the eighties it worse. The trick- Channel 4’s Commissioning landed in Britain, where anima- le down effect Editor for Animation, Clare Kitson, tors began to produce increas- of the 1974 continues to commission difficult ingly confident work resulting in Sexual Dis- but award-winning work, much the recent run of international crimination Act of which has been directed by prizes. At the recent Pre-Selection began to speed up as women. For reasons adequately Committee for the Zagreb World the eighties-style ide- covered elsewhere, and especial- Festival of Animated Film, now ologies promoted ly in Jayne Pilling’s introduction to thankfully back on form after a individualism wherev- her book, Women and Animation rocky war-torn patch, there er it came from—post- (BFI, 1992), animation has always were 450 entries to the com- feminism arrived as been able to accommodate petition section, of which 133 Dolly Pond part of the post-mod- women. So, the present anima- were from Britain—by far the from Pond Life ern package. tion boom in the UK, taking place largest number for any one coun- Deregulation of the public ser- in a late 20th century climate try. vice sector—a Thatcherite imper- which is generally more support- The standard of this work was ative and definitive of the pattern ive of women, has sustained high and the range of subject of social change in the UK over many female directors. matter, techniques and individual the past decade—started in a Over the last few years, styles stretched across the board. small way when Channel 4 women have worked in every There were robust showings of began transmitting on November genre: personal—Karen Watson’s experimental, political, personal 2, 1982; it was a daring move, Daddy’s Little Piece of Dresden China and narrative work commissioned which increased the number of (1988) and her new film Sweet or produced by a host of nation- television channels available in the Heart (1995) address the issues of al and local funding bodies. UK from three to four! childhood sexual abuse and It’s an interesting time for any anorexia from an autobiographi- filmmaker to be at work in the UK. Animation for Adults cal point of view; lyrical—Susan In the past decade and a half, The channel’s mandate to Young’s Carnival (1985), Karen along with other Western democ- deliver innovative work to spe- Kelly’s Egoli (1989) and Stressed racies, we have, according to the cialized audiences was interpreted (1994); documentary—Marjut pundits, entered a new post-mod- generously and, as part of a wider Rimminen’s Some Protection (1987), ern era. In Britain, this era was scheduling experiment, animation the Leeds Animation Workshop’s ushered in by Thatcherism in for adults was given its own com- Through the Glass Ceiling (1995) 1979, where the population is still missioning department. It’s impos- both to do with the treatment of held in the moral grip of its right- sible not to link this development women, in prison in Rimminen’s wing politics of conviction— with the growth of animation in film and at work in the Leeds film;

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experimental—as in Vera Neue- that Kitson’s irritation is only half- participants had identified Pond bauer’s The World of Children (1984) concealed when she notes that Life as to do with ‘women issues,’ or her Lady of the Lake (1995); the BBC has now also started whereas I believe that the issues abstract—Erica Russell’s Feet of commissioning adult animation that Candy addresses are univer- Song (1989) and Triangle (1995); series. sal.” narrative without dialogue—Joan Kitson was being disingenu- Ashworth’s The Web, Alison Snow- Pond Life ous. The issues—career, driving den’s Second Class Mail (1984); nar- Kitson’s real move forward is test, clothes, friends, rock music, rative with dialogue—Sarah Ann into mainstream comedy and out holidays—are universal, but the Kennedy’s Nights (1992) or any of of the animation ghetto. She has tale on them is assuredly not— Candy Guard’s many short films. been so successful that she will women may go awkward, silent now have to watch her back for and tongue-tied the minute they Kitson’s Muffia product-hungry comedy com- think a bloke fancies them (see I Narrative is no longer the missioning editors straying onto Want A Boyfriend ... Or Do I?), but province of male filmmakers—if it her patch. Neither Crapston Villas men get loud, show off and ever was. Certainly, when Kitson’s nor Candy Guard’s Pond Life are clown about in front of the girl budget was increased in 1994 Grand Prix winners at traditional they fancy ... (Or do they?). and she modified her policies to animation festivals like Annecy or Not that Guard thinks of her- include series work, she felt that Zagreb—the source of many self as a feminist. “It’s not a word only Sarah Ann Kennedy and awards, honors and prizes for that I use about myself. I’m much Candy Guard were able to write Channel 4. But both Kennedy and more likely to describe myself as a dialogue and structure narrative Guard have expressed a desire to socialist,” is her initial response to sufficiently well to move forward move into live action. Animation my question; but knowing that I in this direction. As a result of this is perhaps, for both, a route will ask her if she is a feminist, bold move, Kitson has been Guard has consult- accused, unfairly, of running a ed her boyfriend ‘Muffia’; but, in fact, her decision on the matter, who to move into series production, a clearly thinks she is program space previously occu- one—“Because I pied exclusively by producers of get cross about children’s programming, has once things,” she says. “I again extended the boundaries get especially cross of animation. about women’s role in the film Animation is perhaps, for industry, both as both, a route through the actresses and cre- glass ceiling. Pond Life ators. Taking sex scenes, for through the glass ceiling. instance, in which male directors In gratitude Crapston Villas, Candy Guard has been work- forever have women bouncing Kennedy’s model animation series ing on Pond Life since 1992, when up and down on top of the male about the flat-dwelling inhabitants the pilot, I Want a Boyfriend ... Or actors, presumably so that you of a run down Victorian house in Do I?, was co-commissioned by see their tits better. Even in Toy a seedy London street, won Best S4C and Channel 4. The 13 x 11 Story, which I really enjoyed, I felt New Program in the 1996 Broad- minute series premieres on Chan- the filmmakers could have tried cast Awards (Broadcast is a major nel 4 later this year. Kitson put the harder. Why did all the toys have British trade magazine), and for Pond Life concept into research to be male?” the first time, animation went up before giving the series the green Guard respects Kitson’s judg- against live action and won—a light. “When results of the ment although she doesn’t nec- major coup for Kitson and Chan- research came back,” Kitson said, essarily always agree with it. In nel 4. It’s unsurprising, therefore, sounding surprised, “the male fact, when her friend and col-

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fun at the idiosyncrasies of their ground, once occupied by first- class system, but they get coy generation feminists, in which all about showing their emotions. In representation was offensive, has this sense Pond Life takes a step for- given way to feistier generation ward into a more daring, inter- of women who have more self- national kind of comedy. esteem and are, therefore, less What Pond Life and Crapston Vil- fearful of their self-image, and less las share is attitude to women’s moralistic and judgmental in their issues in which female desire is attitudes to their own sex. OK and political correctness is a Guard certainly doesn’t think thing of the past. Crapston, in par- of herself as a feminist filmmaker, ticular, revels in the shagging cul- at least not consciously. On the ture of the nineties. Take, for other hand, it wouldn’t have been instance, this slice of dialogue possible for her to write Pond Life from Episode 3. Marge, the late for a central male character. “So, thirty-something mum, who lives in fairness, you can’t really blame at the top of Crapston Villas with men for writing scripts with strong her delinquent, glue-sniffing chil- male leads,” she remarks confi- dren and senile old mum, is hav- dently. She wonders, though, ing a telephone conversation with whether Pond Life would have

Crapston Villas her black female friend, Denise. been made if the Commissioning They are both smoking and drink- Editor at Channel 4 had been a The dialogue sparkles with ing: man...a question which thankful- smut and filth—so it’s more Denise: “What you need is a ly, we are not able to answer. British. good shag” (laughter). Marge: “Yeah, I quite fancy a handyman (gales of laughter). I’ve got a few league, Sarah Ann Kennedy, was odd jobs that need doing (shrieks commissioned to make Crapston of laughter). I don’t care what he Villa before Pond Life got to go looks like as long as he can screw ahead, Guard confesses to being a few things in for me (more dismayed. Crapston Villas offers a Shrieks). I’ll advertise for an odd different kind of humor than Pond job man preferably with a large Life. It’s more lavatorial—the dia- tool” (more shrieks). Denise: “Or logue sparkles with smut and what about, ‘caffolders wanted, filth—so it’s more British and per- quick erection only, site in des- haps, for that reason, easier to perate need of attention,’” (col- commission. lapse into hysterical laughter).

A More Daring Scaffolders wanted, quick Kind of Comedy erection only, site in Guard likens her work to desperate need of Crapston Villas American series like Roseanne, attention. Friends, and Ellen. And it’s true that Pond Life, which centers on the angst-ridden life of Dolly Pond, Pond Life takes a different route Jill McGreal is an animation explores issues in a more person- into equally taboo subjects as producer at Code Name: The al way than Crapston Villas, where Dolly Pond pours out her neu- Animation Agency, in Hamp- the humor is spread across a roses to anyone who will listen. shire, England. broader social canvas. And, as is But neither series is afraid of rep- well known, the British can poke resenting women. The moral high

13 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Rose Bond: An Animator's Profile by Rita Street

moon, for instance, you could slip into another dimension. For them there was little difference between gods and mortals.” Bond also emphasizes a strong connection for the early Irish between humans and nature, a connection that allows for shape shifting and metamorphosis, a process that Bond has always been drawn to animate. But Bond’s films are about more than just beautiful horses changing into other animal forms. They address universal topics affecting humanity today through legends of the past. Director and Animator, Rose Bond Bond’s oeuvre questions the ’ve always drawn horses,” says presence, as if they reside at importance of a dominate sys- the reserved yet captivating once between two planes—the tem of power. Should men rule I Rose Bond, an award-winning over women? Should women animator from Portland, Oregon. Bond’s horses have a rule over men? Is there another “Teachers picked out my horse mythical presence, as if they middle-ground or middle-way? drawings to hold up. In kinder- reside at once between two garten, at a back-to-school night, planes ... The Light of Inspiration all my horse drawings were up In her epic trilogy of three on one board—which I thought Irish legends, Cerridwen’s Gift, was a little unfair to the other reality we know and the reality children.” But no matter how of Faerie. Bond’s major films are embarrassed she might have based on the myths and legends been for being singled out, of pre-Christian Ireland, a time Bond remembers with fondness when the world of Faerie and the affect it had on her mother. the powers of witchcraft were When she walked in the room considered a part of every day and saw Rose’s drawings, Bond’s life. mother sighed and said, “Oh, Says Bond of her stories, “The those horses!” pre-Christian Irish had a very Mrs. Bond’s reaction is one non-Western pantheon of gods. that has been shared by many They believed you could be when first introduced to her walking past a hillside and if it daughter’s animated shorts. happened to be the hundredth Deirdre’s Choice Bond’s horses have a mythical day past a certain stage of the © Paint-on-Film Animation by Rose Bond, 1995

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the womb is Druid- predicted to be trouble for the King. To show his might over even the Fates, the King decrees that when the girl grows up he will take her for his own. But, when Deirdre comes of age, she falls in love and escapes with her lover on a long pil- grimage through

