This witty and fascinating study reminds us that there was animation before Disney: about thirty years of creativity and experimentation flourishing in such extraordinary work as Girdie the Dinosaur and Felix the Cat. Before Mickey, the first and only in-depth history of animation from 1898-1928, in[...]
Offers readers a look at the time when sound was a vexing challenge for filmmakers and the source of contentious debate for audiences and critics. Donald Crafton presents a panoramic view of the talkies' reception as well as an in-depth look at sound design in selected films, amongst other issues.[...]
Animation variously entertains, enchants, and offends, yet there have been no convincing explanations of how these films do so. "Shadow of a Mouse" proposes performance as the common touchstone for understanding the principles underlying the construction, execution, and reception of cartoons. Donald[...]
Proposes performance as the common touchstone for understanding the principles underlying the construction, execution, and reception of cartoons. This title presents methods that draw on film and theater studies, art history, aesthetics, cultural studies, and performance studies to outline a persona[...]
Need a break from all the worries of the world with a belly laugh? This title offers amusing signs all over the planet, lighting up the daily lives of countless travellers, and exhorting us to do unmentionable things with unfathomable logic.[...]