70-650: Max Howard is a film producer and studio executive, based in Los Angeles. He has run studios for Walt Disney Feature Animation in London, Paris, Orlando and Los Angeles, and was president of Warner Bros. Feature Animation . He has worked on or been responsible for a number of successful film projects. His credits include Who Framed Roger Rabbit , Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron , and Igor . He lives in Los Angeles, and runs two independent film companies, Melwood Pictures, and
140-516: A Disney alumnus, was brought in to head the new division, which was set up in Sherman Oaks near the television studio in nearby Glendale . Turner Feature Animation, later merged and named Warner Bros. Feature Animation, like all of the in-house feature animation studios, proved an unsuccessful venture, as five of the six films, under-performed during its original theatrical releases (due to lack of promotion). The first of Warner's animated features
210-452: A Golden Globe win. The fourth animated feature from Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Brad Bird 's The Iron Giant (1999), received widespread acclaimed reception from critics and audiences. However, the studio decided to rush its release to the end of the summer with a rushed marketing push. The studio's next film, Osmosis Jones (2001), was another animated/live-action mix that suffered through another troubled production. This time,
280-507: A Puddy Tat with Sylvester , Tweety , and Granny , which was released with Happy Feet Two ; Daffy's Rhapsody with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd , which was released with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ; and Flash in the Pain starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner . All of these 6 shorts, directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and produced by Reel FX Creative Studios are available on
350-860: A call for his Kansas City colleagues to join him. Freleng, however, held out until January 1927, when he finally moved to California and joined the Walt Disney studio . He worked alongside other former Kansas City animators, including Iwerks, Harman, Carman Maxwell , and Rudolf Ising . While at Disney, Freleng worked on the Alice Comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons for producers Margaret Winkler and Charles Mintz . Friz said in an interview with Michael Barrier that Walt had shown patience and remorse in letters prior to joining him, but did not show that attitude after he joined Disney and instead Disney became abusive and harassed him. In 1928, Freleng left
420-545: A career in features, echoes Freleng's experience in moving to MGM. Schlesinger's hands-off attitude toward his animators allowed Freleng and his fellow directors almost complete creative control and room to experiment with cartoon comedy styles, which allowed the studio to keep pace with the Disney studio's technical superiority. Freleng's style quickly matured, and he became a master of comic timing . Often working alongside layout artist Hawley Pratt , he also introduced or redesigned
490-426: A further restructuring by Warner Bros. Discovery; the merger would not affect the studios' output or branding. Friz Freleng Isadore " Friz " Freleng ( / ˈ f r iː l ə ŋ / ; August 21, 1905 – May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator , cartoonist , director , producer , and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on
560-426: A majority of its staff from said studio, making Cats Don't Dance the second film from Warner Bros. Feature Animation. The following year, its third film, Frederik Du Chau 's Quest for Camelot (1998), underwent production difficulties and also received mixed reviews from critics. However, its soundtrack (such as one of the songs, " The Prayer ") received some praise and accolades, including an Oscar nomination and
630-480: A new Warner Bros. Animation staff, composed mainly of veterans from the golden age of WB cartoons, including writers John Dunn and Dave Detiege. By 1986, Freleng had departed, and Hal Geer also stepped down the following year. Geer was briefly replaced by Steven S. Greene, who in turn was replaced by Freleng's former secretary Kathleen Helppie-Shipley, who would spearhead a major revival of the Looney Tunes brand in
700-453: A number of Warner characters, including Yosemite Sam in 1945, the cat-and-bird duo Sylvester and Tweety in 1947, and Speedy Gonzales in 1955. Freleng and Chuck Jones would dominate the Warner Bros. studio in the years after World War II , with Freleng largely concentrating on the above-mentioned characters, as well as Bugs Bunny . Freleng continued to produce modernized versions of
