Man, the way the blanket hangs in the air after she tucks him in, and the well-observed efficiency of her digging behind his pillow to find the toy, without that action taking up TOO much time or hewing so close to any filmed reference that it threatens to get distractingly heavy and *real*.

A pencil test by Glen Keane for Treasure Planet (2002), dir. Ron Clements and John Musker, Walt Disney Feature Animation

404 Media, Hell Gate, New Yorker, Vogue, Wired and several newspapers cause print still matters damnit! @ani-obsessive.bsky.social yearly subscription is a new brainer for any animation and art fans. Also the grey lady much as she irritates me.

A pencil test by Jorge A. Capote for Klaus (2019), dir. Sergio Pablos, SPA Studios

Background paintings from the first run of Samurai Jack (2001–2004), created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Cartoon Network Studios Pieces by Scott Wills, Richard Daskas and Jenny Gase-Baker

Character design work by Mary Blair for Cinderella (1950), dir. Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske and Wilfred Jackson, Walt Disney Productions

Classic Polish animation is wild, one-of-a-kind stuff. And hundreds of these films are streaming for free in restored quality. We've taken a brief tour of the work available, with links to watch some of our favorites: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/polish-ani...

Character concept art by Toshihiro Kawamoto for Cowboy Bebop (1998–1999), dir. Shinichiro Watanabe, Sunrise

Visual development art by Carol Wyatt for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004–2009), created by Craig McCracken, Cartoon Network Studios

Totally knocked out by the latest newsletter from @ani-obsessive.bsky.social highlighting animation director and #anime scholar Tim Eldred's work on the first #anime fanzine, Fantoche, edited by Takashi Namiki, released in 1975, inspired by France's Phantasmagorie. animationobsessive.substack.com

From: Christopher Crumpet (1953), dir. Bobe Cannon, UPA

A vintage ad from Japan: Mitsuwa Plus "Apron" (1964), dir. Takafumi Okuma, Shiba Productions Character designs by Shigemi Hijikata

More than you knew... about Mr. Magoo! animationobsessive.substack.com/p/an-oscar-f...

Pinball No. 4 (1977), dir. Jeff Hale, Imagination Inc.

A brilliant little essay on Mr. Magoo, a cartoon character about whom (it's fair to say) many of us have never thought very deeply, and John Hubley and UPA, whence he came. animationobsessive.substack.com/p/an-oscar-f...

From: In and Out Crowd (1989), dir. Sally Cruikshank

From: Bubu & Bubulina (2015), dir. Takashi Nakamura, Studio Colorido

Really good read Still a reality of animation, no matter if show is successful or not it rarely changes working conditions for artists.

Concept art by Steve Pilcher and Bill Cone for Brave (2012), dir. Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews, Pixar

From: The Glass Marble (1963), dir. Hermína Týrlová, Filmové Studio Gottwaldov

Animation Obsessive has the best newsletters.

Nice detailed essay about a couple of hugely popular new 2-D animated films in China ("Nobody") and Japan ("Infinity Castle"), with a look back at how Hollywood execs like Disney's Michael Eisner stupidly insisted decades ago that hand-drawn animation was over for good as they rushed into CGI.

2D animation is booming in theaters. In China, the film Nobody is outgrossing many of Hollywood's recent CG films—on a $10< million budget. It's only one example. As 2D films rise, Hollywood's decision to kill them off looks shortsighted. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-hand-d...

"It didn’t cost much, all things considered, to give kids something to memorize besides cigarette commercials."

Concept art by Alice Dieudonné for Wolfwalkers (2020), dir. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, Cartoon Saloon

Concept art by Andy Gaskill and Peter Clarke for Treasure Planet (2002), dir. Ron Clements and John Musker, Walt Disney Feature Animation

Concept art by Hans Bacher for Beauty and the Beast (1991), dir. Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, Walt Disney Feature Animation

A must-read.

A very important read, this one is - in regards to both the history of the medium itself and how political actions can affect our wider culture.

Once, Sesame Street was a lifeline for indie animators. It offered money and incredible freedom to create. This built an indie animation boom that powered MTV, Nickelodeon and much more. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-golden...

From: Hurvinek's Circus (1955), dir. Jiří Trnka, Loutkový Film Praha

From: Sand, or Peter and the Wolf (1969), dir. Caroline Leaf, Carpenter Center

Early Elsa exploration by Claire Keane for Frozen (2013), dir. Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Character design work by Yoichi Kotabe for Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), dir. Isao Takahata, Zuiyo Eizo

Revoltoso is a brilliant piece of stop-motion cubism. It comes from Cinema Fantasma of Frankelda fame -- with a little help from Guillermo del Toro. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/handcrafti...

Concept art by Paul Felix and Peter Moehrle for Lilo & Stitch (2002), dir. Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, Walt Disney Feature Animation

Background paintings by Chu-Hui Song for Teen Titans (2003–2006), created by Glen Murakami and Sam Register, Warner Bros. Animation

Alexander Petrov explains his paint-on-glass animation for Winter Days (2003), dir. Kihachiro Kawamoto

Animation with sand on glass From: The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa (1977), dir. Caroline Leaf, National Film Board of Canada

The Glassworker is a gorgeous, moving, sometimes brutal feature from Pakistan. Making it was a decade-long struggle. Ghibli inspired it, but this is no GenAI knockoff. It’s a deep study of Hayao Miyazaki's and Isao Takahata's filmmaking. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/learning-t...

A classic from The Electric Company: Cool Pool Fool (1971), created by Faith and John Hubley, Hubley Studio Animated by Tissa David and voiced by Dizzy Gillespie

Background paintings by Sue Mondt for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004–2009), created by Craig McCracken, Cartoon Network Studios

From: Night on Bald Mountain (1933), dir. Alexandre Alexeieff and Claire Parker

The pancake scene from The Rabbit with Checkered Ears (1974–1976), created by Veronika Marék and Zsolt Richly, Pannonia Film Studio

How Hayao Miyazaki storyboarded the car chase in The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), dir. Hayao Miyazaki, Tokyo Movie Shinsha

Expression work by Virginie Kypriotis for The Amazing World of Gumball (2011–2019), created by Ben Bocquelet, Cartoon Network Studios Europe

From: The Man and His Shadow (1960), dir. Dragutin Vunak, Zagreb Film

From: Woof Woof (1964), dir. Boris Kolar, Zagreb Film

Background paintings by Sue Mondt for The Powerpuff Girls (1998–2005), created by Craig McCracken, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons

i love when animation obsessive writes about miyazaki and takahata. this is a good one. it’s also what miyazaki means, i think, when he says that our industry is cursed. just so you know animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-pressu...