Merlin the Magic Mouse and Second Banana | |
---|---|
Looney Tunes character | |
First appearance | Merlin the Magic Mouse (1967) |
Created by | Alex Lovy |
Designed by | Jaime Diaz |
Voiced by | Daws Butler (1967) Larry Storch (1968–1969) JP Karliak (2023–present) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Mouse |
Gender | Male |
Merlin the Magic Mouse is an animated cartoon mouse, who starred in five Warner Bros. Looney Tunes shorts late in the series, from 1967 to 1969. [1] The first cartoon was Merlin the Magic Mouse , directed by Alex Lovy.
In 1967, Jack L. Warner reorganized the Warner Bros. animation department, and hired Lovy away from Hanna-Barbera Productions to create new characters for Warner Bros. The two that Lovy came up with were Merlin the Magic Mouse and Cool Cat. [2]
Merlin was a nightclub magician (he usually preferred to be called a prestidigitator, though he could never pronounce this correctly) who traveled around for work. [3] Much of the humor of the character derived from the fact that, while he was often regarded as a cheap stage magician, he knew some very real and powerful magic tricks. His magic words were typically "Atascadero Escondido!" Merlin also has a sidekick, appropriately named Second Banana, which is a slang term for a magician's assistant.
Daws Butler provided the voice of Merlin and Second Banana in the first short, Merlin the Magic Mouse ; Larry Storch performed the voices for the other four films. [4] Merlin's vocal mannerisms are based on that of W.C. Fields. [4]
He would later be featured in Tiny Toons Looniversity , voiced by J. P. Karliak. [5]
Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast, being quick-witted and heroic while speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent. He usually wears a yellow sombrero, white shirt and trousers, and a red kerchief, similar to that of some traditional Mexican attires. There have been 46 theatrical shorts made either starring or featuring the character.
Robert Porter McKimson Sr. was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. He wrote and directed many animated cartoon shorts starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Hippety Hopper, Speedy Gonzales, and the Tasmanian Devil, among other characters. He also developed Bugs Bunny's design in the 1943 short Tortoise Wins by a Hare.
Merrie Melodies is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the Looney Tunes franchise and featured many of the same characters. It originally ran from August 2, 1931, to September 20, 1969, during the golden age of American animation, though it was revived in 1979, with new shorts sporadically released until June 13, 1997. Originally, Merrie Melodies placed emphasis on one-shot color films in comparison to the black-and-white Looney Tunes films. After Bugs Bunny became the breakout character of Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes transitioned to color production in the early 1940s, the two series gradually lost their distinctions and shorts were assigned to each series randomly.
The Banana Splits is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red helmets with yellow crests. The costumed hosts are Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky.
Solomon Hersh Frees, better known as Paul Frees, was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during the Golden Age of Animation, and for providing the voice of Boris Badenov in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Frees was known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", though the appellation was more commonly bestowed on Mel Blanc.
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.
Cool Cat is a fictional cartoon character created by director Alex Lovy for Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation. He was the final star of the original Warner Bros. theatrical cartoons. His first appearance was in an eponymous short in 1967. He was voiced by Larry Storch. Robert McKimson took over as director for the last two cartoons in this series.
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation which aired from September 9, 1995 to February 5, 2000 on Kids' WB. The final episode, containing the segments "The Tail End?" and "This Is the End", was never shown on Kids' WB, not premiering until December 18, 2002, when the show aired in reruns on Cartoon Network. 52 episodes were produced.
Yankee Dood It is a 1956 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on October 13, 1956 and features Elmer Fudd and Sylvester.
Transylvania 6-5000 (1963) is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on November 30, 1963, and stars Bugs Bunny.
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.
Knight-mare Hare is a 1955 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on October 1, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny.
Daffy Rents is a 1966 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on March 26, 1966, and stars Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales.
This is a listing of all the animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies banners between 1960 and 1969. A total of 147 shorts were released during the 1960s.
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.
The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park is a 1972 live-action/animated television film made by Hanna-Barbera featuring the characters from The Banana Splits television series. Mixing live action sequences shot at Kings Island amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio, with animation, the film follows the Banana Splits as they attempt to rescue a young girl who is kidnapped by a power-hungry witch.
See Ya Later Gladiator is a 1968 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Alex Lovy. The short was released on June 29, 1968, and stars Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales.
Go Away Stowaway is a 1967 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Alex Lovy. The short was released on September 30, 1967, and stars Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales.
Rodent to Stardom is a 1967 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Alex Lovy. The short was released on September 23, 1967, and stars Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales. It is the first cartoon to credit Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, but still uses the "Abstract WB" titles.
Merlin the Magic Mouse is a 1967 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Alex Lovy. The short was released on November 18, 1967 and features the first appearance of Merlin the Magic Mouse and Second Banana, both voiced by Daws Butler. This cartoon also saw the final appearance of Sam Cat in a Warner Brothers. cartoon.