Alvin Show: I Wish I Could Speak French, Panorama of Paris (Background)

"In the early 1930s, Jules Engel emigrated from Hungary to Evanston, Illinois, arriving in Hollywood in 1937. He received his initial recognition in color design and choreography for the animation dance sequences in ""Fantasia"" at Walt Disney Studios. After the World War II, he joined UPA Studios as part of the creative team that brought Gerald McBoing-Boing, Madeleine and Mr. Magoo to the screen. He also painted during that period. In 1957 he and Herb Klynn were active as Format Films, producing ""The Alvin Show"" among other iconic programs.

Painting and independent filmmaking absorbed Engel's attention during the twelve years between 1958 and 1970, until he became the founding director of the Abstract Experimental Animation on Film Department for the California Institute of the Arts. Jules Engel has received many honors for his art and, in 2001, he was further recognized as an ""Institute Fellow"" of CalArts. A prolific artist, Engel has worked in all media: paintings, films, drawing, sculpture and prints. His recent lithographs (1999-2002) reaffirm the sophisticated color palette and architectonic structure found in his abstract films. "