Customer Reviews

The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (Facts on File)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been searching for this book since I was a child; I ran across an early version in a library about 15 years ago, and just this last week did I find this, most recent (2nd) edition, copyrighted 1999.

This book attempts to list and describe every animated theatrical short, theatrical feature, television special, and television series that has been shown in America. It does an amazing job- much more thorough than any other source I have seen. It contains listings of Japanese series not mentioned in "complete" anime guides; many of the listings are not acknowledged on IMDB. Hell, it lists Jot (the Dot), an animated religious show that only I seem to remember. It covers cable series, silent b/w shorts, everything... but it still doesn't go far enough.

On first perusal, I noted several missing features. For a book copyrighted 1999, there should have been mention of A Bug's Life or Antz. Even if the book were from 1997 (the information does not seem to go beyond this), where are the listings for Ghost in the Shell and Urotsukidoji (both of which had somewhat successful art-circuit theatrical runs)? Even odder, the book does not have a listing for Disney's WW2-era animated feature "Victory Through Air Power", but it's mentioned in the appendix covering Oscar nominations. It's missing Robotech the Movie (limited run), too...

Besides the missing entries, the one section the book desperately needs (in an update or companion book) is a listing to all of the straight-to-video animation that has been available over the years. There has been a deluge of anime, plus many American efforts (including many Bluth, Amblin, and Disney works), and many smaller unknown works that should be documented somewhere... (UAV's An Ant's Life: Bugs Bite, for example, an original 45 minute OAV marketed as an Antz/Bug's Life rip-off).

I have other complaints; slight inaccuracies in titles (It's Snoopy Come Home, not Snoopy Comes Home), a lack of information regarding home-video availability, and smaller/absent text pieces describing each work. Also nice would be opinion of some sort- on the quality of the animation, story, character design, etc. Some sort of non-objective review... after all, the author *is* well-versed in animation history, and his opinions would benefit those of us wanting to study animation seriously.

Despite my negative comments, though... this is an incredible book. It joins a lofty, small pantheon of indispensable pop-culture reference books; the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies Guide, Total Television and the Prime Time TV Show guides, the various Videohound guides, and the various anime reference guides. My complaints are only due to the fact that such a great book needs to be polished to perfection.

The first edition, which was based on an even early edition under a different title, was a monumental treasure trove of information, but it had its faults. It was riddled with errors, but this was excusable for all the wealth of research Lenburg provided.

The problem with the second edition is that it is not fully revised, despite the fact that it claims to be. Errors that could have easily been corrected in the first edition I would look up and find completely unchanged. The only difference between this and the first edition, aside from some introductory material, appears to be the deletion of episode titles in favor of the inclusion of new series, specials, and films. Essentially, it's an update, but not a revision in any way that I could see.

It appears Lenburg decided to rest on his laurels. Perhpas before he sets up a third edition he ought to set up a special e-mail address where people can send corrections for him to check up on. Some of the errors are proofreading errors that an editor without Lenburg's knowledge would not catch.

The first edition was wonderful, but since this edition carries all of its faults and omits much of the original's information, I can't possibly recommend this.

Since the earlier editions are out of print, I was overjoyed to hear that a new edition was coming out, only to discover that the new edition omits all the information on individual episodes that was the hallmark of the original edition in 1981. This new volume should have been renamed, cause it is no longer encyclopedic.

The highest tribute that I can give to this book is that I could not find a single animated cartoon from my experience that it did not cover. I felt sure that I knew of a few obscure ones that would not be in here- and I was wrong. Moreover, I found much here that I wasn't familiar with. That absolutely amazed me.

This true encyclopedia is organised into five major sections 1) silent cartoon series, 2)theatrical sound cartoon series, 3)full-length animated features, 4) animated television specials, and 5) television cartoon series. There are numerous black and white illustrations of various characters included with the text, as well as color plates in the middle of the book. I suppose considering the scope of this reference it would have been difficult to illustrate everything. Still, it would have been fantastic to have model sheets for every single entry...

I have found myself getting this book down and browsing through it more times than I want to admit- while cursing the children's television "activists" that have robbed generations of the joy of experiencing many of these classics and near classics (and some of the classically bad.)

This book truly shows the flip side of reference books - reference vs. trivia. But what a trove is collected here. Dive on in and find your answers. Wonder who voiced Space Ghost in the original series. Look here. But you can also flip through the pages and just let memories wash over you. I found so many shows that I didn't know I forgot about. And with today's lack of as many Saturday Morning cartoons if you are of the right age it will sweep you back to those bygone days in front of the tube. Even more so it is a great reference showing the sweep of animation - the Saturday morning shows, as well as Prime Time shows. The movies. The specials. It's not a book you read from cover to cover, but open up a page and see what it reminds you of. Come in and see how many Scooby Doo show there were (6 listed under S alone). There are titles, years, characters and voices and of course a general synopsis for each entry. Comprehensive? Maybe not but it's chock full of animation goodness to keep you smiling for a good long time.

I have a previous edition of this book, so I was excited to find this latest one. However, the book now consists of ONLY the name of the series, a brief paragraph about it, and perhaps a voice actor list. In the process of adding more shows, the book became less interesting and useful as a resource.

This is THE best cartoon encyclopedia I have ever stumbled upon. It lists nearly every cartoon ever made (by nearly, I mean some programs that weren't shown in America aren't in this book). The book is split up into five different sections:

1. Silent cartoons from the 1910's to the 1920's
2. Theatrical "sound" cartoons (i.e. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, etc.)
3. Cartoon movies
4. Cartoon television specials
5. Cartoon television series

Everything is listed alphebetically, so it's not too hard to find your favorite cartoon. Although there are some errors in the book, such as slight mistakes in voice credits. But other than that, it's a great book. Specials and series that you never thought anybody remembered are listed in this book.

The 3rd edition of The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons has been extensively revised and updated to provide public libraries and any collection strong in cartoons with a definitive reference, including large amounts of new material. This historical review of animation offers complete details on Academy and Emmy award winners, a history of animation 'milestones', and coverage of anime too. Any library strong in animated cartoon coverage will find it a weighty, definitive reference.

The Encyclopedia of Animated cartoons, 2nd edition, is *full* of errors. One has to wonder where Jeff Lenburg got his information from. One can turn to practically any page and find glaring errors in both plot synopsis, voice actors and character descriptions. Such as Space Ghost being power by a magic belt, Dino-boy being sent back in time do to an explosion that killed his father(!) "Mr.Toad Hall" who is 'wrongly' accused of car thievery,Etc. The list goes on and on. However, it is a great fun for someone who's familiar with cartoons (at all)to read through and mark the errors, which are, in plentiful supply.

Less of a book than a listing, The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons has an exhaustive listing of cartoons from the 'teens up until about 1997. Best of all are the titles for theatrical shorts and detailed listings of Emmy and Oscar nominees/winners. If you need (or want) to look up something about a cartoon, this is probably the best place to look.

However, this book is *not* perfect. Besides being some 6 years out of date, the book doesn't track direct-to-video movies and seems to neglect a few imported cartoons that had hit airwaves before 1997. Also, many '80s cartoons (particularly those from the great toy-license revolution) have incorrect series synopses, voice credits, and even entries (such as the listings for G.I. Joe). This book is invaluable, yes, but it is sorely in need of a third edition (and possibly a co-author who can research obscure and/or lesser regarded cartoons). Keep this in mind before purchasing the second edition.