Birth of a Notion (film)

Last updated
Birth of a Notion
BirthofNotionTC.png
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Warren Foster
Starring Mel Blanc
Stan Freberg
Music by Carl Stalling
Animation by Richard Bickenbach
Cal Dalton
I. Ellis
Rod Scribner
Anatole Kirsanoff
Fred Jones [1]
Layouts by Cornett Wood
Backgrounds byRichard H. Thomas
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • April 12, 1947 (1947-04-12) [2]
Running time
7 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Birth of a Notion is a 1947 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and Robert McKimson. [3] The cartoon was released on April 12, 1947, and stars Daffy Duck. [4]

Contents

Plot

Daffy, unlike his avian counterparts, declines migration southward for winter and orchestrates his winter stay with Leopold, a credulous dog, by feigning a life-saving act. However, complications arise when confronted with Leopold's master, a scientist fixated on acquiring a duck's furcula for an experiment.

Daffy's disdain for the scientist's demand leads to a failed assassination endeavor, prompting the scientist to retaliate with lethal traps. Meanwhile, Leopold experiences alienation amidst the chaos. Ultimately, Daffy departs, but the scientist settles for a dog's wishbone, prompting Leopold's departure as well. Daffy's attempt at infiltrating another abode is thwarted by a Joe Besser-esque grey duck, resulting in Daffy's inadvertent flight southward, where he discovers Leopold, equipped with a makeshift flying apparatus, accompanying him.

Production notes

Director Robert McKimson employs his character design of "Barnyard Dawg" to portray Leopold, the canine companion of the mad scientist, with the scientist himself rendered as a caricature, visually and vocally reminiscent of Peter Lorre.

The title, Birth of a Notion, alludes to The Birth of a Nation , though no thematic connection exists between the two films.

This short was initially slated for direction by Bob Clampett, alongside Bacall to Arms and The Goofy Gophers , both of which were ultimately completed by Arthur Davis following Clampett's departure from Warner Bros.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daffy Duck</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Daffy Duck is a fictional character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in which he is usually depicted as a foil for either Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig or Speedy Gonzales. He was one of the first of the new "screwball" characters that emerged in the late 1930s to replace traditional everyman characters who were more popular earlier in the decade, such as Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and Popeye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Clampett</span> American animator (1913–1984)

Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil. He was born and raised not far from Hollywood and, early in life, showed an interest in animation and puppetry. After dropping out of high school in 1931, he joined the team at Harman-Ising Productions and began working on the studio's newest short subjects, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goofy Gophers</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

The Goofy Gophers are animated cartoon characters in Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. The gophers are small and brown with tan bellies and buck teeth. They both have British accents. Unnamed in the theatrical cartoons, they were given the names Mac and Tosh in the 1960s TV show The Bugs Bunny Show. The names are a pun on the surname "Macintosh". They are characterized by an abnormally high level of politeness.

The Looney Tunes Golden Collection is a series of six four-disc DVD sets from Warner Home Video, each containing about 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts originally released from the 1930s to 1960s. The initial run of the series was in folding cardboard packaging issued gradually from October 28, 2003 to October 21, 2008. A boxed set combining all six volumes was released in 2011, and each volume was reissued separately in standard Amaray-style cases in 2020.

<i>Tweetie Pie</i> 1947 short film by Bob Clampett and Friz Freleng

Tweetie Pie is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon.

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>The Great Piggy Bank Robbery</i> 1946 animated short film by Bob Clampett

The Great Piggy Bank Robbery is a 1946 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The cartoon was released on July 20, 1946, and stars Daffy Duck.

<i>Baby Bottleneck</i> 1946 Daffy Duck and Porky Pig cartoon

Baby Bottleneck is a 1946 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and written by Warren Foster. The cartoon was released on March 16, 1946, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Tweety makes a cameo appearance in the film.

<i>Draftee Daffy</i> 1945 animated short film directed by Bob Clampett

Draftee Daffy is a 1945 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The cartoon was released on January 27, 1945, and stars Daffy Duck.

<i>Daffy Duck Slept Here</i> 1948 American film

Daffy Duck Slept Here is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on March 6, 1948, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.

The Prize Pest is a 1951 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson, and written by Tedd Pierce. The cartoon was released on December 22, 1951, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.

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

<i>A Pest in the House</i> 1947 film by Chuck Jones

A Pest in the House is a Merrie Melodies animated short film released on August 2, 1947. It is directed by Chuck Jones and stars the characters of Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5</i> 2007 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5 is a Looney Tunes collection on DVD. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 30, 2007.

<i>Daffy Duck Hunt</i> 1949 film

Daffy Duck Hunt is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on March 26, 1949, and stars Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the Barnyard Dawg.

<i>One Meat Brawl</i> 1947 American film

One Meat Brawl is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short stars Porky Pig and Barnyard Dawg, and was released on January 18, 1947. The title is a takeoff on the popular song "One Meat Ball".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnyard Dawg</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Barnyard Dawg is a Looney Tunes character. A feisty anthropomorphic basset hound, he is a friend and the archenemy of Foghorn Leghorn. He was created by Robert McKimson, who also created Foghorn, and was voiced by Mel Blanc. Dawg also feuds with other enemies as well like Henery Hawk, Daffy Duck and Sylvester. He appeared in 23 Golden Age–era Warner Bros. shorts.

<i>The Wise Quacking Duck</i> 1943 animated short film by Bob Clampett

The Wise Quacking Duck is a 1943 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The cartoon was released on May 1, 1943, and stars Daffy Duck.

References

  1. ↑ Baxter, Devon. "Birth Of A Notion (1947)". Cartoon Research. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. ↑ Beck, Jerry (January 1, 1981). The Warner Brothers Cartoons. Scarecrow Press. p. 125. ISBN   9780810813960 . Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  3. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 174. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  4. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 70–72. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.