X-Men really is Astonishing!

At Comic-Con, the “Oscars” of the comicbook industry — the Will Eisner Awards — were handed out. BUFFY creator Joss Whedon took home one of the top prizes for his work on ASTONISHING X-MEN in the Best Continuing Series award.

The full list of winners include:

Best Short Story
TEENAGE SIDEKICK, by Paul Pope, in SOLO #3 (DC)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
SOLO #5, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)

Best Serialized Story
FABLES #36-38, 40-41: "Return to the Homelands," by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series
ASTONISHING X-MEN, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)

Best Limited Series
SEVEN SOLDIERS, by Grant Morrison and various artists (DC)

Best New Series
ALL STAR SUPERMAN, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC)

Best Publication for a Younger Audience
OWLY: FLYING LESSONS, by Andy Runton (Top Shelf)

Best Anthology
SOLO, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)

Best Digital Comic
PVP, by Scott Kurtz, www.pvponline.com

Best Reality-Based Work
NAT TURNER, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)

Best Graphic Album-New
TOP TEN: THE FORTY-NINERS, by Alan Moore and Gene Ha (ABC)

Best Graphic Album-Reprint
BLACK HOLE, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Strips
THE COMPLETE CALVIN & HOBBES, by Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books
ABSOLUTE WATCHMEN, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (DC)

Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material
THE RABBI'S CAT, by Joann Sfar (Pantheon)

Best Writer
Alan Moore, PROMETHEA, TOP TEN: THE FORTY-NINERS (ABC)

Best Writer/Artist
Geof Darrow, SHAOLIN COWBOY (Burlyman)

Best Writer/Artist-Humor
Kyle Baker, PLASTIC MAN (DC); THE BAKERS (Kyle Baker Publishing)

Best Penciller/Inker
John Cassaday, ASTONISHING X-MEN (MARVEL); PLANETARY (WildStorm/DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Ladronn, HIP FLASK: MYSTERY CITY (Active Images)

Best Cover Artist
James Jean, FABLES (Vertigo/DC); RUNAWAYS (Marvel)

Best Coloring
Chris Ware, ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #16 (ACME Novelty)

Best Lettering
Todd Klein, WONDER WOMAN, JUSTICE, SEVEN SOLDIERS #0 (DC); DESOLATION JONES (WildStorm/DC); PROMETHEA, TOP TEN: THE FORTY-NINERS, TOMORROW STORIES SPECIAL (ABC); FABLES (Vertigo); 1602: NEW WORLD (Marvel)

Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition
Aaron Renier (SPIRAL-BOUND)

Best Comics-Related Periodical
COMIC BOOK ARTIST, edited by Jon B. Cooke (Top Shelf)

Best Comics-Related Book
EISNER/MILLER, edited by Charles Brownstein and Diana Schutz (Dark Horse Books)

Best Publication Design (tie)
ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND: SO MANY SPLENDID SUNDAYS, designed by Philippe Ghielmetti (Sunday Press Books)

Hall of Fame
Judges' Choices: Floyd Gottfredson, William Moulton Marston
Vaughn Bodé
Ramona Fradon
Russ Manning
Jim Steranko

Other Awards presented:
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Calvin Reid
Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: R. Kikuo Johnson (NIGHT FISHER)
Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Writing Award: Harvey Kurtzman, Alvin Schwartz
Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award: Zeus Comics (Dallas, Texas)

DC Universe just got bigger

DC Comics, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation announced the start of production and distribution of “DC Universe,” a series of original, animated PG-13 movies. The slate features two to three action-packed films per year.

Talent on tap for the films include DC Comics’ creators, such as award-winning writer/artist Darwyn Cooke (THE NEW FRONTIER; CATWOMAN) and legendary writer Marv Wolfman (THE NEW TEEN TITANS), along with Bruce Timm (JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES) and Tom DeSanto (exec producer of the first two X-MEN films and producer of the forthcoming TRANSFORMERS feature). These producers have been instrumental in the creation of some of the most successful translations of the comicbook experience into other media. Writer/producers Duane Capizzi (THE BATMAN, THE BATMAN VS. DRACULA) and Stan Berkowitz (JUSTICE LEAGUE) will also be part of the creative team on the DC Universe films, with Timm serving as supervising producer.

