Animation fun facts for May 31, 2012 Thurs

1989- "Skinhead Day at the Magic Kingdom" Disneyland refused to admit a rally of skinheads, Nazis and Klansmen. 2008- A Buzz Lightyear doll was was taken into orbit by the Space Shuttle and delivered to the International Space Station.

Animation Fun Facts for May 30, 2012

Mel Blanc born, the principle voice actor of Bugs, Daffy, Porky and the WB characters.He also did many Hanna Barbera voices like Barney Rubble. 1936- Mickey's Through the Looking Glass. 2003 Pixars Finding Nemo released.

Animation Fun Facts for May 29th, 2012 Tues.

May 29th,1941- THE WALT DISNEY STRIKE- this morning a picket line of 350, and campsite went up across the street from the studios main gate where Saint Joseph’s Hospital is today. Chef's from nearby Toluca Lake restaurants would cook for the strikers on their off time and the aircraft mechanics of Lockheed promised muscle if any ruffstuff was threatened. Picketers included Hank Ketcham (Dennis the Menace), Walt Kelly and Margaret Selby (later Kelly) (Pogo), Bill Tytla (Dumbo), Bill Melendez (A Charlie Brown Christmas), Steve Bosustow and John Hubley (Mr. Magoo), Maurice Noble and Chuck Jones (What's Opera Doc?), George Baker (Sad Sack), Dick Swift ("the Parent Trap") Frank Tashlin (Cinderfella) and four hundred others. Animators from Warner Bros. MGM and Walter Lantz marched with their Disney brothers and sisters, because they knew this was where the fate of their entire industry would be settled. Celebrities like Dorothy Parker and John Garfield gave supportive speeches. The strike was eventually settled in September by Federal arbitration and a little arm twisting on Walt by his chief creditor, the Bank of America. Many of the artists who left the studio afterward set up U.P.A. and pioneered the 1950's style. Walt Disney had a nervous breakdown over the strike and a federal mediator was sent by Washington to arbitrate. The Chicago mob got involved. In later years, Uncle Walt blamed the studio’s labor ills on Communists. The studio unionized completely, but the hard feelings remained for their rest of their lives.

Animation fun facts for May 28, 2012

1941- THE WALT DISNEY STRIKE- Labor pressures had been building in the Magic Kingdom since promises made to artists over the success of Snow White were reneged on, and Walt Disney’s lawyer Gunther Lessing encouraged a hard line with his employees. On this day, in defiance of federal law, Walt Disney fired animator Art Babbitt ,the creator of Goofy, and thirteen other cartoonists for demanding a union. Babbitt had emerged as the union movements’ leader. Studio security officers escorted Babbitt off the lot. That night in an emergency meeting of the Cartoonists Guild, Art’s assistant on Fantasia, Bill Hurtz, made the motion to strike, and it was unanimously accepted. Bill Hurtz will later go on to direct award winning cartoons like UPA’s "Unicorn in the Garden". Picket lines go up next day in cartoon animation’s own version of the Civil War. Walt Disney nearly had a nervous breakdown over the strike and a federal mediator was sent by Washington to arbitrate. In later years, Uncle Walt blamed the studio’s labor ills on Communists. The studio unionized completely, but the hard feelings remained for their rest of their lives.

animation fun facts for May 27, 2012

Birthdays, Christopher Lee is 90, Leopold Goldowsky (the inventor of Kodachrome film) 1895 - British inventor Burt Acres patented a film camera/projector 1933- Disney’s cartoon“The Three Little Pigs” premiered, whose song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” became a national anthem of recovery from the Depression. It was also a favorite song of Adolph Hitler. Director of the short Burt Gillette left Disney afterward to run the Van Beuren Studio in New York. He had a diminished career and several animators accused him of mental instability and alcoholism. 1935- The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Franklin Roosevelt’s National Recovery Act (The NRA) program. Roosevelt responds by trying to stack the court with judges more to his liking. He referred to them as 'The Nine Old Men', a sobriquet Walt Disney would borrow in 1949 for his animators. 1969 – Construction began on Walt Disney World Florida.

