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 2 ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE May 1996 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.