Customer Reviews

The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals

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I absolutely love this book. It is an invaluable resource for the animation fan. The book takes 50 of the greatest short subject cartoons ever made and discusses why they are considered great. With each cartoon mentioned, the animation professionals responsible for the cartoon discuss the inspiration behind the cartoon's creation, how the cartoon came to be, problems the artists faced, etc.

In the margins, there are articles which tell how characters in the cartoons named developed (such as Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Droopy, Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck and many more); some of the topics discussed are the character's inspiration, how the character evolved over the years, etc.

One segment I found particularly interesting was a segment in the book dealing with controversial cartoons, such as the racially offensive "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs" and "Der Fueher's Face". The book also addresses sexual imagery in the cartoons (!) and includes some information about the content of many cartoons during World War II and why some are considered unwatchable today.

I couldn't recommend this book more highly to animation fans . .it covers every cartoon character/series imaginable, from the Looney Tunes to Disney to Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop, and Tom and Jerry, and even includes an appendix listing some cartoons that didn't make the cut. (You will especially appreciate it if you are, like me, a Looney Tunes fan.)