The first three films to be released in late 2007/early 2008 are:

* JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER – written by Stan Berkowitz (Justice League).

* SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY – produced by Bruce Timm and written by Duane Capizzi.

* TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT – written by Marv Wolfman and Tom DeSanto, produced by DeSanto.

I don't know about you, but we can't wait to see what these guys do with this franchise. Rest assured, we'll keep you posted!

Source: www.awn.com

Pirate Baby!

This little short is making quite a name for itself at the moment. We love it! See how many references from classic beat 'em ups you can spot. This one is a little on the gory side, so if you're squeamish then it's not for you. Thank heavens it's in black and white is all I can say!

Simpsons Movie Sneak Peak!

During the annual Comic-Con Simpsons panel, creator/exec producer Matt Groening and fellow exec producers James L. Brooks and Al Jean thrilled the crowd with some first glimpses at the eagerly awaited 'The Simpsons Movie'. Groening also announced that next year’s panel will feature clips from the 13 all-new episodes of Futurama, which Comedy Central will air sometime in 2008.

When asked about the process of expanding The Simpsons from a half-hour to 90 minutes, Brooks quipped, “It’s been rough. We worked at it for a long time and then found out that Snakes on a Plane was doing the same story.” Groening then introduced a couple of black & white animatics from the movie. In the first piece, the good people of Springfield have formed an angry mob and are after Homer for some reason. When the mob manages to bust into the Simpsons home, Maggie has to fend off sea captain Horatio McCallister’s pet monkey with a broken milk bottle. In the second clip, Homer is driving a dog sled across a snowy terrain. His incessant whipping is avenged when he stops to set up camp and the dogs start ripping him to shreds. As the dogs are running away, Homer sighs and whines, “Oh, why does everything I whip leave me?”

Much has been made of the mutual spoofing between The Simpsons and FOX’s other hit animated series, Family Guy. Fans at Comic-Con fishing for negative comments about Seth McFarlane and his show were disappointed when Groening stated that he is happy about the Family Guy comeback. “It’s shown me and FOX that there is life after cancellation,” he said, making reference to Futurama. “I’m tiptoeing in Seth McFarlane’s footsteps.”

Groening also announced that he is working on another Life in Hell book and is still trying to find a way to make the original Simpsons shorts from The Tracey Ulman show available to fans. “I think cell phones is the only format crumby enough to show them on,” he said, commenting on the primitive nature of the animation.

Groening and company assured fans that they are still dedicated to keeping The Simpsons series going strong as long as they possibly can. Special guest voices lined for the next season include Kiefer Sutherland, Natalie Portman, Dr. Phil and recording artists The White Stripes and Metallica. The Simpsons Movie is slated to hit theaters on July 27. 2007.

Source: www.animationmagazine.net

My first Blog

Good afternoon, and welcome to our updated blog. Things are gonna be hotting up around here, with a huge amount of new articles and more excitingly a vast archive of cartoons popping up very shortly. Yes that's right, you'll soon be able to view loads of great shorts from the last century, including some of the first examples of early animation, and bang up to date unsigned talent too. Yep, it'll all be here and you'll have the chance to comment on it. As the new Superman film launched this week, we thought we'd kick things off with a little Superman tribute. We look forward to hearing from you shortly, but for the time being just sit back and enjoy the show.

Top Ten Toons

Lollipop's favourite channel Boomerang TV recently surveyed 1000 adults (aged between 25 and 54), asking them to identify their most popular cartoons from their childhood years. The results are in and it's Tom and Jerry that takes the top-spot. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1940, Tom and Jerry is officially a classic, and with the recent DVD releases is sure to remain a favourite for generations to come. In at number two, came Scooby Doo (no doubt with the help of the recent movie release), and in at three, Cosgrove Hall's Dangermouse. Here's how the best of the rest fared:

1. Tom and Jerry
2. Scooby Doo
3. Dangermouse
4. Top Cat
5. The Flintstones
6. Bugs Bunny
7. Popeye
8. Road Runner
9. Wacky Races
10. Hong Kong Phooey

If your favourite character isn't in there, let us know. We'll be compiling our very own favourite cartoon list later in the year.

