Eric Goldberg “Crashes” Cartoon Art Museum on December 6!


Meet Top Disney Animator in San Francisco

Eric Goldberg book 


Cartoon Art Museum Event:  
Saturday, December 6, 2008, 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Free with Cartoon Art Museum admission; Half-price for members of ASIFA (please bring a copy of the ASIFA newsletter as proof of membership)

The Cartoon Art Museum hosts Eric Goldberg, the pioneering, award-winning animator/director whose cartoon magic has graced such classics as Disney’s  Aladdin, Pocahontas, Fantasia/2000 and Hercules, on Saturday, December 6, 2008, from 1:00 to 3:00pm.  Goldberg has harnessed the essence of cinema’s most beloved form in a new book, Character Animation Crash Course!, and he will be sharing his animation secrets in a special presentation for Cartoon Art Museum patrons.  This event is free with paid admission to the museum, and members of the animators’ group ASIFA will be admitted to the museum for half-price on December 6.

Designed to address students, professionals and animation fans, Goldberg’s book and accompanying CD are jammed packed with the insights and methods needed to bring pencil lines to extraordinary life.

Goldberg, currently supervising animator on the character “Louis” in Disney’s upcoming The Princess and the Frog (Holiday 2009 release), opens a treasure chest of animation secrets, illuminating in text and drawings how characters are conceived and – endowed with strong and unforgettable personalities – ultimately brought to life.  The CD of animated movie examples demonstrate in real time or frame-by-frame, Goldberg’s principles at play – the first time three dimensions have been used to illustrate the process.  

The author’s witty observations combine with his wealth of knowledge gleaned from 30-plus years in the animation industry to cast the book as an immediate classic guide to character animation.

“This is the book I wish I had when I was first learning my craft,” said Goldberg.  “The first part stresses the thought and preparation required to animate, and the second part is a no-nonsense manual describing classic animation techniques, all in the service of getting great performances from the characters.”

Character Animation Crash Course is a revealing ride from a blank sheet of paper or empty computer screen to something that anyone age 6-69 can recognize as a living, breathing, emoting creature.

Gene Deitch by the Numbers

 

Some random statistics from a 62-year career

84-year old Gene Deitch concluded his 2008 tour of San Francisco—which included being an honored guest of the SF International Animation Festival—by addressing a rapt audience at SF State. His 6th presentation on the tour was ostensibly a review of his work for Weston Woods, but he called it a salute to his "greatest failures." (As if!) Allow us to summmarize some highlights, quantitatively:

150+ The number of awards Gene has won for his childrens’ story adaptations.

5 The number of "failed projects" Gene presented Thursday night: (But on balance, it’s also the number of Academy Award nominations that he’s received.)

1/2 is how much weight a good musical soundtrack carries in the success or failure of an animated film. Gene showed us 2 versions of William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1993) to illustrate his point.

12 The length (in minutes) of his 35mm adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, created in 30 days to secure an option on The Lord of the Rings for producer William Snyder. They got the option, but couldn’t raise the necessary backing to make the film in 1964.

3 The number of adaptations of Jules Pfieffer stories that Gene has adapted: Munro (1961), Bark George, and I Lost My Bear (2005).

1968 was the year he could have won his second Oscar, if only The Giants had been properly submitted for consideration. But it did make him 1 of 6 directors in the Czech Republic to have his film banned by the Communist regime (for "Objectivism").

34 The number of chapters in Gene’s online book, How to Succeed in Animation, available free from Animation World Network.

 

2 is the number of versions of Where the Wild Things Are that were released. The first (from 1976) features an avant-garde soundtrack by Gene himself; the other (from 1988) has a more conventional music accompaniment by Peter "PDQ Bach" Schickele. 

5840 The number of miles Gene and wife Zdenka must travel from San Francisco back to their home in Prague (where they’ve lived together for 48 years). Have a safe trip and thanks for a great evening!