{{Short description|American animation historian (born 1955)}} {{for|the basketball player|Jerry Beck (basketball)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Jerry Beck | image = Jerry Beck by Gage Skidmore.jpg | caption = Beck at the 2023 WonderCon | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|2|9}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | occupation = Animation historian, author, blogger, video producer | years_active = 1980–present | spouse = {{marriage|Cheryl Chase|2021}}<ref name=chase>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10165506576015578&id=619090577&set=a.232776880577&source=48|title=In 1988 I met my best friend - and today, 33 years later, we snuck away and made it official.|website=Facebook|date=June 25, 2021|first=Jerry|last=Beck}}</ref> | boards = ASIFA-Hollywood | awards = June Foray Award, 2008<br />Independent Publisher Book Award, 2014<br />Inkpot Award, 2015 }} '''Jerry Beck''' (born February 9, 1955) is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer.
Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons'' (with Will Friedwald, 1989), ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons'' (1994), ''The Animated Movie Guide'' (2005), ''Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town!'' (2005), ''Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!'' (2007), ''The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from Your Favorite Cartoon Classics'' (2007), The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons (2010), ''The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic'' (2011), and ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom'' (2013). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art of ''Mr. Peabody and Sherman'', DreamWorks' ''Madagascar'', and ''Bee Movie''. Beck is also an entertainment industry consultant for television and home entertainment productions and releases related to classic cartoons and operates the blog "Cartoon Research". He appears frequently as a documentary subject and audio commentator on releases of A&E's ''Cartoons Go to War'' as well as DVD/Blu-ray collections of ''Looney Tunes'', ''Popeye the Sailor'', and ''Woody Woodpecker'' cartoons, on which he serves as consultant and curator.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zahed |first=Ramin |date=September 17, 2007 |url=http://animatedviews.com/2007/jerry-beck-on-cartoons-then-and-now/ |title=Cartoons Then and Now: Jerry Beck talks Woody, Popeye and More!' |work=Animated Views |access-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref>
==Career== ===Writing=== Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historian Leonard Maltin on his book ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Revised and Updated Edition'' (1980).
In 1987, Beck was instrumental in the creation of ''Animation Magazine''. He went on to write for other magazines including: ''Variety'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', ''The Whole Toon Catalog'', ''Animation Blast'', ''Animator'', ''Wild Cartoon Kingdom'' and ''Animation World Network''.
Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons'' (1994), ''The Animated Movie Guide'' (2005), ''Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons!'' (2007), ''The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic'' (2011), ''The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from Your Favorite Cartoon Classics'' (2007), ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom'' (2013), ''Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide'' (2005), and ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons'' (with Will Friedwald, 1989) alongside ''The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons'' (2010). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art of ''Mr. Peabody and Sherman'', DreamWorks' ''Madagascar'', and ''Bee Movie''.
In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writer Amid Amidi co-founded the blog Cartoon Brew,<ref name="Zahed 2013">{{Cite web| author=Zahed, Ramin| date=February 12, 2013| url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/people/jerry-beck-ankles-cartoon-brew/| title=Jerry Beck Ankles ''Cartoon Brew''| work=Animation Magazine| publisher=n.p.| access-date=December 4, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216163222/http://www.animationmagazine.net/people/jerry-beck-ankles-cartoon-brew/| archive-date=February 16, 2013}}</ref> which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started an IndieWire blog, ''Animation Scoop'', for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.<ref name="Yamato 2013">{{Cite web |last=Yamato |first=Jen |date=February 12, 2013 |url=https://deadline.com/2013/02/jerry-beck-buy-out-animation-blog-cartoon-brew-429118/ |title=Blogger Jerry Beck out at ''Cartoon Brew'' |work=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=December 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name="cartoonresearch-about-jerry">{{cite web |title=About Cartoon Research and Jerry Beck |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/about-jerry-beck/ |website=Cartoon Research |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref>
===Teaching=== In the 1990s, Beck taught courses on the art of animation at UCLA, NYU, and The School of Visual Arts. Through 2018 he also taught animation history at Woodbury University in Burbank, California. As of 2020, Beck teaches in the Character Animation department of CalArts School of Film/Video and [https://www.mtsu.edu/programs/animation/ ANIM 3000 - History of Animation at MTSU.]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filmvideo.calarts.edu/programs/character-animation/program-faculty/jerry-beck|title=Jerry Beck}}</ref>
===Producing and consulting=== Jerry Beck co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations of Looney Tunes, MGM Cartoons, Disney Home Video, Betty Boop, and others.
