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The Great Cartoons: Gerald McBoing Boing
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Gerald McBoing Boing.
The Walt Disney Studio on Hyperion Avenue in Silverlake, California was defined by its esprit de corps. There were precious few walls in that facility so everyone knew everyone else and the space itself encouraged collaboration. It was in this environment that Snow White came to be, and that film was successful beyond the wildest dreams of anyone who worked on it. Unfortunately, success sometimes comes with a price. With the profits from Snow White, Disney designed and built a new studio in nearby Burbank. Though this facility was both modern and charming, it had something which ultimately contributed to a downturn in the company’s fortunes: it had walls. The “corridor culture” of Silverlake was undermined by offices separating artists from one another and sequestering Walt himself from the heart of the action. In the move from Silverlake to Burbank, much of the esprit de corps was left behind.
Disney hired his first wave of artists during the Great Depression. Because of the respite he offered from difficult economic times, and because of the informal atmosphere he fostered at Hyperion, Walt’s employees were fiercely loyal toward him. But there were not enough of them to complete Snow White before its scheduled release, so Disney put out the call for more animators. Men flocked to Silverlake by the hundreds. Many of the hires from this second wave were, unlike their predecessors, formally trained. Their educations afforded them a confidence and a self-possession that their forebears at the studio lacked. Also, these younger artists came in near the end of the Hyperion era and soon transferred to the less convivial Burbank studio. When they saw an increasingly isolated boss asking them for uncompensated overtime, they did not think “loyalty”, they thought “strike”.
The Disney strike began in May of 1941, and created a lasting schism in the animation industry. Many of the more progressive artists who walked the picket lines in front of the Burbank studio either never returned or left the company shortly after the strike finally ended. Some of these defectors went on to form United Productions of America -- better known as UPA. Though its films are not well-known today, UPA had a profound effect upon the cartoons of the 1950s and 60s -- particularly when it came to art direction. UPA favored a simpler, more graphic style which was in keeping with the visual aesthetic of the 50s. In fact, UPA’s work seemed a direct refutation of the Disney style. A two-dimensional look was cheerfully embraced, and life-like movement was typically not the goal. The look of UPA’s films was so welcomed by critics and audiences that most every studio adopted elements of their approach. Their influence was even felt -- in time -- at Disney.
UPA’s most famous character is probably Mr. Magoo, but their best and most celebrated short film is Gerald McBoing Boing, the simple but affecting tale of a young boy who speaks not in words but in sound effects. The deceptively modest use of color and line employed in the short is emblematic of the UPA style, and its charming story is told with all the sly humor and poignance of some of our better childrens’ books. The reason for this latter fact is simple: Gerald McBoing Boing is based on a story by the immortal Dr. Seuss.
Seuss’ version of “McBoing Boing” was released as a phonograph record for kids. This format was chosen over a traditional book because of Gerald’s peculiar mode of speech. When UPA expressed interest in adapting the story, the good doctor was skeptical. Some time after the film’s release, however, Seuss remarked with pride, “It started a revolution in animation”. Seuss’ assessment is accurate. The stylization so prevalent in the cartoons of the mid-twentieth century finds its roots in Gerald McBoing Boing.
The cartoon won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject in 1951.
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