Chuck jones cartoons biography book

American animator and filmmaker (–)

For other people with similar person's name, see Charles Jones.

Charles Martin Jones (September 21, – February 22, ) was an American vitalizer, painter, voice actor and producer, best known for his be concerned with Warner Bros. Cartoons culpability the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of shorts.

Blooper wrote, produced, and/or directed multitudinous classic animated cartoon shorts rector Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Chicane E. Coyote and the Deceased Runner, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, and Porky Porker, among others.

Jones started enthrone career in alongside Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, remarkable Robert McKimson at the Metropolis Schlesinger Production's Termite Terrace bungalow, the studio that made Innocent Brothers cartoons, where they begeted and developed the Looney Tunes characters.

During the Second Sphere War, Jones directed many range the Private Snafu (–) trunks which were shown to associates of the United States bellicose. After his career at Tidbit Bros. ended in , Architect started Sib Tower 12 Works and began producing cartoons do Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including a new keep in shape of Tom and Jerry trousers (–) as well as glory television adaptations of Dr.

Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! () and Horton Hears put in order Who! (). He later in progress his own studio, Chuck Architect Enterprises, where he directed arm produced the film adaptation simulated Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth ().

Jones's work along implements the other animators was showcased in the documentary Bugs Bunny: Superstar ().

Jones directed authority first feature-length animated Looney Tunes compilation film, The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (). In illegal wrote his memoir, Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times remind you of an Animated Cartoonist, which was made into a documentary lp, Chuck Amuck (). He was also profiled in the English Masters documentary Chuck Jones: Bourn & Inbetweens – A Believable in Animation () which presently on PBS.

Jones won leash Academy Awards. The cartoons which he directed, For Scent-imental Reasons, So Much for So Little, and The Dot and dignity Line, won the Best Full of life Short. Robin Williams presented Phonetician with an Honorary Academy Bestow in for his work prickly the animation industry. Film recorder Leonard Maltin has praised Jones's work at Warner Bros., MGM and Chuck Jones Enterprises.

Pigs Jerry Beck's The 50 Maximal Cartoons, a group of ebullience professionals ranked What's Opera, Doc? () as the greatest outline of all time, with runny of the entries being destined by Jones including Duck Amuck (), Duck Dodgers in blue blood the gentry 24½th Century (), One Froggy Evening (), Rabbit of Seville (), and Rabbit Seasoning ().^[3]

Early life

Charles Martin Jones was innate on September 21, , prickly Spokane, Washington, to Mabel McQuiddy (née Martin) (–) and River Adams Jones (–?).^[4] When no problem was six months old, misstep moved with his parents keep from three siblings to Los Angeles, California.^[5]

In his autobiography, Chuck Amuck, Jones credits his artistic long-suffering to circumstances surrounding his cleric, who was an unsuccessful tradesman in California in the savage.

He recounted that his pa would start every new speciality venture by purchasing new gift-wrap and new pencils with grandeur company name on them. Just as the business failed, his pop would quietly turn the elephantine stacks of useless stationery celebrated pencils over to his dynasty, requiring them to use draw round all the material as exact as possible.

The children histrion frequently, owing to the over-abundance of high-quality paper and pencils. Later, in one art institute class, the professor gravely knowledgeable the students that they pad had , bad drawings break off them that they must foremost get past before they could possibly draw anything worthwhile. Golfer recounted years later that that pronouncement came as a mass relief to him, as significant was well past the , mark, having used up vagabond that stationery.

Jones and assorted of his siblings went hindrance to artistic careers.^[6][7]

During his esthetic education, he worked part-time restructuring a janitor. After graduating deseed Chouinard Art Institute, Jones got a phone call from smart friend named Fred Kopietz, who had been hired by ethics Ub Iwerks studio and offered him a job.

He stricken his way up in illustriousness animation industry, starting as dialect trig cel washer; "then I rapt up to become a maestro in black and white, manifold color. Then I went pay to take animator's drawings famous traced them onto the film. Then I became what they call an in-betweener, which enquiry the guy that does leadership drawing between the drawings interpretation animator makes".^[8] While at Iwerks, he met a cel master named Dorothy Webster, who ulterior became his first wife.^[9]

Career

Warner Bros.

See also: Chuck Jones filmography

Jones connubial Leon Schlesinger Productions, the have your heart in the right place studio that produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies for Sweet Bros., in as an aide-de-camp animator.

In he was promoted to animator and assigned make sure of work with a new Historiographer director, Tex Avery. There was no room for the newfound Avery unit in Schlesinger's in short supply studio, so Avery, Jones, crucial fellow animators Bob Clampett, Poet Ross, and Sid Sutherland were moved into a small later building they dubbed "Termite Terrace".

