Updated May 18, 2012


WHAT'S NEW

  • (May 18, 2012) It's time for another Cartoon Carnival! Coming June 8—the Obscura Society sponsors "Made in NYC," our latest big night show of rarities, discoveries, and politically incorrect hijinks!

  • (June 1, 2011) "A Bray a day, it's the only way." You've seen the mottos around our site—and now it's time to share much more of our exciting research into this vintage silent era cartoon factory. Visit our new sister site, the Bray Animation Project, for limitless artists' dreams, historians' finds, Bobby Bumps and Quacky Doodles.

  • (February 3, 2011) Fox News Latino thinks we've got the biggest-ever collection of early animation! We're not 100% sure, but our founder likes the spotlight anyway. Check out Fox's broadcast here.

  • (August 21, 2010) The Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival is going places. All over the world, in fact—with Travelaffs, our latest classic film show with Cinebeasts in Long Island City, New York. Read more on our blog; prepare for Ace of Spades—our newly-uncovered Fleischer "re-premiere"—and RSVP on our Facebook event page.

  • (January 2, 2010) We're in print! Stop Motion Magazine has just published a new interview with our founder, Tom Stathes, on the occasion of Stop Motion Matinee's release. Get the lowdown in issue 3 (PDF download).

  • (November 24, 2009) Stop Motion Matinee is now shipping! Check out our this blogpost for an in-depth look at the new title—and enjoy a video clip here!

  • (October 28, 2009) Long before Gumby, long before Gromit came Chip, Duffy, and Wild Willie—the first madcap models in animation history! We've teamed up with Ray Pointer's Inkwell Images to present Stop Motion Matinee, a spanking new collection highlighting the works of Ladislaw Starewicz and King Kong animator Willis O'Brien. Discover the original clayboys and toy stories. See the featurette-length The Mascot (1933), featuring the unforgettable Devil's Ball. Return with us to a simpler time when furniture walked and bugs were adulterers (wait a minute... simpler?)
    It's a Stop Motion Matinee... and you're invited!

  • (October 5, 2009) We're proud to distribute Silent Cartoon Frolics, a new collection from our friend Craig Davison. And just in time for Halloween, we're featuring a brand-new package for our Tom Stathes Halloween Cartoon Reel. It's a real boneshaker!

  • (September 25, 2009) "A Bray a day..." Our favorite silent era production house, Bray Studios, featured distinctive slogans throughout its old-time product catalogs. Look around this site to find some—did you read them all?


    • A WORD FROM THE PROPRIETOR

    I'm Tom Stathes, proprietor of Cartoons On Film. I've been collecting vintage animation for over a decade. In pursuit of this forgotten art form, I have found that much of it is simply unavailable. Although I've located a good amount of silent animation, it still eludes the public. That is why I started COF—to share these masterpieces and prevent them from being forgotten ever again. My colleagues, collaborators, and friends share my goal.