The World of UPA (Part 1 of 3)

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This is the story of the rebels who made animation grow up.
(Part 1 of 3)
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Sources/Further Reading:
When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA by Adam Abraham - amzn.to/2TNyMOr
Animation Learns a New Language by John Hubley and Zachary Schwartz - bit.ly/2Kzi2WC
American Experience: Walt Disney (2015) - imdb.to/2FJwYTp
You can follow me through:
Twitter- andymsaladino
Vimeo- vimeo.com/theroyaloceanfilmsociety
Music by:
Factory Floor - / factory-floor
Bonus Points - / bonuspoints
Chopef - / chopef

[@marylynnpyle6753]

So cool! My Great Uncle who just passed away at 102 was an animator for UPA: Willy Pyle (he is in the credits at min 10:28) I just sent this video to my family! Thank you for this!

[@francescomanzo3939]

I'm sorry about your uncle :(

[@khalilemir]

Im so happy that your great uncle was a part of this big story. Thanks for sharing!

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Well, your uncle is now the most ambitious one in history. And this is great!

[@jakecreations]

I was friends with Willy for the last 7 years of his life. We would meet at his apartment on the upper west side and talk art and animation. He was so much fun and had so many stories from his days at Disney, UPA, and beyond. He animated Gerald McBoing Boing at the microphone wearing a cowboy hat. He was a Disney striker before that. I miss him but I'm glad I got to know him.

[@frankdenardo8684]

Mary Lynn Pyle Sorry to hear about your loss. Your uncle lived for a century. Thanks for the legacy he left us for many years to come.

[@Darango-Darango]

The Jazz of Animation

[@savannahlevy97]

That's pretty much it.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Ya' like jazz?

[@arrowpictures2844]

Hanna Barbera before Hanna Barbera

[@steamboatwill3.367]

wouldn't that just be animation in the 1920s and 1930s ( and with Jazz music )?

[@hellhasnohappiness1383]

Fuck ok didn't have to get all poetic like that

[@SebastianTinajero]

“ he wanted his animation to do what live-action couldn’t “ This

[@thesensur6214]

What?

[@harrylane4]

@@thesensur6214 " HE WANTED HIS ANIMATION TO DO WHAT LIVE-ACTION COULDN'T " THIS

[@thesensur6214]

Harrison Lane what is the “this” supposed to add?

[@juliantruitt4037]

A progressive thought at that time in history, but really a bit of a fallacy

[@RawHeadRay]

says in this video that this guy said it then says in another video that richard williams said it,..maybe they both said it, great line too.

[@gbeaudette]

I think it can't be understated how much the Depression played in UPA's creation. Reading interviews with several animators from that era, you get the picture a large number of people got into animation not because they really wanted to, but because Disney was one of the only places for a young artist to get hired to actually do art. And once they came out the other side, they had all these sharp animation skills and more opportunities to be the artists they always wanted to be.

[@Any-mation]

Excellent! I'm so glad you made this! UPA can be criminally under valued, despite their huge change to the world of western animation. Really looking forward to the next 2 parts!

[@BGcam]

Any-Mation almost as good as YOUR video essays on animation. Almost. Your channel deserves at least as many subscribers as Royal Ocean and are the 2 best animation/film resources on youtube imo.

[@lucyhtml]

Never heard of this company before, but this video is great. So cool to learn about something new ♥️

[@alamdaali8776]

this comment is so generic

[@Apollos_Triumph]

​@@alamdaali8776Yup....

[@vicenteortegarubilar9418]

I am so happy this video is here now. I saw animation of UPA during my entire childhood without knowing at the time the rich history behind it.

[@PogieJoe]

Same! This is such a great video.

[@nyanpirethecat2257]

You've got to do a video series on Fleischer Studios in the future. Especially since they played a big role during the early days of animation. At one point, they we're big rivals with Disney before the Looney Tunes existed.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

I love The Fleischers for their Popeye cartoons. ^^

[@heckzotica]

Those guy are the true legends! Nothing from back then ever looked so good.

[@smoage]

Thanks for this! There's a lot of discussion and reverence in the animation community for the "UPA style" [which is a whole other discussion as to what people think that is!] but definitely not enough discussion about the efforts of unionization and the attempt to create a studio that encapsulated the ethics and cooperation the union members wanted to bring about! So much to learn from today by looking at the history of the formation of UPA. There has been a resurgence of discussion of this history lately and I love it!!! Thank you!

