Funny Pictures Animation and Comedy in Studio-Era Hollyood [Paperback]

This collection of essays explores the link between comedy and animation in studio-era cartoons, from filmdoms earliest days through the twentieth century. Written by a whos who of animation authorities,Funny Picturesoffers a stimulating range of views on why animation became associated with comedy so early and so indelibly, and illustrates how animation and humor came together at a pivotal stage in the development of the motion picture industry. To examine some of the central assumptions about comedy and cartoons and to explore the key factors that promoted their fusion, the book analyzes many of the key filmic texts from the studio years that exemplify animated comedy.Funny Picturesalso looks ahead to show how this vital American entertainment tradition still thrives today in works ranging fromThe Simpsonsto the output of Pixar.

Daniel Goldmarkis Associate Professor of Music at Case Western Reserve University and the author ofTunes for Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon(UC Press).Charlie Keilis Associate Professor of Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto and the author ofEarly American Cinema in TransitionandAmerican Cinemas Transitional Era(UC Press).

Funny Picturesis an important collection of writing by some of the foremost authors in the field of animation studies. Each brings considerable knowledge from a variety of fields, resulting in a book that points the direction for animation scholarship to come. While much of animation literature has been concerned with defining what makes animation different from other media, Goldmark and Keils anthology situates animation within broader historical and theoretical contexts related to popular theater, live-action cinema, authorship studies, and the industrial practices of the classical Hollywood cinema, as well as more recent trends. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of comedy, animl“