Warner Bros. Cartoons
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/* 1961 - 1969: The latter days of Warner Bros. Cartoons */
'''Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.''' was the [[animation]] division of [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] during the [[The Golden Age of American animation|golden age of American animation]]. One of the most successful animation studios in [[United States|American]] media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' theatrical cartoon short subjects. The characters featured in these cartoons, including [[Bugs Bunny]], [[Daffy Duck]], and [[Porky Pig]], are among the most famous and recognizable characters in the world. Many of the creative staff members at the studio, including directors and animators such as [[Chuck Jones]], [[Friz Freleng]], [[Robert McKimson]], [[Tex Avery]], [[Robert Clampett]], and [[Frank Tashlin]], are considered major figures in the art and history of [[traditional animation]].
The Warner animation division was founded in 1933 as '''[[Leon Schlesinger]] Productions''', an independent company which produced the popular ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' animated [[short subject]]s for release by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]. Schlesinger sold the studio to Warner Bros. in 1944, who continued to operate it as '''Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.''' until 1963. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' were briefly subcontracted to Freleng's [[DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]] studio from [[1964]] until [[1967]]. The Warner Bros. Cartoons studio briefly re-opened in [[1967]] before shutting its doors for good two years later.
A successor company, '''[[Warner Bros. Animation]]''', was established in [[1980]].<ref>Maltin, Leonard (1980, rev. 1987). ''Of Mice and Magic.'' New York: Plume/Penguin Books. Pg. 273.</ref> That company continues to produce ''Looney Tunes'' related works, in addition to television shows and feature films centering around other properties. The classic Warner Bros. animation studio is sometimes referred to as '''"Termite Terrace"''', a name given to the temporary headquarters Tex Avery and his animators were assigned to during Avery's first year as a ''Looney Tunes'' director.
==History==
===1930 - 1933: Harman-Ising Productions===
{{main|Harman and Ising}}
[[Hugh Harman]] and [[Rudolf Ising]] originated the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' and ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' series of animated short subjects in 1930 and 1931, respectively. Both cartoon series were produced for Leon Schlesigner at the [[Harman-Ising]] Studio on Hollywood Boulevard in [[Hollywood, California]], with [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] releasing the films to theaters. The first ''Looney Tunes'' character was the Harman-Ising creation [[Bosko|Bosko, The Talk-ink Kid]]. Despite the fact that Bosko was popular among theater audiences, he could never match the popularity of Mickey Mouse, or even Betty Boop. In 1933, Harman and Ising parted company with Schlesinger over financial disputes, <ref>Barrier, Michael (1999). ''Hollywood Cartoons''. New York: Oxford University Press. Pg. 164. ISBN 0-19-516729-5.</ref> and took Bosko with them to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. As a result, Schlesinger set up his own studio on the Warner Bros. lot on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. <ref>Barrier, Michael (1999). Pg. 323.</ref>
===1933 - 1944: Leon Schlesinger Productions===
The Schlesinger studio got off to a slow start, continuing their one-shot ''Merrie Melodies'' and introducing a Bosko replacement named [[Buddy (Looney Tunes)|Buddy]] into the ''Looney Tunes''. [[Disney]] animator [[Tom Palmer (animator)|Tom Palmer]] was the studio's first senior director, but after the three cartoons he made were deemed to be of unacceptable quality and rejected by the studio, former Harman-Ising animator [[Friz Freleng|Isadore "Friz" Freleng]] was called in to replace Palmer and rework his cartoons.<ref name="BarrierBug">Barrier, Michael (1999). Pg. 324-328.</ref> The studio then formed the three-unit structure that it would retain throughout most of its history, with one of the units headed by [[Ben Hardaway|Ben "Bugs" Hardaway]], and the other by [[Earl Duvall]], who was replaced by [[Jack King (animator)|Jack King]] a year later.