35mm Film frames from Mallacht Macha (Macha’s Curse) distant lands. They © Paint-on-Film Animation by Rose Bond, 1990 are finally discov- (1987), Mallacht Macha (or prophet he remembers Cerrid- ered by the King who has the Macha’s Curse, 1990) and Deirdre’s wen, the mother of knowledge lad slain. Deirdre becomes the Choice (1995), heroines struggle who delivered upon him the King’s woman, but to show her with a world that is shape shift- light of the world. power over even his authority, ing itself, moving from a matri- In Macha’s Curse, the goddess she takes her own life. archal to patriarchal base. The appears in the form of a gray white witch Cerridwen, whose mare and discovers a handsome Something Magical, daughter is pure and bright, man living alone in her woods. Something Eternal attempts to bestow the light of She takes on human form and Each film depicts a struggle inspiration upon her troubled weds the man, but bids him for the right to “be,” for the right and disagreeable son. Her never say anything of it to other to live freely, for the ultimate potion boils in a cauldron for mortals. At a festival, the man power that is in every woman, one year, but just as it is ready, it boasts that his wife can run and every man, to stand on bubbles over and splatters the faster than all the horses of the equal ground and declare, “In lips of her servant boy. Enraged, King. Insulted, the King arrests me is something magical, some- thinking that the boy has spoiled the man and sends his men to thing eternal.” Bond declared the potion, Cerridwen begins a find the offensive woman, the just such a right in her own life marvelous chase after the fright- goddess Macha, who is now by steadfastly allowing herself ened servant, in which both pregnant by her man. The King the privilege to grow as an artist. change shapes between animals demands that the woman, even In college she had struggled of land, sea and sky. The boy in her burdened condition, run with art. Her creative passions makes the unwitting mistake of against his horses. Macha does ran deep, but she found no shifting into the form of a small so and wins the race but curses mentor to guide her through the seed which Cerridwen, in the the men of the village for nine reality of becoming a profes- shape of a hen, promptly eats. generations with the weakness sional so she set her art aside. The seed grows in her belly until of a mother in labor. It is their “I was very disenchanted she bears a child that has the just due for choosing a “king’s with college. I had no role mod- glow of inspiration on his brow. might over a mother’s right.” els. It seemed that the only way When the child grows to man- And in the most recent short, to succeed as an artist was to be hood and becomes known as Deirdre’s Choice, a girl child still in an academic. I simply didn’t

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understand how a career in art Portland Public Schools, but worked. It wasn’t until my late added the role of animation The Peep Show was a take twenties when I took an anima- instructor at Northwest Film Cen- off on the porno booth tion night course at NorthWest ter to her list of professional where you step in a small Film Center that discovered duties. Today, Bond takes a very dark room, put in your where drawing could go.” avant-garde approach to her quarter and see a show. Even though she was work- classwork, teaching students the ing a full-time job as an educa- basics of squash and stretch, but master. To ink, I use a mixture of tional administrator, she began asking them to apply this knowl- pens and watercolors. There’s a to work at night on her animat- edge to non-traditional forms of type of German pen I like as well ed films. Finally the urge to fill animation. Bond, a “direct” ani- and then I use on alcohol base in her own gaps of knowledge mator, encourages experimen- dye for my warm palette.” as a filmmaker led her to follow tation in all forms, including But, Bond is now interested her heart and return to school. work with computers. in trying her painterly animation She took a leave process on the computer. without pay and She is dabbling with Fractal attended the School Design’s Painter software, of the Art Institute of which allows for the look Chicago to complete and feel of a real painter’s her MFA. As she toolset within the digital for- says, “my art was mat. In a sense the comput- calling.” At Art er seems to fit with the new School she finished era of work Bond hopes to Macha and created a move in to. film installation “No more trilogies,” she called The Peep Show says. “I’m at a period of my at the Name Gallery. life where I’m reconsidering Says Bond, The where I’m going with my Peep Show was a take personal work. My inclination off on the porno is to go back away from booth where you story. Not exactly pure visual step in a small dark poetry, but something more room, put in your “Stone Man” Rock Art Animation experimental, something that from Sacred Encounters installation quarter and see a © Rose Bond, 1995 leaves an impression.” show. In a three And knowing Bond, that minute cycle, she animates from Says Bond, “I create my ani- impression is sure to be “lasting.” A New View of a Women’s Body— mation in flipbooks, then ink presenting a revolutionary view each page directly onto clear on the female sexual arousal film leader. After I ink the whole with the cycled engorgement of film, and I usually have very little an intricate maze of tissues and cutting, I end up with a big roll capillaries; an interior felt but of about 400 feet with frame never seen. lines marked on it. Then I color Rita Street, the founder of Women it. I never project that, I just take in Animation and former editor and A Very Avant-Garde it straight to the lab which prints publisher of Animation Magazine, Approach each frame two to three times is now a freelance writer based in Los After graduation, Bond [Bond animates at 12 frames per Angeles. returned to her work with the second] and that becomes the

16 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Splendid Artists: Central And East-European Women Animators by Marcin Gizycki n the realm of communist regimes, theory and practice I belonged to two different worlds: that of propaganda and that of harsh reality. The first pre- tended to be the universe of utopia, good will and justice. The second did not masquerade as anything but a patriarchal bureaucratic machine. It was Lenin who stated after the success of the Revolution that, “In the land of the Soviets, every housewife must be able to Snezny Muz, Petra Fundova (1986) rule the state.” And it was also among the leaders of the avant- ism emigrated or spent the rest Lenin who announced that film garde. Poet Marina Tsvetaeva of their lives in oblivion. Many was, “the most important of the enjoyed a popularity equaled perished during the witch hunts arts.” According to the logic of only by Mayakovsky’s. Women of the late 1930s and early this rhetoric, Soviet cinema was filmmakers, Esfir Shub, Lili Brik 1940s. supposed to be an oasis for and Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Vera Ermolaeva’s story epito- women filmmakers in the male although working in the shadow mizes the destiny of thousands of dominated ocean of the world’s of Eisenstein, Pudovkin, people, men and women, who film industry. Dovzhenko or Vertov, contributed suffered and died only because Actually, the beginnings were significantly to the Soviet cinema they happened to live in the quite promising. Although of the 1920s. wrong place at the wrong time. women did not play the most An abstract painter, a splendid prominent roles in the policy mak- Too Good to Last illustrator and a stage designer, ing bodies, they were particular- Even if men still prevailed in she was also one of the closest ly visible in all kinds of artistic these domains, one can not deny allies of Kazimir Malevich in Viteb- activities blossoming in the years that there was no other country sk and Petrograd. In 1934, she after the Revolution. Women where women artists achieved so was arrested and deported painters, like Natalia Goncharo- much in such a short time. This because her brother had been va, Olga Rozanova, Lyubov Popo- was too good to last and soon involved in “suspect” political cir- va and Varvara Stepanova were many women shared the fate of cles many years before. A pro- the majority of the avant-garde gressive illness, which led to the There was no other country community. There was no longer amputation of her legs, did not where women artists a place for progressive ideals. persuade the authorities to achieved so much in such a Those who did not conform to release her from exile in Siberia, short time. the requirements of Socialist Real- where she eventually died in

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1938. festivals. in the deeper memory of foreign At the time when this extraor- As to my native country, it is specialists on the subject. A situ- dinary woman was suffering worth mentioning that a woman ation that can be blamed, at least unspeakably in forced isolation, actually inaugurated experimen- in part, on the male-oriented pro- some of her former mates from tal filmmaking in Poland. Fran- motional policies of Film Polski, the defunct avant-garde were ciszka Themerson, together with the state run film agency. And producing countless pictures and her husband Stefan, made seven there were always women posters attributing new roles to short films between 1930 and behind men, writing scripts for men and women in socialist soci- 1945. Among them she co-direct- their husband-directors, helping ety. The representations of the ed The Eye and the Ear, one of the them as art directors, and work- new Soviet woman were mainly most interesting abstract films ing as an army of anonymous confined to one area: agriculture. ever done. (It was actually made aides. A woman on a tractor, with a sick- in England at the end of World The fact is, though, that there le, resting after is no woman mowing, always director in smiling and Poland who happy. Women has gained did not disappear as much entirely from the recognition public life during as the lead- the Stalinist years. ing male ani- One can recall mators: Leni- Vera Muchina, ca, Kijowicz, one of the most Katharina by Katarzyna Latallo, Poland Little Giraffe by Teresa Badzian, Poland Szczechura prolific producers of idealized por- War II, for the Film Unit of the Pol- or Giersz. Now, the situation is trayals of Soviet people. It was ish Government in exile). even worse, for with the collapse she who sculpted the statue of of the communist regime state the “Worker and Collective Farm Addressing funding for film production has Girl,” which became the trade- Women’s Issues dropped radically. The newly mark of Soviet cinema. But in real It would be unfair to say that born capitalism is not ready yet life gender equality in the film women did not have any chance to support cultural institutions industry no longer existed, not as animators/directors in com- and it is quite possible that it will only under Stalin, but also in the munist Poland. The list of those never do so. As a result, the years to come. Unfortunately, this who made significant films starts auteur form of animation is in is particularly evident in the field with Halina Bielinska (the co- jeopardy. Not a great prospect for of animation. author of an excellent and inno- animators of either gender. The None of the women anima- vative Change of Guard in 1958) outlook for other former com- tors in the Soviet Union achieved and ends at Ewa Bibanska, munist countries looks very much the international recognition whose Incomplete Portrait (1982) the same. enjoyed by some outstanding, is one of a very few films that The Czech Republic seems to although not numerous, female directly addresses women’s issues. be doing the best. Among the feature film directors, like Larisa In between, to mention only group of animators who still man- Shepitko or Kira Muratova. It was some of the most important age to pursue their own ideas are only in recent times that animat- names, are Katarzyna Latallo, an impressive number of women. ed films made by women in Rus- Zofia Oldak, Zofia Oraczewska, In a catalogue of an exhibition of sia (for example Tatyana Alina Maliszewska, Alina Skiba, Czechoslovak animators which Jitkovskaya and Natalia Orlova) and Joanna Zamojdo. None of took place in Prague in 1988, 31 started to appear regularly at film them has imprinted her presence out of 76 active animators listed

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were women. Many of them Soviet Bloc countries, feminist ori- women in the socialist world. started their careers in the 1980s, ented critics in the West are Their words were not meant to including Lucie Dvorakova, Petra inevitably surprised that so many represent reality, but to substitute Fundova, Michaela Pavlatova, women directors there do not for it. And they did. The regime Milada Sukdolakova, Eva Sykoro- want to be called feminists, even was not afraid of big words and va, Zuzana Vorlickova, Sarlota if they address women’s issues. I it knew how to manipulate them. Zahradkova and Sarka Zikova. might suggest a possible answer Borrowing terminology from One has to remember, to this phenomenon. post-modern discourse, one though, that women’s animation Sixty odd years of communist would say that what the com- has a strong tradition in the propaganda in the Soviet Union munist regimes did not suffer Czech and Slovak republics. One (44 in the satellite countries) has from was a lack of “grand narra- of the founders of animated film led to a certain distrust in words, tions.” In fact, there were too there after WWII was Hermina especially those associated with many of them. At least for intel- Tyrlova, a splendid puppeteer ideologically charged social the- lectuals who subconsciously whose international fame would developed an immune system to have been much greater, if she fight their omnipotent presence. did not devote herself entirely to In the post-modern world of post- children’s films. communist societies, the feminist vocabulary sounds to some ears There is no woman director like one of these already known in Poland who has gained narrations. as much recognition as the Do not be bewildered, there- leading male animators. fore, when a Russian, or Polish, or Hungarian filmmaker tells you: “I am not a feminist, but ...” They The Etude From An Album Expressing Their Attitudes by Michaela Pavlatova are not lesser artists just because The common attitude in the they say this. West that there are no important ories. Listen- female directors in Central and ing to the Eastern Europe diminishes the postulates of role of those splendid artists who, the Polish despite obstacles, have made Women’s their way into the industry. What League, the is absent, though, is the sort of only legal distinct, personal, almost confes- women’s sional current within women’s rights organi- animation, as represented in the zation under U.S. by Susan Pitt, Kathy Rose, communism, Caroline Leaf or Emily Hubley. one could get The reason might be cultural: dis- the impres- cussing problems of ones body sion that it did and soul in public in Slavic coun- not differ much Sfinga, Lucie Dvorakova (1989) tries can embarrassing. Instead, from the agenda of feminist artists prefer to look for ways of movements in the West. Repre- Marcin Gizycki is a Polish art histo- expressing their attitudes by more sentatives of the League were rian, art critic and former Editor-In- universal metaphors. regularly sent to international Chief for Animafilm magazine. He Finally, when dealing with conferences, where they spoke has taught at Rhode Island School of women’s cinema in the former about the equality of men and Design since 1988.

