What do Franklin Roosevelt, Dr. Seuss, the U.S. Navy, and Mr. Magoo have in common? They are all part of the surprising story of the pioneering cartoon studio UPA (United Productions of America). Throughout the 1950s, a group of artists ran a business that broke all the rules, pushing animated films beyond the fluffy fantasy of the Walt Disney Studio and the crash-bang anarchy of Warner Bros. Instead, UPA's films were innovative and graphically bold--the cartoon equivalent to modern art. When Magoo Flew is the first book-length study to chronicle the complete story of this unique American enterprise. The book features cameo appearances by Aldous Huxley, James Thurber, Orson Welles, Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Jim Backus, Eddie Albert, and Woody Allen, as well as a select filmography of the best of UPA.
When Magoo Flew
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Review
"Adam (Abraham) writes well, and certainly did his homework; I learned a lot and pass along my highest recommendation." --Leonard Maltin, Movie Crazy
"Readers familiar only with the studio's most famous creation, the nearsighted and befuddled Mr. Magoo, can hardly begin to appreciate the range and diversity of the studio's best work. But Adam Abraham's When Magoo Flew, the first full-scale history of UPA, is a good place to start."--Will Friedwald, Wall Street Journal
"The research is impeccable, the writing solid, the story fascinating..."--Amid Amidi, Cartoon Brew
"Readers familiar only with the studio's most famous creation, the nearsighted and befuddled Mr. Magoo, can hardly begin to appreciate the range and diversity of the studio's best work. But Adam Abraham's When Magoo Flew, the first full-scale history of UPA, is a good place to start."--Will Friedwald, Wall Street Journal
"The research is impeccable, the writing solid, the story fascinating..."--Amid Amidi, Cartoon Brew
Review
"This splendid, and long-overdue, book traces the colorful history of the studio that sought to reinvent American animation. Abraham has done his homework and weaves the individual stories of UPA's many artists and personalities into a seamless and highly readable narrative. A first-rate piece of film history." (Leonard Maltin )
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By JoLynn
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Born from the fallout of the Disney artists' strike of 1941, This is the history of the animation studio that eventually became known as United Productions of America (UPA). Like its best known character, Mr. Magoo, UPA often walked to the beat of a different drummer.
Beginning with animated military training videos in WWII, then commercial training videos, cartoon shorts for Columbia Pictures, and eventually television cartoon shows and the big screen feature 'Gay Purree', this is a detailed portrait of the trials and tribulations of the UPA studio. The company faced many challenges, not the least of which were the dark days of the HUAC investigations of the 50's, budget woes, and creative differences.
But through it all, UPA put their product first, and the public was rewarded with some of the most innovative and avant-garde animation of the past century. Many of the techniques that UPA pioneered are discussed in the book.
With cameos by such a varied cast as James Thurber, Aldous Huxley, Ludwig Bemelmans (of Madeleine fame), Jim Backus, Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Eddie Albert and the aptly named T.Hee (!), this is an outstanding and detailed account of the glory that was once UPA.
Beginning with animated military training videos in WWII, then commercial training videos, cartoon shorts for Columbia Pictures, and eventually television cartoon shows and the big screen feature 'Gay Purree', this is a detailed portrait of the trials and tribulations of the UPA studio. The company faced many challenges, not the least of which were the dark days of the HUAC investigations of the 50's, budget woes, and creative differences.
But through it all, UPA put their product first, and the public was rewarded with some of the most innovative and avant-garde animation of the past century. Many of the techniques that UPA pioneered are discussed in the book.
With cameos by such a varied cast as James Thurber, Aldous Huxley, Ludwig Bemelmans (of Madeleine fame), Jim Backus, Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Eddie Albert and the aptly named T.Hee (!), this is an outstanding and detailed account of the glory that was once UPA.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Oh, Magoo, you've done it again." A hopeful sign of things to come
March 31, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Adam Abraham's When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA takes on the unenviable task of chronicling United Productions of America, the most raved about but least known about studio of the Golden Age of animation. In general, he succeeds at making this a key text, the go-to-book for anyone seeking information on the studio.
Like Mike Barrier, Abraham actually uses solid end notes, so you're able to see where the information came from. You'd be surprised how rare this is in animation books; some document or long-dead person is typically quoted without citation or context. Abraham's thorough use of solid research and colorful anecdotes with extensive citations makes his book worth purchasing for this alone.
Some of the usual problems with animation texts do arise in Abraham's book. Displaced chronology is inevitable in an animation history, so leeway should be allotted, especially when Abraham has gone to such great lengths in his research. But he could have still been clearer in many cases. He spends a great deal of time talking about Bobe Cannon as a director before his most excellent "Red Scare" chapter, but he discusses films made both before and after John Hubley's firing [related to his HUAC-offending activities]. While writing about the studio's early 1950s triumphs, he does not discuss Unicorn in the Garden and I was left puzzled by its absence. Abraham discusses the film later, in a chapter about Mr. Magoo: 1001 Arabian Nights, while chronicling the studio's various feature film projects (Unicorn was intended to be part of a James Thurber feature).
Sometimes the displaced chronology works very poorly.... Read more ›
Like Mike Barrier, Abraham actually uses solid end notes, so you're able to see where the information came from. You'd be surprised how rare this is in animation books; some document or long-dead person is typically quoted without citation or context. Abraham's thorough use of solid research and colorful anecdotes with extensive citations makes his book worth purchasing for this alone.
