The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events are always a classy affair. Last night’s Academy Salute to John Hubley was no exception. Introduced by stylish Academy Program Director Patrick Harrison and hosted by the ever eloquent Oscar winner John Canemaker, the evening was informative, inspiring, and a great tribute to an animation legend. Canemaker’s succinct and occasionally poetic biographical summary of Hubley’s life preceded the main event: the screening of Channel 13 TV’s “Personal Report” (an exerpt from an interview), “Brotherhood of Man,” Flat Hatting,” “The Magic Fluke,” “The Ragtime Bear,” “Rooty Toot Toot,” “Smattering of Spots” (a collection of commercials), “Adventures of an Asterix,” “The Tender Game,” “Voyage to Next,” and an unreleased work-in-progress “Facade.” If you are unfamiliar with Hubley’s work, take a couple of minutes to at least watch “Rooty Toot Toot,” and “The Ragtime Bear.” I wish “Adventures of an Asterix” was online somewhere, as that’s my favourite from the program last night but, alas, no. And I really hesitate to choose favourites at all from the list above as my personal choosings are a poor example of the great range of this animator and his collaborators. The evening concluded with a short...
