Author - Historian - Professor
of Art and Animation
Jake S. Friedman
BOOKS & SPECIALS
The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age
by Jake S. Friedman
In the summer of 1941, Walt Disney came head-to-head with an animators' strike that threatened the existence of his studio, as well as the man who led that strike – one of his top animators, Art Babbitt. Follow the life of an animation artist through the golden age of Disney animation, and observe a day-by-day account of how it all came crashing down.
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"Author Jake S. Friedman takes us on a deep dive into Hollywood history delivered in a style that reads like a film noir page turner, I could not put this book down."
-Don Hahn, producer of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
*not final book cover art
The Disney Afternoon: The Making of a Television Renaissance
by Jake S. Friedman
When the Disney Afternoon premiered in 1990, kids tossed their backpacks aside to watch their favorite Disney television characters. Unlike with feature films, these stars had a new adventure every weekday, and their audience journeyed with them on a daily basis. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Disney raised the bar with a lineup of innovative, high-quality television animation. The characters were endearing, the writing was clever, and the art was exceptional. Those who grew up with these characters have continued their love affairs for shows like Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, TaleSpin, and the irrepressibly beloved DuckTales, deep into adulthood. For the first time, learn the history of the Disney Afternoon shows, read interviews from the creative teams, and revel in rare, behind-the-scenes artwork, plus get the full making of story of the modern-day DuckTales series and its legacy connections to the past.
Walt's People: Volume 17
Edited by Didier Ghez, Forward by Jake S. Friedman
Disney History from the Source: The Walt's People series is an oral history of all things Disney, as told by the artists, animators, designers, engineers, and executives who made it happen, from the 1920s through the present.
Walt’s People: Volume 17 features appearances by Leigh Harline, Jim MacDonald, Woolie Reitherman, T. Hee, Jack Hannah, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, Ken Anderson, and others. The entertaining, informative stories in every volume of Walt's People will please both Disney scholars and eager fans alike.
The forward offers the perspective of a modern-day Disney historian who was child of the '80s and early '90s.
Behind the Magic: Snow White
ABC Television
Jake S. Friedman: Contributing Historian/Expert
This unprecedented look at Walt Disney’s journey to create the historic film is narrated by Ginnifer Goodwin and features extensive interviews with John Lasseter, Frozen directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Byron Howard (Director, Zootopia and Tangled), Alan Menken, Richard Sherman, Eric Goldberg and Mark Henn, as well as some of the original talent from the 1937 film, and historians/experts from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, Walt Disney Archives, and beyond.
Walt Disney: An American Experience
PBS Television
additional archival research by Jake S. Friedman
Walt Disney was uniquely adept at art as well as commerce, a master filmmaker who harnessed the power of technology and storytelling. This new film examines Disney's complex life and enduring legacy. Features rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, scenes from some of his greatest films, interviews with biographers and animators, and the designers who helped turn his dream of Disneyland into reality.
The Art of Blue Sky Studios
by Jake S. Friedman
Over the past 15 years, 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios have revolutionized computer animation with some of the most beloved movies of all time, from Ice Age to Rio and beyond. This deluxe coffee-table book tells the remarkable tale of Blue Sky's success, from its origins as a live-action visual effects company to its partnership with 20th Century Fox and reinvention as a driving force in the world of computer-generated animation. Featuring never-before-seen concept art, early sketches, stunning stills, and other unique visuals, Ice Age to the Digital Age delivers the complete illustrated history of this outstanding creative force in computer-generated animation.
Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!
Text by Jerry Beck; Contributing Research by Jake S. Friedman
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Not just Cartoons: Nicktoons! is the first book to collect all thirty-one of the ground-breaking cartoons into one dynamic volume. Fans will soak up the behind-the-scenes access to their favorite shows--whether it's seeing the original claymation figures from the lovable hit Hey Arnold!, original animation cells from the absorbing SpongeBob SquarePants, or the irreverent Ren & Stimpy characters like you've never seen them before. The creators and producers behind each show recall how a kernel of an idea transformed into a fully realized cartoon.