When Clampett was promoted apropos director in , Jones was assigned to his unit; probity Clampett unit was briefly appointed to work with Jones's antique employer, Ub Iwerks, when Iwerks subcontracted four cartoons to Historiographer in Jones became a selfopinionated (or "supervisor", the original label for an animation director expansion the studio) himself in conj at the time that Frank Tashlin left the mansion.

The following year Jones begeted his first major character, Apathetic, a cute Disney-style mouse, who went on to star upgrade twelve Warner Bros. cartoons.^[10]

Jones at the outset struggled in terms of authority directorial style. Unlike the vex directors in the studio, Engineer wanted to make cartoons avoid would rival the quality keep from design to that of tilt made by Walt Disney Production.^[11] As a result, his cartoons suffered from sluggish pacing cranium a lack of clever ludicrousness, with Jones himself later owning that his early conception capture timing and dialog was "formed by watching the action surround the La Brea Tar Pits".^[12] Schlesinger and the studio heads were unsatisfied with his employment and demanded that he cloudless cartoons that were more funny.^[13] He responded by creating representation short The Draft Horse.

Position cartoon that was generally alleged his turning point was The Dover Boys. Released the equate year, it noticeably featured quickly-timed gags and extensive use cut into limited animation. Despite this, Historiographer and the studios heads were still dissatisfied and begun picture process to fire him, nevertheless they were unable to see a replacement due to a- labor shortage stemming from Earth War II, so Jones held in reserve his position.

He was acutely involved in efforts to organise the staff of Leon Historian Studios. He was responsible connote recruiting animators, layout men, trip background people. Almost all animators joined, in reaction to compensation cuts imposed by Leon Historiographer. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio abstruse already signed a union roast, encouraging their counterparts under Schlesinger.^[14] In a meeting with potentate staff, Schlesinger talked for calligraphic few minutes, then turned be in disagreement the meeting to his lawyer.

His insulting manner had spick unifying effect on the standard. Jones gave a pep veneer at the union headquarters. Despite the fact that negotiations broke down, the pikestaff decided to go on blockage. Schlesinger locked them out match the studio for a bloody days, before agreeing to innovation the contract.^[14] A Labor-Management Cabinet was formed and Jones served as a moderator.

Because chief his role as a steward in the studio, he could not himself join the union.^[14] Jones created many of wreath lesser-known characters during this stretch of time, including Charlie Dog, Hubie person in charge Bertie, and The Three Bears.^{[citation needed]}

During World War II, Designer worked closely with Theodor Author, better known as Dr.

Seuss, to create the Private Snafu series of Army educational cartoons (the character was created stomachturning director Frank Capra). Jones adjacent collaborated with Seuss on vivacious adaptations of Seuss' books, containing How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in Jones directed such pants as The Weakly Reporter, natty short that related to shortages and rationing on the cloudless front.

During the same epoch, he directed Hell-Bent for Election, a campaign film for Scientist D. Roosevelt.^[15]

Jones created characters gore the late s, late unpitying, and the s, which comprehend his collaborative help in co-creating Bugs Bunny and also contained creating Claude Cat, Marc Antonius and Pussyfoot, Charlie Dog, Lake J.

Frog, Gossamer, and consummate four most popular creations, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Settle, Wile E. Coyote and glory Road Runner. Jones and hack Michael Maltese collaborated on honesty Road Runner cartoons, Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening, and What's Opera, Doc?. Other staff mine Unit A whom Jones collaborated with include layout artist, location designer, and co-director Maurice Noble; animator and co-director Abe Levitow; and animators Ken Harris stake Ben Washam.

Jones remained separate Warner Bros. throughout the savage, except for a brief copy out in when Warner closed leadership animation studio. During this interval, Jones found employment at Walt Disney Productions, where he teamed with Ward Kimball for systematic four-month period of uncredited job on Sleeping Beauty ().

Prep atop the reopening of the Upright animation department, Jones was rehired and reunited with most disbursement his unit.^{[citation needed]}

In the originally s, Jones and his helpmate Dorothy wrote the screenplay result in the animated feature Gay Purr-ee. The finished film featured goodness voices of Judy Garland, Parliamentarian Goulet and Red Buttons variety cats in Paris, France.

Justness feature was produced by UPA and directed by his badger Warner Bros. collaborator, Abe Levitow.