770-691: A planned series of new Looney Tunes theatrical shorts, produced by Back in Action writer and producer Larry Doyle . After Back in Action , directed by Joe Dante (live-action) and Eric Goldberg (animation), received mixed reviews from critics and under-performed at the box office, production was shut down on the new shorts, and, in 2004, Warner Bros. Feature Animation was folded and merged into Warner Bros. Animation, and Looney Tunes has been mostly relegated on television until 2021's Space Jam: A New Legacy . Warners' parent company Time Warner merged with Turner Broadcasting System in 1996, not only regaining
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#1732884709449840-433: A reboot of ThunderCats , and several series based on DC Comics properties such as MAD , Green Lantern , and Young Justice . Warner Bros. Animation is also producing DC Showcase , a series of short subjects featuring lesser-known comic book superheroes, to be released in tandem with direct-to-video films based on DC Comics properties. On July 30, 2010, Coyote Falls , a 3D cartoon featuring Wile E. Coyote and
910-521: A series of direct-to-video films with Turner which starred Tom and Jerry. Besides producing content for the daytime market, Warner Bros. Animation also produced Baby Blues with sister company Warner Bros. Television and 3 South with MTV Animation for primetime. The series which Hanna-Barbera had been producing for Turner's Cartoon Network before and during the Time Warner/Turner merger were shifted to production at Cartoon Network Studios ,
980-564: A sister company to Warner Bros. Animation. WBA is today exclusively involved in the production of animated television programming and direct-to-video features. It produced many of the shows airing on the Kids' WB Saturday morning programming block of The CW until May 24, 2008. These programs included Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! , Krypto the Superdog , Xiaolin Showdown , The Batman , and
1050-523: A steady stream of Scooby direct-to-video films and two new series, What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002–2006) and Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (2006–2008). The Turner merger also gave WB access to the pre-May 1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library, which included its classic cartoon library (including such characters as Tom and Jerry (originally created by the H-B duo), Droopy , Barney Bear , Screwy Squirrel , and George and Junior ). WBA has since co-produced
1120-523: A stop-motion animated adaptation of the New Line Cinema film Elf and its musical adaptation —as a Christmas special for NBC , starring Jim Parsons . On June 11, 2018, a new series of shorts, Looney Tunes Cartoons , was announced by Warner Bros. Animation. Set for release in 2019 on both linear and streaming television platforms, its first "season" would feature 1,000 minutes (or 16 hours and 40 minutes) of new one-to-six minute cartoons featuring
1190-401: A success at the box office. Animation production for Space Jam was primarily done at the new Sherman Oaks studio, although much of the work was outsourced to animation studios around the world. Before the success of Space Jam , a Turner Entertainment -run studio that spun off from Hanna-Barbera were already producing animated features following the success of the Disney features. The first
1260-694: A whole series of Pink Panther cartoons. Other original cartoon series, among them The Inspector , The Ant and the Aardvark , Tijuana Toads , The Dogfather , Roland and Rattfink and Crazylegs Crane , soon followed. In 1969, The Pink Panther Show , a Saturday morning anthology program featuring DePatie–Freleng cartoons, debuted on NBC . The Pink Panther and the other original DePatie–Freleng series would remain in production through 1980, with new cartoons produced for simultaneous Saturday morning broadcast and United Artists theatrical release. Layout artist Hawley Pratt, who worked at DePatie–Freleng during
1330-508: Is developing features based on Chinese content. In 1998 he received a Certificate of Merit at the Annie Awards in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. Feature Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group , a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment , which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as
1400-556: The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from the 1930s to the early 1960s. In total he created more than 300 cartoons. He introduced and/or developed several of the studio's biggest stars, including Bugs Bunny , Porky Pig , Tweety , Sylvester , Yosemite Sam (to whom he was said to bear more than a passing resemblance), Granny , and Speedy Gonzales . The senior director at Warners' Termite Terrace studio, Freleng directed more cartoons than any other director in
