1940s

"Ann L. Rothschild, better known as Little Ann Little, started in show business in 1925 as a part of the Greenwich Village Follies. In the early 1930s, she auditioned for the part of a new cartoon character at Fleischer Studios. Impressed by her high-..."

Bea Benaderet

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Bugs Bunny, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Actor, Voice Actor

"Born in New York City to a Turkish-Sephardic tobacconist and an Irish-American woman, Bea Benaderet made a name for herself in the first half of the twentieth century displaying her vocal and comedic talents in animation, radio, television, and film...."

Begone Dull Care

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Canada, Evelyn Lambart, Jazz, Music, National Film Board of Canada, Norman McLaren, Painted Animation, 1949

Producer(s): Norman McLaren

Release Date: 1949

"This short film by Canadian animators Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren offers an interpretation of jazz music by the Oscar Peterson Trio by a unique style of painting colours, shapes, and transformations directly onto filmstrip. It reflects the cont..."

Ben “Bugs” Hardaway

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Animator, Storyboard Artist, Voice Actor

"Ben Hardaway was an American storyboard artist, voice actor, animator and gagman during the Golden Age of American animation. Supplying the voice of Woody Woodpecker in many cartoon shorts, Hardaway was the man who gave "Bugs Bunny" his iconic name. "

Ben Sharpsteen

Filed under: people, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Director, Producer

"Ben Sharpsteen was born in Tacoma, Washington on November 4th, 1895 and got his start working for many of the major studios in New York including Hearst, Paramount, and F..."

Bob Clampett Productions

Filed under: studio, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Beany and Cecil, Bob Clampett, Color, Commercials, U.S.A., Warner Bros., 1948

"Bob Clampett left Warner Bros. in 1946 to open his own studio, Bob Clampett Productions in 1948. As many writers and fans point out, Clampett was as much fascinated with animation as he was with puppetry. As part of his new studio, Clampett created a..."

Burt Gillett

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse, Rainbow Parade, Silly Symphonies, Technicolor, Ub Iwerks, Van Beuren Corporation, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Walter Lantz Productions, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director

"Burt Gillett was one of the first novice animators to come to Walt Disney Studios and work alongside Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. He took a number of important directorial positions at the studio, directing a few of Disney's most important early animat..."

Carl W. Stalling

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Early Sound, Looney Tunes, Music, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Composer

"Carl Stalling was the composer of Warner Bros. Cartoon classic Looney Tunes, serving as composer and arranger for over 22 years and averaging the completion of a score per week. St..."

Crowing Pains

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Technicolor, U.S.A., Warner Bros., 1947

Producer(s): Edward Selzer

Release Date: 12/07/1947

"Foghorn Leghorn fools a young determined chicken hawk into going after Sylvester instead of himself. But when Sylvester gets wise to him, confusion ensues!"

Daffy the Commando

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Daffy Duck, Leon Schlesinger Studios, Looney Tunes, Propaganda, U.S.A., Warner Bros., World War 2 ( WW2 ), 1943

Producer(s): Leon Schlesinger

Release Date: 20/11/1943

"Daffy Duck parachutes onto a German base in WW2 and torments some Nazis. As he is shot by a cannon, he flies over (whilst holding two American flags, none the less) to a Nazi rally, and smacks Hitler with a hammer. Elements of propaganda abound, but ..."

Dave Fleischer

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Dave Fleischer, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, U.S.A., Director

"First generation American Jew who grew up in Manhattan. His father had emigrated from Austria in the late 1880’s. He and his brother, Max, distributed their Out of the Inkwell Series by themselves in mid-1921. Sometime in 1922 they signed with dist..."

Dick Beals

Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Stop Motion, U.S.A., Actor, Voice Actor

"Born in Detroit, as a child Dick Beals was too small to play sports, instead opting to be a cheerleader. He attended Michigan State University, where he began to lend his voice to radio broadcasting. In the 1940s, Beal began to do voice acting profes..."

