Next Sunday, October 9th at 10pm, Comedy Central will air an all-new documentary that focuses on Matt Parker, Trey Stone and their wildly successful series South Park. Directed by Arthur Bradford, Six Days to Air: The Making of South Park uncovers the hidden secrets of the “unapologetically disrespectful” series. Here’s a trailer:

Alexis Wanneroy, a character animator at DreamWorks Animation, co-directed this documentary short below that highlights the personal work of several artists at his place of work. The short, which features a special appearance by studio boss Jeffrey Katzenberg, is a promotional piece for Moonshine, a book that celebrates “the art work that [DreamWorks] artists create for the sake of creation.”

Memories of the 9/11 attacks are a powerful thing – and often very moving. That’s surely the case with Monique Ferrer’s memories of that painful day. Her ex-husband was on the 103rd floor of the WTC when he dialed the phone. Here’s the latest StoryCorps short, directed by the Rauch Brothers.

Gather ’round – for the gospel of Miss Devine. It’s the latest installment of the exceptional StoryCorps animated project. As usual, the Rauch Brothers directed, and in this episode, titled Miss Divine, Bill Wray (The Ren & Stimpy Show, Samurai Jack and The Mighty B!) handled the background designs.

Waiting for “Superman” is a new documentary by Davis Guggenheim, the director of the Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. Guggenheim tackles the blight that is the US public education system. Argentina’s Sol Linero added his design and animation skills to the promotional campaign, crafting this promotional short. We learn who Guggenheim’s favorite teacher was, which spurred me to recall how much I loved Naomi Corera, my teacher at a Michigan Montessori.

A collection of the late Jules Engel’s films was released on DVD last year, and accompanying the shorts was a documentary about the man himself. The artist, who is know for his work on Fantasia and Bambi, discusses his first experiences at school, and his memories of Walt Disney. He also discusses his philosophy behind the CalArts Experimental Animation program, which he founded in 1969. Here is the full documentary, titled Jules Engel: An Artist For All Seasons, which was directed by Janeann Dill.

By Geoffrey Golden

If you are a loyal Lineboil reader, and therefore a dedicated fan of animation, I’ll sum up this review for you in 5 words:

Go see Waking Sleeping Beauty (opens in a limited theatrical run this Friday).

There are so many reasons to see this documentary by director Don Hahn (producer of several Disney features including Beauty and the Beast), who brings us a candid look inside the Magic Kingdom from the early 80s to the mid 90s. As Roger Rabbit would say, “let me count the ways…” One is that you’ll see handheld documentary footage of storyboard readings, staff meetings and voice recording sessions at Disney Animation. Two is that it challenges our pre-conceived notions of how executives and creatives work together. Three is that you’ll gain a level of understanding about Disney’s Second Renaissance you never had before.

Apparently the cameras were always on at Disney Animation. Though a good chunk of the documentary is told in still pictures — including hilarious caricatures drawn by the animators at the time, illustrating the creative tensions behind the scenes — a good half of the film is culled together with home movie footage. (One of the camera men? None other than John Lasseter.) This creates a very intimate effect. For an hour and a half, you really feel like you’re inside “Mousewitz,” experiencing the heartbreaking staff meetings and over-the-top office parties. Hahn’s insider knowledge of the subject matter and smart storytelling creates a more immersive experience than a lot of 3D animated movies.
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