Winsor McCay Award Recipients
The recipients of the Winsor McCay lifetime achievement award for the artists and/or contributors to the field of animation as one of the highest honors that is given to the individual in the animation industry in recognition for career contributions to the art of animation.
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Max Fleischer was an American animator, inventor, and film producer from Krakow. As an inventor, Fleischer is primarily known for inventing the rotoscope, an animation technique that allowed animators to draw realistic images and movements, based on live-action images. He later co-founded the short-lived animation studio Fleischer Studios (1929-1942), and served as the studio head for its entire history. The studio was primarily known for creating short film featuring the animated characters Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, and Bimbo the Dog. It also introduced the first animated adaptations of both Popeye and Superman. Fleischer lost control over his studio to Paramount Pictures, though he would continue to work in animation for decades.
In 1883, Fleischer was born to a Jewish family in Krakow, Austria-Hungary. His father was the tailor Aaron Fleischer, and his mother was the housewife Malka "Amelia" Palasz. The Fleischer family emigrated to the United States in 1887, settling in New York City. Aaron became an exclusive tailor to high society clients, and the family enjoyed a middle-class life for about a decade. Aaron lost control over his tailor shop in the late 1890s, forcing the family to move to an impoverished section of Brooklyn.
Fleischer received commercial art training at the Cooper Union, a private college located at Cooper Square in New York City. He received formal art training at the Art Students League of New York. His teacher there was the Canadian painter George Bridgman (1864-1943). Fleischer also received further education at "Mechanics and Tradesman's School".
After completing his education, Fleischer was hired as an errand boy by the newspaper "The Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (1841-1955, 1960-1963). He remained there for years, working variously as a photographer, a photoengraver, and a staff cartoonist. He initially drew only single-panel editorial cartoons. He later created the satirical comic strips "Little Algie" and "S.K. Sposher, the Camera Fiend".
Fleischer left the newspaper c. 1905, in order to work as a technical illustrator for the Electro-Light Engraving Company in Boston. In 1909, he was hired as a catalog illustrator for the Crouse-Hinds Company. In 1910, he was hired as an art editor by the magazine "Popular Science". By 1914, the first commercially produced animated short films appeared in movie theaters. The characters; movements were generally "stiff and jerky", and so Fleischer started working on a method to trace images from a live-action film. He worked on his rotoscope from 1914 to 1916, and was granted a patent for the invention in 1917. This allowed the production of realistic animation.
Fleischer partnered up with his brother Dave Fleischer, to produce the animated film series "Out of the Inkwell" (1918-1929). It included 62 animated films, mostly featuring Koko the Clown as the protagonist. The character was inspired by Dave's previous job as a clown at Coney Island. The selling point of the series were the on-screen interactions between live-action artists and their pen and ink creations. The Fleischer brothers were eventually able to hire the experienced animator Dick Huemer, who produced more fluid animation for their films.
In 1924, Fleischer and a number of partners co-founded the film company Red Seal Pictures Corporation, which owned 36 theaters on the East Coast of the United States. One of Fleischer's partners was the inventor Lee de Forest (1873-1961). De Forest was working on a method to produce sound-on-film recordings for films. Fleischer gained access to de Forest's Phonofilm process, and went to work in creating animated short films with sound. The first of them was "My Old Kentucky Home" (1926), which also featured the first use of lip-synch in animation. Fleischer eventually worked on 19 early sound films, but the Red Seal went bankrupt in 1927.
From 1927 to 1929, the Fleischer brothers had a brief business partnership with film producer Alfred Weiss. They agreed to produce animated short films for Paramount Pictures, which would serve as their distributor. The partnership dissolved due to the mismanagement of Weiss, but the Fleischer brothers would maintain a working relationship with Paramount for the following 15 years.
In 1929, Fleischer co-founded the Fleischer studios. The company's staff initially set up operations at the Carpenter-Goldman Laboratories in Queens. Only 8 months later, they moved to a new location in Broadway. This would remain their main headquarters until 1938.Fleischer and his staff started work on the film series "Screen Songs" (1929-1938). It featured sing-along animated shorts, teaching the lyrics of various songs to the audience. The short films featured performances by popular musicians of the 1930s, such as Lillian Roth, Ethel Merman, and Cab Calloway.
The short film "Dizzy Dishes" (1930) introduced the character of Betty Boop, a caricature of a Jazz Age flapper. She quickly became a recurring character, and served initially as an imitation of real-life singer Helen Kane (1904-1966). Betty was a hit with the audience, and she was granted her own film series in 1932. She starred in 90 films between 1932 and 1939, and had guest-star roles in other 36 films between 1930 and 1933. She was the most popular character of the Fleischer Studios, regarded as the first "sex symbol" on the animated screen.
In late 1932, Fleischer licensed the rights to the comic strip character Popeye the Sailor. The character was granted a film series of his own, appearing in 109 short films between 1933 and 1942. The series introduced animated adaptation of several comic strip characters from the series "Thimble Theatre" (1919-1994), such as the damsel-in-distress Olive Oyl, the muscular bully Bluto, and the gluttonous scam artist J. Wellington Wimpy. The characters became household names, with Popeye himself said to surpass Mickey Mouse in popularity by the end of the 1930s.
Due to a business deal, the Fleischer Studios acquired much of its funding from a long-term partnership with Paramount Pictures. At times when Paramount itself was facing financial problems, the studio found itself suffering from a lack of funding. Fleischer was initially unable to secure rights to the innovative three-color Technicolor process in 1932. The studio introduced its first color cartoons in 1934, but had to use the limited two-color processes of Cinecolor (red and blue) and Two-Color Technicolor (red and green). They introduced their first film in three-color Technicolor in 1936. By that point, the rival studio Walt Disney Animation Studios was considered to be more innovative in its uses of color animation.
In the mid-1930s, Fleischer patented the use of three-dimensional effects in animation. He promoted these under the name the "Stereoptical Process". The process was used to great effect in the featurettes "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" (1936) and "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves" (1937). Max Fleischer started petitioning Paramount to fund an animated feature film, but their executives were doubtful of its commercial value. Following the box office success of the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), Fleischer received sufficient funding to work on his own feature film.
In 1938, the Fleischer Studios moved its headquarters to Miami, Florida. The studio staff started working on "Gulliver's Travels" (1939), the second American animated feature film to be produced. During its production, the personal relationship between brothers and business partners Max and Dave Fleischer deteriorated. Max reportedly disapproved of Dave's love life, and attempted to end one of Dave's romantic relationships. The film was eventually completed and grossed more than $3 million dollars at the American box office.
To Max Fleischer's disappointment, the Fleischer Studios found itself in debt due to their first feature film. Paramount received a lion's share of the profits from the American box office, and the animation studio had no rights to any profits from the film's releases in foreign markets. In addition, Paramount penalized the animation studio with the debt of 350,000 dollars. The film had exceeded its original budget, and this violated a contract agreement with Paramount. The Fleischer Studios were now indebted to their distributor.
In 1940, Fleischer Studios introduced three new animated series: "Gabby", "Animated Antics", and "Stone Age Cartoons". "Gabby" was a spin-off from "Gulliver's Travels" , featuring the adventures of the film's town crier. "Animated Antics" was an anthology series, often featuring supporting characters from "Gulliver's Travels". "Stone Age Cartoons" featured a surprisingly modern take on Stone Age life, and has been cited as a precursor to "The Flintstones". All three series were regarded as commercial failures, generating little interest from exhibitors.
In search for a more viable series, Fleischer licensed to the superhero character Superman. The studio created a short-lived series for the character, releasing 9 short films between 1941 and 1942. It was the character's first animated adaptation, and featured more technically complex elements than most of its contemporaries in animation. Each episode had a budget of about 50,000 dollars, twice the budget of the typical Popeye cartoon in the same period. Frustrated that they had to animate the character leaping from place to place (as in the comics), the Fleischer brothers came up with the idea that Superman could fly on his own. The high cost of the series turned out to be a problem, but the series was popular.
Meanwhile, the Fleischer brothers were working on their second animated feature, at the request of Paramount. The film in question was "Mr. Bug Goes to Town", a tale of anthropomorphic insects. It was scheduled for release in early December 1941, but its release was postponed for months due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Theater owners showed only a limited interest in the film, and it turned out to be a box office bomb.
With the Fleischer Studios heavily in debt to Paramount and Dave Fleischer having already resigned, Paramount decided to claim ownership over the animation studio and its characters. Max Fleischer was forced to resign, while the studio was re-organized into the Paramount subsidiary Famous Studios (1942-1967). The most notable character of the new studio was Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Fleischer was briefly out of work. He subsequently was hired as the head of the animation department for "The Jam Handy Organization", a Detroit-based company owned by film producer (1886-1983). Fleischer primarily worked on animated training films for the Army and Navy during World War II. He continued working for Handy until 1953. His most notable film for this entire period was "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1948), the first animated adaptation of a 1939 Christmas story by Robert L. May. Fleischer personally directed the film.
In 1953, Fleischer was hired as a production manager by Brayco. It was a company which primarily produced filmstrips from the late 1960s to its closing in 1963. It had formed as a corporate successor to the animation studio Bray Productions (1912-1928), where Fleischer had briefly worked in his early career.
In 1955, Fleischer won a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures. They had the rights to re-release most of his former films, but the court decided that they did not have the right to remove Fleischer's name from the film credits. In 1958, Fleischer and his new partner Hal Seeger (1917-2005) founded the minor animation studio "Out of the Inkwell Films". They had the intention to revive "Out of the Inkwell" as a television series. They eventually produced 100 color episodes of the new series, released from 1960 to 1961. Due to his failing health, Fleischer decided against appearing in person in the live-action segments.
For most of the 1960s, Fleischer made efforts to reclaim ownership over Betty Boop, his most popular character. Paramount had sold its rights to the character in 1958, but the courts were unable to decide which person or company held the exclusive rights to the character.
In 1967, Fleischer and his wife Essie retired to the Motion Picture Country House, a retirement community for film industry people. The retirement community was located at the southwest end of the San Fernando Valley, and had been operational since 1942. In September 1942, Fleischer died there, due to "arterial sclerosis of the brain". He was 89-years-old at the time of his death, having survived several of his former partners and employees.
Fleischer's animated works eventually found a new audience in animation fans who regard them as an alternative to Walt Disney's works, and who often find them to be more appealing to older audiences. Works of the Fleischer Studios have also been popular with animation historians, which regard them highly for their innovations. Fleischer remains one of the most famous animated film producers of the 20th century, but his reputation mostly endures due to the cult following of some of his characters.The first recipient of the award. From the 1972 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Producer
Dave Fleischer was an American film producer and director of animated films. He co-founded the animation studio Fleischer Studios (1929-1942) with his brother Max Fleischer. Dave is primarily remembered for directing the studio's only two feature films: "Gulliver's Travels" (1939) and "Mr. Bug Goes to Town" (1941). They were both among the earliest American animated feature films, and were intended to compete with the productions of the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Fleischer was born in New York City, and grew up in the impoverished Jewish neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn. In early life, he worked as an usher at the Palace Theater on Broadway. He became familiar with the gags and comic timing required in vaudeville-style comic acts, which were featured in the theater. These familiarity would later influence his output as a director.
At one point, Fleischer worked as a clown for a sideshow amusement in Coney Island. His costume and mannerisms for this job were used as an inspiration for Koko the Clown, the first star character of the Fleischer brothers. In c. 1913, Fleischer was hired as a film cutter for Pathé Exchange. The company was the American subsidiary of the French film production and distribution company Pathé. This was Fleischer's earliest known involvement with the film industry.
In 1921, the Fleischer brothers set up their first animation studio: Out of the Inkwell Films. It was located in midtown Manhattan. Dave served as both the director and the production supervisor of their animated short films. The studio soon became one of the leading production companies in animation, due to introducing a number of technological innovations. In 1924, the Fleischer brothers became partners in the Red Seal Pictures Corporation, a new chain of movie theaters. They soon acquired the rights to use Lee de Forest's Phonofilm system for sound films. The Fleischer brothers produced the earliest animated sound films in 1924.
By 1926, Red Seal owned 56 movie theaters but was not particularly profitable. It soon filed for bankruptcy, but the animation studio of the Fleischer brothers survived for a while due to signing a contract with Paramount Pictures. Following the termination of this contract, Out of the Inkwell filed for bankruptcy in January 1929. In March of the same year, the Fleischer brothers established the new Fleischer Studios. They soon gained a new contract with Paramount, securing their funding.
During the 1930s, Dave supervised the production of two lucrative series of animated short films. One featured Betty Boop, lasting from 1932 to 1939. The other featured Popeye the Sailor, lasting from 1933 to 1942. In 1938, the studio was relocated from New York City to Miami, Florida. By that time, Dave was already working in the production of his first animated feature film, "Gulliver's Travels" (1939). The film earned about 3.3 million dollars at the domestic box office, but Paramount received the lion's share of the profits. It also requested the Fleischer Studios to pay a penalty fee for going over budget. Leaving the animation studio in debt.
In the early 1940s, Dave launched production of several new animated series in hopes of keeping the studio afloat. "Stone Age Cartoons" (1940) anachronistically featured elements of modern life in prehistory. "Gabby" (1940-1941) featured a supporting character from "Gulliver's Travels" as its main star. "Animated Antics" (1940-1941) was an anthology series, often showcasing the supporting characters of "Gulliver's Travels". All these series were commercial flops, met with indifference by theater owners and the general audience. Max eventually secured a contract to produce a superhero animated series featuring Superman. This lasted from 1941 to 1942, and was better received by the public. The Superman short films had a higher budget than previous productions of the studio.
Dave soon went to work in directing and producing his second feature film, "Mr. Bug Goes to Town" (1941). But his personal and professional relationship with his brother had increasingly deteriorated since the late 1930s, and Dave decided to resign from the studio prior to the film's release. He resigned in late November 1941, though his resignation was not officially announced until December 31. The financially declining Fleischer Studios was soon acquired by Paramount, which turned it into the subsidiary company Famous Studios (1942-1967).
By April 1942, Dave had been hired as a producer by another animation studio. He was working for Screen Gems, a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. Fleischer soon replaced Frank Tashlin (1913-1972) as the new studio head. He supervised the production of "The Fox and the Crow" (1941-1950), which soon became the studio's most popular series. He also produced an animated film series based on the comic strip "Li'l Abner", and continued the low-budget anthology series "Phantasies" (1939-1948). In 1944, Fleischer was fired by Harry Cohn (1891-1958), the then-studio head of Columbia. The reasons for his termination are unclear, but Fleischer was replaced by Henry Binder.
In the mid-1940s, Fleischer developed an elf-like new character, called Snippy. He tried to secure funding for a new animated series from Republic Pictures, but the project ended in development hell. Republic instead hired Fleischer to provide animation sequences for its B-movies. Fleischer resurfaced in the 1950s, as an employee of Filmack Trailer. He was put to work in animating a series of Technicolor theatrical snipes. The most famous of these was the musical advertisement "Let's All Go to the Lobby" (1957), which continued to be used for decades.
At a later point, Fleischer was hired as a "Technical Specialist" by Universal Pictures. His job required him to work as a special-effects expert and general problem-solver for various live-action films. His most famous film in this position was the natural horror film "The Birds" (1963), where he collaborated with veteran animator and technician Ub Iwerks. Universal also asked Fleischer to supervise the English language dubbing of the Soviet animated feature film "The Snow Queen" (1957).
Fleischer's last work as a technical adviser was in the live-action film "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (1967), a period piece set in the 1920s. He then permanently retired. He spend the last decades of his life living at the Peyton Hall apartment complex on Hollywood Boulevard. In June 1979, Fleischer suffered a stroke. He died shortly after, at the age of 84. Though long gone, Dave Fleischer is fondly remembered by fans of traditional animation. Several of his works became available at the home video market, introducing his style to new generations of animation fans.From the 1972 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Walter Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and film director from New Rochelle, New York. He was the eponymous founder of the animation studio Walter Lantz Productions (1928-1972). The studio was initially famous for continuing the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit film series from 1928 to 1938. Lantz later found more success with animated film series featuring Andy Panda (1939-1949), Woody Woodpecker (1941-1972), and the penguin Chilly Willy (1953-1972).
In 1899, Lantz was born to Italian immigrant parents in New Rochelle, New York. The family name was originally "Lanza" before being changed to "Lantz". His parents were named Francesco Paolo Lanza and Maria Gervasi. In 1911, Lantz completed a mail-order drawing class. In his teen years, Lantz worked as an auto mechanic while continuing to draw as a hobby. He found a wealthy patron by the name of Fred Kafka, who agreed to finance Lantz's studies at the Art Students League of New York.
In 1915, the adolescent Lantz was hired as an animator by the animation department of the International Film Service studio (1915-1921). The department head was the director Gregory La Cava (1892-1952), while the studio's owner was the businessman William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951). Lantz eventually left the studio and was hired by the animation studio Bray Productions (1912-1928). In 1924, Lantz created his own film series, called "Dinky Doodle". Also in 1924, Lantz became the new head of production at Bray. He was chosen as the replacement of Vernon Stallings (1891-1963).
Lantz moved to Hollywood, California in c. 1927/1928, in hopes of setting up his own studio. He was short of funds, and he initially supported himself through a series of odd jobs. He worked briefly as a member of the production team of director Frank Capra (1897-1991), and as a gag writer for Mack Sennett (1880-1960). He was then hired by producer Charles Mintz (1889-1939) to help continue the then-popular Oswald the Lucky Rabbit film series. The films were distributed by Universal Pictures, but its studio head Carl Laemmle (1867-1939) wanted to set up his own animation subsidiary. Lantz instead convinced Laemmle to fund the creation of his own animation studio. Lantz's initial production team included the animator Tom Palmer and the musician Bert Fiske. Lantz soon managed to hire the innovative animator Bill Nolan (1894-1954), who was known for creating and perfecting the rubber hose style of animation.
Lantz continued producing animated short films for theatrical release until 1972. By that point, Walter Lantz Productions and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises were the last remaining American animation studios which still regularly produced theatrical animated short films. Lantz decided to shut down his studio due to rising production costs and diminishing profits. He continued to earn a living through licensing his characters for media use, and by selling his drawings and paintings to collectors. He served throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s in the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute. He died in March 1994 due to heart failure, at the age of 94.From the 1973 Annie Awards.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Tex Avery was a descendant of Judge Roy Bean and Daniel Boone, but all his grandma ever told him about it was "Don't ever mention you are kin to Roy Bean. He's a no good skunk!!" After graduating from North Dallas High School in 1927, Avery moved to Southern California in 1929 and got a job in the harbor. After showing samples of his artwork he got a job at Walter Lantz Studios in 1929 as animator. His contributions during the years at Walter Lantz Studios were minor. From 1936 to 1941 he worked as supervisor - another word for cartoon director - of some 60 titles in the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes series for Leon Schlesinger at Warner's. From 1942 to 1954 Avery worked as director of cartoons at MGM. He was responsible for practically every MGM Cartoon that did not feature Tom and Jerry. In 1955 he did four cartoons, again for Walter Lantz Studios, before leaving the field for advertising, where, alas, his unique sense of humor went largely unappreciated, but primarily because commercials are not credited for the viewing audience (perhaps his best known commercial work was for Raid bug spray, which always featured the cartoon bugs screaming "Raid!" before getting smashed.)
