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- Archive-name: animation-faq
- Version: 1.27 1994/08/23
-
- *** REC.ARTS.ANIMATION Frequently asked questions ***
-
- *** CONTENTS
-
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Questions:
- Q1. Where can I get a copy of the movie *Heavy Metal* on VHS?
- Q2. But I just went to a ComicCon and a vendor had copies with ...
- Q3. I will surely die if I don't get (MyFaveCartoon) on VHS! Where ...
- Q4. Any other mail order vendors I need to know about?
- Q5. I'm into anime (Japanese Animation). Why no anime posts?
- Q6. Any other toon newsgroups I need to know about?
- Q7. Where can I get the soundtrack from *The Last Unicorn*?
- Q8. What are the lyrics to (MyFaveCartoon'sThemeSong)?
- Q9. What cartoons are on *The Golden Age of Looney Tunes*?
- Q10 Does anyone have a gif of (MyFaveAnimatedScene?)
- Q11. What about those of us who are really interested in the actual
- creating of animation? Drawing, etc?
- Q12. Are there any magazines, etc. dealing with Animation?
- Q13. What's the deal with editing on Tex Avery video collections?
- Q14. Any good books on Animation / Cartoons?
- 3. Misc. information sources
- S1. FTP site for Local 839 IATSE (Animators' Union)
- 4. Frequently Discussed Topics that tend to go nowhere
- 5. Acknowledgements & Distribution rights
-
- *** INTRODUCTION
-
- Rec.arts.animation is a relatively high-volume newsgroup which is intended
- to discuss animation of any kind. No subjects are taboo, but discussion
- tends to focus on cartoons of all sorts -- how they are made, how good they
- are, how BAD they are :-), and any other toon-related issues.
-
- As with any other newsgroup, there are several questions that come up
- repeatedly. This document attempts to provide authoritative answers
- to some of these FAQ's.
-
- If you have a suggestion, complaint, or any other comment, please MAIL
- it to me at wbb@netcom.com. This file is posted automatically by
- machine, and I sometimes fall behind in my newsreading. There is a
- good chance I will not see your comments if you post them. So please
- email me instead. It may take me some time to incorporate your comments
- into this file. All comments are saved and WILL be included at some point
- in the future as my time allows.
-
- This FAQ, as well as many other FAQ's appearing on the net, is posted to
- news.answers. You can ftp FAQ's mentioned in this document from
- rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet. If you do not have ftp, send a message to
- "mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu" with the word "help" in the body. The server
- will send you instructions on retrieving the files via email.
-
- This FAQ is posted about every 15 days. You may also request it via
- email (give me several days to respond).
-
- *** CHANGES FROM VERSION 1.26
-
- . Questions renumbered
- . Q1: minor rewording of Turner comments
- . Q10: New ftp site added (lisa.apana.org.au)
- . Q12: Added (Animation magazines)
- . Section 4 added (Add'l sources of info, Local 839 IATSE info)
-
- *** QUESTIONS
-
- Q1. Where can I get a copy of the movie *Heavy Metal* on VHS?
-
- A1. Heavy Metal (the movie) is not licensed on video cassette in the US.
- From the horse's mouth:
-
- "We are constantly asked where one can buy the video of *Heavy
- Metal: The Film.* You can't. It's not available. At the time
- the movie was made the film company, Columbia Pictures, didn't
- obtain the rights to the music. It's been a long, arduous endeavor,
- but we are working on it, and hopefully we'll have some good news
- about a possible video in the future."
-
- Julie Simmons-Lynch
- Editor-in-Chief
- Heavy Metal magazine
- Summer 1988 issue
-
- The US Pay Cable channel Cinemax shows Heavy Metal approximately every
- 8 months. The most recent reported showing was in November 1992.
- (It may have aired since then, but has not been reported to the
- newsgroup.) Ted Turner has acquired rights to it; a butchered
- version of it is shown occasionally on TNT and/or TBS.
-
- Q2. But I just went to a ComicCon and a vendor had copies with color covers
- and everything!
-
- A2. The movie is widely bootlegged. Some vendors dress them up to make
- look official, but the fact remains that they are bootlegs.
-
- Q3. I will surely die if I don't get (MyFaveCartoon) on VHS! Where can I
- buy it?
-
- If it's a Warners or MGM cartoon, there's a very large chance it's been
- released on VHS. Check mass merchandisers such as K-Mart and Wal-Mart,
- and also check places like Suncoast Motion Pictures (a store that sells
- only videos). Suncoast usually has a very good selection of toons.
-
- The best place to look for hard-to-find video is the Whole Toon Catalog.
