Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #577214 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-14
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .64" h x 5.20" w x 9.59" l, .87 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

From Amazon.com
The business behind creating and producing comics, cartoons, or, specifically, animation is nothing short of fascinating. More than a "behind the scenes" book or a "tell all" expose, Serious Business is a great find for this reason: it places an emphasis on the creative people in the industry. To quote the dust cover: "The history of animation is the story of its geniuses. Serious Business disperses the clouds created by decades of received wisdom, bogus myth-making, and corporate propaganda to reveal a cast of characters whose entertainment value exceeds that of their creations."

From Publishers Weekly
How American cartoons reflect American culture and vice versa is the subject of an entertaining and informative study by former Time staffer Kanfer. Although the sections on recent cartoon history (covering slick studio fare like Toy Story as well as MTV stars Beavis and Butt-head) are less colorful than the history of the early years, Kanfer's tone is steady throughout. From the beginning, animated shorts utilized painful stereotypes: the first real animated motion picture, Humorous Phases of a Funny Face, ends as "[t]he words Coon and Cohen become caricatures of an African American and a Jew." This tradition continued as animators struggled to find a more appropriate application for their art, with many of them switching from human subjects to animals or objects in order to spotlight special effects. Kanfer gives brief, helpful background on Walt Disney and weighs how the early efforts of Mickey Mouse's creator differed from the popular cartoons of the day, including Disney's predilection for rural farm settings while most others set their work in cities. Disney was no stranger to the use of damaging racial and ethnic caricatures, however. In "The Three Little Pigs" the wolf wore rabbinical dress and spoke with a heavy Yiddish accent. The births of many popular characters provide amusing anecdotes: Daffy Duck, for example, was given his characteristic sputtering voice as a dig at a Warner Brothers executive who conducted impromptu inspections of the animators' workplace and suffered from a terrible speech impediment, and Chuck Jones credited some of Mark Twain's writing with providing the inspiration for Wile E. Coyote. Even though Kanfer's story slows a little at the end, it is thoroughly engaging throughout.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
As an art form, animation is magically irresistible; as a reflection of broader American popular culture, it is amazingly on target. A former Time magazine editor, Kanfer here shows how the people, politics, prejudices, trends, and technologies of various eras have been so aptly reflected in each set of frames. From its tedious hand-drawn beginnings, to the advent of Disney, to such modern features as Watership Down and Toy Story, the reader is treated to solid history. But Kanfer also provides savvy commentary on a variety of factors that influenced the final product and elicited the public's eternal fascination. As a result, the antics of old and new characters alike?from Bugs Bunny to Beavis and Butthead?take on a whole new meaning. The author knows his subject and revels in it, thereby rewarding the reader with many fresh discoveries. While Kanfer's humbly stated intention is to augment previous writings on the subject, his work should certainly join the ranks of important literature in the field. Highly recommended for both students of this art form and cartoon enthusiasts.?Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, N.J.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.