Thursday, January 05, 2006

Masters of Animation

I recently got the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume 3, and I have a few thoughts about it.

The great Warner Brothers Cartoon Directors include Tex Avery, Frank Tashlin, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson and others I have probably forgotten.

The well known Warner Brothers Cartoon Directors are Chuck Jones and maybe Friz Freleng and Tex Avery. The others are much less known.

John Kricfalusi, the creator of Ren and Stimpy, was invited to comment and participate in the Looney Tune Golden Collection, Volumes 2 and 3. And if Mr. Kricfalusi had his way, the only looney tunes director you would need to remember would be Mr. Bob Clampett.

He doesn't quite diss other directors, but he has little time for them. This is most obvious on his commentary for Wackiki Wabbit, a Chuck Jones Cartoon (noted for it's strange backgrounds), in which he can barely bring himself to say five sentences. There's another commentary he shares with an old time animator (who's name escapes me at the moment), in which he encourages him to dump on Robert McKimson (who did the Foghorn Leghorn Cartoons, among others).

I can understand Kricfalusi's frustration that Clampett (legitimately a genius) is over looked in favor of Chuck Jones or Friz Freleng. That said, obviously all the directors had their strengths and the weaknesses, and all of them made great cartoons and great contributions.

Anyway I have more on this subject but need to get running.

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