19 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Meena and Sara: Two Characters in Search of a Brighter Future for Women by Neill McKee and Christian Clark n Eastern and UNICEF committees in United through childhood. Southern Africa a States, Europe and Japan. Meena I young girl figure is has been a joint project of UNICEF The drawing power of about to be born and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. Sara popular entertainment can who has the poten- is still looking for a corporate part- convey educational tial to become as ner. messages. well known as Nel- UNICEF recognizes the power son Mandela. Her mass media can have in providing name is Sara and she a catalyst for social change. Meena From a young age the girl must was conceived in ten and Sara are examples of an “enter- serve male family members, care countries. education” strategy, which seeks to for younger children, fetch water Sara is a car- harness the drawing power of pop- and firewood, wash the clothes toon character. She ular entertainment to convey edu- and cook. Her life becomes a is the product of 20 cational messages. These initiatives “nightmare that never ends.” The months of research illustrate how creative and exciting girl is often seen as someone who and development stories can be used to promote is “just passing through” the house- work involving over social issues in an appealing and hold. She will get married and 150 writers, artists, provocative way. Meena is quickly move out whereas it is believed that and researchers becoming a household name and the boy will support his parents in from Eritrea and a popular film star in South Asia. In their old age. Ethiopia in the December 1995, she was identified As the girl grows, the disparities Original artwork of North, to the by Newsweek magazine as “one of in treatment and status are com- UNICEF’s new Cape of Good the actors to emerge on the world’s pounded. Death rates are higher character, Sara. © UNICEF Hope in the stage in 1996.” South. Sara, her friends and family, and the charac- Role Models ters and happenings in her com- Both Meena and Sara are uplift- munity are also the result of dis- ing role models for girls. They are cussions with over 5000 people in empowered girl figures who are villages and slums throughout this able to act, to ask questions and vast region. It is their insights and seek solutions to the problems reflection which have shaped the which face them and their friends adventures of Sara, an adolescent and family. And their problems are girl between 13 and 15 years of many. In South Asia and Africa, age. there are many customs and tradi- Sara has a similar beginning to tions which affect the development Meena, a younger girl cartoon char- of female Children. In India, a mil- acter from South Asia. Both projects lion fetuses are detected and abort- have been launched by the United ed each year simply because they Nations International Children’s are female. In both regions there is Meena and her friend Mithu Emergency Fund (UNICEF) with much more value and attention © UNICEF financial contributions from the given to the boy from in the first among female children. When sick- Government of Norway and hour of life and this continues ness strikes, male children will be

20 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996

taken to hospital can be used to sooner, while girls “strike a common have to wait to chord” across a the very last diverse region. moment, which is Common char- sometimes too acters, back- late. grounds and sto- In many coun- ries can be found tries, fewer girls Sara and her pet monkey Zingo, shown in a victim situation requiring assistance and protection. which belong to enter school and © UNICEF everybody’s more girls are “pushed out” at an multiple partner relationships all neighborhood. early age. This disadvantage in edu- have contributed to the rapid In creating the series, research cational opportunities also robs the spread of HIV/AIDS. The adolescent revealed the need to remain with- girl of her chance to be a child as girl is two to seven times more like- in the realm of realism in order to school is one of the only places ly to be HIV positive than the ado- maintain a credible message source. where she can socialize and play lescent boy. Therefore, Meena’s parrot, Mithu, with other children and learn essen- only ever repeats what he has tial life skills such as communication, Striking a Common Chord heard and Sara’s pet monkey, negotiation, problem solving and This is a negative and depress- Zingo, does not talk. She only mim- conflict resolution. ing picture. While it is possible to ics and gestures in sympathy with Another aspect is the socializa- present the female child as a victim Sara’s emotions. Both animals are tion process of the young girl in the requiring assistance and protection, extensions of the girls’ egos. They home, school and wider commu- it is more important to recognize can do things which the Meena nity. She acquires a sense of inferi- her potential as a leading agent in and Sara would like to do but ority, resulting in a negative self-con- promoting development. In both which would be disrespectful, for cept. It is reinforced by the way girls the Meena and Sara Communica- a girl to do in Asian or African soci- and women are defined in text- tion initiatives, UNICEF decided to ety. Therefore, cultural sensitivity is books and various media. The over- create a role model and set of com- maintained. By steering this fine line all result is a limited perception of mon stories which would provide between reality and fantasy, these her own capabilities and possibili- motivation for a way towards stories remain both relevant and ties. acceptable solutions. exciting to the target audiences. In many parts of Africa the prob- But how can cartoons address They are their stories. What the lem of teenage motherhood is such deep-rooted problems? In research revealed is that the target endemic. Girls are often not yet viewing live action films, people in audiences don’t have a vocabulary ready for motherhood, physically multi-ethnic environments respond for ‘cartoon’ versus “live action.” The or psychologically, and are thrown to cultural and social cues such as Meena and Sara films are viewed out of the educational system. Their dress, facial features, language and as stories on their situations and situation becomes even more wor- accents, housing and vegetation lives, as opposed to the live action rying in the context of the AIDS pan- which may alienate and distract fantasies churned out by Holly- demic, which is hitting both regions them. They may be fascinated by wood or BollyWood.

The Flagship Medium While it is possible to present the female child as a victim, it Also, animated film can portray is more important to recognize her potential as a leading difficult social issues and values in agent in promoting development. sensitive, non-threatening ways, without losing message impact. The harder than any other area of the what they see but may miss the stories and messages provide a world. In Eastern and Southern main message or conclude that the “hook” into the culture without Africa, rape, adolescent pregnan- situations posed are “someone else’s alienating or threatening cultural cies, female genital mutilation, problem.” However, with proper integrity. In addition, animated films forced marriage, polygamy and formative research, animated film can be dubbed and produced in

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tiles, ceramics, dolls, writing prod- bulk of the animation to date. South ucts and greeting cards are already Asian artists and researchers have being pilot marketed and educa- increased their skills through their tional games are planned. Such involvement. products have the potential to Ram Mohan and the others of extend the reach of Sara and the South Asian team - Mira Aghi, Meena images and messages. They the chief researcher in New Delhi; also may have a role in fund rais- Rachel Carnegie, Meena’s main cre- A storyboard session for the ing, thereby sustaining the projects, ative force and former coordinator; UNICEF South African Initiative. © UNICEF for it is recognized that changing Nuzhat Shahzadi, researcher and many languages at little cost, mak- the societal position and view of trainer-disseminator based in ing them useful across a large pop- female children is a long-term Bangladesh - have all contributed ulation base. endeavor. to the training of African artists, writ- In both Meena and Sara initia- ers and researchers in the Sara pro- tives, the animated film is the “flag- A First Step ject. And such capacity building ship” medium through which a set Broadcast or video viewing is remains a major goal of both pro- of characters and core set of stories important in developing awareness jects. “come to life,” capturing the atten- and knowledge as a first step to The Meena and Sara initiatives tion and imagination of audiences behavioral change information is are two visible bright stars in the and providing a creative focus, provided and awareness African and South Asian girls’ oth- However, multi-media dissemina- enhanced. We can also motivate erwise troubled night sky. They tion is essential to reach target audi- people through entertaining Pro- demonstrate how animated film ences who often do not have gram formats. However, in the can become a force for social trans- access to television, video or film. A Meena and Sara episodes, an formation. Meena radio series has been broad- attempt has been made to address cast in Asia through the BBC Bangla all behavioral change fac- service and the BBC Africa Service tors. The episodes are will broadcast a five language Sara informative and motiva- series beginning in June 1996. In tional, through entertain- addition, comic books, story books, ing stories which are audio cassettes, posters, users’ and based on careful research facilitators’ guides are either avail- into traditional and mod- able or in planning. ern values. But they also However, films and videos have address the life skills and further reach than is often assumed. enabling environment fac- India has had satellite television with tors which are so often community viewing stations since omitted change behavior A depiction of the South African picturesque landscape the 1970s. There are also growing or bring in children. © UNICEF informal channels of video distri- Finally, both initiatives have bution — associations, religious involved a great deal of capacity Neil McKee is the Senior Program groups and commercial outlets, for building. The design of the Meena Communication Officer for UNICEF’s example. Videos are shown in pub- character, character models, back- Eastern and Southern Africa Regional lic places such as restaurants and grounds, storyboards and post pro- Office based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is bars and “video theaters” are quick- duction has all been undertaken in the author of Social Mobilization ly growing in small communities. South Asia under the supervision of and Social Marketing in Developing in some countries there are mobile Ram Mohan of Light Box Moving Communities. film or video units owned by pri- Pictures, Bombay. Light Box has also vate firms or government. produced some of the episodes Christian Clark, former Informa- Also in the plans for both Meena from start to finish-h although tion Officer in UNICEF Somalia, is and Sara is the merchandising of Hanna Barbera Manila-based stu- now the Meena Project Coordinator products. In Bangladesh Meena tex- dio, Fil Cartoons has produced the for UNICEF in Katmandu, Nepal.

22 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Women In Animation: Changing the World: Person by Person, Cel by Cel by Rita Street every other night to the nearest university in order to get her mas- Like a pet that grows up ter’s degree. My father and his isolated from its own kind, I cronies were my life and an over- never realized the term whelming influence. When Dad "women" would eventually said, even jokingly, that the mean “me.” Women’s Movement was great for men, “let the women do all When I finally landed a job the work,” I agreed. Those silly, that I really liked, with a boss who silly women, wasn’t housework respected my abilities (as editor more appropriate? I grew up and eventually publisher of Ani- thinking like a man, or at least like mation Magazine for Terry Thoren), the old boys club my father I realized that I still had to kill belonged to, believing I had the myself in order to gain respect Rita Street, founder of Women in Animation right to do whatever I pleased, from the animation community Marshall Armistead Photography whenever I pleased and more at large. During my three year s my friend, veteran ani- power to me. Like a pet that stint with AniMag, I began to mator/producer Sue Kroy- grows up isolated from its own hear other women’s stories, sto- A er says, “I’m not much of a kind, I never realized the term ries of discrimination that were joiner.” Like Sue, I’ve never been “women” would eventually mean far worse than my own. As I overly fond of organizations “me.” delved into the history of anima- which seems rather odd since I In the work place, I realized tion I found an industry that typ- founded an International organi- that no matter how smart, how ically placed women in low pay- zation three years ago. I’ve also efficient, how dynamic I was, it ing, unsatisfying positions that never been overly fond of the so- still took some extra genitals to kept their artistic talents bottled called Woman’s Movement, land a really good salary or job up. Female animators were which makes my position all the that could provide me with even cursed with a very real glass ceil- more contradictory since the a modicum of self-respect. To get ing and female executives, organization I founded focuses ahead, I couldn’t act like a man as although they had made it up on women’s issues within the I once thought I could; I had to the ladder (mainly due to the fact industry of animation. think like a woman and work like that there actually are some won- Let me explain. To me organi- a woman. Like my mother, I had derful men in this area of enter- zations were only entities to pay to drive forever and work myself tainment with extraordinary fore- dues to and receive newsletters to death to create even a glim- sight), they still had to work hard- or magazines from. My ideas con- mer of hope for a career. er and longer than most of their cerning feminism were even Destroying oneself—paying male counterparts. more obtuse. dues beyond the price of imagi- While I was growing up, my nation—I found was and is the On The Brink of Disaster mother was busy working a full- only acceptable way for a woman At the same time that I began time job and driving three hours to succeed in the workplace. to understand the basic condi-