Ghouls, Ghosts and Monsters: Animation Catches a Craze

In the 1950s and 60s America was scared. Of monsters. Monsters; death; the occult have all been a part of the fabric of humanity since humans first stepped onto the soil of Earth. In the 1930's in America our interest in monsters grew tremendously thanks to pulp magazines, radio programs and horror movies, particularly those released by Universal Pictures. Even animated films, in a way, got scary.

Frankenstein's Monster made a number of appearances in Warner Brother's cartoons, Bugs Bunny went up against Gossamer (the red haired monster) and several of the Warners 'heroes' were put up against Jekyll and Hyde type of characters. UPA gave us a unique look at 'The Tell Tale Heart' while Disney spent time on the dark side with such works as the Silly Symphony 'Skeleton Dance' and the animated 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow'.

This love affair the public had with the macabre though soon gave way to other interests such as the Wild West, outer space and television. When television first took hold in the 1950's, film studios were fearful of the new competition and fought against it. Over time though they came to understand and accept that it was here to stay and perhaps the two could exist and work together.

And so it was that in 1957 Universal Studios decided to package together their horror films from the 1930s and 40s and 'syndicate' them to television. For many people, viewing these images provided their first exposure to these stories while for others watching these movies was a dark trip down memory lane. Whatever their reason, people took strongly to these broadcasts and monsters were again large in the public consciousness. Thanks to the repetition of a television broadcast this following would only continue to grow and gather steam. And so it was that by the mid-60s, classic movie monsters were a big business. Television, toys, models, costumes and feature films all were permeated with monsters. Animation was not far behind.

One of the earliest animated spooks was Casper the Friendly Ghost. Casper was originally created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo in the 1940's to star in a Famous Pictures theatrical short. This story of a ghost who didn't want to scare anyone was surprisingly popular and Casper went on to star in several other cartoons over the next few years before fading away. In 1963 Casper was brought back to 'life' for a completely new set of adventures in 'The New Casper Cartoon Show'. This television incarnation of Casper featured him in the Enchanted Forest along with his friends Wendy the Good Little Witch and Nightmare, a talking horse who also was a ghost.

During the time that monsters were on the rise in television, so were the team of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera. They had been two of the most successful theatrical cartoon producers and were now applying their talents to television. By 1964, thanks mainly to 'The Flintstones', they had found their place and were well in the midst of trying other topics, including horror. In 1965 they released 'The Winsome Witch'. The story of a witch who used her powers only for good was a bit too saccharine and the show only lasted two seasons. Monster 'blandness' was not just a problem for Hanna Barbera, many studios had issues in properly fitting horror characters into traditional cartoon surroundings. In 1965 Hal Seeger tried to jump on the bandwagon with 'The Milton The Monster Show'. The star of course was Milton, a massive Frankenstein's monster fellow who had a near continuous cloud of smoke hanging above his head. The adventures of Milton and his monster friends never broke out and the show lived a quiet and short life.

Undaunted, the studios continued to search for the magic mix of Halloween and animation. In 1966, Hanna Barbera came back with 'Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles' a two-part show with the first half being made up of the adventures of Frankenstein Jr., a 30-foot tall Frankenstein's monster style robot who was created by boy inventor Buzz Conroy. Although the monster here was 'friendly' this show came under intense pressure from various watch groups for the amount of violence that it allegedly showed and in 1968 it was pulled from network rotation. 1966 also saw the well-known production team of Rankin/Bass enter the field with 'King Kong'. Rankin/Bass were already a successful force in animation, thanks in large part to the production of 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' (1964). At this time they were looking to branch into other areas and saw King Kong as the perfect vehicle for this. Rather than use their popular animagic (a stop motion) technique, they decided to go the hand drawn animation route in telling this tale of Kong. The series found a friendlier ape living on Mondo Island with a number of people, including the Bond family. Kong had taken a special liking to the youngest Bond, Bobby and most of the episodes consisted of their adventures fighting the evil Dr. Who. The series lasted three years and while it was Rankin/Bass' first foray into 'monster animation'; it would not be their last.

Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass had first met each other in the mid-1950s as they were working on separate projects for a mutual client. This chance meeting turned into an immediate friendship and in 1955 a partnership, as the two opened Videocraft International. The bulk of their early work consisted mainly of television commercials. While it was work that they enjoyed, the two also had dreams of producing television programs as well as feature films. It was with these thoughts that in 1961 they renamed the company Rankin/Bass Productions and refocused their goals. Goals that they started to reach almost immediately with the production of Rudolph.

