So here in the United States we have a National Film Registry. Every year they add more things, and they just announced their newest inductees. They have, over the years, not added that many animated short subjects, though. Here they are, with their Wikipedia links for more info:
A Computer Animated Hand 1972
Duck Amuck 1953
Duck and Cover 1951
I've seen nearly all of these, and in general like to think I know a little something about animation in the U.S. (The only one I've not seen: John Henry and the Inky-Poo. But I am familiar with George Pal's "puppetoons".)
That said, here are a dozen I think should be added:
1. The Cat Concerto, 1947
It's odd that there's no Hanna Barbera anywhere on the list, but a good place to start would be with their iconic Tom and Jerry cartoons, and The Cat Concerto is probably the best of these. It also won the Academy Award.
2. Minnie the Moocher, 1932
Currently there is only one Betty Boop cartoon on the list - the excellent 1933 version of Snow White. Minnie the Moocher is another pairing with Cab Calloway, and an excellent surrealist cartoon with themes of death and weirdness. Bimbo's Initiation would be another good choice.
3. Red Hot Riding Hood, 1943
I like Chuck Jones as much as the next person, but he has Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening, and What's Opera, Doc? all on there. Poor Tex Avery only has one, and not as well-known: Magical Maestro. He should get another, better-known, work, and Red Hot is an undisputed classic.
4. Der Fuehrer's Face, 1943
Another odd omission - no WWII wartime cartoons. This Disney piece, featuring Donald Duck as a Nazi, describes how bad life would be under fascism. It shows off surrealist aspects similar to Dumbo's Pink Elephants sequence. Another Academy Award winner.
5. Superman, 1941
For many this was the visual introduction of the character, and it helped establish certain norms of the superhero (for example, changing in a phone booth). It is the first of a series of shorts, all of which could be added, it they like. Also just a beautiful, stylized animated cartoon.
6. Felix in Hollywood, 1923
Like Tom and Jerry, Felix the Cat is an icon, and should be included in the Registry. This work began a trope in animated films of caricaturing Hollywood actors that became especially popular for Looney Tunes, but also Disney.
7. Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs, 1943
Censorship and an ugly past combine in this work: a racist depiction of African-American soldiers made during the War, which was attempting to create a positive message... I think the Registry should preserve our entire culture, not just the moments we find inspiring, but also include our more troubled past, of which this is a part.
8. Closed Mondays, 1974
The late, great Will Vinton won an Academy Award for this ground-breaking Claymation piece done with Bob Gardiner. In the years that would follow stop-motion clay animated shorts would become increasingly mainstream due to the early success of this and other Vinton works.
9. Peace on Earth, 1939
An MGM production that, on the eve of WWII, told a moralistic, but somewhat disturbing, tale of the folly of Man - referencing to the horrors of the First World War. Also showcases Harman, of Harman and Ising, as a director of animated shorts.
10. Hell-Bent for Election, 1944
UPA has a good representation on the list above, with both Gerald McBoing-Boing and The Telltale Heart. This little-known short, though, was the great granddaddy to UPA - and began the stylistic pattern for their unique visuals. The short is a propaganda cartoon for UAW works to vote for Roosevelt in '44. In general more UPA: A Unicorn in the Garden would be good, too.
11. Bambi Meets Godzilla, 1969
12. Rejected, 2000
The criteria for inclusion in the Registry is only 10 years, so Don Hertzfeldt's now-iconic, disturbing, animated work of meta-themes, anti-humor and anti-consumerism is more than eligible for being added to a list of the best films ever made. My personal favorite of his, Everything Will Be OK, from 2006, is also old enough - but we'll need to wait a few more years for 2015's World of Tomorrow.