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fax to 40 women and asked them to meet at my house. About 20 women at- tended, rep- resenting all areas of the animation Sari Gennis, Lily Tomlin and John Kricfalusi at a WIA panel on Images of Women in Animation. industry—Sue tion of many women in the pened to be working in. Names Kroyer, Lily industry, I realized that animation of prominent men came to mind, Tomlin (voice over), Libby Simon itself seemed to be on the brink of to sit on this panel. (producer), Linda Miller (anima- disaster. At the magazine, I was These men would, of course, tor) Donna Ravitz and Ruth Clam- uniquely positioned to see the come up with many great ideas; pett (animation art), Jan Nagel overwhelming amount of activity but after the panel ended and and Jessie Ungerleider (publici- in the industry in 1993. New the audience and press went ty), Maureen Furniss (animation companies were sprouting up all home, would they actually take historian and publisher of Anima- over the globe in every genre of action? I doubted that they tion Journal), Becky Bristow (Dean, animation. Animation seemed to would have either the time or the California Institute of the Arts). We be moving in a million different inclination. The only people I sat on my floor, ate cookies and directions at once. knew who would actually “act” discussed whether or not we As a person pondering, I can’t on an “idea”—something not should found the organization take the drain of energy it takes to charted, mapped, graphed, sto- now known as WIA. Of course, go in so many different directions ryboarded, approved, budgeted, the answer to that question was all at once, so how could an sanctified or licensed—were my an overwhelming yes. industry? Could animation hold women friends. And thus the We also firmly declared that up to such a wave of activity next thought, forming what I had this would not be an organiza- without losing valuable momen- never thought to form before— tion driven by feminist blindness. tum? Would such an upswing an organization dedicated to the To help break the glass ceiling in cause an equally dynamic down- needs of women called Women animation for female artists, we swing as it had in the past? I In Animation. Perhaps by work- would embrace the opposite sex decided that this was indeed a ing together, women could make and prove that together we danger. If the animation industry a difference for themselves, for could rise above issues of gender, had no backbone, no spine if you men and for animation. race and handicaps. We would will to support it, how could it also be an organization dedicat- continue to move forward? Perhaps by working ed to solidifying the world of The idea came to me to hold together, women could animation. We would study the an industry-wide panel discussion make a difference for past and promote the future. We regarding the future of anima- themselves, for men and for would, as Terry Thoren is so fond tion. Animation Magazine would animation. of saying, make the world a safer invite industry heads from all over place for cartoons! the world to begin a dialogue Over the months that fol- about bringing the industry A Safer Place lowed, a Steering Committee was together, to support one another for Cartoons established to guide the organi- no matter what style they hap- In November of 1993, I sent a zation as it moved through the

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difficult path of establishing its Tools of the Toons years of animation at each of our non-profit status. Antran Since that time, we have general meetings and to begin Manoogian, president of ASIFA- grown enormously. Our general an oral history program that Hollywood was approached and meetings are held four times a would preserve the lives and together he and his board voted year and sponsored by Warner times of these extraordinary indi- to make WIA a special project of Bros. Feature Animation. (Thanks viduals. Under Simon’s guidance their chapter. That meant that we to both Karen Schmidt and Senior and because of her hard work, could receive tax deductible Vice President of Operations, 20 women have now been inter- donations before receiving our Michael Laney for their support.) viewed on tape and/or on video. own non-profit status. It also These panel discussions have cov- These interviews (which contin- meant that we had a bank ered diverse topics such as devel- ue in both Los Angeles and New account. (I would like to add here opment, computer animation, York) have been transcribed and that WIA will always be indebted licensing, production manage- will soon be available to to ASIFA-Hollywood for all their ment, writing for animation and researchers through the Univer- efforts to help it grow. They con- the image of the female charac- sity of California, Los Angeles tinue to support us in every move ter in cartoons. Library. we make.) We have also expanded to The Communications Com- A simple mission statement include many different commit- mittee publishes a quarterly was written defining our goals tees that service the needs of the newsletter recording the activities and a first general meeting was membership and the needs of of members and the organization planned. Karen Schmidt (who is the industry. The Program Com- as a whole. The Youth & Educa- now Director of Recruiting and mittee, in addition to organizing tion Committee, headed by Film Training for Warner Bros. Feature general meetings here in Los Roman’s Phyllis Craig, helps young people make the jump from stu- dent to professional a reality by placing them in intern pro- grams at several inde- pendent and major studios. The Indepen- dent Film Selection Committee is dedicat- ed to providing a forum for the work of independent anima- Rita Street (2nd from left), CalArts instructor Maureen Selwood, Faith Hubley and Calico's Jan Nagel (on far right) at press preview hosted by WIA and KCET for the Animated Women TV series, along with two KCET representatives. tors and the Public Services Committee is Animation, and who was then at Angeles, has developed a series working to make a difference the Disney) arranged a large screen- of workshops open to the public world over through the art of ani- ing room for our meeting. Over called the “Tools of the Toons” mation. one hundred women showed up series. The first workshop ran last WIA currently boasts one at Disney Feature Animation for fall and focused on the art of chapter. Founded by the Cartoon our first gathering which con- pitching story ideas. Network’s Director of Program- sisted of screenings of new work On the suggestion of Sue ming, Linda Simensky, WIA-NY is by women. We actually had to Kroyer and Libby Simon, a His- extremely active. In the next few turn some women and men torical Committee was organized months, when the non-profit sta- away at the door. to honor women from the early tus is received for WIA Interna-

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tional, Los Angeles will form its in the same row. And all ages “growing.” own chapter. Other chapters learn, think, remember, hope and For information about Women In based in major cities around the go home with the urge to cre- Animation, send email to world will soon follow. ate—whether it be a piece of tan- [email protected] or wanki@ gible art or something as aol.com, or write to P.O. Box 17706, No Longer Iffy ephemeral as their own spiritual Encino, CA 91416, or call (818) 759- I have learned a great deal lives, everyone leaves inspired to 9596. since I started the organization do what they have not yet three years ago. I am no longer attempted. “iffy” about organizations; I love And that’s what make’s a them. At least... this one. All the truly great organization, I’ve women who I have had the found. The people who are a opportunity to meet and work part of it and the dreams that with have caused the organiza- they find they can fulfill. I tion (and myself) to blossom. It attribute this attitude of excite- has become a thrill of mine to ment to the many women on sneak around the outskirts of a both coasts who make up the crowd bubbling over with enthu- current Steering Committees siasm during the “networking” and our Advisory Board. They portion of a general meeting and are all women of power, fore- hear just how well the organiza- sight and honor. With individ- tion is working for people. Men uals like this around me, I find and women are open and friend- it impossible to believe that I ly and thrilled to be finding out ever scoffed at the importance Painting by Mary Blair, for Disney's Alice in Wonderland, which was displayed at a what is going on with friends at of women’s rights and women’s Name That Toon gallery fundraiser for WIA. other companies around town. issues. © The Walt Disney Company Members discuss problems and Here’s to organizations, offer insights. There’s even some women and men, and the future storytelling from the good ol’ of animation. May all support Rita Street, the founder of Women days. It seems that barriers are organizations like this one help it in Animation and former editor and broken between people the grow into the next century and publisher of Animation Magazine, is now a freelance writer based in Los moment they walk in the door. beyond. And here’s to not being Angeles. All ages attend. I’ve seen 10 afraid of “joining”—sometimes it’s year-olds and 80 year-olds sitting just a part of a little thing called

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26 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Women in the Animation Industry—Some Thoughts by Linda Simensky the animation industry. After a It is also important to look at round of toasts to, say, Bob Clam- the motivations of people enter- pett or Shamus Culhane, everyone ing animation. The artisans of the went off to the lavatories at the industry (more men than women) same time. The line into the tend to enter by first studying ani- women’s room would be com- mation in school and then simply prised of a large number of net- getting jobs in their chosen field. work executives, studio manage- Some women have taken that ment types ranging from produc- path as well, such as director Becky ers to production assistants, color Bristow, currently head of the Cal- and background designers, and ifornia Institute of the Arts Charac- perhaps an occasional director. The ter Animation program, and Nancy

Linda Simensky, The Cartoon Network’s line into the men’s room would Beiman, a supervising animator at Director of Programming include studio owners, business Disney. But many women, more types, directors, artists, show cre- often than not, tend to “end up” in n the animation industry, a pro- ators, designers, and a significant the industry by one of three dif- fessional association called number of other animation artists. ferent paths, all not all of which I Women In Animation formed in While this is more of an obser- involve animation or even an initial 1993. Men in the business joked, vation, it has already been estab- interest in the field. “Where’s the Men In Animation lished that men and women grav- The “different path” theory group?,” to which the women itate to different parts of the indus- includes the following typical job replied, “That’s what we call ‘The try. There are a couple of theories motivations. Some women are Animation Industry.’” that are often discussed to support driven by an interest in children’s Actually, there are a lot of this. television, of which animation women in animation, and their comprises a large bulk. These peo- number has been rising. I don’t Different Paths ple could just as easily end up in know that there are statistics that First, there is the history of the publishing or teaching, where are readily available, but since this industry. While there have always many began their careers. Geral- is an opinion piece, my opinion is been women in the animation, his- dine Laybourne, formerly president that there are more women than torically the more important jobs of Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, and ever working in animation. have gone to men. This is as much now President of Disney/ABC What is unusual and notewor- a function of the eras involved and Cable Networks, initially pursued thy, though, is that there is not an of the history of a career in edu- even breakdown of tasks between the business. cation and men and women. This is obvious When you con- Just as an entomologist can entered the to the naked eye of anyone visiting sider that the view the breakdown of gender media industry an animation studio or network entire anima- roles in an ant colony, we can with an active animation department. Just as an tion industry analyze the animation industry interest in chil- entomologist can view the break- has been the same way. dren’s television. down of gender roles in an ant around for less Others sim- colony, we can analyze the ani- than a century, ply aspire to mation industry the same way. The and that for years women were work in the entertainment industry, following are some thoughts—not systematically relegated to such and have career paths that take on the analysis itself—but on why “lesser” jobs such as ink and paint, them through the animation we can analyze the industry that women have actually done fairly industry as well as through live- way. well even getting into any posi- action television and film produc- First, imagine you were attend- tions in the industry over the last tion.There are also other career ing a large party for members of 20 years. paths that can lead to animation,

