Animation		Animation: a Handy Guide (+DVD) Sheila Graber A&C Black, 2009 $49.99 pb This handy guide is just that. It is small enough to handle and carry around easily, and is a must-have resource for everyone interested in animation history, theory and practice. The whole book is structured round 20 key events in animation history from Cave Art to the development of 3D computer-generated images. Each of the 20 sections is linked to a practical "Stuff for Students" section which gives clever first-hand instructions for animating anything from plasticine to pixels. Furthermore each of these 20 sections is linked to animated examples from the work of the author herself. The book provides a clearly laid out visual guide to animation at all levels and is further - and most importantly - directly linked to moving examples on a supporting DVD. The DVD also provides a wealth of web links and addresses to steer the user to animated examples of the historical works discussed and more. Although aimed squarely at first year animation students this package could prove equally valuable in the hands of secondary school pupils, MA students or people at home who have 'always wanted to have a go' at animation.
Animation		The Animation Bible: From Flip Books to Flash Maureen Furniss Laurence King, 2008 $59.95 pb The Animation Bible is the first book any aspiring animator will want to own—and with increasingly affordable tools for digital animation and the vast forum of the Internet for free distribution, animation is becoming more popular than ever. Animation authority Maureen Furniss covers every aspect of production, from finding a concept, choosing a medium, and creating characters all the way to getting the end result screened and distributed. In addition to traditional cel animation, Furniss also examines direct filmmaking, stop-motion animation, and Flash, as well as early motion devices and toys that produce animated images, all with case studies illustrating the successes and difficulties experienced by professional animators. Furniss goes beyond the image on the screen, discussing visual storytelling, sound design, and how to schedule, budget, and pitch an animated film. The Animation Bible is the essential guide for a new generation of animators.
Animation		The Animator’s Survival Kit Richard Williams Faber, 2010 $85.00 pb Animation is one of the hottest and most creative areas of film-making today. During his more than 40 years in the business, Richard Williams has been one of the true innovators, and serves as the link between the golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation successes. In this book, based on his sold-out Animation Masterclass in the United States and across Europe, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that very animator - from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz - needs. Using hundreds of drawings, Williams distills the secrets of the masters into a working system in order to create a book that has become the standard work on all forms of animation for professionals, students and fans. This new expanded edition includes more on animal action, invention and realism with sophisticated animation examples.
Animation		The Anime Machine: a media theory of animation Thomas Lamarre University of Minnesota Press, 2009 $46.95pb Despite the longevity of animation and its significance within the history of cinema, film theorists have focused on live-action motion pictures and largely ignored hand-drawn and computer-generated movies. Thomas Lamarre contends that the history, techniques, and complex visual language of animation, particularly Japanese animation, demands serious and sustained engagement, and in The Anime Machine he lays the foundation for a new critical theory for reading Japanese animation, showing how anime fundamentally differs from other visual media.
Animation		The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga Helen McCarthy, Katsuhiro Otomo Thames & Hudson, 2009 $65.00hb Osamu Tezuka has often been called the Walt Disney of Japan, but he was far more than that, he was incredibly prolific and he changed the face of Japanese culture forever. This lavishly packaged book reveals what made him one of the key figures of 20th Century pop culture. The book is also accompanied by a DVD with a fly-on-the-wall documentary, The Secrets of Creation, made in 1986 and never before translated or shown in the West.
Animation		The Art of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli Library, 2008 $53.95 hb The Art of Spirited Away collects colour illustrations of Spirited Away for the first time in an English edition! This book includes paintings and designs from the new animated film from the director of Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke. Large-size, hardcover coffee-table book featuring artwork from the renowned animated film, Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Features commentary, colour stills, sketches, storyboards, and illustrations used to envision the rich fantasy world of the film. Also includes a complete English-language script.
Animation		The Art of Ponyo Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli Library, 2009 $53.95 pb Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, is a hand-drawn feature-length film. This ART OF book includes not only cell artwork, but also striking watercolour and pastel concept sketches and layout pages. The book also has interviews with production principals about their daring choice to hand draw a film in the age of CGI and the screenplay completes the package.
Animation		The Art of Up Tim Hauser Chronicle Books, 2009 $79.95hb After Toy Story, Ratatouille, WALL E, and other award-winning blockbusters, where else could Pixar Animation Studios go but UP? The Art of UP contains more than 250 pieces of concept art developed for the feature, including storyboards, full-colour pastels, digital and pencil sketches, character studies, colour scripts, and more. Quotes from the director, artists, animators, and production team reveal the sky-high creativity that elevated this whimsical film to new heights.
Animation		Halas & Batchelor Cartoons: an animated history (includes DVD) Vivien Halas Southbank Publishing, 2007 $55.00 pb This richly illustrated book is a part-history, part-tribute, part-critical analysis of the Halas and Batchelor Cartoon Studio, Britain's leading and most influential animation company for over fifty years (1940-1995). It draws on the archives of the Halas and Batchelor Collection and looks at the key works of the studio, including Animal Farm, Britain's first full length animated feature; The Tales of Hoffnung, with the legendary Peter Sellers; and the cult classics Autobahn, featuring the music of Kraftwerk, and Butterfly Ball, with the work of Beatles illustrator, Alan Aldridge. Established writers, including Giannalberto Bendazzi and John Canemaker have contributed to celebrate the achievements of the studio, and the book features an autobiographical account by Vivien Halas, as well as critical insights by Paul Wells, Richard Holliss and Jim Walker. British animation and the whole art and culture of animation worldwide would have achieved less without the impact of John Halas and Joy Batchelor's outstanding work. This book explores their art and legacy.