A Computer Animated Hand 1972
Duck Amuck 1953
Duck and Cover 1951
Early Abstractions 1939-1956
Frank Film 1973
Free Radicals 1979
Gerald McBoing-Boing 1950
Gertie the Dinosaur 1914
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyheaded People 1984 *sole 2018 inductee*
The Hole 1962
John Henry and the Inky-Poo 1946
Let's All Go to the Lobby 1957
Little Nemo 1911
Luxo Jr. 1986
Magical Maestro 1952
Moon Breath Beat 1980
Frank Film 1973
Free Radicals 1979
Gerald McBoing-Boing 1950
Gertie the Dinosaur 1914
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyheaded People 1984 *sole 2018 inductee*
The Hole 1962
John Henry and the Inky-Poo 1946
Let's All Go to the Lobby 1957
Little Nemo 1911
Luxo Jr. 1986
Magical Maestro 1952
Moon Breath Beat 1980
Motion Painting No. 1 1947
The Old Mill 1937
One Froggy Evening 1955
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor 1936
Porky in Wackyland 1938
Quasi at the Quackadero 1975
The Red Book 1994
Scratch and Crow 1995
The Sinking of the Lusitania 1918
Snow White 1933
Steamboat Willie 1928
The Story of Menstruation 1946
The Tell-Tale Heart 1953
Three Little Pigs 1933
Tin Toy 1988
Tulips Shall Grow 1942
What's Opera, Doc? 1957
The Old Mill 1937
One Froggy Evening 1955
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor 1936
Porky in Wackyland 1938
Quasi at the Quackadero 1975
The Red Book 1994
Scratch and Crow 1995
The Sinking of the Lusitania 1918
Snow White 1933
Steamboat Willie 1928
The Story of Menstruation 1946
The Tell-Tale Heart 1953
Three Little Pigs 1933
Tin Toy 1988
Tulips Shall Grow 1942
What's Opera, Doc? 1957
Why Man Creates 1968
I've seen nearly all of these, and in general like to think I know a little something about animation in the U.S. (The only one I've not seen: John Henry and the Inky-Poo. But I am familiar with George Pal's "puppetoons".)
That said, here are a dozen I think should be added:
1. The Cat Concerto, 1947
It's odd that there's no Hanna Barbera anywhere on the list, but a good place to start would be with their iconic Tom and Jerry cartoons, and The Cat Concerto is probably the best of these. It also won the Academy Award.
2. Minnie the Moocher, 1932
Currently there is only one Betty Boop cartoon on the list - the excellent 1933 version of Snow White. Minnie the Moocher is another pairing with Cab Calloway, and an excellent surrealist cartoon with themes of death and weirdness. Bimbo's Initiation would be another good choice.
3. Red Hot Riding Hood, 1943
I like Chuck Jones as much as the next person, but he has Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening, and What's Opera, Doc? all on there. Poor Tex Avery only has one, and not as well-known: Magical Maestro. He should get another, better-known, work, and Red Hot is an undisputed classic.
4. Der Fuehrer's Face, 1943
Another odd omission - no WWII wartime cartoons. This Disney piece, featuring Donald Duck as a Nazi, describes how bad life would be under fascism. It shows off surrealist aspects similar to Dumbo's Pink Elephants sequence. Another Academy Award winner.
5. Superman, 1941
For many this was the visual introduction of the character, and it helped establish certain norms of the superhero (for example, changing in a phone booth). It is the first of a series of shorts, all of which could be added, it they like. Also just a beautiful, stylized animated cartoon.
6. Felix in Hollywood, 1923
Like Tom and Jerry, Felix the Cat is an icon, and should be included in the Registry. This work began a trope in animated films of caricaturing Hollywood actors that became especially popular for Looney Tunes, but also Disney.
7. Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs, 1943
Censorship and an ugly past combine in this work: a racist depiction of African-American soldiers made during the War, which was attempting to create a positive message... I think the Registry should preserve our entire culture, not just the moments we find inspiring, but also include our more troubled past, of which this is a part.
8. Closed Mondays, 1974
The late, great Will Vinton won an Academy Award for this ground-breaking Claymation piece done with Bob Gardiner. In the years that would follow stop-motion clay animated shorts would become increasingly mainstream due to the early success of this and other Vinton works.
9. Peace on Earth, 1939
An MGM production that, on the eve of WWII, told a moralistic, but somewhat disturbing, tale of the folly of Man - referencing to the horrors of the First World War. Also showcases Harman, of Harman and Ising, as a director of animated shorts.
10. Hell-Bent for Election, 1944
UPA has a good representation on the list above, with both Gerald McBoing-Boing and The Telltale Heart. This little-known short, though, was the great granddaddy to UPA - and began the stylistic pattern for their unique visuals. The short is a propaganda cartoon for UAW works to vote for Roosevelt in '44. In general more UPA: A Unicorn in the Garden would be good, too.
11. Bambi Meets Godzilla, 1969
12. Rejected, 2000
The criteria for inclusion in the Registry is only 10 years, so Don Hertzfeldt's now-iconic, disturbing, animated work of meta-themes, anti-humor and anti-consumerism is more than eligible for being added to a list of the best films ever made. My personal favorite of his, Everything Will Be OK, from 2006, is also old enough - but we'll need to wait a few more years for 2015's World of Tomorrow.
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