Animation Fun Facts for May 26, 2012

Birthdays: Peggy Lee( He's a Tramp from Lady and the Tramp),Helen Bonham Carter is 46, Bobcat Golthwaite (Hercules), Matt Stone the co creator of South Park 1995- Looney Tunes director Friz Freleng died at age 89. 2006- World Premiere of Pixar's Cars at a the NASCAR track at Charlotte NC.

Animation Fun Facts for May 25, 2012

Birthdays: Frank Oz, Mike Myers the voice of Shrek, Ian Mckellen. 1932 Walt Disney short cartoon Mickey's Revue, the first to feature the big silly dog character that was first known as Dippy Dog, then The Goof, then by 1939 Goofy. 1942- First day shooting on the film Casablanca. 1994 Tim Berners-Lee and CERN hosted the first international conference on how to implement the World Wide Web.

Animation Fun Facts for May 24, 2012

Disney designer, effects artist and painter Peter Ellenshaw born.

Animation Fun Facts for May 23, 2012

1941-Hollywood union boss George Brown and assistant Willard Bioff (also a Frank Nitti bagman) were indicted on federal racketeering charges. Their main contact among the Hollywood studio heads was Nicholas Schenck, the chairman of Loews Theaters and a head of MGM. Willie Bioff had tried to help Louis B. Mayer defeat the screen actor's guild and was brought in by Walt Disney to hijack the Disney animator's union. After their jail time Bioff blew up in his car after turning government witness and Brown 'disappeared...' Schenck meanwhile was pardoned by President Truman.

Animation fun facts for May 22, 2012.

Animation voice actor Paul Winchell ( Tigger, Mutley, Dick Dastardly) born. 1985- Top Disney animation director Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman who directed the Jungle Book among other films, died in a car crash following lunch at the Smoke House in Burbank.

Animation Fun Facts for May 21, 2012

John Hubley born 1908 - 1st horror movie “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” premiered in Chicago. 1922- On the Road to Moscow by Rollin Kirby, the first political cartoon to win a Pulitzer prize. 1933- Woolie Reitherman's first day at Disney Studio.

Animation Fun Facts for may 20, 2012

Leon Schlesinger born. Jimmy Stewart, who's last role was a voice in the film American Tale II. 1916- Artist Norman Rockwell sold his first painting for a Saturday Evening Post cover. 1937- Bob Clampett promoted to director at Leon Schlesinger’s Looney Tunes Studio. Clampett, whose mother hand sewed the first Mickey Mouse dolls for Walt Disney. After leaving Looney Tunes, Clampett created the Beany & Cecil Show for early television. 1984- Hanna & Barbera's The Smurfic Games.

Animation Fun Facts for May 19, 2012

Disney sound effects man Jimmy Mcdonald born., Giovanni Della Robbia and Frank Capra born. Animator/Educator Tom Sito born. 1934- Mickey Mouse short cartoon Gulliver Mickey. 1998- George Lucas much anticipated film Star Wars Episode One the Phantom Menace premiered, the first Star Wars sequel in 20 years. It featured Jarr Jarr Binks, a character so annoying that web sites like www.I Want Jarr-Jarr to Die-Die.Com soon racked up tens of thousands of hits. 2002 Disney's CG animated Dinosaurs premiered. 2005- Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith premiered. 2006- Dreamworks animated film ‘Over the Hedge’ premiered.

Animation Fun Facts for May 18, 2012

1991 Famed Chuck Jones designer Maurice Noble died. 2001 DreamWorks Shrek premiered. 2003 Pixar's Finding Nemo premiered.