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including the CD-ROM or CGI propriate or obscure. seems to have more women than industries, as well as graphic I think, though, to understand men; after all, it is an area of ani- design and illustration. Oddly this difference in taste, we need to mation which has more room for enough several translators of understand why girls lose their self-expression and no real tradi- Japanese language materials have interest in watching cartoons; this tional hierarchy in which to fit. gone on to careers as animation seems to occur when many reach It seems that as animation producers. their early teens, as they become becomes more and more popular, There are also those who aspire more interested in their personal a larger number of potential work- to work in animation but cannot lives, in music and films, as well as ers and executives will migrate to animate. I offer myself as an exam- showing that they are “older.” It’s animation from other fields. This ple of this. People taking this path, a time when cartoons are associ- leaves us pondering how the ani- which ultimately leads them to ani- ated with their younger selves. I mation industry will change in the mation, often take the same paths think girls are also driven away by future, particularly with regard to noted above, but direct themselves their difference in taste, which women in the industry. Will more toward animation and are not as involves less interest in watching women enter the industry, and will interested in the other areas. slapstick, violence and the male- they shift over to the more male- oriented topics of most animated dominated jobs? Will the financial fare. success of animated films and tele- We need to understand why There is a slightly old and out of vision shows cause more workers date theory that girls will watch to shift from live action to anima- girls lose interest in watching shows about boys, but boys will tion? Will more men supplant cartoons. not watch shows where the main women in key positions in chil- characters are girls. I disagree, as it dren’s television, at the networks What’s So Funny About seems clear that everyone will and at animation studios, as in the Cheese? watch a clever, well-made show. past? Whether or not there is a his- Nevertheless, this theory, along torical precedent for women in the with the feeling that girls no longer Many women tend to “end animation industry, there theoret- watch cartoons after a certain age, ically are no reasons for women and the need to sell toys, has led up” in the industry by not to be in it now. Perhaps the to many of the animated programs different paths, not all of question to ask is, “Why aren’t being made specifically for boys. which involve animation. women as interested in animation And then the lack of interest in car- as men are?” Maureen Furniss toons by women ultimately led to It seems clear that as more pro- explored this in her article, “What’s the lack of women in the industry. grams are made that girls like as So Funny About Cheese? And Many women who want to well as boys, such as The Simpsons, Other Dilemmas: The Nickelodeon enter the animation industry tend Doug and Rugrats, there will be Television Network and Its (Female) either to avoid the more violent more girls who will consider ani- Animation Producers,” which can sorts of programs, or are in net- mation as a viable career option. be found in the Spring 1994 issue work management where they However, if the industry continues of Animation Journal. She took a look attempt to mollify the shows. to concentrate on animation that at the animated shows on Nick- Many, particularly those who wish will sell toys to boys, the attraction elodeon, particularly Doug and The to create shows, have directed may be less. Ren & Stimpy Show, which were cre- themselves more toward preschool In the meantime, here is what ated and developed by men, and programming or more traditional I would like to see: Female show how the shows’ staffs dealt with Disney or Disney-influenced ani- creators, more female directors, Nickelodeon’s management, mation. and a funny cartoon with a female which was primarily women. Fur- lead character. After that, every- niss discussed the difference in More Room For thing would be different. men and women’s taste in what Self Expression was funny, and how that shaped Another aspect of this is that the animation they were doing. women pursuing careers in the The article also chronicles the prob- field seem more interested than Linda Simensky is Cartoon Net- lems and arguments women men in animation as an art form. work’s Director of Programming. encountered when opposing Thus, it is not surprising that the humor they saw as gross, inap- area of independent filmmaking

28 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Mary Ellen Bute: Seeing Sound by William Moritz

continuum. She studied redraw thousands of times. stage lighting at Yale in Mary Ellen continued to use an attempt to gain the the Schillinger system in her technical expertise to subsequent films, often to their create a “color organ” detriment, for Schillinger’s insis- which would allow her tence on the mathematics of to paint with living musical quantities fails to deal light—and also haunted with musical qualities, much as the studios of electronic John Whitney’s later Digital Har- genius Leo Theremin mony theories. Many pieces of and Thomas Wilfred music may share exactly the whose Clavilux instru- same mathematics quantities,

Mary Ellen Bute ment projected sensuous but the qualities that make one The Museum of Modern Art/Film Stills Archive streams of soft swirling of them a memorable classic s with many pioneer ani- colors. and another rather ordinary or mators, Mary Ellen Bute She was drawn into film- forgettable involves other non- A is hardly known today, making by a collaboration with mathematical factors, such as primarily because her films are the musician Joseph Schillinger, orchestral tone color, nuance of not easily available in good who had developed an elabo- mood and interpretation. In prints. This was not always true. rate theory about musical struc- Mary Ellen’s weakest works, like During a 25-year period, from ture, which reduced all music the 1951 Color Rhapsodie, she is 1934 until about 1959, the 11 to a series of mathematical for- betrayed precisely by this prob- abstract films she made played mulae. Schillinger wanted to lem, using gaudily-colored, per- in regular movie theaters make a film to prove that his cussive images of fireworks around the country, usually as synchronization system worked explosions during a soft, sen- the short with a first-run pres- in illustrating music with visual suous passage—perfectly timed tige feature, such as Mary of images, and Mary Ellen Scotland, The Barretts of Wimpole undertook the project Street, or Hans Christian Ander- of animating the visu- sen—which means that millions als. The film was never saw her work, many more than completed, and a still most other experimental ani- published with an arti- mators. cle by Schillinger in the The diminutive Mary Ellen magazine Experimental grew up in Texas, and retained Cinema No. 5 (1934) a soft southern accent and gen- makes it clear why: the teel demeanor throughout her intricate image, remi- life. She studied painting in niscent of Kandinsky’s Texas and Philadelphia, but felt complex paintings, frustrated by the inability to would have taken a sin- Polka Graph (1952) Mary Ellen Bute wield light in a flowing time- gle animator years to Courtesy of William Moritz

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mathematically, but unsuited to chromy No. 2, synchronized to effects created with conven- mood and tone color. the “Evening Star” aria from tional stage lighting, such as Wagner’s Tannhäuser, uses a stat- imploding or exploding circles Egg Beaters, Bracelets ue of Venus to represent the made by rising in or out a spot- and Sparklers star. The effect of constant flow- light. Mary Ellen made her own ing forms, however, is quite For the 1940 Spook Sport, first film, Rhythm in Light, togeth- striking, especially in Parabola, Mary Ellen hired Norman er with Melville Webber, who which is a bit long at nine min- McLaren (living in New York had collaborated with James utes, and could well drop the before he went to Canada) to Watson on two classic live- jazzy finale since the lovely mid- draw directly on film strips the action experimental films, “characters” of ghosts, The Fall of the House of Usher bats, etc., to synchronize (1928) and Lot in Sodom with Saint-Saëns’ Danse (1933). Webber contributed Macabre. Mary Ellen kept his experience on those McLaren’s painted origi- films with making models of nals, and reused some of paper and cardboard and the images in later films, filming them through such including Tarantella things as mirrors and a cut- (1941), Color Rhapsodie glass ashtray to get multiple (1951) and Polka Graph parallel reflections of the (1952), where they seem shape. The cameraman, Ted less at home stylistically

Nemeth, who worked com- Color Rhapsody (1951) Mary Ellen Bute than in their original con- mercially on advertising and Courtesy of William Moritz text. documentary films, would soon dle slow section provides a sat- Tarantella seems Mary Ellen’s marry Mary Ellen, and worked isfying closure. best film. Using an eccentric on all her subsequent films. In 1931, Universal had run modern composition by Edwin Rhythm in Light, with black-and- one of Oskar Fischinger’s Stud- Gershefski, Mary Ellen herself white images tightly synchro- ies as a novelty item in their animated most of the imagery, nized to “Anitra’s Dance” from newsreel. Mary Ellen had seen using jagged lines to choreo- Grieg’s music for Peer Gynt, uses it, and proposed to Universal graph dissonant scales. Even not only Webber’s models, but that they use one of her films the sensuous McLaren interlude also cellophane, ping-pong in a similar fashion. Since they is not totally out of character. balls, egg beaters, bracelets and could use only two or three Another of her finest films, Pas- sparklers to create abstract light minutes, Mary Ellen made a torale (1953), reverts to the tech- forms and shadows. Many of special piece, Dada, which Uni- nique of the early black-and- these images are “out of focus” versal distributed in 1936. white films, creating continuous or filmed reflected on a wall for flows of colored light, swirling soft nuance and distortion that Working in Color in various directions to mime conceals the origin of the Beginning with the 1939 the multiple voices of J.S.Bach’s abstract apparition. Escape, Mary Ellen began to Mary Ellen made two more work in color, and used more The diminutive Mary Ellen similar black-and-white films, conventional animation for the grew up in Texas, and Synchromy No. 2 (1936) and main themes in the music, but retained a soft southern Parabola (1938), which also are still combining it with “special accent and genteel not exactly animation, nor com- effect” backgrounds—some- demeanr throughtout her pletely abstract in the sense of times swirling liquids, clouds or life. Oskar Fischinger’s films. Syn- fireworks, other times light

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Sheep May Safely Graze. The tube for her films seems some- longer available in good prints, music’s conductor/arranger, what simpler or weaker than and the original nitrates were Leopold Stokowski, appears at the forms McLaren and Hirsh dispersed to archives in Wis- the end superimposed over the use in their films. But she makes consin, Connecticut and New abstract images—reminiscent of up for the “slinky” look of her York. She was still, however, cel- Fantasia! main figures by imaginative ebrated justly for a major backgrounds and achievement in making her animation supple- films and distributing them her- ments. In the 1954 self, against all odds, success- Abstronic, Mary fully. Mary Ellen is also quite Ellen uses her own important as a formative influ- paintings, with a ence on Norman McLaren. The kind of surrealist kind of titles Mary Ellen used to depth perspective, preface her films, explaining zooming in and them to an average audience out in rhythmic as a new kind of art linking pulsations synched sight and sound prefigure with the beat of McLaren’s similar audience— “hoe down” music. friendly prefaces to his Nation- In the exciting al Film Board experiments. Mary Spook Sport (1940) Mary Ellen Bute Courtesy of William Moritz Mood Contrasts Ellen also proudly announced (1956, incorporat- that she had used combs and ing animation from a 1947 film collanders and whatever else to Combining Mood Lyric), she created her make the imagery in her films, Science and Art most complex collage of ani- encouraging a delight in sim- In 1954, Mary Ellen began mation and special effects, plicity and novelty of experi- using oscilloscope patterns to including a striking sequence of mentation. Surely this left its create the main “figures” in her colored lights refracting mark on McLaren, too. films. In her publicity, which is through glass bricks in oozing often repeated, she claimed to soft grid patterns. Mary Ellen Bute be the first person to combine Mary Ellen made two more Abstract Filmography “science and art” in this way, commercial shorts, a 1958 Imag- number for the Steve and she sold her last two films ination Synchronization Abstronic (1954) and Mood Con- Allen television show, and a (1934) trasts (1956) on their novelty. 1959 commercial for RCA, New Collaboration with Joseph Actually, Norman McLaren used Sensations in Sound, both of oscilloscope patterns in 1950 to which are clever, sharply edited Schillinger and Lewis Jacobs generate abstract images for his collages of effects from her pre- [paper or cel animation; lost? Around is Around, which was vious films. In 1956 she made incomplete?] screened at the Festival of a live-action short The Boy Who Britain in 1951—and described Saw Through and spent the next Rhythm in Light in technical detail in American decade working on a live-action (1935, b&w, 5 min.) Cinematographer. Hy Hirsh also feature based on James Joyce’s In collaboration with Melville used oscilloscope imagery in his Finnegan’s Wake. In the 1970s, Webber. Music: “Anitra’s 1951 Divertissement Rococo in his feminists “rediscovered” Mary Dance” from Grieg’s music for 1953 Eneri and Come Closer. The Ellen as a pioneer woman film- Peer Gynt. Moving models with sort of shapes that Mary Ellen maker, but by that time many captured from the cathode ray of her abstract films were no lighting: “cellophane & ping-

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rors & lighting. [cel ani- “Ranch House Party” by Don mation] Gillis. Oscilloscope patterns over drawn backgrounds. Spook Sport (1940, color, 8 min.) Mood Contrasts Music: Danse macabre by (1956, color, 7 min.) Saint-Saëns. Cel animation Music: “Hymn to the Sun” from plus McLaren’s drawn-on- The Golden Cockerel and “Dance film effects. of the Tumblers” from The Snow Maiden by Rimsky-Korsakov. Abstronic (1954) Mary Ellen Bute Tarantella Oscilloscope over back- The Museum of Modern Art/Film Stills Archive (1941, color, 5 min.) grounds, including colored liq- pong balls,” sparklers, egg Music by Edwin Gerschefski. uids, clouds, and grids of col- beaters, bracelets & barber Drawn animation and cut-outs ored light shot through glass poles, and some drawn ani- with light effects, McLaren. bricks or cut-glass plate. mation.

