Larsen presents a robust history of American theatrical animation from its newspaper comics strip roots to the present day.... Larsen energetically traces the remarkable adaptability of the medium from Disney’s meteoric success, through the use of animation studios during World War II to produce public service films, to the advent of television, which undermined cinematic shorts yet offered an exciting new avenue for animators, and the growth of such powerhouse studios as Pixar and Dreamworks. The result is a lively chronicle of a perennially evolving medium.

Publishers Weekly

Larsen surveys the history of American animation in detail, specifically shorts and feature-length films made for the cinema (i.e., not those created for television or streaming). Starting with Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) and continuing all the way to 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Larsen recounts the animation industry’s roots in newspaper comic strips and pays special attention to Walt Disney’s contemporaries, especially oft-forgotten animators who were considered more successful than him at the time, or at least before Mickey Mouse and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs took off.... Academic in depth yet approachable, even occasionally humorous, this deep-dive is best suited to readers serious about researching animation and film, but even those with a passing interest in these subjects will find many worthwhile nuances and analyses here.
,

Booklist

James Blackton’s 1906 Humorous Phases of Funny Faces is probably the first animated cartoon, but Winsor McCay’s 1911 Little Nemo and 1914 Gertie the Dinosaur were arguably the first memorable ones. For decades, cartoons were made primarily for one medium: the cinema. Cartoon efforts during World War II boosted the industry. But by the late ’60s, even with television providing a new venue for consumers, movie cartoons seemed on their last legs, which led to losing the market niche they’d enjoyed for over half a century. In the 1970s, they emerged into the age of the blockbuster cartoon feature. Larson’s book tells the story of those earlier years. It was a sink or swim business from the start. Pre-Disney cartoons were fillers for movie theater programs, and they were produced quickly but had a thin profit margin. Then came Disney’s 1928 Steamboat Willie, and after a period of fumbling, cartoons became an art form. Primarily for cinema buffs but interesting enough for general appeal. Larsen is immensely knowledgeable about the history of animation, and he writes lively prose.

Library Journal

In his lively history of American animation, Moving Pictures, Darl Larsen floods the reader with a firehose of fun facts and the usual suspects through the last century. The challenge to cover such an encyclopedic range of artists and films is daunting, but the author plunges into an ocean of distinguished cartoons, animators, and studios. The work is remarkably thorough and detailed.… [A]n enjoyable and breathtaking tour[.] Recommended. All readers.

Choice Reviews

Darl Larsen’s Moving Pictures is a captivating exploration of American animation. With meticulous research and insightful storytelling, Larsen brings to life the visionaries and innovations that changed animation forever. A must-read for all animation lovers.

Jared Hess, writer and director, "Napoleon Dynamite" (feature film and animated series) and Oscar-nominated animated short "Ninety-Five Senses"

In Darl Larsen’s gripping account, over a century of American animation flickers before our eyes in a lively ensemble including the usual suspects—Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, Bambi—alongside such less familiar but still fascinating characters as the Dover Boys, Private Snafu, Colonel Heeza Liar, and Little Nemo (not the clownfish). Lively and compelling, Moving Pictures explores the industry and studios, the audiences, the technologies, the animators and their aesthetics, the characters and narratives that underlie the delightful art and craft of animation. I wouldn’t have thought I could enjoy cartoons even more than I already do, but Larsen’s big-picture exploration opens up their richly illustrious role in American culture.

Randy Malamud, Regents' Professor of English, Georgia State University and author of "Reading Zoos", "The Importance of Elsewhere", and "Strange Bright Blooms"