Among the many cartoon characters Avery created are Daffy Duck, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel, George and Junior and Chilly Willy. Tex Avery is also credited with creating the basic personality of Bugs Bunny. He was the one who coined the phrase "What's up, Doc?"From the 1974 Annie Awards.- Director
- Producer
- Animation Department
Friz Freleng was born Isadore Freleng on August 21, 1906 in Kansas City, Missouri. With no formal training in drawing, his first job as an animator was with United Film Advancement Services in 1924 at the age of 17. The first work Friz is credited with was for Disney Studios where he worked as an animator on the "Alice" series in 1927. Friz then did some animation for Robert Winkler Productions in 1928 starting with Fiery Fireman and for Screen Gems (Port Whines) in 1929, but it was his work in Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid (1929) in 1929 under the direction of Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising when he first worked for Warner Brothers, though known at that time as Leon Schlesinger Studios.
Under Leon Schlesinger's supervision in the budding animation department of Warner Brothers, Freleng's career as an animator and director rocketed, producing some of the most beloved cartoons in America's golden age of animation.
Freleng worked as the head animator and oftentimes producer on the two main animation subdivisions established by Warner Brothers, Looney Toons and Merrie Melodies.
In the late forties, after Tex Avery and Robert Clampett had left Warner Brothers, Freleng's career as a director soared. Though nominated throughout his career for numerous Academy Awards, it wasn't until 1947 that he eventually took the Oscar for Tweetie Pie (1947). Freleng then won Oscars for Speedy Gonzales (1955) in 1955, Birds Anonymous (1957) in 1957, Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) in 1958, and The Pink Phink (1964) in 1964.
In 1963, Freleng along with David De Patie created the DePatie-Freleng Studio that specialized in short films and television commercials. It was here that Freleng enjoyed great success with his Pink Panther television series.
Freleng returned to Warner Brothers to direct a number of specials, such as Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988) and Porky Pig in Hollywood.
In 1986, Freleng appeared as himself in the Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary (1986), and three years later he made another appearance in the television special, Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town (1988).
Freleng, in addition to his production work, wrote the script for The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), while contributing to the Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982) and Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (1983).
He also penned the book "Animation: The Art of Friz Freleng" (1994).
The New York Museum of Modern Art honored both Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones in a 1985 retrospective that set attendance records for the institution that remain unbroken to this day.
Friz Freleng passed away due to a heart ailment at his home in Los Angeles on May 26, 1995 at the age of 88.
Today Freleng's artwork is highly prized and sought by many collectors. Expect to pay a pretty penny for his work.From the 1974 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Starting as a cel washer, Chuck Jones worked his way up to animator and then director at the animation division of Warner Bros. He is famous for creating such beloved cartoon characters as Wile E. Coyote, Henery Hawk, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Ralph Wolf, Road Runner, Sam Sheepdog, Sniffles, and many others, as well as adding to the development of Warner favorites such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and countless others.
His most famous cartoons tend to have been created with writer Michael Maltese. Jones' autobiography, published by Simon & Schuster "Chuck Amuck"--a pun on his Daffy Duck short Duck Amuck (1953)--gives a very amusing account of his life. It is liberally sprinkled with hundreds of cartoons with some color plates.From the 1974 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Art Babbitt (born Arthur Harold Babitsky) was an American animator and animation director from Omaha, Nebraska. He worked in several animation studios over his long career, but is mostly remembered for his early work for the Walt Disney Animation Studios. During the 1930s, Babbitt redesigned and developed the character of Goofy. In his view, Goofy was a composite character: "a composite of an everlasting optimist, a gullible Good Samaritan, a half-wit, a shiftless, good-natured hick". Babbitt was credited as the main animator for the Evil Queen in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), and for Geppetto in "Pinocchio" (1940).
In 1907, Babbitt was born to a Jewish family in Little Bohemia, Omaha. It was a neighborhood of Omaha which had a large population of Czech emigrants from Austria-Hungary since the 1880s. By the time he finished kindergarten, his family decided to move to Sioux City, Iowa. His father was paralyzed in an accident at work, forcing Babbitt to become a breadwinner at an early age.
In the late 1920s, Babbitt had decided to follow the career of an animator. At the time, the industry was providing career opportunities for hopeful young artists. In 1929, Babbitt was among the first animators hired by a new animation studio, Terrytoons (1929-1973). The studio had been established by experienced animator Paul Terry, and its headquarters were located in Long Island, New York.
In 1932, Babbitt applied for a job at the Walt Disney Animation Studios in Los Angeles. The studio was more prestigious than Terrytoons, and was reputed to offer better salaries for its top talents. Babbitt was initially hired as an assistant animator, but was soon promoted to a regular animator in recognition of his talents. He was put to work in animated short films, helping animate characters such as Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and the Big Bad Wolf.
When the studio started working on its first animated feature film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" , Babbitt was entrusted with animating the Evil Queen. It was one of the toughest assignments on the film, as the character was not rotoscoped (unlike several of the others). There was an effort to make the character "regally beautiful", to have her movements be graceful, and for her emotions to be primarily expressed through her lovely mouth and eyes. Babbitt and his assistants reportedly produced enough drawings of the Queen to fill a paper house.
His efforts on the feature film were rewarded with a salary increase. Babbitt was one of the highest-paying jobs in the studio. For the first time in his life, he could afford a large house, three cars, and two servants. At about this time, Babbit married his first wife. She was the actress and dancer Marge Champion (1919-2020). She had been hired as a dance model for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", and had impressed Babbitt. Their marriage only lasted to 1940, ending in divorce.
During the late 1930s, Babbitt worked on two other feature films "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia". He animated Geppetto in "Pinocchio", the protagonist's father. He also designed several characters for two segments of Fantasia: "The Nutcracker Suite" and "The Pastoral Symphony". Among his creations were Disney's versions of the gods Zeus, Vulcan, and Boreas.
In 1941, came the Disney animators' strike. Many of the studio's animators wanted to unionize in order to achieve better working conditions. Babbitt became one of the strike's leaders, though he was primarily campaigning for the rights of others and not his own self-interest. At one point, Babbitt and studio head Walt Disney nearly had a fist fight over a verbal insult. Studio staff intervened to stop them.
Following the strike, Babbitt and Walt Disney continued working together for a while, despite their mutual distrust and hostility. Babbitt found a friendlier working environment at his next employer, Warner Bros. Cartoons. His career was interrupted for a few years by military service in the Pacific War. In the post-war years, Babbitt was among the early staff of the animation studio United Productions of America (UPA, 1941-2000). The studio had been established by former Disney personnel, and Babbitt found himself working alongside former colleagues.
UPA was noted for its "very flat" and stylized designs, in contrast with Disney's style. They were considered as one of the most innovative animated studios of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Babbitt worked on several of their award-winning shorts until 1955. He subsequently acquired partial ownership of Quartet Films, a studio primarily working on television commercials.
Over the following decades, Babbitt rarely worked on theatrical films. But he was eventually hired by animator Richard Williams (1933-2019) to serve as the lead animator for the unfinished feature film "The Thief and the Cobbler". Babbitt designed several of the film's characters. The film was in production from 1964 until 1993, and was eventually released in a partially finished form. Babbitt did not live long enough to finish the film or to see it released. During that film's production, Babbitt also provided some character animation for "Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure" (1977).
In the early 1990s, Babbitt was invited by executive Roy E. Disney (Walt's nephew) to reconcile himself with Disney and its staff. Babbitt had reunions with his former rivals Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. He died in March 1992, at the age of 84. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, located in Hollywood Hills. Babbitt was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2007. A small collection of Babbitt's personal films and home movies was eventually acquired by the Academy Film Archive. Babbitt is long gone, but continues to have a high reputation among animation historians and fans of American animation.From the 1974 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Like many pioneers, the work of 'Winsor McCay' has been largely superseded by successors such as Walt Disney and Max Fleischer but he more than earns a place in film history for being the American cinema's first great cartoon animator. He started out as a newspaper cartoonist, achieving a national reputation for his strips 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' and 'Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend'. Inspired by his son's flick-books, he spent four years and produced four thousand individual drawings in making his first animated cartoon 'Little Nemo', completing it in 1911. But his biggest cartoon success was 'Gertie the Dinosaur' (1913), which was the centrepiece of a vaudeville act in which the live McCay would interact with his cartoon character. For this, he single-handedly produced ten thousand individual drawings, laboriously re-drawing the background every time. It is often wrongly cited as the first animated cartoon, but it was certainly the first successful one, and influenced dozens of imitators. His 1918 production 'The Sinking of the Lusitania' was even more ambitious: comprising 25,000 drawings, it was the first feature-length American cartoon, and the second one made anywhere. He retired from film-making in the 1920s, but would subsequently describe himself as "the creator of animated cartoons". This honour, strictly speaking, belongs to the Frenchman Emile Cohl - but McCay was certainly the first to bring them to a wide audience.Posthumously. From the 1974 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Flora Disney (née Call) and Elias Disney, a Canadian-born farmer and businessperson. He had Irish, German, and English ancestry. Walt moved with his parents to Kansas City at age seven, where he spent the majority of his childhood. At age 16, during World War I, he faked his age to join the American Red Cross. He soon returned home, where he won a scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute. There, he met a fellow animator, Ub Iwerks. The two soon set up their own company. In the early 1920s, they made a series of animated shorts for the Newman theater chain, entitled "Newman's Laugh-O-Grams". Their company soon went bankrupt, however.
The two then went to Hollywood in 1923. They started work on a new series, about a live-action little girl who journeys to a world of animated characters. Entitled the "Alice Comedies", they were distributed by M.J. Winkler (Margaret). Walt was backed up financially only by Winkler and his older brother Roy O. Disney, who remained his business partner for the rest of his life. Hundreds of "Alice Comedies" were produced between 1923 and 1927, before they lost popularity.
Walt then started work on a series around a new animated character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. This series was successful, but in 1928, Walt discovered that M.J. Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz, had stolen the rights to the character away from him. They had also stolen all his animators, except for Ub Iwerks. While taking the train home, Walt started doodling on a piece of paper. The result of these doodles was a mouse named Mickey. With only Walt and Ub to animate, and Walt's wife Lillian Disney (Lilly) and Roy's wife Edna Disney to ink in the animation cells, three Mickey Mouse cartoons were quickly produced. The first two didn't sell, so Walt added synchronized sound to the last one, Steamboat Willie (1928), and it was immediately picked up. With Walt as the voice of Mickey, it premiered to great success. Many more cartoons followed. Walt was now in the big time, but he didn't stop creating new ideas.
In 1929, he created the 'Silly Symphonies', a cartoon series that didn't have a continuous character. They were another success. One of them, Flowers and Trees (1932), was the first cartoon to be produced in color and the first cartoon to win an Oscar; another, Three Little Pigs (1933), was so popular it was often billed above the feature films it accompanied. The Silly Symphonies stopped coming out in 1939, but Mickey and friends, (including Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, and plenty more), were still going strong and still very popular.
In 1934, Walt started work on another new idea: a cartoon that ran the length of a feature film. Everyone in Hollywood was calling it "Disney's Folly", but Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was anything but, winning critical raves, the adoration of the public, and one big and seven little special Oscars for Walt. Now Walt listed animated features among his ever-growing list of accomplishments. While continuing to produce cartoon shorts, he also started producing more of the animated features. Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942) were all successes; not even a flop like Fantasia (1940) and a studio animators' strike in 1941 could stop Disney now.
In the mid 1940s, he began producing "packaged features", essentially a group of shorts put together to run feature length, but by 1950 he was back with animated features that stuck to one story, with Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Peter Pan (1953). In 1950, he also started producing live-action films, with Treasure Island (1950). These began taking on greater importance throughout the 50s and 60s, but Walt continued to produce animated features, including Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).
In 1955 he opened a theme park in southern California: Disneyland. It was a place where children and their parents could take rides, just explore, and meet the familiar animated characters, all in a clean, safe environment. It was another great success. Walt also became one of the first producers of films to venture into television, with his series The Magical World of Disney (1954) which he began in 1954 to promote his theme park. He also produced The Mickey Mouse Club (1955) and Zorro (1957). To top it all off, Walt came out with the lavish musical fantasy Mary Poppins (1964), which mixed live-action with animation. It is considered by many to be his magnum opus. Even after that, Walt continued to forge onward, with plans to build a new theme park and an experimental prototype city in Florida.
He did not live to see the culmination of those plans, however; in 1966, he developed lung cancer brought on by his lifelong chain-smoking. He died of a heart attack following cancer surgery on December 15, 1966 at age 65. But not even his death, it seemed, could stop him. Roy carried on plans to build the Florida theme park, and it premiered in 1971 under the name Walt Disney World. His company continues to flourish, still producing animated and live-action films and overseeing the still-growing empire started by one man: Walt Disney, who will never be forgotten.Posthumously. From the 1975 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Producer
John Hubley was born on 21 May 1914 in Marinette, Wisconsin, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Of Stars and Men (1961), The Hole (1962) and A Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1966). He was married to Faith Hubley and Claudia Lenora (Ross) Sewell. He died on 21 February 1977 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.From the 1975 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Producer
- Director
Faith Hubley (née Faith Chestman) was born in 1924 in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan. She left home without completing high school to go to Hollywood to pursue a career in filmmaking. She began as a messenger at Columbia Studios, but eventually worked as a sound-effects and music editor. During her time in California, she met John Hubley, an animator with Disney Studios, whom she married in 1955. A pro-union political activist, John was blacklisted from Disney. Thus began Faith's and John's filmmaking partnership. Many of their films featured the voices of their four young children.
They won their first Oscar for their film, Moonbird (1959) in 1959. Their second Oscar was for The Hole (1962) in 1962. The Hubleys were also lovers of jazz, and several of their films feature the voice and music of Dizzy Gillespie. They also contributed many animated segments to the legendary and beloved children's shows Sesame Street (1969) and The Electric Company (1971). Sadly, John died during heart surgery in 1977. Faith, however, continued to make a new animated film each year until her death from cancer in December 2001.From the 1975 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Animation Department
Norman McLaren is one of the most awarded filmmakers in the history of Canadian cinema, and a pioneer in both animation and filmmaking. Born in Scotland, he entered the Glasgow School of Fine Arts in 1932 to study set design. His early experiments in animation included actually scratching and painting the film stock itself, as he did not have ready access to a camera. In the early 30s he worked as a cameraman in Scotland and England, and in 1936 went to Spain to film the Civil War. He emigrated to the US in 1939, aware that war was imminent, and in 1941, at the invitation of John Grierson, he moved to Canada to work for the National Film Board.
McLaren made several propaganda films for the NFB, but continued develop his experimental work in his spare time. He later founded the animation department at the NFB, where he was at his most prolific. His most famous work, Neighbours (1952), utilized a style of animation known as pixilation, where the camera films moving people and objects a few frames at a time, giving the action a frantic, unearthly look. The short film won McLaren an Oscar. He continued to use a variety of styles and techniques on his animated shorts, including the optical editor to film _Pas de Deux (1968)_, filming through a prism for _Line: Horizontal (1962)_ and also using live action featuring himself in Opening Speech (1960).
In addition to film, McLaren worked with UNESCO in the 50s and 60s on programs to teach film and animation techniques in China and India. His five part "Animated Motion" shorts, produced in the late 70s, are an excellent example of instruction on the basics of film animation.
McLaren died in 1987, leaving behind a lasting legacy to the film and animation world. The Canadian Film Board recognized this in 1989 by naming the CFB head office building the Norman McLaren Building.From the 1975 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Robert 'Bobe' Cannon began his career at Leon Schlesinger Productions in 1934, assisting ace animators Robert Clampett and Chuck Jones. After a two-year apprenticeship he graduated to full animator. Cannon became an integral part of that anarchic Warner Brothers in-house cartoon outfit, known as 'Termite Terrace' (due to its cramped and austere quarters). In the process, he laboured on such iconic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters as Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and Elmer Fudd. He animated for Tex Avery, Clampett and Jones from 1936 to 1944, after which he became co-founder and a leading light in the innovative United Productions of America (UPA). He served as UPA's vice-president from 1949 to 1957. Unlike at Warners or MGM, his new studio permitted him to direct as well, especially cartoons featuring the famous character Mr. Magoo. Cannon later taught animation at San Fernando Valley State College and was awarded in 1976 with the International Film Society's Winsor McCay Award for Lifetime Achievement.Posthumously. From the 1976 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Animation Department
Hugh Harman was one of the pioneers of animation. While not a great animator, (compared to co-worker, Rudolf Ising) he was present during the early days. He began his work with Walt Disney in 1922, working on Disney's early Laugh-o-Gram toons. When that company went bankrupt, Harman and partner Rudolf Ising tried to start a new series based on the Arabian Nights, but were unable to obtain funding. Disney called them back when he began work for Charles Mintz, producing the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. After a dispute over pricing, Mintz forced out Disney and kept Harman and Ising on for another year, when they in turn were forced out (and replaced by a young Walter Lantz). Harman, Ising, and a few other ex-Disney animators put together a pilot short, "Bosko the Talkink Kid", which was used by producer Leon Schlesinger to obtain a contract with Warner Brothers' studios to produce animated cartoons. Harman and Ising started the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, and produced them for several years. After another argument over money (this time with Schlesinger), Harman and Ising left Warner Brothers for MGM in 1933. They produced quite a few "Happy Harmonies" for MGM until yet again they left over another financial arrangement. After MGM, Harman & Ising formed their own studio, but was not successful. MGM hired them back, but by this time their faux-Disney style of animation was out of fashion, and they found themselves eclipsed by the works of William Hanna & Joseph Barbera (whom they had hired) & Fred Tex Avery. In the 40s and 50s, both men did some work for Walter Lantz Studios.From the 1976 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Animation Department
While animation was still in its infancy during the early twenties, Walt Disney managed to recruit the brightest and best talent nationwide and imported it into Hollywood. Two of these pioneers artists were close friends Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising. They had first tasted success by helping to develop Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (a character, rather akin to Felix the Cat with extended ears). Eventually, in 1929, the duo parted company with Disney to create Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid (who was based on minstrel characters and looked like Felix in a derby hat), developed a pilot for the first-ever talkie cartoon and sold the idea to Leon Schlesinger. Schlesinger, in turn, got Warner Brothers to sign a contract to produce cartoons and Sinkin' in the Bathtub (1930) effectively inaugurated the first of the celebrated Looney Tunes. The Bosko animations invariably ended with "That's all, folks", which famously became Porky Pig's stuttered trademark sign-off in later years. At Warners, Harman concentrated on the Looney Tunes output, while Ising, who was more comfortable writing and producing (rather than drawing illustrations), worked on the Merry Melodies cartoons which featured a more prominent musical content. The first in this series was Lady, Play Your Mandolin! (1931). In 1933, Harman & Ising moved to MGM after financial disagreements with Schlesinger. They created the sleepy Barney Bear, a proto-Yogi (reputedly based on Ising himself). They also took the Bosko character with them to become part of MGM's Technicolor Happy Harmonies -- along with a new creation -- the mouse Little Cheeser. Once gain, disputes over money caused the duo to move on. By 1940, Harman and Ising went their separate ways, Ising soon winning an Oscar for The Milky Way (1940), a cartoon featuring three kittens in space. During World War II, Ising produced training films as head of the animation department of the Army Air Forces movie unit. Thereafter, he forsook animation to work in advertising, before calling it quits in the early 70's.From the 1976 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Actor
- Animation Department
During the heyday of cartoon slapstick in Hollywood, one basic tenet held precedence: namely, that an inseparable connection existed between perennial antagonists like Tom and Jerry, Sylvester and Tweetie, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam (or Elmer Fudd). In other words, one could not work without the other. Few people understood that better than Michael Maltese, one of the unsung heroes of animation, and, arguably, the best cartoon writer to emerge from this period. The son of Italian immigrant parents, Maltese learned his craft at the National Academy of Design in New York and began his career in animation in 1935, working on Betty Boop cartoons for Max Fleischer as an opaquer (colouring animation cels) and assistant animator. After two years, he moved to the West Coast and hooked up with Leon Schlesinger's studio at Warner Brothers (following his wife who had been hired as an 'in-betweener' for $20 a week). By August 1939, he had become an integral member of the story department. Maltese was briefly associated with Friz Freleng's unit but ended up spending the better part of his tenure at Warners (1946-58) as the indispensable gag man and storyboard artist for Chuck Jones.
