Animation Documentaries

I’ve been meaning to remake my masterpost on animation documentaries for a while. (Especially since amazon no longer allows us to edit our older listmanias.) I love watching stuff like this, so I figure others would as well! I direct linked as many titles as I could to streams, free or otherwise. Feel free to add to this! (Also, quick prelude since you’re gonna hear it a lot: Any time a Disney documentary says *Snow White* was the first ever animated feature film *is a dirty filthy lie*.)

## Animation Industry

* *Anime: Drawing a Revolution* (2007)
* *Between Frames: The Art of Brazilian Animation* (2013;website)
* *The CalArts Story* (1964)
* [NHK *Close-up Gendai* No.3620 逆襲なるか　日本アニメ　～海外輸出・新戦略の行方～ (”The Counterattack of Japanese Anime ~Overseas Export - New Strategy~”)] (2015; website)
* [NHK *Close-up Gendai* No.3171 アニメを旅する若者たち　“聖地巡礼”の舞台裏 (”Young People Traveling for Anime ‘Pilgrimage to the Sacred Place’”)] (2012; website)
* [NHK *Close-up Gendai Plus* ２兆円↑アニメ産業　加速する“ブラック労働” (”2 Trillion Yen ↑ Accelerating Animation Industry ‘Black Labor’”)] (2017; website; NHK on how shitty overworked animator wages are.)
* *Computer Dreams* (1988; this is more a showcase of early cgi than a documentary, but it’s interesting to see anyway.)
* *Creature Designers - The Frankenstein Complex* (2016; DVD)
* *Drawn for Glory: Animation’s Triumph at the Oscars* (2008;DVD)
* *Forging the Frame: The Roots of Animation, 1900-1920* (2007;DVD)
* Forging the Frame: The Roots of Animation ()
* *Hollywood’s Greatest Trick* (2016; website; about the terrible VFX business model.)
* *I Know That Voice* (2013; DVD, website)
* *Imagine* Series 2 Episode 5, “From Pencils to Pixels” (2003; BBC One)
* *Magia Russica* (2004; website; on Soviet Russian animation)
* *New-generation animators* (2016; website)
* *Weightless Life - Dialogue With Disney* (2006; on Russian animation)

## Studios

* *A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman* (2015)
* Fleischer Studios -
	+ *The Evolution of Animation: The History of the Fleischer Studios* (2007; DVD)
	+ *First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series* (2009; DVD)
	+ *Max Fleischer and the New York Style* (2007)
	+ *Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story* (2008)
* *Hanna-Barbera’s 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration*(1989)
* *Life After Pi* (2014; website; about the collapse of VFX studio Rhythm & Hues.)
* *Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the impossible* (2010)
* *The Magic of Filmation*
* Pixar -
	+ *Pixar: 25 Magic Moments* (2011; by BBC Three)
	+ *The Pixar Story* (2007, DVD; website)
* Walt Disney Studios
	+ *Dream On Silly Dreamer* (2005; DVD)
	+ *From Fantasia to Fantasyland* (1978)
	+ *The Illusion of Life* (1981)
	+ Walt Disney Treasures - Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio (DVD; A collection of old behind-the-scenes docs and telecasts.)
	+ Walt Disney Treasures - Your Host, Walt Disney (DVD; collection of *Walt Disney Presents*/*The Wonderful World of Color*)
	+ *Waking Sleeping Beauty* (2009; DVD; website)
* Warner Bros. -
	+ *Camera Three: The Boys Termite Terrace* (1975; DVD)
	+ *Irreverent Imagination: The Golden Age of the Looney Tunes* (2003; DVD)
	+ *Unsung Maestros: A Directors Tribute* (2007; DVD)

## Anime Studios

* *Behind The Scenes! Kyoto Animation Making of Kanon*
* *Ghibli: The Miyazaki Temple* (2005)
* *Inside Toei Animation* (2008)
* *Kingdom of Dreams & Madness* (2013; DVD; on Studio Ghibli.)
* *The Story Behind Banjo* (2009; DVD; on creating Don Bluth Productions.)

## Animators/Artists/Voice Actors

Included a few comic artists who’s works are also widely known through animation.

