Warner Brothers Animation Art [Hardcover]

Jerry Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 1998

Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Warner Bros. Studios, this album features authentic animation art of everyone's favorite characters. More than 300 color illustrations trace the evolution of the uniquely American art form through the development and growth of the Warner Bros.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

"Before 1977, relatively few people were aware of animation cels as an art form," Beck and Friedwald inaugurally opine. Discussion of collectible cel art soon slips away, though, as the object becomes not to evaluate Warner animation, but to praise it on big, lavishly illustrated pages that are bound for heavy duty. Exhaustiveness is not a concern: Beck and Friedwald spotlight a lesser character like Michigan J. Frog, but not many others, mostly, it seems, because M. J. is the spokes-'toon for Warner's TV network. Still, there is plenty of tribute to major creative stalwarts like voice man Mel Blanc and directors Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, Tex Avery, and Chuck Jones. The upbeat exposition even cites a few controversies, such as the trimming of Heckling Hare that contributed to Avery's leaving Warner (what the original ending was or why it was changed are never specified, though). Mickey Mouse may be a more successful corporate shill, but Bugs Bunny is the quintessential funny animal. Celebrate him and his posse with this grand tribute. Mike Tribby

Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: Universe (June 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883631075
• ISBN-13: 978-0883631072
• Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 11 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jerry Beck is an animation historian and cartoon producer. His over fifteen books on the subject include The Animated Movie Guide, Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide and The 50 Greatest Cartoons. He is also co-founder/co-writer of the popular animation blog, Cartoon Brew.

Beck is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney, and is currently a consulting producer to Warner Bros., Universal and Disney for their classic animation dvd compilations. Beck has programmed retrospectives for the Annecy and Ottawa Animation Festivals, The Museum of Modern Art and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He has taught animation history at NYU, SVA, the AFI and UCLA. He is the host/producer of the annual "Worst Cartoons Ever" screening at the Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Beck started his career in film distribution, working at MGM/UA, Orion Classics, Cannon Films and Expanded Entertainment (Tournee of Animation), before starting his own company, Streamline Pictures in 1989, the first U.S. distributor to import anime features such as Otomo's Akira and Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle In The Sky. Beck was instrumental in launching Animation Magazine, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Beck was also the West Coast Bureau Chief for Kidscreen magazine in 2000. He has also created, written and produced animated films for various clients. His latest animation project, Hornswiggle, recently aired on the Nicktoons Network.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book was an exceptional collection of old and new., May 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Warner Brothers Animation Art (Hardcover)

This book was well done and very appealing to the eye and informational to read. It gives the reader some good history of Warner Bros. cartoons and the rarely credited artists. Through-out the book there are pointers on how to draw various characters, but unfortunatly they are not as complete as one might have it. However, the overall is terrific.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome for Animation Fans, February 3, 2011

By 

James Daniels "Jack" "quack-up" (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warner Brothers Animation Art (Hardcover)

This is a great book for animation geeks. You get to see all sorts of animation art by Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, and Robert McKimson. There's even some pull-out pages with huge art pictures. There's also great profiles on a good amount of characters and their creators- the directors, the writers, and the voices/sound crew. I would only recommend a filmography for the book, rather than the "highlights" in the back.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every animator and animation fan must own!, January 15, 2003

By 

Edward Juan "ghost" (Valencia, CA. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Warner Brothers Animation Art (Hardcover)

If you like to own some really cool prints of Bugs Bunny, Tweety, or just the old folks from the Warner Bros. Studio, this is the book! It goes through the history of the animation studio and its founders. Chuck Jones is similar to Walt Disney, he had his own crew of animation masters to create a whole new perspective of cartoon.
One disappointing about this book is that its published date is 1997. Sadly "The Iron Giant" (released 1999) and "Cats Don't Dance" (1997) did not make it to the book; two of the most successful WB animated feature film. However, it is still a book to own and look for inspiration.