Disney’s Education for Death: The Making of a Nazi

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Technicolor, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, World War 2 ( WW2 ), 1943

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 15/01/1943

"“Education for Death: The Making of a Nazi” (1943) is one of 32 animated short propaganda film that the United States government commissioned Disney to produce. Nearing bankruptcy after the financial failure of Fantasia (1940), Disney entered a c..."

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Color, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Tom and Jerry, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A., 1947

Producer(s): William Hanna Fred Quimby

Release Date: 14/06/1947

"A Tom and Jerry cartoon, riffing off of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, in which Tom concocts a deadly potion but finds that it only makes Jerry stronger."

Grant Munro

Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, Canada, Documentary, National Film Board of Canada, Actor, Animator, Filmmaker, Producer

"Grant Munro was an animator, actor, producer and filmmaker with the National Film Board of Canada, who was instrumental in many of the first developments of the film board and its associated studios. He was one of the board's earliest and longest ser..."

Health for the Americas: Cleanliness Brings Health

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Color, James Algar, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, 1945

Producer(s): The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs

Release Date: 30/06/1945

""The comparison of two rural families to demonstrate the need for proper hygiene and the consequences of its neglect.""

Hell-Bent for Election

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Color, Cultural Industries, Propaganda, U.S.A., United Productions of America (UPA), World War 2 ( WW2 ), 1944

Producer(s): Stephen Bosustow

Release Date: 1944

"It's just a normal day for Joe, a railway worker, until he realizes that two trains - the Win the War Special and the Defeatist Limited - are on their way to the same tracks. While Joe is stuck deciding which one to let pass first, a wealthy-looking ..."

Hollywood Steps Out

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Cultural Industries, Merrie Melodies, U.S.A., Warner Bros., 1941

Producer(s): Leon Schlesinger

Release Date: 24/05/1941

""A tour of Ciro's Nightclub packed with caricatures of many top stars.""

Jam Handy Organization

Filed under: studio, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Color, Commercials, Early Sound, Educational films, Max Fleischer, Propaganda, Silent, Technicolor, Training films, U.S.A., World War 1 ( WW1 ), World War 2 ( WW2 ), 1914

"Jam Handy Organization was founded by Jam Handy just before the First World War. The company produced educational, advertising, and training films. During the First and Second World Wars, Jam Handy Organization animated and produced training and inst..."

John Whitney, Sr.

Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, U.S.A., Animator, Composer, Inventor

"John Whitney attended school at Pomona College, and in 1937, took a year in Paris to study twelve-tone composition under conductor René Leibowitz. Upon returning to America, he and his brother, James, began to make experimental films, initially work..."

Kenzō Masaoka

Filed under: people, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Anime, Early Sound, Japan, Toei Animation Studio, Actor, Animator, Director, Producer, Special Effects Animator

"Masaoka was one of the first Japanese animators, who also trained and guided artists who would move on to become the next generation of animators. Masaoka is credited with creating the earliest anime using cel animation and recorded sound. He has als..."

Laverne Harding

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Color, Daffy Duck, Early Sound, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Oswald, Speedy Gonzales, Technicolor, The Road Runner, U.S.A., Walter Lantz, Walter Lantz Productions, Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, Animator, Cartoonist, Comic Strip Artist

"Laverne Harding was the second female studio animator in history, and one of the first to receive onscreen credit for her work. She started out as an inker for the Walter Lantz Productions, moving on to do animation work for several of the Lantz Prod..."

Little Tora: The Abandoned Cat

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Anime, Japan, 1947

Producer(s): Nihon Doga Toho Kyoiku Eiga

Release Date: 25/09/1947

""A family of cats find a homeless kitten and take him in to their home. But one of the siblings becomes jealous about the attention the new cat gets from her mother and runs away from home. The new member of the family goes looking for her.""

Martin Arnold Films

Filed under: resource, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, Color, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Website

"Martin Arnold's films use segments of old American cartoons, from which he has obscured and deleted features in order to focus viewer attention on the sound, repetition and movement of specific and recurring forms.His work has been shown at 168 inter..."

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio

Filed under: studio, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, Barney Bear, Bill Hanna, Bosko, Droopy, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, 1929

"Active from 1929 to 1957, MGM produced some of the most well-known and well-liked cartoons syndicated all over the world, featuring characters such as Barney Bear, Droopy, and the now-iconic Tom and Jerry. MGM's first foray into animation was thr..."

