One of the great joys of running a passion project publication dedicated to an extraordinarily specific topic is watching other sites that cover “culture” put together beautiful, wild, expensive-looking pieces on the topic you cover that make you salivate with jealousy. (Just kidding, we love you all.) This year, The Dot and Line watched as outlets from The Atlantic to The A.V. Club and The Ringer to MTV News put out stellar stories covering, among other topics, a Russian animator’s struggle with his never-ending masterpiece and how Pinky and the Brain became itself. Here, we present you with what is likely a woefully incomplete list of the best American writing on animation not from this site and published over the past year, in (almost) no particular order and with (opinionated) recommendation blurbs. Better clear your schedules.
Important Note! We read as much as we possibly can, but we’re neither perfect nor do we wish to live in a world filled with only our opinions. If you feel we missed a particularly awesome piece of writing, analysis, or storytelling about animation, send us a note at thedotandline@gmail.com and we’ll include it and quote you!
The World’s Greatest Living Animator and the Masterpiece He May Never Finish
John: After I read a third of this gorgeous story, I immediately strong-armed Eric into purchasing a shared copy of Yuri Norstein’s collected works. There’s, like, 90 minutes of material on it in total. I don’t regret it.
‘I’ve had a good life’: Donna Wold, the ex-flame who inspired the Little Red-Haired Girl in ‘Peanuts,’ dies
Eric: Darryn King of Vanity Fair published the first recent story on Donna Wold in 2015, but Michael Cavna of The Washington Post wrote this simple, affecting obituary when she passed at 87 in August of 2016. If you’ve ever wondered whether your yearnings for the past were worth holding onto, I think these two stories provide an answer.
The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Rise and Fall of ‘Pinky and the Brain’
Eric: This story fromAshley Burns and Chloe Schildhause is deeply comprehensive, answers every question you’ve ever wondered about Pinky and the Brain, and is edited and structured like a dream. I wish I’d written it, and applaud their work.
The Oral History of ‘Space Jam’: Part 1 – Launching the Movie,’ Part 2 – The Perils of New Tech, and Part 3 – Reflections on a Beloved Film
John: If you read this site because you like animation and not because you are a charitable friend, you already know about, and likely have an opinion on, Cartoon Brew. Either way, who doesn’t want a Space Jam oral history?
The Completely and Totally True Oral History of ‘Space Jam’
John: Reading everything Shea Serrano writes would not be the worst idea you’ve ever had, and this one especially so if you’ve already read the, uh, actually completely and totally true oral history of Space Jam above.
20 years ago today, ‘Hey Arnold!’ ushered Nickelodeon into primetime
Eric: Your favorite things all started somewhere, and they were your favorites for good reasons. For one, Helga was a sharp, deeply effective character. For another, they all were.
What Hayao Miyazaki’s Films Taught Me About Being a Woman
John: Writer Gabrielle Bellot is smart, bold, and kind, just like this piece.
The Magic of Miyazaki’s Literary Imagination
John: Writer Gabrielle Bellot is also deliciously nerdy and shares both of my passions, apparently.
Animation Heightens ‘Tower’ and Its Unsettling Story
Eric: This affecting film about the University of Texas massacre, timed for the event’s 50th anniversary, combines animation with reality to recreate a limited perspective of the events of that fateful day. David Edelstein helped award it the top documentary prize at SXSW, and this is why.
The Painstaking Process of Bringing ‘The Little Prince’ to Life
John: I started this movie with Eric and it was beautiful for the first ten minutes, but then our Millennial Attention Spans™ kicked in and we stopped it to binge Steven Universe. Don’t judge.
Life, Animated: A Remarkable Story of How a Family Reached Their Autistic Son Through Disney Movies
Eric: The great Amy Goodman spends her time judiciously, and to watch and read her spend it with Owen Suskind—who communicates with a a more profound understanding of animated Disney films than anyone you know—is a treasure.
Hayao Miyazaki, Myth-Maker
John: A man who lives in dreams.
Makoto Shinkai’s Hit Film ‘Your Name.’ Marks a Changing of the Anime Guard
Eric: A man who might be Miyazaki’s successor.
At 81, Disney’s First African-American Animator Is Still In The Studio
John: Does this really even need a blurb? Floyd Norman is an American hero. Please, 2016, have mercy.
‘G.I. Joe’: The Story of the Cartoon That Sold Wartime Heroics to a Generation of Kids
John: My favorite part of G.I. Joe is the Venture Bros. parody of it, but this is a neat story.
For ‘Steven Universe,’ a frustrating schedule is crucial to its success
Eric: Steven Universe is the best show on television, period. End of conversation. This breakdown is an insightful, smart look at its success.
25 years later, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ remains Disney’s best modern movie
John: Even if you only count movies produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and not by other studios Disney either owns or incorporates in some fashion, this seems…hyperbolic? Not that I’m a Lion King apologist or anything. Nonetheless, a great read.
Forget ‘Frozen’, ‘Lilo & Stitch’ is Disney’s best exploration of sisterhood
Eric: Caroline Siede was Right.
The ‘Little Mermaid’ TV show let Ariel live up to her potential
Eric: Caroline Siede was Right, part the second. Growing up, after school, I’d always go home and watch cartoons—as in, religiously, as soon as I got home, without pausing to say hi to Mom sometimes, with a large bowl of microwave popcorn in hand, every day. One thing I never told my fellow awkward pre-teen male friends was that I totally watched the shit out of every episode of The Little Mermaid TV show on Toon Disney. It’s terrific, and more of a feminist document than the film ever could be.
Story of ‘Darkwing Duck’: The Cartoon With Heart That Brought “People Near Tears”
John: Who doesn’t need a Batduck in their lives?
The ‘BoJack Horseman’ creative team reveals how the show’s gorgeous underwater episode came together
Eric: BoJack Horseman, the show closer to Mad Men than it is to Family Guy, topped its last season with its latest slate of episodes. Again. This one was the most special that the new season offered, and is the best single episode of television of 2016.
Nickelodeon grew up and blew up in 1996
John: It’s the truth?
Why ‘Sausage Party’ Is the Filthiest, Foodiest Cartoon Ever
Eric: My Thrillist comrade Matt Patches wrote this, and, as usual, it is a practical, funny, and flavorful take on one of the strangest films of the year.
That ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’ Boba Fett Cartoon Should Count as Canon
Eric: I know what I’m bringing to The Dot and Line Holiday Party this year.
Why ‘Teen Titans Go!’ is the Worst Superhero Show On TV
John: Teen Titans Go! might be setting the template for a post-Adventure Time Cartoon Network. Don’t cry too hard about it, but if you need to, we’ve got a shoulder for you.
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