Some of the usual problems with animation texts do arise in Abraham's book. Displaced chronology is inevitable in an animation history, so leeway should be allotted, especially when Abraham has gone to such great lengths in his research. But he could have still been clearer in many cases. He spends a great deal of time talking about Bobe Cannon as a director before his most excellent "Red Scare" chapter, but he discusses films made both before and after John Hubley's firing [related to his HUAC-offending activities]. While writing about the studio's early 1950s triumphs, he does not discuss Unicorn in the Garden and I was left puzzled by its absence. Abraham discusses the film later, in a chapter about Mr. Magoo: 1001 Arabian Nights, while chronicling the studio's various feature film projects (Unicorn was intended to be part of a James Thurber feature).
Sometimes the displaced chronology works very poorly.... Read more ›
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I haved enjoyed(loved)Mr. Magoo since first seeing one of his cartoons back in the late 1950's in a theater.Until the last 20 years or so I had not seen any of the other UPA theatrical shorts(except Gerald McBoing Boing which I enjoyed quite a bit). When many of the other shorts began to appear on the Columbia VHS tapes,I watched them and wondered why I didn't seem to enjoy them very much.
Part of the problem was they were so much unlike the Warner/MGM/Fleischer(etc.)cartoons that I had grown up watching mainly on television.
After reading this very informative and thoroughly researched book and realising what these artists were all about and what they were trying to accomplish, I am now watching all the Jolly Frolics cartoons on the just released TCM DVD boxed set and I must say I am enjoying them quiet a bit. My problem before reading this book was apparently I wasn't appreciating the cartoons for what they are as much as I was unhappy about what they were not.
I highly recommend this book as I believe it fills in a nice part of the "golden age" of animation that most of us have only read bits & pieces of over the years.
A nice addition to any animation library.
Part of the problem was they were so much unlike the Warner/MGM/Fleischer(etc.)cartoons that I had grown up watching mainly on television.
After reading this very informative and thoroughly researched book and realising what these artists were all about and what they were trying to accomplish, I am now watching all the Jolly Frolics cartoons on the just released TCM DVD boxed set and I must say I am enjoying them quiet a bit. My problem before reading this book was apparently I wasn't appreciating the cartoons for what they are as much as I was unhappy about what they were not.
I highly recommend this book as I believe it fills in a nice part of the "golden age" of animation that most of us have only read bits & pieces of over the years.
A nice addition to any animation library.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent overview! I teach a class on the history of animation, and this book provides information unavailable anywhere else. Highly recommended.
By M.B.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well-written, very informative, and, as far as I can tell, quite accurate. One of the most enjoyable books on animation I have read. I especially enjoyed the author's descriptions of the personalities of the people who made UPA's cartoons so unique. I also just purchased "The Jolly Frolics Collection" DVD set, and am looking forward to watching some of the cartoons discussed in Mr. Abraham's book.
By David
Format:Hardcover
This is a history of United Productions of America. They went beyond Disney and Warner, to do some innovative things. It's a good history, better documented than some.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Definitely a must for any armchair animation historian like myself. Great to learn more about the people and the reasons they came to and left UPA including blacklisting during the House on Un-American Activities witch-hunting. I have always read about UPA in Disney history books and their use of limited animation, beating Disney at the Oscars, Ward Kimball using their style for Toot, Whistle, Plunk & Boom and winning an Oscar, Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, but did not know anything about the players involved and why it didn't seem to make it into the 1960's.
This book does an excellent job doucmenting the UPA history and the players involved (although I thought I would have a better understanding of Steve Bosostow than I received). I learned a great deal about the other artists like Bobe Cannon, John Hubley, Pete Burness, Jules Engel, Herb Klynn, Bill Hurtz, Bill Melendez, and many more. I had no idea David Hilberman who helped found UPA after the Disney strike, was not around for 1950's hey-days. Learning more about ex-Disney artists Art Babbitt and T. Hee's role in UPA's history was a bonus to me. The pictures that are included in the book help drive the story home and provide you a great visual reference about what is written. My only qualm was that it lost some the chronology of the studio in the later chapters (starting with the Red Menace), so people who left UPA in previous chapters, were in later chapters. It's a minor ding though on a very well researched and documented book that many animation fans have been waiting for. The Chapter Notes, Bibliography, Filmography and Index will make this a great reference book for future historians and writers also.... Read more ›
This book does an excellent job doucmenting the UPA history and the players involved (although I thought I would have a better understanding of Steve Bosostow than I received). I learned a great deal about the other artists like Bobe Cannon, John Hubley, Pete Burness, Jules Engel, Herb Klynn, Bill Hurtz, Bill Melendez, and many more. I had no idea David Hilberman who helped found UPA after the Disney strike, was not around for 1950's hey-days. Learning more about ex-Disney artists Art Babbitt and T. Hee's role in UPA's history was a bonus to me. The pictures that are included in the book help drive the story home and provide you a great visual reference about what is written. My only qualm was that it lost some the chronology of the studio in the later chapters (starting with the Red Menace), so people who left UPA in previous chapters, were in later chapters. It's a minor ding though on a very well researched and documented book that many animation fans have been waiting for. The Chapter Notes, Bibliography, Filmography and Index will make this a great reference book for future historians and writers also.... Read more ›
