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  • Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson

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Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson

by Professor of Cinema Practice Tom Sito (Author) Format: Hardcover
4.8 out of 5 stars (24)
4.3 on Goodreads
37 ratings
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Some of the most beloved characters in film and television inhabit two-dimensional worlds that spring from the fertile imaginations of talented animators. The movements, characterizations, and settings in the best animated films are as vivid as any live action film, and sometimes seem more alive than life itself. In this case, Hollywood's marketing slogans are fitting; animated stories are frequently magical, leaving memories of happy endings in young and old alike. However, the fantasy lands animators create bear little resemblance to the conditions under which these artists work. Anonymous animators routinely toiled in dark, cramped working environments for long hours and low pay, especially at the emergence of the art form early in the twentieth century. In Drawing the Line, veteran animator Tom Sito chronicles the efforts of generations of working men and women artists who have struggled to create a stable standard of living that is as secure as the worlds their characters inhabit. The former president of America's largest animation union, Sito offers a unique insider's account of animators' struggles with legendary studio kingpins such as Jack Warner and Walt Disney, and their more recent battles with Michael Eisner and other Hollywood players. Based on numerous archival documents, personal interviews, and his own experiences, Sito's history of animation unions is both carefully analytical and deeply personal. Drawing the Line stands as a vital corrective to this field of Hollywood history and is an important look at the animation industry's past, present, and future. Like most elements of the modern commercial media system, animation is rapidly being changed by the forces of globalization and technological innovation. Yet even as pixels replace pencils and bytes replace paints, the working relationship between employer and employee essentially remains the same. In Drawing the Line, Sito challenges the next wave of animators to heed the lessons of their predecessors by organizing and acting collectively to fight against the enormous pressures of the marketplace for their class interests--and for the betterment of their art form.

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  1. Print length
    440 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University Press of Kentucky
  4. Publication date
    Oct. 1 2006
  5. Dimensions
    16.41 x 3.56 x 23.88 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0813124077
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0813124070
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Product description

Review

Drawing the Line contains the best account yet of the 1941 Walt Disney strike, with documentation of the union side.

-- "London Review of Books"

Drawing the Line provides an invaluable point of entry for professional scholars who wish to further investigate the intriguing field of artistic unionism.

--Paul Lawrie "Labour/Le Travail"

"Sito is at his best sorting through the issues arising from [the arrival of computers] given that in a sense all cinema is animation, the demarcation and jurisdictional lines between special effects, digital artists (no more inkers and painters), various managers and supervisors became very complex indeed."

--Rick Thompson "Screening the Past"

[Sito's] marvelous book... provides a witty, passionate, radical insider's view of the American film industry that is indispensable reading for anyone interested in the cinema.

-- "International Socialism"

Contains the best account yet of the 1941 Walt Disney strike, with documentation of the union side.

-- "London Review of Books"

Here is a unique perspective on the history of American animation, written by an artist and director who's also played a key role in his industry's labor movement. The stories he tells are alternately heartbreaking and hilarious... Anyone with more than a passing interest in the world of animation should consider this book a must-read.

-- "LeonardMaltin.com"

Sito . . . crafts an appealing analysis of the heretofore undocumented tensions resulting from the production process of one of America's most enduring cultural media. Drawing the Line is a fine analysis of an intriguing aspect of the labour history made all the more so by the author's obvious passion for the subject and its actors. Thanks to the nature of the subject matter, the reader is treated to a plethora of rare and humorous cartoons and photos which give the narrative a real human dimension. Drawing the Line provides an invaluable point of entry for professional scholars who wish to further investigate the intriguing field of artistic unionism.

-- "Paul Lawrie, University of Toronto"

Sito describes the history and fiery personalities behind the formation of the Screen Cartoonists Union, the strikes and walk-outs, the effects of Hollywood blacklisting, and the battles at the bargaining tables.

-- "Man vs. Art"

Sito's connections allowed him access to data and illustrations hard to come by, and he enriches the book with numerous anecdotes gleaned from conversations with top animators and his own 30-year animation experience. Recommended. All readers; all levels.

-- "Choice"

The stories he tells are alternately heartbreaking and hilarious, infused with the irreverence that's always characterized this field. Anyone with more than a passing interest in the world of animation should consider this book a must-read.

-- "Leonard Maltin"

About the Author

Tom Sito is an animator, director, and adjunct professor in the television and cinema departments at the University of Southern California and at the University of California at Los Angeles. His screen credits include Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, and The Lion King. In 1998, Animation Magazine named him as one of the most important people in animation.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Kentucky
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ Oct. 1 2006
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 440 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0813124077
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0813124070
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 748 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.41 x 3.56 x 23.88 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: #1,410,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars (24)

About the author

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Tom Sito

Tom Sito

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Tom Sito is a long time animator, filmmaker and teacher.

He was born in Brooklyn New York, and educated in the arts of cartooning & animation at the High School of Art & Design, the School of Visual Arts and the Art Student's League. Among his influences there were Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner and Robert Beverly Hale.

