Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955) is an American

animation historian Animation, the method for creating moving pictures from still images, has an Early history of animation, early history and a modern history that began with the advent of Celluloid, celluloid film in 1888. Between 1895 and 1920, during the rise of ...

, author,

blogger A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

, and video producer. Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons'' (with

Will Friedwald Will Friedwald (born September 16, 1961) is an American author and music critic. He has written for newspapers that include the ''Wall Street Journal'', ''New York Times'', '' Village Voice'', ''Newsday'', ''New York Observer'', and ''New York ...

, 1989), ''

The 50 Greatest Cartoons ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals'' is a 1994 book by animation historian Jerry Beck, with a foreword written by Chuck Jones. The book features the fifty greatest cartoons of all time, selected by a group ...

'' (1994), ''The Animated Movie Guide'' (2005), ''Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town!'' (2005), ''Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!'' (2007), ''The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from Your Favorite Cartoon Classics'' (2007), The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons (2010), ''The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic'' (2011), and ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom'' (2013). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art of '' Mr. Peabody and Sherman'', DreamWorks' ''

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

'', and ''

Bee Movie ''Bee Movie'' is a 2007 American animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and Columbus 81 Productions, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner from a screenplay by the writing team o ...

''. Beck is also an entertainment industry consultant for television and home entertainment productions and releases related to classic cartoons and operates the blog "Cartoon Research". He appears frequently as a documentary subject and audio commentator on releases of A&E's ''Cartoons Go to War'' as well as DVD / Blu-ray collections of ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'', ''

Popeye the Sailor Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is a cartoon character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and Universal Animation Studios, Universal Animation Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures sinc ...

'' cartoons, on which he serves as consultant and curator.

Career

Writing

Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

on his book ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Revised and Updated Edition'' (1980). In 1987, Beck was instrumental in the creation of ''

Animation Magazine ''Animation Magazine'' is an American print magazine and website covering the animation industry and education, as well as visual effects. The print magazine is published 10 times a year in the United States. History ''Animation Magazine'' was f ...

''. He went on to write for other magazines including: ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', ''The Whole Toon Catalog'', ''Animation Blast'', ''Animator'', '' Wild Cartoon Kingdom'' and ''Animation World Network''. Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including ''

'' (1994), ''The Animated Movie Guide'' (2005), ''Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!'' (2007), ''The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic'' (2011), ''The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from Your Favorite Cartoon Classics'' (2007), ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom'' (2013), ''Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide'' (2005), and ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons'' (with

, 1989) alongside ''The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons'' (2010). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art of '' Mr. Peabody and Sherman'', DreamWorks' ''

'', and ''

''. In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writer

Amid Amidi Amid Amidi is a journalist. He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the ''Cartoon Brew Cartoon Brew is an animation news website created by Amid Amidi and animation historian Jerry Beck that was launched on 15 March 2004. Cartoon Dump It ...

co-founded the blog

Cartoon Brew Cartoon Brew is an animation news website created by Amid Amidi and animation historian Jerry Beck that was launched on 15 March 2004. Cartoon Dump It also created '' Cartoon Dump'', a weekly podcast showing poorly made TV cartoons featuring ' ...

, which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started an IndieWire blog, ''Animation Scoop'', for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.

Teaching

In the 1990s, Beck taught courses on the art of animation at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

, and

The School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Sil ...

. Through 2018 he also taught animation history at

Woodbury University Woodbury University is a private university in Burbank, California. Founded in 1884 with initial campuses in Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown and Central Los Angeles, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Sout ...

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

. As of 2020, Beck teaches in the Character Animation department of

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the ...

School of Film/Video an
ANIM 3000 - History of Animation at MTSU.

Producing and consulting

Jerry Beck co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations of

, MGM Cartoons,

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Home Video,

Betty Boop Betty Boop is a cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer. She originally appeared in the '' Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pic ...

, and others. In 1989, he co-founded

Streamline Pictures Streamline Pictures was an American media company. Founded by screenwriter Carl Macek and animation historian Jerry Beck, it was one of the earliest distributors of English-dubbed Japanese animation. History Founding Founded in Los Angeles, ...

and brought anime films, '' Akira'', ''

Vampire Hunter D is a series of novels written by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983. As of January 2025, 56 novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes. They h ...

'', and

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

's ''

Castle in the Sky also known as ''Laputa: Castle in the Sky'', is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Isao Takahata, animated by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by Toei. The film stars t ...

'' to the United States. He also compiled collections of cartoons from

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is a cartoon character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and Universal Animation Studios, Universal Animation Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures sinc ...

, and the

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () was an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures in 1942, the parent company and the distri ...

. As vice president of

Nickelodeon Movies Nickelodeon Movies Inc. is an American Filmmaking, film production company based in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California and owned by Paramount Global. Originally founded in 1995, it serves as both the film production division of Nickelodeon Pro ...

, he helped develop ''

The Rugrats Movie ''The Rugrats Movie'' is a 1998 American animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''Rugrats''. It was directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien and was written by David N. Weiss & J. David Stem. The film fea ...

'' (1998) and

Mighty Mouse Mighty Mouse is an American animated character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox. He is an anthropomorphic superhero mouse, originally called Super Mouse, and made his debut in the 1942 short ''The Mouse of Tomorrow''. Th ...

