Hi, everyone! I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who has supported this Patreon page during these difficult times that have occurred these past couple months.
Here is the latest “restoration comparison” from the 1932 Flip the Frog cartoon The Milkman, with additional footage exclusively for this $5 Patron tier. On the left is the raw scan, and on the right is the digital clean-up, which has also been stabilized. Grim Natwick handles much of the anim...
2020-05-11 18:43:06 +0000 UTC
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Hi, everyone! I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who has supported this Patreon page during these difficult times that have occurred these past couple months.
Here is the latest “restoration comparison” from the 1932 Flip the Frog cartoon The Milkman. On the left is the raw scan, and on the right is the digital clean-up, which has also been stabilized. Grim Natwick handles much of the animation in this excerpt.
However, I must announce that the f...
2020-05-11 18:39:21 +0000 UTC
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Ken Champin (1911-1989) was one of Friz Freleng’s regular animators—he was part of his staff by 1940, indicated by a group photograph, but he did not receive an on-screen credit until Daffy—the Commando, released in 1943.
During the 1940s, Champin freelanced in comic book stories for Sangor-published magazines in James Davis’ shop while animating at Warners. He continued ...
2020-04-20 21:26:14 +0000 UTC
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Hope everyone is staying well and keeping in good spirits. Now, for a brand-new restoration comparison!
This stunning copy Insect to Injury (1956) is sourced from a 35mm Tech print owned and scanned by Steve Stanchfield of Thunderbean Animation. On the left is the raw transfer, and the right is the clean up work with dust, dirt and debris digitally removed.
Here’s a 3-minute clip for you Patrons on the $5 level—just about half of the cartoon!
2020-04-16 18:52:47 +0000 UTC
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Hope everyone is staying well and keeping in good spirits. Now, for a brand-new restoration comparison!
This stunning copy Insect to Injury (1956) is sourced from a 35mm Tech print owned and scanned by Steve Stanchfield of Thunderbean Animation. On the left is the raw transfer, and the right is the clean up work with dust, dirt and debris digitally removed.
Non-Patrons will be able to view this short clip, and Patrons on the $5 level will be able t...
2020-04-16 18:49:36 +0000 UTC
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(If you have trouble viewing the Google Drive embed, click here.)
Now, here’s an animator breakdown I have wanted to present from the start. I’m sure some of you have seen the earlier announcement, but now here is Trombone Trouble (1944) starring Donald Duck!
2020-04-05 19:28:38 +0000 UTC
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Attention, readers and Patrons! I’d like to announce the subject of an upcoming animator breakdown—something that has been on my list since I started doing these for Cartoon Research!
I have already announced that brand-new animator breakdowns will be exclusive to Patrons only. However, because of the impactful situation with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), I have decided to make this public, for all to see.
Now for the title—it...
2020-03-20 17:47:50 +0000 UTC
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Here's the last clip of the week, from The Music Lesson (1932), sourced from a 35mm dupe positive. I hope you've all enjoyed these clips - I will share more eventually, but I might space them out just a little.
In a few weeks, I will post an exclusive animator breakdown video, so keep an eye out!
2020-03-13 16:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Back again with another Flip clip, this time with a sample from Puppy Love (1932). Like many of the other clips we've shown this week, this was scanned from the original 35mm fine-grain elements.
2020-03-12 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Hope you've all enjoyed these clips so far! Today, we present an excerpt from Circus (1932), scanned from a 16mm print, dated around 1945. As of this writing, there do not seem to be any 35mm materials that exist of this title.
2020-03-11 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Today's clip is from Flip's Lunch Room (1933), sourced from its original 35mm fine-grain elements.
2020-03-10 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
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As I've shared yesterday, up until this Friday, I will be posting clips from different Flip the Frog cartoons sourced from the raw scans (no clean-up) done by Steve Stanchfield.
This first clip is from The Goal Rush, scanned from the original 35mm fine-grain.
2020-03-09 16:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Hi, folks! Here's a big announcement!
From Monday (3/9) through Friday (3/13), I will post clips from different Flip the Frog cartoons, each scanned by Steve Stanchfield of Thunderbean Animation. Of course, I should note these will be from the raw scans, with no clean-up work done. However, it should give you an idea on how great these look when shown in a higher resolution. Hope you're all looking forward to it!
2020-03-08 15:52:20 +0000 UTC
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Now, here’s a clip from Ragtime Romeo (1931), scanned in 4K from the original camera negative, with some animation in the first 30 seconds by Grim Natwick. This is straight from the raw file, therefore no clean-up work has been done. The sound used is from the fine-grain master positive.
Just to compare, here is a comparison between the original camera negative and the fine-grain master positive, which is a generation below.
2020-02-23 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Happy Saturday! As promised, here is a hi-def clip from Flip the Frog’s first appearance, Fiddlesticks, released in August 1930. Fiddlesticks is an important cartoon in that it was the first full sound cartoon in color, not counting the brief animated segment from King of Jazz, produced by Walter Lantz’s studio released earlier in April. While the King of Jazz s...
2020-02-22 20:50:38 +0000 UTC
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With Steve Stanchfield's permission, this Patreon will be presenting clips from raw 4K scans of Fiddlesticks and Ragtime Romeo (1931) to the public this Saturday and Sunday, so be sure to check in!
Here are some screen grabs of both cartoons to get you folks excited...