Animation		The Making of Fantastic Mr Fox Wes Anderson Rizzoli, 2010 $65.00 hb The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox is for the visual companion for the stop motion animated movie based on the popular children’s story by Roald Dahl. A short introduction to the Dahl estate starts the book, which is then divided into several chapters which focus on the various characters of the film. Alongside the sketches and art, there are notes that explain the consideration taken when designing the models, how each part is to be handled and the significance in the final film. This book a treasure trove of knowledge on stop motion animation. It shows much of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the final film, how each and every character is modelled, the making of the sets - the farmhouse, the foxes' tree burrow, the town square, how the fire in the street scene is done and many more.
Animation		Once Upon a Time - Walt Disney: The Sources of Inspiration for the Disney Studios Bruno Girveau Prestel, 2007 $160.00 hb The origins of Disney's masterpieces and the works the studio in turn inspired are the subject of this lavishly illustrated book. While the works of Walt Disney rank among the icons of American mass culture, it is easy to forget that Disney's characters and stories were inspired by original works of art. From the launching of the Walt Disney Company until the founder's death in 1967, this book includes more than 300 original works selected from the Disney archives and from private collections, together with paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and film stills. Here Disney fans will discover the fairy tales behind Sleeping Beauty and Snow White; they'll learn that Pinocchio's village was modelled on the medieval city of Rothenburg in Bavaria; that Bambi's forest took its inspiration from fifteenth-century Chinese painting; that Dumbo's bird's-eye views drew on the work of Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton. One chapter is even devoted to the mutually admiring relationship between Salvador Dali and Disney.
Animation		Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation Hans Bacher Focal Press, 2007 $69.00 hb Hans Bacher is acknowledged as one of the greats of production design for animation and he has been given unparalleled access to Disney's archives to uncover eye-popping examples of both his own work and that of his colleagues. With illustrations from Bambi, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Brother Bear and many more - it is a visual feast of never-before-seen artwork, complete with insight from the artist on how and why they were designed as they were.
Animation		The Illusion of Life 2: More Essays on Animation Alan Cholodenko (ed) Power Institute, 2007 $59.95 pb Continues Cholodenko’s first volume's pioneering work on the theory of animation. Covering a range of key topics, including post-WWII animation in Japan and the United States, computer animation, games, flight simulation and war, as well as issues of a general theoretical nature, the sixteen essays and introduction provide an abundance of new understandings, approaches, correctives, and challenges to scholars of animation as well as film.
Animation		500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide Helen Mccarthy Ilex Press, 2008 $45.00 pb Here you'll find expert reviews of all the most significant standalone titles, the core of any English-speaking fans anime library. 500 Essential Anime Movies reveals the huge range of titles available in English, making them accessible to everyone from newcomers to experts. Divided into chapters by genre, so you can easily find the kind of story you like, and with advisory icons to warn you of sexual or violent content, the book also has details of directors, writers, designers and English-language release labels. Reviews from a leading anime expert are sure to provoke debate, as well as helping you find the anime you want, quickly and easily.
Animation		Starting Point 1979-1996 Hayao Miyazaki (trans. Beth Cary) Viz Media, 2009 $47.95pb Starting Point is a compilation of essays (both pictorial and prose), notes, concept sketches and interviews by (and with) Hayao Miyazaki. Arguably the most respected animation director in the world, Miyazaki is the genius behind Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, the Academy Award-winning film, Spirited Away and most recently, Ponyo.
Animation		Studio Ghibli: the Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata Colin Odell & Michelle Le Blanc Kamera Books, 2009 $39.99pb The animations of Japan’s Studio Ghibli are amongst the most respected in the film industry. Their films rank alongside the most popular non-English language films ever made, yet this highly profitable studio has remained fiercely independent, producing a stream of imaginative and individual animations. The studio’s founders, long-time animators Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, have created timeless masterpieces. Although their films are distinctly Japanese their themes are universal—humanity, community, and a love for the environment. No other film studio, animation or otherwise, comes close to matching Ghibli for pure cinematic experience. All their major works are examined here, as well the early output of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, exploring the cultural and thematic threads that bind these films together.
Animation		To Infinity & Beyond: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios Karen Paik Virgin, 2007 $170.00 hb The official story of Pixar studios and the team of pioneering talents that brought you Toy Story, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. For ten years, Pixar Animation has been at the forefront of animated film, bringing unlikely heroes to the big screen and delighting fans young and old. But the road to studio superstardom was often hampered by technical limitations, studio disputes and budget problems. To Infinity and Beyond! is the complete history of Pixar and a stunning collector's item, including exquisite concept art, storyboard sketches and interviews from the creators and stars of some of the most innovative animated films of all time.