Bitesized Biographies #3 - Walter Lantz

I never tried to make a cartoon for a certain age bracket. I just tried to make entertaining pictures. That's why they still play and why they play so well in foreign countries."
—Walter Lantz

After looking at perhaps two of the most famous and prolific figures in all of animation, Chuck Jones and Matt Groening, with our first two Bitesized Biographies; it seemed very apt and fitting - given A113Animation's new year's resolution to spotlight classic cartoons and pay homage to the geniuses behind them - that this latest Bitesized Biography is dedicated to one of the less famed animation pioneers, Walter Lantz.

New Year Changes

I've been running A113Animation for just over a year now, and it's been better than I could have imagined. In my time running the blog, my interest in animation has developed and blossomed into an obsession and thereafter into a way of life. It's allowed me to talk to a co-founder of Pixar, famed animation directors and figures, to interview esteemed authors and to live as much of my dream as I ever conceived I could. Time was where I only really took much of an interest, animation wise, in Pixar and Dinsey, then it grew into a love and appreciation of all animated films, but more recently, my interests have grown again, and manifested into something that shall have a direct effect on this blog - as it's only now that I believe I can firmly say I have a full appreciation of the artform that is animation in its entirety.

Over time, I've added more and more features to the blog - reviews, editorials, second perspectives and more - yet, in the last few months, I've conceived more and more. Now, let me tell you somewhat of a story: growing up, long before I ran this blog, long before I even deeply cared about animated films - as a child - I still obsessed over animation, in the form of cartoons. Many of my early childhood memories are of sitting in front of a television, watching cartoons like Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and The Simpsons, day and night. These cartoons are so deeply profound in ways they don't always get the credit for; they may be caricatured, they may be whacky, but the characters are as real and as beloved as any in all of film and indeed of literature. So, it's these cartoons that inspire me to write this today , as they have moved me and they have driven my life in as great a way and in as clear a direction as my love of Disney and Pixar have, and indeed in the same vein as pretty much everything else important. Yet, it's only very recently that I've realised that, the work of Hanna-Barbera, Matt Groening, Chuck Jones and animation pioneers like them, is akin to that, in the effect on my life and on animation, of Walt Disney or John Lasseter.

My epiphany came around Christmastime (as all the best epiphanies come then) when I received a Looney Tunes boxset from a friend - obviously bearing in mind my adulation of animation. It was this point, and the subsequent watching of them, that I remembered how much I loved watching the series as a child - and indeed now - this greatly reminded me of the brilliant effect of cartoons, how wonderful they are and how great those shows once were in my mind - and now are again.

So, this blog, which was hitherto solely feature animation based, will now have some overlay into the realm of TV animation - although don't go looking for news on every cartoon show about. This will be apparent through two new features on the blog, that will start up very soon: Bitesized Biographies and Classic Cartoons.

• Bitesized Biographies - these will be reasonably concise and short, yet detailed and retrospective, looks at the lives and influence of key animators and prolific and prominent figures in the field of animation and cartoons. This won't be solely limited to cartoons, there will be Biographies of Walt Disney, John Lasseter and more, although most of them will be of key figures in cartoon history, such as Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Mel Blanc, Walter Lantz and more.
• Classic Cartoons - these will be vintage video clips, from YouTube or other sites, of old, brilliant animated shorts and TV cartoons. These will include, amongst others, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, Pixar and Disney short films as well as old Simpsons shorts and original Family Guy shorts.

So, look forward to these features - a sidebar will be going up soon, also carrying links to reviews and our long running 'Aardman News' feature. I hope this will help to diversify the blog and, more than that, get over my dire love of animation to you, and get you to share your own.

The Future of Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes is one of those shows that we all grew up watching, it's a staple of any childhood if you're old enough; the wacky, extremely violent and beloved shorts graced our screens for several decades and are still replayed today. However, in recent years, their popularity has somewhat diminished due to the fact that they haven't been putting out a lot of new stuff. There was a time that Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the rest of the Looney Tunes characters were more popular and well known than even Walt Disney's best known creations and over the past few years, Warner Bros. have attempted a resurgence of that - to introduce Looney Tunes to a new generation.

Now, I've always been a fan of Looney Tunes - I grew up watching that, Tom and Jerry and Ed, Edd n Eddy more than any other shows - but I'd never obsessed over it in the same way that I have over Disney, Pixar and animated features, however, I've been infatuated with it since seeing Happy Feet Two. As I mentioned in my review of the dancing-penguin sequel, the film was preceded by an all new CGI Looney Tunes short film, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat, starring Sylvester and Tweety.



The short (clip above) was absolutely fantastic and brilliantly encapsulated the genius of Looney Tunes in just a few short minutes. Using the archived song, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat, recorded back in the 50s by the late, great voice of Looney Tunes, Mel Blanc, the short feels wonderfully familiar, quirky and nostalgic and is a very fitting tribute to the animation legend. The short also features Looney Tunes mainstay, June Foray, as the voice of Granny. The characters are far more lively than they could've conceivably been with new voices, and although the CGI animation, in place of the old fashioned traditional animation, took a while to get used to, the wonderful, familiar characters, the charming style, the ridiculously violent comedy, engaging story and Mel Blanc's talented voice work made it an absolute delight.



Puddy Tat was directed by Matthew O'Callaghan - who previously worked at Disney on films like The Great Mouse Detective, as well as directing the feature film adaptation of Curious George. O'Callaghan has been leading the Looney Tunes revival in recent years, after directing three brilliant Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts last year, including the Annie Award nominated Coyote Falls (above). He's also directed Daffy's Rhaspsody (another short, starring Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, featuring the voice of Mel Blanc - clip below) and another, as of yet untitled, Road Runner short, both of which will debut in 2012.



From what I've seen, so far, the future looks bright for Looney Tunes, as the beloved cartoons are being done proud by these all new, fun 3D shorts.