FUNNY ANIMALS AND MORE IBD

Sinopsis

Giant robots. Cat girls. Teenagers from outer space. Sexually charged (and sometimes naked) warrior women vying with over-the-top villains for control of the planet. Not the usual Disney or Hanna-Barbera fare found on Saturday morning TV. But for a niche of fans, these odd characters were the future of animation, even if they all spoke Japanese and called this peculiar style of animation 'anime'.ItâÇÖs hard to imagine today a world in which instant communication and instant downloads did not exist. At the dawn of anime, Fred Patten and his fellow anime enthusiasts were limited to VHS tapes acquired by trade from their counterparts in the Japanese-American communities of Los Angeles and other large U.S. cities. But Fred, in particular, kept at it, and he also began to write about these uniquely Japanese cartoons.In Funny Animals, Fred Patten shares the history of anime in America, from the primitive VHS tapes to the blockbuster movies, as he experienced it, and often as he made it happen. YouâÇÖll read about the major anime series, the talented (and often eccentric) artists who created them, and their success-or failure- in America. Fred also looks at the anime industries in other countries, such as India.But Funny Animals is not just about anime. As an animation historian, FredâÇÖs interests are far-ranging, and he devotes chapters to Walt Disney (and the poisonous myths that plague WaltâÇÖs legacy to this day), the big money to be made from Olympic mascots, how Japan coped with nuclear war through anime, the relative merits of animated rats, and the things that animators should be animating-but arenâÇÖt.Read about:ááThe spectacular history of anime in AmericaááGiant robots, cat girls, and teenagers from outer spaceááThe politics of animating and merchandising Olympic mascotsááWhy Mickey Rat would have been a better pal than Mickey MouseááAnimation myths that wonâÇÖt die: Walt Disney and Adolf Hitler?ááHow the Japanese company Sanrio tried to become 'bigger than Disney'And many more stories, anecdotes, and historical vignettes from the front lines of Japanese anime, American animation, and beyond. Even if youâÇÖve never watched a moment of anime in your life, or have no idea what 'funny animals' are all about, youâÇÖll enjoy FredâÇÖs charming, wide-ranging tales of animation past, present, and future.Ready to put some funny animals in your life?