I’ll always remember this day. This morning, I formally acquired the rights to my longtime friend and colleague Ron Schwarz’s seminal documentary, Before Mickey Mouse: A History of American Animation (1982). This included all of Ron’s relevant papers, video, and film materials. Photo of us courtesy of our wonderful Notary Public, who shall remain nameless here!
When I was a little kid in the 90s and already deeply interested in this stuff, I read somewhere that a VHS copy of this doc was held at the Donnell Library on 53rd Street. I had also read that Ron’s doc included The Artist’s Dream (1913), which birthed the animation industry…and was otherwise unavailable to the general public at that time. I just HAD to see this documentary…
So, my mother took me on the Long Island Railroad into midtown Manhattan one afternoon and we made our way to the Donnell. I was ecstatic when we went in, asked for the tape, and a librarian found it for us. Checked it out, took it home, watched in awe—and I promptly made my own VHS dupe for keepers. It’s a story Ron absolutely loves. Thanks be to Mom! 💜
Ron’s film was immensely inspiring to me. It’s been one of many puzzle pieces that factored into what I wound up doing with archival early animation film-finding and more recently, restoration and re-releasing. Ron and I eventually connected (initially through some fierce eBay bidding wars for such cartoons!) in the mid-2000s and we later became friends, enjoying a couple of 16mm screenings at each other’s homes in the ensuing years.
Ron’s film, as far as I can tell, was the first feature-length documentary focusing on a wide variety of silent era animation. It’s an important milestone for that reason alone, and I’m eternally honored that Ron has passed his torch and legacy on to me.
In the near future, you’ll all be able to enjoy the results of a fresh new hi-res scan, one or more TV broadcasts, and the first ever true home video release of the film—some 40+ years after it first debuted!
Tommy Stathes wrote: