Mark and Seamus are bringing the Animagic figures for our event Saturday night! They have an event for this special the same night, so were kind enough to make special arrangements!

Animagic from Rankin/Bass' MARCO being restored!

 This past weekend brought some ANIMAGIC MAGIC!  A few of the Animagic tree eleves from Rankin/Bass' feature film MARCO (1973) reappeared out of the trees of Japan.   Masaki Iizuka and I were recently talking about how much we love the Animagic scene in MARCO called "Peace Berries."  Masaki said, "I think it was the best Animagic we ever did!"

 As you can see from the photographs, they need some serious love and care...the kind that SCREEN-NOVELTIES can give them :)  Actually, these are now the property of SCREEN-NOVELTIES and they will do just that.   Seamus, Robin and Mark did a wonderful job with the restoral of Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and in some ways, they were in worse shape.

 C. 2001 MISER BROS PRESS/RICK GOLDSCHMIDT ARCHIVES

This Tree Elf is from the Romeo Muller estate and features the missing leaf hat that appears to be missing from the boy elf.   Gene Muller took some good reference photos for me back in 2001, that I am digging out for the restoral of these two.

It's sheer ANIMAGIC!  www.screen-novelties.com

www.screen-novelties.com

c. 1981 RANKIN/BASS PRODUCTIONS

My friend Mark Caballero posted this today! www.screen-novelties.com

SCREEN NOVELTIES

www.screen-novelties.com Mark Caballero tells me the RANKIN/BASS WILLY McBEAN & HIS MAGIC MACHINE screening last night went well!

www.cartoonbrew.com Check out CARTOON BREW..There are a few RANKIN/BASS postings! There will be a West Coast screening Tuesday with my friends Mark and Seamus from www.screen-novelties.com

ALLEN SWIFT 1924-2010

Allen with his wife Lenore June, 2009 New York, NY

We were so sorry to hear that our dear friend ALLEN SWIFT passed away today. I am so gald we were able to do the interview that we included in the MAD MONSTER PARTY documentary! Allen was a legendary voice actor that did voices for many famous characters (Animated, live-action and puppets). He did many voices for THE HOWDY DOODY SHOW, THE UNDERDOG SHOW (Simon Barsinister among them), DIVER DAN, etc. Besides doing most of the voices for the RANKIN/BASS feature film MAD MONSTER PARTY, he also did voices for RANKIN/BASS in THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF DANNY KAYE: THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES, MAD,MAD,MAD MONSTERS, THE RED BARON, PINOCCHIO'S CHRISTMAS, THE EASTER BUNNY IS COMIN' TO TOWN, THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, BOOK 2 and 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. He will definitely be remembered and missed!

Allen also appeared in RANKIN/BASS' only off-broadway musical A MONTH OF SUNDAYS. Allen appeared in many plays/musicals on Broadway.

THANKS to our friend Kevin House for letting us know and to Seamus Walsh and Mark Caballero for the great interview pics! I recorded a lengthy interview that I did with Allen many years ago, that I will publish sometime in the future.

My friend Mark interviewing Allen Swift for the MAD MONSTER PARTY DVD!

THANKS to Seamus Walsh (SCREEN-NOVELTIES) for sending along some more pics from ALLEN SWIFT's interview for the LIONSGATE RANKIN/BASS MAD MONSTER PARTY DVD! That is my pal Mark Caballero interviewing Allen (One of the greatest voice actors in Animation history).

SCREEN NOVELTIES in Hollywood, CA

My pals Seamus and Mark did a wonderful job in one of the NEW MAD MONSTER PARTY documentaries of explaining ANIMAGIC! Here is what they did with HANNA-BARBERA'S FLINSTONES in THE FLINTSTONES ON THE ROCKS

http://www.screen-novelties.com/

SCREEN-NOVELTIES/SPARKHILL MAD MONSTER PARTY New York interviews a success!

Seamus Walsh of http://www.screen-novelties.com/ interviews ARTHUR RANKIN, JR. as he reads a copy of my book THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PORTFOLIO (3 copies left right now...ORDER soon!)

Seamus interviews DON DUGA (legendary RANKIN/BASS Storyboarder)

My friends Lenore and Allen Swift! Allen also voiced many of the TOTAL TV cartoon characters including Simon Barsinister from THE UNDERDOG SHOW!

ARTHUR RANKIN talks about the wonderful FUNKO MAD MONSTER PARTY figures that my pal Brian Mariotti created! The first GREAT product created from the classic film!

I want to THANK my friend MARK CABALLERO for taking and sending along the pictures! I also want to THANK Seamus and Mark for making the trip to New York to interview these legends in animation for the love of the art! Can't wait to see the finished SPARKHILL Documentary on the LIONSGATE DELUXE DVD release this Fall!