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Animation Mavericks: The Forgotten Story of UPA

@animationmavericks

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Documentary that explores the rise, fall, and legacy of an iconoclastic studio through interviews, animation, and untold Hollywood history.

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Our first trailer for 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘗𝘈. Premiering at film festivals in 2027.

Follow @animationmavericks for more.

🎬 Director, Producer, Writer, & Editor:
@kevinschreckproductions

👍 Executive Producer:
@arealamericanbook

📕Associate Producer:
@abraham.author

✍️ Animation Director & Producer:
@rachel_the_hobbit

⭐️ Featuring:
@leonardmaltin
@jbeck6540
@jjsedelmaier
@emily_hubley_animation
@silverootie
@mexopolis
@jakesfriedman
@s_bosrau
@patsaperstein

🎞️ Archival Producers & Assistant Editors:
@_priscaedwards_
@autumn.knightfall

🎶 Music:
@deebamontazeri
@roccasalvoandrea

🎥 Directors of Photography:
@njbrwn
@quinnthomashow

🎙️ Live-Action Production:
@gabbage.patch_
@iamphilipt
@brooke_muellerrrr
@mij.0uu
@quandadublin
@simongulergun
@allysagram
@kevinshanmugam
@sallylomi

🗣️ Voice-Over Actors:
@ellisstoneback
@ouimet.once
@johnworshamvo
@the_theater_lovers
@thatantaragirl

🎨 Art Department:
@laurenbergholmart
@lava.guts
@peonyvibes
@elizabethyooart

✏️ Animation Artists:
@dan.haskett
@drawmanley
@anaiyahtatiana
@leac15
@daffyfan83
@christi.bertelsen
@potatoes__tomaotes
@virtualgia.zip
@slesko
@chakraxcartoons
@michaeljruocco
@tijivain
@omegalbagel
@messyjazz07
@tashatoonsfanart
@kingofcabbages
@johnwlustig
@lightspeeddavid
@animandrea
@bennazus0192
@ninacoffaro_art
@bresnahammy
@jbrennart

🎤 Voice-Over Audio Engineering:
@yahzydotcom

🔊 Post-Production Audio:
@iamebenezerkeys
@it_groovy

🙏 Additional Credits:
@thirdwingltd
@nickkouhi
@tomatitojose
@kaiserdingus
@d_l_bax
@thunderbeanshop

…and many more!

#animationmavericks #UPA #animation #movietrailer #UPAanimation by @animationmavericks

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24 days ago

No one does @variety like UPA. Read all about it! Links are in our bio and Linktree.

#animationmavericks #UPA #upaanimation #Variety #animation by @animationmavericks

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9 months ago

Thank you for following our film! 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘗𝘈 shows the origins, rise, fall, and legacy of an innovative and iconoclastic animation studio. Through revealing interviews with film historians and stylishly animated re-enactments of key moments in Hollywood history, this feature-length documentary will illuminate a vital and untold chronicle of cinema and the real-life personalities behind it.

Here, you’ll get more than just updates and behind-the-scenes looks – we want this to be a hub for everything UPA. Given the vastness of their world, history, and filmography, it is impossible to fit everything into a single 2-hour film. Consider this page your deep dive into the UPA universe.

For now, scroll through and learn more about our crew!

#AnimationMavericks #UPA #upaanimation #modernism #animation by @animationmavericks

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9 months ago

Magoo’s Masterpiece (1953) featured the classic Mr. Magoo design that audiences still recognize today. By 1953, Sterling Sturtevant had become the series’ credited designer, helping shape the look that defined Magoo for years to come.

Mr. Magoo wasn’t created by one artist alone. Animator Willis Pyle later recalled that the character evolved through the work of multiple artists, with drawings continually refined into new model sheets.

According to her family, Sturtevant won a company contest with her version of Mr. Magoo, which was reportedly inspired by her husband. Compared to earlier versions, her design was leaner, softer, and more streamlined.

As you watch the clip on the last slide, notice Magoo’s streamlined appearance. Can you see why this design became the iconic look audiences still recognize today?

