Customer Reviews

Hubley Collection, Vol. 2

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

 

 

The person below who gave this DVD just 1 star obviously has an ax to grind. John Hubley and Faith Hubley worked on the cartoons he enjoys, not just John alone. And I find Faith's solo art charming.

Cockaboody is, in my opinion, one of the greatest pieces of animation ever created. Its use of improvised dialogue from the Hubley's two girls is amazing in its representation of a child's mind and imagination. The other short that John Hubley helped animate, Zuckerkandl!, is funny, if a little tedious. The rest--Faith (and Emily) shorts--range from wonderful and playful to tedious and way too out-there. Buy it for Cockaboody, but for a better representation of Faith AND John's work, Art and Jazz in Animation has four hours worth of what is apparently some of the couple's best short (and long) animation.

John Hubley was a genius and the sole reason the words "Hubley Studio" have resonance today. Unfortunately he passed away long ago, and Faith has continued to work under the "Hubley Studio" banner. Her work, which lards these DVDs, is egregious. She cannot draw, but we are to believe that's really no problem, as she claims to be influenced by "primitive art". Actually, the association is an intolerable slur on primitive art. Her animating strategy, displayed in tedious short after tedious short, seems to be "draw a squiggle and make it wriggle".

And I cannot believe my eyes and ears: occasionally, this tripe is interrupted, with no rhyme or reason, by direct swipes from the classic Hubley toons.

Don't even get me started on their daughter, Emily Hubley.

John's work, of course, is some of the most awe-inspiring, utterly original, and downright funny stuff you will ever see. The use of improvised, seemingly overheard dialogue tracks is but one of his masterstrokes. It would have been possible to create a half-dozen DVDs of John-supervised shorts. When I ponder why that wasn't done, my heart sinks.