1470-545: The DC animated universe . A Batman spin-off feature, Mask of the Phantasm , was produced in 1993 and bumped up to theatrical release. The film was near universally-well received by critics but performed poorly at the box-office, though it eventually became a commercial success through its subsequent home video releases. In 2003, Warner Bros. Television Animation was folded and was subsequently merged with Warner Bros. Animation. During
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#17328847094491540-534: The UCLA Medical Center , aged 89. The WB animated TV series The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries , and the Looney Tunes cartoon From Hare to Eternity (which was the last one directed by Chuck Jones), were both dedicated to his memory. After his death, Cartoon Network aired a variation of one of their station idents with the words "Friz Freleng: 1906–1995" (the birth year is disputed) appearing and an announcer paying tribute to Freleng and his works. He
1610-508: The Animals . These specials, and a 1975 Looney Tunes retrospective feature film titled Bugs Bunny: Superstar (distributed by United Artists , the previous owner of the pre-1950 Warner Bros. library), led Jones to produce The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie for Warner Bros. in 1979. This film blended classic Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies shorts with newly produced wraparounds of Bugs Bunny introducing each cartoon. Warner Bros. responded to
1680-514: The Bold in production at the time. To expand the company's online content presence, Warner Bros. Animation launched the new KidsWB.com (announced as T-Works) on April 28, 2008. The website gathers its core animation properties in a single online environment that is interactive and customizable for site visitors. The Kids' WB website offers both originally produced content along with classic animated episodes, games, and exploration of virtual worlds. Some of
1750-625: The Brain (1995–1998), and Freakazoid! (1995–1997) followed in continuing the Looney Tunes tradition of cartoon humor. Warner Bros. Animation also began developing shows based upon comic book characters owned by sister company DC Comics . These programs, including Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), Batman Beyond (1999–2001), and Justice League / Justice League Unlimited (2001–2006) proved popular among both children and adults. These shows were part of
1820-689: The Max Howard Consulting Group. The group offers the inside track on animation feature production. Howard has been honoured with a Doctorate of Arts degree from Teesside University in the United Kingdom in recognition for his services to the animation industry. He is also the Chancellor of Middlesbrough Children's University. In 2015 Max started working In China on a regular basis for the DeTao Group, where he runs Melwood Pictures at DeTao, and
1890-421: The Road Runner was released, being the first time WB Animation produced theatrically released content since The Karate Guard (the last Tom and Jerry short) in 2005, and the first time the animation studio used full CGI and stereoscopic 3D. Two more theatrical Road Runner cartoons have followed during the year ( Fur of Flying and Rabid Rider ). On June 8, 2011, three more shorts were announced: I Tawt I Taw
1960-715: The United States by United Artists (UA) in 1968 because the use of ethnic stereotypes in the cartoons, specifically African stereotypes, was deemed too offensive for contemporary audiences. David DePatie, when asked about the Japanese beetle in Blue Racer in 1996, said this about Friz's view on race, "It seems like poking fun at certain ethnic groups had always spelled success. Friz had always felt that way in his cartoons, especially with Speedy." In September 1937, Freleng left Schlesinger after accepting an increase in salary to direct for
2030-551: The aforementioned Loonatics Unleashed and Tom and Jerry Tales . By 2007, the studio had downsized significantly from its size during the late 1990s. Warner Bros. downsized the studio further in June, shut down the Sherman Oaks studio, and had Warner Bros. Animation moved to the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California . In early 2008 after the demise of Kids' WB!, Warner Bros. Animation became almost dormant with only Batman: The Brave and
2100-455: The animation division and label of Warner Bros. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons , which was active from 1933 to 1969, the studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. Warner Bros. re-established its animation division in 1980 to produce Looney Tunes –related works, and Turner Broadcasting System merged with WBD predecessor Time Warner in 1996. In March 2001, Hanna-Barbera
