Animation Cel-ebration

An Eye for A Classic: The 60th Anniversary of “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol”

December 22nd, 2022

He may be near-sighted, but it was Mr. Magoo who could see the way and blaze a trail for all future animated television Christmas specials. Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol debuted on December 18, 1962, on NBC, making it the very first animated Christmas special to be produced for television. It aired two years before Rudolph […]

A Very Merry Mickey: The 70th Anniversary of “Pluto’s Christmas Tree”

Michael Lyons|

December 19th, 2022

The fall and winter of 1952 saw many at the Disney Studio in a holiday mood. In October that year, Disney released the Donald Duck short that would become a Halloween classic, Trick or Treat. And, just a month later, the Disney artists would get into the Christmas spirit with a short that has become […]

A Fine French Feline Film: The 60th Anniversary of “Gay Pur-ee”

Michael Lyons|

December 12th, 2022

Gay Purr-ee is an example of two distinct animation styles coming together perfectly. The feature film was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) studios, revolutionizing animation with their distinctive graphic style. Also, Gay Purr-ee was written by animation legend Chuck Jones and his wife Dorothy Webster Jones. The recognizable “UPA look” is on full […]

Rhyme Time TV: The 50th Anniversary of the Television Special, “The Cat in the Hat”

Dr. Seuss has been in the news quite a bit this past week. Before the decisions and discussions around a number of the author’s books, the following article was written several weeks ago. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the animated TV adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s book The Cat in the Hat. It’s being run […]

Michael Lyons|March 5, 2021

Tom & Jerry’s Greatest “Hits”

“Best of Enemies. Worst of Friends.” This “tag line” on posters for the new live-action/animated movie Tom & Jerry, perfectly sums up the relationship the two have had since their debut almost 81 years ago. The world-famous cartoon cat and mouse continue their prominent role in animation history with this new film, debuting this weekend […]

Michael Lyons|February 26, 2021

Singing its Praises: The 40th Anniversary of Ralph Bakshi’s “American Pop”

Sure, today seemingly anything is possible in animation. Everything from bringing the internet to life as a “living world,” to soaring on the back of a dragon at dizzying heights can and has been realized. However, even today’s filmmakers with the latest technology at their disposal, would be hard pressed to tackle a subject like, […]

Michael Lyons|February 19, 2021

Love Stinks: Celebrating Pepe Le Pew

When it comes to a list of the most romantic leading men in film history one name stands out as creating a true “air” of love in all of his performances: the one and only Pepe Le Pew. Undeterred by his own fragrant shortcomings, this socially active skunk has continually sought his true love through […]

Michael Lyons|February 12, 2021

Goal Setting: Football-Themed Cartoons

Like so much over the past year, the Super Bowl this weekend will be a much different experience, but it will still bring with it some traditions that don’t change: a large television audience, much-discussed commercials and mounds of buffalo wings, pizzas and nachos. To help set the mood for all that’s coming to this […]

Michael Lyons|February 5, 2021

The 50th Anniversary of Rankin/Bass’ The Jackson 5ive Show

The studio Rankin/Bass conjures up comfortable, Christmas images of Rudolph, Frosty and Santa, but many forget that the Studio also brought the Jackson 5 to Saturday Morning television, with a landmark animated series based on the iconic musical group during the heyday of their juggernaut popularity. The Jackson 5ive show, which debuted on ABC on […]

Michael Lyons|January 29, 2021

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Animation Cel-ebration

Latest in Category: Animation Cel-ebration

Triple Threat: Bugs, Daffy, Elmer & the 70th Anniversary of “Rabbit Fire.”