Most of the articles I've written have been about animation. My articles have appeared in small press magazines such as Animation Magazine, Animato, Animation Blast, fps, Cartoon Quarterly, Cartoonist Profiles, The Comics Journal, The Velvet Light Trap, Apatoons and my blog. What's below is a collection of articles from various places. I've grouped them in an attempt to make them more reader-friendly.
Muhammad Ali and Darwyn Cooke
Jack Kirby, Charlie Chaplin, and Louis Armstrong
Jim Tyer: The Animator Who Broke the Rules
John Wayne's 100th Birthday
Animators Fred Moore and Bill Tytla
Remembering Animation Director Michael Sporn
R.I.P. Animator Jack Zander
Chuck Jones: Falling Behind With the Joneses
Hanna and Barbera
Golden Age Animation Directors
Animator Al Eugster
It's the School Plus You
Clarity, Logic, and Entertainment
Advice to Graduates
The Definition of Animation
Animators and Acting Part 1
Animators and Acting Part 2
Animators and Acting Part 3
The Collaborative Nature of Animated Acting
Complex Characters
The Importance of Sympathy
Marlon Brando and Animation
Motion Capture
Seduced by Supporting Characters
Animation: The Vital Connection
Animation: The Vital Conception
Animation and Theatre
Should Animation Only Do What Live Action Can't?
Animation's Lack of Consequences
Media Consumption
Why Are Disney's Pre-war Films Better Than the Post-War Films?
Conflict in Disney Films
The Importance of Setting
The Elements of a Scene: Setting
The Elements of a Scene: Personality
The Elements of a Scene: Objective and Motive
The Elements of a Scene: Conflict, Obstacles and Resolution
The Elements of a Scene: Business
The Elements of a Scene: Character Arc
The Elements of a Scene: Suspense and Surprise
Art vs. Business
Against Outsourcing
The Benefits of Creative Ownership
Customers, Waiters, and Cooks
Get Out of the Kitchen
Fail Faster and Cheaper
Freelancing
Management and Innovation in Animation
Pixar in Vancouver or The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
The Talent Differential
Who Are the Next Animation Inspirations?
Is the Storyboard Artist the Director?
Where Does Morale Fit Into a Budget?
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 1
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 2
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 3
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 4
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 5
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 6
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 7
Miyazaki's Spirited Away
Pondering Miyazaki's Ponyo
Miyazaki's The Wind Rises
Takahata's The Tale of Princess Kaguya
Takahata's My Neighbors, The Yamadas and Pom Poko
John Ford's Submarine Patrol
Michael Sporn's The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Borge Ring's Anna and Bella
James Cameron's Avatar and Animation
George Pal's Tulips Shall Grow
Disney's The Flying Mouse (1934)
Morality and the Story Structure of Disney's Pinocchio
Disney's Sleeping Beauty Puts Me to Sleep
Disney's The Lion King
Pixar's Toy Story 2
Pixar's Ratatouille: Food for Thought
The Corruption of Copyright
Who Owns History? Who Owns Culture? Who Owns Speech?
The Upside and Downside of Influences
Book Review: Hollywood: The Oral History
People
Muhammad Ali and Darwyn Cooke
Jack Kirby, Charlie Chaplin, and Louis Armstrong
Jim Tyer: The Animator Who Broke the Rules
John Wayne's 100th Birthday
Animators Fred Moore and Bill Tytla
Remembering Animation Director Michael Sporn
R.I.P. Animator Jack Zander
Chuck Jones: Falling Behind With the Joneses
Hanna and Barbera
Golden Age Animation Directors
Animator Al Eugster
Animation Education
It's the School Plus You
Clarity, Logic, and Entertainment
Advice to Graduates
Animation and Acting
The Definition of Animation
Animators and Acting Part 1
Animators and Acting Part 2
Animators and Acting Part 3
The Collaborative Nature of Animated Acting
Complex Characters
The Importance of Sympathy
Marlon Brando and Animation
Motion Capture
Seduced by Supporting Characters
Animation: The Vital Connection
Animation: The Vital Conception
Animation and Theatre
Storytelling
Should Animation Only Do What Live Action Can't?
Animation's Lack of Consequences
Media Consumption
Why Are Disney's Pre-war Films Better Than the Post-War Films?
Conflict in Disney Films
The Importance of Setting
The Elements of a Scene: Setting
The Elements of a Scene: Personality
The Elements of a Scene: Objective and Motive
The Elements of a Scene: Conflict, Obstacles and Resolution
The Elements of a Scene: Business
The Elements of a Scene: Character Arc
The Elements of a Scene: Suspense and Surprise
The Animation Business
Art vs. Business
Against Outsourcing
The Benefits of Creative Ownership
Customers, Waiters, and Cooks
Get Out of the Kitchen
Fail Faster and Cheaper
Freelancing
Management and Innovation in Animation
Pixar in Vancouver or The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
The Talent Differential
Who Are the Next Animation Inspirations?
Is the Storyboard Artist the Director?
Where Does Morale Fit Into a Budget?
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 1
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 2
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 3
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 4
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 5
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 6
Pitch Audiences, Not Gatekeepers Part 7
Studio Ghibli
Miyazaki's Spirited Away
Pondering Miyazaki's Ponyo
Miyazaki's The Wind Rises
Takahata's The Tale of Princess Kaguya
Takahata's My Neighbors, The Yamadas and Pom Poko
Specific Films
John Ford's Submarine Patrol
Michael Sporn's The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Borge Ring's Anna and Bella
James Cameron's Avatar and Animation
George Pal's Tulips Shall Grow
Disney's The Flying Mouse (1934)
Morality and the Story Structure of Disney's Pinocchio
Disney's Sleeping Beauty Puts Me to Sleep
Disney's The Lion King
Pixar's Toy Story 2
Pixar's Ratatouille: Food for Thought
Copyright
The Corruption of Copyright
Who Owns History? Who Owns Culture? Who Owns Speech?
Miscellany
The Upside and Downside of Influences
Book Review: Hollywood: The Oral History