Between the classic films of Walt Disney in the 1940s and the televised cartoon revolution of the 1960s was a critical period in the history of animation. Amid Amidi, of the influential Animation Blast magazine and CartoonBrew blog, charts the evolution of the modern style in animation, which largely discarded the "lifelike" aesthetic for a more graphic and often abstract approach. Abundantly found in commercials, industrial and educational films, fair and expo infotainment, and more, this quickly popular cartoon modernism shared much with the painting and graphic design movements of the era. Showcasing hundreds of rare and forgotten sketches, model boards, cels, and film stills, Cartoon Modern is a thoroughly researched, eye-popping, and delightful account of a vital decade of animation design.
Amid Amidi is a Brooklyn-based author and historian. His next book "The Art of Pixar: The Complete Color Scripts and Select Art from 25 Years of Animation" will be released in Fall 2011. His earlier book "Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in Fifties Animation" won the prestigious Theatre Library Association Award for best English-language book about film and television in 2006. He is the co-founder of CartoonBrew.com, the most highly-trafficked animation blog on the Internet.



