Chris and Alex return after their belated summer hiatus with Episode 105 of the podcast, and a very special instalment that features them in conversation with renowned animation director, character designer, animator, and teacher Nancy Beiman, who has worked at a number of studios (from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin studio to the Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers) as well as on feature films including A Goofy Movie (Kevin Lima, 1995), Hercules (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1997) and Treasure Planet (Ron Clements & John Musker, 2002). She is also the author of two landmark books on animation acting and storyboarding - Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts (2007) and Animated Performance: Bringing Imaginary Animal, Human and Fantasy Characters to Life (2010) - and the recent How I Finally Got to Live a Cat's Life: A Cartoon Diary 2020-2021 (2022), which promises “the diary of a cartoonist "character" who got the ultimate Staycation!” Listen as they discuss her extensive career in Hollywood animation, including her training at Cal Arts ahead of becoming a supervising animator and the origins of the mysterious “graphic blandishment” role; the evolution of U.S. animation within the 1970s and 1980s as a continuation of classical traditions rather than a phase of transition; voice artistry and the creative bargain that the animation process must strike with voice performance tracks; animation as a form of dance, and the way that animators are continually blending a multitude of sources and inspirations; technological advancement in relation to characterisation; and the creative value of simply looking at things given how the development of an animated film is always greater than the sum of its parts.
**Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo**
Bright (David Ayer, 2017)
Hugo (2011) (with Eric Smoodin)
Watchmen (2009) (with Drew Morton)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) (with Deborah Shaw)
Persepolis (2007)
Beetlejuice (1988) (with Jingan Young)
Princess Mononoke (1997) (with Rayna Denison)
(Bonus) Q&A with Graham Humphreys (Live from Portsmouth Bookfest)
Waterworld (1995) (with Simon Brew)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Aladdin (2019) (with Myles Robey)
Hercules (1997) (with Edith Hall)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000) (with Astrid Goldsmith)
Dungeons & Dragons (1983-1985)
Wizards (1977) (Live @ Cinema Museum)
Brazil (1985) (with Hope Dickson Leach)
BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) (with Frances Pheasant-Kelly)
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) (with Caroline Ruddell - Live @ Cinema Museum)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) (with Becca Harrison)
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