When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA

by Adam Abraham

What do Franklin Roosevelt, Dr. Seuss, the U.S. Navy, and Mr. Magoo have in common? They are all part of the surprising story of the pioneering cartoon studio UPA (United Productions of America). Throughout the 1950s, a group of artists ran a business that broke all the rules, pushing animated films beyond the fluffy fantasy of the Walt Disney Studio and the crash-bang anarchy of Warner Bros. Instead, UPA's films were innovative and graphically bold--the cartoon equivalent to modern art. When Magoo Flew is the first book-length study to chronicle the complete story of this unique American enterprise. The book features cameo appearances by Aldous Huxley, James Thurber, Orson Welles, Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Jim Backus, Eddie Albert, and Woody Allen, as well as a select filmography of the best of UPA.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art Design, History

332 pages, Hardcover

First published March 9, 2012

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well documented account of the rise and fall of UPA Studios, the cartoon studio composed of misfits and rebels from the Walt Disney Studios. The result were cartoons that went against the grain of common cartooning by eschewing funny animals and violent humor (unusual at the time).

UPA Studios implemented modern art design, Bartokian classical soundtracks and the offbeat utilization of color and animation that was unheard of and unseen at that time. The result was some of the most inventive animation ever seen, culminating in several Oscar-winning cartoons like "Gerald McBoing Boing" and "The Ragtime Bear", the very first Mr. Magoo cartoon.

Unfortunately, UPA was also the only cartoon factory that was deeply hurt by the House of Un-American Activities thanks to the vampiric Walt Disney, who named names. Dickhead.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and well-researched book on a narrow topic, the history of the UPA animation studio. UPA is best known for the Mr. Magoo character, but its influence exceeds its recognition. The studio introduced modern art techniques to animation. Without it, all the animation studios of the 1940s, '50s and beyond may have still been rehashing Disney pastiches.

This book is good enough that I hope its readership stretches beyond those who are interested in animation history.

[Annie Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

a highly interesting and comprehensive look into the formation, artists, animators, films, and timeline of animation studio UPA. this book reads more like a historical timeline punctuated by case studies and brief mentionings of various works by UPA such as its academy-award-winning Gerald McBoing Boing. my takeaway is that this midcentury modern studio is perhaps one of the most interesting (and of course, influential) animation studios to exist!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable.

A thoroughly enjoyable book about a unique studio — UPA — and its influence on animation. UPA’s films were very different from other cartoons produced at the time. This is a fascinating story of how it came to be, and how it eventually failed.

[Gijs Grob · Rating 5 out of 5]

'When Magoo Flew' (named after a Mr. Magoo short) is an excellent account of the origins, rise and fall of the UPA studio, the most ambitious animation studio since 1930s Disney, and the most left wing of the lot. Abraham's book is incredibly well researched, but never becomes dry. On the contrary, his tale is an exciting one, and 'When Magoo Flew' should be counted among the best history books on animation film around.

Abraham starts his story with an excellent account of the Disney strike, and tells how the key players Zack Schwartz, David Hilberman, Art Babbitt, Steve Bosustow, John Hubley and Bobe Cannon moved until UPA was formed. Each time a new player is introduced Abraham provides a short biography without delaying the narrative too much. Abraham has eyes for both the business aspects, the personal aspects, and the artistic aspects of his tale. The writer describes several key films, as well as UPA's influence on other studios, but he is at his best when describing the witch hunts of the McCarthy era, and how it affected the careers and lives of many of UPA's key players. Only at the end the tale deflates, together with the studio itself. As soon as Henry Saperstein arrives, the UPA studio is doomed. Thus UPA's tale is one of loss, but as Abraham states, we should be glad it has existed, in the first place, providing some of the most daring cartoons ever put to the animated screen.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, if sometimes too academic, history of the UPA animation studio. It fulfills an important gap in the literature on animation history. Given its subject matter, it could have used more pictures to better explain the importance of the visual innovations of the studio. As another reviewer noted, the book also could have explained the origins of UPA beyond just the Disney strike of 1941 and the animators who left that studio. There are often details included that seem too tangential and would have benefitted from some editing. Nonetheless, I learned a great deal about the studio and principal figures there that I did not know before that made me want to review the animated short films the studio produced in its heyday. While Mr. Magoo was the studio's best known product, it is the other work and the unique work environment of the studio that lead to its astonishing creativity in a short period of time in the 1940's and 50's. There will be room for more books on UPA (a coffee-table type book focusing on its art would be especially welcome), but until then this is essential reading.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of the UPA studio, the creators of the 1950s "modern" cartoon (like Unicorn in the Garden, Tell-Tale Heart, Rooty Toot Toot. then Gerald McBoing-Boing, and then Mr Magoo, and at the end Go-Go Gomez. As the title says "the Rise and Fall". Seems fairly accurate, which is good, as this is the only book, and likely to be the only book, on the UPA cartoons. It fits right in with the recent DVD set "Frisky Frolics" - which are neither frisky nor frolics. This book is for cartoon buffs with an interest in 1940s-1960s theatrical cartoon shorts and early TV cartoons. If your interest is more just for an overview of theatrical cartoons of the 1930s-1960s (including UPA), go with Matlin's "Of Mice and Magic". But for those with an interest, this is good stuff.

[Margo Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the boo, but it was more because it was helping me untangle the intersections of various animators during the 1940's, 50's and 60's. So many great animators worked at UPA, but not with the consistency found at Disney and Warner Brothers, for instance. Much of the story was about the BUSINESS itself, and as a result, was ponderous reading, but it included a lot of nice profiles of various animators, quotes from them, and discussion of the style, but also about their personalities and personal interactions. I would like to have seen more about the art and less about the business. This wasn't a page-turner, but any means, but it did hold my attention enough to keep reading chapters over the course of a month or so.

[Matt Carton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought and read this a couple of years ago after the Jolly Frolics collection came out on DVD. Much of the material Abraham gleaned came from Michael Barrier's classic Hollywood Animation. Read it again after the Mr. Magoo Theatrical Collection came out on DVD. It's a good resource, but Abraham could have used a better editor. Watch the cartoons...and read Barrier's book.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful history of the UPA animation studio, must reading for any fan of animation. And these days with YouTube you can view many of te films that are discussed in the book. A wonderful companion book to the recently released Jolly Frolics DVD collection.