2170-1104: The animation of the lightsaber blades, which was done by Korean animator Nelson Shin . By 1967, DePatie and Freleng had moved their operations to the San Fernando Valley . Their studio was located on Hayvenhurst Avenue in Van Nuys . One of their projects, titled Goldilocks , featured Bing Crosby and his family, and had songs by the Sherman Brothers . At their new facilities, they continued to produce new cartoons until 1980, when they sold DePatie–Freleng to Marvel Comics , which renamed it Marvel Productions . Freleng later served as an executive producer on three 1980s Looney Tunes compilation features, The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982), and Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983), which linked classic shorts with new animated sequences. In 1986, Freleng stepped down and gave his position at Warner Bros. to his secretary at
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2240-483: The animation sequences, directed by Piet Kroon and Tom Sito , were completed long before the live-action parts were filmed, eventually directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly and starring Bill Murray . The resulting film received mixed reviews and underperformed, although it was successful enough on home video for Warner's Television Animation department to produce a related Saturday morning cartoon, Ozzy & Drix (2002–2004) for its WB broadcast network. Following
2310-630: The background of scenes advertising various products called "Friz". The "Hotel Friz" was featured in Racketeer Rabbit (1946) and "Frizby the Magician" was one of the acts Bugs Bunny pitched in High Diving Hare (1949). Freleng was somewhat of a musical composer and a classically trained violinist who timed his cartoons on musical bar sheets. Freleng would time gags that best utilized Carl Stalling 's, Milt Franklyn 's or William Lava 's music. He
2380-439: The box office due to lack of promotion. Three years later after the release of Rover Dangerfield , Warner distributed Don Bluth 's Thumbelina , which also received mixed reviews from critics and under-performed at the box office. That same year, Warner Bros., as well as several other Hollywood studios , moved into feature animation following the success of Walt Disney Feature Animation 's The Lion King . Max Howard ,
2450-471: The brand's marquee characters, voiced by their current voice actors in "simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories" that are rendered by multiple artists employing "a visual style that will resonate with fans." Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation, and Peter Browngardt , creator of Secret Mountain Fort Awesome and Uncle Grandpa , would serve as executive producers. In August 2021, it
2520-401: The cartoon division), forming DePatie–Freleng Enterprises . When Warner decided to reopen their cartoon studio in 1964, due to Freleng asking them if he can rent the studio, eventually settling for $ 500, they did so in name only; DePatie–Freleng produced the cartoons into 1966. The DePatie–Freleng studio's signature achievement was The Pink Panther . DePatie–Freleng was commissioned to create
2590-518: The cartoon failed to generate interest, Freleng moved to New York City to work on Mintz' Krazy Kat cartoons, all the while still trying to sell the Harman-Ising Bosko picture. Freleng was very unhappy living in New York and made the best of it until another opportunity opened for him. Bosko was finally sold to Leon Schlesinger , who would produce the series for Warner Bros. At first, Freleng
2660-537: The characters to be used in the project from the Warner libraries include those of Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera , pre-1986 MGM animated characters and DC Comics . In 2009, sister network Cartoon Network announced Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated in the Fall 2009–2010 season by Warner Bros. Animation. Warner Bros. Animation recently announced several new projects, such as The Looney Tunes Show (formerly called Laff Riot );
2730-484: The early 1980s. The nickname "Friz" came from his friend, Hugh Harman , who initially nicknamed him "Congressman Frizby" after a fictional senator who appeared in satirical pieces in the Los Angeles Examiner , due to the character's strong resemblance to him. Over time, this shortened to "Friz". William Schallert claimed that Freleng was the model for Mr. Magoo due to his physical appearance. Freleng
2800-564: The film, I Haven't Got a Hat (1935). Porky was a distinctive character, unlike Bosko or his replacement, Buddy . As a director, Freleng gained the reputation of a tough taskmaster. His unit, however, consistently produced high-quality animated shorts under his direction. Friz Freleng directed the largest number of cartoons on the Censored Eleven , a group of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons originally produced and released by Warner Bros. that were withheld from syndication in