Maltese had a zany sense of humour and was the wit behind many innovative Looney Tunes in-jokes and gags (especially those involving the Acme company !). As a character designer, he and Jones created Pepe Le Pew as a composite of French-born Hollywood star Charles Boyer (the archetypal romantic lover) and fellow animator Tedd Pierce (the skunk -- Pierce, an avid party animal, had a reputation for turning up at work unwashed and hung-over). Another Maltese-Jones creation, Yosemite Sam (whose 'real' cartoon name was -- amazingly -- Samuel Michelangelo Rosenbaum), was designed as the alter-ego of Friz Freleng, a guy notorious for his volatile temper and short fuse. Maltese was similarly instrumental in the evolution of the Road Runner/Coyote cartoons, having devised the concept of the 'ultimate chase' inaugurated by the episode Fast and Furry-ous (1949). Maltese derived the Road Runner's famous sound from layout artist Paul Julian, who had a habit of shouting 'beep-beep' to get people to scurry out of his way while carrying large paintings through the halls and passages of 'Termite Terrace'. For One Froggy Evening (1955), Maltese co-created the top-hatted vaudevillian Michigan J. Frog, a character for whom he also wrote an original piece of music, 'The Michigan Rag'.
In 1958, Maltese departed Warner Brothers (for reasons unknown) to work for newcomers Hanna-Barbera. As head of their story department, he was charged with writing a half-hour episode each week, helping in the development and success of Quick Draw McGraw (1959) (he originated the catchphrase "Exit, stage right" -- or left -- voiced by Snagglepuss), The Yogi Bear Show (1961) and The Flintstones (1960).
Beginning in the 1940's, Maltese frequently sidelined as author of comic book stories for Sangor, Dell (Daffy Duck cartoons) and Western Publishing (often featuring Bugs Bunny, Road Runner/Coyote or Pink Panther). In addition to providing his voice to several Looney Tunes creations, he also appeared as a real-life security guard in You Ought to Be in Pictures (1940), chasing an animated Porky Pig around the studio lot. Maltese never won an Oscar, though he would have made a most deserving recipient. Three years after his retirement in 1973, he was finally honoured with a Winsor McKay Award for lifetime achievement in animation. Warner Brothers paid him a little homage with a Sylvester & Tweetie cartoon, The Maltese Canary (1995) (a send-up of the classic 'Maltese Falcon') in which a store is named 'Mike Maltese's canaries'.From the 1976 Annie Awards.- Director
- Producer
- Cinematographer
George Pal was born on February 1, 1908, in Cegled, Austria-Hungary. Later, when he was still a child, his stage-entertainer parents divorced, and he was raised by his grandparents.
In 1928, Pal graduated from the Budapest Academy of Arts with a degree in Architecture and highly developed drawing skills. There were no opportunities for an Architect when he left the University, so, putting his other talents to work, he found employment at Hunnia Films in Budapest. Later on, through his films, Pal became an architect of worlds, but first...
At Hunnia, Pal drew lobby posters and created embellished titles for silent movies. He also quickly learned the craft of motion picture cartooning.
In 1930, George married Elisabeth Josepha (Zsoka) Grandjean, with whom he later had two sons, David (born, 1937) and Peter (born, 1941). Seeking work with better pay, the young couple moved to Berlin, a center for film innovation. Pal's talents were soon noticed.
From 1931-1932, Pal worked at UFA Studios in Berlin where he became head of the cartoon department. Then, he set up his own film studio elsewhere in Berlin. His credentials attracted orders from companies for animated advertising. Instead of the cartoon approach, he developed his own take on making inanimate objects move, even dance, using the still evolving art of stop-motion photography. Advertisements featuring, for instance, Overstolz cigarettes, outfitted with faces, arms, and legs, were shown on theater screens strutting and singing as if drawn by a cartoonist. These "puppets" without strings would later evolve into animated characters made of wood who would have names and star in their own films.
When the Nazi regime installed itself in Germany, George and Zsoka left for Prague for a short time. Then it was on to Paris where they received an invitation from Sies Neuman, head of Philips Radio's advertising, to move to Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands, and work there. Before long, he had his own studio and made commercials for Dutch, English, and American firms.
It was in Eindhoven that George and American film maker, Dave Bader, invented a name for the three-dimensional cartoons that George was also now producing: "Puppetoons." George made many films in Holland, including "The Ship of the Ether." He changed his last name from Marczincsak to Pal, and, in 1937, George and Zsoka's first son, David, was born.
During the 1930s, George and Zsoka applied for an American emigration visa, only to be told each time that the small Hungarian quota was filled. Then, in 1939, the American consulate granted a visa for them and their young son to leave for New York.
First, Pal made a solo trip to New York. Not long after arriving, Columbia University offered him a lectureship on the process of making stop-motion films. Coincidentally, Barney Baliban, the president of Paramount Pictures' New York office, saw one of Pal's Puppetoon films at a party. He was so impressed by it that he contacted Pal and offered him a contract to make them for Paramount, either in New York or at their animation studio in Florida.
Pal returned to Holland and made arrangements for his family to leave Europe and move to America. Then, Frank Freeman, the President of Paramount Studios in Hollywood offered him a studio of his own and a staff of 25 film makers. The Pals arrived in New York early in 1940 and were soon settled in Beverly Hills, California.
In 1941, George and Zsoka's second son, Peter, was born.
From 1941 to 1947, Pal created more than 40 Puppetoon films, and received a special Academy Award in 1943. His studio staffers included Willis H. O'Brien, Ray Harryhausen, Wah Chang, and Gene Warren. He was also close friends with animation producer, Walter Lantz, as well as film pioneer, Walt Disney.
From 1948 to 1949, he began work on his first full-length motion pictures that combined live action with special photographic and sound effects. In the 1950s and 1960s, six of his films received Academy Awards. He worked with many gifted talents, including: director Byron Haskin; writers Robert A. Heinlein, Barré Lyndon, and David Duncan; cinematographers George Barnes, and Paul Vogel; visual-effects masters Gordon Jennings and his crew at Paramount, plus A. Arnold Gillespie, Wah Chang, and Gene Warren at MGM.
Pal also worked with sound-effects wizards Gene Garvin, Harry Lindgren, Franklin Milton, and Van Allen James; art directors Albert Nozaki, Hal Pereira, Ernst Fegté, and William Ferrari; film editors Everett Douglas and George Tomasini; composers Leith Stevens and Russell Garcia; space artist Chesley Bonestell; many animation craftsmen, including his son, David Pal, (who brought the elves to life in "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm") and Don Sahlin who would later go on to design the original Muppet characters; plus countless actors and actresses, many of whom are remembered to this day.
Throughout the 1970s, Pal worked on several film proposals, but only one was distributed. He passed away on May 2, 1980 while working on "The Voyage of the Berg" for AIP Filmways. It was never finished, but his other films endure.From the 1976 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Ward Kimball joined Disney Studios in 1934 as an animator. He eventually became involved in all aspects of animation production, most notably as the designer of Jiminy Cricket for the film "Pinocchio." He was also responsible for the redesign of Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney recognized Kimball's achievements by making him one of the "Nine Old Men", Disney's semi-official group of advisors. Kimball retired from Disney in 1972, but still maintained ties with the studio. He joined other leading Disney animators in 1978 for a whistle-stop tour to promote Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday. In addition to animation, Kimball was both an avid musician and train enthusiast. In 1948 he formed the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a Dixieland jazz band composed of fellow Disney employees. He also maintained a full-sized train and tracks at his home in California, and was a past president of the Train Collectors Association. Not only did his love of trains get him the job of designing the World of Motion display at EPCOT, it also got another train collector started--Walt Disney himself. Kimball received many honors during his lifetime, and in 1989 was named a Disney Legend.From the 1976 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
William Hanna was an animator, film director, and television producer. He was the co-founder of the company Hanna-Barbera, with his longtime partner Joseph Barbera.
Hanna was born in an Irish-American family, son of William John Hanna (1873-1949) and his wife Avice Joyce Denby. He was born in Melrose, New Mexico Territory, though the family never set root there. His father worked as a construction superintendent for railroads, water systems, and sewer systems. He was often re-assigned, requiring his family to move with him to new locations.
Hanna attended Compton High School in Compton California from 1925 to 1928. During his high school years, Hanna played the saxophone in a dance band. He developed a passion for music that would lead to him personally working on several theme songs for his animated work.
Hanna briefly attended Compton City College, studying both journalism and structural engineering. The Great Depression affected his family's financial situation, forcing him to drop out of college and seek work. He worked first as a construction engineer, then as a car wash employee. A family friend convinced him to seek a job for Leon Schlesinger's company "Pacific Title & Art Studio", which designed title cards for films. Though he lacked formal training, he displayed a talent for drawing. This helped him get hired at an upstart animation studio connected to Schlesinger, the Harman and Ising animation studio, which was producing the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" series. Hanna was promoted to head of their ink and paint department.
In 1933, the studio's heads (Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising) dissolved their business relationship with Schlesinger. Schesinger retained the rights to the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies", while Harman and Ising kept the rights to their popular character Bosko. Hanna followed them into their subsequent projects. By 1936, he was promoted to film director and directed a few short films in their "Happy Harmonies" film series.
In 1937, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stopped distributing animated films by Harman and Ising, and created their own animation subsidiary: the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio (1937-1957). They hired away most of the staff of the Harman and Ising studio, including Hanna. In 1938, Hanna became a senior director for the "Captain and the Kids" film series, an adaptation of the popular comic strip "The Katzenjammer Kids". The series failed to find an audience, and was terminated in 1939. Hanna was demoted from director to story-man.
During this period, Hanna started co-working with fellow animator Joseph Barbera on the idea of a film series featuring a cat-and-mouse duo. The two were allowed to co-direct the film "Puss Gets the Boot" (1940), introducing the characters of Tom and Jerry. The film was popular with critics and the audience, but studio head Fred Quimby was not initially interested in a full series with the characters. However, the commercial failure of other products of the studio convinced Quimby to try reusing Tom and Jerry. Hanna and Barbera were assigned their own production unit to work on the new series.
From 1940 to 1957, Hanna and Barbera co-directed 114 short films starring Tom and Jerry. The series was a critical and popular success, winning 7 Academy Awards and being nominated for other 7. In 1955, Fred Quimby retired, and Hanna and Barbera replaced him as studio heads. But by this time production costs for the films were high, while they were less profitable than before. MGM shut down the studio in 1957.
Hanna briefly partnered with animator Jay Ward in creating their own animation studio, called "Shield Productions". They parted ways before producing anything notable. Hanna next partnered with Barbera again, creating the company Hanna-Barbera Productions. Since the market for theatrical animated shorts was in decline, the duo intended to produce animation for television. They received partial funding from Screen Gems, in return for a distribution deal.
The studio's first television series was the moderately popular "The Ruff & Reddy Show". It was followed by the more successful "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "The Yogi Bear Show", which introduced popular characters and managed to attract an adult audience. Realising that there was a market for adult-oriented cartoons, Hanna and Barbera next developed the animated sitcom "The Flintstones", a parody of "The Honeymooners" with a Stone Age setting. It found success with both adult and juvenile audiences, helping the studio become the leader in television animation for most of the 1960s.
In 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions was sold to Taft Broadcasting for 12 million dollars. Hanna and Barbera continued serving as studio heads until 1991. In 1991, the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System, with Hanna and Barbera reduced to an advisory position. In 1996, the studio was sold to Time Warner, with Hanna remaining an advisor until his death in 2001.
In March 2001, Hanna died of esophageal cancer at his home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, He was 90-years-old. He was buried at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California. His legacy includes more than 100 animated series, multiple films and television specials, and a large number of enduring characters.From the 1977 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Joseph Roland Barbera was an American animator, film director, and television producer. He was the co-founder of the company Hanna-Barbera, with his longtime partner William Hanna.
Barbera was born in an Italian-American family. His parents were barbershop-owner Vincent Barbera (1889-1965) and Francesca Calvacca (1875-1969), both Italian immigrants from Sicily. Vincent was from the farming town of Castelvetrano, while Francesca was from the spa town of Sciacca (founded as the ancient Greek colony of Thermae).
Barbera was born in Little Italy, at the Lower East Side section of Manhattan. Months following his birth, Barbera's family moved to Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was mostly raised in Flatbush. Vincent Barbera grew prosperous for a while, but a gambling addiction led him to squander the family fortune. In 1926, Vincent abandoned his family, and Joseph was taken under the wing of his maternal uncle Jim Calvacca.
Barbera attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. During his high school years, he worked as a tailor's delivery boy. Meanwhile, he excelled in boxing and won a number of titles, but decided against becoming a professional boxer. He graduated high school in 1928, and started working odd jobs.
In 1929, Barbera first became interested in animation, after viewing Walt Disney's "The Skeleton Dance" (1929). Shortly after, he started working as a freelance cartoonist. Some of his print cartoons were published in Redbook, the Saturday Evening Post, and Collier's. Meanwhile Barbera took art classes at the Art Students League of New York and the Pratt Institute, hoping to improve his drawing skills.
Barbera was eventually hired as an inker and colorist by Fleischer Studios. In 1932, he was hired by the Van Beuren Studios as an animator and storyboard artist. At Van Beuren he worked on such film series as "Cubby Bear" and "Rainbow Parades". The studio's most prominent cartoon starts were a human duo known as "Tom and Jerry". Barbera worked on the Tom and Jerry series, and apparently liked the sound of the duo's name.
In 1936, Barbera left the financially struggling Van Beuren studio to work for Paul Terry's Terrytoons studio. In 1937, he left Terrytoons to work for the then-recently established Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio (1937-1957). MGM offered its animators higher salaries than what Terrytoons could offer. His first few years at the studio were not particularly notable. In 1939, he and co-worker William Hanna started working on the idea of a cat-and-mouse duo of characters. They were allowed to co-direct "Puss Gets the Boot" (1940), introducing the new duo of Tom and Jerry. It was critically and commercially successful, but studio head Fred Quimby was initially uninterested in producing a full series of Tom and Jerry films. The lack of success of other products of the studio convinced Quimby, and Barbera and Hanna became the head of their own production unit to work on the new series.
From 1940 to 1957, Hanna and Barbera co-directed 114 Tom and Jerry animated shorts. The Tom and Jerry series was very popular with critics and audience. But by the 1950s, production costs were high while the profitability of the shorts was lower than before. MGM decided to shut down its animation subsidiary. Barbera was unemployed for the first time in decades.
Barbera briefly partnered with Robert D. Buchanan (1931-) in production of an animated television series, the science fiction series "Colonel Bleep" (1957-1960). It was the first animated series specifically produced for color television. Barbera eventually left this partnership and teamed up with William Hanna again. They founded Hanna-Barbera Productions, their own animation studio. With theatrical animation in decline, they focused on the new market of television animation.
The studio's first television series was the moderately successful "The Ruff & Reddy Show". It was succeeded by the much more popular "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "The Yogi Bear Show". Survey's revealed that the two shows had attracted an adult audience, convincing Hanna and Barbera that they could market animation to adults. Their next series was the animated sitcom "The Flintstones" (1960-1966), popular with both children and adults. Its success helped establish Hanna-Barbera Productions as the leader in television animation.
In 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million dollars.Barbera and Hanna remained studio heads until 1991, when the studio was sold to the Turner Broadcasting System for an estimated 320 million million dollars. Barbera and Hanna were reduced to advisory positions, which would they keep for the rest of their lives. Barbera periodically worked on new Hanna-Barbera shows, and even provided input for the original live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo in 2002.
In 2001, Hanna-Barbera Productions was absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation. Barbera received executive producer credits for Warner Bros. sequels and adaptations of his old series (such as "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" and "Tom and Jerry Tales"). In 2005, Barbera co-directed a new Tom and Jerry short film: "The Karate Guard". Barbera then started work on a Tom and Jerry feature film, " Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale" (2007). He died before production was completed.
Barbera died in December 2006, at the age of 95. He had never fully retired and was still working at the time of his death. His legacy includes more than a 100 television series, and a large number of enduring characters.From the 1977 Annie Awards.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mel Blanc, known as "The Man of Thousand Voices" is regarded as the most prolific actor to ever work in Hollywood with over a thousand screen credits. He developed and performed nearly 400 distinct character voices with precision and a uniquely expressive vocal range. The legendary specialist from radio programs, television series, cartoon shorts and movie was rarely seen by his audience but his voice characterizations were famous around the world.
Blanc under exclusive contract until 1960 to Warner Brothers voiced virtually every major character in the Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies cartoon pantheon. Characters including Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Wile E. Coyote,The Roadrunner, Yosemite Sam, Sam the Sheepdog, Taz the Tazmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé la Pew, Charlie the Dog, Blacque Jacque Shellacque, Pussyfoot, Private Snafu among others were voiced by Blanc.
