Animation news, reviews and features from the BCDB blog, 2011 to 2017, kept here to read.
January 10, 2013 · Paul Anderson
To be released just before the new feature film Monsters University on June 21, the six-minute short Blue Umbrella will be the first Pixar film to be made by one of its technical artists.
January 10, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
From nearly the end of the theatrical series, The Missing Mouse was unique in a few ways. Popular voice actor Paul Frees- Captain Hook from Disney's Peter Pan from the same year- handles the voice duties for this short, and therein is one of the unique aspects of the film.
January 9, 2013 · Ethan Minovitz
Warner Bros. Pictures has formed a feature animation creative consortium, marking a new and innovative approach to the establishment of a diverse and far-reaching animation slate, Warner Bros. Pictures Group president Jeff Robinov announced Monday.
January 9, 2013 · Paul Anderson
Layoffs at the Walt Disney Company's studios and other units may take place in the wake of an internal cost-cutting review begun by the Mouse House several weeks ago, according to "three people with knowledge of the effort."
January 9, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
The fifth incarnation of Scooby-Doo began on this date in 1978 with Watch Out! The Willawaw! from Scooby's All-Stars. WHen the series started, no one thought it would go to five shows, much less the thirteen shows it has spawned to date. Five curious teens and their dog and going on almost 50 years.
January 8, 2013 · Dave Koch
20th Century Fox's computer-animated "Ice Age: Continental Drift" was the studio's top foreign box-office hit of 2012, garnering a ginormous $718.1 million.
January 8, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
Bob Clampett started off 1944 right with the release of the Merrie Melodies cartoon What's Cookin' Doc?. Bugs had risen to star status four short years, and here he was heady enough to think he was in line for an Oscar. It would be another 14 years before the rabbit would get his own golden statue for Knighty Knight Bugs.
January 7, 2013 · Mr. Clevland
The Producers Guild of America announced Wednesday five nominations for the Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures. Three of the nominees are products of Disney: Brave (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures), produced by Katherine Sarafian; Frankenweenie (Walt Disney Pictures), produced by Allison Abbate and Tim Burton; and Wreck-It Ralph (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures), produced by Clark Spencer.
January 7, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
Eighty years ago today saw the release of Mickey Mouse in Building A Building. This was not the same Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie. Mickey had done a lot of growing up- maturing- in five years, and passed a lot of his bad habits to Donald. And the artists at Disney had shown a drastic improvement in their skills.
January 4, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
The Heckle and Jeckle Theatrical Cartoon Series kicked off on this date in 1946 with The Talking Magpies. This short featured a very late appearance of Farmer Al Falfa, and a rare appearance in color.
January 3, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
One of the classic Bugs Bunny cartoons, Gorilla My Dreams was also one of director Robert McKimson's finest. Known mainly for creating the Tasmanian Devil and Foghorn Leghorn, McKimson made a few classic Bugs films, too, including this one.
January 2, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
Isadore Freleng directed many great films, and paired two timeless characters so close they are now inseparable- Tweety and Sylvester. Dog Pounded is one of the later shorts, produced in 1954. It begins with the very familiar image of a starving Sylvester, rummaging through garbage cans for food...
January 1, 2013 · Big Cartoon DataBase
Well Happy New Year! We start the year off with an Academy Award winning cartoon featuring Donald Duck from 1943. In fact, Der Fuehrer's Face is Donald's ONLY Oscar, to date. As funny as this short is, we should never forget the seriousness behind this and other War films... fighting the Nazi's was serious business in the early forties, even if it could get a bit funny at times.
December 31, 2012 · Ethan Minovitz
Gerry Anderson, the creator of such British marionette-animated hit shows as Thunderbirds, Stingray and Joe 90, died peacefully in his sleep at noon Wednesday, son Jamie announced on his own Web site. He was 83.
December 31, 2012 · Big Cartoon DataBase
Chuck Jones made a lot of memorable films. But the best may not have starred a Rabbit, a fleet-footed desert bird, or a martian, or even the Grinch... it may have only featured a couple simple geometric shapes. Released on the last day of 1965, The Dot And The Line won an Academy Award for best short film with it's simple yet timeless story.
December 28, 2012 · Big Cartoon DataBase
An early Mr. Magoo cartoon, Bungled Bungalow was only the third theatrical cartoon in the series. Produced at UPA, this short was directed by Pete Burness. Bungled Bungalow first came out fifty-two years ago today.
December 27, 2012 · Big Cartoon DataBase
Today's CotD is one from the dark side- an animated retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Produced by UPA Productions and released in 1953, this short was nominated for an Academy Award.
December 26, 2012 · Big Cartoon DataBase
Barney Bear's Victory Garden is a cartoon from the World War Two era, when every studio and all their output was part of the war effort. Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera were the rising stars at MGM, but Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising were still there, although no longer working with each other. This short was directed by Rudolf Ising.
December 24, 2012 · Big Cartoon DataBase
The day before Christmas, and all through BCDB, not a creature was stirring because they were all watching Rabbit Hood. You wouldn't think a whole lot of good cartoons were released on December 24th, but you would be wrong... Rabbit Hood is just one of them!
December 23, 2012 · Big Cartoon DataBase
A classic Christmas film, Good Will To Men was an Academy Award nominee for MGM in 1956.