Animation Nation: How We Built A Cartoon Empire
In 1978, an obscure animated TV show produced by an upstart Toronto firm caught the eye of the world’s hottest filmmaker, George Lucas.
He was looking for someone to produce an animated short for a CBS Star Wars television special. The ensuing collaboration not only put Nelvana on its path to becoming the world’s leading independent animation company but kickstarted Canada’s most successful creative industry—children’s animated entertainment.
Born in Belgium, raised in Toronto and New York, Michael Hirsh was a co-founder and CEO of Nelvana and the driving force behind Canada’s animation dominance. Animation Nation is his behind-the-scenes account of working with such famous cartoon franchises as Babar, The Adventures of Tintin, Berenstain Bears, Franklin, The Magic School Bus, and Beetlejuice, and larger-than-life personalities including Roseanne Barr, Mr. T., Deborah Harry, and Tim Burton.
Packed with humour and hard-won wisdom, Animation Nation is a frame-by-frame account of how creative talent and entrepreneurial zeal built a global cartoon empire.
Author: Michael Hirsh
Release date: 23rd July 2024
Page Count: 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1990823696
ISBN-13: 978-1990823695
Animation has been a part of the Star Wars galaxy almost from its foundations. If you were a fan of Star Wars in ‘77 then it’s quite possible you were in front of a TV on November 17, 1978 when the Star Wars Holiday Special premiered. There’s plenty that can be said about the Holiday Special but one of the most interesting aspects was the animated short The Story of the Faithful Wookiee.
This animated short takes place before the events of The Empire Strikes Back, and introduces Boba Fett to the Star Wars universe. The creators of this short was Nelvana Studios.
The story of how that short came to be as well as other Lucasfilm collaborations is a prominent part of Michael’s book Animation Nation: How We Built A Cartoon Empire. Star Wars fans will be thrilled to discover the detailed story of how Michael met with George Lucas and how the short was created are the opening chapters of Hirsh’s biography. There are also stories centered around the Droids and Ewoks animated shows which for a time thrilled young Star Wars fans for an hour every week on the ABC network.
While there is definitely enough Star Wars content to draw fans to this book, I also found myself intrigued by Hirsh’s life story and the influences that led him to become the CEO and Co-Founder of Nelvana, and their determination to be a leading voice in Canadian Animation.
Star Wars was not the only major franchise Hirsh developed animation for. He was also prominently involved in franchises like Babar, Berenstain Bears, Beetlejuice and The Magic School Bus. They also produced Inspector Gadget and The Care Bears Movie.
As a longtime animation fan, I really loved learning the behind the scenes struggles and triumphs that Hirsh experienced in his career. His passion for animation as well as his business knowledge acquired over the years allowed him to bring Nelvana’s signature animation style and storytelling to many franchises and many fans across the world. Current subscribers of Disney Plus can find The Faithful Wookiee, Droids and Ewoks available to watch, and if you want to watch the work from Nelvana that inspired George Lucas to call Michael Hirsh look for A Cosmic Christmas on YouTube.
- Hardcover Book
- Hirsh, Michael (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages - 07/23/2024 (Publication Date) - Sutherland House Books (Publisher)