- They specialize in cartoons on video. They have thousands of titles in
- their catalog including toons from many independent vendors. If it's
- available on video, they'll probably have it. To contact them:
- Whole Toon Catalog
- PO Box 1910
- Seattle, WA 98111-1910
- (206) 441-4130 FAX: (206) 441-4295
- Sadly, their retail store in Seattle has shut down; however I
- understand their mail order business shall continue.
-
- Q4. Any other mail order vendors I need to know about?
-
- A4. Warner Bros Catalog -- sells Looney Tunes material as well as
- promotional materials for their current movies and TV shows.
- The merchandise is usually overpriced and unexceptional. (IMHO)
- Warner Bros. Catalog
- PO Box 60048
- Tampa FL 33660-0048
- (800) 223-6524
- Most of the merchandise available in the catalog is also available
- at the Warner Bros. Studio Stores. These are not nearly as widespread
- as the Disney stores, though their numbers are growing rapidly.
- The 800 number above should be able to tell you the WBSS nearest
- to your town.
-
- Disney Catalog --
- The Disney Catalog
- PO Box 28144
- Shawnee Mission KS 66201-9144
- (800) 237-5751
- (any others?)
-
- Q5. I'm into anime (Japanese Animation). Why don't I ever see any anime
- posts here?
-
- A5. They are all in rec.arts.anime, which has its own FAQ. The maintainer of
- that FAQ has volunteered to answer queries, etc., outside of r.a.anime.
- Email to pearl@remus.rutgers.edu.
-
- Q6. Any other toon newsgroups I need to know about?
-
- A6. Here are a few and what they focus on :
-
- alt.animation.warner-bros -- Warner Bros. cartoons (old and new)
- alt.tv.animaniacs -- Fox-TV Cartoon "Animaniacs" (*)
- alt.tv.tiny-toon -- Fox-TV Cartoon "Tiny Toon Adventures" (*)
- alt.tv.tiny-toon.fandom -- Looser discussion of toons.
- alt.fan.disney.afternoon -- Syndicated cartoons in
- "The Disney Afternoon" (Goof Troop, Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck,
- Tale Spin) and DuckTales (and others?)
- alt.tv.ren-n-stimpy -- Nickelodeon cartoon "The Ren & Stimpy Show" (*)
- alt.fan.ren-and-stimpy -- a lesser-distributed newsgroup.
- rec.arts.disney -- Any and all things Disney, tends to focus more on the
- animated feature films and on theme park issues (*)
- alt.tv.simpsons -- Fox-TV Cartoon "The Simpsons" (*)
- comp.graphics.animation -- technical details of computer animation
- alt.tv.liquid.tv -- MTV show "Liquid Television"
-
- (*) Indicates the group has its own FAQ which you can ftp from
- rtfm.mit.edu. (/pub/usenet)
-
- Discussion about the Disney Afternoon also takes place on a mailing
- list as well as the newsgroup listed above. All of the "true fans"
- are on the mailing list. :-) The most ground-breaking news from the
- list is posted to the newsgroup. Send mail to
- ranger-list-request@taronga.com to be placed on this mailing list.
-
- Q7. Where can I get the soundtrack from *The Last Unicorn*?
-
- A7. The soundtrack exists, but is not released in the US. Here's the
- pertinent info.
- "Das Letzte Einhorn"
- released by Virgin Records (in then West Germany, I believe)
- copyright 1982, CD # 610 388-222
- running time: 38 min.
-
- Q8. What are the lyrics to (MyFaveCartoon'sThemeSong)?
-
- A8. I have lyrics for Disney Afternoon and some Jay Ward cartoons. Mail me
- requests. I am trying to build up a repository of lyrics and then
- stash them at some ftp site. Contributions gratefully accepted!
-
- Q9. What cartoons are on *The Golden Age of Looney Tunes*? How about the
- other tapes? Any other laserdiscs?
-
- A9. I have a list which includes all the data for the current MGM/UA and
- Warner VHS tapes and laser discs. Due to space considerations, it is
- not included here. To obtain this list by email, send mail to
- wbb@netcom.com with a subject of "SENDME lt.lis".
-
- Q10. Does anyone have a gif of (MyFaveAnimatedScene?)
-
- A10. Most sites that used to offer images, now no longer do so due
- to copyright issues. Check alt.binaries.pictures.cartoons. In
- the interest of keeping myself totally free from legal burden,
- I no longer maintain a list of sites.
-
- Q11. What about those of us who are really interested in the actual
- creating of animation? Drawing, etc?
-
- A11. The address for the animator's mailing list is
- animate-request@dsd.es.com; sending e-mail with a subject of
- "subscribe" will automatically join you to it.
-
- Q12. Are there any magazines, etc. dealing with animation?
