The animation community is mourning the passing of much-loved New York-based animator, cartoonist, historian and teacher (Parsons School of Design and School of Visual Arts) Howard Beckerman, who passed away on Saturday (June 29) at 93. The news was announced by Beckerman’s daughter, Sheri Beckerman Weisz on social media who wrote, “It is with great sadness to report that my father, Howard Beckerman passed away early this morning.”
Beckerman began his career in animation in 1949, right after graduating from high school when Paul Terry hired him to join his famous studio Terrytoons. As he wrote in his biography, “It was a golden age of comics and animation, and I decided to do both. One day by taxi, subway and trolley, I left Flatbush for Terrytoons to work on Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle cartoons, and soon I was drawing Popeye and Casper the Friendly Ghost at Paramount’s Famous studios.”
After serving in the Korean War, Beckerman return to create create TV spots for UPA and numerous New York animation studios. In 1970, he launched the Beckerman studio with my wife Iris, where they created commercials and sponsored films. “They brought smiles to audiences, and our independent films brought awards,” he wrote. “I traveled the globe as VP of International Association of film animators. Soon, I began teaching as a favor and I’m still at it after many years at Parsons School of Design and School of Visual Arts — all grist for writing my book Animation: The Whole Story for all those who are excited about animation.”
In the 1960s, Beckerman worked on animated shorts such as The Trip, The Plumber, Forget-Me-Nots. In the 1980s, his credits include Boop Beep (1984) and Doug TV series (1981). He also produced animated segments for Sesame Street.
“Computers allow for a great deal of latitude,” wrote Beckerman. “They let you change things faster. In the old days, you had to animate it, shoot it, send it to a lab, get the film back and reanimate. Now an 8 year old can make a movie on a computer in the family living room without making a mess. The computer is not too smart on its own, you have to use your brain.
“The students don’t put their names on their work. Disney put his name on everything, even things he didn’t do. Students have to see themselves as important in the creative process. It comes back to communication. We communicate with everybody in the production process in order to eventually communicate our animated story to an audience.
“I learned how films are made from my experience on the first story I sold to UPA Pictures. It was for a segment of the very first full color animated show for children. It was 1956 and it was The Boing Boing Show… Now computers came on the scene, and where prior to this time computers weren’t good enough to do cartoons, they could, however, handle the effects. It took about 15 years of finessing the computer programs to be able to animate Toy Story.
“What students must learn is that an animator, like Arthur Miller’s Willy Loman character, goes to work with a smile and a shoeshine. But unlike Willy Loman the animator is a contributor to the final product, not a one-man show. You have to learn to communicate.”
Beckerman also collaborated with Carl Memling on a syndicated comic strip titled Miss Chipps in the 1950s, which was sold to Sponsored Comics/Family Comics. He is the author of the acclaimed 2001 book Animation: The Whole Story, which provides artists and filmmakers a road map to making an animated project, using sketches, screen shots and step-by-step illustrations to teach how to make a drawing come to life, produced effective storyboards, use form and color, develop a soundtrack and more. The book was later revised and updated in 2012.
His writings and instructions inspired several generations of animators and animation lovers. Ten years ago, his family, friends, colleagues and students paid a beautiful homage to him. You can read their remembrances and tributes in a beautiful collection compiled by Jerry Beck and Cartoon Research here.
Beckerman is survived by his children Mara Sneiderman (Richard), Sheri Weisz, and Amy Zarndt (John); his grandchildren Shayna Brubaker (Thomas), Naomi Sneiderman, Danielle and Jeffrey Weisz, and Jamie Zarndt; and his great-grandchild, Everett Brubaker. Howard was predeceased by his wife, Iris, also a gifted illustrator as well as actor and dancer. Donations to American Cancer Association in Howard’s name are appreciated.
You can watch Beckerman’s The Trip (with his commentary in an interview with Devon Baxter) below:
And here’s an interview with Beckerman (via Cartoon Carnival) below:
