Published between 1982 and 1995
Issue 11 – Winter 1984 Animated Comment – Ken Clark chats with Richard Williams Richard Williams talks about the work on his animated feature “The Thief” and other projects. Animated cartoons televised in the USA 1946-1981 George W. Woolery gives a brief history of Animated cartoons as televised programming in the United States 1946-1981. Pop … Read more
Animator. Winter 1984. Issue number 11. Front cover illustrations: Top: Richard Williams at his London studio. The Oscar is for A Christmas Carol. Small insert: The hands of fate from Richard William’s The Thief.
Ken Clark: I think it fair to say that the long term commitment to your feature length cartoon extravaganza The Thief’ is the subject of much speculation. A short extract was shown on television and was exciting enough for me to ask: How is the project progressing? Richard Williams: A great deal of the work … Read more
K.C.: You place great emphasis on acting. R.W.: Totally, totally! It is the main emphasis. Without it people would get bored after 20 minutes, as they so often do with animated features. The Disney features aren’t boring – not the good ones. K.C.: Do you think that is one of our problems here in Britain, … Read more
K.C.: I think you proved that point with ‘A Christmas Carol”. R.W.: “Christmas Carol” we animated fully, but it was a race because we had just seven months. We went bananas! That was before we became heavily unionised. K.C.: I’m surprised. Why, then, did you put so many perspective shots in the film; soaring over … Read more
K.C.: Except, perhaps, at G.B. Animation, Cookham? R.W.: …whcre they tried to avoid the problem. From what I have heard of David Hand it would seem he was a ‘committee’ man. Walt really directed the films and used Hand and the other guys. K.C.: What went wrong with your attempt to run open evening classes … Read more
K.C.: What lessons did you learn from “Raggedy Ann”? R.W.: One big one. You know the Golden Rule? The person who has the gold makes the rules. Initially, when they were in trouble and I came in as supervisor, I had a lot to say – in fact, they did everything I said; but as … Read more
This is a brief history of Animated cartoons as televised programming in the United States 1946-1981. From small beginnings in Uncle Willie’s Cartoon Show to the big dollar earners of the six hour Saturday morning cartoon shows featuring monsters and mayhem, then the action pressure groups step in. George W. Woolery looks at what went … Read more
If in theatres the short cartoon was developed for a general audience, after the graphic films were leased for television programming the focus changed. By the early fifties, the film cartoon was scheduled almost exclusively on children’s shows, usually those hosted by an adult. Routinely dropped in a multipurpose format, which fused many elements too … Read more
The ripple effects continue unabated. Since 1966, there has not been a cartoon series scheduled during a regular season after 7:30 PM on network television. (4) Instead, web programmers have preferred periodic animated specials always telecast during the earliest prime-time hours, which affords a larger juvenile audience. With few exceptions, the cartoon specials adhere to … Read more