While earning a profit and creating new films are the primary purposes of filmmakers, director Seth MacFarlane and legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese have taken a different route as the two visionaries have collaborated to restore a collection of early animated shorts to their former glory. While MacFarlane is primarily known for creating films and television shows in the comedy genre, Scorsese’s inclination for crime and gangster genre can be seen in his notable works like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and many more.
Considering their poles apart preferences in filmmaking, their collaboration seems very unlikely. However, they have found an unexpected middle ground that has seen them come together on a special preservation effort to restore several key animations from the 1920s through to the 1940s.
MacFarlane’s passion for animation is no strange thing, as he is often associated with animated comedies such as Family Guy and American Dad. Keeping aside the rigidity in genres, the filmmaker has even professed his love of classic animated series such as The Flintstones. Now, he, along with Scorsese, has taken a step to preserve the cinematic heritage by restoring by funding the neglected classic pieces of the animated genre through the Seth MacFarlane Foundation as a joint collaborative effort with Scorsese’s Film Foundation.
What are Seth MacFarlane and Martin Scorsese planning?
Seth MacFarlane and Martin Scorsese’s planning are working together on a project that aims to restore several important pieces from what is often dubbed a golden era for animated shorts. This is the first time someone in the industry has come up with such a great initiative that specifically targets the influential works that helped shape the future of animation on film. The shorts selected for restoration include works by Max and Dave Fleischer, creators of iconic characters like Betty Boop and Koko the Clown, as well as George Pal’s Puppetoons and one of Paul Terry’s Terrytoons.
According to Deadline, Scorsese himself declared his inclusion in the project. He said,
“I’m so grateful to Seth MacFarlane for his enthusiasm and his support on these restorations. What an astonishing experience, to see these remarkable pictures that I experienced for the first time as a child brought back to their full glory. Imagine the reactions of children today! Because the films now seem as fresh as they did when they were newly made.”
Meanwhile, MacFarlane also shared his excitement of being partnered with Scorsese. He stated,
“The work Martin Scorsese and his Film Foundation have been doing is essential cinematic preservation. I’m honored to partner with them in restoring their first-ever collection of storied animation.”
The restoration work on this collection has already been completed, with 12 restorations in total being selected and restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation, with help from Paramount Pictures Archives. MacFarlane will appear at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 20 to personally introduce Back From the Ink: Restored Animated Shorts. The program will include nine of the restored shorts, which feature seven titles from the Fleischer catalog. These titles are Koko’s Tattoo (1928), Little Nobody (1935), The Little Stranger (1936), Greedy Humpty Dumpty (1936), Peeping Penguins (1937), The Fresh Vegetable Mystery (1939), and So Does An Automobile (1939). The remaining two shorts included in the presentation will be the 1939 Terrytoon The Three Bears and the 1944 George Pal Puppetoon Two-Gun Rusty.
The initiative taken by MacFarlane and Scorsese is not concerned with profit-making but rather with celebrating pieces of cinematic history that provided a foundation for many modern forms of animation.
