Before Mickey Mouse:
A History of American Animation (1982)
by Ronald Schwarz
Fans of our Cartoon Roots home video releases are well aware of our longterm love for silent animation. And now we can show you where that love came from. Before Mickey Mouse: A History of American Animation, a watershed 1982 anthology from documentarian Ron Schwarz, served as many Gen X and millennial film fans’ first look at the earliest cartoon stars and creators. From Krazy Kat to Farmer Al Falfa, Felix, and Koko the Clown—from Max Fleischer to Earl Hurd and Walt Disney himself—Schwarz rounded up an unforgettable group of rarities and rare facts. However, Schwarz' valuable anthology, once a TV standby, has been unavailable for decades. We’re proud to announce that, by arrangement with the filmmaker, Cartoons On Film is bringing Before Mickey Mouse to home video and digital media for the first time!
What can a viewer expect?
• More than a dozen complete cartoon shorts and extended excerpts
• Narrated documentary footage with vintage photos and ephemera
• What, no Mickey Mouse? Nope, like the title says… he really ISN’T here!
...But many other classic cartoon stars are.
Total runtime: 59 minutes.
Before Mickey Mouse: A History of American Animation (1982) is now available exclusively from Cartoons On Film for streaming outlets, television broadcast, as well as academic use and public screening engagements. Contact us.
This documentary is expected to appear in physical media form as part of our Cartoon Roots series of Blu-ray and DVD releases in late 2023. Stay tuned.
Trailer assembled by Andrew T. Smith.
• More than a dozen complete cartoon shorts and extended excerpts
• Narrated documentary footage with vintage photos and ephemera
• What, no Mickey Mouse? Nope, like the title says… he really ISN’T here!
...But many other classic cartoon stars are.
Total runtime: 59 minutes.
Before Mickey Mouse: A History of American Animation (1982) is now available exclusively from Cartoons On Film for streaming outlets, television broadcast, as well as academic use and public screening engagements. Contact us.
This documentary is expected to appear in physical media form as part of our Cartoon Roots series of Blu-ray and DVD releases in late 2023. Stay tuned.
Trailer assembled by Andrew T. Smith.
NOTICE:
Before Mickey Mouse: A History of Animation ©1982 Good Films, Ronald W. Schwarz
Copyright reassigned in 2022 to Thomas J. Stathes.
All rights reserved. No part of this program may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission of the copyright holder.
Special thanks to Inanimate, LLC and Thunderbean Animation
Before Mickey Mouse: A History of Animation ©1982 Good Films, Ronald W. Schwarz
Copyright reassigned in 2022 to Thomas J. Stathes.
All rights reserved. No part of this program may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission of the copyright holder.
Special thanks to Inanimate, LLC and Thunderbean Animation
Out of the vault, and into the limelight (again)...
Tommy José Stathes of Cartoons On Film, and Ronald W. Schwarz, historian and filmmaker during rights transfer in 2022.
Some of the original 16mm master materials.
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1980s-era videotape copies, in U-Matic format.
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Samples of original production materials.
A priceless gem in Schwarz's production archives!