The films of multiple award-winning animator Michael Sporn are now available on DVD with a collector’s edition box set featuring twelve of his unique, socially aware shorts. The First Run release includes animated stories based on tales from such acclaimed writers as Shrek author William Steig, Russell Hoban, Hans Christian Andersen and Lewis Carroll. Familiar voices heard in these films include James Earl Jones, Ruby Dee, Tim Curry, Amanda Plummer, Danny Glover, Linda Lavin, Regis Philbin, Ossie Davis and F. Murray Abraham.
Included in the six-disc set are Whitewash, The Talking Eggs, Champagne, The Hunting of the Snark, The Marzipan Pig, Jazztime Tale, Abel’s Island, The Dancing Frog, The Red Shoes, The Little Match Girl, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Nightingale. Fans will also enjoy a generous offering of extras created by Sporn especially for this release. These include In the Animation Studio and other bonus short films, animatics (storyboards), art galleries and audio commentaries.
Sporn has been animating professionally since 1972, working with such celebrated animation directors as John and Faith Hubley (Cockaboody, Letterman, Everybody Rides the Carousel) and Richard Williams (Raggedy Ann & Andy). After supervising many commercials and a PBS Special titled Simple Gifts, he formed his own company, Michael Sporn Animation Inc. The studio found its niche producing films for television and home video, many of which were adaptations of renowned children’s books such as Doctor Desoto, Lyle Lyle Crocodile and The Marzipan Pig. The award winning films Champagne and Whitewash represented a shift to serious animation with social relevance. Recent works include an adaptation of Good Night Moon, a Grandma Moses version of The Night Before Christmas and The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. Currently in production is a feature-length film derived from the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Over the years, Sporn has been honored with Parent’s Choice medals, Cine Golden Eagles, Cable ACE Awards, Gold Apples, Carnegie Medals, Emmy Awards and an Oscar nomination. He was recently the focus of a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, and has been called ‘the nation’s premiere animator’ by the New York Daily News. For more infmation on the artist and his films, go to www.michaelspornanimation.com, which also hosts his popular ‘Splog’ blog.