In 1989, he co-founded Streamline Pictures and brought anime films, ''Akira'', ''Vampire Hunter D'', and Hayao Miyazaki's ''Castle in the Sky'' to the United States. He also compiled collections of cartoons from Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, and the Fleischer Studios.
As vice president of Nickelodeon Movies, he helped develop ''The Rugrats Movie'' (1998) and Mighty Mouse.
In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot for Frederator Studios at Nickelodeon. That cartoon, ''Hornswiggle'', aired on Nicktoons Network in 2008 as part of the ''Random! Cartoons'' series.
===Volunteering=== In 1993, Jerry Beck became a founding member of the Cartoon Network advisory board and he currently serves as Vice President of the ASIFA-Hollywood board.
===Appearance on ''The Anime Business''===
Episode 9 of ''The Anime Business'', a documentary interview series produced by AnimEigo, features Jerry Beck.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2025-10-27/animeigo-interviews-streamline-pictures-founder-jerry-beck-in-latest-anime-business-episode/.230385 |title=AnimEigo Interviews Streamline Pictures Founder Jerry Beck in Latest Anime Business Episode |publisher=Anime News Network |date=October 27, 2025 |accessdate=2025-10-27}}</ref> The episode was released on October 27, 2025, on the AnimEigo YouTube channel and is hosted by Justin Sevakis. Beck discusses his early exposure to Japanese animation through UHF television broadcasts in New York, his subsequent work screening anime at comic book conventions, and his career in film distribution at studios including Orion Pictures and United Artists. He describes the 1987 World Animation Festival as a turning point, after which he and Carl Macek co-founded Streamline Pictures in 1989 to license Japanese animation for the American theatrical and home video markets. Titles distributed by Streamline included ''Akira'', ''My Neighbor Totoro'', and ''Kiki's Delivery Service''. Beck also addresses the role of the video rental market in expanding the American audience for anime during this period, and references his work as an animation historian and author.
===Speaking=== [[File:Jerry Beck CC2015.jpg|thumb|Beck at Comic-Con 2015]] On a regular basis Beck moderates panels at various venues (festivals, conventions, premieres, museums, screenings, etc.) along with hosting programs/retrospectives of classic cartoons at same. In the past this included shows at the now shuttered Cinefamily and Cartoon Dump monthly live Hollywood performance.
His presentations include: * Worst Cartoons Ever!<ref>{{Cite web|title=Worst Cartoons Ever! DVD Review: They Stink! – Cinema Sentries|url=http://cinemasentries.com/review/worst-cartoons-ever-dvd-review-they-stink/|access-date=2020-09-17|website=cinemasentries.com|date=July 24, 2020}}</ref> program at San Diego Comic-Con * Greatest Cartoons Ever! program the day after Christmas at the Alex Theatre (co-hosted by Frank Gladstone) * Monthly Cartoon Club at the New Beverly Cinema * A semi-annual show at the Old Town Music Hall<ref>{{Cite web|last=Beck|first=Jerry|date=May 28, 2015|title=This Weekend In LA: Classic Cartoons at The Old Town Music Hall|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/05/this-weekend-in-la-classic-cartoons-at-the-old-town-music-hall-123345/|access-date=2020-09-18|website=IndieWire|language=en}}</ref> ==Personal life== Beck attended John Bowne High School in Flushing, Queens, New York City.<ref>{{cite web |title=Animation Anecdotes #280 |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/animation-anecdotes-280/ |date=September 16, 2016|website=Cartoon Research |access-date=October 26, 2025|quote=One of ''Cartoon Research'' editor Jerry Beck's teenage friends (they met in class at John Bowne High School in Flushing, NY) was Murad Gumen, son of ''Cracked'' 'Mazagine' artist Sururi Gumen.}}</ref> On June 25, 2021, he married voice actress Cheryl Chase, his girlfriend of 33 years.<ref name="chase"/>
