Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Non-Disney Career


  • Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977); Goldberg was an assistant animator in this animated film about a group of toys, Raggedy Ann being a rag doll. These toys go on a quest to rescue a French doll who has been kidnapped by a pirate. The film itself isn't a great film, but the animation in it is really smooth, and "squash and stretch" is used very effectively to make the soft toys look as though they are a bit floppy. Raggedy Ann's hair also moves behind her head very well. 
Raggedy Ann in Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Advernture

  • Ziggy's Gift (1982); Working through Richard Williams' studio in L.A., Goldberg was an animator on this TV short about the joy of Christmas, which was a Christmas special, based on the comic stip Ziggy. This was the first project that Goldberg worked on with his wife, Susan. This TV short also won an Emmy for "outstanding animated program". I really like this animation because it's so funny and cute, but it's also very simple. The animation is also very smooth and clear, so it is easy to tell what's going on.

  • Goldberg is well known for having founded his own animation studio in London, called Pizazz Pictures; a studio dedicated to creating animated television commercials, which was very successful until, after 6 years, he closed it in order to focus on his work at Disney.
  • Rupert and the Frog Song (1985); Eric Goldberg was an animator on this musical short about Rupert the Bear and a group of musical frogs which he befriended. Rupert was a character of a well-known children's program during the 90's, which I myself remember watching. The video below isn't the whole episode but it is the moment when Rupert first sees the frogs and I think it shows the great animation used in this cartoon, particularly at the end. It is also well synchronised with the music, overall very well done and I found it quite entertaining to watch, even at my age.

  • Whilst working on Aladdin, Goldberg was also working MC Skat Kat's music video for Big Time. He completed it in 1992 but it was never aired. I find it interesting how the cat in this music video pulls  a lot of similar faces to the Genie in Aladdin, so it is likely that some inspiration for the cat's character design came from the Genie. I like how the singers have been turned into cats, but they have been charactatured so you can still recognise who they are supposed to represent, however I don't like the song.
  • Goldberg spent some time working on Universal Studios' Where the Wild Things Are. However when there was a hold up in development and the film was put on hold, Goldberg moved on to work on Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
  • Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003); Goldberg was the animation director on this film. It was his first film working for Warner Bros. and the first project for many years which wasn't made for Disney. The film is actually pretty good, and the animation works really well with the live action because they seem to be able to fit in the same world together without either of them looking out of place; a triumph for the animators. Goldberg himself also provided the voices for Tweety Bird, Marvin the Martian and Speedy Gonzalez.

  • A Monkey's Tale (2006); Goldberg directed this animated short, which was only 12 minutes long, for  a Buddhist cultural centre in Hong Kong as a fable for teaching people about greed. However, there are no copies of this animation online.
  • Boy's Night Out (2003); far from the family-friendly style of Disney films, Goldberg served as an additional animator on this short animation, directed by Bert Klein and Teddy Newton. Some parts of this are a bit uncomfortable to watch and makes you think "oh great, pervy men -_-", but as it gets further into the storyline, it becomes very funny and the end ties up well.


  • Fat Albert (2004); taken from the cartoon series Fat Albert, Goldberg was an animator on part of this film where the cartoon characters escape from the TV, into the real world. It was directed by Joel  Zwick, under 20th Century Fox.


  • Son of the Mask (2005); the sequel to The Mask (1994), Goldberg was an animator on this movie. It was directed by Lawrence Guterman through Dark Horse Entertainment. However it suffered bad reviews, and made a gross loss of about $66,263,830. Personally, I don't think the film is as bad as what critics said, but it's not a great film either; namely the storyline is a pore. Which is a shame because the animation has been cleverly done.

  • Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry (2005); instead of being an animator for this project, Goldberg was a layout artist. It was directed by Bill Kopp through Turner Entertainment. I like this film because I always liked Tom and Jerry cartoons when I was younger, having been brought up watching them due to how much my Granddad loved watching them. So what I especially like about this movie is that, even though it is a relatively new movie, they have still managed to keep the classic Tom and Jerry style, rather than trying to update it. 


