Of Mice and Magic

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View books by Leonard Maltin.

The Whole Picture - Rated
Books on animation used to be almost exclusively about Disney's output and more recently Warner's and MGM's too but to find out about the smaller players was a nightmare. Now Mr Maltin has redressed the balance giving us the basic history of all the main studios each getting it's own chapter (plus one extra for the silent era). The rise and fall (usually) of each studio is described in detail along with the people working at them and a complete filmography for each at the end of the book. Mr Maltin's style is a joy to read, almost decieving us into thinking this must have been as easy to write as it was to read but this is a book with a lot of research hidden inside it and once read deserves to be placed lovingly on the reference shelf to be consulted again and again. This is probably the best book of it's kind available and should be included in any animation buff's "must have" list.

Golden age of American studio animation - Rated
I am not an animation student, merely an ardent fan with many years of armchair learning to my credit. My copy of this book is now nearly 20 years out of date and the softcover spine is wrecked beyond repair, but I still frequently refer to Maltin's incomparable history of the subject, by studio, and to the exhaustive filmographies in the back. No matter what turns up on Cartoon Network from the classic age, I'm ready for it, with insight and clear, impassioned writing on the subject. It isn't for nothing that this book has become a standard in classrooms.

A comprehensive view of the first 50 years of animation - Rated
I am an animation student and am reading this title because it is a required text. Mr. Maltin does a wonderful and comprehensive job of outlining the history of animation from the Silent Era, to the Golden Age, to a few subsequent years thereafter. Not only does the book chronical the different animation studios, he also gives a brief work history of the most influential animators of the time and gives us an inside view of the animation industry through personal interviews with them. The version I have has been updated, but it seems only through footnotes but I could be wrong as I haven't read the original. An excellent text for either historian, student, or anyone who just loves cartoons, get it!

Required reading for cartoon fanatics! - Rated
"Of Mice & Magic" is, I believe, one of the most comprehensive books ever to be compiled on the subject. Maltin shows his love for cartoons in every word.In light of the recent animation boom, however, it would be nice to see a more recently updated edition.One of my favorites!