* Al Hirschfeld - *The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story* (1996;DVD; website)
* Ami Ankilewitz - *39 Pounds of Love* (2005; DVD)
* Art Babbit - *Animating Art* (1988)
* Art Chokey - *Gumby Dharma* (2006)
* Bill Pylmpton - *Adventures in Plymptoons!* (2011; DVD)
* Blinky Bill - *Blinky and Me* (2011; DVD; website)
* Bob Clampett - *The Man from Wackyland: The Art of Bob Clampett* (2004; DVD)
* Bob Godfrey - *The Craftsmen - Bob Godfrey* (1971)
* Bruce Bickford - *Monster Road* (2004; DVD; website)
* Charlz Schultz -
	+ *A Boy Named Charlie Brown* (1963; DVD)
	+ *Good Grief, Charlie Brown: A Tribute to Charles Schulz* (2000)
	+ [*American Masters* *Good Ol’ Charles Schulz*] (2007; website)
* Chuck Jones -
	+ *Chuck Amuck: The Movie* (1991; DVD)
	+ *Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation* (2000; DVD)
	+ *Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood* (2009)
	+ *Heart and Soul: The Timeless Art of Chuck Jones*(2007; DVD)
* Eyvind Earle - *My Life Eyvind Earle* (DVD; autobiographical doc.)
* Floyd Norman - *Floyd Norman: An Animated Life* (2016; website)
* Frank Tashlin - *Tish Tash: The Animated World of Frank Tashlin* (2005; DVD)
* Frank Thomas & Ollie Johnston - *Frank and Ollie* (DVD)
* Friz Freleng -
	+ *Freleng: Frame by Frame* (1994; DVD)
	+ *Friz on Film* (2006; DVD)
* Fujiko Fujio - [NHK *The Professionals*] Episode 214, *“*プロフェッショナル ザ・レジェンド 僕は、のび太そのものだった” (”The Legend I Was Nobita Itself”) (2013)
* Genndy Tartakovsky - *Genndy’s Scrapbook: The Story of Genndy Tartakovsky* (2005; DVD)
* George Pal - *Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal* (1985; DVD)
* Gerry & Sylvia Anderson - *Filmed in Supermarionation* (2014; DVD; website)
* Hayao Miyazaki -
	+ *Journey of the Heart* (1998)
	+ [NHK *Documentary* Owaranai Hito: Miyazaki Hayao (“Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki”*)*] (EN) (2016; website)
	+ [NHK *The Professionals*] Special, “「風立ちぬ」1000日の記録” (“Windless” A Record of 1000 Days) (2013)
	+ [NHK *The Professionals*] Special, “引退宣言 知られざる物語” (Retirement Announcement Unknown Story)(2013)
* John Lasseter - *A Day In The Life of John Lasseter* (2011)
* LeSean Thomas - *Seoul Sessions* (2012)
* Lotte Reiniger -
	+ *John Isaacs The Art of Lotte Reiniger* (1970)
	+ *Lotte Reiniger: Homage to the Inventor of the Silhouette Film* (1999)
* Mary Blair - *The Art of Mary Blair* (2005)
* Mel Blanc - *Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices* (2008; DVD)
* Naoki Urasawa - [NHK *The Professionals*] Episode 38, “心のままに、荒野を行け” (Go To the Wilderness With Your Heart) (2007)
* Norman McLean - *McLaren’s Negatives* (2006)
* Osamu Tezuka -
	+ *The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga* (2009; DVD)
	+ *Osamu Tezuka Documentary: The Godfather Of Manga*
* Pablo Ferro - *Pablo* (2012; DVD)
* Peter Ellenshaw - *Ellenshaw Under Glass*
* Quirino Cristiani - *The Mystery of the First Animated Movies* (2007; website)
* Ralph Bakshi -
	+ *Forging Through the Darkness* (2001; DVD)
	+ *Wizards: Ralph Bakshi - The Wizard of Animation* (2004)
* Ray Harryhausen -
	+ *The Harryhausen Chronicles* (1998; DVD)
	+ *Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan* (2011; DVD)
* Richard Williams -
	+ *Richard WIlliams & The Thief Who Never Gave Up*(1982)
	+ *I Drew Roger Rabbit* (1988)
	+ *Persistence of Vision* (2012; DVD; website)
* Robert McKimson - *Drawn to Life: The Art of Robert McKimson* (2007; DVD)
* Ryan Larkin - *Ryan* (2004; DVD)
* Scott T. Petersen - *Scott Petersen: Drawn To Animate* (2013)
* Takehiko Inoue - [NHK *The Professionals*] Episode 126, “ 闘いの螺旋、いまだ終わらず” (The Battle Spiral, It Has Not Ended Yet) (2009)
* Takashi Yanase -
	+ [NHK *Close-up Gendai* No.3423 アンパンマンに託した夢　～人間・やなせたかし～ (”The Dream I Entrusted to Anpanman ~Human Takashi Yanase~)] (2013; website)
	+ [NHK 知るを楽しむ 人生の歩き方” - 「正義の味方はカッコ悪い！」やなせたかし (”How to Walk Life” - “The Ally of Justice is Uncool!” Takashi Yanase)]
* Tex Avery -
	+ *Tex Avery, the King of Cartoons* (1988)
	+ *King Size Comedy: Tex Avery and the Looney Toons Revolution* (2012)
* Toshio Suzuki - [NHK *The Professionals* Episode 10, 自分は信じない 人を信じる (”I Trust People Who Do Not Trust Me”)] (2006)
* Ub Iwerks - *The Hand Behind The Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story* (1999; DVD)
* Walt Disney -
	+ [*American Experience* Walt Disney] (2015; DVD; website; take with a pinch of salt and maybe check out this post.)
	+ *Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow: The Futurism of Walt Disney* (2016)
	+ *Secret Lives Walt Disney* (1995; It’s suuper fucked up, but it’s interesting to compare other docs on Walt.)
	+ *Walt & El Grupo* (2008; DVD; website)
	+ *Walt - The Man Behind the Myth* (2011; DVD)
	+ *Walt Disney* (2016; by BBC Two)
* Winsor McCay - *Remembering Winsor McCay* (1974; DVD)
* Yoji Kuri - *Here We Go with Yoji Kuri!* (2008)

