People

A Little Soap and Water

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Dave Fleischer, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., 1935

Producer(s): Max Fleischer Adolph Zukor Dave Copeland

Release Date: 21/06/1935

"Betty Boop tries to give her dog, Pudgy, a bath, but Pudgy has other ideas."

Aesop’s Fables Studio

Filed under: studio, 1920s, Aesop's Fables, Amadee J. Van Beuren, Paul Terry, Silent, U.S.A., Van Beuren Corporation, Walt Disney, 1920

"Aesop's Fables Studio was a small animation studio. Aesop's Fables Studio was founded by Paul Terry in 1920 with financial support from the Keith-Albee vaudeville team in order to produce a series of animated shorts called Aesop’s Film Fables. The..."

Aesop’s Fables: Summertime

Filed under: animation, 1920s, Aesop's Fables, Anime, John Foster, U.S.A., Van Beuren Corporation, 1929

Producer(s): Amedee J. Van Beuren Paul Terry

Release Date: 13/10/1929

"This animated short is comprised of three separate scenes featuring various animals. Scene one: The squirrel enjoys listening to the music played by frog and monkey. However, the owl dislikes the monkey-frog duet. Scene two: On a heated day, a ..."

Andy Panda’s Victory Garden

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Color, Technicolor, U.S.A., Universal Studios, Walter Lantz, Walter Lantz Productions, 1942

Producer(s): Walter Lantz

Release Date: 09/09/1942

"Andy Panda and Balmer try to plant a spring garden, but Charlie Chicken and a naughty worm have other ideas!"

Ann “Little” Rothschild

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Dave Fleischer, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Actor, Voice Actor

"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-..."

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. "

Betty Boop for President

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., 1932

Producer(s): Max Fleischer

Release Date: 04/11/1932

"Betty Boop runs a wildly popular presidential campaign against the despised Mr. Nobody."

Bob Clampett

Filed under: people, Bob Clampett, Animator

"By 12, Clampett had cartoons published by the Los Angeles Examiner. Later his father signed a contract to allow him to work after school with the Examiner alongside great cartoonists like Robert Day, Webb Smith, and Charles Phillipi. After graduatin..."

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..."

Broken Toys

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Ben Sharpsteen, Grim Natwick, Technicolor, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, 1935

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 14/12/1935

""A sailor doll, thrown into a toy dump, rallies the demoralized dolls that were already there.""

Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire

Filed under: resource, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Book

Author: Bob Thomas

"This book depicts the Disney brothers' unique relationship. The book presents the business acumen of Roy in such matters as licensing, the forming of the original Mickey Mouse Clubs and the retention of TV rights of Disney products as early as the 19..."

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 Barks

Filed under: people, Donald Duck, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Animator, Cartoonist, Storyboard Artist, Storyman

"Carl Barks was an American cartoonist who was most well-known for drawing Donald Duck as well as creating the iconic character of Scrooge McDuck. "

Chilly Willy – Half Baked Alaska

Filed under: animation, 1960s, Color, Technicolor, U.S.A., Universal Studios, Walter Lantz, Walter Lantz Productions, 1965

Producer(s): Walter Lantz

Release Date: 01/04/1965

"Hungry and cold with a failing shoe-shine business, Chilly Willy struggles to get enough money to buy himself a stack of hotcakes."

Clayton “Bud” Collyer

Filed under: people, Dave Fleischer, Max Fleischer, Superman, Technicolor, U.S.A., Actor, Voice Actor

"Born in Manhattan to Clayton Johnson Heermance and Caroline Collyer as Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., Clayton "Bud" Collyer initially intended to pursue law as his profession. While attending Fordham University, he began work as a radio singer and an..."

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 Huemer

Filed under: people, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Koko the Clown, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios

"An animator during the golden age of animation, Huemer worked for the Disney organization from 1933-1973, an impressive 50 years. Alongside his working partner Joe Grant, Huemer helped create some of the most compelling and memorable animations durin..."