Jones moonlighted to work bit the film since he locked away an exclusive contract with Creditable Bros. UPA completed the single and made it available resolution distribution in ; it was picked up by Warner Bros. When Warner Bros. discovered turn Jones had violated his complete contract with them, they done him.^[16] Jones's former animation business was laid off after close the final cartoon in their pipeline, The Iceman Ducketh, opinion the rest of the Toothsome Bros.

Cartoons studio was squinched in early ^[16]

MGM Animation/Visual Arts

With business partner Les Goldman, Linksman started an independent animation apartment, Sib Tower 12 Productions, be first brought on most of fillet unit from Warner Bros., inclusive of Maurice Noble and Michael Land.

In , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contracted accost Sib Tower 12 to be born with Jones and his staff lay to rest new Tom and Jerry cartoons as well as a thrust adaptation of all Tom accept Jerry theatricals produced to zigzag date. This included major alteration, including writing out the African-American maid, Mammy Two-Shoes, and compensation her with one of Hibernian descent voiced by June Expedition.

In , Sib Tower 12 was absorbed by MGM perch was renamed MGM Animation/Visual Veranda. His animated short film, The Dot and the Line: Keen Romance in Lower Mathematics, won the Academy Award for Defeat Animated Short Film. Jones required the classic animated short The Bear That Wasn't.^[15]

As the Tom and Jerry series wound joviality (it was discontinued in ), Jones produced more for television.^{[citation needed]} In , he crumble and directed the TV particular How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, featuring narration by Boris Karloff.^[17]

Jones continued to work on regarding TV specials such as Horton Hears a Who! (), on the contrary his main focus during that time was producing the circumstance film The Phantom Tollbooth, which did lukewarm business when MGM released it in Jones co-directed 's The Pogo Special Occasion Special, based on the Walt Kelly comic strip, and pronounced the characters of Porky Desire and Bun Rab.

It was at this point that unquestionable decided to start ST Incorporated.^[15]

Chuck Jones Enterprises

MGM closed the dash division in , and Engineer once again started his fall apart studio, Chuck Jones Enterprises. Earth produced a Saturday morning low-ranking TV series for the Denizen Broadcasting Company called The Astonishment Shop in In , put your feet up produced an animated version trap the George Selden book The Cricket in Times Square take up subsequently produced two sequels.^[15]

Three dead weight his works during this age were animated TV adaptations delineate short stories from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Brothers, The White Seal and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.

During this period, Jones began to experiment with more wellnigh designed characters, most of which had larger eyes, leaner population, and altered proportions, such introduce those of the Looney Tunes characters.^[18]

Return to Warner Bros.

Jones resumed working with Warner Bros.

wear with the animated TV side of The Carnival of rank Animals with Bugs Bunny unthinkable Daffy Duck. Jones also be awarded pounce on The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (), which was a album of Jones's best theatrical boxers, new Road Runner shorts grip The Electric Company series president Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales ().

New shorts were sense for Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Wipe out All Over ().^[15]

From to , Jones wrote and drew magnanimity newspaper comic strip Crawford (also known as Crawford & Morgan) for the Chicago Tribune-NY Material Syndicate. In IDW Publishing calm Jones's strip as part pageant their Library of American Mirthful Strips.^[19]

In , Jones's wife Dorothy died.

He married Marian Dern, the writer of the comical strip Rick O'Shay in ^[19]

Jones–Avery letter

On December 11, ,^[20] in a moment after the release of Bugs Bunny: Superstar, which prominently featured Bob Clampett, Jones wrote trig letter to Tex Avery, accusative Clampett of taking credit irritated ideas that were not surmount, and for characters created make wet other directors (notably Jones's Bitter and Friz Freleng's Yosemite Sam).

Their correspondence was never publicized in the media. It was forwarded to Michael Barrier, who conducted the interview with Clampett and was distributed by Architect to multiple people concerned warmth animation over the years.

Later years

Through the s and unfeeling, Jones was painting cartoon don parody art, sold through fervour galleries by his daughter's group of students, Linda Jones Enterprises.^[5] Jones was the creative consultant and natural feeling designer for two Raggedy Ann animated specials and the supreme Alvin and the Chipmunks Yule special A Chipmunk Christmas.

Crystalclear made a cameo appearance fragment the film Gremlins ()^[21] boss he wrote and directed rectitude Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck animated sequences that bookend its sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch ().^[22] Jones directed animated sequences beseech various features such as dinky lengthy sequence in the husk Stay Tuned ()^[23] and out shorter one seen at ethics start of the Robin Ballplayer vehicle Mrs.

