The Bear That Wasn't (film)

Last updated
The Bear That Wasn't
BearThatWasnt.jpg
"You are not a bear; you are a silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat."
Directed by Chuck Jones
Maurice Noble (co-director)
Story by Frank Tashlin
Irv Spector
Based on The Bear That Wasn't
by Frank Tashlin
Produced byChuck Jones
Frank Tashlin (in-credit only)
Narrated by Paul Frees
Music by Dean Elliott
Animation by Ben Washam
Tom Ray
Phil Roman
Richard Thompson
Don Towsley
Color process Metrocolor
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • December 31, 1967 (1967-12-31)
Running time
10 minutes 21 seconds
LanguageEnglish

The Bear That Wasn't is a 1967 American animated short film directed by Chuck Jones and based on the children's book The Bear That Wasn't by Frank Tashlin. It is the last cartoon produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer via its MGM Animation/Visual Arts division.

Contents

Production

The film was directed by Frank Tashlin's former Warner Bros. Cartoons colleague, Chuck Jones. It was the final animated short subject made by MGM and its subsidiary MGM Animation/Visual Arts, and also the second-to-last animated project for MGM ( The Phantom Tollbooth would be the last).

While mostly the same as the book, the short features slight differences from the book, such as the elderly president of the factory being depicted as a dwarf whose face is never seen, as well as a bear cub also repeating exactly the same claim of the bear being a "silly man" after the zoo bears make a similar claim when the bear is brought to the zoo.

Despite being credited as a producer, Tashlin had no involvement in the short though Jones credited him only in the hopes of Tashlin receiving an Oscar for Best Short should the short win the Oscar, which it didn't (in those days, Oscars for Best Short were given to the producers, not the director). Overall, Tashlin was dissatisfied with this adaptation of his book, feeling that it didn't present its original message very well. [1]

Availability

The Bear That Wasn't is available on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 , Disc 3 on the "From the Vaults" section and on the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 Blu-ray box-set on Disc 3 as a bonus feature. It is also available on the Boomerang subscription streaming service under Volume 6 of MGM Cartoons titled Bear That Wasn't.

The cartoon has been screened as part of MeTV's "Tom and Jerry and Friends" cartoon package on Saturday mornings.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Jones</span> American animator and filmmaker (1912–2002)

Charles Martin Jones was an American animator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of shorts. He wrote, produced, and/or directed many classic animated cartoon shorts starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, and Porky Pig, among others.

<i>Looney Tunes</i> Warner Bros. animated short film series and media franchise

Looney Tunes is an American animated franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It began as a series of short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series Merrie Melodies, during the golden age of American animation. Following a revival in the late 1970s, new shorts were released as recently as 2014. The two series introduced a large cast of characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The term Looney Tunes has since been expanded to also refer to the characters themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friz Freleng</span> American animator, cartoonist, director, and producer (1905–1995)

Isadore "Friz" Freleng, 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 the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from the 1930s to the early 1960s. In total he created more than 300 cartoons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert McKimson</span> American animator

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Tashlin</span> American film director (1913–1972)

Frank Tashlin, also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator and filmmaker. He was best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated shorts for Warner Bros., as well as his work as a director of live-action comedy films.

<i>The Dot and the Line</i> 1965 film by Chuck Jones

The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics is a 1965 animated short film directed by Chuck Jones and co-directed by Maurice Noble, based on the 1963 book of the same name written and illustrated by Norton Juster, who also provided the film's script. The film was narrated by Robert Morley and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It won the 1965 Academy Award for Animated Short Film and was entered into the Short Film Palme d'Or competition at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.

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.

<i>You Ought to Be in Pictures</i> 1940 Warner Bros. animated short starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck

You Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1940 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short film directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 18, 1940, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.

<i>The Bear That Wasnt</i> 1946 childrent book by Frank Tashlin

The Bear That Wasn't is a 1946 children's picture book written and illustrated by filmmaker and Looney Tunes alumnus Frank Tashlin.

<i>From Hare to Eternity</i> 1997 film

From Hare to Eternity is a 1997 Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon in the Looney Tunes series, directed by Chuck Jones. This short had a simultaneous release on November 4, 1997. The voice of Bugs is performed by Greg Burson and the voice of Yosemite Sam is performed by Frank Gorshin.

Joseph Benson Hardaway was an American storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer and director for several American animation studios during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He was sometimes credited as J. B. Hardaway, Ben Hardaway, B. Hardaway and Bugs Hardaway. He fought in World War I in the 129th Field Artillery Regiment, Battery D.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4</i> 2006 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on November 14, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM Animation/Visual Arts</span>

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.

This is a list of all cartoons featuring Porky Pig. Directors are listed in parentheses.

<i>Now Hear This</i> (film) 1963 American film

Now Hear This is a 1963 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble, and written by Jones and John Dunn. The short was released on April 27, 1963. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film the following year.

<i>Plane Daffy</i> 1944 film

Plane Daffy is a 1944 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin. The cartoon was released on September 16, 1944, and stars Daffy Duck.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3</i> 2005 DVD compilation of Looney Tunes animated short films

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 is a DVD box set from Warner Home Video that was released on October 25, 2005. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical short subject cartoons, nine documentaries, 32 commentary tracks from animators and historians, 11 "vintage treasures from the vault", and 11 music-only or music-and-sound-effects audio tracks.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2</i> 2004 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on November 2, 2004. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements.

<i>Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3</i> 2014 American cartoon anthology

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 is a Blu-ray and DVD release by Warner Home Video. It contains 50 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements. It was released on Blu-ray on August 12, 2014, and was released on DVD on November 4, 2014.

References