Here is the rub. It is Annie Screening time and The Moon and the Son is up for best short animation. So it is not really fair for me to review John Canemaker`s film and give my opinion on the ASIFA-Hollywood site. I found myself in the same bind last year with Mark Kausler`s It`s the Cat.



Tonight you will get another chance to view this film as part of the Annie Award Screening part 2. The Annie screening takes place at DreamWorks. (See Below for Details)

The Canemaker event was well attended by industry animation lovers. Jerry Beck hosted the event and did the interview. The Moon and the Son is a very personal film dealing with John`s family history. The questions ran the gambit from family and react to filmmaker and production.

The rest of the program was make up of short animations that have had an influence on John and his work. It was great to see John Hubley`s Flat Hatting on the big screen. A very important ground breaking work and one of my favorites.





Fox Hunt followed it was a charming fun and buoyant take on the English sport of the same name. I had never seen this film before and now want to see more of the work of this very short-lived English studio. It was a real joy.





Next was scenes for George Dunnings unfinished Tempest that go way beyond he Yellow Submarine for tripped out imagery. I am a big fan of Dunning and love his early Canadian Film Board work. It was bitter sweet to see these few scenes from the animation it was working on at his death.





Len Lye`s (1957) Free Radicals was next on the show. A great example of scratch animation that manages to stand out from under the shadow of Norman McLearn`s Begone Dull Care. Not an easy thing to do.




Mysterious Mose is one of my all time favorite Bimbo and Betty cartoons. I can`t believe that I have not dug it out of the collection in a couple of years. That is the problem, too much animation and not enough time to just watch it all over and over again like it deserves.




The evening was finished up with Disney`s The Band Concert another favorite that I haven`t looked at it some time. I think it is time to catlog so that I can re-watch everything all over again.




Dan Blank (former Canemaker Student and Track reader for The Moon and the Son) with John Canemaker


Jerry Beck and Kevin Koch  ¶ 11:02 PM