Color Rhapsodie Imagination Synchromy No. 2 (1951, color, 6 min.) (1958, color, 3 min.) (1936, b&w, 5 min.) Music: Hungarian Rhapsody No. Collage of effects from earlier Music: “Evening Star” from 2 by Liszt. “Paint on glass, fire- films. [Abstract bit for Steve Wagner’s Tannhäuser, sung by works,” animation, fireworks Allen] Reinald Werrenrath. Light and clouds optically colored. reflections from cut glass, col- RCA: New Sensations lander, etc. “Gothic arches, a Polka Graph in Sound flowering rod, and stairs rec- (1952, color, 5 min.) (1959, color, 3 min) ognizable.” Music: “Polka” from The Age of Commercial. Collage of effects Gold by Shostakovich. Cel ani- from previous films. Dada mation over graph pattern, (1936) using Schillinger system. 3-minute short for Universal cutouts and cellophane lay- Newsreel. ered.

Parabola Pastorale (1938, b&w, 9 min.) (1953, color, 8 min.) Music: Création du monde by Music: Sheep May Safely Graze Darius Milhaud. Based on a by J.S. Bach. “Kaleidoscope of sculpture by Rutherford Boyd. ever-changing shapes, colors, Small models and bent rods on forms, vapors, illuminations William Mortiz teaches Animation a turntable. and mobile perspectives.” History at Cal Arts, and has widely published articles on Animators. He Escape has also made dozens of films, and Abstronic (1939, color, 5 min.) received an American Film Institute (1954, color, 7 min.) Grant to complete a half-hour anima- Music: Toccata in D Minor by J.S. Music: “Hoe Down” from Billy tion film All My Lost Lovers. Bach. Comb, cut celluloid, mir- the Kid by Aaron Copeland and

32 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Claire Parker, An Appreciation by Giannalberto Bendazzi

lexandre 90 years ago, (“Alosha”) on August 31, A Alexeïeff and and died in Paris Claire Parker (A on October 3, Night on Bald Moun- 1981. Her family tain [1933], The was rich, promi- Nose [1963], Pictures nent and culti- at an Exhibition vated, and did [1972], etc.), loved not discriminate to introduce them- against her be- selves as “the artist cause she was a and the animator,” woman. i.e., he was the one Claire had who created the the freedom to images and she travel any-

choreographed The Nose (1963) by Alexandre Alexeïeff and Claire Parker where, read them. Courtesy of Cecile Starr what she want- I knew them ed and associate both for the last 11 years of Discreet Yes, Shy No with who she liked. (As a their life together; and In fact, she always main- teenager, her father decided although I became very close tained that, “Between us, he’s to introduce her to the perils friends, I still feel it is almost the genius.” I know that she of whiskey and got drunk.) In impossible to know which of did not say this out of either her twenties, like many other them did what. love or because she was shy. American artists, writers and Their working relationship Although she loved Alosha intellectuals of her generation, was very much like their per- very much, she was also very she left for Paris. sonal relationship: happy, lov- frank; and she certainly wasn’t In Paris, she had the urge ing, creative and, above all shy. (Discreet, yes; shy, no.) to create, but didn’t know else, inextricably linked. I wit- But Alosha’s genius could not exactly what to do. Her cur- nessed Alosha (a nickname have been expressed without rent beau , a Mexican lawyer based on his family name, not Claire. For it was she who also living in Paris, gave her his first name) proposing cer- allowed his creativity to flour- some books illustrated by a tain movements to Claire, ish. Initially, in a very practical Monsieur Alexeïeff. She was which she faithfully executed; way with money, and later giv- immediately struck by these and I saw her discussing (and, ing him energy, confidence illustrations and promptly on that occasion, rejecting) and inspiration. wrote to the publisher asking the development of a scene he Claire Parker was born in to meet the artist, so she could had conceived. Boston, Massachusetts, nearly study with him. “I figured I

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would meet an old, dignified registered under her name, too decorative and it was man with a white beard,” and that the film, like all the Claire who best exploited the Claire recalled with a giggle, later ones, was signed by language of chromatism. “but [instead] I saw this tall, both. Claire, who spoke perfect brown, handsome, aristocrat- Claire always maintained French (though with an Amer- ic 30 year old guy. Our first les- that the films she was most ican accent), mastered Russian son ended on the banks of the responsible for were the adver- well enough to read Dosto- Seine, hand in hand; and tising shorts they made evski aloud for the delight of there was never a second between 1935 and 1940 using her husband when he was one.” various techniques, but not sick. She knew the Russian the pinscreen She directed classics almost by heart. Thus, Gravures Animées these films, while Alosha cre- it is not surprising that she was Claire was wealthy, while ated the images and their col- able to relate so closely to Alosha, a Russian émigré, was laborator Etienne Raik animat- Alosha so closely when mak- not; so, she decided to invest ed them. (It is less clear what ing films such films as The Nose (from Gogol), Paintings at an Although she loved Alosha very much, she was also very Exhibition and Three Themes frank; and she certainly wasn’t shy. (both from Mussorgsky). Claire Parker was a cultivat- her money into the building of the contribution of Alexandra ed, intelligent and scholarly; the pinscreen he conceived for de Grinevsky, Alexeïeff’s former but she was always, incredibly, creating gravures animées (ani- wife and the fourth member of charmingly sensitive and even mated engravings), and into the production team, actually candid. When I asked her to the first film made with it: A was.) name her favorite films of all Night on Bald Mountain, based Many of these films still exist time, she immediately said, on Mussorgsky’s tone poem. It and what is most striking “The ones with Tom Mix and should be noted that the about them is the way they his beautiful white horse!” patent for the pinscreen was express the joys of color; this may seem strange from a pair of film- makers who preferred to work in black Giannalberto Bendazzi is a and white. Milan-based film historian and critic Alosha didn’t whose own history of animation, Car- toons: One Hundred Years of like color in Cinema Animation, was published films, al- in the US by Indiana University Press though he and in the UK by John Libbey. His pioneered it other books on animation include in the en- Topoline e poi (1978), Due voite gravings he l’oceana (1983) and Il movimento did for bo- creato (1993, with Guido Miche- The Nose (1963) oks. He said lone). by Alexandre Alexeïeff and Claire Parker Courtesy of Cecile Starr he found it

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Peaches N’ Dreams: Henry Selick’s James And The Giant Peach by Wendy Jackson Christmas) films of director Henry Selick, who has now brought It lacks the saccharin “It was a tiny seed of an idea. I walked Dahl’s film to the screen. sweetness and gushy around it, looked at it, and sniffed it Roald Dahl turned down sev- romantic subplots one comes to expect in Disney for a long time.” eral movie offers for the book over films. —Roald Dahl the years, because he felt that it would be nearly impossible to efore being adapted to the translate the story into film. But From his training at CalArts and screen, Roald Dahl’s chil- when the late author’s widow, beginnings at Disney, to his years Bdren’s book, James and the Felicity, was approached by Selick, producing award-winning com- Giant Peach captured the imagina- she was so impressed with his mercials and MTV station ID’s, tion of several generations of read- accomplishments in animation Selick has developed an unparal- ers since it was first published in that she offered him the opportu- leled imaginative style, making 1961. nity to adapt the story for the him one of the most innovative James is the story of an screen. directors working in the animation orphaned boy and his dream of industry today. going to New York City, “the place As a fan of both artists’ work, I where dreams come true,” his was pleased with Selick’s adapta- parents told him, before they were tion, which lacks the saccharin eaten by a wild rhinoceros. With sweetness, unrealistic smarminess the help of some magic crocodile or gushy romantic subplots one tongues, the lonely little boy’s comes to expect (and dread) in dream turns into a fantastic adven- Disney films. Karey Kirkpatrick, ture when he crawls inside a giant who co-authored the screenplay, peach inhabited by a family of noted that, “One of the big chal- anthropomorphised insects. Obvi- lenges in writing the script was to ously, this is not your typical Hol- stay true to the book while giving lywood story, even for an ani- it the stronger emotional drive that mated film. it needed to work as a film.” There Dahl’s writing is, by its nature, are, of course, the usual moral essentially macabre and outra- fibers woven into the story, most- geous—which is also what makes ly in the heartwarming but unnec- Director Henry Selick and the Giant Peach. it so delicious; in this, it is much © Walt Disney Pictures essary musical score; but even the like the early (pre-Nightmare Before songs are tastefully and appropri-

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ately incorporated into the over- paintings that are just wonderful the animated world. We wanted all plot. and filled with lots of mystery and the live-action world to be much The team that brought Dahl’s style. His work looks like a cousin more monochromatic and the ani- story to life on the screen have of my own, only a little sweeter.” mated sequences to be rich in sat- produced a virtually seamless Smith, a long-time fan of Dahl’s urated color and much more blend of stop-motion animation, writing, recalls that, “Contractual- expansive in feel.” Jessup did a computer-generated imagery ly, I was only supposed to do 20 notable job of marrying the two (CGI) and live-action. Selick put inspirational paintings and worlds by adding a sense of the together quite a crew, including designs, but I ended up doing 50. surreal to the live-action using several talented artists from the It was also supposed to be just a forced-perspective sets, and a Nightmare Before Christmas produc- 6-month job, but I stayed on for a sense of the hyperreal to the ani- tion team, such as Animation couple of years just because it was mated sequences through the use Supervisor Paul Berry, as well as really fun.” Smith’s first experience of computer-generated effects. contributors with experience in working on a big screen film “We made a decision early on,” other areas, such as Visual Effects seems to have been a positive one Selick recalls, “that we would start Supervisor Nancy St. John(Babe). for him, as he is finally consider- our film in a very stylized and Peach’s visual sophistication and ing developing The Stinky level of technical finesse far sur- Cheese Man as an animated passes that of Nightmare, proof that film. Selick has molded a production The inspirational paint- company that has finally found its ings Smith created for the voice. film have been published in In developing the film’s striking a Disney “storybook version” visual style, Selick turned to illus- of the book, and it’s worth- trator Lane Smith, creator of such while buying it just to see acclaimed children’s books as Math Smith’s fantastic artistry. Dahl’s The shark attack scene in James and The Giant Peach © Walt Disney Pictures Curse, The True Story of the Three Lit- family was so pleased with tle Pigs, and the wonderfully wacky Smith’s inspirational artwork that muted live-action world that The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fair- they commissioned a set of illus- would look almost like a stage play ly Stupid Tales. Selick, who had long trations for a new edition of the or an opera set. That way, when wanted to work with Smith, original novel, wholly different we entered the world of anima- describes his style as “glowing than those used for the film. tion, it would be more magical. Lately, there has been a grow- By saving animation for when ing trend of feature films combin- James enters the peach, it adds to ing animation and live-action. The the strength of the fantasy.” challenge they all face is how to One of the film’s most impres- bring about a unity of design. sive scenes is when James faces Harley Jessup, Peach’s production his ultimate fear—a terrifically ter- designer, notes that, “A big issue in rifying and huge rhinoceros— terms of production design was emerging from the clouds towards how to blend and relate the live- him. In the book, the rhinoceros James and the spider. action beginning and end with situation is inherently nonsensical © Walt Disney Pictures

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to begin with, and the seriousness tion, much in the manner of film will be yet another marriage with which they represented it in Selick’s Slow Bob In The Lower Dimen- of live-action, stop-motion and the film embraced its delightful sions (1990) done for MTV. CGI. ridiculousness. This scene was Another instance of Selick’s Production on Toots will start actually produced in a relatively unique visual style is reserved for next summer, and in the interim, old-fashioned manner, with an the die-hard credit-watchers. At Twitching Image animators are underwater puppet, cloud tanks and cel animated lightning effects. The shark scene, however, seems rather gratuitous. What happened to the school of real sharks described in the book? Although technically impressive, the gigantic computer-generated mechanical monster (i.e., shark) seems to be more of a drastically out of place World War II metaphor than an integral part of the story. It is a pretty long scene, and after awhile I found myself

seeing the shark as a visual The delightful insects in James and The Giant Peach metaphor for the overbearing © Walt Disney Pictures technology which is replacing tra- credit’s end, there’s a brief but being provided with finishing ditional, organic techniques of ani- clever sequence in the style of his funds to complete a handful of mation. freakish MTV Top of the Hour animated shorts. Finally, a studio spots. It features “Spike the Aunts,” that realizes the value of fostering Peaches N’ Dreams an 18th century-style mechanical the talent and imagination of its’ On the other hand, the toy which plays revenge on James’ individual contributors. Henry sequence following the scene wicked aunts. A thoroughly Selick understands this concept where James is tucked into a web delightful sequence, obviously cre- well; after all, his own creative bed by Miss Spider after a rowdy ated just for the fun of it, but rep- inspirations are rooted in the films round of peach-eating and resentative of the charm and brio he produced independently. singing is something else. You that characterizes the whole film. know what they say about how What’s next for Selick and his eating before bed affects your team of talents? As part of a three- Wendy Jackson is a Sales Repre- dreams? Well, don’t blink, because picture deal with Miramax, Selick’s sentative for Animation World Net- what follows should make all ani- San Francisco based production work. Previously employed as Gener- mation fans start eating peaches at company, Twitching Image will al Manager of the International Ani- bedtime. The dream sequence is a create a movie version of anoth- mated Film Society’s Los Angeles daringly experimental 30 second er unusual children’s book, Toots chapter (ASIFA-Hollywood), she coor- dinated events such as the 1995 mini-masterpiece that employs and the Upside-Down House by Carol Annie Awards and the 1996 Anima- two-dimensional cutout anima- Hughes. In development now, the tion Opportunities Expo.

