Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town

by Jerry Beck

Over 40 years ago, a new kind of sleek and sophisticated cartoon character strolled across the big screen. The Pink Panther, the coolest cartoon character ever created, had arrived! Before long, the Oscar-winning star had his own worldwide television show, supported by a cast of memorable characters, including the Little Man, the Inspector and Ant and Aardvark. Decade by decade, "Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide covers every move the Pink Panther has ever made--his evolving style, ever-popular cartoons and blockbuster movies--right up to his suave and spectacular return in the 21st century.

Genres: History, Animals, Nonfiction, Art

144 pages, Hardcover

First published November 21, 2005

About the author

Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955 in New York City) is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer. The author or editor of several books on classic American animation and classic character, including The 50 Greatest Cartoons (1994), The Animated Movie Guide (2005), Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! (2007), The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic (2011), The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from your Favorite Cartoon Classics (2007), The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom (2013), Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide (2005), and Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons (with Will Friedwald, 1989). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, DreamWorks' Madagascar, and Bee Movie. Beck is also an entertainment industry consultant for TV and home entertainment productions and releases related to classic cartoons and operates the blog "Cartoon Research." He appears frequently as a documentary subject and audio commentator on releases of A&E's Cartoons Go To War as well as DVD collections of Looney Tunes, Popeye the Sailor, and Woody Woodpecker cartoons, on which he serves a consultant and curator.

Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historian Leonard Maltin on his book Of Mice and Magic (1980), organized animation festivals in Los Angeles, and was instrumental in founding the international publication Animation Magazine. In the 1990s, Beck taught course on the art of animation at UCLA, NYU, and The School of Visual Arts. In 1993, he became a founding member of the Cartoon Network advisory board and he currently serves as president of the ASIFA-Hollywood board. He co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations of Looney Tunes, MGM Cartoons, Disney Home Video, Betty Boop, and others. In 1989, he co-founded Streamline Pictures and first brought such anime as Akira, Vampire Hunter D, and Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky to the United States. He himself compiled collections of cartoons of Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, and the Fleischer Studios. As Vice President of Nickelodeon Movies, he helped develop The Rugrats Movie (1998) and Mighty Mouse.

In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot for Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon. That cartoon, "Hornswiggle", aired on Nicktoons Network in 2008 as part of the Random! Cartoons series. Currently, he is teaching animation history at Woodbury University in Burbank, California.

In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writer Amid Amidi co-founded another blog, Cartoon Brew, which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started an Indiewire blog, Animation Scoop, for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.

Reviews

[Théo d'Or]

The Ultimate Truth - Never Give Up.

[Katey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book didn't take me as long as I anticipated. It talks about the history of the Pink Panther, and how everything got started. I recently re-watched the 2005 remake of the film, which is how I discovered this particular book. I normally wouldn't have chosen it, but it fits a category of my reading challenge, so I figured, why not. I think the animation is cute and funny. And the inspector is hilarious, especially when being portrayed by a great comedian actor (2005 remake). I never saw any of the original films.

[Karlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

DK often publishes books that are like press releases from the studio. The advantage is the beautiful pictures. The drawback is you get to know what the studio wants you to know.

The best thing about this book is that the treatment of the animated shorts is extensive.

The movies are shorted, however. There is no mention of The Return of the Pink Panther (which came from another studio).

I gave the book an extra star for the foreword by Blake Edwards.

I don’t know why I’m complaining. The book came with the DVD set. I guess it’s good to vent. As Clouseau would say, “That felt good!”

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and colorful look-back at the history of a weirdly versatile character. It's such a pity that The Return of the Pink Panther couldn't be included here. But, missing movie aside, the book is quite the treasure trove of pictures and info. I was reminded of characters beyond the Pink Panther that I loved, and informed of characters that I'd somehow never encountered (or perhaps just don't remember).
It's as much a feast for the eyes as it is the imagination.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book when I hired it out at the library. The info is really interesting. Recommended to fans of the show. I thought it was splendid! Lots of pages and lovely illustrations!

[Zunaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was forced to read it!