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#AnimationMavericks #UPA #UPAAnimation #magoo #characterdesign by @animationmavericks

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UPA never had one style, and that’s because all of the guys “tried to make something unique.” Alan Zaslove explains more in this interview clip.

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#AnimationMavericks #UPA #UPAAnimation #vintagecartoons #retroanimation by @animationmavericks

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Rather than relying on dialogue, The Wonder Gloves (1951) uses its animation and soundtrack to tell the story. Every musical cue and movement carries the action forward.

The Wonder Gloves trusts its audience to listen as much as they watch. Every pose, expression, and gesture reveals each character’s personality and motivation as the film unfolds, and much like a boxing match, the soundtrack punctuates the action.

As you watch the clip on the last slide, pay attention to the actions of our protagonist and his opponent. What can you gather just from what they are doing? How does the soundtrack complement the story?

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#AnimationMavericks #UPA #UPAAnimation #silentfilms #animation by @animationmavericks

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9 days ago

Animator, director, and labor activist Chuck Jones was born on September 21, 1912. Best known for his work at Warner Bros., Jones also stood beside several UPA founders in advancing the animation labor movement.

Before publicly supporting the Disney animators’ strike, Jones helped organize artists at Warner Bros. through the Screen Cartoonists Guild. His commitment to fair treatment extended well beyond the drawing board.

Three years later, Jones directed Hell-Bent for Election for just $1. Alongside Stephen Bosustow and Zack Schwartz — both later UPA founders — he showed animation could inform, mobilize, and entertain.

As you watch the clip in the last slide, pay attention to how the animation simplifies complex political ideas into clear visual storytelling. Which moments feel the most persuasive?

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#AnimationMavericks #UPA #UPAAnimation #chuckjones theodoreroosevel by @animationmavericks

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On September 19, 1964, The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo premiered on NBC, marking a new chapter in Henry Saperstein’s television plans for UPA. The series took Magoo beyond his familiar misadventures and into classic literature.

After taking control of UPA in 1960, Henry Saperstein believed television was the studio’s future. While many of UPA’s original artists had built their careers in theatrical animation, Saperstein focused on bringing the studio’s characters into American living rooms.

The success of Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol showed Magoo could work in a new format. Instead of another everyday misadventure, he became an actor stepping into classic literature. NBC was confident enough to order a series without a pilot.

As you watch the clip in the last slide, notice how Magoo’s personality remains intact despite the completely new format. What elements still make him unmistakably Mr. Magoo?

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#AnimationMavericks #UPA #UPAAnimation #magoo #television by @animationmavericks

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Read all about it! Thank you, @cartoonbrew, and thank you to everyone for supporting this entirely grassroots, homegrown push for our film!

Follow @animationmavericks for more.

#animationmavericks #UPA #animation #movietrailer #UPAanimation by @animationmavericks

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The first trailer for 'Animation Mavericks: The Forgotten Story of UPA' has arrived, and without a press release or marketing push, it has already drawn more than 40,000 YouTube views in a week. We can't wait to see it when it releases in early 2027.

More info linked in bio. by @animationmavericks

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Animator, film editor, and script supervisor Faith Chestman was born on September 16, 1924. During World War II, she met and befriended future UPA creative director John Hubley.

By the mid-1950s, both Faith and John’s Hollywood careers had been disrupted by the blacklist. Rather than ending their creative ambitions, the two married and moved their way toward independent animation filmmaking in New York.

Together they founded Storyboard Studios, where they continued exploring many of the artistic ideas associated with UPA. Their films embraced personal storytelling, experimental sound, and simplified design while reaching audiences beyond the theatrical market.

Following John’s death in 1977, Faith Hubley continued directing and producing animated films for decades. In doing so, she ensured that one of UPA’s most influential creative legacies continued long after the studio’s golden age had ended.

As you watch the clips on the last slide, think about what UPA valued most. How do these films prioritize personal storytelling over broad theatrical entertainment?

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#AnimationMavericks #UPA #UPAAnimation #hubley #storyboardstudios by @animationmavericks

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What do you feel is UPA’s legacy? Pixar animator Jeff Pidgeon answers that question here.

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#AnimationMavericks #UPA #UPAAnimation #pixar #challengethestatusquo by @animationmavericks

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