The ‘Ghibliotheque’ guide to animated film spans 30 chapters, each focusing on a different country’s local talent and global impact, with more than 150 images and illustrations from a wide selection of top movies.
Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, authors and hosts of the Ghibliotheque podcast, have just released “The Animation Atlas,” their “whistle-stop tour” through animated film history. A cartography of cartoons, “The Animation Atlas” showcases the work of leading studios such as Disney, Pixar, Aardman and Studio Ghibli as well as pioneers, innovators and rising stars from the wider world of cinema.
According to the authors, “This is a celebration of art made by human hands — something more important than ever, thanks to the rise of AI. Within these pages you will find recommendations and reviews for hundreds of films; films that come in all shapes, sizes, styles, and, yep, genres, all united by that very human urge to create and communicate, to interrogate the world around us and dream of something new... Animation isn’t a genre, it’s a whole world. Let’s explore it together.”
The book includes:
- A global history of animation – each of the 30 chapters covers a different country, focusing on local talent that has made a global impact on the form, from the US to the UK, Spain to South Africa, and China to Chile.
- Box office hits and hidden gems – features a selection of top films, from hand-drawn Hollywood classics (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and award- winning CG masterpieces (Flow), to the works of revered artists such as Lotte Reiniger (The Adventures of Prince Achmed), Jan Švankmajer (Alice) and Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbour Totoro).
- Dozens of illustrations - includes more than 150 photographs, artworks and stills from some of the most beautifully animated films ever made.
This book will make the perfect gift for film lovers and pop culture enthusiasts.
The Animation Atlas: The Ghibliotheque Guide to the World of Animated Film
Michael Leader & Jake Cunningham
October 14 | Hardback | Welbeck | $29.95
About the authors:
Michael Leader is a writer and broadcaster whose writing has appeared in Sight & Sound and Little White Lies, and whose voice has appeared on podcasts and radio ranging from Ghibliotheque and Truth & Movies to BBC Front Row and BBC Radio 5. For several years he was Editorial Director for Film4 Online, and Commissioning Editor of the BBC Arts/iPlayer series Inside Cinema and Inside Games.
Jake Cunningham is a multimedia writer and producer. As well as Ghibliotheque, he has produced podcasts with NBC Universal, Sky, Channel 4 and Prime Video. He discusses film on the BBC World Service and has written and voiced video essays for the BBC and Little White Lies. He has written for Empire, The i and NME among others.
Source: Wellbeck
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
