Walter Lantz Studio
Encyclopedia
Walter Lantz Productions was an American animation
studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1948 and then 1950 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios
, now part of the media conglomerate NBC Universal
.
Carl Laemmle
, who was tired of the continuous company politics he was dealing with concerning contracting cartoons to outside animation studios. Walter Lantz
, who was Laemmle's part time chauffeur and a veteran of the John R. Bray Studios
with considerable experience in all elements of animation production, was selected to run the department.
In 1935, the studio was severed from Universal and became Walter Lantz Productions under Lantz's direct control, and in 1940 Lantz managed to gain the copyright for his characters. The cartoons continued to be distributed by Universal through 1947, changing to United Artists
distribution in 1948-49, and by Universal again from 1951 to 1972.
The biggest characters for the studio were Woody Woodpecker
, Andy Panda
, Chilly Willy
, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
. The music-oriented Swing Symphony cartoons were another successful staple, but ended after swing music dried out.
Throughout the studio's history, it maintained a reputation as an animation house of medium quality. Lantz's animated shorts (dubbed "Cartunes") were considered superior to those of Famous Studios
and Terrytoons
, but they never gained the artistic acclaim of Disney, Warner Bros.
, MGM
, or UPA
. However, the studio benefited from gaining talent from the other studios who were tired of the management there and usually found the Lantz studio a more enjoyable working environment. Tex Avery
was just one of the many talents Walter Lantz Productions benefited from on the rebound.
After Disney's success with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
, the Lantz studio planned to make its own feature, Aladdin and His Lamp featuring the comedy duo of Abbott and Costello
, but after Mr. Bug Goes to Town failed at the box office, it never made it to actual production.
television series, in licensed merchandise. From 1931 - 1932, Walter Lantz re-issued 6 of the disney oswald cartoons, like Trolley Troubles, Great Guns and The Ocaen Hop.
In 1984, Lantz sold everything outright to MCA/Universal. Though Lantz did remain active in overseeing how Universal handled his characters (for merchandise, TV, home video, theme parks, limited edition cels, etc.) up until his death in 1994.
In February 2006, the now-NBC Universal (who still owns the Lantz library) sold the trademarks rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit along with the copyright to the original 26 cartoons produced Walt Disney
and Ub Iwerks
. At the time Lantz took over the series with Disney's blessing are the only Oswald related material plus the 26 cartoons created at Charles Mintz Studio that were not part of the sale still remains property of Universal. The sale was part of a deal that centered around both the rights to Oswald and NBC's acquisition of the rights to the NFL's weekly Sunday night game
; in exchange for NBC Universal selling the rights to Oswald to Disney, Al Michaels
was freed from his contractual obligations with ESPN and ABC so he could join NBC and become the Sunday Night Football play-by-play man.
In July 2007, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
released The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection
, a three-disc DVD
box set compilation of Lantz Cartunes. A second volume
was released in April 2008, followed by a vanilla release in 2009, Woody Woodpecker Favorites, which contained no new to DVD material. Animation historian Jerry Beck
, partly involved in the production of the DVD releases, has stated that plans for further volumes are currently on hold.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
studio. It was in operation from 1928 to 1948 and then 1950 to 1972 and was the principal supplier of animation for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, now part of the media conglomerate NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
.
History
The studio was formed originally as Universal Studio Cartoons on the initiative of Universal movie mogulMedia proprietor
A media proprietor is a person who controls, either through personal ownership or a dominant position in any media enterprise. Those with significant control of a public company in the mass media may also be called "media moguls", "tycoons", "barons", or "bosses".The figure of the media proprietor...
Carl Laemmle
Carl Laemmle
Carl Laemmle , born in Laupheim, Württemberg, Germany, was a pioneer in American film making and a founder of one of the original major Hollywood movie studios - Universal...
, who was tired of the continuous company politics he was dealing with concerning contracting cartoons to outside animation studios. Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and director, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.-Early years and start in animation:...
, who was Laemmle's part time chauffeur and a veteran of the John R. Bray Studios
Bray Productions
Bray Productions was the dominant animation studio based in the United States in the years before World War I.- History :The studio was founded in December 1914 by J. R. Bray, perhaps the first studio entirely devoted to animation, and series animation at that...
with considerable experience in all elements of animation production, was selected to run the department.
In 1935, the studio was severed from Universal and became Walter Lantz Productions under Lantz's direct control, and in 1940 Lantz managed to gain the copyright for his characters. The cartoons continued to be distributed by Universal through 1947, changing to United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
distribution in 1948-49, and by Universal again from 1951 to 1972.
The biggest characters for the studio were 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...
, Andy Panda
Andy Panda
Andy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947 and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The titular character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a...
