Puppet Animation 17 Jun 2006 07:46 am
Lou Bunin
In my collection, I have this article from an out-of-print Close-up Magazine, and I thought I’d post it for the 3D lovers out there.
– Back in the days when I was scouting New York for any possible job in the animation industry, my love of puppet animation came to the rescue.
Through ASIFA East I’d met John Gati and had talked with him through many trips on the subway (we both lived in Queens at the time), about 3D animation. John made his living with model animation for commercials, though his love was full-out puppets. At a dry time for me, he offered 2-3 days work helping him on a commercial spot for Care*Free Sugarless gum.
The Care*Free gum had to undress itself (take off the wrapper) and jump on a scale. Trident gum, did the same on the other end of the scale. Which weighed more? Care*Free, of course.
(Click on any image to enlarge and read.)
I prepared the packaged gum, wired it up for 3D movement and helped in the shoot. Just as we were completing the spot, word came down that Trident was changing its package. We had to do the spot again. Another two days of work for me.
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#2
Midweek, another spot started on the other side of the studio (a large open room with a lot of cameras, movieolas and equipment. Lou Bunin had just started animating a Lucky Charms commercial with a puppet elf. This was a test commercial General Mills wanted to view to see how the character worked in 3D. (Obviously, they didn’t do the change.)
For a couple of days, I got to watch and talk with Lou seeing how real characters were animated. It was memorable for me, a neophyte in love with all things animated.
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#4
Lou Bunin had done a memorable feature of Alice In Wonderland which was released at the same time as Disney’s film. This puppet film, is probably closer in feel to what Lewis Carroll was thinking when he wrote Alice, and the film should be seen for comparison.
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#6
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Years later, after I’d formed my own animation company, I found my first short film to produce for a company called Learning Corporation of America. This was a non-theatrical division of Columbia Pictures. For LCA I did two short films, Byron Blackbear and the Scientific Method and Why We Need Doctors.
Assigned to me as my assistant Producer for LCA was a woman named Amy Bunin.
In a quiet moment alone, I asked if she were related. It turned out that Amy was Lou’s daughter, and I knew that some sort of karma was at work.
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on 17 Jun 2006 at 7:55 pm 1.Mark Mayerson said …
Somewhere I remember seeing a drawn walk cycle of a dodo bird that Art Babbitt did for Bunin’s feature. Was it in Halas’s The Technique of Film Animation?
I saw the Bunin Alice many years ago and don’t have a clear memory of it, but I do remember that Disney attempted to suppress a U.S. release as it was made around the same time as the Disney version.
on 18 Jun 2006 at 7:16 am 2.Michael said …
That sounds vaguely familiar, but it’s certainly not in the Halas book. Perhaps one of Halas’ later books might have included it. I know Babbit did work on the film for a short bit.
on 23 Jun 2006 at 8:12 pm 3.Matthew Harding said …
Hi
The Babbit cycle is on page 189 of Shamus Culhane’s “Animation, From Script to Screen”.
Cheerz!
on 23 Jun 2006 at 8:15 pm 4.Matthew Harding said …
PS
Also more Babbit cycles of some other characters related to the project on surrounding pages.
on 24 Jun 2006 at 5:19 am 5.Robert Ewen said …
I was lucky enough to see a one-off presentation of this film at the National Film Theatre in London a few years ago, in the presence of Carol Marsh (Alice). She was pleased that the film was finally being recognised for the marvel that it is.
on 24 Jun 2006 at 7:51 am 6.Michael said …
Thanks Matthew for directing us to the Culhane book. I’ll follow up and ppost them Sunday. Robert you were certainly lucky to attend that screening. I believe they screened the entire live action for that show, didn’t they?
on 14 Jul 2007 at 7:19 pm 7.Amy Bunin said …
Hi Michael: I’m still around!!
Nice to see your website, even if it took me a year to find it for some reason. Thanks for putting up that article about my dad. Would love to catch up with you some time…
Best wishes,
Amy Bunin
on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:33 am 8.Marilyn Bunin Sholin said …
Lou Bunin is my uncle. He was quite a man and very creative. Did you ever see his animated film about the Sphinx wanted to see the Nile? I have to try to find that one….it was my favorite. We all have copies of Alice to pass on to our kids.
I have Lous original paintings and sculptures of his…cherished possessions. His wife Florence was also a painter and decorated Dale Carnegies first NYC building with her paintings.
on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:35 am 9.Marilyn Bunin Sholin said …
Hey….I didn’t see Cousin Amy posted here too!! Hi Amy…I still have that one painting of Lous to send you!! It’s in storage now. Did I get it right about Florence? I remember that happening when you and I were very young and we used to visit the NYC apt. I just happened upon this site by accident while looking up something else. funny..small world.
on 25 Oct 2007 at 6:36 am 10.Tony Dalton said …
I am writing a third book on dimensional animation with Ray Harryhausen, this time about the history of the art, and we were wondering if anyone has a still we can use of Bunin and the date for the above mag article. We feel that we cannot leave such an important man out of the book.
on 13 Dec 2007 at 7:19 pm 11.ted diamondstein said …
Believe it or not Iactually worked for Lou Bunin back in the late 60s. His studio was called Punch Films. I distinctly remember him working on a Motts apple juice commercial. The stop-motion animation was an apple un-peeling by itself. His biggest problem was tring to keep the apple core white while under hot lights. The answer was painting the core with lemon juice.
