Mid Century Modern Animation, Volume 1 (Blu-ray)

Before reviewing the set on its own merits, I feel it is necessary to address how this is sold. It is only available from one vendor: Thunderbean, the independent producer of this set. The vendor appeared to be overwhelmed with orders, and I was frustrated in my communications with them regarding the status of my order. They eventually, and generously, made amends and I am thrilled to have this blu-ray (as well as the second volume).I cannot say how broad of an audience this collection will appeal to. Except for one cartoon short, these largely aren't animations whose primary aim is to entertain. Fortunately for some of us more broad-minded animation fans, Thunderbean sees the beauty in artwork regardless of its purpose. Here are an assortment of training/educational films, commercials and drive-in animations from the post-war era.Fans of the mid-century style of illustration will find a treasure trove here. Commercial art is "art", period, and the restoration Thunderbean has done is a testament to preserving all animation.Some personal faves of mine:- The Weatherman: an extensive collection of very short animations that local TV stations could use as weather forecasts. There is a simple but engaging style consistently throughout, and there are many amusing little gags.- Tex Avery's Kool Aid Commercials: these were deeply weird and I was astonished as each one finished only to have yet another one start. There's a ton of these and they obliterated all thought.I think the best way I can convey how much I recommend this set is I was initially very disgruntled with the vendor, I watched two full blu-rays of industrial films and commercials and all I want is more.

This is the first stunning volume in the MID-CENTURY MODERN series, full of unique animated films from an age when the look of the animated cartoon was changing to a simpler design with more sophisticated subject matter in some cases, often dealing with our socio-political climate at the times, some films even ringing true today, while others just reflect the outlook of the period. This is a blu-ray edition of an earlier collection under the same title, only the print quality in this collection is as good as we can find it these days. The films chosen in this collection are very, very rare, perhaps you might have even seen one or two of these in high school or college. Others are just zany novelties, like the little ads luring you to the snack bar at your local drive-in.Steve Stanchfield and his staff at Thunderbean Animation are to be commended for their dilligent work, here, and I only hope this series keeps going with new and interesting finds.

I came across this amazing collection by accident researching the classic Disney licensed-character commercials from the 50s. And I am so glad I did! This bluray is awesome for anyone that appreciates old-school animation or loves stuff from the age of classic American commercials and consumerism. As someone who loves disney animation, and is a disney history nut in general, the commercials produced by disney alone made this worth owning. But I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed watching the others that I've never even heard of before. The quality of each clip is stunning; they really did an awesome job of cleaning the films up. Very cool and would love to see more volumes in the future!

A random but adorable collection of classic MCM commercials and some specials. I especially love the "Weather Man" series done for quick spots on a local station. The jingles and other commercials fill a nostalgic spot of imagining what the glow of television was like in the golden age of the midcentury. Perhaps after a glorious block party?

This is a FANTASTIC compliation of mid century animation, filled to the brim with great shorts and commercials in excellent quality! If you love the modern-design style, this dvd is an absolute no brainer! Among the highlights are the stunningly designed Disney ads from the 50s, featuring the talents from the likes of Tom Oreb! The Weather Man series of spots and Dr Pepper drive in ads are also a real treat!I can not stress enough how this is a worthy purchase for anyone who loves this period in animation history.

Designs by Tom Oreb, Ed Benedict and others! GREAT QUALITY too! Glad to have the NASH 55 ads I have been looking for with JIMINEY CRICKET, PINOCCHIO & GEPPETO, etc. Super JAY WARD DRIVE-IN cartoons too! The PLANET PATROL pilot and DESTINATION EARTH films are great! Love this DVD! Hope there is a VOLUME 2 coming!

Much variety of mid-century stuff. Was very entertained by all and some facts I didn't know about. I always thought why the animation towards the end of the popeye cartoon was somewhat different. This explained alot. Alot of content throughout the DVD for a very reasonable price. Thank you for offering this.

GREAT!