New York’s Animation Culture 1970-1999

Focusing on a specific period in New York’s rich animation history, this bookexamines the unique styles, movements, personalities, and projects that emerged in the city from 1966 to 1999. During this era, New York became a hub of significant stylistic, cultural, and market transformations, playing a crucial role in nurturing the rise of independent animation as well as the development of digital production platforms and methods. This shift ultimately led to the decline of cel and film techniques, which had been the dominant means of animation production until that time. Nonetheless, it also provided independent artists with opportunities to influence the future direction of animation. A central theme of this work links the efforts in New York to today’s creator-driven animation, illustrating a direct connection between New York independents and properties such as Sesame Street, MTV, Adult Swim, and The Simpsons.

Robby Gilbert (sometimes credited as Rob Gilbert) is an American animator, illustrator, and cartoonist best known for work in educational and interactive media. His work often explores the relationships and interconnectivity of many artistic disciplines. Gilbert has taught animation, illustration, and game design at several colleges. He is currently a professor of animation at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, USA.