In 1935, Freleng helmed the ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon ''[[I Haven't Got a Hat]]'', which introduced the character [[Porky Pig]]. <ref name="TermiteTerrace">Barrier, Michael (1999). Pg. 329-333.</ref> Duvall departed, and a new arrival at Sclesinger's, [[Tex Avery|Fred "Tex" Avery]], took Freleng's creation and ran with it. Avery directing a string of cartoons staring Porky Pig which established the character as the studio's first bonafide star. <ref name="TermiteTerrace" /> Schlesinger also gradually moved the ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons from black and white, to two-strip [[Technicolor]], and finally to full three-strip Technicolor between 1934 and 1936. The ''Looney Tunes'' would be produced in black-and-white for much longer, until [[1943]].
Because of the limited spacing conditions in the Schlesinger building at 1351 N. Van Ness in the Warner Sunset lot, Avery and his unit - including animators [[Robert Clampett]] and [[Chuck Jones]] - were moved into a small building elsewhere on the Sunset lot, which Avery and his team affectionately dubbed "Termite Terrace" <ref>[[Leonard Maltin|Maltin, Leonard]] (1980, rev. 1987). ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons''. Penguin Books. Pg.s. 229-230 ISBN 0-452-25993-2. </ref> Although the Avery unit moved out of the building after a year, "Termite Terrace" later became a [[metonymy|metonym]] for the classic [[Warner Bros.]] animation department in general, even for years after the building was abandoned, condemned, and torn down.
From 1936 until [[1944]], [[film director|animation directors]] and [[animators]] such as Freleng, Avery, Clampett, Jones, [[Arthur Davis]], [[Robert McKimson]], and [[Frank Tashlin]] worked at the studio. During this period, these creators introduced several of the most popular cartoon characters to date, including [[Daffy Duck]] (1937, ''[[Porky's Duck Hunt]]'' by Avery), [[Elmer Fudd]] (1940, ''[[Elmer's Candid Camera]]'' by Jones), [[Bugs Bunny]] (1940, ''[[A Wild Hare]]'' by Avery), and [[Tweety Bird]] (1942, ''[[A Tale of Two Kitties]]'' by Clampett). By 1942, the Schlesinger studio had surpassed Walt Disney Studios as the most successful producer of animated shorts in the United States. <ref>"[http://www.animationusa.com/resources/aboutwb.html Warner Bros. Studio biography]". ''AnimationUSA.com''. Retrieved June 17, 2007.</ref>
===1944 - 1960: Warner Bros. Cartoons===
In [[1944]], Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros., who renamed the company '''Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.''' By [[1946]], Avery, Tashlin, and Clampett had all departed, and the remaining directors - Jones, Freleng, McKimson, and [[Arthur Davis|Art Davis]] - carried on the Warner Bros. cartoon legacy. [[Edward Selzer]] was appointed by Warner Bros. as the new head of the cartoon studio, which moved to a larger building on the Sunset Blvd. lot in 1948. Schlesinger died in 1949.