After 1960, Blanc continued to work for Warner Brothers but began to work for other companies once his exclusive contract ended. He worked for Hanna-Barbera voicing characters including Barney Rubble, Dino the Dinosaur, Cosmo Spacely, Secret Squirrel, Captain Caveman, Speed Buggy, Wally Gator among others. He provided vocal effects for Tom & Jerry in the mid 1960's working with fellow Warner Bros. alum, Chuck Jones at what would become MGM Animation. In the mid 1960's, Blanc originated and voiced Toucan Sam for the Kellogg's Fruit Loops commercials. He would later go to originate and voice Twiki for Buck Rogers and Heathcliff in the late 1970's and early 1980's.From the 1977 Annie Awards.- Director
- Special Effects
- Animation Department
Oskar Fischinger was born on 22 June 1900 in Gelnhausen, Hesse, Germany. He was a director, known for Woman in the Moon (1929), Orgelstäbe (1927) and A Quarter Hour of City Statistics (1933). He was married to Elfriede Fischinger. He died on 31 January 1967 in Hollywood, California, USA.Posthumously. From the 1977 Annie Awards.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Bill Scott was born on 2 August 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Bullwinkle Show (1959), Hoppity Hooper (1964) and The Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy (1966). He was married to Dorothy Scott. He died on 29 November 1985 in Tujunga, California, USA.From the 1977 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Actor
- Art Department
Milt Kahl was a veteran animator from San Francisco. He became one of "Disney's Nine Old Men", a board of supervising animators who headed the production staff of the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977.
In 1909, Kahl was born in San Francisco. His parents were the saloon bartender Erwin Kahl and his wife Grace. Kahl was one of several young animators hired by the Disney studio in the mid-1930s. He worked on the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), animating various forest animals. He is also thought to have worked in scenes involving the film's unnamed prince.
Kahl was noticed by the studio's executives while working in the subsequent film "Pinocchio" (1940). Kahl insisted that the eponymous sentient puppet should primarily look as a "cute little boy", and not as a real puppet. Kahl was allowed to design the film's version of Pinocchio, as a boy with a Tyrolean hat and Mickey Mouse-type gloves on his hands. Walt Disney embraced Kahl's vision and urged the writers to evolve Pinocchio into a more innocent figure that would match Kahl's design. In the film itself, Kahl animated several scenes involving Pinocchio himself, Jiminy Cricket, and Gepetto.
Kahl served as a supervising animator in "Bambi" (1942), working on scenes involving Bambi and Thumper. In "Saludos Amigos", Kahl animated a sequence which depicted Donald Duck riding a llama. Kahl was one of the animators in two segments of "Make Mine Music" (1946): "The Martins and the Coys" and "All the Cats Join In". Kahl directed the Tar Baby sequence in "Song of the South" (1946), a film adaptation of the short story "Tar-Baby" (1881) which featured a doll made of tar and turpentine. Kahl worked on the Bongo segment of the anthology film "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947). He was responsible for animating both the female lead Lulubelle and the villain Lumpjaw.
Kahl was one of the directing animators in the anthology film "Melody Time" (1948). He was responsible for the scenes depicting Johnny Appleseed, Johnny's guardian angel, Pecos Bill, Widowmaker (Pecos' horse), and Slue Foot Sue (Pecos' love interest). Kahl worked as a directing animator in both segments of the anthology film "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (1949). He worked on animating characters from both "The Wind in the Willows" (1908) by Kenneth Grahame and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820) by Washington Irving.
In "Cinderella" (1950), Kahl animated scenes involving the Fairy Godmother, the Prince Charming, the King, and the Grand Duke. In "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), Kahl was responsible for scenes involving Alice herself, the White Rabbit, and the Dodo. In "Peter Pan" (1953), Kahl animated scenes involving Peter Pan, Wendy Darling, John Darling, Michael Darling, Mr. Darling, Mrs. Darling, and their dog Nana. In "Lady and the Trump" (1955), Kahl worked on scenes involving Lady, the Tramp, and the supporting character Trusty.
In "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), Kahl animated the co-protagonist Prince Philip, and the supporting characters King Hubert and King Stefan. In "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961), Kahl worked on scenes involving the main characters Roger, Anita, Pongo, and Perdita. Kahl worked as both a directing animator and a character designer for the Arthurian film "The Sword in the Stone" (1963). Among several other characters, in this film, Kahl worked on scenes involving the witch Madame Mim.
In "The Jungle Book" (1967), Kahl worked on scenes involving most of the film's main characters, including Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, Shere Khan, King Louie, and, Kaa. In "The Aristocats" (1970), Kahl worked on scenes involving Thomas O'Malley, Duchess, Madame Bonfamille, and Edgar. In "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971), Kahl animated King Leonidas. In "Robin Hood" *(1973), Kahl worked on nearly every major character in the cast, including Robin Hood himself and Maid Marian.
In "The Rescuers" (1977), Kahl worked primarily on scenes involving the villain Madame Medusa and the orphan girl Penny. It was the last time Kahl was credited as a directing animator. Kahl went into semi-retirement in the late 1970s, though he is thought to have done uncredited work as a character designer in the early 1980s. Kahl was brought out of retirement during the production phase of "The Black Cauldron" (1985). The Disney studio wanted him to provide new character designs for Taran, Eilonwy, and Fflewddur Fflam.
In April 1987, Kahl died due to pneumonia. He was 78-years-old at the time of his death, and he had survived several of the other members of the Nine Old Men. In 2009, the centenary of his birth was celebrated with a tribute entitled "Milt Kahl: The Animation Michelangelo".From the 1977 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Jay Ward (born as Joseph Ward Cohen Jr.) was an American creator and producer of animated television series. He was the eponymous founder of the animation studio Jay Ward Productions (1948-), one of the earliest American studios to market its productions to television audiences. Ward co-created "Crusader Rabbit" (1950-1959), the first animated series produced specifically for television. His subsequent productions included "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends" (1959-1964), "Hoppity Hooper" (1964-1967), "George of the Jungle" (1967), and "The Dudley Do-Right Show" (1969-1970). In the 1960s, Ward's studio started producing animated television commercials for the Quaker Oats Company. Its best known project in this field were the commercials featuring the cartoon mascot Cap'n Crunch, depicted as an 18th-century naval captain.
In 1920, Ward was born in San Francisco. His parents were Joseph Ward Cohen (1890-1967) and his wife Mercedes Juanita Troplong Ward (1892-1972). He was primarily raised in Berkeley California, and his family name had changed to "Ward" by his teen years. He attended the Frances E. Willard Intermediate School in Berkeley.
Ward received his college education at the University of California, Berkeley, and gained an undergraduate degree. He pursued further studies at the Harvard Business School, graduating in 1947 with a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Following his graduation, Ward opened his first real estate office. It was profitable, but Ward was soon injured when a runaway truck crashed into his office building.
During his recuperation period, decided to invest profits from his real estate business into opening a new animation studio. He partnered up with the animator Alex Anderson (1920-2010), who was his childhood friend. Anderson had previous experience working with the animation studio Terrytoons (1929-1972), and happened to be a nephew of the studio founder Paul Terry (1887-1971).
Ward and Anderson developed the pilot film "The Comic Strips of Television" to market a new group of characters to television producers. The characters included Crusader Rabbit (a short but intelligent adventurer), Hamhock Bones (a parody version of Sherlock Holmes) and Dudley Do-Right (a bumbling Canadian Mountie). Nobody was interested in Hamhock and Dudley, but producer Jerry Fairbanks (1904-1995) was interested in financing an entire series about Crusader. Ward and Anderson produced the first seasons of the Crusader Rabbit series from 1950 to 1952, developing Rags the Tiger as Crusader's dimwitted sidekick. The episodes followed a comedy adventure format, with cliffhangers at the end of each episode. This version of the series lasted for 195 episodes.
In 1953, Fairbanks declared bankruptcy. His inventory of filmed, low-budget productions from past decades was considered outdated, and he could not find a market for it. Ward and Anderson entered a legal battle in an attempt to secure their rights to the "Crusader Rabbit" series, but lost. When the series was revived in 1956, a new producer had hired a different production team. By that time, Ward was trying to develop the script for a new series. It was to be called "The Frostbite Falls Revue" , and was intended to feature an entire cast of eccentric characters. This project never materialized, but two characters developed for it became the next big stars for Ward's animation studio: Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose.
Ward found television success with the "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends", which recycled some of the adventure comedy ideas from "Crusader Rabbit". The new series benefited from having a talented group of animators working of it (Ward had hired veterans from the United Productions of America/UPA), from its witty scripts by Bill Scott, Chris Hayward, and Allan Burns, and from its frequent use of self-referential humor.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ward's animation studio largely ended its production of new animated series. Ward had recurring problems with finding network executives interested in his ideas, while his television commercials were a more stable source of profit for the studio. Ward also operated his own gift shop, "Dudley Do-Right Emporium" (1971-2005). It marketed toys and souvenirs based on the studio's past productions.
Ward died in October 1989, due to renal cancer. He was 69-years-old at the time of his death. His family continued operating the studio and the gift store for several years.From the 1978 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Visual Effects
Ub Iwerks worked as a commercial artist in Kansas City in 1919 when he met Walt Disney who was in the same profession. When Disney decided to form an animation company, Ub Iwerks was the first employee he had due to his skill at fast drawing as well as being a personal friend.
When Charles Mintz raided Disney's animation studio and stole the rights to their character Oswald the Rabbit, Ub was the only associate to remain with Disney. He served as the principal animator for the first Mickey Mouse shorts and Silly Symphonies. Iwerks was so prominent in the production of these shorts that it was speculated that Ub was the dominant force behind the success of Disney Productions. The combination of Iwerks' rising ambitions, occasional differences with Walt and a tempting deal with Pat Powers to finance his own studio prompted him to break away in 1930. His studio was never a tenth of the artistic or financial success that Disney was. He simply did not have the creative talents of his partner and his characters, Flip the Frog and Willy Whopper were rather dull failures. His studio was closed in 1936 when Powers withdrew his support. He worked for Columbia starting in 1938 and worked for two years until he decided to return to Disney. The two men never commented on their renewed relationship but the reunion was mutually beneficial. Iwerks was able to abandon animation and concentrate on technical development which helped create many of the special effects that the Disney company excelled in for decades, especially concerning the live action animation combination sequences in Song of the South (1946) and Mary Poppins (1964).Posthumously. From the 1978 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Animation Department
- Director
Dick Huemer was born on 2 January 1898 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on 30 November 1979 in Burbank, California, USA.From the 1978 Annie Awards.- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Carl Stalling is the most famous unknown composer of the 20th century, almost solely based on his work composing musical scores for animated cartoons. Stalling's first work in music was as house organist in Newman Theatre in Kansas City, where he would accompany the latest silent film with his organ playing. He soon came to the attention of fellow Kansan Walt Disney, who recruited Stalling as musical director for his fledgling animation company. At Disney, Stalling invented the "tick" method, a timing device that allows animators to set the tempo of the cartoons, so that the musicians can play along before the cartoon is even drawn! Stalling created the music for Disney's early "Silly Symphonies", including The Skeleton Dance (1929). Stalling left Disney in 1930 to join the new animation group at Warner Brothers. The advantage for Stalling was that he now had access to Warner's enormous library of popular songs, which he began to employ as a sort of musical pun. For example, any scene showing someone freezing would be accompanied by a bit of "Am I Blue?", or any shot of a country bumpkin would be followed by a few bars of "Arkansas Traveller." Stalling's main source of musical inspiration, however, were the works of Raymond Scott; Scott's "Powerhouse" theme is forever linked with Stalling's work for Warners. Stalling was a quiet man, granting only one interview about his work (for "Funnyworld" magazine). For a better appreciation of his work, fans should get the two "Stalling Projects" CDs.Posthumously. From the 1978 Annie Awards.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Hans Conried was born in Baltimore and raised both there and in New York City. He studied acting at Columbia University, and played many major classical roles onstage. After having been a member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre Company, he was heard as Prof. Kropotkin on the radio show "My Friend Irma" and had various roles on the "Edgar Bergen - Charlie McCarthy Show". He was in the original cast of Cole Porter's 1953 Broadway hit "Can-Can" and stayed with the show for more than a year. Known for his sharp wit, Conried was in demand as an actor, panelist and narrator, appearing frequently in television series and movies throughout the 1960s and 1970s.From the 1978 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Art Department
Clyde Geronimi was born on 12 June 1901 in Chiavenna, Lombardy, Italy. He was a director, known for Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). He died on 24 April 1989 in Newport Beach, California, USA.From the 1979 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Producer
- Actor
Bill Melendez was born on 15 November 1916 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. He was a producer and actor, known for A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968). He was married to Helen Antionette Huhn. He died on 2 September 2008 in Santa Monica, California, USA.From the 1979 Annie Awards.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Her Orthodox Jewish family was totally averse to her having an entertainment career. Her parents and grandparents forced her to leave the Theatre Guild school (New York) while still a teenager and had their wills drawn up accordingly so as to discourage this career choice.
Studied drama at Columbia University, and belonged to the American Theatre Wing.
When Mae was 17 and living in the South Bronx, she won a local contest to find the girl who most resembled Helen Kane, a popular singer known as the "Boop-Oop-A-Doop Queen". She was promptly signed by an agent and began performing in the Vaudeville circuit. Billing herself as "Mae Questel - Personality Singer of Personality Songs," she performed dead-on vocal imitations of Maurice Chevalier, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West and of course Helen Kane, among many others. Her mimic talent also provided duck, dog, chicken, owl, monkey, lion and baby sounds for radio shows.
Betty Boop creator Max Fleischer heard Mae doing her "boop-oop-a-doop" routine and hired her to do the character's voice in 1931. She served as the voice on more than 150 Betty Boop animated shorts until the character was retired in 1939. Her recording of "On The Good Ship Lollipop" sold more than 2 million during the Depression.
Best known as the voice of "Betty Boop", she was also the voice of not-so-less-famous "Olive Oyl" in the Popeye cartoons, as well as the toddler Swee'pea and others. She did Popeye's voice once, in the cartoon Shape Ahoy (1945), because Jack Mercer was serving in the military during World War II. Her versatility is probably better appreciated in the cartoon Never Kick a Woman (1936) in which she provides the quivery, nervous-Nellie voice of Olive Oyl, based on comedic actress Zasu Pitts, and the deep, assured, alluring voice of the blonde saleswoman, based on Mae West.
In 1968, the City of Indianapolis honored her with a "Mae Questel Day". In 1979, she won the Troupers Award for outstanding contribution to entertainment.From the 1979 Annie Awards.- Director
- Additional Crew
- Animation Department
Cartoonist Otto Messmer was born in Union City (then known as West Hoboken), NJ, on Aug. 16, 1892. He showed an aptitude for drawing as early as grammar school, and his teachers encouraged him to follow that path. After graduating he took a correspondence course in art and attended the Thomas School of Art in New York City. He took a job with an advertising agency, illustrating fashion catalogs, but never lost his passion for drawing. One day his brother took him to a vaudeville act that showed the films of pioneering animator Winsor McCay and Messmer knew what career path he was going to follow. He began drawing his own comic strips and submitting them to newspapers. He also applied to several animation studios in New York for work as a set painter. Producer Jack Cohn at Universal saw Messmer's comic strips, however, liked them and hired him as an animator.
Messmer devised a character called "Motor Mat", a daredevil race driver, and brought it to Cohn. Cohn showed it to well-known animators Pat Sullivan and Henry 'Hy' Mayer, who were so impressed with it that they both asked Messmer to work with them. Messmer chose Mayer and helped him animate his series "The Travels of Teddy", based on the exploits of Mayer's friend Theodore Roosevelt. After Messmer finished that project he went to work for Pat Sullivan. Unfortunately for both of them, Sullivan was arrested for rape in 1917, convicted and sentenced to two years in prison. Messmer went back to Hy Mayer, but was soon drafted into the army and fought in World War I, returning to the US in 1919. By that time Sullivan was out of prison, and the two went back to making animated films.
Later that year Sullivan and Messmer received an order from Paramount Screen Magazine, which made news, travelogue and cartoon shorts, to create a cartoon character (the animator it had originally contracted with was late turning it in) and Sullivan told Messmer to do it on his own. Messmer made the character a sassy, all-black cat and called the cartoon "Feline Follies". It was quite successful and Paramount ordered an entire series of the cat's adventures. Messmer originally called the character "Master Tom" but by the third entry in the series the name had changed to Felix (a combination of "feline" and "felicity").
In 1921 Paramount Pictures decided to close down its Screen Magazine division, and Sullivan managed to get back the rights to Felix the Cat, which had actually belonged to Paramount (even though Sullivan's studio had created it). He then went to Warner Bros. to try to get a distribution deal, but the studio wasn't interested. However, M.J. Winkler, the secretary to Harry Warner, was interested and she and Sulivan eventually signed a production/distribution deal for the Felix the Cat series.
The first entry under the deal was Felix Saves the Day (1922), and it wasn't long before the series was an even bigger hit than it was under Paramount, even managing to secure distribution in Canada. The Messmer/Winkler Felix cartoons were praised for their imagination, humor, puns and intelligence. The success of the series resulted in the company securing an international distribution deal in 1922 that required more than double the number of entries from the previous year, with the resultant expansion of the studio.
Felix was a huge hit with the public, which took him to heart. In 1923 the company turned Felix into a comic strip, which ran until 1943. The strip was popular, but never achieved the status of the cartoons. In addition, the international distribution made the character a worldwide hit.
Felix's popularity began to wane with the coming of sound. Rather than jump wholeheartedly into sound cartoons, as Walt Disney did, Sullivan simply added sound effects to some new Felix films (and went back and did the same to some older entries). The result was shoddy and not up to the standards of the Disney sound cartoons. By 1931 Felix had been eclipsed by a new character, which incorporated both sound effects and dialogue as integral parts of the film, and not just add-ons: Mickey Mouse.
Television revived Felix's career, and new cartoons were created especially for that medium. This time he didn't carry the films alone--he was accompanied by his bulldog Rock Bottom, the eccentric Professor, his somewhat nerdy nephew Poindexter and his "Magic Bag of Tricks".
Otto Messmer died on October 28, 1983, in Fort Lee, NJ, at 91 years of age.From the 1979 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Actor
- Art Department
Oliver Martin "Ollie" Johnston was an American animator from Palo Alto, California. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators which supervised production at the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. By the time of his death in 2008, Johnston was the last surviving member of the group. Johnston co-wrote the reference book "Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life" (1981), where he explained the twelve basic principles of animation. He helped to both preserve and popularize the knowledge of the techniques that were developed at the Disney studio over several decades.
In 1912, Johnston was born in Palo Alto, California. His father was Oliver Johnston, a professor at Stanford University. The younger Johnston attended Palo Alto High School. He received his college education at Stanford University, where he worked on the campus humor magazine "Stanford Chaparral". He befriended a co-worker at the magazine, the aspiring animator Frank Thomas (1912-2004). The two remained close friends until Thomas' death in the early 2000s.
In his senior year at college, Johnston transferred to the Chouinard Art Institute (1921-1970), a professional art school located in Los Angeles. Johnston was hired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios c. 1934. He served as an uncredited inbetweener in several Mickey Mouse short films, and as an assistant animator in the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937).