[@AlbertHamik2]

One other big influence on the UPA style of animation was the 1942 Warner Bros. cartoon The Dover Boys at Pimento University, created by Chuck Jones. It had some of the earliest use of minimalist design to create expressive human characters. It's really sort've the prototype for what would become UPA style.

[@AlbertHamik2]

Haha, this is something I just learned reading up a bit, one year after The Dover Boys, and while working for Columbia animation, John Hubley made a carbon copy of the former cartoon with a short called Rocky Road to Ruin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6CqYZlpjtFlo8k They even casted the same voice actor for the narrator, John McLeish, and that guy also wrote the short. It too is cited as being a pivotal part of the development of the UPA style, despite being mostly forgotten and overshadowed by the cartoon it rather heavily copied.

[@AlbertHamik2]

Also, while as a whole the Fox and Crow shorts were relatively pedestrian, the first entry into the series, The Fox and the Grapes, was cited by Chuck Jones himself as one of his key inspirations for his famous Roadrunner cartoons for Warner Bros. The fox's repeated attempts to retrieve the grapes nailed to the trunk of a tree are similar to Wile E. Coyote's constant attempts to catch the roadrunner, in terms of the setup.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@AlbertHamik2 Similarly, there was a film called "Willoughby's Magic Hat" which also is often sighted. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3LKpKeJmpyVhMk kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6vIf558och1o8k

[@AdahnFlorence]

Man I had no idea how old The Dover boys was, I thought it came out at least a decade or two later.

[@nightisright1873]

Oh Chuck Jones loved UPA style heck a not so well none series of Looney Tunes cartoons Chuck did was the Ralph Philips series .About a little kid who constantly was day dreaming .A very UPA influenced style and story .I think that Chuck would have left Warners if given the opportunity he would have gone to UPA

[@Smacgregor88]

Finally, someone called Columbia "Diet Looney Tunes"! Glad I'm not the only one who of them that way. It doesn't help that Columbia was pumped by the same guy who got Oswald in Universal.

[@kooarchived]

Walter Lantz?

[@jvgreendarmok]

@@kooarchived Charles Mintz.

[@kooarchived]

@@jvgreendarmok Oh.

[@JustinY.]

Woah a metal upa! Those are rare!

[@josuebartley7272]

Justin Y. I hadn't seen you all day man, I was worried

[@LuisLopez-fq5sz]

Yeah you haven't been commenting in a while

[@Wewwers]

fuck off

[@andrewbrowning1931]

C A S E I N P O I N T , T H I S O N E ‘ S A D U D

[@darth_autismo]

How come I see you everywhere?

[@jackieboyborden]

I always loved UPA artistically, but never knew the business side. This is great.

[@SSegal]

It's worth mentioning that they won several Oscars, including 1956 when they had every nomination. Their style affected every other studio, including Disney. And they would not have survived if not for Hubley's creation of Mr Magoo.

[@artofdaisychurch]

Love that you're covering UPA! I teach Animation History, and it's one of my favorite classes- to show the students how we take for granted how animation looks these days and how UPA was so different and revolutionary at the time. Hoping you fold in the modern art influences of picasso, mondrian, & kandinsky as well as throw Mr Magoo some love in the coming videos!

[@RufinoMendoza]

"Invaded by diet Looney Tunes" needs to become a widespread expression

[@palomam5152]

I never heard of this company, but I'm amaized! It looks like jazz sounds, and that's fresh even after 60 years of it's inception.

[@AccentedCinema]

The graphic is tight!

[@morganmetcalf233]

My great grandfather was the voice for the jaywalker, thank you for sharing

[@thgritic102]

The modern artists (animators) that I actually like and would talk about vs the ones I hear about over and OVER again in my art classes.