Among the Warner Bros. cartoon stars who were created after Schlesinger's departure include [[Yosemite Sam]] (1945, ''[[Hare Trigger]]'' by Freleng), [[Sylvester (Looney Tunes)|Sylvester]] (1945, ''[[Life with Feathers]]'' by Freleng), [[Foghorn Leghorn]] (1946, ''[[Walky Talky Hawky]]'' by McKimson), [[Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner|Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner]] (1949, ''[[Fast and Furry-ous]]'' by Jones), and [[Speedy Gonzales]] (1953, ''[[Cat-Tails for Two]]'' by McKimson). In later years, even more minor ''Looney Tunes'' characters such as Jones' [[Marvin the Martian]] and McKimson's [[Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)|Tasmanian Devil]] have become significantly popular. The studio's 1947 cartoon Tweetie Pie would also go on to become a phenominal success, and as a result, the duo of Sylvester & Tweety would officially be paired together in all of their future cartoons with star power.<ref name="~HBTHYNA66">Sperling, Millner, and Warner (1998), p. 187-188.</ref>
After the verdict of the ''[[United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.]]'' [[anti-trust]] case ended the practice of "[[block booking]]", Warner Bros. could no longer force theaters into buying their features and shorts together as packages; shorts had to be sold separately. Theater owners were only willing to pay so much for cartoon shorts, and as a result the budgets at Warner Bros. Cartoons became tighter. Selzer forced a stringent five-week production schedule on each cartoon (at least one director, Chuck Jones, cheated the system by spending more time on special cartoons such as ''[[What's Opera Doc]]'', less time on simpler productions such as Road Runner entries, and had his crew forge their time cards). With less money for full animation, the Warner Bros. storymen - [[Michael Maltese]], [[Tedd Pierce]], and [[Warren Foster]] - began to focus more of their cartoons on dialogue. While story artists were assigned to directors at random during the 1930s and 1940s, by the 1950s each story man worked almost exclusively with one director: Maltese with Jones, Pierce with Freleng, and Foster with McKimson. Art Davis' separate unit was dissolved in 1949, and he became an animator for Freleng.
With the advent of the [[3-D film]] craze in [[1953]], Warner Bros. shut its cartoon studio down, fearing that 3-D cartoon production would be too expensive (only one Warner Bros. cartoon was ever produced in 3-D, Jones' ''[[Lumber Jack-Rabbit]]'' starring Bugs Bunny). The creative staff dispersed (Jones, for example, went to work at Disney on ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'', Maltese went to [[Walter Lantz Productions]], and Freleng went into commercial work). Warner Bros. Cartoons re-opened in 1955 after the end of the 3-D craze, with the staff returning and moving into a brand new facility on the main Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. [[KTLA]] television took over the old studio location on Van Ness.
By 1957, Selzer had retired, and [[John Burton]] took his place. Maltese, Pierce, and Foster all departed Warners for [[Hanna-Barbera Productions]] in [[1958]], leaving a new storyman, [[John W. Dunn]], to come up with scenarios for all three directors.
During Burton's tenure, Warner Bros. Cartoons branched out into [[television]]. ''[[The Bugs Bunny Show]]'' was a package program featuring three theatrical Warner Bros. cartoons, with newly produced wraparounds to introduce each short. The program remained on the air under various names and on all three major networks for three decades, finally ending its long broadcast run on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in [[2000]]. All versions of ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' included edited versions of Warner Bros. cartoons made after [[1948]], as all of the Technicolor cartoons produced before that year were sold to [[Associated Artists Productions]] in [[1956]].
===1961 - 1969: The latter days of Warner Bros. Cartoons===
[[David H. DePatie]] became the last executive in charge of the original Warner Bros. cartoons studio in 1961. The same year, Chuck Jones moonlighted to write the script for a UPA-produced feature titled ''[[Gay Purr-ee]]''. When that film was picked up by Warner Bros. for distribution in 1962, the studio learned that Jones had violated his exclusive contract with Warners and he was terminated. [[Phil Monroe]] was briefly promoted to director to finish the last cartoon Jones had been working on (''[[The Iceman Ducketh]]''), after which the remainder of the Jones unit was fired. Most of his former staffers subsequently re-joined Jones at [[MGM]]. <ref name="endofstudio">Barrier, Michael (1999). Pg. 562-563.</ref>
Warner Bros. also lost its trio of staff writers at this time. [[Warren Foster]] and [[Michael Maltese]] found work at Hanna-Barbera Studios, while [[Tedd Pierce]] worked on a freelance basis with writing partner [[Bill Danch]]. [[John W. Dunn|John Dunn]] and [[Dave Detiege]], both former Disney men, were hired to replace them.