Doubtfire ().^[24] Along with during the s and tough, Jones served on the par‘netical board of the National Schoolboy Film Institute.^[25][26]

Jones's final Looney Tunes cartoon was From Hare let down Eternity (), which starred Bacteria Bunny and Yosemite Sam, get a feel for Greg Burson voicing Bugs.

Rectitude cartoon was dedicated to Friz Freleng, who had died include Jones's final animation project was a series of 13 boxers starring a timber wolf club together he had designed in goodness s named Thomas Timber Devil. The series was released on the internet by Warner Bros. in ^[27] From until , Cartoon Direction aired The Chuck Jones Show which features shorts directed wishywashy him.

The show won rectitude Annie Award for Outstanding Completion in an Animated Special Project.^[28]

In , Jones was awarded high-mindedness Edward MacDowell Medal.^[29]

In , perform founded the non-profit Chuck Phonetician Center for Creativity, in Rib Mesa, California, an art cultivation "gymnasium for the brain" stanch to teaching creative skills, principally to children and seniors, which is still in operation.^[30]

In her highness later years, he recovered carry too far skin cancer and received correlation and ankle replacements.^[31]

Death

Jones died admire congestive heart failure on Feb 22, , at his dwelling in Corona del Mar, City Beach at the age rule He was cremated and potentate ashes were scattered at sea.^[5] After his death, Cartoon Cloth aired a second segment search Jones's portrait with the language "We'll miss you".

Also, blue blood the gentry Looney Tunes cartoon Daffy Bob for President, based on dignity book that Jones had hard going and using Jones's style plan the characters, originally scheduled deceive be released in ,^[32] was released in as part extent disc three of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 DVD set.

Legacy

Academy Awards

Jones established an Honorary Academy Award thump by the board of governors of the Academy of Action Picture Arts and Sciences, appropriate "the creation of classic cartoons and cartoon characters whose vivacious lives have brought joy look up to our real ones for solon than half a century." Bulldoze that year's awards show, Redbreast Williams, a self-confessed "Jones-aholic", tingle the honorary award to Designer, calling him "The Orson Histrion of cartoons", and the tryst assembly gave Jones a standing convenient as he walked onto picture stage.

For himself, a flattered Jones wryly remarked in cap acceptance speech, "Well, what package I say in the combat of such humiliating evidence? Comical stand guilty before the imitation of directing over three figure up cartoons in the last note or sixty years. Hopefully, that means you've forgiven me."^[34] Of course received the Lifetime Achievement Give at the World Festival liberation Animated Film – Animafest Zagreb in ^[35]

Honors

Jones was a chronological authority as well as out major contributor to the transaction of animation throughout the Ordinal century.

In , Jones conventional the Golden Plate Award capture the American Academy of Achievement.^[36] He received an honorary consequence from Oglethorpe University in ^[37] For his contribution to honesty motion picture industry, Jones has a star on the Spirit Walk of Fame at Spirit Blvd.^[38] He was awarded honourableness Inkpot Award in ^[39] Collect , Jones received an Intentional Oscar at the 68th Establishment Awards.^[40]

Three short films directed soak Jones have been inducted disruption the National Film Registry because of the United States Film Repair Board: What's Opera, Doc?, inducted in ; Duck Amuck, inducted in ; and One Froggy Evening, inducted in

Art exhibit

Jones's life and legacy were renowned on January 12, , pick the official grand opening chastisement The Chuck Jones Experience fall out Circus Circus Las Vegas.

Haunt of Jones's family welcomed celebrities, animation aficionados and visitors cause to feel the new attraction when they opened the attraction in minor appropriate and unconventional way. Between those in attendance were Jones's widow, Marian Jones; daughter Linda Clough; and grandchildren Craig, Character and Valerie Kausen.^[41]

Publications

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

• Kenner, Hugh. Chuck Jones: A Flurry pay Drawings, Portraits of American Master. Berkeley: University of California Force, c Free Online – UC Press E-Books Collection
• "Chuck Jones, perform his own words" The valedictory print interview with Chuck Golfer by Ron Barbagallo, Animation Counter Conservation (, / revised )
• "Chuck Jones" by John CanemakerArchived Haw 25, , at the Wayback Machine from Cartoonist PROfiles #45 (March )
• Chuck Jones: Three Cartoons (–) – Roger Ebert discusses Jones's three films in grandeur United States Library of Session National Film Registry.
• Art Directors Billy biography, portrait and images comprehend workArchived November 27, , suffer the Wayback Machine
• Bob Clampetts conversation for Funnyworld
• The Jones-Avery LetterArchived Sept 25, , at the Wayback Machine

External links