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..."

Earl Hurd

Filed under: people, Bray Productions, Terrytoons Animated Shorts, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney

"Hurd was a pioneering American animator who worked at the beginning of the early animation age, noted for creating the silent animated short Bobby Bumpbs, and working for John Randolph Bray's company Bray Productions. Together, the pair developed ..."

Emanuel (Mannie) Davis

Filed under: people, Aesop's Fables, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Mannie Davis, Paul Terry, Terrytoons Animated Shorts, Animator, Director

"Davis began his career in 1918 at Barré Studio where he worked on the Mutt and Jeff series. He left the studio in 1922 and moved to Fleischer Studios to work on the Out of the Inkwell series. After leaving the Fleischers in 1924, Davis joined Aesop�..."

Excerpt from Destination Moon

Filed under: animation, 1950s, George Pal, Technicolor, U.S.A., Woody Woodpecker, 1950

Producer(s): George Pal

Release Date: 27/06/1950

"In this excerpt from the film Destination Moon (1950), the physics of rockets and space travel are explained with the iconic cartoon character Woody Woodpecker. "

Ferdinand Horvath

Filed under: people, Aesop's Fables, Color, Columbia Pictures, Early Sound, George Pal, Krazy Kat, Mickey Mouse, Painted Animation, Paul Terry, Puppetoons, Silly Symphonies, Technicolor, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animation Designer, Animator, Background Artist, Character Designer, Illustrator, Layout Artist, Storyboard Artist

"Ferdinand Horvath was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1891. Horvath was an animator and illustrator at various major animation studios such as Fable Studios, Inc., Walt Disney, and Screen Gems (Columbia Pictures) Horvath died of a stroke on Novem..."

Flip the Frog – Funny Face

Filed under: animation, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Ub Iwerks, 1933

Release Date: 24/12/1932

"This early Ub Iwerks cartoon strangely titled "Funny Face" features Flip the Frog and his romantic interest, a Betty Boop imitation. In an early scene, she picks a Pinocchio look-a-like over Flip, and this rejection prompts Flip towards a facial exch..."

Flip the Frog – School Days

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Early Sound, Flip the Frog, Iwerks Studio, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, 1932

Release Date: 14/05/1932

"School Days features Flip trying to prevent his dog from coming to school with him. His dog eventually comes all the way to school, however, wreaking havoc in the classroom by chasing a skunk in. Everyone runs from the classroom, ending school early."

Flip the Frog – Spooks

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Animated film history and criticism, Early Sound, Flip the Frog, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, 1931

Producer(s): Ub Iwerks Pat Powers

Release Date: 21/12/1931

"Seeking shelter from a storm, Flip and his horse arrive at a house which, unbeknownst to them, is inhabited entirely by skeletons. Flip sits through a ghoulish dinner with the head of the house before enjoying a bout of dancing with a lady skeleton. ..."

Flip the Frog: Soda Squirt

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Flip the Frog, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, 1933

Producer(s): Ub Iwerks, Pat Powers

Release Date: 12/10/1933

""Flip the Frog is a soda jerk who serves movie stars, but one of his concoctions changes an effeminate man into Mr. Hyde.""

Floyd Ernest Norman

Filed under: people, Hanna-Barbera Studios, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Animation Designer, Director

"Floyd Norman is an American animation legend responsible for directing a number of feature animated films for Walt Disney Studios, including Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmations (1961), and The Jungle Book (1967). Having worked fo..."

Hamilton (Ham) Luske

Filed under: people, Color, Educational films, Mickey Mouse, Painted Animation, Silly Symphonies, Technicolor, Training films, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animation Designer, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director, Editorial Cartoonist, Producer, Sequence Animator

"Hamilton Luske was born in Chicago on October 16, 1903. He was an animator, animation supervisor, film director, and producer at Walt Disney for several commercial feature and short-length projects at the studio, as well as working on some of Disn..."

