TCM celebrates the 100th anniversary of Fleischer Animation

Next month, WarnerMedia's TCM will focus on the classic film for one of Toon Town's pioneers with a celebration of 100th anniversary of Fleischer Animation. The lineup includes a brand new documentary on the dawn of American animation and two collections of Fleischer animated shorts on October 2, and a double feature film of works by director Richard Fleischer (son and grandson of the founders of the animation studio, Max and Dave Fleischer, respectively. ) the following Saturday. The cartoon collection features the iconic characters of Koko the Clown, Betty Boop and Popeye.

The program of the celebrations is:

Saturday October 2

Fleischer Animation 100th anniversary - part I

8 pm Cartoon carnival (2021) | Premiere of the TCM - A 90-minute documentary chronicling the birth of the American cartoon through the silent era until the arrival of Disney. Told through interviews with animation historians and supported by archival clips, the film's goal is to shed light on a forgotten but pioneering part of the history of cinema.

21:45 100th anniversary of Fleischer animation - Part 1: The Silent Era (2021) | Premiere of the TCM

• The boxer kangaroo (1920) 5: 30
• Meeting (1922) 7: 30
• Cartoon factory (1924) 8: 30
• Vacation (1924) 8: 00
• Come on a trip in my airship (1924) 6: 30
• It's the cat (1926) 9: 00

22:45 100th anniversary of Fleischer animation - Part 2: The era of sound (2021) | Premiere of the TCM

• Quick Doctor! (1931) 7: 30
• The crazy inventions of Betty Boop (1933) 7: 00
• We sing with Popeye (1934) 2: 00
• Betty Boop and her grandfather (1935) 7: 00
• Dancing on the moon (1935) 8: 00
• Popeye meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) 16: 00

Saturday October 9

Fleischer Animation 100th Anniversary - part II (directed by Richard Fleischer) Co-hosted by Mark McCray, author of The best Saturdays of our life, a book that tells the origins of Saturday morning competitive animated programming.

8 pm Fantastic trip (1966) A team of scientists shrink to remove a blood clot from the brain of a deserter scientist.

22:00 Armored car theft (1950) A police officer tries to find half a million dollars stolen by gangsters.

Founded in 1921 by brothers Dave and Max Fleischer, Fleischer Studios (originally Inkwell Studios / Out of the Inkwell Films) was a pioneer in the art and craft of animation, responsible for creating and animating some of the most beloved characters in American animation, including Betty Boop and Koko the Clown. The studio was also renowned for the animation of comic book characters Popeye (originally created by Elzie Segar) and Superman (originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster). The studio's artists and innovators have achieved many firsts in film, including jazz icon Cab Calloway's first footage, Max's invention of the rotoscope, and the 'demotion' process. Today, Max's grandson Mark Fleischer is president and CEO.

The director of nearly 50 films, richard fleischer has enjoyed an incredibly diverse career driving B-movie thrillers, effects-laden shows and star-studded epics. Son of animation innovator Max Fleischer, he began his film career at RKO where he made his documentary short Design for death (1947) earned him an Oscar as a producer. He created the classic noir The narrow margin (1952) and gave Walt Disney his first live-action hit with the high-budget adaptation of 20.000 leagues under the sea (1954). He spent much of the next decade swinging between true crime stories and overwhelming adventures with movies like The girl on the red velvet swing (1955) The Vikings (1958) Constriction (1959) and Fantastic trip (1966). In the end, expensive disappointments like Doctor Doolittle (1967) and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) began to weaken his once unshakable stature with the studies of the time. Fleischer's next production was a mix of cult-favorite genre films and real embarrassments, The new centurions (1972) Soylent Green (1973) Mandingo (1975) and remake The jazz singer (1980) among them. Well known in the industry for his ability to deal with such difficult personalities as Kirk Douglas, Orson Welles, and Rex Harrison, Fleischer recounted some of the juicier tales in his 1993 autobiography, Just tell me when to cry. Though never a household name, Fleischer still oversaw some of the funniest film offerings of the 20th century.

Mark McCray is an award-winning television writer who has been in the broadcast industry for over 20 years. He has a passion for animation, television programming strategy and comics. McCray is also the author of The best Saturdays of our life, a book that tells the origins of Saturday morning competitive animated programming. Also, McCray hosts The best Saturdays of our life podcast with Dan Klink. McCray was interviewed on podcasts Gilbert Gottfried's incredible colossal podcast e Drawn: The history of animation, and was a featured guest speaker at SCAD AnimationFest delivering a historical insight into Saturday morning programming. Prior to his work as an author and podcaster, McCray was senior manager of programming operations for Adult Swim, overseeing the on-air promotions and programming strategy of Adult Swim. He also worked as a television programmer for Cartoon Network and was a key member of the team that launched the Boomerang Network. Mark McCray resides in Powder Springs, Georgia with his family. Follow him on Twitter @MarkMcTBSOOL / www.tbsool.com.