Before Walt

In celebration of the Centennial of American Animation, Before Walt is being released in this updated version with new material that traces the entire development of animated cartoons from the earliest concepts. This new program uses original animation sequences plus clips from commercials and industrial films by producer/director Ray Pointer.

INCLUDES

Humorous Phases Of Funny Faces (Blackton 1906)

Fantasmagorie (Cohl 1907)

Little Nemo (McCay 1911)

Us Fellers: Dud Leaves Home (Carlson 1919)

The Circus (Fleischer 1920)

Barnyard Olympics (Terry 1924)

The rare complete version of:

Felix All Puzzled (Sullivan/Messmer 1924)And early Disney works including:

Newman’s Laugh-O-Grams (1921)

Puss In Boots (1922)

Alice Solves The Puzzle (1925)

CREDITS

Actors: J. Stuart Blackton, Paul Terry, Walt Disney, Winsor McCay, Max Fleischer

Directors: J. Stuart Blackton, Ray Pointer

Format: Dolby, NTSC, Black & White, Animated, Color

Language: English

Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: General Audience

Studio: Inkwell Images

DVD Release Date: May 10, 2006

Run Time: 114 minutes

http://www.disneyinfo.nl/dvddetail.php?film=1715

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Amazon:

In commemoration of the Centennial of American Animation, BEFORE WALT covers the first 20 years of the development of the art, including the earliest concepts of moving images from cave paintings, leading up to the development of the motion picture medium. BEFORE WALT SYNOPSIS Without question, the three most important figures of American Animation are Winsor McCay, Max Fleischer, and most of all, Walt Disney. When Disney was just 19 years old, animated cartoons were an established novelty on the movie theater program. This was the result of centuries of worldwide development starting with Primitive Man. The desire to record life was evident in the various cave paintings of animals with multiple legs, which displayed the spirit of action. The ancient Egyptians understood the basic principle of the Persistence of Vision, which is the basis behind all motion pictures But it would be several millennium before the concept could be totally realized with the invention of motion pictures. The secrets to stop motion trick films had been discovered early in motion pictures, and the application of animation soon followed with the release of J. Stuart Blackton s HUMOROUS PHASES OF FUNNY FACES in 1906. In just eight years, animated cartoons were available to theater audiences on a weekly schedule. But this demand for product required a formalization of production which the pioneers all refined, each adapting from what the other had learned, laying the foundation for the achievements yet to be made by Disney. This one hour program will follow those developments, showing various examples that demonstrate the techniques and character designs that influenced the young Walt Disney. Included are HUMOROUS PHASES OF FUNNY FACES (Blackton 1906), FANTASAMAGORIE (Cohl 1907), LITTLE NEMO (McCay 1911), DUD LEAVE HOME (Carlson 1919), THE CIRCUS (Fleischer/Out of the Inkwell 1920), BARNYARD OLYMPICS (Terry/Aesop s Fables 1924), and the rare complete version of FELIX ALL P

For years, Ray Pointer of Inkwell Images has been compiling the best of early American cartoon art and preserving animation history through a series of self-produced home video releases. Ray not only finds the best prints of this material, but showcases them in their proper historical context with facts, rare photos, advertising art and practical explainations of how the animation pioneers applied their craft. BEFORE WALT, is a must-have for any serious student of animation history. All the important films, the important players and the vital facts are here. The films include the established firsts - Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906), Fantasmagorie (1907), Little Nemo (1911) - and prime examples of vintage Fleischer, Messmer, Terry - and yes, Walt Disney. Ray also includes an informative illustrated insert and his DVD contains bonus cartoons, animators biographies and a silent cartoon poster gallery. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! --Jerry Beck--CARTOON BREW

During VHS s heyday, animation fans could count on only two forms of releases for classic shorts: Those released by Disney, Warners and other studios (these usually contained about 45 minutes to an hour s worth of cartoons), and poor quality public domain collections. With the advent of DVD, a whole new market has almost been created wholesale, it seems. Now, Disney and the others are creating lavish collections of their shorts libraries, and the public domain cheapskates are still reissuing the same tired bad quality prints on cheapie discs. However, there s a third player in the field now. Represented by company s like Inkwell Images, cartoons we ve seen slapped on way too many tapes and discs, and have found a new path. Instead, they have sought out the rarest of the rare, the most obscure of the obscure. Creating a niche market on DVD, companies like this have made available to the masses long-forgotten animated shorts that would never otherwise be out there. Inkwell Image s most recent effort, Before Walt, is a studious look at the early history of animation. Instead of just throwing random cartoons on the disc, Inkwell has assembled a documentary around them, one that shows the history of the art beginning with the earliest cave paintings through to the advent of the motion picture camera. It s a fascinating lesson for those of us who love the art, but never knew much about it its history. Then we get into the meat of the DVD: The cartoons. Beginning with the 1906 effort Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, the viewer is taken on a ride through film animation s earliest years. Some, or rather, most of these, are fairly simple efforts by today s standards, but they are still highly intriguing. Early works by Winsor McCay (Little Nemo) and Max Fleischer (The Circus) are on hand, as is a 1924 Felix the Cat short, Felix All Puzzled. Even Walt himself makes an appearance, as his cartoon/live-action hybrid Alice Solves the Puzzle finishes off the disc s main section. --Madison Carter--POP SYNDICATE

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cinemano3ciclo:

Em Maio de 2006 a Inkwell Images lançou um DVD interessantíssimo para os estudiosos da história da animação, principalmente a americana, desde os primórdios até... ao senhor Walt Disney. Actualmente parece estar esgotado, pelo que aqui fica uma breve descrição do seu conteúdo enquanto não surgir no mercado. Mais do que a curiosidade pelo início da animação, este DVD apresenta-nos autênticas raridades que fazem as verdadeiras delícias dos coleccionadores e dos entusiastas deste género de cinema. Começa por uma breve introdução, que recua no tempo até à pré-história, depois os egípcios, Leonardo daVinci com a câmara escura e, antes das primeiras experiências do século XX, temos acessoa imagens dos brinquedos ópticos e às raríssimas "Pantomimas Luminosas" de Reynaud e "Fantasmagoria" de Emile Cohl - este de 1907 (pessoalmente não conheço mais nenhuma edição em vídeo que as apresente). A seguir entra nas origens da animação americana, com destaque para o inevitável Stuart Blackton com "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" de 1906, Winsor McCay, Max Fleischer, e, obviamente Walt Disney antes de "Steamboat Willie" e do seu Mickey. O vídeo surge na forma de documentário, mas apresenta alguns filmes completos, como por exemplo "Puss in Boots" de Disney. Assim, podemos perceber muito bem a passagem do papel para o acetato, nesta primeira fase da animação, bem como a junção da imagem real com a animação, a técnica da rotoscopia, e a proximidade à banda desenhada.

Os comentários da página da Amazon referem que tem "excelent transfers", mas para mim, não é bem assim, porque alguns (poucos) parecem copiados de VHS e há outras edições de alguns destes filmes com uma qualidade de imagem um pouco melhor. De qualquer forma, para nós que andamos sempre à procura de material para o sétimo ano, eis aqui um excelente material de apoio... em inglês. Assim que houver oportunidade farei chegar às vossas mãos uma cópia, perdão, uma versão original.

Ah, também lá está o gato Félix, obviamente!