After being promoted to a regular animator, Johnston's first major assignment was to animate the sentient puppet Pinocchio in the feature film "Pinocchio" (1940). Johnston animated the Centaurettes (female centaurs) and the Cupids in the "Pastoral Symphony" segment of "Fantasia" (1940).Johnston animated the key scene of the death of Bambi's mother in "Bambi" (1942). He animated "The Flying Gauchito" segment of "The Three Caballeros" (1944). He animated both the "Peter and the Wolf" and the "Casey at the Bat" segments of "Make Mine Music" (1946). Johnston animated Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear in "Song of the South" (1946). He animated Jiminy Cricket in "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947). He animated both Johnny Appleseed and his guardian angel in "Melody Time" (1948).
Johnston served as a directing animator in "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (1949). He also animated most of the film's major characters, including J.Thaddeus Toad, Ichabod Crane, Katrina Von Tassel, and Brom Bones. Johnston again served as a directing animator in "Cinderella" (1950). He was also the supervising animator for Cinderella's bratty stepsisters, Drizella Tremaine and Anastasia Tremaine. Johnston was tasked with animating Alice and the King of Hearts in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951). He animated the inept pirate Mr. Smee in "Peter Pan" (1953), with the character depicted as Captain Hook's first mate and personal assistant. Johnston animated the sentient dogs Lady, Jock and Trusty in "Lady and the Tramp". Johnston animated the heroic fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather in "Sleeping Beauty" (1959).
Jonston served as the directing animator for the sentient dog Perdita "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961). He animated the wizard Merlin, his student Wart/Arthur, and the wizard's familiar Archimedes in "The Sword in the Stone" (1963). Johnston animated the penguins in "Mary Poppins" (1964). He served as the directing animator for Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo, and Mowgli's unnamed love interest in "The Jungle Book" (1967).
Johnston served as the directing animator for most of the major characters in "The Aristocats" (1970), including Duchess, Thomas O' Malley, and the kittens Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse. He also served as a directing animating for most of the major characters in "Robin Hood" (1973), including Prince John, Sir Hiss, Maid Marian, and Lady Cluck. Johnston animated Winnie the Pooh and Piglet in "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977). Johnston served as the directing animator for the co-protagonists Bernard and Bianca, and for the orphan girl Penny in "The Rescuers" (1977).
Johnston served as the supervising animator for the younger versions of the co-protagonists Tod and Copper in "The Fox and the Hound" (1981). This was his last involvement in the production of a Disney feature film. Following his retirement from Disney, Johnston started writing non-fiction about animation and its techniques. He served on the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute during the 1980s and the 1990s. In November 2005, Johnston received the prestigious National Medal of Arts by the then President of the United States George Walker Bush (1946-, term 2001-2009).
In April 2008, Johnston died of natural causes. He was 95-years-old at the time of his death, and he had survived many of his colleagues at Disney. Theodore Thomas featured biographical information on Johnston in the documentary films "Frank and Ollie"(1995) and "Growing up with Nine Old Men" (2012). Johnston is still fondly recalled by fans of traditional animation.From the 1980 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Writer
- Actor
Frank Thomas was born on 5 September 1912 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Iron Giant (1999), The Incredibles (2004) and The Aristocats (1970). He was married to Jeanette A. Thomas. He died on 8 September 2004 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.From the 1980 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Actor
- Script and Continuity Department
Cal Howard was born on 24 March 1911 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Gulliver's Travels (1939), The Adventures of Superpup (1958) and Valentine's Day (1964). He died on 10 September 1993 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.From the 1980 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Actor
- Art Department
One of the finest background artists employed on creating the Looney Tunes & Merry Melodies cartoons for Warner Brothers began his career as a respected muralist in Southern California. A prodigy as an arts student, Julian graduated from the prestigious Chouinard Art Institute in Pasadena. After winning first prize at the California State Fair he began to exhibit paintings on maritime themes. However, his reputation rested on a series of murals under the Work Projects Administration, funded by the New Deal. In October 1939, Julian landed a job in Los Angeles as layout and background artist at Leon Schlesinger's animation studio, "Termite Terrace". Assigned primarily to Friz Freleng's unit, he became highly regarded for his colourful, modernist city-scape paintings for Sylvester & Tweety cartoons, as well as for Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck shorts. Many of the classic episodes he worked on are instantly familiar: Racketeer Rabbit (1946), I Taw a Putty Tat (1948), Buccaneer Bunny (1948), Bad Ol' Putty Tat (1949) , Golden Yeggs (1950), Bunker Hill Bunny (1950) and Ballot Box Bunny (1951), just to name a few.
Carrying bulky paintings through narrow studio passageways or across sound stages, Julian had a habit of warning people to stay out his path by shouting "hmeep-hmeep" (often misheard as "beep-beep"). This characteristic sound was famously adopted by the writer Michael Maltese as the trademark noise made by the Road Runner character and was recorded at various speeds during a single audio session by Julian himself. Since Julian was not affiliated with the Screen Actor's Guild, he did not receive screen credit.
In 1951, Julian joined United Productions of America (UPA), where he worked on anything from military training films and educational or commercial projects, to 'Mr. Magoo' cartoons. The following decade saw him at Hanna-Barbera Productions as background painter and graphic designer (notably on The Herculoids (1967)). Right up to the mid-1980's, Julian's artistry continued to enliven regular Bugs Bunny/Road Runner specials. He was also credited as full art director on the classic animated feature Charlotte's Web (1973).From the 1980 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Art Department
Laverne Harding was born on 10 October 1905 in Louisiana, USA. She is known for Journey Back to Oz (1972), The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (1972) and Treasure Island (1973). She died on 25 September 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA.From the 1980 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Animation Department
- Art Department
T. Hee was born on 26 March 1911 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He was a writer, known for Pinocchio (1940), Variety Girl (1947) and The Parent Trap (1961). He was married to Patti Price. He died on 30 October 1988 in Carbon County, Montana, USA.From the 1981 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Animation Department
- Art Department
Bill Peet was born on 29 January 1915 in Grandview, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for Cinderella (1950), Dumbo (1941) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). He was married to Margaret Brunst. He died on 11 May 2002 in Studio City, California, USA.From the 1981 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Producer
- Director
Often cited as one of the greatest animators of all time, Vladimir 'Bill' Tytla was born of Ukrainian immigrant parentage in Yonkers, New York, in October 1904. His close-knit family strongly supported his artistic inclinations. By the tender age of nine he had become set on his course after attending a screening of Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) (a creation by America's first successful pioneer animator, Winsor McCay, filmed for use in his vaudeville act). Emotionally volatile and prone to truancy, Tytla studied briefly at the New York Evening School of Industrial Design but yearned for work in his chosen field. In 1920, he was hired to write title cards for Paramount animations, at six days a week for $1.50 a day. His prodigious output earned him the nickname "Tytla the Titler". His first gigs as animator were on Mutt & Jeff cartoons for the Barré-Bowers Studio in the Bronx and for Paul Terry in Greenwich Village, bringing to life 'Aesop's Fables'. Dissatisfied with the poor standard of animation at 'Terrytoons', Tytla traveled abroad in 1928 and spent eighteen months in Europe touring countless museums and galleries and attending art classes. He studied sculpture (under the French master Charles Despiau) and painting (significantly influenced by the works of Dutch renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder). He returned to New York with more strings to his bow and immediately slotted in to his old job as a more accomplished and sophisticated animator. A colleague, Art Babbitt, became one of his closest friends. When Babbitt joined the Disney Organisation in 1932, he urged Tytla to follow. Two years later, Tytla traded in his job security at 'Terrytoons', moved to the West Coast to join Disney as a bona fide animator, albeit at a reduced salary. Before long, Tytla gained a reputation as one of the fastest and best draftsmen in the business. Over time, he acquired a new, rather more complimentary, sobriquet as "The Michelangelo of Animation".
One of Tytla's great strengths was an intuitive flair for character animation and for imbuing his creations with feeling. There was also a three dimensional quality to his work, very much the product of his new-found expertise in sculpture. As chief animator of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), he created both Doc and Grumpy. He also brought to life the villainous puppet master Stromboli in Pinocchio (1940), the monstrous demon Chernabog in Fantasia (1940), the delightful Jose Carioca and Pedro the Mail Plane in Saludos Amigos (1942), and, perhaps most memorably, the baby elephant Dumbo (1941) (plus his assorted fellow pachyderms). Had it not been for joining a strike action (led by his friend Babbitt) by 300 members of the Cartoonists Guild in support of better wages and film credits for assistants and production staff, Tytla may have seen out his career at Disney. As it turned out, the strike led to bitter acrimony between management and union supporters. Babbitt was fired in 1941, having incurred Walt Disney's lasting wrath. Following a lengthy legal case, he was briefly reinstated for a year. Like Babbitt, Tytla began to feel uncomfortable in this divisive environment and left the company in 1943. He was later to regret that decision. Back at his old stomping grounds at 'Terrytoons' and Paramount, he became more and more dissatisfied with modernist trends and methodologies in animation, plus lower-than-ever standards. This added to the law of diminishing returns in his own work. By the 1950's, Tytla was working on television commercials for Tempo Productions in New York's 'Animation Alley'. He briefly headed his own production company by the end of the decade, but business acumen had never been his forte and the venture failed. The last few years of his life were marred by ill-health, including blindness in his left eye. He died on his Connecticut dairy farm in December 1968. Tytla's contributions to animation were indelible. In his own words, the key ingredient being "the feeling and vitality you get into the work".Posthumously. From the 1981 Annie Awards.- Director
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John Whitney Sr. was born on 8 April 1917 in Pasadena, California, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Matrix I (1971), Matrix II (1971) and Matrix III (1972). He died on 22 September 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.From the 1981 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
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Ken Harris was for 26 years one of the outstanding animators at Warner Brothers. He had no formal art school qualifications -- which effectively precluded him from working for Disney -- having started his career as a sports cartoonist for the "Los Angeles Examiner" and the "Evening Express". His training came courtesy of the genial Robert McKimson at Leon Schlesinger's 'Termite Terrace', where he was first hired as an 'inbetweener' in June 1935. By 1938, Harris had worked his way up from assistant to fully-fledged animator. Assigned to the Chuck Jones unit, he animated the original illustrations of Jones (and, later, those of Maurice Noble), turning out a succession of fast-paced, humorous cartoons, filled with satire, puns and in-jokes. Harris was a master at spacing and timing, of achieving perfect plasticity of movement. He collaborated on many of the classic Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies episodes (often capably assisted by Abe Levitow), including the first instalment of the Coyote/Road Runner series (Fast and Furry-ous (1949)). Other standout contributions must include The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950), Rabbit Fire (1951), Duck Amuck (1953), Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953), One Froggy Evening (1955) and What's Opera, Doc? (1957). Harris remained loyal to Jones and followed him to MGM (1963-66) to animate 'Tom & Jerry' cartoons after the dissolution of the Warner Brothers animation department. In the 70's, Harris resumed working for Warner Brothers on frequent Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck specials. He also became lead animator for the Richard Williams studio in London, notably creating the title sequence of The Return of the Pink Panther (1975). A year before his death in 1982, he was made a recipient of animation's highest accolade, the Winsor McKay Lifetime Achievement Award.From the 1981 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
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Ken Anderson was born on 17 March 1909 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He was a writer, known for Cinderella (1950), Robin Hood (1973) and The Aristocats (1970). He was married to Polly Anderson. He died on 13 December 1993 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.From the 1982 Annie Awards.- Director
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Bruno Bozzetto was born on 3 March 1938 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. He is a director and writer, known for Allegro non troppo (1976), La cabina (1973) and Self Service (1974).From the 1982 Annie Awards.- Actress
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Legendary voice actress June Foray was born June Lucille Forer on September 18, 1917 in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Maurice Forer and Ida Edith Robinson, who wed in Hampden, Massachusetts. Her father, who was Jewish, emigrated from Novgorod, Imperial Russia, while her Massachusetts-born mother was of Lithuanian Jewish and French-Canadian descent. Her mother converted to Judaism to marry, and took the name Sarah.
At age 12, young June was already doing "old lady" voices. She had the good fortune of having a speech teacher who also had a radio program in the Springfield area. This teacher became her mentor, and added June to the cast of her show. Eventually her family moved to Los Angeles, where she continued in radio. By age fifteen, she was writing her own show for children, "Lady Makebelieve", in which she also provided voices. June dabbled in both on-camera acting and voice work, but was particularly talented in voice characterizations, dialects and accents. Just like Daws Butler, one of her later co-stars, she was a "voice magician" and worked steadily in radio from the 1930s into the 1950s.
June branched out from radio and began providing voices for cartoon characters. In the 1940s, she provided the voices for a live-action series of shorts, "Speaking of Animals", in which she dubbed in voices for real on-screen animals, a task she was to repeat many years later in an episode of The Magical World of Disney (1954). In the late 1940s June, Stan Freberg, Daws Butler, Pinto Colvig and many others recorded hundreds of children's and adult albums for Capitol Records. Her female characterizations on these records ran the entire gamut from little girls to middle-aged women, old ladies, dowagers and witches. No one seemed to be able to do these same voices with the warmth, energy and sparkle that June did.
In the 1950s June's star in animation not only began to rise but soared when Walt Disney sought her out and hired her to do the voice of Lucifer the cat in Cinderella (1950). The Disney organization continued to use June many times over, well into the 21st century. Warner Brothers also hired her to replace Bea Benaderet and do all of its "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoons. June has done many incidental characters for Warners, but her most famous voice has been that of Granny (in the "Tweety and Sylvester" series). Unfortunately, since Mel Blanc's contract called for exclusive voice credit on these cartoons, June never received credit for all the voices she did. During this time she also appeared on [error].
In 1957, Jay Ward met with June to discuss her voicing the characters of "Rocky the Flying Squirrel" and "Natasha Fatale" in a cartoon series. On November 19, 1959, the show debuted as The Bullwinkle Show (1959), later changing its name to The Bullwinkle Show (1959). June provided many other voices for this show, especially its "side shows" such as "Fractured Fairy Tales" and "Aesop and Son". She did fewer voices for the "Peabody's Improbable History" segment, but she did appear in at least three of those episodes. After the show had been successful for a few years, Ward added one of its most popular segments, "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties". June was a regular in this side show as Dudley's girlfriend Nell Fenwick.
Since Ward used June exclusively for nearly all his female voices, he showcased her talents as no other producer had before. June missed out on doing voices for three of the show's "Fractured Fairy Tales" because she could not reschedule some bookings to do recording work with Stan Freberg, so Julie Bennett filled in for her on those occasions. Dorothy Scott--co-producer Bill Scott's wife--also filled in for June a few times for "Peabody's Improbable History". Her collaboration with Ward made her incredibly famous, and "Rocky the Flying Squirrel" became her signature voice. To this day June regularly wears a necklace with the figure of Rocky sculpted by her niece Lauren Marems.
Ward later produced two other cartoon series, Hoppity Hooper (1964) and George of the Jungle (1967). June's appearances on "Hoppity Hooper" were limited to the segments of "Fractured Fairy Tales", "Dudley Do-Right" and "Peabody" that aired during its run. On "Fractured Fairy Tales" June did a whole montage of voices similar to those from her Capitol Records days. Her witch voices were so incredibly funny and magnificently done that Disney and Warner Brothers tapped her to provide that same voice for the character of Witch Hazel. She was once again the lone female voice artist, this time on "George of the Jungle". Included on that show were the "Super Chicken" and "Tom Slick" side shows.
In the 1960s, June lost out to Bea Benaderet when she auditioned for the voice of "Betty Rubble" on The Flintstones (1960). June appeared numerous times during the decade in holiday specials such as Frosty the Snowman (1969) and The Little Drummer Boy (1968)). In the 1960s and 1970s, June dubbed in voices for full-length live-action feature films many times. Jay Ward and Bill Scott also had her dub in dialogue for silent movies in their non-animated series Fractured Flickers (1963).
In the early 1970s, June tried her hand at puppetry. She became the voice of an elephant, an aardvark and a giraffe on Curiosity Shop (1971). Around this time she also recorded various voices for the road shows of "Disney on Parade", which toured the US and Europe for several years.
She acted on-camera occasionally over the years, primarily on talk shows, game shows and documentaries; in the early years of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), she performed a 13-week stint as a little Mexican girl. However, June had said that she prefers to record behind the scenes because she jokingly said "She can earn more money in less time."
June Foray died on July 26, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. She was ninety nine years old.From the 1982 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
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Marc Davis was an American animator from Bakersfield, California. He was a member of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators who supervised the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. Davis was nicknamed as "Disney's Ladies' Man", because he was often asked to design and/or animate the primary female characters in Disney's feature films. His most significant characters were Snow White in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), Bambi, Faline, and Flower in "Bambi" (1942), Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear in "Song of the South" (1946), Bongo in "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947), Mr. Toad and the villainous weasels in "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (1949), Cinderella in "Cinderella" (1950), Alice in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), Tinker Bell and Mrs. Darling in "Peter Pan" (1953), Aurora, Maleficent, and Diablo the Raven in "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), and Cruella De Vil and Anita in "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961).
Davis took up drawing as a hobby during his childhood. He noted that his drawings increased his popularity with other kids, and that even the bullies stopped bothering him. Deciding to become a professional artist, Davis received training at the Kansas City Art Institute, the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He habitually sketched zoo animals for practice, and studied animal anatomy to improve the accuracy of his depictions.
In 1935, Davis was one of several young animators hired by Disney during the production phase of the studio's first animated feature film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). He soon demonstrated a talent for developing "three-dimensional characters and storytelling", which set him apart from other animators. Which is why he was assigned to draw "difficult-to-draw" human characters, rather than caricatures. He always aimed "to put personality into the characters", in order to make them appealing to the film's audience. He typically used reference images for his characters, and at times emulated the gestures and expressions of the characters' voice actors. One of his most challenging assignments was animating the silent character of Tinker Bell. He had to express the character's sass and personality through pantomime and facial expression alone.
In 1956, Davis married the costume designer Alice Estes (1929-2022). They had previously been working together in developing suitable clothing for the character of Aurora, and their professional relationship preceded their romantic relationship. Soon after their wedding, Disney introduced her to the studio head Walt Disney. Walt eventually hired Alice to design costumes for Disney's live-action productions.
In the early 1960s, Davis left Disney's animation studio. He transferred to WED Enterprises (later renamed to Walt Disney Imagineering), the subsidiary company responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions. Davis helped in the design and creation of several attractions, including "The Jungle Cruise" (1955), "Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland" (1960), "The Enchanted Tiki Room" (1963), "Ford's Magic Skyway" (1964), "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" (1964), "The Carousel of Progress" (1964), "It's a Small World" (1964), "Pirates of the Caribbean" (1967), "The Haunted Mansion" (1969), "The Country Bear Jamboree" (1971), and "America Sings" (1974).
Davis worked in the early 1970s in developing an attraction called "Western River Expedition", which would serve as a historical recreation of the Western expansion of the United States. This attraction was never built, but elements of Davis' designs were later used in developing the attractions called "Tom Sawyer Island", "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad", "Splash Mountain", "Thunder Mesa", "Phantom Manor", and "Expedition Everest".