, 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 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit and animated cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney for films distributed by Universal Pictures in the 1920s and 1930s...
. The music-oriented Swing Symphony cartoons were another successful staple, but ended after swing music dried out.
Throughout the studio's history, it maintained a reputation as an animation house of medium quality. Lantz's animated shorts (dubbed "Cartunes") were considered superior to those of Famous Studios
Famous Studios
Famous Studios was the animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount acquired the aforementioned studio and ousted its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1941...
and Terrytoons
Terrytoons
Terrytoons was an animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio, located in suburban New Rochelle, New York, operated from 1929 to 1968. Its most popular characters included Mighty Mouse, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Deputy Dawg, Luno and Heckle and Jeckle; these cartoons and all of its...
, but they never gained the artistic acclaim of Disney, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the in-house division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical...
, MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was the in-house division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture studio in Hollywood, California during the Golden Age of American animation, responsible for producing animated short subjects to accompany MGM feature films in Loew's Theaters...
, or UPA
United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio of the 1940s through present day, beginning with industrial films and World War II training films. In the late 1940s, UPA produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures, most notably the Mr. Magoo series. In...
. However, the studio benefited from gaining talent from the other studios who were tired of the management there and usually found the Lantz studio a more enjoyable working environment. Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
was just one of the many talents Walter Lantz Productions benefited from on the rebound.
After Disney's success with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
, the Lantz studio planned to make its own feature, Aladdin and His Lamp featuring the comedy duo of Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
, but after Mr. Bug Goes to Town failed at the box office, it never made it to actual production.
Legacy
Unlike other major animation studios of America, the studio never continued full-time in existence during the classic period of American animation, closing down in 1940 for two months, and then in 1948, reopening its doors two years later (both closures were caused by financial problems inside Lantz's distributors); it was shut down again (permanently) in 1972, after the end of the Golden Age of American animation. Since then, the characters of the studio have continued to be used in syndicatedTelevision syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
television series, in licensed merchandise. From 1931 - 1932, Walter Lantz re-issued 6 of the disney oswald cartoons, like Trolley Troubles, Great Guns and The Ocaen Hop.
In 1984, Lantz sold everything outright to MCA/Universal. Though Lantz did remain active in overseeing how Universal handled his characters (for merchandise, TV, home video, theme parks, limited edition cels, etc.) up until his death in 1994.
In February 2006, the now-NBC Universal (who still owns the Lantz library) sold the trademarks rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit along with the copyright to the original 26 cartoons produced Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and Ub Iwerks
Ub Iwerks
Ub Iwerks, A.S.C. was a two-time Academy Award winning American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, creator of Mickey Mouse, and special effects technician, who was famous for his work for Walt Disney....
. At the time Lantz took over the series with Disney's blessing are the only Oswald related material plus the 26 cartoons created at Charles Mintz Studio that were not part of the sale still remains property of Universal. The sale was part of a deal that centered around both the rights to Oswald and NBC's acquisition of the rights to the NFL's weekly Sunday night game
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
; in exchange for NBC Universal selling the rights to Oswald to Disney, Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
was freed from his contractual obligations with ESPN and ABC so he could join NBC and become the Sunday Night Football play-by-play man.
In July 2007, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures...
released The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection
The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection
The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection is a three-disc DVD collection of theatrical cartoons produced by Walter Lantz Productions for Universal Pictures between 1940 and 1956...
, a three-disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box set compilation of Lantz Cartunes. A second volume
The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2
The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 is a three-disc DVD collection of theatrical cartoons starring Woody Woodpecker and the other Lantz characters , produced by Walter Lantz Productions for Universal Pictures between 1932 and 1958...
was released in April 2008, followed by a vanilla release in 2009, Woody Woodpecker Favorites, which contained no new to DVD material. Animation historian Jerry Beck
Jerry Beck
Jerry Beck is a well-known animation historian, with ten books and numerous articles to his credit. He is also an animation producer, an industry consultant to Warner Bros., and has been an executive with Nickelodeon and Disney....
, partly involved in the production of the DVD releases, has stated that plans for further volumes are currently on hold.
Walter Lantz filmography
Theatrical cartoons- Oswald the Lucky RabbitOswald the Lucky RabbitOswald the Lucky Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit and animated cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney for films distributed by Universal Pictures in the 1920s and 1930s...
(1929–1943, 143 theatrical cartoons) - Cartune Classics (1934–1942, 1953–1957, 51 theatrical cartoons) (miscellaneous characters)
- Andy PandaAndy PandaAndy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947 and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The titular character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a...
(1939–1949, 24 theatrical cartoons) - Woody WoodpeckerWoody WoodpeckerWoody 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...
