Obviously, this didn’t lend itself for Disney-type “illusion of life” characters. Since this was the 1950s, stylised, sketchy characters sufficed. They don’t really resemble designs you’d see at the major theatrical studios.
Here are some examples from Noah’s Ark.
None of the Mel-O-Toons credit any artists. Even the narrator on this one, Claude Rains, does not get a screen credit. Art Scott was the man behind Mel-O-Toons in between jobs at Disney and Hanna-Barbera. He was the art director for New World Productions which made the cartoons; generally it produced slide films and other industrials. The soundtrack comes from a 1954 children’s record; the cartoon says Capitol, but Billboard magazine of the period says Mercury.
Claude also narrated Mel-O-Toons " David and Goliath " You can tell his distinctive voice anywhere. Back in the nineties, there used to be releases of " 300 Cartoons for kids " VHS offerings. All public domain Looney Tunes,Merry Melodies, Popeye, Little Audrey, The Three Stooges Cartoon Show, and many Mel-O-Toons. Sitting with my youngest,that's the first time I had seen them( Mel-O-Toons ) since the nineteen sixties. As stated, very limited animation, but I enjoyed the actor narration and music.
ReplyDeleteI like the character design of Noah, the doves, and the lion. The immediate challenge of this story is designing all those animals.
ReplyDeleteBetter character design than Famous Studios was doing at the time.
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