Animation Fun Facts for Weds Nov. 30,2011

Birthdays: Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain, Jonathan Swift, Joan Ganz Cooney the creator of Sesame Street

2003- Roy Disney Jr, the last serving member of the Disney family, was forced to resign from the Walt Disney Company. It was claimed to be the mandatory retirement policy, but more likely he was forced out by the exec he hired to run the company in 1984- Michael Eisner. So Roy built a successful grass roots stockholders campaign SaveDisney.com. In 2005 Eisner was compelled to retire. Roy Disney kept an emeritus board position until his death in 2009.

Animation Fun Facts for Tuesday Nov. 29,2011

1915- In the first years of animated films, one artist like Winsor McCay drew everything. This day John Randolph Bray's "Colonel Heeza Liar in Africa" cartoon debuted. Bray adapted Henry Ford's assembly line system to making animation, creating positions of layout, background painters, inkers, cel painters, checkers and camera. After 1919 Bray shifted his studio’s focus from entertainment to technical and training films. Paul Terry, Walter Lantz, Max & Dave Fleischer and Shamus Culhane all got their start at Bray's.

Bray's production line model remained unchanged for the rest of the XX century, until the new digital categories.

Animation Fun Facts for Mon Nov. 28, 2011

Pixar composer Randy Newman born.

1947- Disney's first Chip & Dale cartoon.

Animation Fun Facts for Sun Nov. 27,2011

1933- Former Terrytoons animator Art Babbitt, now at Disney's, writes to fellow animator Bill Tytla encouraging him to move to California. "Terry owes you a lot and Disney has plans for a full length color cartoon!"

1936- Max Fleischer's cartoon featurette, "Popeye meets Sinbad the Sailor".

2002- Disney's Treasure Planet premiered.

Animation Fun Facts for Sat Nov. 26,2011

Charles Schulz born, the cartoonist creator of Peanuts.


1865- Lewis Carroll sent a copy of the completed manuscript of his fantasy Alice in Wonderland to his12 year old friend and inspiration Alice Liddell. Carroll later published the book with his own money. This is one of the first books written solely to amuse children, and not to educate or discipline them.

Animation Fun Facts for Fri Nov. 25,2011

Animator Bill Kroyer born

1992 Disney's Aladdin released

2009 Disney's Princess and the Frog released.

Animation Fun Facts for Thanksgiving Nov. 24,2011

Billy Connolly born, Scottish comedian who did voices on Disney's Pocahontas and Little Nessie.

2010 Disney's Tangled released.

Animation Fun Facts for Weds Nov. 23,2011

Boris Karloff born, the narrator of Chuck Jones' The Grinch who Stole Christmas.


1952- Animator Fred Moore, who drew Mickey Mouse in Fantasia and the Brave Little Tailor, died from injuries incurred in an auto accident in the Big Tujunga Canyon area of Los Angeles.

Animation Fun Facts for Tues Nov. 22, 2011

Geraldine Page born, the voice of Madame Medusa in Disney's The Rescuers 1977

Animator/Director Terry Gilliam is 71.

1952 Animator Fred Moore fatally injured in a car crash in Big Tujunga Canyon

1995- Pixar’s Toy Story opened, the first all CG animated movie, and the first CG hit.

Animation Fun Facts for Mon Nov. 21,2011

1942- Warner's "A Tale of Two Kitties" the first Tweety Pie. I tawt I taw a puddy cat !

Animation Fun Facts for Sunday Nov 20, 2011

Birthdays: Sam Wright,the voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid and Ming Na, the voice of Muhlan.

1998- Pixar's A Bug's Life is released.

Animation Fun Facts for Saturday Nov 19, 2011

1959- the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show debuted!

See you all at the CTN Educators roundtable at 10 in the Exec Board Room!

Animation Fun Facts for Friday Nov 18,2011

See you at the CTN Expo in Burbank California this weekend!

