Customer Reviews

Animation Art

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This is a magnificent achievement. Serving as General Editor, Jerry Beck has brought together in a single volume a riveting narrative which examines the history of cartoon, anime, and CGI with stunning full-color illustrations of that history. As he explains in his Introduction, "We have assembled an international team of animation authorities to tell the tales behind the toons. -The story is told in chronological sequence with choice images that enhance its history...From popular Disney characters to obscure personal films, it is all covered: Hollywood hits and Japanese anime, as well as Russian masterpieces and Asian artfilms. Looking it over, it is quite a wild ride." Indeed it is. The material is skillfully organized within twelve chapters which range from "The Origin of the Art" to "The New Century." By no means do I claim to be an expert on the subject of animation art but I presume to observe that I cannot imagine what has been left out. The illustrations are stunning; the prose narrative is crisp and lucid.

In the Foreword, Jeffrey Katzenberg observes that animation art provides a unique opportunity "to remember to know who has gone before, to really know the stories, take lessons from them, and bring that knowledge to the future. My hope is that, one day, other people will feel the same way about about those of us who are making animated films now. While it is an amazing thing to have the opportunity to create films and to bring these enormous enterprises to the world, it is something entirely different and entirely more rare to have our work remembered and considered part of the continuing evolution of an art form." Thanks to Beck, those who work their way through this magnificent volume will not only remember what has been achieved in animation art thus far; they will also understand what can yet be accomplished as others who have yet to reveal themselves through their art.

I highly recommend this volume to anyone interested in animation art, of course, but also to those who have an interest in the creation and evolution of comic books. Also to those who share my high regard for illustrators such as Al Hirschfeld whose art is celebrated in Hirschfeld on Line, now available from Amazon in both book and DVD formats.

My College didnt have this book at the student store. Found it here for way cheaper then what the school would have charged me. Was a great find!

I got this book years ago at a sale at Borders (you know, that store that sold books once upon a time) and ever since then, I often pull out this book just to gaze at its magnificent splendor. Beautiful pictures, lots of animation history, this is definitely the book for anyone even the slightest bit interested in animation.

I've been a 3d animator and 2d illustrator for 15 years, and now I am going to teach an Animation Analysis class. This book was recommended to me as the history textbook for my class. My son, who is a general history nut, was totally enthralled with it. It is incredibly thorough, objective and well-written

I loved this book, read it four times. It covered all types of animation

including stop motion. It was organized by decade, by country. There were

many contributors who chose what they were most interested in and I guess

their passion rubs off because it is hard to put down and very informative.

If you want a course in animation history, just read this and save your

tuition money. I don't know how Jerry Beck does it all but we all

benefit from his dedication. Thank you, Jerry. Keep up the good work.

Animation Art is a comprehensive look at the history, development and cultural effects of animation and cartoons.

From the early days up to the latest blockbusters of the 21st century, the authors have covered all concepts, genres and media. Including European, Asian and Canadian cartoons, stop motion, CGI and more.

Beautifully presented with many colour pictures and written by experienced contributors it leaves no stone unturned.

The only disappointment is the amount of text devoted to one of my all time favourites, Tom & Jerry.

Otherwise a comprehensive tome that will provide for anybody interested in animation.

Informative and entertaining,another good effort by Mr. Beck. I recommend this for any fan of animation.