Fans of the often forgotten Animated Series of Star Trek which aired between 1973 and 1974 will be pleased to hear that a book dedicated to the production company behind TAS has recently been published by TwoMorrows Publishing. The Animated Series is considered by many to be a curiosity in Star Trek's long history. Despite many fans shunning the show as not part of the Star Trek 'canon', TAS was actually penned by a variety of Star Trek writers who worked on the Original Series and features the vocal talents of the entire original cast, save Walter Koenig (although Walter wrote one of the episodes).
Founder of Filmation, Lou Scheimer, penned the book with popular Trek writer Andy Mangels (known to many for his work on the Pocket Books line of Star Trek fiction titles). As well as offering a rare insight into the creative process behind Star Trek's Animated Series, the book spans the full history of Filmation and the large collection of animated shows that the studio produced which are so beloved among fans of multiple genres. Here are the official details of the book from TwoMorrows Publishing:
Hailed as one of the fathers of Saturday morning television, Lou Scheimer was the co-founder of Filmation Studios, which for over 25 years provided animated excitement for TV and film. Always at the forefront, Scheimer's company created the first DC cartoons with Superman, Batman, and Aquaman, ruled the song charts with The Archies, kept Trekkie hope alive with the Emmy-winning Star Trek: The Animated Series, taught morals with Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and swung into high adventure with Tarzan, The Lone Ranger, and Zorro. Forays into live-action included Shazam! and The Secrets of Isis, plus groundbreaking special effects work on Jason of Star Command and others. And in the 1980s, Filmation single-handedly caused the syndication explosion with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and its successors. Now, Lou Scheimer tells the entire story to best-selling author Andy Mangels, including how his father decked Adolf Hitler, memories of the comics of the Golden Age, schooling with Andy Warhol, and what it meant to lead the last all-American animation company through nearly thirty years of innovation and fun! Profusely illustrated with photos, model sheets, storyboards, presentation art, looks at rare and unproduced series, and more — plus stories from top animation insiders about Scheimer and Filmation's past, and rare Filmation art by Bruce Timm, Adam Hughes, Alex Ross, Phil Jimenez, Frank Cho, Gene Ha, and Mike McKone — this book will show the Filmation Generation the story behind the stories!
Stay tuned to TrekCore as we'll be bringing you a full review of the book alongside a special interview with author Andy Mangels where he talks in detail about TAS. In the meantime, be sure to order Creating the Filmation Generation today... if you've been waiting for the definitive "Making Of" book for The Animated Series, then this is it! Recommended!
