Before Mickey - by Donald Crafton (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, c1982.

Book Synopsis

An engaging account of the largely forgotten world of early animated films from Hollywood and beyond

This witty and fascinating study reminds us that there was animation before Disney: about thirty years of creativity and experimentation flourishing in such extraordinary work as Gertiethe Dinosaur and Felix the Cat. Before Mickey, the first in-depth history of animation from the turn of the century until the debut of Disney, includes accounts of mechanical ingenuity, marketing, and art. Donald Crafton is equally adept at explaining techniques of sketching and camera work, evoking characteristic styles of such pioneering animators as Winsor McCay and Ladislas Starevitch, placing work in its social and economic context, and unraveling the aesthetic impact of specific cartoons.

From the Back Cover

Before we met Mickey Mouse in 1928, Felix the Cat prowled the screen. This witty and fascinating study reminds us that there was animation before Disney. Crafton is equally adept at explaining techniques of sketching and camera work, evoking characteristic styles.

Review Quotes

"Before Mickey's scholarship is quite lively and its descriptions are evocative and often funny. The history of animation coexisted with that of live-action film but has never been given as much attention."-- "New York Times Book Review"