Michael Maltese

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes, Tasmanian Devil, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Writer

"Born in New York City to Italian immigrants, Michael Maltese studied at the National Academy of Art and Design, before landing his first animation job working as a colourist for Betty Boop cartoons, in 1935. He and his wife, Florence Sass, later move..."

Milton (Milt) Kahl

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Color, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Winnie the Pooh, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director

"Milt Kahl was an renown animator and director who was a part of Disney's group of “Nine Old Men”, who created and designed many Disney characters, and whose distinctive style had a large influence within the history of the studio. "

Nikolai Khodataev

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Propaganda, Russia, Stop Motion, Animator, Artist, Writer

"Born in the village of Konstantinovsk in 1892, the son of a wealthy tsarist official, Nikolai Khodataev took painting lessons in his youth, eventually enrolling in the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, at the age of twenty. In ..."

Novogodnyaya noch

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Color, Russia, 1948

Producer(s): N. Tsofnas

Release Date: 1948

"With a few days left before the New Year, Father Forest ventures into the forest in search of a Christmas tree. There he meets Wood Goblin, with whom they have an argument over what is better: a carpet-plane or a real plane. Wood Goblin loses the arg..."

Oliver Wallace

Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, Early Sound, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Composer

"Born in England, Wallace studied music widely, in London as well as in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. First relocating to Canada in 1904, Oliver eventually settled in the United States, becoming a citizen 10 years later in 1914. After compl..."

Oskar Fischinger

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Filmmaker, Painter

"Oskar Fischinger was a German-American painter, filmmaker and abstract animator. He invented several tools and techniques for special effects. While personally producing a vast amount of abstract fine art and film, he also collaborated with pioneer f..."

Out of the Inkwell Films/Fleischer Studios

Filed under: studio, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Color, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Koko the Clown, Musical, Paramount Pictures, Popeye, Rotoscope, Silent, Superman, Technicolor, U.S.A., 1921

"Out of the Inkwell Films, renamed Fleischer Studios in 1929, was founded by brothers- Dave and Max Fleischer, in 1921. The Fleischers' studio was one of the most influential and successful animation studios in the silent era as well as in the Golden ..."

Paramount Cartoon Studios/Famous Studios

Filed under: studio, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Al Eugster, Animation Series, Baby Huey, Betty Boop, Carl Meyer, Cartoon Characters, Casper the Ghost, Color, Dave Fleischer, David Tendlar, Felix the Cat, Herman and Katnip, Howard Post, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Isadore Sparber, Jack Mercer, Koko the Clown, Little Audrey, Little Lulu, Max Fleischer, Noveltoons, Paramount Pictures, Popeye, Ralph Bakshi, Sam Buchwald, Seymour Kneitel, Shamus Culhane, Superman, Technicolor, Tom Johnson, U.S.A.

"Famous Studios, renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956, was the animation division of Paramount Pictures. The studio was formed in 1942 after Paramount took over Fleischer Studios in 1941, when the Fleischer brothers were not able to repay their..."

Robert Fred “Freddie” Moore

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Looney Tunes, Mickey Mouse, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Walter Lantz, Walter Lantz Productions, Woody Woodpecker, Animator, Artist, Character Designer

"Freddie Moore was a highly influential animator with Walt Disney Productions in a crucial era of its development during the 30s, up until the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) and the establishment of the core group of animators k..."

Sadie Friedlander Bodin

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Color, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, U.S.A., Van Beuren Corporation, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Background Artist, Colorist, Inker, Union Activist

"Sadie Bodin was an extremely influential animator, being the first to picket an animation studio during the fight for animation workers' rights in the 1930s. Bodin was also one of the few women animators to move up into managerial positions, becoming..."

Sammy Timberg

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Betty Boop series, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Music, Superman, U.S.A., Composer

"Sammy Timberg was the musical director for Fleischer Studios and one of the most important composers of music in the history of American cartoons. Although Timberg had a long career that began in vaudeville in the 1910s, Timberg is best known for th..."