== Bibliography == * Maltin, L. & Beck, Jerry (1980). ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons''. New York: Penguin. * Friedwald, W., & Beck, Jerry. (1981). ''The Warner Brothers Cartoons''. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. * Beck, Jerry, & Friedwald, W. (1989). ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons''. New York, NY: Holt. * Beck, Jerry. (1994). ''The Fifty Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals''. Atlanta: Turner Pub. * Beck, Jerry, & Friedwald, W. (1997). ''Warner Bros., Animation Art: The Characters, The Creators, The Limited Editions''. Miami, FL: Warner Bros. * Beck, Jerry. (2003). ''Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide''. London: Dorling Kindersley. * Beck, Jerry. (2003). ''Outlaw Animation: Cutting-edge Cartoons From the Spike & Mike Festivals''. New York: Harry N. Abrams. * Beck, Jerry. (2004). ''Animation Art From Pencil Ti Pixel, The History of Cartoon Anime & CGI''. Harper & Row. * Beck, Jerry. (2005). ''Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town''. New York: DK Publishing. * Sigall, M. & Beck, J. (2005). Forward for: ''Living Life Inside the Lines: Tales From the Golden Age of Animation''. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. * Beck, Jerry. (2005). ''The Animated Movie Guide/The Ultimate Illustrated Reference to Cartoon, Stop-motion, and Computer-generated Feature Films''. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. * Beck, Jerry. (2007). ''Nicktoons!'' New York, NY: Melcher Media. * Beck, Jerry. (2007). ''The Art of Bee Movie''. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. * Cabarga, L. & Beck, J. (2007). Introduction for: ''Casper the Friendly Ghost''. Milwaukie, Or.: Dark Horse. * Cabarga, L. & Beck, J. (2008). Introduction for: ''Hot Stuff''. Milwaukie, Or.: Dark Horse. * Cabarga, L. & Beck, J. (2008). Introduction for: ''Baby Huey: The Baby Giant''. Milwaukie, Or.: Dark Horse. * Beck, Jerry. (2008). ''The Art and Making of Madagascar''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2008). ''The Flintstones''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2008). ''Tom and Jerry''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2009). ''The Hanna-Barbera Treasury''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry. (2011). ''The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic''. Philadelphia, PA: Running Press. * Beck, Jerry. (2013). ''SpongeBob SquarePants Experience''. Insight Editions, Div Of Palac. * Beck, Jerry, (2014). Essay for: ''Felix the Cat Paintings: A Collection of Paintings From the Prolific Imagination of the Felix the Cat Guy''. San Diego, CA: IDW Publishing. * Beck, Jerry, Burrell, T., Ward, T., & Minkoff, R. (2014). ''The Art of Mr. Peabody & Sherman''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions. * Beck, Jerry, & Maltin, L. (2020). ''The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons''. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions.
==Awards== In 2008, Beck was the recipient of the June Foray Award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://annieawards.org/juried-awards/june-foray/about-the-june-foray-award|title=49th Annual Annie Awards}}</ref> In 2014, Beck received the Independent Publisher Book Award for Popular Culture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1791|title=2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards Results}}</ref> In 2015, Beck was the recipient of the Comic-Con International Inkpot Award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot|title=Inkpot Award|date=December 6, 2012}}</ref> Beck was the 2019 honoree of the Los Angeles Animation Festival.<ref>{{Cite web| date=October 22, 2019| url=http://blog.laafest.com/2019/10/22/jerry-beck-2019-honoree/| title=JERRY BECK: 2019 HONOREE| work=LAAF Blog| publisher=Los Angeles Animation Festival| access-date=December 29, 2019| archive-date=December 28, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228064321/http://blog.laafest.com/2019/10/22/jerry-beck-2019-honoree/| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| author= Milligan, Mercedes|work=Animation Magazine|date=December 4, 2019| url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/events/la-animation-festival-unspools-this-weekend/| title=LA Animation Festival Unspools This Weekend|publisher=Animationmagazine.net|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== * [http://www.cartoonresearch.com/ CartoonResearch.com] * [http://www.animationscoop.com/ Animation Scoop.com] * {{IMDb name|0065175|Jerry Beck}} * [https://www.mtsu.edu/faculty/jerry-beck Jerry Beck|Faculty|Middle Tennessee State University (mtsu.edu) ] {{Inkpot Award 2010s}}
{{Portalbar|Animation|Arts|Cartoon|Film|Visual arts}} {{June Foray Award}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Jerry}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American historians Category:21st-century American male writers Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:American bloggers Category:American film historians Category:American male bloggers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:Historians from New York City Category:Historians of animation Category:Inkpot Award winners Category:John Bowne High School alumni Category:Writers from New York City