Animation fun facts for May 17, 2012

Birthdays: Sandro Botticelli, Howard Ashman, Ralph Wright- the original voice of Eeyore 1890 - Comic Cuts, 1st weekly comic newspaper, published in London. 1924- Marcus Loew of the Loew's theater chain buys Metro Pictures and combines them with Sam Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer’s studio to form Metro Goldwyn Mayer. 1941- The Looney Toon Lockout. Producer Leon Schlesinger tries to forestall the unionization of his Bugs Bunny cartoonists by locking them out. After a week he relents and recognizes the cartoonist guild. Chuck Jones called it “our own little six-day war.” 1965- Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke shake hands and agree to write a sci-fi movie, with accompanying novel. First called How the Solar System was Won, then Journey Beyond the Stars, the title was finally- 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Animation Fun Facts for May 15, 2012

Disney artist Joe Grant born. 1702- Charles Perrault died. Charles Perrault 1628-1703 was a retired minister to French King Louis XIV, who wrote stories for children under the title Mother Goose. He created Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella and Puss in Boots. 1863- Edouard Manet first displayed his Dejeuner sur l’Herbe at the Salon des Refuses in Paris. The painting is of two modern clothed men having a picnic with two nude women by a river bank. The women aren’t mythical goddesses or muses but just naked ladies. This shocked Paris society and Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugene called it “Immodest and obscene”. It’s revolutionary simple subject matter heralded the rise of Impressionism. 1928- Walt Disney held a test premiere of his cartoon short Plane Crazy. It was the first with Mickey & Minnie Mouse, and the first cartoon to feature a camera move.

Animation Fun Facts for Mon May 14, 2012

Birthdays: George Lucas, Tim Roth is 51, Robert Zemeckis is 61, Kate Blanchett is 43 1842 - 1st edition of London Illustrated News. 1942- Disney composer Frank Churchill, who wrote "Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf", shot himself at the piano. Legend has him shouting " How's this , Walt?" But that has never been substantiated. Another version of the story had him shooting himself in an onion field in Valencia that would one day be the site of Cal Arts. The LAPD report had him shooting himself in the chest in his home. 1944- In the comic strip Dick Tracy, the longtime Tracy nemesis the gangster Flattop was killed. 1951 - Ernie Kovacs Show, TV Variety debut on NBC. Kovacs was a great pioneer in the video medium who loved creating surreal images and pantomime blackout skits.

Animation Fun Facts May 13, 2012 sun

Animation director Burny Mattinson born. ( Great Mouse Detective.)

Animation Fun Facts May 12, 2012 Sat

Artists Daniel Rossetti, Frank Stella born. 1934- Winnie the Bear died at the London Zoo at the age of 20. An attraction at the zoo since 1915, the bear became a favorite of Christopher Robin Milne, the son of A.A. Milne. This gave him an idea for some new stories... 1982- The comic strip 'Marvin' debuted.

Animation Fun Facts for May 9, 2012.

James M. Barrie the creator of Peter Pan born. 1754- THE FIRST NEWSPAPER CARTOON- Ben Franklin in his Pennsylvania Gazette prints a drawing of a segmented snake with each piece named for a colony with the inscription: Join or Die. ( Okay, it's not Calvin and Hobbs but it's a start). 1937- Burne Hogarth began drawing the Tarzan comic strip. Hal Foster had been in contract negotiations with the syndicate over money and the right to his originals. He had created Prince Valiant as a bargaining chip when the syndicate called his bluff by giving the Tarzan job to Hogarth. Foster went on to greater glory with Valiant but never forgave Burne. 1955- Washington D.C. station puts on a young Univ of Maryland grad named Jim Henson as filler before the TODAY Show. He antics with his green frog called Kermit, fashioned from fabric from one of his mothers old green coats. The Muppets are born.

Animation Fun Facts for May 8, 2012

French illustrator Jean Giraud aka Moebius was born. 1878- David Hughes invents the Microphone while trying to get over bronchitis. 1912- movie studio Famous Players Lasky born. In 1914 they changed their name to Paramount Pictures. 1943-Tex Avery's "Red Hot Riding Hood"- Ooohh Wolfy !

