Paul J. Smith (director)
Encyclopedia
Paul J. Smith was an American animator
and director
.
Smith worked for the Walter Lantz studio for much of his career, first starting as an animator, and then as a director. He also animated at the Warner Bros.
cartoon studio.
By 1955, Smith had taken over as primary director of the Woody Woodpecker
cartoon shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by peers Alex Lovy
, Jack Hannah
, and Sid Marcus. With Smith in the director's chair, the Woody Woodpecker
series maintained its trademark frenetic energy, while the animation itself was simplified, due to budget constraints. By the late 1960s, Smith became the sole director of the Lantz studio's output: the cartoon series Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy
, and The Beary Family
. Smith stayed with Lantz until the studio was closed in 1972.
Smith died in Van Nuys, California on November 17, 1980. He was the brother of animator Frank Smith
and the uncle of an actor Charles Martin Smith
.
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Smith worked for the Walter Lantz studio for much of his career, first starting as an animator, and then as a director. He also animated at the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoon studio.
By 1955, Smith had taken over as primary director of the Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
cartoon shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by peers Alex Lovy
Alex Lovy
Alex Lovy was an American animator, who spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions, later being a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervising the cartoon unit at Warner Bros...
, Jack Hannah
Jack Hannah
Jack Hannah was an animator, writer and director of animated shorts.Hannah was born January 15, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art Guild Academy. One of his first jobs was designing movie posters for Hollywood theaters...
, and Sid Marcus. With Smith in the director's chair, the Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
series maintained its trademark frenetic energy, while the animation itself was simplified, due to budget constraints. By the late 1960s, Smith became the sole director of the Lantz studio's output: the cartoon series Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy
Chilly Willy
Chilly Willy is a cartoon character, a diminutive anthropomorphic penguin living in Alaska, although the species is native only to the southern hemisphere. He was created by Paul J. Smith for the Walter Lantz studio in 1953...
, and The Beary Family
The Beary Family
The Beary Family was a theatrical cartoon series made by Walter Lantz Studios. Over thirty shorts were made from 1962 to 1972, when the studio closed...
. Smith stayed with Lantz until the studio was closed in 1972.
Smith died in Van Nuys, California on November 17, 1980. He was the brother of animator Frank Smith
Frank Smith (animator)
Frank A. Smith was an American cartoon animator and film director. He was the father of actor Charles Martin Smith, and the brother of animator/director Paul J. Smith and animator Hank Smith....
and the uncle of an actor Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith is an American film actor, writer, and director.-Early life:Smith was born in Van Nuys, California. His father, Frank Smith, was a film cartoonist and animator, while his uncle Paul J. Smith was an animator as well as a director for the Walter Lantz Studios...
.