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The Animated Movie Guide
Going beyond the box-office hits of Disney and Dreamworks, this guide to every animated movie ever released in the United States covers more than 300 films over the course of nearly 80 years of film history. Well-known films such as Finding Nemo and Shrek are profiled and hundreds of other films, many of them rarely discussed, are analyzed, compared, and catalogued. The origin of the genre and what it takes to make a great animated feature are discussed, and the influence of Japanese animation, computer graphics, and stop-motion puppet techniques are brought into perspective. Every film analysis includes reviews, four-star ratings, background information, plot synopses, accurate running times, consumer tips, and MPAA ratings. Brief guides to made-for-TV movies, direct-to-video releases, foreign films that were never theatrically released in the U.S., and live-action films with significant animation round out the volume.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Jerry Beck
71 books22 followersJerry Beck (born February 9, 1955 in New York City) is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer. The author or editor of several books on classic American animation and classic character, including The 50 Greatest Cartoons (1994), The Animated Movie Guide (2005), Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! (2007), The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic (2011), The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from your Favorite Cartoon Classics (2007), The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom (2013), Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide (2005), and Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons (with Will Friedwald, 1989). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, DreamWorks' Madagascar, and Bee Movie. Beck is also an entertainment industry consultant for TV and home entertainment productions and releases related to classic cartoons and operates the blog "Cartoon Research." He appears frequently as a documentary subject and audio commentator on releases of A&E's Cartoons Go To War as well as DVD collections of Looney Tunes, Popeye the Sailor, and Woody Woodpecker cartoons, on which he serves a consultant and curator.
Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historian Leonard Maltin on his book Of Mice and Magic (1980), organized animation festivals in Los Angeles, and was instrumental in founding the international publication Animation Magazine. In the 1990s, Beck taught course on the art of animation at UCLA, NYU, and The School of Visual Arts. In 1993, he became a founding member of the Cartoon Network advisory board and he currently serves as president of the ASIFA-Hollywood board. He co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations of Looney Tunes, MGM Cartoons, Disney Home Video, Betty Boop, and others. In 1989, he co-founded Streamline Pictures and first brought such anime as Akira, Vampire Hunter D, and Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky to the United States. He himself compiled collections of cartoons of Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, and the Fleischer Studios. As Vice President of Nickelodeon Movies, he helped develop The Rugrats Movie (1998) and Mighty Mouse.
In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot for Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon. That cartoon, "Hornswiggle", aired on Nicktoons Network in 2008 as part of the Random! Cartoons series. Currently, he is teaching animation history at Woodbury University in Burbank, California.
In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writer Amid Amidi co-founded another blog, Cartoon Brew, which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started an Indiewire blog, Animation Scoop, for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.
Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historian Leonard Maltin on his book Of Mice and Magic (1980), organized animation festivals in Los Angeles, and was instrumental in founding the international publication Animation Magazine. In the 1990s, Beck taught course on the art of animation at UCLA, NYU, and The School of Visual Arts. In 1993, he became a founding member of the Cartoon Network advisory board and he currently serves as president of the ASIFA-Hollywood board. He co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations of Looney Tunes, MGM Cartoons, Disney Home Video, Betty Boop, and others. In 1989, he co-founded Streamline Pictures and first brought such anime as Akira, Vampire Hunter D, and Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky to the United States. He himself compiled collections of cartoons of Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, and the Fleischer Studios. As Vice President of Nickelodeon Movies, he helped develop The Rugrats Movie (1998) and Mighty Mouse.
In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot for Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon. That cartoon, "Hornswiggle", aired on Nicktoons Network in 2008 as part of the Random! Cartoons series. Currently, he is teaching animation history at Woodbury University in Burbank, California.
In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writer Amid Amidi co-founded another blog, Cartoon Brew, which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started an Indiewire blog, Animation Scoop, for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 11, 2010
The author must truly love animated movies, as he's apparently sat through not just the delightful classics but misery-inducing offerings such as "Pokemon 2000," all in the pursuit of giving us an objective review. I didn't agree with all of his assessments, but like many animation fans I certainly appreciate seeing so many films cataloged in one place. (Unfortunately, the numerous typos were distracting.)
I'm sure I'm not the only reader who came away with a list of must-see animated films I have missed.
I'm sure I'm not the only reader who came away with a list of must-see animated films I have missed.
February 8, 2016
Like most reference books, your rating will vary depending on whether you have an interest in the topic, need to look something up, etc. While this is now more than a decade out of date, it's very good for the period it covers, including all animated films in US release—anime hits, Ralph Bakshi, Disney, and Czech and Russian (among others). For me, this was a welcome addition to my film reference shelf (and more information on individual films than IMDB or the like offers).