In 1966 producer Joseph E. Levine had thoughts of merging the popularity of monsters with the golden touch of Rankin/Bass and he signed them to a feature film contract. What he got was not a quickly produced exploitation film but rather a lovingly crafted animated musical. The animagic 'Mad Monster Party' (1967) told the story of the Worldwide Organisation of Monsters gathering together for the retirement of Baron Von Frankenstein. On this occasion, the Baron would announce that his non-monster nephew Felix would now head the group. It's an announcement that causes much dissent amongst those in assembly and the entire group spends the rest of the ninety-minute film trying to sort it all out.

Arthur Rankin, Jr. wrote the story and then turned it over to Len Korobkin and Harvey Kurtzman (a writer for Mad Magazine) who turned it into a screenplay while Jules Bass worked with Maury Laws in creating the musical score. The jazz based music and songs fit in perfectly with the times and, while hinting at parody towards what would be found in a spy film of the day, they remain as something more than just a curious relic of the era.

With story and songs complete, they now needed a look for the picture and in a fit of inspiration they turned to another man of Mad Magazine, Jack Davis. Davis was the perfect man to turn to as he had started his career drawing horror comics for EC in the 1950's. He was able to use these experiences perfectly in creating the film's modern approach to the classic horror characters and settings. Once this was established, Don Duga and Paul Cocker took Davis' work and turned it into a series of meticulous storyboards. This was a key point in the production, as scenes had to be meticulously planned out because the actual animation was not being done in an easy to supervise location.

In 1958 Rankin took a tour of Japan and along the way visited several animation houses, including Toei Studios. He was impressed by their quick production and unusual animation techniques and saw in these elements something that could be a great benefit to his companies work. Upon returning home, he contracted Toei to do the physical animation of the Rankin/Bass stories.

The last piece of the Mad Monster Party puzzle was signing the voice talent. In a serendipitous bit of casting, they were able to convince Boris Karloff to step in as the voice of Baron von Frankenstein. Who better to give life to this version of Frankenstein than the man who starred as the original Frankenstein's Monster in the movies? His legitimate acting ability and horror movie pedigree leant considerable weight to the production. Boris was joined behind the microphone by Phyllis Diller, Gale Garnett and Allen Swift.

Around this same time (1966 to be exact) another animated fright fest came into being. While more nostalgically entertaining than legitimately scary, 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' has taken a place in our minds as the Halloween animated program. Directed by Bill Melendez, the Emmy nominated show is a meditation on faith and devotion shown through Linus' unwavering belief in the Great Pumpkin. The scares come in the literalisation of every child's nightmare when Charlie Brown gets rocks during trick or treat.

Three years after 'The Great Pumpkin' first aired, another cartoon with a dog for a star would appear and its mixture of horror and hi-jinks would influence animation for the next three decades. In 1969 Hanna Barbera had a concept for an animated horror series, which they took to Fred Silverman, an executive at CBS. Titled 'House of Mystery' the show revolved around a group of teenagers who solved mysteries. Silverman immediately ok'd the concept and pre-production began. As this started, the name changed to 'Mysterious Five' and a dog was added into the mix. As the premise continued to be worked it started to become apparent that the character of a dog here could have the all-important marketing potential. Writers Ken Spears and Joe Ruby started to build the dog more substantially into the plot and finally Silverman had a solid show, now called 'I'm S-s-s-s-scared', to take to his board in New York City. The board at CBS took one look at the storyboards for the program and vetoed the entire series under the fear that it would be too scary and intense for children. As legend has it, Silverman was flying back to California to break the news to the team and as he tried to relax, he plugged into the airplane radio system. The soothing sounds of Frank Sinatra singing 'Strangers in the Night' floated out of the headset and as Sinatra came to the scat refrain, Silverman shot out of his chair with a newfound excitement. If you are unfamiliar, this section of the song goes '...scooby dooby do...'. Silverman knew what needed done.

Arriving home, he put the focus of the show completely on the dog and named him Scooby Doo. Voice artist Don Messick gave Scooby a half-human/half animal voice, the comedy element was heightened against the horror and a star was born. 'Scooby Doo, Where Are You?' debuted in 1969 and has remained on TV, in one incarnation or another, ever since.