(1941–1949, 1951–1972, 195 theatrical cartoons) - Swing Symphony (1941–1945, 14 theatrical cartoons) (musical cartoons, often featuring top boogie-woogieBoogie-woogieBoogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
musicians) - Musical Miniatures (1946–1948, 6 theatrical cartoons) (offshoot of the Swing Symphonies, featuring classical melodies)
- Chilly WillyChilly WillyChilly 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...
(1953–1972, 50 theatrical cartoons) - The Beary FamilyThe Beary FamilyThe 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...
(1962–1972, 28 theatrical cartoons) - Inspector WilloughbyInspector WilloughbyInspector Willoughby is a cartoon character created by Walter Lantz, and named after the Hollywood avenue which runs alongside the building where Lantz's office was housed . In Mississippi Slow Boat the character is addressed as Inspector Seward Willoughby...
(1958-1965, 17 theatrical cartoons) - Foolish Fables (1953-1955, 3 theatrical cartoons)
- Hickory, Dickory, and DocHickory, Dickory, and DocIn the 1959 Universal Studios theatrical short "Space Mouse", producer Walter Lantz introduced three new cartoon characters: a cat named Doc and two mice named Hickory and Dickory. Hickory, Dickory, and Doc appeared together in two more shorts...
(1959-1962, 8 theatrical cartoons) - Homer PigeonHomer PigeonHomer Pigeon is a Walter Lantz character, who made his first appearance in the cartoon "Pigeon Patrol", in 1942. His final appearance was in 1964, in The Woody Woodpecker Show episode "Spook-A-Nanny"...
(1942-1956, 3 theatrical cartoons) - Lil' EightballLil' EightballLil' Eightball is a Walter Lantz character, who made his first appearance in the cartoon "The Stubborn Mule", in 1939. His final appearance was in 1939, in "A Haunting We Will Go"....
(1939, 3 theatrical cartoons) - Maggie & SamMaggie & SamMaggie and Sam are Walter Lantz characters, who made their first appearance in the cartoon "Crazy Mixed Up Pup", in 1955. Their final appearance was in 1957, in "Fowled Up Party"...
(1955-1957, 4 theatrical cartoons) - Maw and Paw (1953-1955, 4 theatrical cartoons)
- Meany, Miny and Moe (1936-1937, 13 theatrical cartoons)
- Nertsery Rhyme (1939, 2 theatrical cartoons)
- New Universal Cartoon (1938, 16 theatrical cartoons)
- Pepito ChickeetoPepito ChickeetoPepito Chickeeto is a Walter Lantz character, who made his first and only appearance in the cartoon "The Bongo Punch", in 1957.List of appearances:*"The Bongo Punch" -See also:*List of Walter Lantz cartoons...
(1957, 1 theatrical cartoon) - PeterkinPeterkinPeterkin is a Walter Lantz character, who made his first and only appearance in the cartoon "Scrambled Eggs", in 1939.List of appearances:*"Scrambled Eggs" -See also:*List of Walter Lantz cartoons*List of Walter Lantz cartoon characters...
(1939, 1 theatrical cartoon) - Pooch the PupPooch the PupPooch the Pup is an anthromorphic dog created by Walter Lantz Productions during the black-and-white era of the studio's history. The character only appeared in thirteen cartoons.-Biography:In 1931, Walter Lantz was encountering slight financial troubles...
(1932-1933, 14 theatrical cartoons) - SugarfootSugarfoot (cartoon character)Sugarfoot is a Walter Lantz character, who made his first appearance in the cartoon "A Horse's Tale", in 1954. He appears again in 1954's "Hay Rube". He is later seen as a supporting character in The Woody Woodpecker Show...
(1954, 2 theatrical cartoons) - Windy & BreezyWindy & BreezyWindy & Breezy are Walter Lantz characters, who made their first appearance in the cartoon "Fodder and Son", in 1957. Their final appearance was in 1959, in "Bee Bopped".List of appearances:*"Fodder and Son" *"Salmon Yeggs"...
(1957-1959, 5 theatrical cartoons) - Coca Cola Commercials (1948-1953, 19 theatrical commercials)
See also
- List of Walter Lantz cartoon characters
- The Golden Age of American animationThe Golden Age of American animationThe Golden Age of U.S. animation is a period in the United States animation history that began with the advent of sound cartoons in 1928 and continued into the early 1960s when theatrical animated shorts slowly began losing to the new medium of television animation.Many memorable characters emerged...
External links
- Official site for the Woody Woodpecker and Friends DVD collection
- The Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....
entry for Walter Lantz Productions cartoons - The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia
- Walter Lantz animation art at Rubberslug