Sunday 2 October 2011

Name That Walt

No, Woody Woodpecker didn’t sneak his way into a Disney cartoon. But it sure looks like it. This is from the opening of ‘Pixie Picnic’ (1948), the first cartoon put into production by Walter Lantz under his contract to United Artists. The director is Dick Lundy (ex-Disney) and the credited animators are Freddie Moore (ex-Disney) and LaVerne Harding (never at Disney).



Lantz turned out his most attractive cartoons before he closed up temporarily at the end of the ‘40s. Among his animation staff were Ed Love, Pat Matthews and Ken O’Brien.

4 comments:

  1. When you say 'closed up', what exactly transpired that Lantz wasn't making cartoons?
    Is that when Woody got a more contemporary look, when he returned? And are the Woody DVD's compiled of ALL of Lant's work or just after he left United Artists?
    Thanks

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  2. Lantz ran out money, so he ended production, waited to make cash from cartoons already in production, re-signed with Universal, and re-opened the studio. That's when the cartoons looked more streamlined.
    The DVDs start with Woody's debut cartoon in 1940 and include all the Woody cartoons through 1958.

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  3. Well, I can't call call the most of Lantz cartoons attractive. It's no secret that Walter Lantz produced short films in the category of animated films, which can be called poor area.Less luxurious and prestigious than the more ambitious cartoons of Disney or MGM.

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