From ‘Everybody Rides the Carousel’ (1976) by Faith and John Hubley, featuring the voice of Meryl Streep.
The Hubleys are often considered the most important figures in American independent animation. John Hubley started his career at Disney, art directing ‘Fantasia’ among others, and then quit and created Mr. Magoo at UPA. In the ’50s he was forced to leave UPA after refusing to denounce communism, and he opened an independent studio with his wife Faith. Together they created dozens of award-winning films while also making iconic early-’70s shorts for Sesame Street.
Their films often used unscripted, improvised dialogue, and an unusual technique where drawings on paper were illuminated from below (rather than a camera taking pictures of paintings on celluloid). They often collaborated with jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones, and liked to explore complex psychological theories. They also taught a class at Yale called “The Visualization of Abstract Themes.”
‘Everybody Rides the Carousel’ follows the eight stages of human development according to psychoanalyst Erik Erikson (who coined the phrase “identity crisis”). It was broadcast on CBS on September 10, 1976.
