The Animated Film Encyclopedia

Book excerpt: Animated films often bring to mind images of Saturday morning cartoons on television, but at one time, animated films, both long and short, were found mostly on the silver screen as part of the featured program. In 1977, George Lucas even specially requested a cartoon to open Star Wars-"Duck Dodgers and the 241⁄2 Century," featuring Daffy Duck. In its rich history, cinematic animation has developed from silent monochrome images to sound-filled shorts that ran with newsreels and adventure serials-to animation sequences used to enliven commercials or live-action films-and finally to feature films like Fantasia and Cinderella. This encyclopedia covers all English language animation from the crucial first eighty years of its history. From the popular to the obscure, from Bugs to Mickey, from the short to the feature, nearly 7,000 items are covered. Each entry includes production information, date, running time, and a synopsis. Much of the information compiled here is rare. For example, character voices once considered "anonymous" are here identified, and animated films now lost because they were once considered expendable are here given the attention they deserve. A complete index allows multiple points of access.