[@tamirthedirector]

Walt Disney made revolutionary art. The imagery in fantasia and Bambi has since not been rivalled. He had his own style and direction. That did not mean he was inferior to the UPA. Also, Walt famously hated using piled gags, and instead tried to tell complex stories. He was not the only storyteller in the studio, and hated how stale mainsteam animation was. That's why he wanted to change everything through the making of Snow White. Also, in White, they needed to attempt realism so that they could transcend it in their later golden Age films. These films used cinematography and movement impossible in live action. Moreover, Fantasia has a lot of abstract imagery in its opening suite, Night on bald mountain suite, and Nutcracker suite, which pushed colouring, cinematography, film, emotion, art and broke the rules of perspective effortlessly. Mickey mouse was a tiny part of Disney, which allowed them to increase in popularity so that he could make his films. The silly symphonies were a training ground so that the animators could be prepared for making films. The reason snow White used so much realistic movement was because everyone were telling Disney that an audience can't emotionally connect to drawings. The Huntsman scene took months to get right and for the audience to really feel for Snow White. It's revolutionary what they did. Furthermore, they improved in their later films. Can you do the stories, imagery and direction of Phinocchio, Fantasia or Bambi in live action or CGI? I doubt it. You cannot say Disney was all rabbits and talking mice. You're using specific examples to represent the visionary who was responsible for fantasia, Bambi, phinocchio, and the first blockbuster. He pushed the boundaries of storytelling, cinematography and film. His creativity is mind bending. Alfred Hitchcock and Citizen Kane were inspired by Disney. The amount of nuance and philosophy in Bambi is almost unmatched. Going by your logic, I can say that the UPA was nothing but cute taking cats, crows and foxes, as well as gags based on newspapers and bears. I am glad this group of artists could reach their potential in the UPA. The Disney films had over 100 people working on them. It's actually scary how much talent is wasted in animation. In films like Spirited Away, you only see Miyazaki's vision - a tiny fraction of the people who worked on the film. Anyway, I always thought the UPA were Soviet animators. They had a similar style to a lot of Soviet animation and I only saw their dialogue-less cartoons. I can't wait to learn more about them! There's a lot of underrated animation visionaries in the world, such as Uri Norstein(regarded by many professors as the greatest animation Director of all time), the Fleisher brothers, Windsor McCay, etc. I'm glad that more people will learn about UPA through such a great KZbin channel.

[@James-pb8xu]

"In films like Spirited Away, you only see Miyazaki's vision - a tiny fraction of the people who worked on the film" Gonna have to disagree with this implied negative aspect of Miyazaki's one-man vision. We all get into art to express what we're feeling _individually._ Collaboration is the cornerstone of animation and nearly an infallible pillar, but a negative aspect is making work that may not be what you want to express. With more people and different minds all interacting with your ideas, the accuracy to what you were gunning for falters more and more and sure, some people can enhance your idea and make it better. But, that's not all the time; sometimes people just don't have a resonance with what you're trying to express. Maybe you don't fully know, and you want to figure it out on an individual level to develop new ideas that you know will add to it in a way no one could. Collaboration is needed to get all the elements together, but playing as a strong director isn't something that's negative.

[@laurenbi]

The editing on this is gorgeous

[@KylaTea]

It’s so rare to hear about UPA especially this in-depth. I’m excited for this series.

[@michaelp.9921]

Wonderful history and tribute to a relatively unknown, but important studio! Also influential: After a few years, Disney itself, of all creators, thanks partly to the intelligence and talent of Ward Kimball, began adopting the UPA style in its own cartoons! Thank you for making this series of videos!

[@davelea99]

This is fantastic! I grew up loving “Gerald McBoing-Boing” and “Tom Terrific” (and His wonder-dog Mighty Manfred) but had no idea where they came from and why they were so charming in their quirky way! Can’t wait for the next two episodes and a way to view and share them all once again!

[@MaskingAutism88]

Tom Terrific came from UPA? I always thought that cartoon was TerryToons. I know Gene Deitch (who created Tom Terrific... And Sidney the Elephant, Clint Clobber, Samson Scrap, and Nudnik amongst others) got his start at UPA (where he was an apprentice, directed Pump Troubles, and was a producer for the short-lived Gerald McBoing Boing TV Series), but Tom Terrific didn't come to be until Gene moved on to TerryToons (Unless it was an idea he had on the back burner when he left UPA)

[@kiethblack3870]

Good documentary. Like some other R.O.F.S. shows, I wish the 'cutesy slang' was removed & a professional voice actor narrated. Also, trashing on Disney is so unnecessary. ALL animation styles are great. Pick one. Like it. Watch it. Love it. Or love (most) all styles & types. That's what I do. But who cares -- heh heh.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

UPA animation has traditionally underrated artstyle and very simplistic tone. It's sad that nowadays animation is nothing compared to UPA's.

