The Museum of Modern Art in New York City will present a month-long look at selections from its extensive animation collection in January. Organized by Department of Film curator Steven Higgins, the ongoing ‘Still Moving’ series of screenings will offer a diverse array of classic and modern toons, including three Fleischer Technicolor Popeye films from the late 1930s, as well as the 2005 Aardman/DreamWorks Animation Oscar winner Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
The Dave Fleischer-directed Popeye cartoons have been recently restored by the museum with funding from the Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Fund, and will screen on Tuesday, Jan 1 at 2 p.m.; Wednesdy, Jan. 9 at 1:30 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 10 at 1:30 p.m. The lineup will feature Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936), Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves (1937) and Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939).
A restored print of the 1948 British/French adaptation Alice in Wonderland will be presented on Wednesday, Jan 2 at 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 11 at 1:30 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 17 at 1:30 p.m. Directed by Lou Bunin and Dallas Bower, the film mixes live actors with puppets and features performances by Carol Marsh, Stephen Murray and Pamela Brown.
Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit from directors Nick Park and Steve Box of Aardman Animations was acquired from DreamWorks Animation and will screen on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 1:30 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 18 at 1:30 p.m. The clay-animated comedy brought Park’s plasticine pals to the big screen for the first time and won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Bringing additional modern appel to the program is Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life from 1998. Directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, the feature delves into the the insect world as a timid ant must rise to the occasion and save his colony. The print will be shown on Friday, Jan 4 at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 1:30 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 24 at 1:30 p.m.
Rounding out the program is My Neighbors the Yamadas, a disarming chronicle of contemporary daily life by Japanese animation master Isao Takahata. The 1999 film was acquired from Tokuma International and will be presented with English subtitles on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 1:30p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 31 at 1:30 p.m. More information on this and other events can be found at www.moma.org.