These shows and films are just at the top of what has become a long and continually growing list of animated monsters. Over the years many more creatures and ghouls have crossed our screens including Fangface (1979), The Groovie Ghoulies (1970), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1969), The Galloping Ghost (1978), Goober and the Ghost Chasers (1973), Halloween is Grinch Night (1977), Ghostbusters and The Real Ghostbusters (both 1986), AAAH!! Real Monsters (1994), Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Monsters, Inc. (2001) . We now thankfully have an animated monster to match everyone's needs and desires. So as you turn your lights out tonight sleep tight knowing that somewhere, there is a ghoul for you.


By Noell Wolfgram Evans
Originally appeared on Digital Media FX

William Hanna - The Story of a Legend

You may not be aware of the first time that you encountered William Hanna or one of his many cartoons. Chances are that it was a Saturday morning and you were probably curled up on the sofa with a big bowl of Cornflakes. Or maybe it was a Wednesday afternoon and you were sprawled on the floor, relaxing from a hard day of school when The Flintstones, The Smurfs, Yogi Bear, The Shirt Tales, Scooby-Doo or any number of other multicolored characters ran across your TV screen. You may not have realised it at the time, but these cartoons, produced in part by William Hanna, would come to represent not only a certain form of entertainment, but they would also become markers of your youth. Such is the genius of William Hanna, one of the few entertainers whose work is not only entertaining and influential in it's own time, but also holds a timeless importance in influence and entertainment.

Hanna was born in Melrose, New Mexico on July 10, 1910. His father was a construction engineer who moved the family from job to job before finally settling them in Los Angeles in 1919. Nearly immediately, William encountered one of his true loves: The Boy Scouts. He joined the new organisation quickly and remained an active participant in it through his entire life. It was here where he also started down the path he was born to take. While assisting his father with the construction of the Pantages Theatre, he learned that Warner Brothers was going to be starting an animation division. With strong natural talents and no formal training, he went looking for work.

He landed himself a job and rose quickly through the studio; he was soon putting in time as the head of the Ink and Paint Department. Hanna continued to work and grow and in the mid-1930's, he found himself in the position of director in the animation unit at MGM (his directorial debut was 'To Spring' in 1936).

At this point, MGM had been 'outsourcing' their animated films but in 1937, they decided to bring their production directly under the MGM roof.
One of the first people they hired was Bill Hanna who was given the position of Director of Animation. He needed of course people to direct, so MGM went looking for animators. It is here where Joe Barbera steps into the picture. Barbera and Hanna 'latched on' to each other early on. The two of them couldn't have been any more different, but it might be safe to say that each man saw his own potential in the other.

With his partner Joe Barbera, William Hanna won seven Academy Awards, and eight Emmys (including the prestigious Governors Award). They've won Golden Globes, Annies, several environmental awards (for various series episodes), received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and been the recipients of numerous other accolades on their way to being inducted into the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 1993.

The pairing of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera was a serendipitous event and one that seems to have been determined to happen years before. Their strengths complimented their weaknesses and their personalities meshed perfectly. Barbera had a certain skill with the drawing board while Hanna had an innate knack for timing and gags, pieces crucial to the success of a cartoon. The two worked together at MGM for over 20 years, reaching successes unknown outside of Disney (They once won four Academy Awards in a row.). They were a special partnership, producing not only great works of entertainment, but acting as an influence to other animators, both in and out of MGM's cartoon division.

In 1956, the partners were placed in charge of the entire animation unit at MGM. It was to be a promotion that was short lived as in 1957 the animation division was closed.

During a partnership that spanned over sixty years of film and television, Hanna and Barbera worked with over 2,000 animated characters.