Tom Sito has been an prolific animator since 1975. He has worked in all facets of animation- feature films, television shows, and commercials. Among his screen credits are the Disney classic films The Little Mermaid (1989), Who Framed Roger Rabbit?(1988), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994) and Pocahontas (1995) He co-directed the animation for the Warner Bros film Osmosis Jones (2001), and contributed to Shrek (2001), The Prince of Egypt(2000) and Garfield the Movie (2004). During that time he befriended and worked with many of the great artists of Hollywood animation's golden age, including Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Hanna & Barbera, Shamus Culhane and Disney's Nine Old Men.

After serving three terms as president of the Hollywood animators union, Tom became interested in telling their story, long ignored by other historians. The result was his first book DRAWING THE LINE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ANIMATION UNIONS FROM BOSKO TO BART SIMPSON (2006). He has also contributed the chapter on animation to Dr. Paul Buhle's anthology JEWS IN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE (2007). He has also updated and revised John Halas & Harold Whitaker's famous how-to book TIMING FOR ANIMATION. His 2013 book MOVING INNOVATION, A HISTORY OF COMPUTER ANIMATION (MIT Press) has been called the first complete history of computer animation ever in book form. It was nominated for a Kraszner-Kraus book award in 2014. In 2019 he published his first cookbook, EAT, DRINK, ANIMATE, AN ANIMATORS COOKBOOK (CRC Press) With real recipes you can make from legendary animation artists.

Tom Sito is Professor of Animation of the Animation Dept. at the University of Southern California. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society, and on the Board of Governors of the Motion Picture Academy, Hollywood Heritage and the international animators society, ASIFA/Hollywood.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
24 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this book to be a must-read with excellent content, particularly praising the quality of individual chapters. The book effectively covers the history of animation itself, providing comprehensive coverage of the subject matter.
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7 customers mention content, 7 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book's content engaging and well-crafted. They describe it as a must-read with good chapters and well-researched stories. Readers appreciate the objective journey and well-referenced account, finding it a joy to read.
...It's best in the period of the 1930's-1950's, weaker toward the end of the century, as the author's personal history colors the story...Read more
It's best in the period of the 1930's-1950'sRead more
This book gives a well-researched insider's view of Hollywood from the animators' perspective, focussed on the animator unions....Read more
...Well worth reading if you are interested in Hollywood behind the scenes.Read more
6 customers mention animation history, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate that the book covers the history of animation itself.
...It also provides an excellent primer on the evolution of the animation industry itself....Read more

Top reviews from Canada

  • Amazon Customer
    4 out of 5 stars
    It's best in the period of the 1930's-1950's
    Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2015
    Format: Hardcover
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    This book gives a well-researched insider's view of Hollywood from the animators' perspective, focussed on the animator unions. It's best in the period of the 1930's-1950's, weaker toward the end of the century, as the author's personal history colors the story (plus probably determined who was willing to share their stories with him). It also provides an excellent primer on the evolution of the animation industry itself. Well worth reading if you are interested in Hollywood behind the scenes.

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Top reviews from other countries

    Translated by Amazon
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  • チビタノオデン
    5 out of 5 stars
    アメリカアニメの歴史と労働
    Reviewed in Japan on May 5, 2012
    Format: Hardcover
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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    アメリカのアニメの労働者の事や、歴史、アニメの未来を考えさせられる。　

    ディズニーのスタッフのストライキの事など。CG,デジタル化の波、写真やイラストもあり

    解りやすい、文章で、日本のアニメの労働者、アニメの歴史の参考文献になります。

    現場のアニメーターである著者が赤裸裸に綴った興味深い書であります。

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  • Brittany Accardi
    5 out of 5 stars
    Great History on the Animation Industry
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014
    Format: Hardcover
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    When Tom Sito began his career in animation, unions had already been established. In the intro, he admits that he initially took their presence for granted. He then gives an EXTENSIVE history of the development of unions relating to the animation industry in a very detailed and well-referenced account with photos and quotes from animators who experienced these historical events firsthand. At the end of this colorful and objective journey, he invites the reader to reflect on the future of animation - are we better off with unions? Without them? How will new technology influence the employee-employer relationship?

    For anyone interested in the history of animation or anyone looking to enter the animation industry, this book is an important historical account; a must-read.

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  • Jose Anguiano
    5 out of 5 stars
    A Must Read For Animators and Hisdtorians
    Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2022
    Format: Kindle Edition
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    Auto did his research on the history of animation unions. If you're A historian or aspiring animator, this is a required reading for your future.

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  • AnimationNerd
    5 out of 5 stars
    Gather 'round for a story
    Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2009
    Format: Hardcover
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    Tom Sito is a excellent storyteller who weaves a tale of animation history using the unions as a guide. This book is accessible to those who don't know about the personalities in animation but is detailed enough to interest the animation history buff. Sito got a lot of his information straight from the animators who lived the history. The book includes some great photographs of animators at work. I highly recommend this book, but do be warned - You will want to go union after reading this.

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  • Punk Doctor
    5 out of 5 stars
    An excellent book.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2015
    Format: Hardcover
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    This is more than just a history of animation unions, it covers the history of animation itself. The stories are well researched and benefit from the author's personal insights. It was a joy to read. I bought it only to read the chapter on the 1941 strike at Disney, but the chapter was so good I read the entire thing!

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