## *Disney Family Album* (1984-1986)

Doc series on various Disney animators, actors, etc.

* No. 1 Clarence “Ducky” Nash
* No. 2 Ward Kimball
* No. 3 Sherman Brothers
* No. 4 Jim Macdonald
* No. 5 Milt Kahl
* No. 6 Ken Anderson
* No. 7 Disneyland Designers
* No. 8 Eric Larson
* No. 9 Peter and Harrison Ellenshaw
* No. 10 Woolie Reitherman
* No. 11 Frank Thomas
* No. 12 Voice Actors
* No. 13 WED Imagineers
* No. 14 Golden Horseshoe Revue
* No. 15 Ollie Johnston
* No. 16 Annette Funicello
* No. 17 Marc Davis
* No. 18 The Milottes and the Beebes
* No. 19 Fess Parker/Buddy Ebsen
* No. 20 The Storymen

## *JUMP Ryu! (ジャンプ流！)* (2016; website)

A DVD/magazine series that interviews Shonen Jump mangakas and shows their drawing process.

* Vol. 1 Akira Toriyama (DVD; *Dragon Ball*)
* Vol. 2 Masashi Kishimoto (DVD; *Naruto*)
* Vol. 3. Eiichiro Oda (DVD; *One Piece*)
* Vol. 4 Tite Kubo (DVD; *Bleach*)
* Vol. 5 Tadatoshi Fujimaki (DVD; *Kuroko no Basuke*)
* Vol. 6 Yusei Matsui (DVD; *Assassination Classroom*)
* Vol. 7 Kōhei Horikoshi (DVD; *My Hero Academia*)
* Vol. 8 Kazuki Takahashi (DVD; *Yu-Gi-Oh!*)
* Vol. 9 Haruichi Furudate (DVD; *Haikyu!!*)
* Vol. 10 Shun Saeki (DVD; *Shokugeki no Soma*)
* Vol. 11 Kentaro Yabuki (DVD; *Black Cat, To Love-Ru*)
* Vol. 12 Nobuhiro Watsuki (*Rurouni Kenshin*)
* Vol. 13 Naoshi Komi (DVD; *Nisekoi*)
* Vol. 14 Masanori Morita (DVD; *Rokudenashi Blues*)
* Vol. 15 Yusuke Murata (DVD; aka ONE artist of *One-Punch Man*)
* Vol. 16 Shimabukuro Years (*Toriko*)
* Vol. 17 Masakazu Katsura (DVD; *Video Girl Ai*)
* Vol. 18 Osamu Akimoto (*Kochikame*)
* Vol. 19 Takeshi Obata (DVD; *Death Note*)
* Vol. 20 Kyosuke Usuta (DVD; *Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar*)
* Vol. 21 Yoshihiro Togashi (*Hunter X Hunter*)
* Vol. 22 Hiroyuki Asada (DVD; *Tegami Bachi*)
* Vol. 23 Sorachi Hideaki (*Gintama*)
* Vol. 24 Kazue Kato (*Ao no Exorcist*)
* Vol. 25 Hirohiko Araki (*Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure*)

