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From Booklist
That Walt Disney did not invent cartoons is deftly demonstrated in this attractive and comprehensive guide to more than 300 animated films that have been theatrically released in the U.S. Author Beck is one of the creators of Animation magazine, has written articles and books on his subject, has taught at UCLA and NYU, is a consultant for Cartoon Network, and has served as vice president for animation for Nickelodeon Movies. He maintains two Web sites: http://www.cartoonresearch.com, and, to keep this guide up-to-date, http://www.-animatedmovieguide.com, which is made of very brief entries.
The descriptions for the films include release date, credits, plot synopsis, commentary, and a star rating system--from zero stars for films that are "Pure Torture" to four for a masterpiece. Entries place each film into both artistic and historical context. Beck's comment sections are interesting, and his editorializing is amusing and insightful. He describes films from all of the major and relatively unknown studios, running the gamut from the most vapid of children's fare (My Little Pony) to the adult features of the swinging 1970s, such as Ralph Bakshi's X-rated Fritz the Cat. Japanese anime is one of the most popular forms of animation for children and adult, with anime clubs becoming active on many college and university campuses, and the entries on anime are particularly informative for the novice.
Beck includes a chronological list of all 308 features, from 1926's The Adventures of Prince Achmed, which is based upon stories from the Arabian Nights, to Sky Blue, a popular South Korean science fiction story. There are three appendixes: "Limited Release Animated Features," "Top 60 Animated Features Never Theatrically Released in the United States," and "Top 20 Live-Action Films Featuring Great Animation."
Beware - Jerry Beck's guide to animated feature films is totally addictive! If you want to sleep at night, forget it!
Once you start reading this book, you're compelled to read on to the next film and find out who animated it, who was involved, little stories about the production, and if the film made money...I became totally obsessed!
Excellent book! I give it 4 stars because it's not an all-inclusive animated movie guide as it fails to mention the Dot character from the 80's, which was released in theatres, and there are few colored photographs.
I would save my money and instead check this book out from the library as I did because it's not worth paying as much as it sells for; unless, you want the whole animated movie guide to keep.
Bottom line: Great reference work, but I'd rather save my money and buy DVDs! :)
Jerry Beck is one the best animation historians out there and his new book proves this once again."The Animated Movie Guide" has a treasure trove of information on numerous animated films, even the most obsecure films get a mention.Jerry Beck KNOWS what is hot and what is not in animated films, so I would definetly pick up the films that get a good review in this book. I'll guarantee you'll find a film or film fact you never heard before, so pick this one up.