Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America

Karl F. Cohen

1997

Jefferson: McFarland & Co.

ISBN: 0786403950 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)

Description

This book looks at censorship of animation in cinema and television. The author examines how the risqu頧ags in some silent cartoons were replaced by rigid standards in the sound film era, the perpetuation of racial stereotypes in many early cartoons, and the studios efforts to stop producing such animations. The author also looks at many  uncensored cartoons, such as Lenny Bruces Thank You Mask Man and Ralph Bakshis Fritz the Cat. Moreover, the author examines the censorship of television cartoons, from the changes made in theatrical releases shown on television to the different standards that apply to small screen animation. The final chapter discusses the many animators who were blacklisted from the industry in the 1950s for alleged sympathies to the Communist Party.