Seymour Kneitel

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Baby Huey, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Bray Productions, Casper the Ghost, Color, Dave Fleischer, Herman and Katnip, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Isadore Sparber, Koko the Clown, Max Fleischer, Noveltoons, Paramount Pictures, Popeye, Sam Buchwald, Seymour Kneitel, Superman, U.S.A., Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director, Executive Producer, Studio Head

"Seymour Kneitel was an early American animator, most well known for his work with Fleischer Studios. After the studio closed, he headed its successor, Famous Studios."

Sterling Holloway

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Winnie the Pooh, Actor, Voice Actor

"Born in Cedartown, Georgia to a grocer, Sterling Holloway's acting career began in his teens, when he enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where his classmates included Spencer Tracy and Pat O'Brien. After graduation, h..."

Swing Shift Cinderella

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Jazz, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Musical, U.S.A., World War 2 ( WW2 ), 1945

Producer(s): William Hanna Fred Quimby

Release Date: 25/08/1945

"Bored with chasing Red Riding Hood, the Wolf decides to go after Cinderella, but her fairy godmother takes a shine to him instead - and has an arsenal of magical powers to help achieve her ends."

Swooner Crooner

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Jazz, Merrie Melodies, Porky Pig, U.S.A., Warner Bros., 1944

Producer(s): Leon Schlesinger

Release Date: 06/05/1944

"Porky Pig's egg farm faces production problems when a crooning rooster distracts the hens from their jobs."

Tarantella

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Color, U.S.A., 1940

Release Date: 31/12/1940

"Tarantella is an avant-garde, abstract, animated short film with piano accompaniment by Edwin Gerschefski. Mary Ellen Bute, the director and animator of Tarantella, kept some of Norman McLaren’s original paintings from their previous collaboration ..."

Terrytoons

Filed under: studio, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Casper the Ghost, Color, Early Sound, Paul Terry, Terrytoons Animated Shorts, U.S.A., 1929

"Paul Terry opened his own animation studio, called Terrytoons, in 1929. Paul Terry is known in the animation industry for producing his cartoons quickly, and for resisting improvements. Terry’s goal was to produce cartoons at the lowest cost po..."

The Mad Scientist / Superman

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Dave Fleischer, Max Fleischer, Superman, Technicolor, U.S.A., World War 2 ( WW2 ), 1941

Producer(s): Max Fleischer Adolph Zukor

Release Date: 26/09/1941

"When a mad scientist holds Lois Lane hostage, only Superman can save her, and the rest of the city, from his diabolical plot."

Tommy Bond

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Warner Bros., Actor

"Tommy Bond was an American actor who got his start in the industry as a child at the age of 5. Bond passed away in 2005 due to heart disease. "

Vladimir William (“Bill”) Tytla

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Casper the Ghost, Color, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Little Lulu, Musical, Popeye, Terrytoons Animated Shorts, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Artist

"Vladimir Tytla worked as an animator for several studios, including his own. His happiest times, and best work, were done at Disney Studios where he felt a certain atmosphere of artistry and care for the animated product, which fed his deep interest ..."

Walt Disney Studio

Filed under: studio, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, 1923

"Walt Disney's Studio first found its headquarters in Burbank, California. A personal winner of of twenty Academy Awards within his lifetime, with a total of 63 total nominations, as well as 4 Special or Honorary Oscars, Disney is remembered as an ico..."

Ward Walrath Kimball

Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, Color, Musical, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Artist, Character Designer

"Ward Kimball was a prolific animator for Walt Disney, part of the earliest team of core animators known as "Disney's Nine Old Men." While extremely influential, his importance in the early days of Disney has meant that biographers have encountered se..."

What’s Cookin’ Doc?

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Animation Series, Bob Clampett, Bugs Bunny, Color, Leon Schlesinger Studios, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, U.S.A., Warner Bros., 1944

Producer(s): Leon Schlesinger

Release Date: 08/01/1944

""When James Cagney wins the Oscar, Bugs shows a clip from "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" (1941) and demands a recount of the voting.""

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