Davis retired in 1978, at the age of 65. In 1982, Davis won a Winsor McCay Award for his contributions to animation. In 1985, Davis won the Golden Award of the organization Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists. In 1989, he was inducted to the hall of fame Disney Legends. In 1993, Davis received an award by the Disneyana Fan Club. Davis died in January 2000, at the age of 86. Shortly following his death, the Marc Fraser Davis Scholarship Fund was formally established at the California Institute of the Arts.
Davis' career and artwork were the subject of the biographical book "Marc Davis: Walt Disney's Renaissance Man" (2014) by Disney Editions. The book was followed by the sequel "Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Parks" (2020), which focused on his theme park designs. Though long gone, Davis remains popular among fans of traditional animation.From the 1982 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
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Eric Cleon Larson was born on September 3, 1905 in Cleveland, Utah, to Peter and Nora Larson. In 1915 his family moved to Salt Lake City, where he became interested in journalism and also secretly took drawing lessons. In 1925, he entered the University of Utah, later moving to Los Angeles to look for a job in journalism and writing, unfortunately unsuccessfully. He then decided to rekindle his ambition to become an artist, and was offered a job at Walt Disney Productions in 1933, as an `in-betweener'. Later the same year, he married Gertrude Jannes (although sadly, the couple remained childless).
Animator Hamilton Luske recognized Larson's talent and promoted him to assistant animator; Luske, who had joined the studio two years previously, later became his mentor. Further promotion followed, with Eric as animator on Walt Disney's first feature length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937); along with future veteran animators Milt Kahl and James Algar, he animated the forest animals that followed Snow White throughout. In 1940, he was promoted to animation director for Pinocchio (1940), and in that film he created the kitten, Figaro, who became one of his favorite characters. In Fantasia (1940), he created the centaurs and the horses in the "Pastoral Symphony" segment of the musical feature.
By 1942, he had become a supervising animator for Bambi (1942) along with fellow workers Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, and Milt Kahl, with whom he had worked on Snow White. In Bambi, he created Friend Owl, and subsequently worked on birds for the next two assignments, creating the mad Aracuan Bird in The Three Caballeros (1944), and Sasha the Bird in Make Mine Music (1946). Larson also worked on Fun and Fancy Free, Song of the South, Melody Time, and _So Dear to My Heart (1949)_. He later became part of the Animation Board, and Walt Disney appointed him as one of his Nine Old Men, who consisted of Les Clark, Woolie Reitherman, Eric Larson, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery and Marc Davis; all considered to be Walt's most trusted associates.
On Cinderella (1950), Eric assisted fellow directing animator Marc Davis animate Cinderella herself. He was directing animator on Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953), animating the caterpillar in the former and the flight to Neverland in the latter, and also working on Peg, the canine in Lady and the Tramp (1955). For Sleeping Beauty (1959), Larson was promoted to Sequence Director with Les Clark and Woolie Reitherman, and for the classic One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), he became a Directing Animator, helping to create some of the puppies. Sadly, for the next three features, The Sword in the Stone (1963), Mary Poppins (1964) and _Jungle Book, The (1967)_, he was demoted to Character Animator; The Jungle Book (1967), was the final film made by Walt, who died later that same year.
After Walt's death, it became evident that the veteran animators were either dying or retiring swiftly, and Eric was placed in charge of finding and training new talent in addition to his character animating work. He trained many successful members of today's animation world, including Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, John Pomeroy, Gary Goldman, Betsy Baytos, and others. He worked as an animator on _Aristocats, The (1970)_ and on Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), moving on to animate Robin Hood (1973) and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). In 1977, for the feature The Rescuers, Eric assisted veteran story men Mel Shaw and Burny Mattinson with the opening sequence titles.
By 1981, almost all of the Nine Old Men were gone; Les Clark and John Lounsbery were dead, and Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas and Woolie Reitherman had retired. Eric was the only one remaining, although no longer a working animator. A new generation of artists came into being for The Fox and the Hound (1981), although Larson remained as an animation consultant for The Black Cauldron (1985), and The Great Mouse Detective (1986). Eric retired in September 1986; sadly his wife, Gertrude, had died of cancer in 1975. He retired to his home in La Canada Flintridge, near Glendale in Los Angeles, and died October 25, 1988. In 1989 he was posthumously awarded the Disney Recognition of Honor by Roy Disney, Walt's nephew.From the 1983 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
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Fred Moore was born on 7 September 1911 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Dumbo (1941) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on 25 November 1952 in Burbank, California, USA.Posthumously. From the 1983 Annie Awards.- Actor
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He began imitating birds and various barnyard animals as a child growing up in Watonga, Oklahoma. In his teens his family moved to Southern California where he got a promotional job with a dairy company and in between jobs performed animal imitations at various Los Angeles schools. In 1934 hearing that Walt Disney was looking for bird and animal recordings for his cartoons Clarence went to the studios and went through his repertoire of voices during which Walt walked in and said "That fellow sounds like a duck, lets keep him in mind if we ever create a duck character"
It wasn't long after that , that Donald Duck made his debut in "The Wise Little Hen" with Clarence providing his voice. When the film was finished and shown Donald stood out so prominently that he was put into the Mickey Mouse film "Orphan's Benefit" and soon after was getting star billing in his own films and has been in more than Mickey.
With the help of language coaches Clarence has quacked in Spanish, French, German, Swedish, Dutch, Portugese and Japanese.From the 1983 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
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Wolfgang Reitherman was a German-born American animator who was one of Disney's Nine Old Men.
He began working for Disney in 1933, along with future Disney legends Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl. The three worked together on a number of classic Disney shorts.
Reitherman directed several Disney animated feature films including: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1977), and The Rescuers (1977).
He died in a car accident in 1985 at the age of 75. In 1989 Reitherman was posthumously named a Disney Legend, a hall of fame program that recognizes individuals who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company.From the 1983 Annie Awards.- Producer
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Leo Salkin was born on 1 February 1913 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was a producer and writer, known for Man on the Moon (1999), Omnibus (1952) and The Music Machine: An Adventure in Agapeland (1990). He died on 13 October 1993 in Burbank, California, USA.From the 1983 Annie Awards.- Producer
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- Animation Department
Stephen Bosustow was born on 6 November 1911 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was a producer and writer, known for Gerald McBoing-Boing (1950), When Magoo Flew (1954) and Rooty Toot Toot (1951). He died on 4 July 1981.Posthumously. From the 1983 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Music Department
Wilfred Jackson was born on 24 January 1906 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a director, known for Cinderella (1950), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on 7 August 1988 in Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California, USA.From the 1983 Annie Awards.- Actor
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Daws Butler spent the greater part of his career as one of the premier voice-over actors in Hollywood- providing the voices for such well- known characters as Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick-Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, Jinks the cat, Dixie the mouse, Augie Doggie, Peter Potamus, Wally Gator, Hokey Wolf, Super Snooper, Blabber Mouse, Cogswell Cogs, Elroy Jetson and many others. He also provided the voices for such long-running commercial characters as Snap, diminutive companion of Crackle and Pop of noisy cereal fame, as well as Cap'n Crunch, spokesman for a somewhat quieter breakfast treat.
Butler was born in Toledo, Ohio and spent his formative years in Oak Park, Illinois. Although his initial ambition was to be a cartoonist, he had a talent for vocal humor and mimicry as well. Paradoxically, he was also quite shy. As a sort of self- imposed therapy, he forced himself to address large audiences by entering local amateur contests and performing impersonations of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rudy Vallee and a Model T Ford starting on a cold morning (an audience favorite). He found that the laughter and applause he got in response was well worth the effort and it clinched his decision to pursue an acting and performing career. Eschewing the last few months of his senior year in high school, he began appearing in Chicago theaters and nightclubs along with two other impersonators he had met along the way. Because they all maxed out at around five feet, two inches in height and primarily did impressions of radio personalities, they billed themselves as "The Three Short Waves."
After two years in the Navy during World War II, during which he met and married Myrtis Martin of Albemarle, N.C. (whose next-door neighbor provided the inspiration for what would later become the southern drawl of Huckleberry Hound), Butler ferried his wife and son out to Hollywood. He finally broke into radio, performing in dramatic as well as comedy programs and specializing in dialects and a wide range of vocal characterizations.
In 1949, Butler and Stan Freberg were featured in a new television puppet show called "Time for Beany." Butler was the voice of a propeller-capped kid named Beany while Freberg voiced his best pal, Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent. During five years of five shows a week, they were honored with two Emmy awards.
At Capitol Records in the early 1950s, Butler and Freberg co-wrote and co-voiced a comedy record takeoff on the TV show "Dragnet," called "St. George and the Dragonet." Not only was Jack Webb flattered and amused by the record, but it was the first comedy record to sell more than a million copies. Butler's and Freberg's partnership produced several other comedy platters beloved by disc jockeys across the country, even today. Butler was also a part of Freberg's comedy ensemble on the Stan Freberg Radio Show in the summer of 1957 and on a later and very popular comedy single called "Christmas Dragnet."
After lengthy and very productive collaborations with famed animators/directors Tex Avery and Walter Lantz, Butler embarked on yet another inspired partnership, with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at Hanna-Barbera Productions. There, beginning in the late 50s, Butler created his most famous cartoon characterizations, aided and abetted by another gifted voice actor, Don Messick-Boo Boo and Ranger Smith to Butler's Yogi Bear and Pixie the Mouse to his Dixie, among others.
For legendary cartoon producer Jay Ward, Butler, along with fellow actors and friends June Foray and Bill Scott, performed in two animated series, "Fractured Fairy Tales" and "Aesop and Son." His long-running Cap'n Crunch character was also a Jay Ward creation.
In his later years, Butler established a popular and respected actors' workshop in his home, training talented students not only in voice- over techniques, but in all areas of acting, including the physical. On that subject, especially, one had only to witness Butler's histrionic physicality when voicing Yogi Bear or his laid- back, sleepy-eyed mien as he became Huckleberry Hound to understand why he considered facial expression and physical movement as essential as sound in producing a living, breathing character. One of Butler's star workshop students was Nancy Cartwright, later the voice of Bart Simpson on "The Simpsons." Daws Butler passed away on May 19, 1988 of a heart attack, having just completed three Yogi Bear films and 15 new half-hour Yogi Bear cartoon shows. He also lived to see the rebirth of The Jetsons for a new generation, voicing 30 of the new shows along with all the members of the original cast. During his longest- standing creative collaboration, the 30-odd years with Hanna-Barbara Productions, Daws Butler performed in the neighborhood of 40 different characters. In the years that followed his death, seven actors were required to replace them all.From the 1984 Annie Awards.- Director
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David Hand was born on 23 January 1900 in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Bambi (1942), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Mickey's Birthday Party (1953). He was married to Josephine Hale Marks. He died on 11 October 1986 in San Luis Obispo, California, USA.From the 1984 Annie Awards.- Director
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Jack Kinney was born on 29 March 1909 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and Make Mine Music (1946). He was married to Eva Jane Sinclair and Virginia Schulte. He died on 9 February 1992 in Glendale, California, USA.From the 1984 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
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Michael Lah was born on 1 September 1912 in Illinois, USA. He was a director and actor, known for Tom and Jerry Classic Collection Volume 3 (1953), Tom and Jerry Classic Collection Volume 4 (1956) and Journey Back to Oz (1972). He died on 13 October 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.From the 1984 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Robert McKimson was born on October 13, 1910. He started his career in animation, along with many others, as an artist for Walt Disney's Oswald the Rabbit in 1928. After Disney went to produce Mickey Mouse cartoons, Hugh Harman & Rudolph Ising went to Warner Brothers to direct and co-produce cartoon shorts, along with producer Leon Schlesinger. McKimson was one of the many artists who tagged along. During his career at Warner Brothers, Robert McKimson developed into one of the most gifted artists ever. In fact, he was an animator under nearly all the major WB directors. They include Hugh Harman & Rudolph Ising (1930-1933), Friz Freleng (1933-1937), Frank Tashlin (1937-1938), Chuck Jones (1938-1940), Tex Avery (1940-1941), and Bob Clampett (1942-1946; animating under Clampett's supervision was when McKimson's drawing talents truly began to blossom). Robert McKimson was in part responsible for developing Bugs Bunny's popularity during the 1940's. Between 1942 & 1943, Bob Clampett gave a Bugs Bunny modeling assignment to McKimson, which soon became the basic Bugs Bunny model for all Warner Brothers animators. The models are still in use for WB animators of today. He also designed the familiar design in which Bugs Bunny leans on a tree while eating a carrot, which was originally on display at a Los Angeles department store for a holiday sale. McKimson finally got his chance to direct in 1943, in the WWII short, "Return of Mr. Hook, The". His premiere short, "Daffy Doodles", was released in 1946. His earlier supervising efforts was influenced by none other than Bob Clampett, the last director he worked for. During his earlier directing efforts, Robert McKimson's brother, Charles McKimson, became his leading animator, who had previously been working at Warner Brothers as an animator under Tex Avery's supervision. Thomas McKimson, Robert's second brother, was also an animator for Warner Brothers, mainly under Bob Clampett's supervision; he was also a background & layout artist for Clampett's later WB cartoons. Drawing had apparently ran in the McKimson family. As director, Robert McKimson was responsible for the creation of such WB characters as Foghorn Leghorn, Barnyard Dog, Hippity Hopper, Bobo the Elephant, Tasmanian Devil, Sylvester Jr., and Speedy Gonzales, and helped develop the personality of other characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Elmer Fudd. He only directed two Oscar-nominated toons; "Walky Talky Hawky" (1946), and "Tobassco Road" (1957). Robert McKimson's supervising success was partially because of the writing efforts of Warren Foster. However, when Foster was 'permanently' placed under Friz Freleng's writing unit in 1956, McKimson's writing unit was replaced by Tedd Pierce. That was when his supervising talents began to slip. In addition, he lost all his original animators (not nearly having the same dramatic effects for the other Warner Brother directors), including Charles McKimson. Robert did some of the animating under his supervision for a while between 1955 & 1956, until he got a new team of directors, which completely changed his stylization. Along with the change of writers & artists, Robert McKimson soon developed a 'squarer style', which from that point on scarred his cartooning career as his quality began to fall behind the other WB directors. The close-up of the original Warner Brothers' Cartoon Studio in 1963 was when Robert McKimson's career started to hit rock bottom. When the original WB Cartoon Studio closed, Friz Freleng quickly teamed up with David DePatie to form DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, in hopes of creating more WB cartoons. McKimson naturally tagged along, directing most of the less popular toon shorts of the 1960's, even the ones under Billy Hendrick's WB production in the latter of the 60's after DePatie-Freleng left WB in 1967. After the Warner Brothers cartoons' second diminishment in 1970, McKimson returned to DePatie-Freleng Enterprises to direct some Pink Panther cartoons. At that point, the careers of a lot of the remaining cartoonists, whom were once well-known during the 40's & 50's, had been detracted as well. In 1977, on his 66th birthday, McKimson had a doctor's appointment, when he was listed in good health. He decided to celebrate that evening. Unfortunately, while he was dining at a Burbank restaurant with Friz Freleng and other colleagues, Robert McKimson died of a massive heart attack (known as coronary). This came only years before his cartoons became part of the Warner Brothers' 'Looney Tunes renaissance' of the 1980's. Robert McKimson's cartooning career since its decline in the early 1960's, and his relatively early death in 1977 had mostly been pushed in the background from true recognition. But among many of today's cartoonists, McKimson still remains one of the most influential artists ever.Posthumously. From the 1984 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Additional Crew
The son of commercial artists, Richard Williams studied at the Ontario College of Art and first worked in animation for Disney Studios in Burbank. His tenure there had a strong influence on his later work but proved somewhat stifling to his own creative flair. In 1955, aged 22, Williams moved to England and joined fellow Canadian George Dunning's company T.V. Cartoons Ltd., working primarily on television commercials. At the same time, Williams created his first animated short feature, The Little Island (1958), which won him the 1959 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film. Though a critical success it received a mixed response at the box office. Consequently, his next venture was aimed at the mainstream market. Love Me, Love Me, Love Me (1962) turned out to be a commercial success and generated enough revenue for Williams to set up his own animation studio. In addition to producing commercials, Williams went on to create memorable title sequences for motion pictures, including What's New Pussycat (1965), The Liquidator (1965), The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976). He also produced several animated features, notably A Christmas Carol (1971) and The Thief and the Cobbler (1993). The latter project underwent numerous rewrites and re-edits and took 31 years to complete. In 1995, it was eventually released by Miramax in the U.S. as Arabian Knight.
Possibly the high point of his career was as animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), for which Williams won two Academy Awards: one for Best Visual Effects and the other for animation direction and (CGI) creation of cartoon characters. An occasional voice-over actor, he also provided the voice for the Tex Avery character Droopy Dog. In 2001, Williams published a text book, entitled The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles, and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion, and Internet Animators.From the 1984 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Producer
Hamilton Luske was an American animator and film director from Chicago, who spend most of his career at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. He served as the supervising director of several of Disney's films. He was also the supervising animator for the character of Snow White in the feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), tasked with making the character more believably human and realistic than any previous Disney character.
Luske graduated from the University of California- Berkley, where he majored in business. He started his working life as a newspaper cartoonist in Oakland. Luske was hired by Walt Disney Animation in 1931, and received most of his training as an animator there. His early work included several of the studio's short films, both in the anthology series "Silly Symphonies" (1929-1939) and the long-running character-driven series "Mickey Mouse" (1929-1953). His first major assignment was serving as the supervising animator of Snow White in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). He was rewarded for his success by becoming a supervising director in subsequent films.
Luske served as a supervising director in the feature film "Pinocchio" (1940), which he co-directed with Ben Sharpsteen. He co-directed "The Pastoral Symphony" segment of the anthology film "Fantasia" (1940), which focused on characters from Greco-Roman mythology. Luske served as the supervising director of the animated segments of the feature film "The Reluctant Dragon" (1941), while the live-action segments were directed by Alfred Werker.
Luske subsequently co-directed "Saludos Amigos" (1942), "Make Mine Music" (1946), "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947), "Melody Time" (1948), "So Dear to My Heart" (1948), "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), "Lady and the Tramp" (1955), and "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961). He directed an animated sequence in the live-action musical film "Mary Poppins" (1964), and won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his efforts.
Luske's last significant assignment was directing the animated short film "Scrooge McDuck and Money" (1967), marking the first animated appearance of Scrooge. Scrooge McDuck had been a recurring character in Disney comics since 1947, but had received no adaptations in film until Luske's short film.
