Animation School in the Palm of Your Hand Part II

I blogged earlier about how animator Clay Kaytis had made this amazing podcast called, "The Animation Podcast". Great and inspiring interviews with animators such as Glen Keane, Ray Harryhausen, Andreas Deja, James Baxter and Eric Goldberg. There were 30 podcasts in all. The last podcast available on iTunes was about three years ago.

For those going through Animation Podcast withdraw, I am sure you have found other great podcasts online. Animation Mentor has its newsletter and offers webcasts through its site. There's Toon In! made by the UPA Legacy Project. And of course there is the SplineCast from the Spline Doctors.

What stood out the most was TAG Blog's TAG Interview by Steve Hulett. TAG Blog is designed in the interest of promoting members of The Animation Guild, I.A.T.S.E. Local 839. Here, you just won't hear interviews with the household names in animation like Andreas Deja, Burny Mattinson or Andy Gaskill, but very noteworthy people in animation who might not be at the tip of your tongue. On TAG Interview people seem to be a bit more "frank" about their experiences in animation. See the Walt Peregoy interview for further clarification.

What people offer to say on the TAG Interview isn't always as "carefully phrased" or "self-censored" as in some other interviews. Realities of production, working with difficult or unscrupulous people, breaking in, and yes, what to do in the face of unemployment. You'll find a little of all that in the TAG Interview. A nice compliment to the other sources of what you can learn about animation online.

Walt Peregoy's Colorful Language

There was temptation to call Walt Peregoy a male Mary Blair.

No. Walt Peregoy is Walt Peregoy: Clear, honest, organic, holds your attention.

In a recent interview that particularly reflected in how he speaks... more on that later.

Along with Eyvind Earle, Walt was the lead background painter on Sleeping Beauty and was the color stylist and background painter for 101 Dalmatians. Two personal favorites for their appeal as "moving illustrations'.

His work can be found in tons of animation shorts and television series episodes with other studios. Some well known like Hanna-Barbera's Scooby Doo and Josie and the Pussycats...some not so well known but are more than worth revisiting. Such as his work on the animated Lone Ranger Series (1966) and The Shooting of Dan McGrew (1965).

In recent interview with the Animation Guild he recounts his experience working in the animation industry with....illustrated language.

Warning: You might want to excuse any small children from the room, before playing.

His work and technique is just inspiring. One of the industry's finest professionals and his work deserves study.

Along with Marc Davis, Eyvind Earle, and Josh Meadow, his sensitivity for detail and professionalism can be seen in the Disneyland TV series documentary: Four Artists Paint One Tree.

Very good stuff.