February 1997 Vol. 1 No. 11 Animation Nations The State of America s Toon Boom Korea s 21st Century Goals Piet Kroon on Animating in Two Worlds Jackie Leger on Suzan Pitt Table of Contents 3 Editor’s Notebook by Harvey Deneroff 5 Where the Action Is Harvey Deneroff sums up the current state of America’s animation industry, with an emphasis on recent mergia mania, feature films and prime time shows.. 10 The Lyon Conference (English & French - Anglais et Français) Jean-Luc Ballester talks how a 1983 government proposal changed the French animation industry and how the major entertainment union used it to improve working conditions for animation artists. 22 The Changing Winds of Korean Animation Chung-bae Park explains why South Korea is turning its attention to animation as part of its economic strategy for the 21st century. 25 Shin Dong Mun, an Old Warrior in Korean Animation John A. Lent interviews one of the pioneers of Korean animation, who had a profound effect on the course of the nation’s indigenous production. 28 Staying Ahead of the Game Jerry Hibbert, drawing from his own experience, provides some thoughts on the need for production companies to embrace change. 32 Animation in Singapore Gigi Hu reports on the current attempt by the island nation to bolster its fledgling animation industry. 36 Don’t Quit Your Day Job,Work the Night Shift Dutch filmmaker Piet Kroon contributes the first in an occasional series devoted to a day in the life of an animation artist. Herein, Kroon explores the whys and wherefors of how he balances working as an independent filmmaker while holding down a full-time job at Warner Bros. 40 Susan Pitt:An Animator’s Journey Jackie Leger explores the visions of painter, designer and animation filmmaker, Suzan Pitt. In Passing 44 Louise Beaudet:A Passion For Animation (English & French - Anglais et Français) Cinémathèque Québecoise, Tom Knott, Caroline Leaf, Gerald Potterton, Hélène Tanguay, Adrienne Mancia, David Ehrlich. 50 Renzo Kinoshita:A Talk With Miyasan Sadao Miyamoto By Harvey Deneroff. 53 Remembering Al Mark Mayerson on.Al Eugster. Festivals, Conferences, etc. 57 NATPE ‘97:The Buzz of the Biz! by Susan Hornik 60 Heard at NATPE 97 by Wendy Jackson 62 News 68 Desert Island Series . .Animation Industry-ites Piet Kroon, Pat Raine Webb, Jerry Hibbert, Steve Hulett, Jeff Massie and Georges Lacroix. 71 AWN Comics Dirdy Birdy by John R. Dilworth. 72 Next Issue’s Hightlights February 1997 1 Cover: Raven in Ralph Bakshi’s Spicy City, his forthcoming series for Home Box Office premiering in July. © 1997 HBO Animation . © Animation World Network 1996. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE February 1997 2 by Harvey Deneroff Animation Families few days before that I heard of Last month, the Los Angeles the death of Al Eugster. I had County Museum of Art imported only met him briefly when I a Fleischer retrospective from dropped in to see him at Kim American Museum of the Moving and Gifford, in New York, back Image in New York City and in 1979 or 80. He was also a curated by Mark Langer. On friend of my father’s and some- Friday, January 10, there was a where I still have the kind letter reception in honor of animator he wrote him when he was ter- Myron Waldman and Max minally ill. Yet, it was only after Fleischer’s son, Richard. Langer hearing of Eugster’s death did I and the Museum took advantage come to realize that after his of the occasion to gather all the passing, that he was responsi- ex-Fleischer people and/or their ble in a way I hadn’t thought of such things? After all, my father families they could find. It was before for my interest in anima- died when I was young and he perhaps the last opportunity to tion. shouldn’t waste his time with me! have such a gathering while You see, Eugster was one of However, with my seven-year- some of the original Fleischer my father’s classmates in the Art old daughter, Allegra, I am not artists were still alive. program at Cooper Union, in above pointing out that her The unusual part for me was New York, in the late 20s and grandfather Joe had actually being invited not as a member of early 30s. (This was still a time worked on some of the Betty the press or as an animation his- when Cooper Union, a richly Boop and Popeye cartoons she torian, but because my father endowed private school, was likes so much. But it was not until had worked for the Fleischer tuition free.) The class graduated the end of the reception, when Studios. As an animation histori- in the midst of the Great all the ex-Fleischer people and an, this fact had many times Depression, when jobs, especial- their families were asked to pose