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Funny Pictures
Animation and Comedy in Studio-Era Hollywood
Edited by Daniel Goldmark and Charles Keil
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Book Presentation:
This collection of essays explores the link between comedy and animation in studio-era cartoons, from filmdom’s earliest days through the twentieth century. Written by a who’s who of animation authorities, Funny Pictures offers 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 Pictures also looks ahead to show how this vital American entertainment tradition still thrives today in works ranging from The Simpsons to the output of Pixar.
About the authors:
Daniel Goldmark is Associate Professor of Music at Case Western Reserve University and the author of Tunes for ‘Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon (UC Press). Charlie Keil is Associate Professor of Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto and the author of Early American Cinema in Transition and American Cinema’s Transitional Era (UC Press).
Press Reviews:
"Anyone seeking understanding of the comic routine and gags, the racial masquerades and cartoon legacy of Charlie Chaplin, or the sound of funny should read this book, stand up, and cheer."— Choice
"It’s no small feat to write scholarly essays that are lucid and readable, and as likely to be appreciated by general film enthusiasts as well as high falutin’ ivory-tower types. That’s the hat trick pulled off in ‘Funny Pictures.’"— Examiner.com"[An] eloquent assembly of analyses."— Quarterly Review Of Film & Video
"Funny Pictures is 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 Keil’s 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, animation studies, or popular entertainment more broadly." —Maureen Furniss, founding editor of Animation Journal
"The conventional connection between animation and comedy has long been a topic in need of examination, and the editors have assembled a stellar lineup of contributors to tackle the job."—Kristin Thompson, author of The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood
See the publisher website: University of California Press
> From the same authors:
Beyond the Soundtrack (2007)
Representing Music in Cinema
Dir. Daniel Goldmark, Lawrence Kramer and Richard Leppert
> On a related topic:
Hollywood Cartoons (2004)
American Animation in Its Golden Age
Rediscovered Classics of Japanese Animation (2025)
The Adaptation of Children's Novels into the World Masterpiece Theater Series
Cultural Guide to Anime and Manga (2023)
by Pamela Gossin and Marc Hairston
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