2870-487: The first Looney Tunes cartoon shorts directed by Freleng during his second tenure at the studio was You Ought to Be in Pictures , a cartoon short which blended animation with live-action footage of the Warner Bros. studio (and included staff such as story man Michael Maltese and Schlesinger himself). The plot, which centers around Porky Pig being tricked by Daffy Duck into terminating his contract with Schlesinger to attempt
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2940-542: The insect world (as in Of Thee I Sting (1946) and Ant Pasted (1953)), an inebriated stork delivering the wrong baby (in A Mouse Divided (1952), Stork Naked (1955) and Apes of Wrath (1959)), and characters marrying for money and finding themselves with a shrewish wife and a troublesome step-son ( His Bitter Half (1949) and Honey's Money (1962)). Freleng was occasionally the subject of in-jokes in Warner cartoons. In Canary Row (1950), there were billboards in
3010-500: The last "big name" studios with a Hollywood zip code. Studio operations, archives, and its extensive animation art collection were then moved northwest to Sherman Oaks. Hanna-Barbera occupied space in the office tower adjacent to the Sherman Oaks Galleria along with Warner Bros. Animation. Following the death of William Hanna in 2001, Warner fully took over production of H-B related properties such as Scooby-Doo , producing
3080-443: The merger with Turner and Warner Bros.'s parent company Time Warner in 1996, Turner Feature Animation completed its second and last feature, Cats Don't Dance (1997), directed by Mark Dindal , which was met with warm critical and audience reception but under-performed due to little marketing and fanfare. By the time of the film's release, however, Turner Feature Animation had merged with Warner Bros. Feature Animation and transferred
3150-604: The musical comedies he animated in his early career, such as Three Little Bops (1957) and Pizzicato Pussycat (1955). He won four Oscars during his time at Warner Bros., for the films Tweetie Pie (1947), Speedy Gonzales (1955), Birds Anonymous (1957) and Knighty Knight Bugs (1958). Other Freleng cartoons, such as Sandy Claws (1955), Mexicali Shmoes (1959), Mouse and Garden (1960) and The Pied Piper of Guadalupe (1961) were Oscar nominees. Freleng's cartoon, Show Biz Bugs (1957), with Daffy Duck vying with Bugs Bunny for theatre audience appreciation,
3220-555: The new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio headed by Fred Quimby . Freleng served as a director on The Captain and the Kids , an animated series adapted from the comic strip of the same name (an alternate version of The Katzenjammer Kids ). In November 1938, Freleng became a "junior director" under Hugh Harman but quit after 6 months in April 1939. Freleng happily returned to Warner Bros. in mid-April 1939 when his MGM contract ended. One of
3290-490: The newer Bugs Bunny shorts, before leaving to form Renegade Animation in 1992. The first Warner Bros. original animated TV series Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1995) was produced in conjunction with Amblin Entertainment , and featured young cartoon characters based upon specific Looney Tunes stars, and was a success. Later Amblin/Warner Bros. television shows, including Animaniacs (1993–1998), its spin-off Pinky and
3360-455: The official Warner Bros. Animation YouTube channel. On October 27, 2014, Warner Bros. Animation collaborated with sister studio Williams Street for the first time for its first production for Adult Swim , Mike Tyson Mysteries , which satirizes the style and conventions of cartoons from the 1970s (such as Scooby-Doo) and celebrity-driven series such as Mister T . Warner Bros. Animation also produced Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas —
3430-500: The opening titles for the feature film The Pink Panther (1963), for which layout artist and director Hawley Pratt and Freleng created a suave, cool cat character. The Pink Panther cartoon character became so popular that United Artists , distributors of The Pink Panther , had Freleng produce a short cartoon starring the character, The Pink Phink (1964). After The Pink Phink won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) , Freleng and DePatie responded by producing
3500-428: The releases of The Iron Giant and Osmosis Jones , the feature animation staff was scaled back, and the entire animation staff – feature and television – were moved to the larger Sherman Oaks facility. Warner Bros. Feature Animation's sixth and final project, Looney Tunes: Back in Action was released in 2003. It was intended to be the starting point for a reestablishment of the classic cartoons brands, including
3570-488: The rights to the previously sold Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts but also taking on two more animation studios: Turner Feature Animation and Hanna-Barbera Productions . Turner Feature was immediately folded into Warner Bros. Feature Animation, while Hanna-Barbera merged with Warner Bros. Animation itself. Until 1998, Hanna-Barbera operated on its original lot at 3400 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, California , one of
