Gay Purr-ee is an example of two distinct animation styles coming together perfectly. The feature film was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) studios, revolutionizing animation with their distinctive graphic style. Also, Gay Purr-ee was written by animation legend Chuck Jones and his wife Dorothy Webster Jones. The recognizable “UPA look” is on full […]
Posts Tagged ‘Animation Cel-ebration’
A “Boo”-tiful Classic: The 70th Anniversary of Disney’s “Trick or Treat”
October 31st, 2022 
Michael Lyons Few Disney short subjects pack more character, story, beautiful animation, and the feel of a holiday into a brisk eight minutes than Trick or Treat. The 1952 Donald Duck cartoon has become a Halloween tradition for so many, and for great reason: it’s wonderful. Crafted with great care by director Jack Hannah, Trick or Treat […]
Posted in Animation Cel-ebration 
Tags: Animation Cel-ebration, Donald Duck, Walt Disney 
No Comments » The Don of a New Era: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of “The Secret of NIMH”
September 5th, 2022 Michael Lyons For many following animation closely in 1982, The Secret of NIMH was more than just another summer movie. A lot was riding on this animated film that was opening amidst other blockbusters like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Rocky III. It was the first feature directed by Don Bluth. His name had become well-known just several […]
In the Beginning: Classic Animated Characters’ First Appearances
January 17th, 2022 Michael Lyons Another year begins and with every New Year comes hope, resolutions, and the thought of new beginnings. What better time for animation fans than the start of a New Year than to look back at how some iconic cartoon characters got their first start. Continuing this column’s tradition from last year, here are the first […]
Animated Anniversaries: Looking Back at Some Other 2021 Milestones
December 31st, 2021 Michael Lyons The past year has been another challenging one. However, for animation fans, there was, at times, a fraction of escape with films, TV shows, and short subjects. Additionally, there have been many milestones for movies and TV shows that have been marked throughout the year. This column has celebrated such anniversaries as the 20th of […]
Barnyard Bluster: 75 Years of Foghorn Leghorn
August 20th, 2021 Michael Lyons In his most famous quote, actor Konstantin Stanislavski once said: “There are no small parts, only small actors.” As hard as it is to imagine, this is true of none other than Foghorn Leghorn. The loud, overbearing, blustery rooster made his first appearance seventy-five years ago this month in the 1946 Warner Bros. Cartoon short, […]
Love Stinks: Celebrating Pepe Le Pew
February 12th, 2021 Michael Lyons When it comes to a list of the most romantic leading men in film history one name stands out as creating a true “air” of love in all of his performances: the one and only Pepe Le Pew. Undeterred by his own fragrant shortcomings, this socially active skunk has continually sought his true love through […]
Goal Setting: Football-Themed Cartoons
February 5th, 2021 Michael Lyons Like so much over the past year, the Super Bowl this weekend will be a much different experience, but it will still bring with it some traditions that don’t change: a large television audience, much-discussed commercials and mounds of buffalo wings, pizzas and nachos. To help set the mood for all that’s coming to this […]
Posted in Animation Cel-ebration Tags: Animation Cel-ebration, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Popeye No Comments »
Spot On! The 60th Anniversary of Disney’s “One Hundred and One Dalmatians”
January 22nd, 2021 Michael Lyons When Walt Disney’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians opened on January 25, 1961, it was a “first” in so many ways. For the first time, a Disney animated feature would have a contemporary setting; it would also be the first “non-musical” animated feature to come from the Studio and the first time Disney was using […]
One Night Only: When Christmas Specials Were Special
December 11th, 2020 Michael Lyons Several years ago, a friend of mine shared a moment from his childhood that he jokingly referred to as “traumatic.” It was the mid-1970’s and he was grocery shopping with his parents, when he suddenly though to ask what time it was. After his parents told him, he did some quick elementary school math as […]
A Mice Time in the Outback: The 30th Anniversary of “The Rescuers Down Under”
November 6th, 2020 Michael Lyons It was Monday, November 19th, 1990 and Home Alone had just opened, becoming a mammoth hit that blindsided Hollywood, going on to become one of the biggest movies of all time and a Christmas classic. The John Hughes film also demolished any other movies competing against it at the box-office. One of these was The […]