2020-02-21 23:18:22 +0000 UTC
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Note: If you have difficulty playing the Google Drive embed, click to this direct link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CqOSCC5VX4PfH_1d9_JtR5NctTM6hTI4/view
Out on the desert early in the morning, see the happy Road Runner burning up the roads!
On ...
2020-02-16 20:57:26 +0000 UTC
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Next on the restoration pipeline is the 1932 Flip the Frog cartoon, The Milkman! Steve Stanchfield had this scanned just a few days ago, sourced from the original fine-grain master positive. Here are some screen grabs from the raw scan I thought you’d all like to see…
2020-02-09 12:43:35 +0000 UTC
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In The Adventures of the Road Runner (1962), while Ralph Phillips and his friend sit very close to the television set watching Wile E. Coyote chase after his usual conquest, he asks a question which other children must have wondered throughout watching the series: why exactly does the Coyote want to eat the Road Runner?
This film provides the answer from Wile E. Coyote himself in this sequence above, animated by Ken Harris. With the help of author/historian Kurtis Findlay (...
2020-01-27 19:24:53 +0000 UTC
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Production materials indicate animator Ben Washam worked on the first cartoon Chuck Jones directed for Warner Bros., The Night Watchman, released in 1938. Though his contributions in that film were brief given his fledgling status during that period, Washam continued to work for Jones throughout much of his career.
Washam usually drew his characters slightly ...
2020-01-23 20:21:16 +0000 UTC
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I’m back with another restoration comparison! This time, it’s from a cult classic, The Sunshine Makers, a 1935 Rainbow Parade cartoon (in Cinecolor) directed by Ted Esbaugh and Burt Gillett. I was only given the first few scenes for digital clean-up and it was quite a challenge.
This is sourced from an original 35mm Cinecolor element, printed in 1944. It seems later reprints of original Cinecolor prints of Rainbow Parades, intended to be struck for home movie...
2019-12-11 03:53:54 +0000 UTC
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I’m back with another restoration comparison. This time, it’s from a cult classic, The Sunshine Makers, a 1935 Rainbow Parade cartoon (in Cinecolor) directed by Ted Esbaugh and Burt Gillett. I was only given the first few scenes for digital clean-up and it was quite a challenge.
This is sourced from an original 35mm Cinecolor element, printed in 1944. It seems later reprints of original Cinecolor prints of Rainbow Parades, intended to be struck for h...
2019-12-11 03:52:14 +0000 UTC
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Here’s a new restoration comparison video featuring Techno-Cracked (1933), starring Ub Iwerks’ cartoon character Flip the Frog! I have decided for public posts, viewers will be able to view a short sample of these videos, so that everyone will get a chance to look at these. (Patrons on the $5 level will be able to see this 2-minute clip in its entirety.)
Usual reminder: the clean-up work does not reflect how the final product will appear on the Blu-Ray, since post-productio...
2019-11-26 22:32:53 +0000 UTC
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Here’s a new restoration comparison video featuring Techno-Cracked (1933), starring Ub Iwerks’ cartoon character Flip the Frog! In this cartoon, Flip builds his own mechanical man to avoid mowing the lawn.
Usual reminder: the clean-up work does not reflect how the final product will appear on the Blu-Ray, since post-production touches will be most likely be added later.
Enjoy!
2019-11-26 22:29:32 +0000 UTC
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This was meant to accompany the “Moonlighting Animation Artists in Comics” post about Manny Perez, one of Friz Freleng’s main animators at Warners and DePatie-Freleng for many years. As animator Greg Duffell noted, Perez used clear and direct posing to get to the essence of the gag. He shared some similarities in timing to Gerry Chiniquy, whose characters ten...
2019-11-07 22:23:51 +0000 UTC
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Hey, everyone! Apologies for the slow update (yet again)!
I hit upon an idea that might be easier for me to deliver more posts at a faster rate. A new feature will be introduced in a few days—animator reels! It’s understood there are many of these on YouTube currently and were also originated by Thad Komorowski on his blog, which are still active. I had planned to make this a regula...
2019-11-02 23:32:05 +0000 UTC
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In my debut post for Cartoon Research, I should have mentioned where these “animator breakdowns” originated. Back in 2006, Thad Komorowski presented a blog that offered insight into whi...
2019-10-14 21:47:44 +0000 UTC
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Stick ‘em up, partner! As promised, here is a “restoration comparison” video available to the public! Here is a clip from Movie Mad (1931) with Flip the Frog, largely animated by Grim Natwick. The original scan fine-grain has minimal dirt (as seen on the left) and the picture still looks crisp. Just a reminder, this will not reflect how the final product will appear, since extra touches will be added much later. As with the animator breakdowns, all ot...
2019-10-06 23:56:50 +0000 UTC
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Place your bets, folks! Here’s an animator breakdown, exclusive only on this Patreon!
Admittedly, it has become a bit of a challenge being limited to Bob McKimson’s cartoons in terms of animator drafts from Warner Bros. Of course, as we all know, they are the only private collection from any of the principal directors accessible right now. As a cartoonist friend once said, “These th...
2019-10-02 21:02:59 +0000 UTC
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Hey, folks! Apologies for the lack of updates, but I’ve decided to fix up this Patreon page to keep it simple and reasonable, in terms of rewards. As you’ll see on the main page, I’ve updated the reward tiers accordingly. You will be happy to know this week, there will be an exclusive animator breakdown posted to this Patreon page! The cartoon presented will be Bob McKimson’s The Grey Hounded Hare (1949), which will be released to the publi...
2019-09-30 19:23:02 +0000 UTC
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