Animation Station

Part five of our review of the 50 greatest cartoons as selected by a panel of more than 1,000 cartoon historians and animation professionals from the book by the same name by Jerry Beck (1994). In this episode we take on cartoons 30-26.

The 50 Greatest Cartoons (30-26):

30) Rabbit Seasoning, Warner Brothers, September 20, 1952
29) Toot, Whistle, Plunk, & Boom, Walt Disney Studios, November 10, 1953
28) Northwest Hounded Police, MGM, August 13, 1946
27) Clock Cleaners, Walt Disney Studios, October 15, 1937
26) Brave Little Tailor, Walt Disney Studios, September 23, 1938

Our other podcasts:

Don’t Fear the Grape: www.dontfearthegrape.com
Crash! Bang! Pow!: www.crashbangpow.com

Patrick and I discuss the nominees for the Academy Award’s 2010 Best Animated Short Film and give our prediction.

The 50 Greatest Cartoons (50-46):

French Roast, Fabrice O. Joubert
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty, Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte), Javier Recio Gracia
Logorama, Nicolas Schmerkin
A Matter of Loaf and Death, Nick Park

Update: Some of the links have changed since we recorded the podcast. I’ve tried to find alternate links, but who knows how long the will remain viable.

Watch online:

French Roast: www.frenchroast.fr/watchfrenchroast.html
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty: www.grannyogrimm.com/#/the-film
The Lady and the Reaper: 212.227.136.88/press/
Logorama: v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQ5OTQ5NDU2.html
A Matter of Loaf and Death: disembedded.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/a-matter-of-loaf-and-death-big-trouble-at-the-mill/

Our other podcasts:

Don’t Fear the Grape: www.dontfearthegrape.com
Crash! Bang! Pow!: www.crashbangpow.com

With the nominations announced, two animated films, Up and Avatar, have been nominated for best picture by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (or the Oscars). This is only the second time an animated feature has been nominated for Best Picture (The first was 1991’s Beauty and the Beast).

While some will argue whether or not Avatar is animation (including James Cameron), with the film being nearly 90% CGI, it fits my definition of animation (see episode 6 for the debate) as-well-as the Academy’s.

Either way, congratulations to both Up and Avatar.