Luske died in 1968, in Bel Air, California, at the age of 64. At the time, Disney's other veteran animators had started leaving or retiring, marking an end of an era for the studio. Luske was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 1999. Luske's son Tommy Luske worked as a voice actor in the 1950s.Posthumously. From the 1984 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
One of the genuine visionaries of Digital Computer Graphics and Visual Effects. From the early 1970s through the mid-80s, the Hollywood-based studio Robert Abel & Associates (RA&A) pushed the leading -- sometimes bleeding -- edge of visual effects. Working primarily in television advertising, (the only consistent market for such work at the time) RA&A created 33 Clio Award-winning commercials, including the dazzling 7Up "Uncola" spots and the influential CG "Sexy Robot." This body of work, as noted by New York's Museum of Modern Art, "changed television forever." Abel was primed for this path since his undergraduate studies at UCLA, where his mentor was the "father" of computer graphics, John Whitney Sr.. Working with an analog computer strapped to a camera, Abel happened accidentally upon a look that evolved into the 'slit scan' effect used in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). His friend Con Pederson, who pursued the technique in that film's famous 'stargate' sequence, would eventually become Abel's first partner. By the time the pair set up shop in 1971, Abel had become an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, with credits as varied as Making of the President 1968 (1969) and Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1971). The first visual effects job which the fledgling studio produced was the now-famous Whirlpool "streak" logo, which opened the door to assignments in TV graphics, commercials and films. Abel and Pederson were joined early on by Richard Taylor, and the list of accomplished effects experts who worked at RA&A would grow over the years to include -- among many -- Richard Edlund, Richard E. Hollander, Robert Legato, Mark Stetson and John Hughes.From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Producer
Preston Blair was born on 24 October 1908 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Bambi (1942), Pinocchio (1940) and Fantasia (1940). He died on 19 April 1995 in Santa Cruz, California, USA.From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Animation Department
- Art Department
Joe Grant was born on 15 May 1908 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He was married to Jenny Grant. He died on 6 May 2005 in Glendale, California, USA.From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
John Halas was born on 16 April 1912 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. He was a producer and director, known for Heavy Metal (1981), Automania 2000 (1963) and Animal Farm (1954). He was married to Joy Batchelor. He died on 21 January 1995 in London, England, UK.From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Popular American character actor of amusing appearance and voice whose long career led from dozens of highly enjoyable onscreen performances to world-wide familiarity as the voice of numerous Walt Disney animated films. Born in the American Deep South to grocer Sterling P. Holloway Sr. and Rebecca Boothby Holloway, he had a younger brother, Boothby. Holloway spent his early years as an actor playing comic juveniles on the stage. His bushy reddish-blond hair and trademark near-falsetto voice made him a natural for sound pictures, and he acted in scores of talkies, although he had made his picture debut in silents. His physical image and voice relegated him almost exclusively to comic roles, but in 1945, director Lewis Milestone cast him more or less against type in the classic war film A Walk in the Sun (1945), where Holloway's portrayal of a reluctant soldier was quite notable. He played frequently on television, becoming familiar to baby-boomers in a recurring role as Uncle Oscar on Adventures of Superman (1952), and later in television series of his own. His later work as the voice of numerous characters in Disney cartoons brought him new audiences and many fans, especially for his voicing of beloved Winnie the Pooh. He died in 1992.From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Actor
- Sound Department
- Music Department
James MacDonald was born on 19 May 1906 in Crewe, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and The Black Hole (1979). He was married to Sarah Roberta Cullen. He died on 1 February 1991 in Glendale, California, USA.From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Phil Monroe was born on 31 October 1916 in Long Beach, California, USA. She was a director and writer, known for The Bugs Bunny/Road-Runner Movie (1979), Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (1983) and Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988). She was married to Beverly Lynn Rogers. She died on 13 July 1988 in Los Angeles, California, USA.From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
American animator, noted for the crisp, angular style and sleek, fluid movement of his characters. A gent of considerable wit and good humour, Washam made significant contributions to Warner Brothers cartoons under the auspices of Chuck Jones between 1941 and 1963. Two of his trademarks were Bugs Bunny's notably wider cheeks and pointier teeth, plus the fist spinning to a blur to herald a fight. His characters also tended to nod while talking. One of the most famous scenes animated by Washam has Bugs shaving Elmer Fudd's head before making a salad on it in Rabbit of Seville (1950). Washam briefly joined Jones at MGM in the 60's to direct several episodes of 'Tom & Jerry' and later worked on commercial subjects for 'Rocky & Bullwinkle' creator Jay Ward. A skilled and natural pedagogue, he generously provided free weekly tuition to animation students at his home in Laurel Canyon for several years, beginning in 1967. Earlier, he had served two terms as president of the Screen Animators Guild (1948-1949), an experience which led to him to caustically observe that any meeting that did not end "with at least one fistfight in the parking lot was a dud!".Posthumously. From the 1985 Annie Awards.- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Director
Frédéric Back was born on 8 April 1924 in Saarbrücken, Germany. He was a director, known for The Man Who Planted Trees (1987), Crac (1980) and The Mighty River (1993). He was married to Ghylaine Paquin. He died on 24 December 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.From the 1986 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Producer
James "Shamus" Culhane was the only animator to work on all of the first four animated feature-length Walt Disney cartoons. In a career that spanned six decades, he worked for 18 cartoon studios, including his own. In the mid-'0s his early hand-drawn animation was combined with computer animation for Disney films, including Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Pocahontas (1995).From the 1986 Annie Awards.- Director
- Art Department
- Animation Department
William T. Hurtz was born on 7 April 1919 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a director, known for The Bullwinkle Show (1959), Super Chicken (1967) and Look Who's Driving (1954). He was married to Mary ?. He died on 14 October 2000 in Van Nuys, California, USA.From the 1986 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Visual Effects
Irven Spence was born on 24 April 1909 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. He was an assistant director, known for Rugged Rangers (1942), Rats in Spats (1941) and The Lord of the Rings (1978). He died on 21 September 1995 in Dallas, Texas, USA.From the 1986 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Visual Effects
Emery Hawkins was born on 30 April 1912 in Jerome, Arizona, USA. He was a director, known for The Egg Cracker Suite (1943), The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) and Manolin Torero (1954). He died in June 1989 in Taos, New Mexico, USA.From the 1986 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Art Department
John Lounsbery was an American animator and animation director from Cincinnati, Ohio. He eventually became one of "Disney's Nine Old Men", a group of senior animators who were in charge of the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. Lounsbery died in 1976, with his death leading to the dissolution of the group. He was the first of the Nine to die, and also had the shortest lifespan among them.
Lounsbery was born in Ohio, but spend much of his childhood in Colorado. He attended the East Denver High School, then received art lessons at the Art Institute of Denver. He continued his art education in Los Angeles, taking lessons at the ArtCenter College of Design. The College was a private art school established in 1930, and initially only trained visual artists and designers. The curriculum later expanded to include lessons in photography and technical illustrations.
One of Lounsbery's college instructors arranged a job interview for him, as a prospective animator for the Disney studios. Lounsbery was hired in early July 1935. He was put to work as an uncredited assistant animator for the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937).
Lounsbery quickly became one of Disney's "star animators", because he was considered unusually skilled as a draftsman. His first major assignment was animating two of the villains in "Pinocchio" (1940), the conman duo of J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon. He served as one of the main animators in a ballet-themed segment of "Fantasia" (1940), the "Dance of the Hours". He was tasked with animating one of the main dancers of the segment, Ben Ali Gator.
Lounsbery made his debut as a directing animator in the feature film "Song of the South" (1946), an adaptation of the "Uncle Remus" stories of Joel Chandler Harris. His subsequent credits as a directing animator included the feature films "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947)., "Melody Time" (1948), "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (1949), "Cinderella"" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), "Lady and the Tramp" (1955), "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961), "The Sword in the Stone" (1963), "The Jungle Book" (1967), "The Aristocats" (1970), and "Robin Hood" (1973). He was often tasked with animating key supporting characters of these films. His most memorable work as an animator included animating the allied kings Huber and Stefan in "Sleeping Beauty", the villainous tiger Shere Khah in "The Jungle Book", and the heroic fox Robin Hood in "Robin Hood".
Lounsbery co-directed the anthology feature film "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977), which was released a year following his death. It was his debut as a director. In the film, he was also the main animator for the depressed donkey Eeyore. At the time of his death in 1976, Lounsbery was working in the upcoming feature film "The Rescuers" (1977). He was one of the three credited directors of the film, though he did live not long enough to complete it.
On February 13, 1976, Lounsbery suffered a sudden heart attack while working. He died shortly after, at the age of 64. He died about a month before his 65th birthday. At the time, most of the other "Nine Old Men" were considering retirement and a new generation of animators were in training. Lounsbery was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Lounsbery was posthumously awarded with a "Winsor McCay Award" in 1986. and was named a "Disney Legend" in 1989. His work is still highly regarded by fans of classic animation, though he is possibly the least famous among "Disney's Nine Old Men". Relatively little is known about Lounsbery's personal life.Posthumously. From the 1986 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Paul Driessen was born on 30 March 1940 in Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands. He is a director and writer, known for The Boy Who Saw the Iceberg (2000), 3 Misses (1998) and The End of the World in Four Seasons (1995).From the 1987 Annie Awards.- Director
- Writer
- Animation Department
Jack Hannah was born on 5 January 1913 in Nogales, Arizona, USA. He was a director and writer, known for The Magical World of Disney (1954), Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil (1959) and Superstar Goofy (1972). He died on 11 June 1994 in Burbank, California, USA.From the 1987 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
Bill Littlejohn was born on 27 January 1914 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is known for Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Watership Down (1978) and Heavy Metal (1981). He was married to Fini Rudiger. He died on 17 September 2010 in Malibu, California, USA.From the 1987 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Art Department
American layout designer Maurice Noble was proudly old-school, a self-proclaimed champion of the 'golden years' of animation. Working in the industry for more than six decades, he reached the peak of his profession with Disney and Warner Brothers and openly rejected the stylised approach to cartoons (spearheaded by UPA) which came into vogue during the 1950's and 60's. As a youth, Noble considered the very idea of drawing cartoons as 'kid's stuff'. He changed his tune somewhat after being hired by Disney in 1934 (for $100 a month -- a step up from his previous job as a department store designer). One of his first assignments was to draw watercolour backgrounds for the popular Silly Symphonies series. Noble served an obligatory probation period, then advanced to drawing sketches and backgrounds for some of Disney's finest animated features, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Bambi (1942) and Dumbo (1941) (he designed the "Pink Elephants on Parade" segment). Supporting the 1941 strike by 300 employees of the Cartoonists Guild cost Noble his job. Like many of his colleagues, he was to spend the war years with the Army Signal Corps helping to produce propaganda material, ranging from cartoons and posters to leaflets and booklets. His work on the "Private Snafu" cartoon series for Warner Brothers brought him into contact with the legendary Dr. Seuss and with his future boss Chuck Jones.
After demobilisation, Noble worked for some time as a freelancer in advertising (including for U.S. Steel). In 1952, he joined Jones at Warner Brothers. For several decades, their collaboration was immensely fruitful, and, according to Jones, "the perfect working relationship" (recent interviews and a biography -- "The Noble Approach: Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation Design" by Tod Polson -- suggest otherwise: that the two men were often at loggerheads and certainly not friends). Nonetheless, Noble prospered at Warner Brothers. He enjoyed the spontaneity, camaraderie and artistic freedom -- in contrast to the more restrictive atmosphere at Disney, whose output he described as "over-refined". Noble's chief strength lay in adapting his various backgrounds to suit the specific mood of the cartoon, creating dramatic visual impact to enhance that mood. His famous creations include the minimalist desert-scapes of the Road Runner/Coyote cartoons and the futuristic city of Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953), complete with the electronic eyes and the evaporator. Among his personal favorites he cited Duck Amuck (1953) and the Wagnerian spoof What's Opera, Doc? (1957).
When Warners disbanded their animation department in 1964, Noble resumed his association with Jones, first at MGM (as designer and co-director of "Tom & Jerry" cartoons) and, later, with Jones' s own production company (collaborating on animated Dr. Seuss TV specials, including the Grammy Award-winning How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)). In 1987, he became recipient of an Annie Award for excellence in animation. In 1993, he received a Disney Living Legend Award. By that time, Jones had become one of the oldest people still active in his chosen field.From the 1987 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Art Director
- Art Department
Kendall O'Connor was born on 7 June 1908 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. He was an art director, known for Lady and the Tramp (1955), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Dumbo (1941). He was married to Mary Alice O'Connor. He died on 27 May 1998 in Burbank, California, USA.From the 1987 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Production Manager
Norman Ferguson was born on 2 September 1902 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and production manager, known for Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He was married to Gladys F.. He died on 4 November 1957 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Posthumously. From the 1987 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Ralph Bakshi worked his way up from Brooklyn and became an animation legend. He was born on October 29, 1938, in Haifa, Israel, the son of Mina (Zlotin) and Eliezar Bakshi, and is of Krymchak Jewish descent. He was raised in Brownsville, after his family came to New York to escape World War II. Bakshi attended the Thomas Jefferson High School and was later transferred to the High School of Industrial Arts and graduated with an award in cartooning in 1957.
At the Terrytoons studio, he started as a cel polisher then graduated to cel painting. Practicing nights and weekends, he quickly became an inker and then an animator. There, he worked on such shows as Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Deputy Dawg, Foofle and Lariat Sam. At 28 he created and directed a series of superhero spoof cartoons called The Mighty Heroes.
In 1967, Bakshi moved to Paramount Studios. Working with producer Steve Krantz, Bakshi worked on episodes of the Spider-Man TV series and several short films. In the 1970s, Bakshi set out to produce films using his innovative vision for how animated films should be. Krantz suggested Robert Crumb's "Fritz the Cat" comic book as Bakshi's first feature. The two set out to meet with Crumb and get the film rights. In 1972, the film premiered and was extremely successful, as the first feature-length animated film to receive an X rating by the American rating system (when it was distributed worldwide, it generally received lower ratings the equivalent of an R rating, and was released as being unrated on DVD).
The success of "Fritz the Cat" allowed Bakshi to produce films featuring his own characters and ideas, and so "Heavy Traffic" and "Coonskin" were produced, both of which were extremely controversial, but were praised by critics. During the same period, he shot and completed another feature titled "Hey Good Lookin'" for the Warner Brothers studio, who didn't think that a combination of live-action and animation would sell, and forced Bakshi to go back and animate the live action sequences.
During this period, Bakshi also produced two very successful fantasy films, "Wizards" and part one of an animated film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Although these films were financially successful, they were misunderstood by critics, and United Artists, the studio that produced "The Lord of the Rings" refused to fund the second part, or sequel to Bakshi's ambitious adaptation.
During the 1980s, animation went into a decline. "American Pop," done using the same style of realistic animation as "The Lord of the Rings" was not successful financially, and critics did not see the point of the film being animated. The finished version of "Hey Good Lookin'" was released during the same year as "American Pop," but was also unsuccessful financially. Bakshi's last film of the decade, "Fire & Ice," a collaboration with famed artist Frank Frazetta, was a flop.
Bakshi produced several television features with mixed results before returning to film with what would eventually become "Cool World" - the script was rewritten several times during production without Bakshi's knowledge until it came to the point where Bakshi did not recognize his own work. The film was critically scorned, and was a box office flop. Fans feel that the film is not a true Bakshi film.
Since then, the Internet and DVD releases of Bakshi's work have brought him a new generation of fans and increased interest, encouraging Bakshi to produce another film. "Last Days of Coney Island" is in production. Bakshi lives in New Mexico. A three-day retrospective was held at American Cinematheque at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California and the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, California in April, 2005.From the 1988 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Born in San Diego, California, the young Robert Clampett was monumentally moved as a child by the film The Lost World (1925), inspiring him to create a sea-serpent sock-puppet that he used in puppet shows to entertain the neighborhood kids. This led him to create a stuffed Mickey Mouse toy, which became a prototype for the first mass-produced Mickey Mouse doll.
Between 1931 and 1947 Clampett was an animator and later director for the legendary Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Brothers Animation) where alongside his one time boss Tex Avery he became known as the wackiest and most archetypally cartoonish of all the directors.
During this time he also developed a test for a animated adaptation of 'John Carter of Mars' however, despite the support of the author Edgar Rice Burroughs it failed to materialize.
Amongst his famous fare was the Dalí inspired Porky in Wackyland (1938), his loving adaption of the Dr. Seuss book Horton Hatches the Egg (1942), the controversial all-black cast musical Snow White parody Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943), the Fantasia (1940) parody A Corny Concerto (1943) and John Kricfalusis's favorite cartoon The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946) featuring the acerbic irreverence of Daffy Duck -- easily the most Clampett-esque of all his characters.
Clampett, at the time the longest serving employee at the animation studio, finally left in 1947. After a brief stint at Columbia, and a one-off cartoon at Republic It's a Grand Old Nag (1947) he was inspired by the new innovation of television to resurrect his old sea-serpent puppet, and created the phenomenally successful Time for Beany (1949)_ puppet television show, which was acclaimed by the likes of Albert Einstein and Groucho Marx, and even inspired the AC/DC line "Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap".
