Michael Barrier on UPA and Magoo
Michael Barrier on UPA and Magoo
Renowned animation historian Michael Barrier has finally weighed in on Adam Abraham’s “When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA,” and the word is mostly positive. Barrier writes, “Anyone whose interest in Golden Age Hollywood animation approaches mine probably already owns the book, but if not, a purchase is in order.”
A well-known perfectionist when it comes to details, Barrier quibbles with a few moments in the book, but overall he notes that “factually, ‘When Magoo Flew’ is very solid.” In particular, Barrier enjoys the book’s discussion of the post-1960 period (chapter 10): “The cartoons Adam writes about mostly stink, but the gossip is much better.”
Readers of Barrier’s magisterial work “Hollywood Cartoons: Animation in Its Golden Age” will know that he is not UPA’s readiest fan. As he writes in his review of “When Magoo Flew,” “I did not come away from the book thinking to myself, I need to see those cartoons again, they must be better than I thought.”
Still, he concludes by stating that “‘When Magoo Flew’ is an accurate chronicle of a cartoon studio that, whatever its many shortcomings, had an undeniable impact on its industry. That’s enough for me to recommend it without reservation.”
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August 13, 2012