Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol: The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special
Wow!If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. Animation director Darrell Van Citters has written and published one of the best animation books of the year. Scratch that... one of the best animation books ever! Van Citters has documented the creation and production of the classic UPA TV special Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol with thorough details (wonderfully written I might add) and lavishly illustrated with rare production art (the book layout is superb). This is a must-have for anyone interested in animation history - and specifically, if you have any interest in UPA, animator/director Abe Levitow, songwriters Jules Styne and Bob Merrill, artists like Corny Cole, Gerard Baldwin, Bob Singer and others, not to mention actors Jim Backus, Morey Amsterdam, Jack Cassidy, Paul Frees... you will want this. Van Citters dug up rare behind the scenes photos, cels, storyboards, backgrounds, pencil sketches... a treasure trove of art material that alone justifies the purchase. It gets my highest recommendation. --Jerry Beck --Cartoon Brew, July 11, 2009