September 6, 2020
An excellent guide to animated movies released theatrically in the US up to 2005 or so. Learned about a lot of interesting animated films I had never heard of before. Given this came out in 2005, I would love an updated and expanded edition. Also, some of the writing seems really outdated or even inaccurate (for example, writing suggesting that dreadlocks are dirty and unkempt) and would need to be rewritten or removed. Overall, super happy I managed to find this in my local library.
October 14, 2013
Instead of doing my usual review, I'll categorize the good and bad about this entertainment reference volume:
The Good: The author(s) of this book did considerably well in reviewing various kinds of animated movies. Though there are ones here practically everyone has seen--Aladdin, The Lion King, etc.--some lesser-known movies, including Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, also get praised. Each review comes with the movie's MPAA rating--if it has one--and other important information; most of the articles also have a screen shot from each film, although it is only in black and white.
Problem One: This book is several years old, which means that some of the landmark films from the past decade--Cars, Brave, Horton Hears a Who!--get no mention, as they were still in the process of being made when this book came out. Also, that makes some of the details incorrect; for example, the reviewer of Jonah says that there hasn't been any more VeggieTales feature films, when The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything came out all the way back in 2007.
Problem Two: Though amazing in its scope, this guide suffers from some serious typos. The reviewer will list the movie as having one rating, and then say it has another in the actual review. Also, some actors' voice credits are messed up; some actors are credited as playing one or two characters "and English version." This will likely frustrate a lot of people.
Problem Three: Some people assume that cartoons--and, therefore, animated movies--are only for kids, but right many of the films reviewed in this movie are rated PG-13 or higher, including several that are rated X. Though such films aren't described in lurid detail, some of the allusions--as well as one or two of the screenshots--are not what you would want your young children to read or see.
Problem Four: Each entry starts out with the movie's main credits, including producer, director, and voice actors. However, at the end of each review, the "additional credits" are listed, sometimes taking up close to an entire page. Unless you are mentioned in one or more of those listings, I'm sure you'd agree that is merely a waste of space, which only added pages and made the book more expensive.
Conclusion: I usually like reading about entertainment, even if it's the kind I don't plan on watching, but this volume has some serious issues. Animation fanatics might somewhat enjoy it, but others should stick with IMDb for film information of any kind. I only paid five bucks for it at Books-A-Million yesterday--less when you add in the coupon I used--and I'm already planning on trading it in to my local used bookstore.
Score: 1.75/5
The Good: The author(s) of this book did considerably well in reviewing various kinds of animated movies. Though there are ones here practically everyone has seen--Aladdin, The Lion King, etc.--some lesser-known movies, including Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, also get praised. Each review comes with the movie's MPAA rating--if it has one--and other important information; most of the articles also have a screen shot from each film, although it is only in black and white.
Problem One: This book is several years old, which means that some of the landmark films from the past decade--Cars, Brave, Horton Hears a Who!--get no mention, as they were still in the process of being made when this book came out. Also, that makes some of the details incorrect; for example, the reviewer of Jonah says that there hasn't been any more VeggieTales feature films, when The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything came out all the way back in 2007.
Problem Two: Though amazing in its scope, this guide suffers from some serious typos. The reviewer will list the movie as having one rating, and then say it has another in the actual review. Also, some actors' voice credits are messed up; some actors are credited as playing one or two characters "and English version." This will likely frustrate a lot of people.
Problem Three: Some people assume that cartoons--and, therefore, animated movies--are only for kids, but right many of the films reviewed in this movie are rated PG-13 or higher, including several that are rated X. Though such films aren't described in lurid detail, some of the allusions--as well as one or two of the screenshots--are not what you would want your young children to read or see.
Problem Four: Each entry starts out with the movie's main credits, including producer, director, and voice actors. However, at the end of each review, the "additional credits" are listed, sometimes taking up close to an entire page. Unless you are mentioned in one or more of those listings, I'm sure you'd agree that is merely a waste of space, which only added pages and made the book more expensive.
Conclusion: I usually like reading about entertainment, even if it's the kind I don't plan on watching, but this volume has some serious issues. Animation fanatics might somewhat enjoy it, but others should stick with IMDb for film information of any kind. I only paid five bucks for it at Books-A-Million yesterday--less when you add in the coupon I used--and I'm already planning on trading it in to my local used bookstore.
Score: 1.75/5
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews