Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1434261
WINTER 2021 15 CREATIVE LEGACIES Like many animators, Eric Goldberg began to draw at an early age. His brother, Elliot, taught him how to sketch Woody Woodpecker when he was barely old enough for pre-school, and his knowledge expanded as he watched sequences that explained animation techniques on The Woody Woodpecker Show and Walt Disney's Disneyland. Soon, he was creating his own characters like Norman Noodnik. "He still appears in my Character Animation Crash Course! I use him for a lot of the exercises, because he's very easy to latch onto and an easy character to draw," says the veteran animator and director, who is also known for his collection of vibrant-patterned button-down shirts designed and sewn by his wife, animator and art director Susan Goldberg. WHETHER ANIMATING WITH HIS FIRST SUPER 8 CAMERA AT AGE 13 OR FOR A CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW THIS YEAR, ERIC GOLDBERG PURSUES HIS PASSION WITH HUMOR AND DEDICATION TO THE CRAFT. From developing Noodnik to majoring in illustration at Pratt Institute, Goldberg went on to put his mark on now-classics like Fantasia 2000 and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and is currently part of a Creative Legacy team that was created to preserve the integrity of Disney Animation characters and stories. He is also a multiple Annie Award winner, including the Winsor McCay Award in 2010 for his career contributions to the art of animation. Goldberg's childhood interest in animation grew even stronger upon receiving a Super 8 camera as a bar mitzvah gift from his parents. It was equipped with a cable release, allowing him to shoot one frame at a time. He was especially drawn to legends like Al Hirschfeld, Chuck Jones, and Mary Blair. He also remembers being awed by the beautiful animation in a National Education Television special about Richard Williams; in one section it looked to Goldberg as if Williams was painting watercolor on cel. Eventually, Goldberg's aspirations met reality. In the mid-70s, Williams hired Goldberg for his first job on the live-action/animated Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. Williams then convinced him to move from New York to London to work on commercials. Goldberg calls this his learning petri dish. "[Williams] would have great elder ABOVE LEFT: By age 15, Goldberg was already on the path to becoming an animator. LEFT: Goldberg at work wearing one of his signature shirts designed and sewn by his wife, Susan. T H E C L I M B