Don Patterson | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 26, 1909 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 1998 (aged 88) |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, writer |
| Employer(s) | Screen Gems (1931-1933) Walter Lantz Productions (1933-1935, 1950-1960) Walt Disney Productions (1935–1946) MGM (1946–1950) Hanna-Barbera Productions (1960–1989) |
Don Patterson (December 26, 1909 - December 12, 1998) was an American producer, animator, and director who worked at various studios during the Golden age of American animation, including Disney, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, Walter Lantz Productions, Grantray-Lawrence Animation, and Hanna-Barbera. He was the older brother of animator Ray Patterson.
Patterson began his career in the early 1930s as an in-betweener at the Charles Mintz Studio, [1] and then moved to the Walter Lantz Studio. [2]
He began working at the Walt Disney Studios in the mid 30's, contributing to Disney's short subjects as well as their to five theatrical films: Pinocchio, Fantasia (Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria Segment), Dumbo , The Three Caballeros and Make Mine Music . Patterson eventually left Disney in 1946 and moved to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. Initially he worked with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera on Tom and Jerry (the same unit as his brother Ray worked in) before moving to a unit headed by Michael Lah and Preston Blair to animate three Barney Bear shorts. He left MGM after the Lah and Blair unit was disbanded by management not long after.
In the early 1950s, Patterson returned to the Lantz studio and became one of Lantz's four key animators, along with Ray Abrams, Laverne Harding and Paul Smith. [2] He would eventually become a director himself in 1952. Leonard Maltin, in his book Of Mice and Magic, said that Patterson showed great aptitude for the assignment. His shorts are praised for showcasing a level of ambition and smart storytelling despite working with more meager budgets compared to MGM. [2] His better remembered shorts include Termites from Mars (1953), Hypnotic Hick (1953), Socko in Morocco, Alley to Bali , A Fine Feathered Frenzy and Convict Concerto (all 1954). Patterson was eventually demoted back to an animator when Tex Avery was brought in to direct a few shorts. He would continue to animate for Lantz until 1960, when he moved to Hanna-Barbera.
Patterson won a Golden Award at the 1985 Motion Pictures Screen Cartoonists Awards. [3]
Patterson died on December 12, 1998, at Santa Barbara, California, just 14 days short of his 89th birthday.[ citation needed ]
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| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Animator |
| Fantasia | Animator - Segment " Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria " | |
| 1941 | Dumbo | Animator |
| 1945 | The Three Caballeros | Animator |
| 1946 | Make Mine Music | Effects Animator |
| 1973 | Charlotte's Web | Animator |
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His most significant work was for the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, where he was crucial in the creation and evolution of famous animated characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel, The Wolf, Red Hot Riding Hood, and George and Junior.
The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound synchronized cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the 1960s when theatrical animated shorts started to lose popularity to the newer medium of television. Animated media from after the golden age, especially on television, were produced on cheaper budgets and with more limited techniques between the late 1950s and 1980s.
Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. Essentially the polar opposite of Avery's other MGM character, the loud and wacky Screwy Squirrel, Droopy moves slowly and lethargically, speaks in a jowly monotone voice, and—though hardly an imposing character—is shrewd enough to outwit his enemies. When finally roused to anger, often by a bad guy laughing heartily at him, Droopy is capable of beating adversaries many times his size with a comical thrashing.
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films. The characters featured in these cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, are among the most famous and recognizable characters in the world. Many of the creative staff members at the studio, including directors and animators such as Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery, Robert Clampett, Arthur Davis, and Frank Tashlin, are considered major figures in the art and history of traditional animation.
The Yankee Doodle Mouse is a 1943 American one-reel animated cartoon in Technicolor. It is the eleventh Tom and Jerry short produced by Fred Quimby, and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical supervision by Scott Bradley and animation by Irven Spence, Pete Burness, Kenneth Muse and George Gordon. Jack Zander was credited on the original print, but his credit was omitted in the 1950 reissue. It was released to theaters on June 26, 1943 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The short features Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse chasing each other in a pseudo-warfare style, and makes numerous references to World War II technology such as jeeps and dive bombers, represented by clever uses of common household items. The Yankee Doodle Mouse won the 1943 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, making it the first of seven Tom and Jerry cartoons to receive this distinction.
Puss Gets the Boot is a 1940 American animated short film and is the first short in what would become the Tom and Jerry cartoon series, though neither are yet referred to by these names. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and produced by Rudolf Ising. It is based on the Aesop's Fable, The Cat and the Mice. As was the practice of MGM shorts at the time, only Rudolf Ising is credited. It was released to theaters on February 10, 1940, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Spike and Tyke is a short-lived theatrical animated short subject series, based upon the English bulldog father-and-son team from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Tom and Jerry cartoons. The characters first appeared in the Tom and Jerry series in the 1940s.
This is a complete list of the 166 shorts in the Tom and Jerry series produced and released between 1940 and 2021. Of these, 162 are theatrical shorts, one is a made-for-TV short, one is a two-minute sketch shown as part of a telethon, and two are special shorts released on HBO Max.
MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an American animation studio established in 1962 by animation director/producer Chuck Jones, producer Les Goldman and executive Walter Bien as Sib Tower 12 Productions. Its productions include the last series of Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts, the TV specials Horton Hears a Who! and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and the feature film The Phantom Tollbooth, all released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Preston Erwin Blair was an American character animator, best remembered for his work at Walt Disney Productions and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio.
Ed Benedict was an American animator and layout artist. He is best known for his work with Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he helped design Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound.
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to accompany MGM feature films in Loew's Theaters, which included popular cartoon characters Tom, Jerry, Droopy, Butch, Spike, Tyke, and Barney Bear.
Michael Richard Lah was an American animator of Slovene origin. He is best remembered for his work at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, primarily as a member of Tex Avery's animation unit. He first worked on Tom and Jerry shorts before going to work on Droopy/Tex Avery shorts.
Raymond Patterson was an American animator, producer, and director. He was born in Hollywood, California, and was the younger brother of animator Don Patterson.
Irven LeRoy Spence was an American animator. He is best known for his work on MGM's Tom and Jerry animated shorts. Spence has been credited variously as Irven Spence, Irvin Spence, and Irv Spence.
Alexander Lovy was an American animator. He spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions. He was later a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervised the cartoon unit at Warner Bros. during its final days.
Jack Carr was an American actor and animator.
Gilbert H. Turner was an American animator, comic book artist and producer.
Ray Abrams was an American animator and director. He began his career as an animator at Walter Lantz Productions, and also worked for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio and Hanna-Barbera.
Events in 1911 in animation.
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