Animation Fun Facts for 5/7/2012

Looney Tunes director Bob Clampett born. 1942- Battle of the Coral Sea-The U.S. Navy, suffering only defeats up till then, stops a Japanese task force. Veterans commented that one of the sadder losses was when the aircraft carrier USS Lexington went down, she took the fleet's supply of 6 Bugs Bunny cartoons with her. War is Hell.

Animation Fun Facts for May 6, 2012

Birthdays: Andriana Caselotti- the voice of Snow White, George Clooney is 52 who did the lead voice in the Fantastic Mr. Fox. 1919- Wizard of Oz creator L.Frank Baum died of heart disease at 62. He was trying at the time to buy real estate in Los Angeles for an Oz- theme amusement park. 1937- THE FLEISCHER STRIKE-Cartoonists vote to strike Max Fleischers Studio after Max fires 13 animators for union activity and complaining about the 6 day work week. The strike was settled several weeks later when parent company Paramount forced Max to concede. Strikers sang "We're Popeye the Union Man! We're Popeye the Union Man! We'll Fight to the Finish, Cause We Can't Live on Spinach ! We're Popeye...etc." 2001- Variety reported that the Walt Disney Company in promoting their upcoming summer film Pearl Harbor, had canceled plans for Pearl Harbor Happy Meals at McDonalds, as being in bad taste. …..Hmmm…do ya think..?

Animation Fun Facts for May 5, 2012

Happy Cinco de Mayo. Actress Pat Carroll born, the voice of Ursula in the Little Mermaid. Floyd Gottfredson born, the longtime artist who drew Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse comic strips. Ilene Woods born. Singer who sang Bippity-Boppity-Boo and " A Dream is a Wish, Your Heart Makes" in Cinderella.

Animation Fun Facts May 3, 2012

Bing Crosby Born, who narrated the Ichabod Crane story for the Adventures of Mister Toad film. 1947- the Looney Tunes short Tweety Pie premiered. The first pairing of Tweety and Sylvester, and the first WB cartoon to win an Oscar. 1948-THE PARAMOUNT DECISION- In 1938 the independent theater chains including Walt Disney had brought suit in Federal court against the major Hollywood Studios over their monopolistic practices. Ten years later the Supreme Court ruled the Motion Picture Studios did constitute a monopoly and under the Sherman AntiTrust Act ordered them to sell their theater chains. One casualty of this rule was the short cartoon. Because theater managers no longer were forced to run a cartoon, newsreel and short with a feature (block-booking), they opted for the time to run more showings of the main feature. 1969- Groundbreaking in Valencia for the California Institute of the Arts. Lillian and Roy Disney,Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett in attendance. 1991- Steve Jobs signs an agreement with the Walt Disney Company for Pixar to produce three CG animated feature cartoons. Toy Story, A Bugs Life and Toy Story II ( Later Monsters Inc.) result.

Animation Fun Facts, May 2, 2012

Animator and SVA animation teacher Martin Abrams born. 1937- Actor Lorenzo Music born. He was the original voice of Garfield in the 80s TV specials, as well as Darkwing Duck and Carlton the Doorman on Rhoda.

Animation Fun Facts for May 1st, 2012 Tues.

Birthdays: Maurice Noble, Fyodor Khytruk the Walt Disney of Russia, Louis Nye, John Woo, Wes Anderson is 43, Joanna Lumley is 66, animator Eric Goldberg is 57 1902- Richard Outcault's comic strip Buster Brown and Tige first appeared. Outcault, the creator of the first hit cartoon the Yellow Kid was so famous that as part of his deal to do this strip he negotiated the first back-end deal for a percentage of the merchandise sales. 1939- The first Batman comics created by Bob Kane appear on newsstands. 1989- Walt Disney Feature Animation in Orlando Florida opens. It closed in 2006 1993- The Florida Animation Union Local 843 chartered.