## Musicians

* Raymond Scott - *Deconstructing Dad* (2010; DVD; website)
* Robert & Richard Sherman - *The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story* (2009; DVD; website)
* Saori Yuki - [NHK Close-up Gendai No.3162 世界を魅了する日本の歌謡曲　～由紀さおり　ヒットの秘密～ (”Popular Japanese Songs That Fascinate the World ~Saori Yuki’s Hit Secret~”)] (2012; website)
* Treg Brown - *Crash! Bang! Boom!: The Wild Sounds of Treg Brown* (2004; DVD)

## Movies

* *Akira making of*
* *The Beatles Mod Odyssey* (1968; DVD)
* *Making of “BLOOD: The Last Vampire”*
* *The Making of Paprika (2007; DVD)*
* *Making of The Rabbi’s Cat (2011)*
* [NHK *Close-up Gendai Plus* この世界の片隅に”時代を超える平和への祈り (”’In This Corner of This World’ Prayer for Peace Beyond the Times”)] (2017; website)
* [NHK *Close-up Gendai Plus* 想定外!?「君の名は。」メガヒットの謎 (“Unexpected!? ‘Your Name?’ Mystery of the Mega Hit”]) (2016; website)
* *The Giant’s Dream: The Making of the Iron Giant* (2016; DVD)
* *Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty* (2008; DVD)
* *Princess Mononoke The Making*
* *The Revolution Will Be Animated* (2010; very short, but I think it’s worth watching anyway. On Nina Paley’s copyright and domain issues.)
* *The Sweatbox* (2002; on *The Emperor’s New Groove*. Disney suuuper doesn’t want anyone to see it, so videos don’t often stay online for very long. Watch it while you’ve got the chance.)

## Disney Movies

* *Bambi: The Magic Behind the Masterpiece* (1997)
* *Imagining Zootopia* (2016)
* *The Making of A Goofy Movie* (1995; hosted by Jenna von Oy.)
* *The Making of Aladdin: A Whole New World* (1992; hosted by John Rhys-Davies.)
* *The Making of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame* (1996; hosted by Jason Alexander.)
* *The Making of Fantasia*
* *The Making of Oliver & Company* (1988)
* *The Making of Pocahontas: A Legend Comes to Life* (1995; hosted by Irene Bedard.)
* *The Making Of Tarzan*
* *The Making of The Lion King* (1994; hosted by Robert Guillaume.)
* *Movie Surfers: Go Inside Disney’s Hercules* (1997)
* *Movie Surfers: Go Inside Disney’s Mulan* (1998)
* *Movie Surfers: Go Inside Disney’s Tarzan* (1999)
* *Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty* (2008; DVD)
* *Redefining the Line: The Making of 101 Dalmatians* (2008; DVD)
* *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Still the Fairest of Them All* (2001; DVD; hosted by Angela Lansbury.)
* *Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo* (2011; DVD)
* *Tale As Old As Time, The Making Of Beauty And The Beast* (2002)

