The Art of Jay Ward Productions
Here is a perfect Christmas present for any dyed-in-the-wool cartoon fan: an affectionate, informative, lavishly illustrated history of Jay Ward Productions, written by an animation insider. Van Citters has scoured the Ward archives for model sheets, storyboard drawings, and finished artwork to help tell the story of the can-do company that played by its own rules and created Rocky and his Friends, The Bullwinkle Show, and the long-running Cap n Crunch commercials, to name just a few of its notable achievements. Individual profiles of directors, writers, animators, layout personnel, and other contributors give us a clearer picture of the creative team behind some of the funniest animated series in television history. The Ward style also reflected modern graphic design a result of the fact that key studio personnel got their training at the Walt Disney studio in the 1940s before breaking off to work with the forward-thinking UPA. The Art of Jay Ward Productions offers an embarrassment of riches that are well worth savoring. --Leonard Maltin's Movie CrazyWho would ve thought that two great books (and I mean Tony-the-Tiger Grrrreat! ) would emerge from the history of Jay Ward Productions? The first one you should all have in your library already Keith Scott s incredible The Moose That Roared (2000). Animator Darrell Van Citters unearthed a treasure trove of rare Ward Studio artwork while compiling his tome on Mr. Magoo s Christmas Carol. He supplemented that with a ton of additional artwork, interviews, artists bios and history that makes this book the perfect compliment to Scott s definitive history. Together you get the entire picture of the Ward oeuvre. But make no mistake, Van Citters book stands on its own It s beautifully written and produced, packed with art, photos and new behind-the-scenes facts about this trail blazing (and still inspirational) TV cartoon factory. --Jerry Beck, Cartoon Research