[@MaximilianRoof]

There is a big and well growing animation Industry with lots of talented artists. I guess the problem is, that nobody is going to see an animation film in a cinema anymore, that doesn't look like the 3D Stuff Disney and Pixar are producing. I mean I swear, there are sooooo fucking many great animators out there who are just waiting for a way to finance there own films, that nobody is interested in. :D cheers

[@theALTF4]

wait..WHAAAAAH! i call this bologna!, like , have you sen the work of McCracken? he REKTS of UPA. or steven universe backgrounds? those are literally UPA inspired! animation nowadays in the western world still been influenced by this wonderful collective of animators. and to be honest, even (indirectly) on internet you see animation with slight tints of it. we just needs an artist popular enough with a really good idea whop push a "revitalizes" the upa art-style and experimentation. i betting adult swin (on internet itself) will be the ones who create a revolution UPA-like in the forthcoming future, the real question is: how long before this happens?

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

@@theALTF4 Yes. I saw McCracken's work. But Wonder Over Yonder is too close for the UPA looks. I kinda like his work so much.

[@chkensammich]

artstyle? sure i wish we had more diversity. Animation? pretty sure we've had tons of shows animated in higher frames, its all about resourcefulness on a low budget, tho nowadays thats flash and tweening

[@reflectingPastChoices]

Samurai Jack, Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea.... Minimalist animation isn't dead

[@headwyvern11]

If they removed Alex Jones why haven’t they removed Prager yet?? I’m sick of seeing their twisted opinions on things shoved in my face by your ad algorithm... I don’t like them, I don’t want to see it, and that I personally can’t tell you I don’t want to see or hear it again bothers me tremendously.

[@stevenconnors5799]

I hate prager too but he doesn't control the ads

[@mechajay3358]

Finally got around to watching the UPA trilogy and I have to say it has been one of my absolute favorite docu-series I've watched in recent times.

[@steampunkster2023]

I imagine what would be Brotherhood of Man be like (or any UPA film) if it was newly introduced back then as if I saw it for the first time? It would be fascinating. Without the UPA influence, there wouldnt be any animated series like Samurai Jack or Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends to name two. I hope someone could restore these films in high quality.

[@mree.9794]

Finally UPA is being talked about thank u!!!

[@Nen783]

I don't understand why animators want realism. We already have real life and it's boring. So make animation stupid, and crazy. Realism has been done back in the 30's, so why are we still trying to achieve it.

[@LuisLopez-fq5sz]

Why do i feel that Disney creates their rival

they do

[@catinheels88]

DreamWorks too!

[@aninjathtpwndu]

Please cover the works by Don Hertzfeldt since you love great non Disney animation

[@Tacom4ster]

Cool vid, though I wish you expand on UPA legacy, such as the art of Genndy Taratavosky, Craig McCracken and even Brad Bird

[@TheRoyalOceanFilmSociety]

Part 3 of the series will touch on UPA's legacy (including each of the filmmakers you mentioned)

[@donovanwiebe2495]

Honestly VFX artists should strike. Hollywood can't do a damned thing without them these days and they really need change

[@Moovieboy]

Everytime you show that old photo of the Roosevelt, I get a little shiver as I'm currently typing this from the third/top floor of the building on edge of frame left. Thank you so much for telling the UPA's tale!

[@mollietenpenny4093]

Wonderful video! My favorite UPA film is Rooty Toot Toot! I learned of Rooty Toot Toot in Leonard Maltin's book Of Mice and Magic. I can't wait for part two! 🤗🤗🤗😃😃😃👏👏👏👏🎨🎭🎞📽🎥🎬📺📹

[@deliafabri13]

where was this video when I had a research paper about UPA and Disney??? :'

[@joeytesiero9555]

Good Video, but I wanted to mention that the the Fleischer cartoons weather it be Superman or Betty Boop were out side the Disney/Looney Tunes mold you talk about.

[@frankdenardo8684]

I.A.T.S.E. International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees local 839 was the Cartoonist Unions.

