Imagination and Innovation: The Story of Weston Woods

by John Cech

A stunning, informative pictorial tribute to the leading creative force in the production of films for children--Weston Woods Studios and its founder, Mort Schindel

Please see extended summary on next page.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Alec Longstreth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to imagine a more in-depth examination of the Weston Woods studio. 60% history of the studio, 40% biography of its founder Morton Schindel, this book takes us through the founding of the studio, through its initial "filmed books" approach, and on into fully animated adaptations of picture books, which stay true to the original source material. I watched many of these films as "Children's Circle" VHS tapes with my daughters which I found at thrift stores. The best part of this book for me (as a student of animation) was learning more about Gene Deitch and his books, which I will be hunting down.

My only criticism would be that often the praise for Weston Woods and Schindel is so effusive it sometimes feels a bit like propaganda, or an ad (Weston Woods is now owned and operated by Scholastic, who published this book). It seems like this history must have been primarily assembled to sell in the gift shop of the Weston Woods museum. It is a beautiful testament to all the work that went on there - full of storyboard drawings, animation cells, photographs of various locations and key personnel. It's well written and I was pleased to find in the back that it has a complete list of their films (up until the 2009 publication date).

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

B. nonfiction, children's nonfiction, audio-visual industry

[Library Maven]

J791.4302 CEC