  • The Pink Panther (2006); Goldberg was an animator on the opening credits of this movie. The animation in the title sequence set the film up to being a very funny film, so since it's a comedy, is doing its job well. Many people are familiar with the Pink Panther cartoons, so the film opens with the familiar face of the Pink Panther, drawing in people's attention so that they're more inclined to watch it; using Pink Panther also helps set up for a comedy as the Pink Panther cartoons are known for being funny.

  • Tom and Jerry Tales episode 5; Din-o-sores/Freaky Tiki/Prehisterics (2006); Goldberg was an animator on this one episode of Tom and Jerry Tales. I like Tom and Jerry as a series, and this episode is in line with the classic Tom and Jerry style, great work. The timing is excellent, the storylines are funny and, even though there is not usually any talking, it is still clear what is happening.

  • Pups of Liberty (2009) is a film about the Boston Tea Party, aimed at children, using cats as British colonists and dogs as American colonists. I think this is a good method of teaching children about historical events, which would otherwise probably not interest them at all. The characters in this are well-animated, and their design is quite cute and simple, so is great for the target audience. Goldberg was the lead animator of this film and it is his most recent project that has not been made through Disney.







Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Disney Career

Eric Goldberg is best known for his work at the Disney studios, where he has contributed as both an animator and a director. He was spotted by some Disney reps who attended a film festival in California, at which Goldberg was showing a number of show reels from his work at Pizazz Studios. They were impressed and kept contacting him for two years until, in 1990, he decided he would leave his London studio and move to America to work as an animator for Aladdin. During his time at Disney, Goldberg learned the techniques of using both 2D and 3D computer animation techniques.

  • Aladdin (1992); animator of the Genie, arguably the most memorable and loveable character in the movie, thanks to the humorous animation of Goldberg mixed with the voice casting of the hilarious Robin Williams. The Genie is known for referencing a number of other movies in his gags, such as Taxi Driver and Disney's own Pinocchio; I think this only adds to his humour as kids who are watching it will find it funny anyway, but an older audience will understand the jokes more fully so they can enjoy it just as much, if not more. Aladdin is a great film, and I think the Genie if definitely my favourite character in the film. I personally don't reckon the film would have been as successful as it is without the Genie. 

Goldberg designed the Genie himself, taking a great deal of inspiration and influence from Al Hirschfeld, namely using the very curvy and free-flowing lines shown in the Genie's appearance, as opposed to going with a more boxy looking character as Disney originally wanted.
An example of Al Hirschfeld's work which inspired the design of the Genie
  • Hercules (1997); supervising animator of Phil. Like the Genie, Phil is a very comedic character, though not quite as slap-stick as the Genie. Goldberg was becoming well-known for his talent in creating funny characters, also shown through his own great sense of humor, which comes across in his interviews. I think the humour in Phil comes more from his cynicism, rather than his making jokes, but that fits his character perfectly. I really like the whole film; the humour, the characters, the storyline, but I do think the animation is very well done as there are a lot of action-filled scenes which have been done very well and, as a result, they are exciting to watch.

  • Fantasia/2000 (1999); Goldberg was an animator on the sections The Carnival of the Animals, which he animated entirely by himself, and Rhapsody in Blue. The Carnival of the Animals is so funny, and Goldberg has made such an entertaining animation out of the concept of a flamingo playing with a yo-yo. The bright colours in the backgrounds go perfectly against the bright colours of the flamingos, giving a real feel of light-heartedness, a fantastic clip of animation. It is also good that the main flamingo, the one with the yo-yo, is a slightly different colour, so it is easy to tell what is going on in the storyline. Rhapsody in Blue follows the lives of four characters who, during the day have to cope living busy lives in New York. During the day, all the busyness is shown in blue, purple and green colours, showing that the chaos all merges in together, the main characters and the people they're with are shown in brighter colours so they stand out more, making it easy to pick them out in crowds, and giving a really nice effect with the colour scheme. The stylised way in which the cityscape  is shown is also aesthetic to look at; it seems classic, but also modern at the same time. In the end, the characters find the release they need from their stresses. By this time it is night and the city is shown to have bright lights and gives off the fun and lively feel that a bustling city has at night.