William Hanna was one of the first animation producers (and definitely one of the biggest animation 'names') to embrace television as a viable outlet for his trade. After the closing of the MGM studio, Hanna had to search for an outlet for his creative talents. One day he had a chance meeting with Jay Ward. Ward was looking to revive his 'Crusader Rabbit' TV series (which had been the first animated program on television). Hanna saw this as a great way to get his fingers into television and he agreed to take on the job, forming Shield Productions to handle the work. Just as they started though, the project stalled out. Hanna was energised by what he saw and did during the short time he was in production. With a renewed interest in animation, he contacted his old partner Joe Barbera with the idea of going into television. The decision of that conversation was a decision that changed an industry. They formed Hanna-Barbera Productions and in 1957, using many of the former Shield staff artists put 'Ruff and Reddy' on the air. At this moment Hanna-Barbera became television animation. There would be high and low marks but they would go on to set a consistent mark of entertainment right up through today.


Hanna-Barbera cornered the market on animated adaptations of live action shows. Throughout their career, they had a part in the following animated series:
Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
Partridge Family: 2200 A.D.
Laverne and Shirley in the Army
The Gary Coleman Show
I Dream of Jeannie
Mork and Mindy
The Dukes (From the Dukes of Hazzard)
and The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley among others.

William Hanna is one of the few entertainers in the world who will live on, in work and influence for years to come. On March 22, 2001 Mr. Hanna passed away at his home in North Hollywood, California. He is survived by his wife Violet and his friends Yogi Bear, Magilla Gorilla, George Jetson, Huckleberry Hound, Barney Rubble, Snagglepuss, The Banana Splits, Penelope Pitstop, Kwicky Koala, Foofer, Fred Flintstone, Hong Kong Phooey, Space Ghost, Johnny Quest, Tom and Jerry.


By Noell Wolfgram Evans
Originally appeared on Digital Media FX

Chuck Jones, A Man for All Seasons

It's said that Jack Warner, the boss at Warner Brothers during animation's Golden Age, thought that Chuck Jones' animation unit made Mickey Mouse cartoons. That anyone could work and thrive under conditions where no one understands what you do is a testament to talent, creativity, tenacity and strength.

As one of the last surviving members of the great Warner Brothers animation unit of the 1930s - 1950's (in fact as one of the last surviving 'name' members of the entire 'Golden Age of Animation'), Jones often found himself standing in the spotlight. His work output, attitude and knowledge placed him in the position of 'Animation Guru', it was a job that he enjoyed to the fullest. He made constant appearances lecturing at classes and festivals, acting as a consultant to animators and historians and acting as a general 'Goodwill Ambassador' for animation.

During the course of his 60+ year career, he directed over 300 movies. Two of these films, 'What's Opera Doc?' and 'Duck Amuck', continually find themselves at or near the top of any 'All Time Greatest Cartoon' lists. 'What's Opera Doc?' is an animation tour-de-force that takes on all of the conventions of opera and animation in six and one-half minutes. Its striking visual design and layout were created by Maurice Noble who did an amazing job of placing an opera into a cartoon without making it feel 'cartoony'. Michael Maltese wrote the story while Milt Franklyn arranged the score from Wagner's 'Ring' cycle (and he threw in some original music as well). All of this was orchestrated by Jones to create a memorable, exciting and moving animation experience. Prior to this, Jones and Co. created 'Duck Amuck', perhaps one of the most dissected short films ever created. In case you've failed to see it, its plot would seem to be a simple one: Daffy Duck appears on screen to act out a scene. As soon as he starts though an unseen animator changes the scene's settings. Daffy quickly adjusts and restarts only to have things change on him again and again. Soon everything is upside down and Daffy appears on a white 'canvas' arguing and pleading his case to the off-screen, omnipotent hand that controls his fate while he is painted purple with yellow polka-dots. This constant change and adjustment and change again builds and builds until the surprise ending which can be viewed in any number of ways. In fact this whole picture can be taken from a number of angles and in fact it has been. 'Duck Amuck' has been seen as everything from a pure piece of animation (a cartoonists cartoon as it were) to a philosophical statement on creation and existentialism. It's a far cry from the general 'Was it funny?' type of question that animation usually brings about but it's precisely these opposites that make the film the studied and admired work it is today.

If you had to single out one Jones cartoon to represent the director, this would be a solid choice for it works off of two of his strong points, split second timing and a strong sense of character, to relay it's comedy. Like a good live action comedy, you don't necessarily laugh at the action on screen, you laugh at the characters reactions to it.

'Duck Amuck' is Jones' most theorised about film and it alone would warrant him a place in animation history but in a testament to Jones' talent, creativity and energy there are literally dozens of other shorts in his cannon that can be looked to for inspiration or a simple smile.


