International Tournée of Animation

The International Tournée of Animation was an annual touring program of animated films selected and assembled from films from many countries around the world and which existed from about 1970 to the late 1980s. As released to cinemas, college campuses, and art museums and centers across the United States, a typical Tournée program ran about 105 minutes and consisted of 15 to 24 animated films in the 16mm format, each running from 1 or 2 minutes to 15 or 18 minutes each in length.

An example of the typical range of countries represented comes from the 12th Tournée in 1978 which contained 24 films (including specially produced opening titles), 10 of which were from US sources, 3 from the National Film Board of Canada, 1 other independently made Canadian film, 2 each from Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK (both from Richard Williams Animation), and 1 each from Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Poland, and Japan. Altogether over twenty annual programs were prepared and presented; the 17th International Tournée of Animation was devoted entirely to the films of the National Film Board of Canada.

About 1966, several members of ASIFA-Hollywood (The Los Angeles branch of ASIFA, the International Animated Film Association) decided to put together an international animation program to be shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It was almost impossible to see quality animation in the US at that time. Prescott Wright became active with the group when he joined the American Film Institute in 1969 and, having worked previously in film distribution, he was asked to head the project when it was decided to show the program in other cities.

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