July 18, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dawn Newell (310) 247-3000
                 dnewell@oscars.org

Academy Exhibition to Showcase Seven Decades of Oscar^®-Worthy Animation

Beverly Hills, CA -Animated films that have been nominated for or have won an Academy Award^® will be the subject of a new exhibition opening August 1 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

"Oscars^® in Animation" will feature rare and original animation art spanning seven decades - from 1933, when the Academy awarded the first Oscar for animation, to the present day. The comprehensive exhibition will chronicle the process of making an animated film while showing the significance of the art form in cinema.

The exhibition will include animated drawings, storyboards and three-dimensional character models so visitors to the Grand Lobby and Fourth Floor Galleries can visualize the step-by-step process of creating an animated film from start to finish.

Original cels, pre-production sketches and "progression videos" will offer a lesson in animation history showing how the art form has evolved from the earliest days of cel animation to today's digital age. Classic titles such as "Dumbo," "The Three Little Pigs," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "The Lion King" will be represented as will the work of renowned animators, including Cordell Barker, Walt Disney, Chuck Jones and John Lasseter.

Over the years, animated films have competed in a variety of award categories such as Cartoon Short, Comedy Short, Novelty Short, Animated Short, Original Score, Original Song, Writing, and as of the 74th Academy Awards^®, Animated Feature. Items from films that have competed in each of these categories will be featured in the exhibition.

In addition to U.S.-made animation, the show will include materials from Oscar-winning animated productions from Canada, the former Czechoslovakia, Russia, Hungary, Italy and the United Kingdom.

In conjunction with this exhibition, the next Academy Standards Screening will present Oscar-winning animated short films. Walt Disney's "The Ugly Duckling," Chuck Jones' "The Dot and the Line" and Nick Park's "The Wrong Trousers" are among the animated films that will screen at the Academy on Friday, August 16.

The exhibition is being organized with the assistance of Mike Glad, owner of a distinguished private collection of animation art. Although numerous lenders have contributed to the exhibition, the majority of items are on loan from Glad and the Glad Family Trust.

"Oscars in Animation" will be on display at the Academy through October 6, 2002. Like all Academy exhibitions, it will be free and open to the public. Gallery viewing hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends, noon to 6 p.m. For more information call 310-247-3600.