How does that old saying go? “Great oaks from little acorns grow?”
Well, once a year, I make a trip out of the woods of New Hampshire to the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA. Just so I can watch huge talents from short films grow.
What am I talking about? The annual Spike & Mike Festival of Animation. That loopy, edgy, out-there movie-going event where I was first exposed to the films of Pixar powerhouses John Lasseter (1984’s “The Adventures of Andre and Wally B.”), Andrew Stanton (1987’s “Somewhere in the Artic”) and Pete Docter (1989’s “Winter”). Not to mention all the other great animators (Like Nick Park & Peter Lord, Bill Plympton, Cordell Baker, Will Vinton, Mike Judge, Sally Cruikshank et al) that I initially got exposed to … thanks to Craig “Spike” Decker & Mike Gribble and their wonderful film festivals.
Be they the classic kind or the sick and twisted variety, the Spike & Mike film festivals have always held a special place in my heart. Which is why I was thrilled when I heard that Jerry Beck was actually doing a book about the history of the festivals, “Outlaw Animation: Cutting-Edge Cartoons from the Spike & Mike Festivals” (Harry N. Abrams, June 2003).
You see, Beck really knows his stuff when it comes to toons. Jerry’s the author of several highly respected books on animation history: “The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals” (Turner Pub., October 1994) and “Looney Toons and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons” (Henry Holt & Co., May 1989). Not to mention being the proprietor/ webmaster / chief cook and bottle washer of the Internet’s very best animation info websites, www.cartoonresearch.com.
But with “Outlaw Animation,” Beck takes a real step forward in his writing career. Why for? Because — with this book — Jerry lets the subject matter that he’s covering dictate the style and tone of the finished volume. So — instead of a stuffy academic study on the importance of the animated short subject — we get this loopy, fun-to-read book. That actually covers the history of the festival … not to mention some of Spike & Mike’s more off-the-wall antics.
Profusely illustrated with all of these great images for the hundreds of shorts that Decker and Gribble have shown over the years, “Outlaw Animation” also features some in-depth interviews with some of the top talents in animation today. People like John Lasseter, Mike Judge, Peter Lord and Craig McCracken. Who all have these great stories to share about their initial encounters with Spike & Mike … as well as the large part that having their films featured in Decker and Gribble’s annual film festivals played in their eventual success.
Produced (in part) as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Spike & Mike film fests (as well as a belated tribute to Mike Gribble, who sadly passed away in August of 1994), “Outlaw Animation” is a book that every serious animation fan — be they hardened industry pros or just your average couch potato — should own a copy of. You’ll find some truly entertaining stories in here, not to mention some pretty sage advice.
Speaking of advice from an animation sage … on the heels of yesterday’s article about ASIFA-Hollywood’s recent tribute to Daws Butler’s voice acting workshops, I got e-mails from dozens of JHM readers, asking “Where can I go to read some of those great scripts that you were talking about today?”
Well, not-so-co-incidentally, Joe Bevilacqua (the author/documentarian who hosted the Daws event back in July) has actually put together a book of Butler’s voice workshop scripts. This thin but fun volume is called “Scenes for Actors & Voices” (BearManor Media, July 2003). And if you’re a would-be cartoon voice performer who want some tips on how to perfect your craft … well, you can order a copy of Bevilacqua’s book through the official Daws Butler website.
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If you’re planning on picking up a copy of “Outlaw Animation: Cutting-Edge Cartoons from the Spike & Mike Festivals,” you can help support JimHillMedia.com by ordering your copy from Amazon.com by clicking the link to the right. Your cost will (unfortunately) remain the same (though it is currently 30% off!) But – if you go there through us – we get a tiny cut of what you spend. So help keep Jim Hill behind the computer where he belongs and and pick up your copy of “Outlaw Animation: Cutting-Edge Cartoons from the Spike & Mike Festivals” through the link to the right. |
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