-
- A12. A list follows, which is surely not all-inclusive. Thanks to
- Emru Townsend for the info.
-
- A-Ni-Me, Neo-Tokyo Enterprises/Mike Tatsugawa
- 2425 B Channing Way, Suite 310, Berkeley, CA 74704
- $15.00 (includes tax, shipping & handling), published annually
- Anime Magazine
-
- Animaster, The Goodwill Network/Massimo Iorillo
- P.O. Box 3244, 1499 Yverdon, Switzerland, Europe
- Anime magazine
-
- Animation Magazine, VSD Publications
- 6750 Centinela Ave., Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90230
-
- Animato, the Animation Fan's Magazine
- 17 Spruce St. Springfield, MA 01105
- Quarterly animation magazine; $12/four issues; tel: (413) 731-7928
-
- Animator
- 13 Ringway Road Part Street, St. Albans, Herts, AL2 2RE, England
- Animation magazine
-
- Anime UK
- 70 Mortimer Street, London, England W1N 7DF, tel: +44 (0)71 637 2588
- Japanese animation magazine
-
- Big Reel, P.O. Box 1050, Dubuque, IA 52004
- Subscription: $25 for 12 monthly issues; tel: (800) 334-7165
- Magazine for film collectors
-
- fps, PO Box 36, Station H, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 2K5
- Small-press animation magazine, contact emru@cam.org
-
- In Toon!, PO Box 217, Gracie Station, New York, NY 10028
- A magazine for collectors of original animation art; $18/year
-
- Q13. What's the deal with editing on Tex Avery video collections?
-
- A13. The first pressing of the Complete Tex Avery set contains two edited
- cartoons. This was a mistake by MGM/Turner and the second pressing
- is supposed to be correct. I wouldn't recommend buying a copy without
- first verifying it is the unedited version. In "Droopy's Good Deed"
- look for the exploding hat, if the man continues counting out the
- money in black-face with a southern accent you have the unedited
- version. (Thanx to Michael W. Denney for this info.)
-
- Q14. Any good books on Animation / Cartoons?
-
- A14. For Disney books, I refer you to part 03 of Tom Tanida's excellent
- FAQ for rec.arts.disney (see above for instructions on how to get
- this list).
-
- Whole Toon has a large list of animation books available, including
- many Disney books and several non-Disney books. Some suggestions
- from the net:
-
- Adamson, Joe; "Tex Avery: King of Cartoons"; printed in 1975;
- A biography of Tex Avery. It has a filmography listing credits
- with a short description and rating of each cartoon. There is
- an interview with Tex Avery and a fair number of black and
- white stills for films, character sheets.
-
- Beck, Jerry and Will Friedwald; "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies" 1988;
- Ultimate reference of Warner Brothers cartoons. Chronological
- filmography of releases with synopsis and full credits.
-
- Blanc, Mel; "That's not All, Folks";
- Mel Blanc's biography (I guess, I've not read it.)
-
- Brion, Patrick; "Tom & Jerry: The Definitive Guide to their Animated
- Adventures"; New York, Harmony Books, 1990. A translation of the 1987
- French edition. An extremely thorough and beautiful treatment of the
- Tom and Jerry series from 1940 to 1967. Includes complete production
- information on each film, including music used, animators, etc. Very
- large and gorgeous--lots of color pictures. [Ed. Note: If you are
- a Tom & Jerry fan, you must own this book. It is a very well-done
- production. I found it at a used bookstore for $10 -- lists for $40!
- Or, PSB suggests this source: Edward R. Hamilton, Bookseller, Falls
- Village, CT 06031-5000--he doesn't do phone orders, so write for a
- catalog.]
-
- John Canemaker, Felix: "The Twisted Tale of the World's Most Famous Cat"
- Chronicles the rise of Felix during the silent era, his fall and rise
- again as a television star. Lots of great art, a bibliography and short
- filmography. New York, Pantheon Books, 1991.
-
- Carbarga, Leslie; "The Fleischer Story" 1988;
- A chronicle of the rise and fall of the Fleischer brothers, the
- pioneering animators responsible for Betty Boop, Koko the Clown,
- Popeye among others. Contains a complete filmography.
-
- Donald Crafton; "Before Mickey: The Animated Film 1898-1928";
- Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press, 1982. The definitive scholarly work on
- the early animated film. Lots of illustrations and a bibliography.
- The book ends where most begins--with Walt Disney's work. Great of
- pre-film entertainments, Emile Cohl, Winsor McCay, Bray's invention
- of the cel technique, Paul Terry's Aesop's Fables, Fleischer's Out of
- the Ink-well series, Felix the Cat. Crafton's writing is extremely
- readable considering his amazing scholarship.