helped pave the way in inter- ly for an artist, were very scarce. for a group picture that she final- viewing my father’s friends and However, as animator Eddie ly realized that she was, in her colleagues. Such was the small Rehberg recalled, Eugster was words, “part of the Fleischer fam- community of artists that was the the only student who always ily.” It was a proud moment for New York animation industry of came to class dressed in a good me, that seemed somehow to the 1930s and 40s, even if they suit. When asked where he got provide a sense of closure. did not know him, they at least his money, Eugster explained that When I first started doing knew of him. To tell the truth, it he was working in animation. As research on the 1937 Fleischer was hard for me to conceive of a result, my father, Rehberg and strike, I only half jokingly said I being the subject of being the several others followed him into was only doing it to have a subject of any sort of historical the business—a decision which chance to meet my father’s inquiry. certainly influenced my career friends. As it turned out, my When Jerry Beck once tried to choices many years later. researches did help me develop a find out about my father and January also saw the passing clearer picture of who my father how it was to be the adult son of of Louise Beaudet and Renzo was, as well as who I was. an animator, I was taken aback. Kinoshita, two people who ded- My feelings, if anything, were Why would he want to know icated their lives to helping the only deepened, as it was only a ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE February 1997 3 animation community define itself. When I was a budding ani- mation historian, Beaudet was one of my heros. (It was a senti- ment that I’m sure was shared by many others.) After all, she was ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK the curator in charge of anima- 6525 Sunset Blvd., Garden Suite 10 tion at the Cinémathèque Hollywood, CA 90028 Québecois, the only film archive Phone : 213.468.2554 that specialized in animation! In Fax : 213.464.5914 the days before the current Email : [email protected] boom, when animation was still largely considered a marginal activity, Beaudet and the Cinémathèque provided a sense ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE of validation for filmmakers and [email protected] historians alike, and helped pave PUBLISHER the way for the current wide- Ron Diamond, President spread interest in animation. Dan Sarto, Chief Operating Officer Thus, I was delighted when she EDITOR-IN-CHIEF agreed to write a story on the Harvey Deneroff Cinémathèque, when I wanted ASSOCIATE EDITOR/PUBLICITY to start a series on occasional Wendy Jackson pieces on archival resources for the Society of Animation Studies CONTRIBUTORS : Jean-Luc Ballester Newsletter. Harvey Deneroff Renzo Kinoshita was an Jerry Hibbert accomplished filmmaker, but he Susan L. Hornik is perhaps most widely thought Gigi Hu of as being synonymous with Wendy Jackson ASIFA-Japan, an organization he Piet Kroon help found and nurture. Along Jackie Leger with his wife and collaborator, John A. Lent Sayoko, he also had more than a Mark Mayerson little to do with starting the Chung-bae Park Hiroshima International WEBMASTER - Animation Festival. As such, he TECHNICAL EDITOR became a vital cog in Japan’s ani- Guillaume Calop mation culture. And while Renzo and Louise were never part of my DESIGN/LAYOUT : immediate animation family, as Al Guillaume Calop Eugster was, in a very real sense IMP Graphic e-mail : [email protected] they were. —Harvey Deneroff ADVERTISING SALES [email protected] North America : Bart Vitek Europe : Vincent Ferri UK: Roger Watkins ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE February 1997 4 WWhheerree tthhee AAccttiioonn IIss by Harvey Deneroff he American animation indus- terms of the sheer volume of ani- and of digital special effects (as in try is riding high these days in mation being turned out and Forest Gump) have started to blur Tmore ways than one. Its sheer money being earned, there has the line between live action and ani- size and dominance in mation, providing both the domestic and even more employ- most international markets ment for animation has made it the envy of artists. most other animation However, it is almost nations. And for better or too easy to fall into the worse, it’s where the action trap of characterizing is. the current era more Los Angeles studios in terms of expansion have now become home (of the number of ani- base for an increasingly mators, the number of international cadre of ani- theatrical films and mation artists.