Clampett later returned to animation as a supervising producer on a cartoon series based on the characters of his puppet show Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil (1959).Posthumously. From the 1988 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Art Department
Tissa David was born on 5 January 1921 in Kolozsvár, Hungary. Tissa is known for The Cosmic Eye (1986), Bonjour Paris (1953) and The Soldier's Tale (1984). Tissa died on 21 August 2012 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.From the 1988 Annie Awards.- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Kihachirô Kawamoto was born on 11 January 1925 in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. He was a director and writer, known for Shisha no sho (2005), The Trip (1973) and A Poet's Life (1974). He died on 23 August 2010 in Tokyo, Japan.From the 1988 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Actor
- Visual Effects
Virgil Ross was a legendary animator who worked chiefly at Warner Brothers during the 'Golden Years of Animation'. Having moved through the ranks of the pioneering studios (as a trainee for Charles Mintz, in 1930, for $6 a week salary, and for Walter Lantz -- briefly -- in 1935), Ross joined Tex Avery at Leon Schlesinger's 'Termite Terrace'. He remained there until Warner Brothers dissolved their cartoon department in 1964. Thereafter, he delved into the world of low-budget animation, ending up at Filmation in the 60's and 70's, turning out 'Batman', 'Superman' and 'Star Trek' cartoons. Ross excelled at facial expression and had a keen eye for gesture and movement in his drawings. He was at his best designing action and dance sequences, ideally showcased in episodes like Rhapsody Rabbit (1946) (he was reputedly quite nimble on the dance floor himself). Moreover, he was instrumental in the development and maturation of the character who captained the Looney Tunes ship: Bugs Bunny (his creations included the rabbit's first Oscar-nominated short, A Wild Hare (1940)). During his lengthy tenure as a key member of Friz Freleng's unit, he also perfected perennial favorites Yosemite Sam (Knighty Knight Bugs (1958)) and Sylvester (Bad Ol' Putty Tat (1949), A Mouse Divided (1953),A Street Cat Named Sylvester (1953). etc). In 1988, Ross was honored with the highest accolade in animation, the Winsor McKay Achievement Award in animation.From the 1988 Annie Awards.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Art Clokey was born on 12 October 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Gumby: The Movie (1995), Gumby Adventures (1988) and The Gumby Show (1956). He was married to Gloria Clokey and Ruth Clokey. He died on 8 January 2010 in Los Osos, California, USA.From the 1989-1990 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Hicks Lokey was born on 5 April 1904 in Alabama, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Dumbo (1941), Fantasia (1940) and Space Ghost (1966). He was married to Ruth Louise Dangler. He died on 4 November 1990 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.From the 1989-1990 Annie Awards.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Don Messick is a legendary voice actor who spent his entire adult-hood in entertainment. He started out wanting to be a ventriloquist. Thankfully for cartoon lovers that career didn't pan out. How do you think his potential career would've stacked up against Edgar Bergen and later, Paul Winchell? No matter, Messick made his way to the hallowed halls of MGM in the early '50s on the recommendation of another voice actor, Daws Butler. At the time, MGM/Tex Avery were doing the theatrical "Droopy" cartoons. Bill Thompson, known for his hilarious voices on the radio show 'Fibber McGee and Molly', borrowed his Wallace Wimple voice and applied it to Droopy. Whenever Thompson couldn't make it to a session, MGM would ask Daws Butler to fill-in. Daws had been working for MGM since the mid '40s. Later, Daws apparently grew tired of the role and suggested Don Messick be Bill Thompson's fill-in. Butler, it's been said, literally squeezed his cheeks together to try and get that sound for Droopy while Messick simply thickened his tongue and loosened his jaws. Messick made the rounds and did every voice-over role large and small in this era. In 1957 Hanna-Barbera started their own company after departing from MGM...Daws Butler and Don Messick were the two voice actors the animation titans employed during the early days. Don was always heard as the "second banana" character or a walk-on. At various times he was the villain. His voice was heard as the 'narrator' on all of the early Hanna-Barbera cartoons. On "Ruff and Reddy", the duo's first made-for-TV cartoon series, Don was heard as "Ruff" the cat and as the Droopy-sounding "Professor Gizmo". Messick was also the narrator who interracted with the duo and got caught up in the action much like a soap opera announcer on radio. Daws was "Reddy", the dog, among other nameless characters in the show. In this 1957-1966 time span, Don Messick was cast as Daws Butler's voice partner and as the cartoon narrator. "Boo-Boo" was the little friend of "Yogi Bear" who lived in Jellystone Park. Yogi stole "pic-a-nic" baskets while Boo-Boo always tried, unsuccessfully, to steer Yogi to a more safer life always reminding him "the Ranger isn't going to like it, Yogi". The Ranger in question was "Ranger Smith", the park ranger who always chased and stopped Yogi's latest schemes. Messick gave voice to the Ranger. Daws was Yogi. In other programs, Messick was heard as "Pixie Mouse" to Daws Butler's "Dixie Mouse" and "Mr. Jinx". On "Snagglepuss", Messick was always heard as the villain, mostly the befuddled "Major Minor". Daws was Snagglepuss. In Huckleberry Hound, Daws was the star character while Messick usually did the narration as well as played a villain. Messick would later provide the voices of "Astro" and "RUDI" on the Jetsons. As a versatile voice actor, Messick performed a dozen wacky space aliens on the space cartoons of the mid '60s. The gibberish of "Gloop" and "Gleep" on the Herculoids cartoon was Messick. "Blip", "Igoo", "Zorak", "Tundra", and "Zoc" are just a few of the characters that Messick groaned or grunted for in the outer space cartoons...his most famous non-verbal voice is the snickering dog, "Muttley"...later called "Mumbley". "Richochet Rabbit", "Vapor Man", "Falcon 7", "Dr. Benton Quest", and "Multi-Man" are other voices from Messick in that era. In 1969 he provided the voice for his most famous role, "Scooby-Doo". Throughout the '70s and beyond, Messick gave voice to this cowardly great dane. In 1980 he became the voice of nephew, "Scrappy-Doo", while in later versions Daws Butler was on hand as "Scooby-Dum". On the 1977 Laff-a-Lympics cartoon, Messick not only announced the show but he performed some of the characters too. "Papa Smurf" became Messick's biggest original character in the '80s but he remained busy providing voices for his older characters in new Hanna-Barbera productions. Daws Butler and Mel Blanc were also living off their famed characters by reprising the voices in numerous made-for-TV cartoon movies and Saturday morning TV in the late '70s on into the next decade. Messick remained a much-used voice actor and in 1988 ABC announced "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo". Messick was back in the role and voiced the character until it's demise in 1990. His friend and voice partner, Daws Butler, passed away in 1988. In 1989 Mel Blanc passed away leaving Don Messick, June Foray, Stan Freberg, and Paul Winchell as the remaining link to the classic era. In 1989 The Smurfs went out of production. On the new Tiny Toon Adventures, Messick was heard as "Hamton Pig", a role he remained with until his mysterious retirement in 1996 at the age of 69 which was later revealed to be a result of a stroke. Don Messick died in 1997, closing a chapter in animation history in the process.From the 1989-1990 Annie Awards.- Writer
- Director
- Animation Department
Tezuka Osamu was born on November 3, 1928 in Toyonaka, Japan as the first child of Fumiko & Yutaka Tezuka. At 5, he & his family moved to the village of Kohama in Hyogo prefecture (present day city of Takarazuka). When he was 7, he entered Ikeda Elementary School in Osaka. Due to his diminutive stature, he was bullied a lot in school. His mother was a good story teller & would tell stories to him. His father was a big comic & animated movies fan. Therefore, he would do a private showing of movies he bought at his house. This influence would later inspire him to write story length comics that was as exciting as watching a movie. He drew his first comic when he was in 3rd grade titled Bin Bin Namachan, a story of a bald-headed boy that was modeled after himself. During those days, he read comics such as Norakuro & Nakamura Manga Library. He even drew a story about martians called Kaseijin Kuru! He also invented his famous character Hyotantsugi in a work he titled Fuku-chan to Uotsuri. . Another one of his works called Shina no Yoru caused quite a sensation.
His other love in life was insects. He would roam around the fields to study them & he would draw his own encyclopedia. One day, he found an insect named Osamushi, which resembled his name. Therefore, he adopted Osamushi as his pen name. He started to draw using pen & ink as well as write comics when he was 15. He self-published 13 books that year. In 1945, he entered Osaka University's medical division. The following year, he made his professional debut w/ the comic Maachan no nikki-cho in an Osaka children's newspaper. Later that year, he met Nanama Sakai at the Kansai manga club meeting & was asked to draw a feature length cartoon. W/ Sakai as story writer, he published Shin Takarajima the following year, selling 400,000 copies. He then went on to win 1st place at the YMCA for his piano performance. He was also a member of the university's acting club during & dabbled in school plays. What separated him from artists before him was that his comic had a 3-dimensional feel to his pictures & more lively motion to his characters.
In 1950, he began writing Jungle Taitei, which was published in the magazine Manga Shonen. After graduating from Osaka University the following year, he wrote the pilot episode for Tetsuwan Atom titled Atom Taishi, which was featured in the magazine Shounen. In 1952, he passed the exam to become a practicing physician. Atom Taishi ended in March & is renamed Tetsuwan Atom w/ syndication continuing until March 1968. He was in a dilemma as to which profession he would choose as his career: to be a manga artist or a doctor. He consulted his mother about his career choice & she advised him to choose whichever he loved the most. Encouraged by this, he chose manga.
In 1953, he moved to the now legendary Tokiwaso apartment where many young comic talents from all over Japan lived to start their career. Most of them were not only younger, but considered him as their guru, becoming a mentor. In 1959, he married Etsuko Okada. That same year, Tetsuwan Atom airs on Fuji TV featuring live actors. In 1961, he started his own animation production company called Tezuka Osamu Production Animation Department & beginning work on the pilot of animated version of Tetsuwan Atom. On January 1, 1963 Tetsuwan Atom starts airing on Fuji TV & is broadcasted by NBC as Astro Boy in the U.S. the following year. He followed up w/ the animated version of his comic Big X & W 3. In 1965, he created his 1st color anime Jungle Taitei, later airing in the Americas as Kimba the White Lion. His works from late the 60s such as Magma Taishi & 70s such as Mitsume ga tooru & Black Jack aren't as well known outside Japan, but he continued to draw at a prolific pace during those years. In 1972, due to internal strife, Mushi pro disintegrates. He later created another production company named after himself called Tezuka pro. During the 80s his work load slowly declined & he was more of a cultural icon, becoming a guest on many social events & TV interviews. He was also busy running his production company.
In 1988, he felt pain in his abdomen & underwent surgery. Not knowing this was due to stomach cancer as his his physician chose not to reveal his terminal illness, he was heard saying, "This doctor doesn't understand my question" as he asked about his condition. He passed away on February 9, 1989. Magazine headlines read Manga Taitei iku. Now, he's remembered as the greatest manga artist of all time, single-handedly jump starting both genre of modern day manga & anime with many manga artists were influenced by Tezuka's works. He was also 1 of the most prolific artist in the field w/ over 700 stories spanning over 170,000 pages to his credit . His impact on the entire social culture of Japan's also seen as immeasurable as he influenced so many different areas of art & society through his comics. Never in history has a comic artist influenced the society of a single country the way he did. He'll be remembered as the founding father of modern day manga.Posthumously. From the 1989-1990 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Producer
- Director
Lester Novros was born on 27 January 1909 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Universe (1976), Fantasia (1940) and Cosmos (1974). He was married to Esther ?. He died on 10 September 2000 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.From the 1989-1990 Annie Awards.- Visual Effects
- Producer
- Animation Department
When it comes to motion-picture special effects, there is only one name that personifies movie magic: Ray Harryhausen. From his debut films with George Pal to his final film, Harryhausen imbued magic and visual strength to motion-picture special effects as no other technician has, before or since.
Born in Los Angeles, the signature event in Harryhausen's life was when he saw King Kong (1933). So awed was the 13-year-old Harryhausen that he began researching the film's effects work, ultimately learning all he could about Willis H. O'Brien and stop-motion photography--he even contacted O'Brien and showed an allosaur short he made, which caused O'Brien to quip to his wife, "You realize you're encouraging my competition, don't you?" Harryhausen tried to make a stop-motion epic titled "Evolution," but the time required to make it resulted in it being cut short. The footage he completed--of a lumbering apatosaurus attacked by a belligerent allosaurus--made excellent use as a demo reel, and as a result, Harryhausen's first film job came with George Pal, working on the Puppetoon shorts for Paramount. A stint in the army utilized Harryhausen's animation skills for training films.
After World War II, Harryhausen acquired over 1,000 feet of unused military film and made a series of Puppetoon-flavored fairy tale shorts, which helped him land a job with Willis H. O'Brien and Marcel Delgado on Mighty Joe Young (1949). Although O'Brien received credit for it, 85% of the actual animation was done by Harryhausen. His real breakthrough, however, came when he was hired to do the special effects for The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953). The film's $200,000 budget meant that Harryhausen was forced to improvise to get the kinds of quality effects he wanted, and to that end, he learned a technique called split-screen (rear projection on overlapping miniature screens) to insert dinosaurs and other fantastic beasts into real-world backgrounds. The result was eventually picked up for release by Warner Bros. and was one of the most influential sci-fi films of the 1950s.
From there, Harryhausen went over to Columbia and teamed with producer Charles H. Schneer, which became synonymous among sci-fi and fantasy film aficionados with top-notch special-effects work during the remainder of their respective careers. After three sci-fi monster films and work with Willis O'Brien on an Irwin Allen documentary, Harryhausen did the effects work for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), his first split-screen film shot entirely in color, which was highlighted by Harryhausen's mythological monsters interacting with Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher's flavorful performance as the villain, and the rousing score of Bernard Herrmann.
Because Harryhausen worked alone on his stop-motion animation sequences, the filming of these could often take as long as two years, the most famous example of the kind of patience required being the exciting skeleton sword fight sequence in Jason and the Argonauts (1963) (his most popular film), in which Harryhausen often shot no more than 13 frames of film (just over one-half second of elapsed time) per day.
The 1960s were Harryhausen's best years, among the highlights being his reunions with dinosaurs in Hammer Films' One Million Years B.C. (1966) and The Valley of Gwangi (1969). His pace slowed in the 1970s, but he produced three of his masterworks during that period: The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973); Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977); and Clash of the Titans (1981). It was not until 1992 that Harryhausen finally achieved film immortality with an honorary Oscar, a long-overdue tribute to the one name that personifies visual magic.From the 1991 Annie Awards.- Additional Crew
- Director
- Production Manager
As an animation artist at UPA, Mr. Klynn helped create several award winning cartoon shorts, including "Mr. Magoo," "Gerald McBoing-Boing," "Madeline" and "Christopher Crumpet." He had previously worked as an animation director for the U.S. Army Signal Corps motion picture unit in Los Angeles during World War II. Additionally known as a graphic designer, Mr. Klynn created many opening titles, including the "I Spy" (1965) TV series. He founded the animation studio, Format Films in 1959, which created more than 1,000 productions for over 23 years, including "The Alvin Show" "The Lone Ranger" TV series, and an Oscar nomination for the animated short, "Icarus Montgolfier, Wright." (1962). In 1991 Mr. Klynn received the lifetime achievement award from ASIFA. The Format Productions archives are located at the University of Wyoming, and the USC Film Archives.From the 1991 Annie Awards.- Art Department
- Writer
- Animation Department
Bob Kurtz is known for Jurassic Park (1993), Minority Report (2002) and George of the Jungle (1997).From the 1991 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Born to Jewish parents and raised in a Moscow suburb, Yuri Norstein painted as a hobby and trained as a carpenter before studying animation. He directed his first film in 1968 and made a series of short films notable for their attention to atmosphere and fine detail, using a multiplane camera to create the illusion of three-dimensional depth. His 1979 film, 'Tale of Tales' was acclaimed by a panel of international animation experts as the best animated film of all time. Since then, he has worked on an adaptation of Gogol's 'The Overcoat', which has been beset by production and funding problems.From the 1991 Annie Awards.- Music Department
- Editor
- Editorial Department
Joe Siracusa was born on 3 February 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was an editor, known for G.I. Joe (1985), The Transformers (1984) and Baggy Pants & the Nitwits (1977). He was married to Eleanor Cristino. He died on 13 November 2021 in Tarzana, California, USA.From the 1991 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Director
Ruth was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Hugh Hershey Kissane and Ruth Elizabeth (Forry) Kissane. She was a highly respected animator in Hollywood. She worked in all the major studios, including Disney, Playhouse Pictures, Bill Melendez Productions, Film Roman, and Chuck Jones Enterprises. Ruth was best known for her work on the Peanuts TV specials. She worked on design layout, animation, and even directed. In 1975 she was presented a Cannes Festival award for her work in WOW Women of the World. She died on January 23, 1990 in Venice, California.Posthumously. From the 1991 Annie Awards.- Animation Department
- Director
- Art Department
Leslie James "Les" Clark was an American animator from Ogden, Utah. He served as one of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators who supervised the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. Clark was skilled in timing his animation to musical scores, and in conveying emotion in the scenes which he animated. He went into retirement in the mid-1970s, and died before the end of the decade.
In 1927, Clark was hired in a temporary position at the Disney animation studio. He was initially working as a camera operator, and was then transferred to the ink and paint department. He received training from Ub Iwerks, who was the senior animator of the studio for most of the 1920s. Clark served as an inbetweener in "Steamboat Willie" (1928), the official debut for Mickey Mouse (the new protagonist for the studio's animated short films). Clark was soon after promoted to the position of a regular animator, and was tasked with working on "The Skeleton Dance" (1929). It was the first film in the "Silly Symphony" series.
Iwerks left the Disney studio in January, 1930, in order to establish his own Iwerks Studio (1930-1936). Clark became the senior animator of the "Mickey Mouse" film series. He worked under the various directors of the series, such as Burt Gillett, Wilfred Jackson, and David Hand. Clark regularly attended art classes in order to improve his art style.
In 1934, the Disney studio started working on the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). It was the first American feature film, and the most ambitious project for the studio. Clark was tasked with animating the Seven Dwarfs. His most important scene in the film depicted Snow White dancing with each of the Dwarfs.
Clark's next major assignment was the anthology film "Fantasia" (1940). He was one of the key animators for two segments of the film: "The Nutcracker Suite" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". The "Sorcerer's Apprentice" was an adaptation of the eponymous 1797 German poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which was in turn an adaptation of the Roman story "Philopseudes" ("Lover of Lies") by Lucian. Clark and his fellow animators worked with a redesigned version of Mickey Mouse, provided by Fred Moore. The new version of the character had pupils in his eyes, and had a greater range of expressions.
In the mid-1940s, Clark was promoted to the position of a directing animator in Disney's feature films. He served in this role for "Song of the South" (1946), "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947), "Melody Time" (1948), "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), and "Lady and the Tramp" (1955). Clark also served as a sequence director for "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), in his last major work in a feature film.
Clark served as the director of the animated short "Paul Bunyan" (1958), which was based on American folklore about a giant lumberjack. The short was nominated for an "Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film", but lost to "Knighty Knight Bugs" by Warner Bros. Cartoons. During the 1960s, Clark primarily worked on Disney's infrequently released animated short films. He directed the educational short films "Freewayphobia or The Art of Driving the Super Highway" (1965) and "Goofy's Freeway Troubles" (1965), which both featured Goofy as their protagonist. He also directed the educational short film "Donald's Fire Survival Plan" (1966), which focused on fire safety precautions.
Clark retired in the mid-1970s, possibly due to health reasons. His "temporary" assignment for the Disney studio had lasted for over 35 years, and he was the studio's longest serving employee at the time of his retirement. In September 1979, Clark died due to cancer. He was 71-years-old at the time of his death. He was the second of the Nine Old Men to die, following John Lounsbery. In 1989, Clark was posthumously inducted into the hall of fame "Disney Legends" in 1989.Posthumously. From the 1992 Annie Awards.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Stan Freberg grew up in Los Angeles, California. From an early age he was a big fan of radio and sound. He was blessed with the double abilities of being an amazing mimic and possessing a razor-sharp satirical mind. In the early 1940s he began to do voice work for both the Warner Brothers' cartoons (some of his characters included Junyer Bear and one half of the Goofy Gophers) and radio (he worked on both "The Jack Benny Show" and "Suspense"). When Robert Clampett left Warners, he worked with Freberg to co-create the puppet show Time for Beany (1949). In the early 1950s Freberg began making a series of satirical records, mostly aimed at the still-new genre of rock and roll. He became one of the first comedians to produce an album.
As non-music radio began dying off in popularity at the end of the 1950s, Freberg found a new niche in the world of advertising. He wrote, performed and produced a series of radio spots that are still talked about today; several of his commercials have been enshrined in both the Museum of Radio & Television and the Smithsonian.
Freberg continued being an active force in radio and satire, and was a living inspiration to many modern comics ('Weird Al' Yankovic credits Freberg as the main reason he got into comedy). For example, Freberg was the voice of the syndicated radio program "When Radio Was" from 1995 until October 6, 2006 when Chuck Schaden took over as host.From the 1992 Annie Awards.