[@geovani60624]

When i was really young i wanted to know how people make animations, i was like "no way they draw every frame"

[@sebaldfan]

I'm five years late, but just want to applaud this work. I am currently making an animation for a college project and was trying to put my finger on what I thought were just general mid century animation tendencies, both because it looks cool and I know will let me do more quickly (I have a week lol). To find out that A. the abstract end of that tendency (what I want) was codified by a specific studio and B. this resource spells out just what they were going for, helps me out immensely. For an extra dose of mild irony, I'm doing all this in Zagreb, with it's even more radically abstract animation tradition.

[@ferociousgumby]

11:33 "In which they found themselves in"?

[@JohnSmith-vd6fc]

Wow! The beginning of cheap shortcuts in animation that ultimately led to everything being outsourced to Korea and computers. Imagine union members supporting a mode of operation that virtually guaranteed their future unemployability. I hope that at least the union bosses made out.

[@richardmattocks]

UPA cartoons were all over the tv in my childhood in the 1970’s and early 80’s. Thanks for bringing their history to life. Great work.

[@SketchBud]

I love underated animation, and I must say, this documentary if off to a promising start

[@SocialMedia-jq3vb]

In love with that style, I'm now studying to be an artist, the biggest influence being that era art and the Renaissance art

[@alifmuhammadchicago]

Could we get the names of the animators in the description? I can't read the scribbles.

[@joshuahext9236]

God, yes... I audibly gasped when I realised I had to wait for part 2.

[@kennyhagan5781]

This stuff helped to insure that I would grow up loving animated film.

[@victoriavolmecke4918]

2:09 This might be the most creative demonstration sign I've ever seen

[@silviav.9268]

I don’t like wean people say Limited animation it’s just nothing but to save a Quick buck because animation there no such thing as one style

[@KendrickHarrisKenfinity]

So "unique" and popping out to learn more about our revolutionary artists/animators. And well-done analysis of how UPA broke out of the Disney and Warner Brothers trademarks🎯✏🖌🟦🟩🎥🌅 Stay safe and keep it up!

[@furripupau]

And of course, Mr. Magoo.

[@mrsnoop1820]

Disney animation was way better ... UPA is the beginning of shit animation

[@joelmayerprods]

Love your documentaries! Would love to see something about Terrytoons! :D They've gotten very "design-y" in the 60s as well. Not much material is around about the studio which is famous for being the most low-budget one of them all so i think there's a market gap there haha :D

[@horridgoober6386]

The tolerance one has a nice idea to bad it was made in 1944 and the asian guy’s design is just unfortunate

[@nicolle2126]

Ngl i almost skipped this video because the title and the thumbnail don't really give much in way of information unless you know exactly what UPA is. Really glad i didn't though and now i'm looking forward to part 2 ^^

[@juliantruitt4037]

UPA style has moved from innovation to dogmatism. Americans for example now resist ideas that approach realism, and current animation design classes mainly stress the ways shape and color relate to character and story to the exclusion of realism in some cases. So contrary to the spirit of innovation it should be, the style has been pigeonholed and has become somewhat of an industry trope. The ideas have been so ingrained in the industry that it actually resists change and the exploration of new forms of realism in animation that might serve more adult content (think anime), and honestly anyone that has seen a Miyazaki film knows that design with a more realistic form does not mean you can't do things that only animation can do. When someone says that UPA is better or worse than anything else that is a red flag, and that kind of thinking is what actually narrows the scope of animation, particularly in America. I appreciate the admittance that this is an opinionated piece, but I encourage people that are watching this to appreciate the historical and stylistic aspects but not consider them the end all and be all of animation design. Also, just as a side note, the design ideas that originated in Disney studios may have been geared more towards realism, but many of the design concepts are the same (but as mentioned in the video there really was not a lot of room for breaking the mold within the company). As it says in the video, UPA style was in some way born out of limitations and necessity; realistic characters require more attention to minute detail and often more frames to bring them to life, while simply designed characters require fewer frames and less manpower to realize a finished animation (this can be said for backgrounds but for different reasons). This made the design choices ideal for a smaller company that produced a wide a variety of animations in different styles, but it was not purely a result of rebels who wanted more artistic expression-- there was a business incentive too. It's an ideal to look towards, but sadly animators and businessmen are not really completely separate entities, particularly today. That said, kudos to Royal Ocean for making an analysis of this art movement at all. It's important to know how animation has evolved over time :)

[@jonanderson3050]

Who are the 18 jackasses that disliked this video?

