Brett Rogers · From fps #9 · November 2, 2006 | As an art form and media force, animation has struggled to generate the attention it deserves from academics and authors willing to approach animation with an intellectual eye. Drawn to Television, written by University of Arkansas professor and Director of Graduate Studies in English, M. Keith Booker, is a step in the right direction. While at times the book left me wanting a deeper analysis and exploration of the issues it raises, Drawn to Television is an intelligent, straightforward survey of the most notable prime-time animated programs airing between roughly 1960 and 2006.

Drawn to Television Written by M. Keith Booker Praeger Publishers, 2006 208 pages Shop for Drawn to Television: Amazon.ca Amazon.com

North American television should, in theory, be a great place for animated programming. Innumerable channels, massive potential markets and unbound consumerism come together to create a place where a flexible medium like animation should thrive. As anyone who watches television knows, however, only a precious few animated programs have survived outside of Saturday morning and weekday afternoons, and fewer still in prime time.

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You'll find it and many other articles in the October 2006 issue of fps, available for only $1.49 US.