For 40 years, John and Faith Hubley have expanded our appreciation of the universe with animated films of insight and wit using the musical talents of the finest jazz artists of all-time, including Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Dudley Moore and Benny Carter. Featured in this four hour volume: the feature-length “The Cosmic Eye”–three musicians from outer space bring a message of peace to our planet; Academy Award nominees “Voyage to Next”–Mother Earth and Father Time observe the state of life on our planet–and “Of Men and Demons”–the gods of rain, wind and fire team up to ruin a simple farmer’s tranquil life; and Oscar-winner “The Hole”–two construction workers debate the fate of the world from under the streets of New York. Also includes: The Tender Game, Eggs, Urbanissimo, Harlem Wednesday, Adventures of an *, The Hat, Dig, Of Stars and Men.Beginning in the mid-’50s, the husband-and-wife team of John and Faith Hubley broke new ground in animation with their explorations of complex ideas, cutting-edge graphics, and jazz soundtracks. When jazz was still largely marginalized as an art form in America, the Hubleys worked with Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, and Lionel Hampton. For visual inspiration, they looked to the paintings of Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Klee, and Modigliani. Their short films are very different from Hollywood cartoons. The translucent, semi-abstract figures who embrace in The Tender Game suggest the emotions of two young lovers, rather than their physical motions. In Adventures of an *, a child and his father shift between stylized humans forms and patterns of lines as they explore their evolving relationship. The Academy Award-winning The Hole, a debate between two construction workers on the folly of the nuclear arms race, features improvised dialogue by Dizzie Gillespie and George Mathews. Faith Hubley’s The Cosmic Eye is a feature-length compilation of earlier material, linked with new animation. The Hubley films are adult in the best sense of the word: not sexually explicit or gruesomely violent, but thoughtful, imaginative reflections on serious themes. –Charles Solomon

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