[@ZombieNaito]

With the latest Junglebook and the upcoming Lion King remake, do you think that Disney has finally reached the realism they have hoped to achieve?

[@atariblue]

The eight people who gave this a thumbs down are actually Walt Disney himself with multiple youtube accounts.

[@CalebNorman]

This is dope! Thanks for all your hard work, research, and editing on this terrific piece of art!

[@adversitycartoons4050]

I think Yuasa shares some traits with this sort of animation

[@testest12344]

Tatami Galaxy especially has a bunch of stylistic similarities in terms of layouts, at style and colour. Though most of his other stuff is a different kind of animated expressionism from what I'm seeing in this video.

[@siglerproductions]

“Glorious wartime experiments.” That’s a new one

[@ethanlai2050]

I can’t believe I just found this channel It’s amazing

[@tanmayyadav7798]

It looks like old cartoon network shows

[@ApolloPlanetary]

Pushing the boundaries, almost always proves beneficial. UPA did great work

[@DallasCrane]

More UPA! You just got a patron! Could you talk about Hi-Q library music, or Bill Lava, Billy May, etc?

[@Swedishwolf16]

I love the editing on this channel! Looking forward to the complete story of UPA!

[@david_t_nethery_animator]

4:12 - 4:19 (speaking of Stephen Bosustow) you note: "Bosustow desperately wanted to start his own animation studio" , then jumping to around 6:14 - 6:30 it is suggested that Stephen Bosustow started Industrial Film and Poster Service , but at 6:31 we see a photo of three men: on the left side are Zack Schwartz and David Hilberman (unnamed in your video) , with Steve Bosustow looking on from the right side ... Zack Schwartz and Dave Hilberman were the co-founders of Industrial Film and Poster Service (which became UPA) . It seems an unfortunate oversight to not mention this fact, implying that the sole founder was Stephen Bosustow. (also, you neglect to mention that Zack Schwartz was the Production Designer of "Hell Bent For Election". You say it was "designed by John Hubley and Bill Hurtz". However, the end credits of the film clearly says: Production Designed by Zack Schwartz.)

[@Imperfect21stCenturyPioneer]

Now I see where the defunct United Paramount Network (UP... N; merged with the WB network to form the CW) might have got their inspiration for their 1st logo. Same color scheme, basically the same font, only two of the shapes, a square and a triangle, were noticeably different. I came here after binging on KaiserBeamz's "Merrie History of Looney Tunes" and learning of Chuck Jones' admiration of, and eventual involvement, with UPA. Truly a memorable, influential studio and art style.

[@Nkanyiso_K]

That was great, can't wait to delve into their art in the next installment, I'm currently teaching myself animation

[@marcus1992000]

better then many netflix documentaries

[@mechajay3358]

Or HBO ones

[@ferociousgumby]

DIsney couldn't draw. Now it can be known

[@Alia-bc3rc]

Amazing video for an amazing history of cinema!! ...but you don't really explain why UPA was so groundbreaking, was it just because they animated different from Disney's style?

[@sierra3644]

Alia Ris i think he’ll elaborate more on his future videos on this subject

[@takahashierik]

More like because they animated differently from anything that before.

[@Lafilmotecamaldita]

Felicidades! Un grandisimo trabajo...

[@SonofMrPeanut]

While we're on the Disney Animators Strike: Screw Gunther Lessing.

[@SazLowify]

Love the video and the stories you tell but what's up with the Nerdwriter endslate? Also getting a speaking coach can really help you at speaking quicker. For most of the video it sounded like you were struggling to keep up with yourself and it was kind of embarrassing to listen to. Just my two cents.

[@RayPointerChannel]

Good job. Only thing I'd need to point out is that your photo of The Roosevelt Hotel was from the 1950s. The Cinemascope painted wall billboard gives this away.

