The Academy Toons in Animation

Animation Season

In May 2008 the Academy kicked off a season of animation that included everything from exhibitions of hand-drawn artwork to an evening exploring the evolution of sound in animated motion pictures.

Among the guests making appearances at various Academy events were animators James Baxter, Andreas Deja, Pete Docter and Eric Goldberg who discussed their individual approaches and the inspiration and guidance they received from such mentors as Marc Davis and Ollie Johnston; sound editor David E. Stone and Disney Imagineering media designer Joe Herrington who examined the work of early sound effects masters Treg Brown and Jimmy Macdonald; and two giants in Canadian animation – composer Normand Roger and animator Frédéric Back who participated in a discussion on the animation soundtrack.

Sound and Animation

“Animation inspires the most inventive world of audio illusions, for it demands the highest performance from dialogue, music and sound effects.” – sound designer Ben Burtt

“The Sound behind the Image II: Now Hear This!,” presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, explored the role of sound in animation from its beginnings through the digital age with live onstage demonstrations of early sound effects and current technologies. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater was rocked by the rumblings of the “Polar Express” train and the clangs and crashes of the rooftop fight sequence from “Beauty and the Beast.”

During “Normand Roger and The Animated Soundtrack,” Canadian composer Normand Roger participated in an onstage discussion on the animated sountrack moderated by Michael Giacchino, the Oscar®-nominated composer of “Ratatouille.”

Ink & Paint: The Art of Hand-Drawn Animation

The magic of an animated film depends on the ability to bring to life not only animated characters, but the worlds they inhabit. Encompassing all stages of the filmmaking process, this exhibition showcased artwork mainly from the 1950s through the 1990s and featured such animated classics as “Alice In Wonderland,” “Peter Pan,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “101 Dalmatians,” “Gay Purr-ee,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Secret of NIMH,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “The Lion King,” “Pocahontas” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” as well as from Oscar®-winning shorts starring such timeless characters as Mr. Magoo, Winnie the Pooh and the Pink Panther.

Frédéric Back: A Life’s Drawings

This exhibition showcased drawings that Canadian animator Frédéric Back produced for his animated films as well as some of the thousands of concept sketches, notebook sketches, illustrations and landscapes that he generated throughout his career. Photographs, correspondence and travel diaries offered additional insight into the man behind the films.

Back made an onstage appearance at the Academy for “Normand Roger on the Animation Soundtrack” after the screening of his Oscar-nominated short “Crac.” He and Roger had collaborated on the film nearly 30 years ago.