Seven Minutes: The Life and Death of the American Animated Cartoon

by Norman M. Klein

Book Overview

Seven Minutes is a social and aesthetic history of the "controlled anarchy" of the cartoon, from the first talking Mickeys to the demise of Warners and MGM theatrical productions in 1960. Norman M. Klein follows the scrambling graphics and upside-down ballet of Fleischer's Betty Boop, Popeye, Superman of the Wolfie cartoons by Tex Avery, of the Bugs and Daffy, Tweetie and Roadrunner cartoons from Warners, of full animation at Disney, of the "whiteness of Snow White", and of how Mickey Mouse became a logo. Reviewing the graphics, scripts and marketing of each era, he discovers the links between cartoons and live action movies, newspapers, popular illustration, and the entertainment architecture coming out of Disneyland. Klein shows that the cartoon was a perverse juggling act, invaded constantly by economic and political pressures, by marketing for sound, by licensing characters to stave off bankruptcies, by Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II and the first wave of television.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1859841503
• ISBN13: 9781859841501
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Verso
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.1" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

A Lot Happens in 7 Minutes

This is a very interesting look at the short animated cartoon. It goes from the silent era to the end of the studio system.I liked the book because it did not have an anti-Disney axe to grind. Indeed, I came away with a better understanding of why Mickey Mouse cartoons became "blander" as time passed, as opposed to the wildness of Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry.Also very good was the look at the differences between the cartoons of Tex Avery, Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng. Freleng is usually ignored by studies of this kind (as he mostly is in Michael Barrier's Hollywood Cartoons) so it was a treat to see him receive attention here.No, this isn't a quick read, but if you take cartoons as seriously as regular Hollywood movies, with auteurs and themes, this is an essential book to read.

Man, This book is the Heazies Neazies of Great Books

This book gave me excelent insite on the private lives of Mickey Mouse and Scooby Doo's torid affair with Mighty Mouse. Just kidding. I loved it. Brilliantly written and truly unique. It is a must read for anyone interested in the history of American media.Hi mom!