. In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot for

Frederator Studios Frederator Studios is an American animation television production studio founded by Fred Seibert in January 1997. It is a division of Frederator Networks, Inc., itself a part of Kartoon Studios' Canadian holding company Wow Unlimited Media. T ...

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

. That cartoon, ''Hornswiggle'', aired on

Nicktoons Nicktoons is the brand name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Paramount Global) in their copyright bylines. Since ...

Network in 2008 as part of the ''

Random! Cartoons ''Random! Cartoons'' is an American animated anthology series that aired on Nicktoons. Much like '' Oh Yeah! Cartoons'', it was created by Fred Seibert and produced by Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It premiered on December ...

'' series.

Volunteering

In 1993, Jerry Beck became a founding member of the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

advisory board and he currently serves as Vice President of the

ASIFA-Hollywood ASIFA-Hollywood, an American non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California, is a branch member of the International Animated Film Association. Its purpose is to promote the art of film animation in a variety of ways, including its own arc ...

board.

Speaking

On a regular basis Beck moderates panels at various venues (festivals, conventions, premieres, museums, screenings, etc.) along with hosting programs/retrospectives of classic cartoons at same. In the past this included shows at the now shuttered

Cinefamily The Cinefamily was a non-profit cinematheque located in Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, at the historic Silent Movie Theatre. The Cinefamily's mission statement was to "reinvigorate the movie-going experience by fostering a spirit of community and a ...

and Cartoon Dump monthly live Hollywood performance. His presentations include: * Worst Cartoons Ever! program at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

* Greatest Cartoons Ever! program the day after Christmas at the Alex Theatre (co-hosted by Frank Gladstone) * Monthly Cartoon Club at the

New Beverly Cinema The New Beverly Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Los Angeles, California. Housed in a building that dates back to the 1920s, it is one of the oldest revival houses in the region. Since 2007, it has been owned by the filmmaker Quentin ...

* A semi-annual show at the Old Town Music Hall

Personal life

On June 25, 2021, Beck married voice actress Cheryl Chase, his girlfriend of 33 years.

Bibliography

* Maltin, L. & Beck, Jerry (1980). ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons''. New York: Penguin. * Friedwald, W., & Beck, Jerry. (1981). ''The Warner Brothers Cartoons''. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. * Beck, Jerry, & Friedwald, W. (1989). ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons''. New York, NY: Holt. * Beck, Jerry. (1994). ''The Fifty Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals''. Atlanta: Turner Pub. * Beck, Jerry, & Friedwald, W. (1997). ''Warner Bros., Animation Art: The Characters, The Creators, The Limited Editions''. Miami, FL: Warner Bros. * Beck, Jerry. (2003). ''Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide''. London: Dorling Kindersley. * Beck, Jerry. (2003). ''Outlaw Animation: Cutting-edge Cartoons From the Spike & Mike Festivals''. New York: Harry N. Abrams. * Beck, Jerry. (2004). ''Animation Art From Pencil Ti Pixel, The History of Cartoon Anime & CGI''. Harper & Row. * Beck, Jerry. (2005). ''Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town''. New York: DK Publishing. * Sigall, M. & Beck, J. (2005). Forward for: ''Living Life Inside the Lines: Tales From the Golden Age of Animation''. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. * Beck, Jerry. (2005). ''The Animated Movie Guide / The Ultimate Illustrated Reference to Cartoon, Stop-motion, and Computer-generated Feature Films''. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. * Beck, Jerry. (2007). ''Nicktoons!'' New York, NY: Melcher Media. * Beck, Jerry. (2007). ''The Art of Bee Movie''. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. * Cabarga, L. & Beck, J. (2007). Introduction for: ''Casper the Friendly Ghost''. Milwaukie, Or.: Dark Horse. * Cabarga, L. & Beck, J. (2008). Introduction for: ''Hot Stuff''. Milwaukie, Or.: Dark Horse. * Cabarga, L. & Beck, J. (2008). Introduction for: ''Baby Huey: The Baby Giant''. Milwaukie, Or.: Dark Horse. * Beck, Jerry. (2008). ''The Art and Making of Madagascar''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2008). ''The Flintstones''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2008). ''Tom and Jerry''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2009). ''The Hanna-Barbera Treasury''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2011). ''The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic''. Philadelphia, PA: Running Press. * Beck, Jerry. (2013). ''SpongeBob SquarePants Experience''. Insight Editions, Div Of Palac. * Beck, Jerry, (2014). Essay for: ''Felix the Cat Paintings: A Collection of Paintings From the Prolific Imagination of the Felix the Cat Guy''. San Diego, CA: IDW Publishing. * Beck, Jerry, Burrell, T., Ward, T., & Minkoff, R. (2014). ''The Art of Mr. Peabody & Sherman''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry, & Maltin, L. (2020). ''The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions.

Awards

In 2008, Beck was the recipient of the

June Foray Award The June Foray Award is a juried award given to individuals in recognition of a significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation. The award is given by the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood ...

. In 2014, Beck received the Independent Publisher Book Award for Popular Culture. In 2015, Beck was the recipient of the

Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...

. Beck was the 2019 honoree of the Los Angeles Animation Festival.

References

External links

CartoonResearch.com

Animation Scoop.com
*
Jerry Beck, Faculty, Middle Tennessee State University (mtsu.edu)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Jerry 1955 births Living people 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American film historians American male bloggers American bloggers American male non-fiction writers Historians from New York City Historians of animation Inkpot Award winners Writers from New York City