Owen Wilson, the voice of Rocket McQueen in Cars and Cars II, is 43,

1928- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICKEY MOUSE- At the Colony Theater in New York Walt Disney’s cartoon "Steamboat Willie" debuted- The first major sound cartoon success and the official birth of Mickey Mouse. Two earlier silent Mickey's had been done, but they were held back when the sound experiment went ahead.

1970- At the Lakeside School in Seattle, a young kid named Bill Gates got his start in computer programming.

1985- Bill Watterson’s comic strip Calvin & Hobbs debuted.

1988- Disney’s Oliver & Company released.
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Animation Fun Facts for Thursday Nov 17,2011

Birthdays: Disney Nine Old Man animator Les Clark, Martin Scorcese is 69


1989- Don Bluth's animated film "All Dogs Go to Heaven." premiered.
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Animation Fun Facts for Weds Nov. 16,2011

1990- Disney’s feature film the Rescuers Down Under premiered. The first traditionally animated film to be painted digitally on computer instead of acetate cels and paints.

Animation Fun Facts for Tuesday Nov. 15,2011

Birthdays Bill Melendez- director of A Charlie Brown Xmas, Beverly D'Angelo- actress who began as a cell painter on Scooby Doo. Ed Asner the voice of Karl Fredrichs in Pixar's UP is 82,

1907- The comic strip Mutt & Jeff debuted. The strip was so popular that it’s creator Harry “Bud “ Fisher became a celebrity and negotiated the first large backend deals.

1934- Animator Bill Tytla starts at Disney's on a trial basis for $150 a week. He would create Grumpy the Dwarf, The Devil in Fantasia and Dumbo.

1965- Walt Disney announced he planned to build a second Disneyland, this time in Orlando Florida.

1989- Disney's The Little Mermaid debuted. When it opened in Copenhagen, director John Musker and Ron Clements attended a gala and sat next to the Queen of Denmark. They agonized over what would be her reaction to the reworking of the unhappy ending in this great Danish work, but the Queen's reaction was "It's beautiful! Hans Christian Andersen never could write a decent ending..."

Animation Fun Facts for Sunday Nov 13, 2011

1940- Walt Disney's 'Fantasia' opened. as Walt put it, "this'll make Beethoven!"
Frank Lloyd Wright's opinion was 'I love the visuals, but why did you use all that old music?"

1978- Mickey Mouse got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1991- Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast opened, the first animated film ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

Animation Fun Facts for Saturday Nov 12, 2011

Animator James "Shamus" Culhane born.

1946- Disney's "Song of the South" with William Baskett as Uncle Remus. Premiered. Zippity-Doo Dah, Zippty Yeay!

Animation Fun Facts for Friday Nov 11,2011

1940- The F.B.I. enlisted Walt Disney as an informant. His mission was to inform on lefties like Union Leaders and Pinko actors in Hollywood. Most of the other studio heads were likewise cooperating with the Feds.

Animation Fun Facts for Thursday Nov 10,2011

Looney Tunes composer Carl Stalling born

Lion King lyricist Tim Rice born

1950- Paramount's "Mice Meeting You" The first Herman and Katnip cartoon.

1953- Disney’s short “ Toot Whistle, Plunk and Boom” released.

1969- The children’s education show SESAME STREET premiered on PBS TV. The world is introduced to Bert & Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover, Big Bird and Mr Hooper.

Animation Fun Facts for Thurs. Nov 3, 2011

The Birthday of Osamu Tezuka, 1928-1989. Called " The God of Manga" Tezuka, the first internationally known anime animator created AstroBoy, Speed Racer and Gigantor.

Disney Designer Gustav Tennegren born.

Voice actor Jim Cummings born.

1977- Disney's Pete's Dragon premiered.

Animation Fun Facts for Tuesday Nov. 1,2011

Retta Davidson born in 1921, one of the first women to become a Disney Animator.

2003 Disney's feature Brother Bear opened.