I hate to say this but when Lou left the studio and I stayed behind to answer the phone, etc, I ate some of those delicious apples from his refrigerator.
Since I was only about 18 at the time I didn’t realize what an important man he was and also a very accomplished artist.
I am a retired art teacher.
Too bad that alice isn’t available on DVD- but it can be obtained on tape.
on 01 Apr 2008 at 6:56 pm 12.Michael Margolis said …
TO Amy Bunin. Glad to see that your father Lou has received some recognition. I remember meeting him in 1973 and was very impressed with his kindness, artistic sensitivity and devotion to humanistic and progressive causes. From Michael Margolis
on 09 Apr 2008 at 2:13 am 13.linda danz said …
Ted, retired? Did you go to Art & Design?
on 18 Apr 2008 at 1:31 pm 14.Ted Diamondstein said …
Hi Linda. Yes it’s me.Hope all is well with you.It’s been a long time since 9th grade. I can’t imagine what brought you to this website but it certainly is good hearing from you.
on 17 Jul 2008 at 11:12 am 15.frank espinosa said …
I had the amazing pleasure of being Lou’s student at the school of visual arts in NYC. Lou was an amazing teacher, and a good mentor to all his students. The things I learned in his class have remained with me to this day. Lou was an artist in the real sense of the word, and he helped to mold young minds with his amazing work, and his great heart.
on 25 Nov 2008 at 10:17 pm 16.David B. Cohen said …
Ted, is that you? I taught at JHS 285 in 1969. Please call me at 917-435-3060 and leave a msg if no answer. This is Dave and Riva Cohen. Our daughter is into filmmaking and we always talk about you.
on 07 Dec 2008 at 2:41 am 17.linda danz said …
Hola Ted
All is swell. What brought me to this site is a mystery. I recall Miss Gazarian’s class and Steve Achardy playing flute (or whatever) for a class project (a record album cover) for Stranger Than Paradise and that’s what brought me here. Googling.
Anyway, I hope you are still surfing (retired though you are) and still animated..
Cheers
Linda
on 08 Jan 2009 at 1:11 pm 18.Ted Diamondstein said …
i just bought the book “A Century of Stop Motion Animation” by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton. A great book.I’m pleased that they talked at some length about Lou Bunin, even mentioning that his Alice in Wonderland was superior to the Disney version. I was just wondering why they didn’t mention that Disney with his connections somehow prevented Lou from using the best color for his “Alice”. Also, I watched “Ziegfeld Follies” (1946)and saw Lou’s great puppet animation for the title but his name is nowhere in the credits.
on 08 Jan 2009 at 1:39 pm 19.Michael said …
Back in 1946, not everyone who worked on the films made it to the credits. That was standard. Today the intern for the accountant gets a credit. Both extremes are ludicrous.
on 12 Jan 2009 at 3:15 am 20.linda danz said …
Ted
If you know the whereabouts of Steve Arcady will you let me know? Thinking abut a memoir of A&D (our class).
Thanks
on 13 Jan 2009 at 8:50 am 21.ted diamondstein said …
Linda,
I’m very sorry to tell you that Steve Accardy passed away many years ago. I believe it was a car accident. Take care.
on 22 Jan 2009 at 2:16 am 22.linda danz said …
What a weird old world. Memory holds a suitcase and then reality spills it all. Thanks Ted for letting me know.
Cheers
Linda
on 22 Jan 2009 at 2:35 am 23.linda danz said …
Are you still friends with Dennis Chalkin? You three were the Muskateers. You can reach me at druidhead@verizon.net. Thanks, Ted.
on 25 Feb 2009 at 4:21 pm 24.Lisa (Dryman) Clark said …
Does anyone know how to reach Amy Bunin? I also worked at Learning Corporation of America (as the assistant to VP of Marketing, Elaine Mason). I’d be grateful for info. Thanks very much!
on 29 Nov 2009 at 6:47 pm 25.Amy Kaiman said …
Lisa! You can email me at amesbk @ yahoo . com (or Facebook if you are so inclined). Would love to hear from you. To everybody else – thank you for the many kind words about my father. It is great to hear from people who remember him.
Amy Bunin
on 20 May 2010 at 7:55 pm 26.Amy Kaiman said …
Just a note to say that my sisters and I have put our family collection of Lou Bunin’s puppets and artwork from Alice in Wonderland up for auction at Profiles in History: http://www.profilesinhistory.com/upcoming-auctions/hollywood-memorabilia-auction.html
Lou’s stuff is on “Day 2″ of the auction. The sketches by Art Babbitt of the Dodo walking that are featured in Shamus Culhane’s Animation book (see above) –along with 10 or so other characters– are included: Lot 634. Wish us luck!
I have also started a blog on my father’s life and work – http://www.loubunin.com
Amy Bunin
on 09 Nov 2011 at 7:40 am 27.Cristina Hyun said …
Ted Diamondstein,
If you get to read this, Mr. Diamondstein, thank you for being one of the most INSPIRATIONAL teachers I’ve ever had. You helped me understand my talent and let it shine. I always refer back to your classes and your artistic talents when I draw or paint. Thank you for crossing my path.
Your student,
Cristina