In mid-1962, word came down from the main Warner Bros. executives to close the studio, a task DePatie completed by spring 1963. <ref name="endofstudio" /> The final cartoon produced (production #1669) was the Bugs Bunny cartoon ''[[False Hare]]'', with the final cartoon released by Warner Bros. being the previously-produced ''[[Señorella and the Glass Huarache]]'' (1964), directed by Freleng's former layout artist [[Hawley Pratt]]. Before the studio closed for good, McKimson directed the animated sequences for the 1964 Warner Bros. feature ''[[The Incredible Mr. Limpet]]''. <ref name="endofstudio" />
When the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC television network]] decided to air "The Porky Pig Show" in 1964, [[Hal Seeger]]'s animation studio was hired to produce the title sequences for that show, marking perhaps the only time the Looney Tunes characters were ever animated in New York City.<ref>[http://www.davemackey.com/animation/seeger/porkypigshow/ The Porky Pig Show<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
DePatie and Friz Freleng started [[DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]] in 1963, and leased the old Warner Bros. Cartoons studio as their headquarters. In [[1964]], Warners contracted DePatie-Freleng to produce more ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'', an arrangement which lasted until [[1967]]. DePatie-Freleng moved to the [[San Fernando Valley]] in 1967, and Warner Bros. Cartoons re-opened for business at its old studio.
In addition to DePatie-Freleng's cartoons, a series of new shorts featuring [[The Road Runner]] and [[Wile E. Coyote]] was commissioned from an independent animation studio, [[Herbert Klynn]]'s [[Format Films]]. Veteran Warner animator [[Rudy Larriva]], who had worked for years under Road Runner creator Chuck Jones, assumed directorial duties for these films, but even with the Jones connection Larriva's Road Runner shorts are considered to be mediocre by critics.
For two years, Warner Bros. Cartoons, with William L. Hendricks as production head and Bob McKimson and Alex Lovy as lead directors, produced cartoons starring Speedy Gonzales, Daffy Duck, and new characters such as [[Bunny and Claude]], [[Cool Cat]], and [[Merlin the Magic Mouse]]. These shorts were released without much fanfare, and in [[1969]] Warners ceased production on all its short subjects and shut the studio down for good. The back catalog of ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts would remain a popular broadcast and syndication package for [[Warner Bros. Television]] well into the 2000s, by which time it had reacquired the pre-1948 shorts it sold to a.a.p. in 1956.
===1970 - present===
{{seealso|Warner Bros. Animation}}
With Warners' own animation studio closed, the studio had to resort to outside producers whenever new ''Looney Tunes''-related animation was required. In 1976, Chuck Jones, by this time the head of his own [[Chuck Jones Productions]] studio, began producing a series of ''Looney Tunes'' specials, the first of which was ''[[Carnival of the Animals]]''. In 1979, Jones produced new wraparound footage for a compilation feature of ''Looney Tunes'' shorts entitled ''[[The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie]]''. The success of this film spurred Warner Bros. to establish its own studio to produce similar works, and [[Warner Bros. Animation]] opened its doors in [[1980]].
Under the supervision of Friz Freleng, three new compilation features were produced: ''[[The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie]]'', ''[[Bugs Bunny's Third Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales]]'', and ''[[Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island]]''. Later in the decade, the concept of compilation films was revived by writer-directors [[Greg Ford]] and [[Terry Lennon]], and new short subjects were produced for theatres.
The celebration of Bugs Bunny's 50th birthday in 1990 sparked a revival of interest in the cartoons, including a stage show called [[Bugs Bunny On Broadway]] which consisted of a live orchestra (under the direction of [[George Daugherty]]) playing the original Carl Stalling-Milt Franklyn scores as the cartoons played on a large screen.
