Kickstarter Funding

The seed for the UPA documentary was planted in 1978, perhaps before, but in 1978 our production of a Tribute to UPA at the Filmex festival in the newly developed Century City set that seed in firm, rich, soil.  However, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that serious work began, with almost no funds to work with.  The early UPA tributes and Interviews were done on spec, and festivals paid our way to present UPA programs, where we were able fit in more videotaping of interviews.  See the Production articles here, to see the various stages the documentary passed through by the seat of their pants in those early days.  Almost a decade elapsed of this catch-as-catch-can attempt to get the documentary off the ground, changing the title and format several times to see if something could elicit new interest.  By 2010, we were running on empty, and feeling that we were at the end of our rope.

Then, along came Kickstarter in August 2012.  It was here that The Boing Heard Round the World documentary feature received the much needed “re-start-up” funds to get rolling again.  Some of the funds went toward producing the “Magoo at the Alex” event, the highlight of the AniMazSpot 2012 animation festival, and most of the rest went to traveling to a half dozen places in Europe, Australia, and South America, with the primary funds of air fare begin picked up by international animation festivals.  At the festival, and near-by destinations we were able to record more interviews for our documentary.

Primary production (transcripts, character designs, and scenes) resumed in early 2013, and picked up considerably by 2014.  Magoo at the Alex honored UPA Pictures, the little studio that changed the course of animation, with a gala event at the Alex, with restored 35mm prints from Sony Pictures, featuring UPA’s 15 Oscar wining and nominated shorts.  UPA’s 15 animated shorts Oscar nominations are second only to Disney and the National Film Board of Canada, and UPA did it all in only 12 years.  And, they still hold the record for winning all the nominations in a single category.  But, most importantly, UPA was the first studio to win an Oscar after the first twenty years of the statuettes going solely to Disney, Warners, and MGM, paving the way for independents world-wide.  That unique must-see program was not to be missed, by George, as Mister Magoo would say.

Category: Funding