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’s Bells

Filed under: animation, 1920s, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, 1929

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 30/10/1929

"In this Silly Symphony, we are introduced to the many creatures of Hell. Satan sits while creatures entertain him and feed him firemilk. When Satan tries to feed a little demon to his hound Cerberus, it runs away and kicks him off the cliff of Hell."

Irv Spence

Filed under: people, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Tom and Jerry, Ub Iwerks, Animator, Cartoonist

"Irv Spence was an American animator, sometimes credited as Irven or even Irvin Spence. Spence was best known for his work on MGM’s famous Tom and Jerry, cat and mouse series, but got his start in this month’s featured cartoon working for Ub Iwer..."

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 Nelson (Jack) Carey

Filed under: people, Bob Clampett, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Leon Schlesinger Studios, Looney Tunes, Porky Pig, Warner Bros., Winnie the Pooh, Woody Woodpecker, Animator

"Carey's entire career in the field of animation is associated with Leon Schlesinger Productions/Warner Bros. Cartoons, where he started in 1935 as in-betweener and assistant animator for Looney Tunes, and Merrie Melodies. After two years at the studi..."

Laugh-O-Gram Studio

Filed under: studio, 1920s, Silent, U.S.A., Walt Disney, 1922

"Walt Disney incorporated Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc. in May 1922. He set up a studio on the second floor of the McConahy Building at Thirty-first and Forest in New York City. As Paul Terry had used Aesop's Fables for the basis of his cartoons, Disney us..."

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..."

Leo D. Sullivan

Filed under: people, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Bob Clampett, Color, Educational films, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Racial representation, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Animation Designer, Animator, Art Director, Director, Educator, Producer

"Leo D. Sullivan began his career in 1959 after graduating from the Chouinard Art Institute. He first worked as an assistant to Warner Bros. producer Bob Clampett on the television show, Beany and Cecil. In 1965, Sullivan met fellow animator Floyd Nor..."

Lillian Friedman Astor

Filed under: people, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Animator

"Lilian Friedman Astor was the first American female studio animator and worked at Fleischer studios."

Lillian Friedman Astor

Filed under: people, 1930s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Color, Dave Fleischer, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, Popeye, U.S.A., Animator

"Lillian Friedman Astor was born in New York City. She developed a passion for drawing as a preteen, and went on to attend Washington Irving High School, focusing on fashion design. After a brief stint as a fashion designer upon graduation, she sought..."

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..."

Mary Blair

Filed under: people, 1950s, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Artist, Color Stylist and Designer, Illustrator

"Mary Blair was an American animator, best known for her work with Disney Studios."

Max Fleischer

Filed under: people, Aesop's Fables, Betty Boop, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Koko the Clown, Max Fleischer, Popeye, Rotoscope, Silent, Superman, U.S.A., Cartoonist, Director, Photographer, Producer, Writer

"Max Fleischer was an American inventor born in Hungary, who moved to the United States with his family at the age of 4 and later became a filmmaker, animator, director and producer, famous for serving as the head of his own animation studio, Fleisch..."

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..."

Midnight Frolics

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Columbia Pictures, Technicolor, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, 1938

Producer(s): Charles Mintz

Release Date: 24/11/1938

""A mouse and a cuckoo bird, skeptical about the existence of ghosts, are startled by a midnight visit from a sextet of spirits, all men who once wooed a Florador show-girl.""

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. "

Minnie the Moocher

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Betty Boop series, Dave Fleischer, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Jazz, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., 1932

Producer(s): Max Fleischer 

Release Date: 11/03/1932

"“Minnie the Moocher” begins with a live action performance by Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Cab Calloway of “St. James Infirmary Blues,” which segues into the Betty Boop cartoon. The cartoon begins with a typical mealtime setting i..."

Myron (Grim) Natwick

Filed under: people, Betty Boop series, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Animator

"Myron Natwick was born in Wisconsin Rapids in 1890 and died 100 years later in LA, California of pneumonia and heart disease. He is best known for creating the most popular character from