  • The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006); Goldberg returned to Disney after six years as an animator on this sequel to The Fox and the Hound (1981). It is not so much a sequel as it doesn't follow on from the ending of the first film, however it is about an adventure that Copper and Todd got up to whilst they were still friends, making it a midquel. In this adventure, Copper is interested in joining a group of singing dogs, forcing his and Todd's friendship apart. The animation is just as good as in the first The Fox and the Hound, and overall it is a pretty good film, even if it's not quite the classic of the first one.

  • How to Hook Up Your Home Theatre (2007); Goldberg served as an animator in this Goofy short cartoon, in which Goofy attempts to hilariously, and disastrously, set up a home theatre system. I really like Goofy cartoons because they're always so light-hearted, and Goofy is so clumsy that it makes them even more funny.


  • The Princess and the Frog (2009); Goldberg played a big part in this fairytale based on a princess kissing a frog prince. He was the animation supervisor of Tiana's (the princess) fantasy scene, as well as the character designer and supervising animator of the character Louis the crocodile. I thought it was great that Disney went back to making a hand drawn (partly) fairytale movie, as it seemed to have strayed away from them for a while. They came back with slightly more modern characters, but they go so well with the story and are so likeable, in the end making an amazing film. Goldberg also animated Louis in a nomination video What the Oscars Would Mean to Me: The Princess and the Frog (2010), after the film received a nomination for Best Animated Movie at The 82nd Annual Academy Awards.





  • Winnie the Pooh (2011); Goldberg's most recent completion is the newest Winnie the Pooh film, for which he was the lead animator of Rabbit. I am really glad they went back to the classic 2D Pooh Bear animation for this film because the 3D Pooh Bear animation Disney have recently been making for the TV show My Friends Tigger and Pooh, in my opinion, really doesn't work. One thing I really love about this film is, because of the style and naive storyline, it brings me back to my childhood, as it was one of my most watched cartoons when I was a kid.



Eric Goldberg also worked for Disney in a number of roles other than being an animator, demonstrating how multi-talented he is.

  • Pocahontas (1995); Goldberg co-directed Pocahontas with Mike Gabriel, who is also known for directing The Rescuers Down Under (1990), and his animation on Oliver & Company (1988) and Basil, the Great Mouse Detective (1986). Pocahontas is based on a true story which is very old, but bringing a film out about being able to resolve a conflict between two countries in a more fairytale way is good way of putting across to all generations that we must keep peace, especially like in recent years when it has seemed like all some countries are doing is fighting.
  • Fantasia/2000 (1999); As well as animating The Carnival of the Animals and Rhapsody in Blue, Goldberg also wrote and directed them. He wrote Rhapsody in Blue in inspiration of George Gershwin and Al Hirschfeld, who both have greatly influenced Goldberg throughout his career. 
  • The Magic Lamp 3D (2001); Goldberg wrote and directed this show of his signature character, the Genie. It was part of a combination of 3D CG animation of the Genie, and of live-action character in a stage show, and was created for Tokyo Disney Seas theme park as an attraction, called "Magic Lamp Theare".

Bibliography


Background and Early Achievements

Eric Goldberg was born in Levittown, Pennsylvania in 1955, then later moved with his parents to Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1961. He is married to Susan Goldberg, an animator and art director, with who he often works on projects and dedicated his book Character Animation Crash Course.
          Goldberg's animation knowledge started building from the age of 6 when he enjoyed making flip-books, then advancing to make high definition films by the age of 13, winning him many prizes in the Kodak Teen Movie Awards, including the Grand Prize in summer film courses at the University of Southern California in 1974. These achievements gave him recognition enough to not only appear in many local television programs in Philadelphia, but also on national television show To Tell the Truth.
         Goldberg studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, which he entered on a full scholarship. He majored inillustration, while also studying animation and film in supplementary courses.