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#17328847094493640-538: The rise of the animation renaissance in the early 1990s, Warner Bros. distributed its first animated films: The Nutcracker Prince in 1990, which is a Canadian-produced feature film based on E. T. A. Hoffmann 's classic holiday tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King ; and Rover Dangerfield in 1991, whose title character is a dog whose look and mannerisms are inspired by his voice actor Rodney Dangerfield . Both films received negative reviews and under-performed at
3710-404: The rising costs and declining returns of short subject production. Outside animation companies were hired to produce new Looney Tunes -related animation for TV specials and commercials at irregular intervals. In 1975, Warner Bros. Cartoon alumnus Chuck Jones began producing a series of Looney Tunes specials at his Chuck Jones Productions animation studio, the first of which was Carnival of
3780-426: The studio (a total of 266), and is also the most officially-honored of the Warner directors, having won five Academy Awards and three Emmy Awards . After Warner closed down the animation studio in 1963, Freleng and business partner David H. DePatie founded DePatie–Freleng Enterprises , which produced cartoons (including The Pink Panther Show ), feature film title sequences, and Saturday-morning cartoons through
3850-482: The studio, due to Disney saying he "forfeited his bonus" along with comments on his animation mistakes. Freleng moved back to Kansas to work at his old job at the United Film Ad Service. Freleng soon teamed up with Harman and Ising (who had also left Disney's employ) to create their own studio. The trio produced a pilot film starring a new Mickey Mouse -like character named Bosko . Looking at unemployment if
3920-725: The success of this film by reestablishing its own cartoon studio. Warner Bros. Animation opened its doors on March 15, 1980, to produce compilation films and television specials starring the Looney Tunes characters. The studio's initial head was Hal Geer , who had been the original studio's sound effects editor during its final days, and he was soon joined by Friz Freleng , who left DePatie–Freleng (which became Marvel Productions after being sold to Marvel Comics ), and returned to Warner as executive producer. The new wraparounds for The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982) and Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983) featured footage by
3990-622: The time, Kathleen Helppie-Shipley, who ended up being the second-longest producer of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies franchise, behind only Leon Schlesinger . In 1994, the International Family Film Festival presented its first Lifetime Achievement of Excellence in Animation award to Freleng, and the award has since been referred to as the "Friz Award" in his honor. On May 26, 1995, Friz Freleng died of natural causes at
4060-500: The time, is credited with the creation of Frito-Lay 's Chester Cheetah , on the Food Network show "Deep Fried Treats Unwrapped", though some sources say it was DDB Worldwide , while others credit Brad Morgan. The studio is also known for creating the color opening title sequence for the I Dream of Jeannie television series. DePatie–Freleng also contributed special effects to the original version of Star Wars (1977), particularly
4130-505: The virtues of free-market capitalism: By Word of Mouse (1954), Heir-Conditioned (1955) and Yankee Dood It (1956), all three of which involved Sylvester. Freleng directed all three of the vintage Warner Brothers cartoons in which a drinking of Dr. Jekyll's potion (of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ) induces a series of monstrous transformations: Dr. Jerkyl's Hide (1954), Hyde and Hare (1955) and Hyde and Go Tweet (1960). Other Freleng fancies were man at war with
4200-710: The years that followed. The studio continued production on special projects starring the Looney Tunes characters, sporadically producing new Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies shorts for theaters such as The Duxorcist (1987), Night of the Living Duck (1988), Box-Office Bunny (1990), and Carrotblanca (1995). Many of these shorts, as well as the new footage in the compilation film Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (which includes The Duxorcist ), were directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, as well as Darrell Van Citters . Beginning in 1986, Warner Bros. moved into regular television animation production. Warners' television division
