Serious Business: The Art And Commerce Of Animation In America From Betty Boop To Toy Story

by Stefan Kanfer, Chuck Jones (Foreword by)

As Roger Rosenblatt put it, "What makes Serious Business a special treat is that it is like the best of the cartoons itself" funny, touching, and infused with thoughtful joy.

This generously illustrated history of animation looks at the creation and celluloid careers of such American icons as Felix the Cat, Jiminy Cricket, Mickey and Minnie, Popeye and Olive Oyl, Goofy, Yogi Bear, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Daffy Duck, Tom and Jerry, and the Pink Panther. Art and commerce collide again and again as Stefan Kanfer wittily probes the origins of such diverse cartoon families as the Flintstones, the Jetsons, and the Simpsons and looks at the phenomenal success of feature-length animated films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and The Lion King . Serious Business is itself a classic of animation, bringing to life an art and an industry whose creations have now worked their way into every corner of American life.

Genres: History

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Stefan Kanfer is the author of fifteen books, including the bestselling biographies of show business icons: GROUCHO; BALL OF FIRE (Lucille Ball); SOMEBODY (Marlon Brando); and TOUGH WITHOUT A GUN (Humphrey Bogart). He has also written many social histories, among them THE LAST EMPIRE, about the De Beers diamond company, and STARDUST LOST, an account of the rise and fall of the Yiddish Theater in New York.

Kanfer also wrote two novels about World War II and served as the only journalist on the President’s Commission on the Holocaust. He was the first by-lined cinema critic for Time magazine, where he worked as writer and editor for more than two decades. He has been given many writing awards and was named a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library. He lives in New York where he serves as a columnist for the City Journal of the Manhattan Institute.

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although reasonably researched, unfortunately this book has a particularly mean spirited view of the animation industry. Very rarely does the author congratulate successes (he likes the old Looney Tunes (who doesn't?)) rather he's more focussed on the negative reviews, mean anecdotes and box office failures. What grates the most is the title 'Serious Business' which gives the idea that this book focuses on the business side of animation. I disagree. For example, the author is extremely harsh towards Hanna-Barbera because of their use of limited animation techniques but fails to recognise their astonishing business achievements. They were under much smaller budgets and smaller timescales than during the Golden age of animation. In fact, they did amazingly well to make a business out of animation in the early days of TV. And as far as animation skills I think their Golden age Tom and Jerry shorts speak for themselves.

There are other more detailed and less biassed animation histories available.

One niggly point, it's George Lucas, not Lukas.

[James Hennessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an art an animation buff this was a great history of the animation industry in america not whitewashed by disney ( the company is really afraid of showing him as a man with any flaws) I personally loved it may be boring to those who aren't interested .

[Justin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bias towards everything but classic Looney Tunes. Horrible.

[Sally Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many things to recommend about this book, but man, does it fall apart at the end. And overall, it lacks a thesis. It's an excellent first draft of a book.

[Ketan Shah]

A fascinating study of the American animation industry.Very readable and full of great stories about the pioneers of animation,who made this unique artform so ubiquitous in America.

[Eric Bauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I learned a lot of things about Mr. Disney that I didn't know before (and that, looking back, I probably could have guessed).