-
- Jones, Chuck; "Chuck Amuck --- The Life and Times of an Animated
- Cartoonist"; 1990;
- An autobiography of Chuck Jones. It has a fair number of sketches,
- stories etc about the Warner Brother studios. Includes a filmography.
-
- Lenburg, Jeff; "Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons" 1991;
- The most comprehensive reference for theatrical cartoons and feature
- films, and television, listing individual episode titles.
- Entries include creators, directors, studios, voices, plot summaries
- and other trivia.
-
- Maltin, Leonard; "Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated
- Cartoons"; 1987;
- A history of the major american animation studios, focusing up
- until the 1960's studios. Detailed filmography. Good overall
- history of the US animation houses. Considered THE history of
- American Animation
-
- Schneider, Steve; "That's All Folks" 1988;
- Detailed history of the Warner Brothers cartooning. Chapters focus
- on individual characters and a complete chronological filmography
- is included. Lavishly illustrated.
-
- Sennett, Ted; "The Art of Hanna-Barbara" 1989;
- Coffee Table book thoroughly chronicles characters and series
- created by Hanna Barbara. Lavishly illustrated with publicity
- stills and production art. No filmography or episode titles.
-
- Solomon, Charles; "Enchanted Drawings: The HiStory of Animation" 1989;
- Huge art book, looks at the field chronologically as opposed to
- focusing on certain studios. Incredible assortment of drawings
- and cels. Expensive.
-
- Thomas, Frank and Ollie Johnston; "Disney Animation: The Illusion of
- Life"; "Good for the animator and non-animator alike." 575pp.
-
- *** MISCELLANEOUS SOURCES OF INFORMATION
-
- S1. Local 839 IATSE FTP site (following info provided by them)
-
- The Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists and Affiliated Optical Electronic
- and Graphic Arts, Local 839 IATSE is pleased to announce the availability
- by anonymous FTP of information files about our organization.
-
- Ftp to ftp.netcom.com and check out the directory /pub/mpsc839.
- Information available includes the collective bargaining agreement
- between Local 839 and most animation concerns in SoCal; the
- complete schedule of the American Animation Institute, an educational
- program administered by Local 839; excerpts of recent back issues of
- THE PEG-BOARD, Local 839's monthly newsletter; and more.
-
- For further information, email mpsc839@netcom.com. Jeff Massie
- is the human behind this alias.
-
- *** FREQUENTLY DISCUSSED TOPICS THAT TEND TO GO NOWHERE
-
- "Below are a list of topics that when brought up frequently start heated
- flame wars. When discussing them, please remember that they are a matter
- of personal opinion and not some absolute set of value judgements that
- everyone should subscribe to -- after all it is the diversity that makes
- Usenet the interesting place it is. When flame wars get out of hand, the
- moderate parties often drop out or unsubcribe to the group as a result."
-
- * US Animation vs. Japanese Animation (anime)
- * Tiny Toons are/aren't ripoffs of Looney Tunes
- * "(MyFaveCartoon) is the best cartoon in existence. Flame me."
- * "(YourFaveCartoon) is a piece of <random expletive>. Flame me."
-
- (others?)
-
- *** ACKS
-
- The following people contributed to this document:
- Roger P. Ang (rang@laputa.ics.uci.edu)
- Priscilla Stearns Barlow <psb2@midway.uchicago.edu>
- Enrique Conty (jester@ihlpl.att.com)
- Michael W. Denney (mwdenney@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca)
- J. J. Kwashnak (jkwashna@pearl.tufts.edu)
- Tad Morgan (tmorgan@as.arizona.edu)
- Tony Palombella (palomb@beagle.colorado.edu)
- Vince Taluskie (taluskie@utpapa.ph.utexas.edu)
- Emru Townsend <emru@cam.org>
- Dana Uehara (duehara@yosemite.atmos.ucla.edu)
-
-
- *** REDISTRIBUTION RIGHTS
-
- This document may be distributed freely throughout the net so long
- as all identifying information and this disclaimer appears intact.
-
- This document, or any derivative works thereof, may not be sold or
- redistributed for profit in any way without express permission of the
- editor. If you are compiling a CD-ROM and desire to include this FAQ,
- please consult the editor to negotiate appropriate permissions and
- releases. Normally I will require stipulations on header formats and a
- free copy of the end product if appropriate.
-
- This document represents the collective effort of many USENET animation
- fans. We appreciate your honoring of this policy.
-
- *** NOTICE
-
- If you are reading this off of a CD-ROM, you should be aware that the
- vendor of your CD-ROM has not asked for permission to use this FAQ; if
- they had I would have supplied them with a version missing this
- paragraph. I strongly encourage you to avoid vendors who shamelessly
- milk the net without even asking first.
-
-