Animation Obsessive

She was Hayao Miyazaki's "right-hand" collaborator from the '70s onward. Her name was Michiyo Yasuda -- the best color designer in animation. Yasuda's eye for color gave Ghibli's work a totally different look. We explore her methods: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-artist...

#SomethingBeautiful - observing and documenting the magic of art in everyday life

This beautiful, surreal film is a masterpiece of stop motion. It's one of the very best by director Hermína Týrlová. Our new issue looks into The Blue Apron, and into Týrlová's love of putting life into mundane objects: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/an-invisib...

From: The Good Soldier Švejk (1954), dir. Jiří Trnka, Loutkový Film Praha

Background paintings for Space Ace (1983), dir. Don Bluth, Bluth Group

A Sesame Street film: I Am Crying / Estoy Llorando (1977) by Leach-Rankin Productions

Reiko Okuyama was an artist who built Japanese animation. Among other things, she helped to shape Horus -- Isao Takahata's debut film. Okuyama was a top animator and Toei union member. Yet her commercial work never fully satisfied her, as we explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/an-artist-...

From: The Jetsons (1962-1963), created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions The UPA animator Bobe Cannon had a big hand in this sequence

We need more Sesame Streets, more TV that supports art and learning and shows kids what's possible. Karen Aqua's art was supported by a moment in time, but we could build more such moments. animationobsessive.substack.com/p/an-indepen...

Concept art by Yoshifumi Kondo for Grave of the Fireflies (1988), dir. Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli

Living in the slop era is making it very conspicuous that art being treated as a churn of contextless, interchangeable content, not rooted in any way, with the audience themselves being made of isolated consumers, has been the problem for a while and the generative llm shit is just an accelerant.

From: Kakania (1989), dir. Karen Aqua

From: Dance to the Rhythm (1991), dir. Karen Aqua

Brilliant bit of research on one of Miyazaki's many unrealised projects - a film of Richard Corben's Rowlf. This one shaped his breakthrough movie - sometimes the ones that get away stay with you the longest. animationobsessive.substack.com/p/an-unmade-...

In 1980, Hayao Miyazaki felt creatively washed up. Then he read an American comic that amazed him. Its name: Rowlf. As he tried to adapt it into a movie, Miyazaki evolved and found a new approach that reshaped his work. We're looking into the story: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/an-unmade-...

@ani-obsessive.bsky.social might be my favourite account on here. It is a pleasure to read someone who loves their subject deeply.

Character design work by Katsuhiro Otomo for Harmagedon (1983), dir. Rintaro, Madhouse/Project Team Argos This job was Otomo's first in the anime industry, and the realistic style he used here had a huge impact on other artists

From: Labyrinth Labyrinthos (1987), dir. Rintaro, Madhouse/Project Team Argos

Nick Park spent the '80s making A Grand Day Out mostly alone. It was a school project that got out of hand -- he wanted to quit many times. But Park stuck with it and fulfilled his dream of bringing a cinematic feel to stop motion. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/wallace-an...

One of my all-time favorite animated characters, Gromit, born from practical and budget limitations. Because, of course. News to me! thank you for your latest article @ani-obsessive.bsky.social animationobsessive.substack.com/p/wallace-an...

From: Crane's Feathers (1977), dir. Ideya Garanina, Soyuzmultfilm

From: The Czech Year (1947), dir. Jiří Trnka, Kreslený a loutkový film Praha This film is a master class in stop-motion cinematography and editing

This week from #AnimationObsessive how Rintaro gambled on bringing Katsuhiro Otomo into anime. Great, fully sourced research. animationobsessive.substack.com/p/how-katsuh...

From: Grimm's Fairy Tales - The Golden Bird (1987), dir. Toshio Hirata, Toei Doga/Madhouse

I love how @ani-obsessive.bsky.social was able to document the films at OIAF. In an age of AI use, it’s always good to know that there are people pouring their hearts and talents into the animation medium. Check out some of the films mentioned in this article! open.substack.com/pub/animatio...

Concept paintings by Christophe Vacher for Treasure Planet (2002), dir. Ron Clements and John Musker, Walt Disney Feature Animation

Character designs by Steve Purcell for The Curse of Monkey Island (canceled), dir. David Carson, Lucasfilm

A Norio Hikone commercial for Curl snacks (1976)

In the '80s, some of the world's most fascinating animation was made in Uzbekistan. It was a time of "absolute creative freedom with full funding." We're looking at the story behind the scene, and at the gems it produced: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/visions-in...

From: Little Mole and the Green Star (1969), dir. Zdeněk Miler, Trick Brothers

Concept art by Leonid Shvartsman for A Kitten Named Woof (1976–1982), created by Lev Atamanov, Soyuzmultfilm

From: Polygon (1977), dir. Anatoly Petrov, Soyuzmultfilm

The Disney renaissance movies used to look different. They were planned to be printed on 35 mm film -- that's how they were first released. Modern editions skip that last step in the process. It was a highly developed, overlooked craft, as we explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/disneys-fi...

From: Ballerina on a Boat (1969), dir. Lev Atamanov, Soyuzmultfilm

Drawings by Craig McCracken that led to Wander Over Yonder (2013–2016), created by Craig McCracken, Disney Television Animation

From: Big Underground Ball (1987), dir. Stanislav Sokolov, Soyuzmultfilm

From: Zima Blue (2019), dir. Robert Valley, Passion Animation Studios

Scott Wills paints a background for the first run of Samurai Jack (2001–2004), created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Cartoon Network Studios

From: Winnie-the-Pooh Goes Visiting (1971), dir. Fyodor Khitruk, Soyuzmultfilm

Concept art by Glen Murakami for Teen Titans (2003–2006), developed by Glen Murakami and Sam Register, Warner Bros. Animation

What's Opera, Doc? looks fantastic. Chuck Jones credited that to his artist Maurice Noble. Noble experimented with this cartoon and took big risks. "You will never do anything interesting if you don’t take chances," he argued. We explore what he did: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/why-whats-...

Storyboards by Shinji Kimura for Tekkonkinkreet (2006), dir. Michael Arias, Studio 4°C

Concept art by Leonid Shvartsman for The Mitten (1967), dir. Roman Kachanov, Soyuzmultfilm

Three shots from Gulliver's Travels (1939), dir. Dave Fleischer, Fleischer Studios A young Hayao Miyazaki saw this film when it screened in Japan, and these moments with the cake left a long-lasting impression on him

Early TV ads were a lifeline for Japanese animators. This stuff allowed for amazing creativity, even when other avenues didn't. Japan had world-class animated ads from the '50s onward. We're looking into a few of them today: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/japans-oth...

From: The Idea (1932), dir. Berthold Bartosch

Concept art by Carter Goodrich for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), dir. Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore, DreamWorks Animation

From: Stop Motion Sabotage (2026), dir. Corduroy Frames Full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgXS...

From: The Bremen Town Musicians (1969), dir. Inessa Kovalevskaya, Soyuzmultfilm A major hit that caused controversy in the USSR -- one critic supposedly called it "marijuana for children"

Early Cartoon Network was hugely inspired by the UPA animator Bobe Cannon. Artists like Genndy Tartakovsky loved his style of movement, studied it and put it in their work. We're looking into Cannon's methods and how they shaped these shows: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-animat...