Author - Historian - Professor
of Art and Animation
Jake S. Friedman
BOOKS & SPECIALS
The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age
by Jake S. Friedman
In the summer of 1941, Walt Disney came head-to-head with an animators' strike that threatened the existence of his studio, as well as the man who led that strike – one of his top animators, Art Babbitt. Follow the life of an animation artist through the golden age of Disney animation, and observe a day-by-day account of how it all came crashing down.
"Author Jake S. Friedman takes us on a deep dive into Hollywood history delivered in a style that reads like a film noir page turner, I could not put this book down."
-Don Hahn, producer of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
*not final book cover art
The Disney Afternoon: The Making of a Television Renaissance
by Jake S. Friedman
When the Disney Afternoon premiered in 1990, kids tossed their backpacks aside to watch their favorite Disney television characters. Unlike with feature films, these stars had a new adventure every weekday, and their audience journeyed with them on a daily basis. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Disney raised the bar with a lineup of innovative, high-quality television animation. The characters were endearing, the writing was clever, and the art was exceptional. Those who grew up with these characters have continued their love affairs for shows like Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, TaleSpin, and the irrepressibly beloved DuckTales, deep into adulthood. For the first time, learn the history of the Disney Afternoon shows, read interviews from the creative teams, and revel in rare, behind-the-scenes artwork, plus get the full making of story of the modern-day DuckTales series and its legacy connections to the past.
Behind the Magic: Snow White
ABC Television (2015)
Jake S. Friedman: Expert Interviewee
The story of the rocky road that Walt Disney took to get his interpretation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to the silver screen.
Walt's People: Volume 17
Edited by Didier Ghez, (2015)
Forward by Jake S. Friedman
Disney History from the Source: The Walt's People series is an oral history of all things Disney, as told by the artists, animators, designers, engineers, and executives who made it happen, from the 1920s through the present.
Walt Disney: An American Experience
PBS Television (2015)
additional archival research by Jake S. Friedman
Walt Disney was uniquely adept at art as well as commerce, a master filmmaker who harnessed the power of technology and storytelling. This new film examines Disney's complex life and enduring legacy. Features rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, scenes from some of his greatest films, interviews with biographers and animators, and the designers who helped turn his dream of Disneyland into reality.
The Art of Blue Sky Studios
by Jake S. Friedman (2014)
Over the past 15 years, 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios have revolutionized computer animation with some of the most beloved movies of all time, from their initial success with Ice Age in 2002 to hits like Robots, Rio, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, Epic, and the four Ice Age sequels.
Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!
Text by Jerry Beck (2007)
Contributing Research by Jake S. Friedman
More than five hundred illustrations, images, drawings, and sketches offer a colorful overview of all thirty-one of Nickelodeon's innovative cartoons, with a collection of unique cells, storyboards, early prototypes, and anecdotes from the creators of every show. 25,000 first printing.