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All Dogs Go To Heaven 2

by Frankie Kowalski as befriending an 8-year old and in the end he prevails over runaway boy, David (Adam evil. nlike most sequels, All Wylie). Charlie is also charmed Writer-producers Mark Dogs Go to Heaven 2 , by a sassy Irish setter Sasha La Young and Kelly Ward should Udirected by Paul Sabel- Fleur (Sheena Easton) who fol- be commended for giving the la and Larry Lerker, is clearly lows along as if she were his story considerably more validi- better than the 1989 Don Bluth ty the second time around for original. This tale of how Char- Many studios are trying to the original characters Charlie lie Barkin (voiced by Charlie cope with a worldwide Barkin, Itchy, Carface and shortage of animation Sheen) gets to go back to earth Annabelle (Bebe Neuwirth). artists while working with to retrieve Gabriel’s horn, has small budgets and having The film’s songs by Barry Mann considerably more substance, big “Disney Dreams”. and Cynthia Weil revealed more is certainly more comprehensi- about the characters as well. ble and the art direction of alter-ego. Charlie rediscovers, My favorite song was “Count Deane Taylor really captures the through this mischance adven- Me Out” performed by saavy essence of San Francisco. Yet, ture, his compassionate soul Sasha (Sheena Easton), as she despite its virtues, it suffers from a problem endemic to many studios trying to cope with a worldwide shortage of anima- tion artists while working with small budgets and having big “Disney dreams.” All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 begins with our scoundrel Charlie totally bored with heav- en’s nothingness and yearning for earthly adventure. Fallen Angel Carface (Ernest Borgnine) steals Gabriel’s Horn (without it the gates of heaven can’t open) and becomes a sidekick to Satan’s helper, Red-a cat (George Hearn). So Charlie and Andy sings in the streets of San Francisco with his new pals, Charlie Itchy (Dom DeLuise) go back to Barkin, Itchy, and Sasha in All Dogs Go To Heaven 2. © MGM/UA earth to rescue the horn as well

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makes her entrance in a canine old studio in Dublin), went out dive. of business and could not fin- The original film seemed to ish the film. As a result, MGM Your Ad have suffered both from Bluth’s had to do much more subcon- inability to tell a story and a tracting than anticipated. The rampant perfectionism that worse part was that this hap- Could Be often ends up making his films pened towards the end of pro- more confusing than not. For duction, when about 90% of Here! instance, if you sawAll Dogs Go the film had already been ani- To Heaven, I think you have a mated. Trying to finish a film good idea of what I’m talking under these circumstances, For rate cards and about. Scenes seemed to have given the tight labor market additional information been added and/or taken out and the worldwide boom in about without any explanation. For animation, was probably some- various opportunities example, the girl wins lots of thing of a nightmare. for exposure at money gambling with Charlie It is for these reasons, Animation World and Itchy and buys all new sets among others, that the Holly- Network, of clothes; then, in the very wood majors have invested so contact our next scene she still has her rags heavily in building their own in- Los Angeles on... I just don’t get it??? house studios, where they can office at All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 does control every aspect of the pro- display inconsistencies of a dif- duction process—despite the ferent sort. This time, as a result extra costs involved. MGM, 213.468.2554 of what sometimes occurs which started its modest ani- when dealing with multiple stu- mation division only a few or e-mail dios around the world. At least years, is still recovering from its any of our sales that’s the only way I can explain receivership by Credit Lyonnais. representatives: why characters went from Despite all of its dilemmas, opaque to transparent and it’s nice that MGM Animation back again within the scene; or has entered the feature film North America: why the colors would be bright emporium and won’t be dis- Wendy Jackson and vivid in one shot, only to couraged from further attempts [email protected] become overcast in the next! at theatrical films. I’m sorry to say that I walked out of the theater almost think- Europe: ing I needed new glasses—and I am already very nearsighted. Vincent Ferri I guess the only saving grace [email protected] during this task was that they used my favorite color purple Frankie Kowalski is Associate Edi- tor of Animation World Magazine throughout the movie. and is a regular contributor to ASIFA- Asia: Perhaps a good part of the Hollywood’s newsletter The Inbe- Bruce Teitelbaum problem stems from the fact tweener. that their main studio, Screen [email protected] Animation Ireland (Don Bluth’s

39 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996

Cartoons On The Bay by Giannalberto Bendazzi artoons on the Bay—The broadcaster RAI, and his decision in International Festival of favor of animation shows a strong C Animation: Films, TV Series determination to get involved with and Fairy Tales is the English name it—finally, after 30 years of absent- of an Italian international festival mindedness. held April 15-18 in Amalfi, Italy. The city itself is a tiny, beautiful and Pulcinella, Pulcinella ... colorful town on the Mediter- There were 56 films in comp- ranean coast 60 km south of etition representing 14 countries; Naples. It was the festival’s first 52 more were screened in the out edition and it’s artistic director, Alfio of competition Showcase section. Bastiancich ( a young veteran of The Golden Pulcinella for Best animation festivals and animation Character was awarded to Italy’s scholarship), has pointed out the Franceso Tullio Altan for Pimpa (a novelty of its focus. “There is no naive red spotted dog, created 20 a 65 x 5’ Franco-Canadian series. other festival like this,” he told The years ago for a comic strip aimed The Silver Pulcinella for the Best Hollywood Reporter, “since the at children; the 1995 pilot for a TV Children’s Programme (6-12 Years) other festivals, like Annecy, Ottawa series is directed by Enzo D’Alò). went to Ralph Hibbert Enter- and Hiroshima, focus their The other Golden Pulcinella went tainment (Graham Ralph, James attention on auteur films, and not to France’s Fantôme Animation Stevenson) for The Forgotten Toys. so much on individual TV (Renato and Georges Lacroix) for This was a 25 minute British TV production.” their 1995 series Insektors, as Best special that was, to this writer’s Which actually is the point, Programme All Round. It is a 26 x taste, actually the best film of the since high quality animated 13’ series using 3-D computer festival, masterfully crafted, tender, entertainment for television is the animation, that was honored “for sensitive, very well written and great novelty of today’s global its technical innovation in com- very well designed. market, as opposed to the situation puter graphics, for the beauty of The Silver Pulcinella for the Best of just 5-6 years ago, when its images, for its rhythm and Programme for Adolescents went basically only two forms of editing, for its sense of humor, for to France Animation (Pascal animation existed (besides the quality of its soundtrack and Morelli) for Nighthood, a 26 x 26’ commercials): auteur films and TV for the originality of the char- series starring the classic feuilleton series. acters.” character Arsène Lupin. The Silver Giampaolo Sodano, SACIS’ Pulcinella for the best program for Chairman, added: “With animation High quality animated adults went to Klasky Csupo (Eva occupying 20% of the audiovisual entertainment for television Almos) for Duckman, the 13 x 24’ market and becoming a growing is the great novelty of American series. The Silver trend, as of yet there had never today’s global market. Pulcinella for Best Family Pro- been a festival that analyzed and gramme went to Bruno Bozzetto rewarded the very best in TV Productions (Bruno Bozzetto) for cartoons.” Sodano was the big The Silver Pulcinella for the Best the Spaghetti Family pilot, a muscle behind the festival; his Programme for Infants went to humorous description of everyday company is the distribution branch France Animation (Jean-Luc Morel, life in a typical Italian family of of the government-owned Italian Daniel Orgeval) for The Babalous, today.

40 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996

Special awards were given for character.” Among these guide- Last but not least, Amalfi graphics, to Japan’s Four Seasons lines: plot conflicts should find a brought out some good news of Pepperon (a TV special positive solution in each episode about Italian animation. As I noted produced by NHK Educational of a series; conflicts and violence above, SACIS and RAI are getting corporation and directed by should be expressed in a hum- more and more involved with Mitsumosa animation Anno); for anima- production tion to the UK’s and distribu- The Tale of the tion. Giusep- Flopsy Bunnies pe Laganà is and Mrs. Tittle already at Mouse (a special work on a produced by TV series based Cartoons Ltd. upon the pop- and directed by ular Italian Dave Unwin comic book from a tale by star, Lupo Al- Beatrix Potter); berto (Albert for background the Wolf); scenery to Bela- pilots have rus’ Home Sweet been commis- Home (a pilot sioned from produced by Laganà Validia and direct- Insektors (Arturo and © Fantome ed by Vitaly Baku- Malik), Bruno novic and Susan Sivachov). orous and playful way; animated Bozetto (The Spaghetti Family), The Fairy Tales section showed cartoons for small children should Maurizio Forestieri (The House of previews of the forthcoming avoid, as much as possible, any Decius), Enzo D’Alò and Paolo Disney extravaganza, The Hunch- violence—physical or psycho- Zaniboni (Steam Rail), Pier Luigi De back of Notre Dame (exciting, as logical, explicit or implicit; violence, Mas (Goose Pimples), Guido usual), an upcoming Italian fea- if present, should be justified by Manuli (Gno Gno and Go Duck); ture,The Blue Arrow, directed by the plot; violence shouldn’t be Manuli is also working on a project Enzo D’Alò and designed by Palolo presented as a viable solution for a for a comedy-horror feature film. Cardoni (a very promising film for problem. It is true that virtually It is a great start for a broadcaster children, with nice drawings and each and every educator in that had scorned Italian animation a very good music score by Paolo Europe is currently complaining for 30 years—and for an industry Conte), and a cinematic version of about violence on television, and that has suffered for too long from Prokofieff’s Peter and the Wolf, that it is going to be rejected in a lack of a home market. directed and produced by George almost all children’s programs. This Daugherty, with characters de- could be a problem in global signed and created by Chuck markets, as there are actual Jones (a little disappointing). differences among aud- Children and Violence iences. Stanford Blum, During the festival, a UNESCO President and CEO of the sponsored conference about US-based Imagination children and violence was held. At Factory, explains that, “In the end, some guidelines were Europe, they don’t want issued, aimed not at limiting violence. In Japan, it’s creativity, but “to be a challenge key. You either have to to find new ways of telling stories, do one type of show or catch adventures and portray a the other.”