A Chuck Jones Sampler:

'Rabbit Seasoning' (1952) - Even people who claim not to know cartoons, know this one. Elmer is hunting rabbits and then ducks and then rabbits again as Daffy and Bugs continually spin the world around turning each other into the target. The short's famous 'Rabbit season, Duck season' argument is not just a classic moment in animation, it's a classic piece of film.

'One Froggy Evening' (1953) - A construction worker finds a singing frog who will sing for no one but him. Proving Jones' mastery of timing and character, this is essentially a silent picture (minus the frogs singing).

Any of the early Road Runner/Coyote shorts - Start with their first outing 'Fast and Furry-Ous' (1949) and watch from there. These characters (created by Jones and Michael Maltese) eventually drifted into a sort of banal repetition but their early appearances feature crackling timing wrapped around some unique ACME-sponsored innovation.

'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' (1966) - For many, this half-hour television special is the Christmas program. Jones himself directed the piece and animated a number of the sequences.

'From A to Z-Z-Z-Z' (1954) - This Academy Award nominated short tells the story of a daydreaming schoolboy (sort of a junior Walter Mitty) in a uniquely stylised manner. At the time, design was being looked at in a whole new light in the field of animation; Jones created this picture and raised the mark.

'Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century' (1953) - Daffy Duck at his blowhearted finest. You needent be a science fiction fan to appreciate his 'ineptitude'.



It must be noted that Jones' official title for much of his career was that of 'Director' and he was fortunate enough to direct some amazing talents including design artist Maurice Noble and writer Michael Maltese. Jones' credit as a director was that he allowed each member of his team to display their talents. Granted as Director, his 'stamp' can be seen on each and every one of the animations that he oversaw but his imprint was not so overpowering so as to block out the contributions of the other members. Jones didn't direct as much as he orchestrated, enabling each team member to create and express their ideas while still keeping them within the framework of the story and characters. It should not be taken that all Jones did was sit back and point, on the contrary he was an accomplished artist who broke into animation as a cel washer; it's important because it shows that he indeed knew the business from the bottom up. He spent time in all facets of the job and was willing to dive into any of them when the time arose.

Of everyone that Chuck oversaw, perhaps none were more influential than the Dover Boys. The Dover Boys (Tom, Dick and Larry) appeared in Jones' 1942 short 'The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall'. A send up of late-19th century melodrama, the short told the story of Dainty Dora, her kidnapping by Dan Backslide and eventual rescue by The Dover Boys. What made this picture stand out was its unique stylisation and design. It's use of wipes and 'limited animation' was light years ahead of its time and proved to be a major influence on the UPA revolution that occurred in animation in the 1950s. Jones would further lay influence on the artists who would form UPA when he directed 'Hellbent for Election' in 1944 for the Industrial Film and Poster Service, a collection of artists who would morph the company into UPA.

It wasn't just UPA that felt the effect of this film though, modern animators continue to turn to it as a benchmark. In an interview with Animato in the spring of 1988, Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfaluski cited the Dover Boys as a strong influence in the design of much of his work in through its innovation in the 'Strong Pose' theory. It's a theory that states that limited animation can be effective if the characters maintain and react to action with strong poses as a 'stance' can tell almost as much about who or what a person is as a walk can. Kricfaluski: "It (the strong pose) was all invented by Chuck Jones in The Dover Boys."

Over the course of his life Chuck Jones received 3 competitive Academy Awards as well as an honorary Oscar in 1996. He won a MacDowell Award, several Peabody Awards, saw 'What's Opera, Doc?' named to the National Film registry and received numerous other accolades.

One of the ultimate testaments to Jones' career and talents came in the early 1990's when Warner Brothers decided to resurrect their animation division. One of the people that they turned to for help was Chuck Jones. When the Coyote and Road Runner appeared in a brand new short, 'Chariots of Fur', in 1994 in theaters, a whole new generation was able to experience the magic of Chuck Jones on the silver screen. Jones continued to work for Warner Brothers, moving into the digital world through the creation of an all-new animation series, called 'Timber Wolf', that could be found exclusively on-line. He ended his life as he lived it, animating, innovating and entertaining.

By Noell Wolfgram Evans
Originally appeared on Digital Media FX