Warner Bros. Animation continues sporadic production of ''Looney Tunes''-related specials and TV series to this day, the most recent being the [[Saturday morning cartoon|Saturday morning]] action series ''[[Loonatics Unleashed]]''. The studio's main focus is on original and licensed [[television program]]ming; in this field, Warner Bros. Animation has had major successes with ''Looney Tunes''-esque shows such as ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' and ''[[Animaniacs]]'', [[DC Comics]]-licensed shows such as ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' and ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', and shows based upon other properties such as ''[[¡Mucha Lucha!]]'' and [[Hanna-Barbera]]'s ''[[Scooby-Doo]]''. The studio briefly delved into feature animation production from 1994 to 2003, although ''[[Space Jam]]'' (1996), a live-action/animation combination film starring [[National Basketball Association]] star [[Michael Jordan]] opposite the ''Looney Tunes'' characters, remains the studio's only financially successful feature.
== The "Termite Terrace" Hall of Fame: Warner Bros. Cartoons staff, 1930-1969 ==
=== Studio heads ===
* [[Leon Schlesinger]] (1930-1944)
* [[Eddie Selzer]] (1944-1956)
* [[John Burton]] (1957-1961)
* [[David H. DePatie]] (1961-1963)
* [[William L. Hendricks]] (1967-1969)
=== Directors ===
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
* [[Tex Avery]]
* [[Bernard Brown]]
* [[Bob Clampett]]
* [[Cal Dalton]]
* [[Arthur Davis]]
* [[Earl Duvall]]
* [[Friz Freleng]]
* [[Ben Hardaway|Bugs Hardaway]]
* [[Hugh Harman]]
* [[Cal Howard]]
* [[Rudolf Ising]]
* [[Chuck Jones]]
* [[Rudy Larriva]]
* [[Abe Levitow]]
* [[Alex Lovy]]
* [[Norm McCabe]]
* [[Robert McKimson]]
* [[Frank Tashlin]]
* [[Ken Harris]]
* [[Phil Monroe]]
* [[Hawley Pratt]]
* [[Tom Palmer (animator)|Tom Palmer]]
* [[Jack King]]
* [[Ub Iwerks]]
* [[Gerry Chiniquy]]
</div>
=== Storyboard artists/writers ===
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
* [[Warren Foster]]
* [[Tedd Pierce]]
* [[Michael Maltese]]
* [[John W. Dunn]]
* [[Dave Monahan]]
* [[Ben Hardaway]]
* [[Lew Landsman]]
* [[George Manuell]]
* [[Melvin Miller]]
* [[Fred Neiman]]
* [[Jack Miller]]
* [[Rich Hogan]]
* [[Robert Givens]]
* [[Dr. Seuss]]
* [[Lou Lilly]]
* [[George Hill]]
* [[Lloyd Turner]]
* [[Bill Scott]]
* [[Chuck Jones]]
* [[Friz Freleng]]
* [[David Detiege]]
</div>
=== Layout artists/designers===
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
* [[Pete Alvarado]]
* [[Philip DeGuard]]
* [[Robert Givens]]
* [[Robert Gribbroek]]
* [[Paul Julian]]
* [[Thomas McKimson]]
* [[John McGrew]]
* [[Maurice Noble]]
* [[Erni Nordli]]
* [[Tom O'Loughlin]]
* [[Hawley Pratt]]
* [[Richard H. Thomas]]
* [[Cornett Wood]]
* [[Irv Wyner]]
</div>
=== Animators ===
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
* [[Ken Harris]]
* [[Robert Cannon]]
* [[Rod Scribner]]
* [[Richard Thompson (animator)|Richard Thompson]]
* [[Ben Washam]]
* [[Lloyd Vaughan]]
* [[Gerry Chiniquy]]
* [[Phil Monroe]]
* [[Friz Freleng]]
* [[Max Maxwell]]
* Paul Smith
* [[Norm Blackburn]]
* [[Rollin Hamilton]]
* [[Robert Edmunds]]
* [[Larry Martin]]
* [[Tom McKimson]]
* [[Robert McKimson]]
* [[Larry Silverman]]
* [[Robert Stokes]]
* [[Bill Mason]]
* [[Jack King]]
* [[James Pabian]]
* [[Don Williams]]
* [[Ben Clopton]]
* [[Bob Clampett]]