41 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Cartoons On The Bay per Giannalberto Bendazzi e una bambola gettati via cercano leng. Cartoons on the Bay ha una nuova vita e nuovi capito il fenomeno ed è stato la padroncini), l’americana Eva Almos prima manifestazione al mondo a con la serie Duckman, di grande testimoniarlo. L’altra grande notizia inventiva sia nelle immagini sia nei proveniente da Amalfi riguarda il testi, destinata eminentemente agli nostro Paese. Dopo decenni di adulti. trascuratezza, la RAI e la Sacis si La sezione “fiabe” ha offerto stanno oggi impegnando mas- l’anticipazione del nuovo musical sicciamente e direttamente nella della Disney, Il gobbo di Notre Dame produzione di film d’animazione e il non meno promettente italiani (di fatto, questo è stato un assaggio del lungometraggio festival “della” Sacis e del suo artoons on the Bay è il titolo italiano La freccia azzurra, tratto da presidente Giampaolo Sodano, ed inglese di un festival un racconto di Gianni Rodari e è valso come testimonianza di una C italianissimo, ma tutto diretto da Enzo D’Alò su disegni scelta di campo). Sono già com- orientato a un grande mercato (ottimi) di Paolo Cardoni e musiche pletati o sono in corso di realiz- planetario: quello del disegno di Paolo Conte (produzione zazione porgetti di Bozzetto, animato televisivo di qualità, novità Laterna Magica di Torino). Manuli, Laganà, De Mas; molti altri strutturale destinata a scrivere Si diceva della novità rap- sono in fase di elaborazione, con (come del resto già sta facendo) presentata dal disegno animato un occhio di riguardo per gli un capitolo totalmente nuovo della televisivo di qualità. La globaliz- autori-prouttori giovani. Per il storia del cinema d’animazione. Al zazione dei mercati ha fatto si che momento i dirigenti di viale Mazzini festival diretto da Alfio Bastiancich, negli ultimi quattro-cinque anni il parlano esclusivamente di opere che si è svolto nell’ammirevole prodotto cinetelevisivo sia stato per ragazzi, e battono anzi molto cornice della baia di Amalfi e che realizzato non più per un pubblico su questo tasto (sul quale la era alla sua prima edizione, limitato, “nazionale”, ma piuttosto conorrenza Finivest è piuttosto partecipavano 56 opere in pensando a spettatori statunitensi, sguarnita). A precisa domanda, concorso, selezionate tra fiabe, europei, asiatici, latinoamericani hanno manifestato l’intenzionne special ed episodi di serie, in contemporaneamente. A sorpresa, di indirizzarsi in un secondo tempo rappresentanza di 14 nazioni. questo allargarsi dell’audience non volontà, e zittendo il pessimismo Vincitori con il Pulcinella d’oro ha portato a un abbassamento del della ragione, questo potrebbe sono risultata l’italiano Francesco denominatore comune qualitativo, essere l’inizio di una nuova era per Tullio Altan per il miglior ma esattamente al contrario: a una la storia della nostra produzione. personaggio (Nuove aventure della riqualificazione continua del Pimpa, 1995, serie diretta da Enzo lavoro, tanto da creare una sempre D’Alò) e i francesi Renato e più dirompente “terza via” fra Georges Lacroix per la serie in l’animazione d’autore e quella computer animation Insektors commerciale. L’esempio (1995). Fra i diversi Pulcinella più significativo ne è d’argento spiccano il nostro Bruno probabilmente il progetto Bozetto con il “pilota” della serie La “What a Cartoon” della famiglia Spaghetti (una saga ironico- Hanna-Barbera, che ha realistica sulle disavventure portato alla realizzazione quotidiane di una famiglia media di brevi opere uniche italiana), il britannico Graham degne dei grandi classici Ralph con il sottile e delicato special americani dei Tex Avery, The Forgotten Toys (un orsac-chiotto Chuck Jones, Friz Fre-

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Women always have plenty to pack!! compiled by Frankie Kowalski Cecile Starr's top 9 picks Aleksandra Korejwo's if stranded on a desert top 10 picks island... "I think salt corresponds "I've been lucky enough by Marie Menke with sand from the desert to know all the mentioned 4. Abstronic (1952) as well." animators in person except by Mary Ellen Bute one (Morse), and to count 5.The Owl Who Married The 1.Alice in Wonderland one of them (Parker) Goose (1974) by Walt Disney among my close friends. sand animation by 2.One film from the Nick Their films reflect a wide Caroline Leaf Park collection—Just for range of subjects and 6.Improvization (1977) laughing techniques—from abstract video animation of 3.One film from Faith to sexual, from hand drawn dance Kei Takei, by Hubley collection--It is to electronic. By and large Doris Chase the colored music for each is one-of-a-kind, and 7.Tub Film (1972) my eyes each one sparkles even minimual line drawing 4.The Subject of the Picture after many screenings. by Mary Beams by George Some of the films reflect the 8.Charleston Home Movie Schwitzgebel—To femaleness of their creat- (1980) remember good ors, and some reflect the rotoscoping with painting creativeness of females. I feeling, by Deanne 5.In the Time of Angels would be proud to have Morse by David Anderson—For made any one of them." 9. Permanent Wave (1969) my romantic soul optical printing with 6.Adagio Cantabilo 1.Galatea (1935) passion, by Anita by Tomaso Albinioni silhouette cut-out Thacher 7.Divertimento KV13 Presto animation by Lotte by Wolfgang Amadeus Reiniger Mozart 2.Night On Bald Mountain 8.The Flight of the Bumble (1933) Bee Alexander Alexeieff and by Nikolai Rimski- Claire Parker Korsakov 3.Dwightiana (1959) 9.The Swan —For stop-motion with contemplation baubles and doodads, 10. Hallelujah—For joy

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Artwork by Joanna Priestley Linda Simensky's 10 picks Nicole Salomon's 10 top And finally, my top 10 picks picks if stranded on a desert "If I were packing films for a island--including plenty of desert island, I'd probably have 1. Damon the Mower sunscreen and (Snapple) to figure out a way to sneak an by George Dunning mango iced tea... extra 50 films to the island. I'd 2. Windy Day also want a healthy dose of the by Faith and John Hubley 1. Fantasia work of independent women 3. Une Bombe par Harard by Walt Disney filmmakers, including Sally by Jean-François Laguionie 2. Pink Floyd The Wall Cruikshank, Joanna Priestley, 4. Tableaux d'une Exposition by Roger Waters, Gerald Michaela Pavlatova, Jane Aaron by Claire Parker and Scarfe and Alan Parker and Allison Snowden." Alexandre Alexeieff 3. The Lady and the Tramp 5. The Big Snit by Walt Disney 1. The Cat Came Back by Richard Condic 4. The entire works of by Cordell Barker 6. Pulcinella Aardman Animations 2. Screwy Truant by Emanuelle Luzzati & 5. Anything Max & Dave by Tex Avery Giulio Gianini Fleischer ever 3. Broken Down Film 7. To Shoot without Shooting made,especially the by Osamu Tezuka by Kihachiro Kawamoto bouncing ball Sing-A-Longs 4. The Tender Tale of Cinderella 8. Kama Sutra Rides Again with Ethel Merman Penguin by Bob Godfrey (when 6. Girls Night Out by Janet Perlman cheering up is necessary) by Joanna Quinn 5. Duck Amuck 9. Three Monks 7. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Chuck Jones by Ada by Ken Hughes (United 6. Hair-Raising Hare 10.The Lion and the Song Artists) by Chuck Jones (or any by Bretislav Pojar 8. The Beany and Cecil Show other of about 25 Bugs animated series by Bunny cartoons) Bob Clampett 7. Drawn From Memory 9. Rudolph the Red Nosed by Paul Fierlinger Reindeer 8. Lava Lava by Rankin-Bass Studios by Federico Vitali 10.How the Grinch Stole 9. Day-O Christmas by Susan Brand by Chuck Jones 10.Pictures from Memory by Nedjeljko Dragic Frankie Kowalski is Associate Edi- tor of Animation World Magazine and is a regular contributor to ASIFA- Hollywood’s newsletter The Inbe- tweener.

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Saul Bass, Animator, Graphic like Walt Disney Television Anima- for greater production speed and Designer and Filmmaker, tion to a major investment in flexibility, a new user interface, a Dies. Colossal by software publisher computerized version of the “X- Bass, who revolutionized the Quark; Gutierrez’ departure is also sheet,” an open system architecture design and production of feature the most dramatic of recent staff that allows users to integrate a film credits with his innovative changes reflecting the turmoil the wide range of software into the design and animation concepts company has been going through production environment, and a died April 25, in Los Angeles, at the in recent months. The announce- new interactive PencilTester mod- age of 75. His early work on such ment that it was getting out of the ule. In addition, Cambridge an- Otto Preminger films as Carmen commercial business was startling, nounced that it will be shipping a Jones andThe Man With the Golden to say the least, as it ranked as one Windows NT version of its Animo Arm caused a sensation in their day of the top five commercial houses software later this year. and opened the market for in the United States, and will lead production of extended animated to substantial layoffs from one of DreamWorks Feature title sequences in theatrical films. the Bay Area’s largest studios. Animation at work on In 1961, he married Elaine El Dorado. Bakatura, who became his Universal Family Dylan Kohler, co-head of collaborator on a number of Entertainment and Universal DreamWorks' technology depart- projects, including Cartoon Studios have ment states that they hope to start several award- been folded into MCA principal production on El Dorado winning Television by the middle of next year. The shorts. Entertainment company is already in production (MTE). on its first animated feature, The Colossal In a move to streamline Prince of Egypt, and is involved with Gives Up and consolidate its an as yet untitled feature being on television operations, Bar-bara done by Pacific Data Images, which Commercials, Fisher, President of MTE, will DreamWorks recently bought a Refocuses now add oversight of all family 40% stake in. It is also in Efforts on entertainment activities to her development on a fourth feature, "Content." current responsibilities. As part of which has yet to get the green After 20 years as a the reorganization, current UFE light. full-service commercial President Jeff Segal has entered into house, Colossal Pictures announc- a production deal with the MCA 7th Level Teams Up With ed that it "focus to content devel- Television Group and will continue Disney and Morgan Creek for opment for television, feature films to develop and projects for the New Games. and new media--as well as context company. This summer, 7th Level will be and identity design for TV, coming out with new CD-ROM interactive navigators, web sites Cambridge Animation games this summer in collaboration and location-based entertainment." Systems Debuts Animo V2 with Disney Interactive and Mor- Concurrently, Gary Gutierrez, a co- and Announces Software’s gan Creek Interactive. The former founder with Drew Takahashi of Availability on Windows NT. involves a new gamepack featuring Colossal, announced his departure The latest upgrade to one of the characters from Disney's upcoming from the company. The announce- leading digital ink-and-paint feature, The Hunchback of Notre ment was the latest in a number software systems was recently Dame, while the latter is an of changes from the San Francisco- announced. The new version is interactive version of Ace Ventura, based studio, ranging from said to include a new architecture Pet Detective. development deals with companies 45 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 Animation World Magazine 1996–97 Calendar

Coming in June

The Independent Spirit

The June issue will focus on the role independent animators play in the animation industry, especially in feature films. Watch for articles on the surreal Brothers Quay, the marvelously wacky Bill Plympton, as well as a look back on the career of Germany’s legendary Lotte Reiniger. Also, director John Dilworth takes a look at the newest in anime, Ghost in the Shell.

The Spirit of the Olympics (July)

Anime, Anime, Anime—A Worldwide Phenomenon (August)

International Television (September)

Politics & Propaganda (October)

Theme Park Animation (November)

Interactive Animation (December)

Animation Festivals (January ‘97)

International Animation Industry (February '97)

Children & Animation (March '97)

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