David Nezelek
Cibbuano
TyronneThe Looney Tunes of Chuck Jones in Merrie Melodies
January 22nd 2009 23:18
Chuck Jones Moved Pictures
Chuck at work
"Human beings will line up for miles to buy a bucket of catastrophes, but don't try selling sunshine and light -- you'll go broke."
A mind that exploded with satirical wit, a pair of hands capable of conjuring Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn and Wile. E. Coyote amongst the slew of other Tweety bird icons. Within the lexicon of standard setting Animation Artists Chuck Jones is as revered and remembered as a thousand bugs bunny “What’s up Docs.
Serving as writer, producer and Director of some of the most well loved cartoon characters in history, this is the man whose madcap creative expressions were unleashed through the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts of Warner Brothers Studio.
"The whole essence of good drawing—and of good thinking, perhaps—is to work a subject down to the simplest form possible and still have it believable for what it is meant to be."
The mirror of genius or genus?
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was born September 1912 in Spokane Washington. The family moved to Los Angeles California in his preteen years. Indirectly fuelling his illustrated passion from a young age was his father, a failed business man in the 1920’s. Starting a new venture always meant new stationary, as each one failed the pens, paper and peripherals went to the children. This meant that by the time Chuck began formally studying his vocation at Chouinard Art Institute he had managed to amass a wealth of practical sketching experience.
Starting his prolific career at the bottom washing cels at Ub Liwerks, Chuck did any work in animation that came his way. In 1933 the 21 year old became Assistant Animator at Leon Schlesinger Productions, an independent wing of Warner Brothers.
While there Jones would create some of his most recognized characters and also give the world classic cartoon shorts like the Bugs versus Elmer hunting trilogy Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning and Duck. Rabbit. Duck. A few other now reveered gems included Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a ˝ Century, Duck Amuck, Beep Beep, What’s Opera Doc, One Froggy Evening and Who Scent You.
"The Coyote is limited, as Bugs is limited, by his anatomy. To give the Coyote a look of anticipatory delight, I draw everything up—the eyes are up, the ears are up, and even the nose is up. When he is defeated, on the other hand, everything turns down. You can’t do that as dramatically with human beings, although the emotions expressed are fully human."
Duck Dodgers meets Marvin the Martian for the first time
Fired abruptly in 1962 for a technical breach of his exclusivity contract with Warner, CJ landed on his lucky rabbit’s foot and with business partner Les Goldman he opened his own animation house Sib Tower 12.
“You do not ‘suffer’ if you decide ‘that’s the way it is’ rather than ‘why is it this way?’
It was during this time that Jones revamped Tom and Jerry and also began working with Dr Suess, in 1966 he would make the Christmas gem The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Later he would produce and offer his talents to the adaptation of Horton Hears a Who.
MGM who had offered him Tom and Jerry now also funded his dream project, The Phantom Tollbooth.
Sadly box office was unspectacular for his cinematic interpretation of the best selling children’s novel. Shortly after Metro Goldwyn Meyer shut down its animation house and this led to the birth of Chuck Jones Productions.
Doing TV Adaptations of many literary staples like The Jungle Book in 1979 he reunited with Bugs, Daffy and the gang for Looney, Looney, Bugs Bunny Movies which was like a greatest hits album of some of his legendary achievements.
In his later years Chuck Jones continued to be involved in the industry and as well as developing new projects he also began lecturing at universities and conferences to much enthusiasm. He died of heart failure in 2002, his final Looney Tune was From Hare to Eternity in 1997.
“There is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is the willingness to think.”
Quotes from chuckjones.com
Part 1 of a superb documentary on the life of Mr Jones
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