[@tamirthedirector]

You might remember that at the beginning of Snow White, Walt says that without his animators and staff none of the film would have been possible to make. Then, credits follow this quote, listing the names of his animators. Moreover, the opening title of the silly symphonies does not state that only Walt made them. No. Walt Disney is the name of the company, and represents all of its staff. Furthermore, Snow White could not have been done in live action or CGI. The forest hallucinations, and the transformation and behaviour imagery of the queen are artful and testament to why animation is the most powerful, emotional medium in film. Snow White KNEW what animation, and only animation, was capable of, and showcased the most emotionally charged imagery possible. I remember seeing the queen walk down the staircase, deciding to put on the disguise. In a live action film that would be a simple scene. But in animation you felt the decision through the face and emotional, hand drawn movements impossible in live action and CGI that made you connect and become terrified of the character solely through the power of animation. When show white sees the logs transform into monsters - that is one of the most powerful shots in film. You see her expression, her body movements and the water movements move together in an emotional way that moves you in your emotional core. Traditional animation has the ability to directly and emotionally connect to your soul. I can't explain how, but It's impossible anywhere else and I think only Walt Disney, Bluth and Isao Takahata have ever known of the power of animation. It's genius. Disney realised it 82 years ago. The UPA wanted to do something different. That does not make them better. Modernism does not supercede art movements that came before it. I implore you to edit your video and correct your errors. I understand that your statements spreading misinformation about Walt Disney functioned well to give sympathy to the UPA. However, it is still misinformation. I cannot continue watching this. Also, in your 'Early Animated Films' video, you completely skipped how the Disney Animators developed the principles of animation and brought believability to the medium, bringing an end to the hated rubber hose style! Walt guided them to made their drawings dynamic and not stiff. Every animator or person interested in animation knows of squash and stretch, anticipation, etc. That completely changed and improved animation! It went from kid distractions to art! Without these Disney techniques, stop motion animators and CGI animators would made the most ugly things on the planet. I don't understand! Why would you possibly hate Disney to a point where you want to erase them from history and for them to only be remembered as a demonic capitalist group? You seem to not watch the actual videos you use in your documentaries.

[@susanfit47]

Nickelodeon had the UPA package for quite time (airing as a series called Cartoon Kablooey or Weinerville) but they didn't have the right to those until the early 90's, like 1993, at the earliest.

[@Lucalaurin]

OMG the production quality was absolutely of the charts on this one man!! Incredible video such a joy to watch!

although looney tunes are still talking animals being paired to do cartoony stuff, i don't think it is even fair to compare them with disney. they were the ones who started the anti-disney cartoons

[@Aydentries12568]

I love hell bent for election! It’s perfect for UPA’s “first” cartoon!

[@kevinkesterson1806]

During the WWII segment, they showed caricatures of Nazis but not of Imperial Japanese. It was my grandfather who served in the Pacific who pointed out to me how unhesitatingly media shows caricature of Germans but then all of a sudden hesitates to launch in equal measure against the Japanese, even falsely calling it racist, and I’ve never been able to not notice it since.

[@springbonnie2715]

Me: Oh this is cool *Realizes it’s 2 years old*

[@Da.Liar-Pig]

1 year later Relatable

[@g1sunstreaker584]

How was absolutely none of this in my history of animation class?! I have never heard of any of these names! I'm in love with this particular art style; Blue Rhapsody remains my favorite Fantasia film to date. Thank you so so much for creating this video!

[@tonysaladino]

Educational yet entertaining. I especially liked the description of how the new animators wanted to do more abstract work because, I assume, it allowed them the creative latitude they wanted and needed as artists. Excellent!

[@GagsAnimation]

I have a question for yall. If disney animation had believability, warner bros had character driven cartoons, mgm was known for humor cartoons, what was Walter Lanz, Terrytoons, and Flesichers known for. I know Columbia was known for avant garde experiments

[@johannymilord3371]

Im hoping for UPA to make a comeback for animation this year in 2024😗

[@Aydentries12568]

R.I.P. defense limited.You were a challenging train!

[@ibragimbotashev7572]

Great film! Thanks a lot!

[@matthewvillage]

im so glad you're doing a multi part piece on UPA, their work has been such an inspiration on my work

[@hf4229]

how does this only have 151k views it’s amazingly put together

[@YouFightLikeACow]

Lindsay Ellis should watch this. Also, great video.

[@TheJaredtheJaredlong]

Why?

[@danielnorton9803]

Lindsay Ellis needs to lose weight.

[@Byxell0]

10:44 bi flag Though in all seriousness these backgrounds are beautiful

[@Bluestoneklutz357]

my animation professor sent us here hello Mr. Michael you are very dope :)

[@VintageBeauty1313]

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched the documentary! I love it so much!