With much thanks to Mike Lynch for posting this the other day.
What you see below is a pseudo-commercial/training film produced by “Cartoon Films, Inc.” for the purposes of showcasing the latest engine technology. In reality, it was Jam Handy of Detroit who produced the film, and although there is much mechanical detail, there is also a good overview of how animated films were made in 1940.
Of course it’s not Disney-esque in stature, but it does give a good account of what many smaller studios that churned out shorts and commercials would have been like. It’s astonishing to think that such an operation has been entirely replaced by the computer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlWl2dXUCF8