* [[Frank Tipper]]
* [[Sandy Walker]]
* [[Chuck Jones]]
* [[Cal Dalton]]
* [[Volney White]]
* [[Elmer Wait]]
* [[Robert Bentley]]
* [[Joe D'Igalo]]
* [[Sid Sutherland]]
* [[Virgil Ross]]
* [[Cal Howard]]
* [[A.C. Gamer]]
* [[Robert Cannon]]
* [[Herman Cohen]]
* [[John Carey]]
* [[Norman McCabe]]
* [[Vive Risto]]
* [[Rudy Larriva]]
* [[Manuel Perez]]
* [[Izzy Ellis]]
*[[Bill Melendez]]
</div>
=== Voices ===
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
* [[Bea Benaderet]]
* [[Mel Blanc]]
* [[Billy Bletcher]]
* [[Arthur Q. Bryan]]
* [[Daws Butler]]
* [[Joe Dougherty]]
* [[June Foray]]
* [[Stan Freberg]]
* [[Margaret Hill]]
* [[Kent Rogers]]
* [[Billy Booth]]
* [[Abe Lyman]]
* [[Robert C. Bruce]]
* [[Dick Beals]]
* [[Trust Howard]]
</div>
=== Music ===
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
* [[Milt Franklyn]]
* [[William Lava]]
* [[William Loose]]
* [[Norman Spencer]]
* [[Eugene Poddany]]
* [[John Seely (music)|John Seely]]
* [[Carl Stalling]]
* [[Frank Marsales]]
* [[Gus Arnheim]]
* [[Bernard Brown]]
* [[Dean Elliot]]
* [[Clark Terry]]
</div>
==Filmography==
<!--DO NOT list animated films merely released by Warner Bros. ONLY list films produced at the Warner Bros. Animation studio. Thank you. -->
===Short subjects===
{{see|Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography}} (1930-1969)
===Feature-length films===
<!--Do not add animated films Warner Bros. released, but produced outside of Warner Bros. Animation-->
====Theatrical films====
*''[[The Incredible Mr. Limpet]]'' (1963, animation/live-action)
====Live-action Warner Bros. features with animated segments====
*''Two Guys From Texas'' (1947)
*''My Dream Is Yours'' (1949)
*''[[It's a Great Feeling]]'' (1949)
==TV series==
*''[[The Bugs Bunny Show]]'' and various spin-offs (1960-2000)
*''[[The Adventures of the Road Runner]]'' - produced as a pilot, not sold (1962)
*''[[Philbert]]'' - produced as a pilot, not sold (1963)
==Notes==
<references />
==References==
* ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons'', Leonard Maltin, Revised Edition 1987, Plume ISBN 0-452-25993-2 (Softcover) ISBN 0-613-64753-X (Hardcover)
* {{cite book
|last= Barrier
|first= Michael
|year= 1999
|title= Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age
|location= Oxford
|publisher= Oxford University Press
|isbn= 0-19-516729-5
}}
* ''Chuck Amuck : The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist'' by Chuck Jones, published by Farrar Straus & Giroux, ISBN 0-374-12348-9
==See also==
* [[Harman and Ising]]
* [[DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]]
* [[Warner Bros. Animation]]
* [[Looney Tunes]]
* [[Merrie Melodies]]
* [[The Golden Age of American animation]]
==External links==
*[http://www.warnerbros.com Warner Bros. official site]
*{{imdb company|0072876|Leon Schlesinger Productions}}
*{{imdb company|0072876|Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.}}
*[http://www.hlla.com/reference/wb.html Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1930 to the Present]
{{Time Warner}}
{{Warner Bros. cartoon characters}}
[[Category:Time Warner subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Cartoons|*]]
[[Category:Looney Tunes]]
[[Category:Hollywood history and culture]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1933]]
[[Category:1969 disestablishments]]
[[fr:Warner Bros. Cartoons]]