The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer: American Animation Pioneer

This book is very well written, with lots of detail that is absolutely fascinating in its thoroughness of presentation and meaningful comparisons to other related events. Ray Pointer has spent a lot of time and effort over 40 years conducting many personal interviews, with Max Fleischer himself and several members of Max’s family, and a host of animators and workers at the various incarnations of the Fleischer studios, as well as digging up every conceivable document relating to Max Fleischer’s life and events in the Fleischer studios, which began well before most of the other New York animation studios, and many years before Disney. This has been used to good advantage in Pointer’s book, giving Max Fleischer’s early struggles, setbacks and triumphs a very complete and compelling feeling of “you are there”. I highly recommend this book!

I didn't anticipate how large it was going to be though, but it was well packed with good information and rare photos that I've never seen before (plus photos we've seen many times in other animation books). Ray has always been one of my favorite historians and this book goes for a more indept look at the rise and fall of our favorite brothers of animation (including just HOW they fell...). The foreword by the one and only Jerry Beck is worth picking up the book alone. There is a couple of easy typos (Toby the Pup is referred to as Roby the Pup on the caption of the photo in one chapter and Grim Natwick's name is misspelled at one point in the same paragraph), but it's nothing too distracting. I would love to see more items like this in the future from Inkwell Images (they haven't done that much books, but there is a lot of potential here with a large library of history floating around)..

Growing up, Popeye and Betty Boop were staples of my morning routines. As I grew older, Saturday morning cartoons were the highlight of my week.I recently reconnected with Ray and he directed me to his book about Max Fleischer. What a delightful read! The book gave me a deeper understanding of the art of creating those wonderful Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons. And yes, Disney, is better known for his cartoons, but Fleischer pushed the cartoon industry forward and was the glue that held it together.I am an avid read and was really taken in by the story of Max Fleischer’s life. Ray is not only a talented animator, but a very talented writer. His Knowledge of Fleischer’s life and the imagination flowing through his cartoons made for a very enjoyable read. The book gave me greater insight into the technologies Fleischer developed that went into creating the cartoons that I loved so much as a child.This book is well worth reading for all cartoon lovers and “students” of moving pictures in the cartoon format.

I was quite impressed with the detail, research and the intimacy of the first hand interviews by the author of "The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer with the actual family of Max Fleischer that made this book possible. It is well written and very informative. An American icon in film animation that ranks as equal to Walt Disney in many ways.. Well done. Bill Schilbe

Interesting overview of the early days of animation and the prodigious output of Max Fleischer and crew. The Florida studio employed around 700 at the height of their production. There is a compilation of the animators involved with brief backgrounds, and also an in depth look at the feud between Max and his brother Dave that essentially brought the studios downfall. Informative read for animation enthusiast and lovers of Betty Boop, Popeye, and the "bouncing ball".

This was a fascinating book which highlights the milestone animation work of the Fleischer studios; much of which I never knew about and now appreciate so much more the significance and place in animation history. It’s filled with great photos and amazing research documenting the engineering brilliance of Max Fleischer and his rise and fall within the industry.

This book tells you everything you want to know about Max Fleischer and the beginnings of animation in America. It is thoroughly researched with many details and well written with plenty of background on Max and his team. They pioneered a new art form--animation. You feel like you know these animators. You'll also meet the characters they created--Koko the Clown, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Betty Boop, and many more. A must read for anyone interested in the beginnings of animation or just wants to know more about the people and the creative process they brought to the screen.John

If you enjoy Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons, this is the book for you! A detailed history of Max fleischer's Popeye cartoon Studio, and Max's inventions, including the amazing 3D background, way ahead of its time, that he used in many of his cartoons of the 1930s.