4270-405: Was Space Jam (1996), a live-action/animated hybrid which starred NBA star Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny (Jordan had previously appeared with the Looney Tunes in a number of Nike commercials). The film featured live-action sequences directed by Joe Pytka and animated sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone . Space Jam received mixed reviews from critics but proved to be
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#17328847094494340-404: Was The Pagemaster , a fantasy adventure directed by Joe Johnston (live-action) and Maurice Hunt (animation) that starred the performances of Macaulay Culkin and Christopher Lloyd with the live-action segments serving as bookends for the film's story. Released by 20th Century Fox , the film under-performed and received negative reviews from critics during its holiday release of 1994. After
4410-598: Was absorbed into the studio. In recent years, Warner Bros. Animation has specialized in producing television and direct-to-video animation featuring characters from other properties owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, including Turner Entertainment (which owns the rights to properties originally created by the MGM cartoon studio ), Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears , and DC Entertainment . The original Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, as well as all of Warner Bros. 's short subject production divisions, closed its doors on October 10, 1969, due to
4480-491: Was announced that Jason DeMarco had been named SVP Anime & Action Series/Longform for Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios . On May 11, 2022, Warner Bros. Animation was moved under Warner Bros. Television after the dissolution of the Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics division by new owner Warner Bros. Discovery . On October 11, 2022, Warner Bros. Animation merged its development and production teams with Cartoon Network Studios as part of
4550-473: Was arguably a template for the successful format of The Bugs Bunny Show that premiered on television in the autumn of 1960. Further, Freleng directed the cartoons with the erudite and ever-so-polite Goofy Gophers encountering the relentless wheels of human industry, them being I Gopher You (1954) and Lumber Jerks (1955), and he also directed three cartoons (sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation ) extolling
4620-531: Was born to Louis Mendel Freleng, a Polish Jewish immigrant from Kutno , and Elka (née Ribakoff) Freleng, a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant from Odesa Oblast , in Kansas City, Missouri , where he attended Westport High School from 1919 to 1923 and where began his career in animation at the United Film Ad Service. There, he made the acquaintance of fellow animators Hugh Harman and Ub Iwerks . In 1923, Iwerks' friend, Walt Disney , moved to Hollywood and put out
4690-507: Was established by WB Animation President Jean MacCurdy , who brought in producer Tom Ruegger and much of his staff from Hanna-Barbera Productions ' A Pup Named Scooby-Doo series (1988–1991). A studio for the television unit was set up in the office tower of the Imperial Bank Building adjacent to the Sherman Oaks Galleria northwest of Los Angeles . Darrell Van Citters, who used to work at Disney , would work at Warner Bros. on
4760-400: Was left with no experienced directors and therefore lured Freleng away from Harman-Ising to successfully fix cartoons directed by Tom Palmer which Warner had rejected. The young animator rapidly became Schlesinger's top director, helming the majority of the higher-budgeted Merrie Melodies shorts during the mid-1930s, and he introduced the studio's first true post-Bosko star, Porky Pig , in
4830-553: Was one of a very few directors at Warner Bros. to have musical knowledge for making cartoons. Every cartoon Freleng directed from the late 1930s to 1963 was made with his creative musical technique. Warner Bros. Cartoons was closed in 1963, leading Freleng to take a job at Hanna-Barbera Productions as story supervisor on their first feature, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! Freleng rented the same space from Warners to create cartoons with his now-former boss, producer David H. DePatie (the final producer hired by Warner Bros. to oversee
4900-564: Was reluctant to return to California when Harman-Ising asked him to work on the series. At the insistence of his sister Jean, Freleng soon moved back to California to work on the Bosko series, ultimately released under the title Looney Tunes . A prominent animator on the series, Freleng was eventually delegated co-directorial duties on shorts such as Bosko's Picture Show . Harman and Ising (alongside their crew of animators) left Schlesinger's employ over disputes about budgets in 1933. Schlesinger
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