AllMovie

After establishing himself with a successful career as an actor, John Canemaker did something few performers would do -- he left behind his career to go back to college. While studying at Marymount College, Canemaker developed a passionate interest in animation, and eventually wrote several books about the some of the forgotten heroes of the Golden Age of animated cartoons, including Otto Messmer (who created Felix the Cat), Windsor McKay (an animation pioneer from the Silent Era), and Tex Avery (the colorful head of the M-G-M cartoon department). Canemaker eventually began making animated films of his own, and his sly humor, as well as his sincere belief that the medium can be used to express understanding and compassion in a way live action filmmaking cannot, has made him one of the best regarded figures in contemporary animation. John Canemaker: Marching To A Different Toon is a documentary which explores Canemaker's life and career, including highlights from his documentaries of animation legends as well as clips from his own films.