Commentary – Animation Scoop

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Charles Solomon’s Animation Year End Review 2023

Although he wrote them in 1859, Charles Dickens might have been thinking of animation in 2023 when he penned the celebrated lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the […]

Charles Solomon’s Animation Year End Review 2022

Although he wrote them in 1859, Charles Dickens might have been thinking of animation in 2022 when he penned the celebrated lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the […]

Charles Solomon’s Animation Year End Review 2021

Although he wrote them in 1859, Charles Dickens might have been thinking of animation in 2021 when he penned the celebrated lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the […]

Happy 90th Birthday Wimpy!

J. Wellington Wimpy is considered to be one of greatest comic strip characters conceived. He first appeared in E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1931. From his very beginnings he would con Popeye into buying him a meal. His famous catch-phrase, “I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today” is known all […]

Remembering Marcell Jankovics

I still remember when I discovered the work of the great Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics, who died on May 29th at the age of 79. In 1975, I saw Sisyphus in the 10th Annual International Tournée of Animation. The skill with which the artist captured the anatomy of the character, his frustration and the essence […]

Peilin Chou Debuts “Awakening”

Awakening is a PSA directed by Oscar-nominated producer Peilin Chou (Over The Moon), in response to the rise in Asian violence across the country. As part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and with the goal of inspiring and uplifting the community and beyond, Awakening features an exciting line-up of top Asian American animation […]

For the Love of Lola

The latest Battle of the Century on social media in a never-ending series of them is animation related. Of course, competing social media factions will raise hell over any issue that can be seen under a microscope or picked up by tweezers, and such scraps can go on for days until the next cause celebre […]

Charles Solomon’s Animation Year End Review 2020

Although he wrote them in 1859, Charles Dickens might have been thinking of animation in 2020 when he penned the celebrated lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the […]

“No Times for Purrs and Pats”: The 50th Anniversary of ‘Josie and the Pussycats’

Think about your favorite singer, or group, or band. They may be from the Golden Age of Rock n’ Role, or the British Invasion, or the Grunge Rock-era or even a Boy Band. They may have made their indelible impact on, not just the music charts, but our culture as well. They may be legends […]

Toon In and Feel Good!

The thing about the real world lately is that it’s been so…well…REAL. Around every corner, the challenges of 2020 can be found and the heaviness of each day’s latest news reports can be a weight that is difficult to lift. Thankfully, animation fans have a constant source of escape. This is particularly true of short […]

Charles Solomon’s Animation Year End Review 2019

Although he wrote them in 1859, Charles Dickens might have been thinking of animation in 2019 when he penned the celebrated lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the […]

Charles Solomon’s Animation Year End Review 2018

Although he wrote them in 1859, Charles Dickens might have been thinking of animation in 2018 when he penned the celebrated lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the […]

Charles Solomon’s Animation Year End Review 2017

Although he wrote them in 1859, Charles Dickens might have been thinking of animation in 2017 when he penned the celebrated lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the […]

What Lessons Have We Learned from Ghost in the Shell Flopping?

Paramount’s Ghost in the Shell film is officially a flop after pulling in $19 million on its opening weekend and on course to lose $60 million overall. Live-action adaptations of anime and manga series’ are always tough, but with this latest disappointment, what, if any, lessons have we learned? There’s no shortage of lessons, that’s […]

Would a Ren & Stimpy Movie Even Be Worth it?

Plenty of people both old and young (but mainly old!) got really excited about the prospect of a Nicktoons universe film when it was announced back in 2015. In a recent discussion though, series director Bob Camp mentioned that the show will not play a role in the forthcoming film for obvious reasons and also […]