## Cartoon Franchise Properties

* *6 Days to Air* (2012; DVD; on South Park)
* *A LEGO Brickumentary* (2014; DVD)
* [*Biography* *Betty Boop: The Queen of Cartoons*] (1995; DVD)
* *Breaking the Mold: The Re-Making of Mighty Mouse* (2010; DVD)
* *The Brony Chronicles* (2013; website)
* Looney Tunes -
	+ *Bugs Bunny: Superstar* (1975; DVD)
	+ *The Donald Duck Principle* (2015; website)
	+ *Irreverent Imagination: The Golden Age of Looney Tunes* (2005; DVD)
	+ *What’s Up Doc? A Salute to Bugs Bunny* (1990; DVD)
* *Family Guy: 200 Episodes Later* (2012)
* *I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor* (2008; DVD)
* *Of Moose and Men: The Rocky & Bullwinkle Story* (1990)
* Peanuts *-*
	+ *Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown* (1976)
	+ *It’s Your 20th Television Anniversary, Charlie Brown* (1985)
	+ *You Don’t Look 40, Charlie Brown!* (1990; VHS)
	+ *Here’s to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years* (2000)
* *The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!* (2010)
* *The Simpsons: America’s First Family* (2000)
* *Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants* (2009; DVD)
* Tom & Jerry -
	+ *Animators as Actors* (2006; DVD)
	+ *Behind the Tunes: The MGM Orchestra* (2004; DVD)
	+ *Cat and Mouse: The Tale of Tom and Jerry* (2007; DVD)
	+ *How Bill and Joe Met Tom and Jerry* (2004; DVD)
* *Toon Heads: The Lost Cartoons* (2000; DVD)
* *Toy Masters* (2012; website; on He-Man)
* *Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* (2014; DVD; website)

## Anime Franchise Properties

* [NHK *Close-up Gendai*] No.3072, 「みんなのうた」が見つめた５０年 (”Look Back on 50 Years of ‘Minna no Uta’“) (2011; website)
* [NHK *Close-up Gendai*] No.3166, 思いが伝わる声を作れ ～初音ミク 歌声の秘密～ (”Create the Voice to Communicate Your Feeling ~The Secret of Hatsune Miku’s Singing Voice~”) (2012; website)
* *How the Magic Was Created - Little Witch Academia Work Log* (2013)
* *Making of “Angel Beats!”*
* *The Making of Ghost in the Shell* (1995)
* One Piece -
	+ [NHK *Close-up Gendai* No.3000 漫画“ワンピース”　メガヒットの秘密 (“Manga ‘One Piece’ The Secret of the Mega Hit”)] (2011; website)
	+ *One Piece Podcast Goes to Japan* (2014)
	+ [NHK *Tanken Bakumon DEEP INSIDE*] めくるめく“紙ワザ”の世界へ〜少年少女編〜 and めくるめく“紙ワザ”の世界へ〜オトナ編〜 (2015; Going inside the editor’s offices at Weekly Shonen Jump.)
* Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - Making of Gurren Lagann

## By Youtube Content Creators

These creators have a treasure trove of great videos on various topics in animation and then some. Covering history, technique, examining meta, philosophy, and biographies. After checking out the following videos, I suggest looking through the rest of their channel. Obviously these are only my recommended channels, otherwise we’d be here all day.

* CineFix

* + Akira - What’s the Difference?
	+ Alice In Wonderland - What’s the Difference?
	+ Who Framed Roger Rabbit - What’s The Difference?
* Culture Japan (website)
	+ Season 1 Episode 11 “Anime & Manga” (Production I.G.)
	+ Season 2 Episode 9 “How Anime is Made at JC Staff”
* kaptainkristian

* + Adult Swim - The History of a Television Empire
	+ Bugs Bunny - The Origins of an American Icon
	+ Dr. Seuss - Putting Rhymes to Good Use
	+ FLCL - Journey To Maturity
	+ Futurama - The Science of Comedy
	+ Newgrounds - The Foundation of the Future of Animation
	+ Pixar - What Makes a Story Relatable
	+ South Park - Language and Censorship
	+ Toonami - A History of Broadcast Anime
	+ Who Framed Roger Rabbit - The 3 Rules of Living Animation
* taco taco tv

* + ep 17 Shichiro Kobayashi
	+ Mangaka special: Toshio Maeda
	+ ep. 23 Manabu Ōhashi
	+ ep.27 Chuya Koyama
	+ ep.38, Shoji Murahama
	+ ep.41, ShiShi Yamazaki
	+ ep.44, UME
* Wisecrack

* + The Philosophy of Attack on Titan
	+ The Philosophy of BOJACK HORSEMAN
	+ The Philosophy of GHOST IN THE SHELL
	+ The Philosophy of ONE PUNCH MAN
	+ Wisecrack’s RICK AND MORTY Playlist – Wubalubadubdub!
	+ Wisecrack’s SOUTH PARK Playlist

## Coming Soon…

* *Animation, Inc. Ireland’s Creative Industry* (???, website)
* *The Boing Heard Round the World* (???; website)
* *The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass Documentary* (???; website)
* Turtle Power part II (???; website)