tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post7100809246632337941..comments2024-02-20T22:17:21.542-08:00Comments on Will Finn Blog: What makes Chuck Jones?Will Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01297122976077620877noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-44395641903425500522009-03-20T20:59:00.000-07:002009-03-20T20:59:00.000-07:00To add another post over a year later..I peferred ...To add another post over a year later..<BR/>I peferred Freleng and even mor e so McKimson when it hits the big 55 in the 50s, but Jones ahd a good streak in the 40s, thru around 1951's "CHow Hound"..and I am probaly the ONLY one to make it thry 1954's "Lumber Jackrabbit":, shield, "lame 3D gags" and all.Pokeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15936757752447320636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-15533554187109248822008-06-10T16:37:00.000-07:002008-06-10T16:37:00.000-07:00I just stumbled over here after seeing the link on...I just stumbled over here after seeing the link on Cartoon Brew. Excellent article, Mr. Finn.<BR/><BR/>Jones is one of my favorite directors, just slightly behind Bob Clampett in my opinion. I agree with all the points you've made in your article.J. J. Hunseckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04067327948394872768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-57361908853702657812008-06-10T10:00:00.000-07:002008-06-10T10:00:00.000-07:00Thanks for all the comments. Stephen--i love the d...Thanks for all the comments. <BR/><BR/>Stephen--i love the drawing on some of the last few SNIFFLES cartoons. Thanks for the kind words about the writing, but I owe it to many hours of contemplation, a bit of journalling and one hell of a slow day at the office...<BR/><BR/>That said, this post is about 8x shorter than it could have been, but the subject is pretty well exhausted by shinier luminaries than me in documentary films, books and essays. Many finer points and additonal observations I left out, mainly because they were self-evident in the films or simply too subjective to my own point of view.<BR/><BR/>Tedd Pierce is a case in point. I remain convinced of my theory that Maltese is the champion of better pacing, but it is clear Pierce was a funny man and not the constant drag that some may think I conclude him to be. From what we know of WB story sessions, they often involved everybody, and i wouldn't be surprised if Pierce was the man behind such lines as "Odds fish! The very air abounds with Kings!" and the"Hansel? ...Hansel?" gags, which i love. Among many others. <BR/><BR/>Also, I particularly admire John Dunn's story work, but with the exception of I WAS A TEENAGE THUMB, wasn't keen on his collaborations with Jones. IMO he was a more suitable match for Kimball or Freleng.Will Finnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01297122976077620877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-12093220649363033792008-06-10T08:01:00.000-07:002008-06-10T08:01:00.000-07:00Beautifully written, Will---often, I think I'd lik...Beautifully written, Will---often, I think I'd like to write an essay of this sort, but I just get stalled trying to organize my thoughts. You not only made your case fairly and thoughtfully, but also with...good....words (see? I can't even express myself well responding to a blog post!)<BR/>For me, Jones is WAY down on my list of favorite directors, although I do recognize his genius. The words "pretentious", "self serving", "frustrating" and "dull" often come to my mind when viewing one of his cartoons---(WHAT'S OPERA DOC, in my estimation, is probably THE most overrated cartoon of all time, although I do feel it doesn't get nearly enough attention for its art direction).<BR/>However, for the record, I am, among those who know me, a Sniffles fan.sdestefanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15329638332748593829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-2754667689797301302008-06-09T20:43:00.000-07:002008-06-09T20:43:00.000-07:00Maltese was a better writer for Chuck than Pierce,...Maltese was a better writer for Chuck than Pierce, which also was true of his time with Freleng. But I wouldn't go as far in denigrating Ted's work with Chuck, especially in the Bugs series. "Hare Conditioned", "Hare Tonic", "Broom-stick Bunny" and even the late "The Abominable Snow Rabbit" are all pretty good cartoons (the last even despite Jones' growing cloyingness). <BR/><BR/>Pierce's few one-offs with Friz in the early 40s when he was normally doing stories for Jones, like "Hare Force" and "Yankee Doodle Daffy" show a lot more energy than his similar stories of that period with Chuck, which may mean that both Jones wasn't ready until then to really go all out with his cartoons, and that Tedd wasn't the man to push him over the top, and it took the increasing influence of Maltese in the Jones unit to make the final leap.J Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175515543694122729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-64559263313845940402008-06-09T19:50:00.000-07:002008-06-09T19:50:00.000-07:00A lot of people dislike Jones' cartoons from the 1...A lot of people dislike Jones' cartoons from the 1960's onward, but really, I think the 60's was where he hit his creative stride.<BR/><BR/>Jones was one of the few animators from that period who was resisting the limited art that the rest were conforming to. Other animators and studios had resorted to frequently recycling animation and stories (Disney's Xeroxography, DePatie-Freleng's story choices), or using budget-crunched/faux UPA artwork (Paramount Studios, Lantz, Jay Ward, Billy Hendricks' WB films). Many other animators met a literal dead-end at Hanna-Barbera.<BR/><BR/>Chuck Jones avoided all of that, and even when he did flirt with UPA at some point, which cost him his job at WB, his art was not to scrape for crumbs during an industrial famine, but instead to keep the animated viewscope alive in what was then a fading industry.<BR/><BR/>Even if his particular story choices aren't for me, I'm not at all bothered by Chuck Jones' implied ego in many of his later cartoons. It paid off when he got to educate a new generation of animators, having braved a long period when the "cartoons-are-for-kids" stigma had mushroomed throughout the industry, and he ultimately created a unique and everlasting perspective for the animated medium.Yeldarb86https://www.blogger.com/profile/10131603833394294520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-47033488284820099722008-06-06T10:14:00.000-07:002008-06-06T10:14:00.000-07:00Thanks for your kind comments and thank to Thad fo...Thanks for your kind comments and thank to Thad for making the post possible. <BR/><BR/>I almost hesitated to do this post because I know I don't have much new to add and the subject has been more thoroughly discussed elsewhere. I left a lot more of my own observations out because they just cover too much familiar ground. <BR/><BR/>That said, the films spring eternal even if essays about them don't.<BR/><BR/>As for Tedd Pierce, I didn't set out to make a villain of him, but often when I disliked a short I went back to check and sure enough, either Pierce (or worse still, Chuck himself) was the storyman. <BR/><BR/>If I have a fresh observation at all it is that Mike Maltese's stories somehow influenced Jones to pace his cartoons better--flawlessly in fact. Even though Maltese's gags seem equally weighted, they escalate impeccably and finish perfectly. <BR/><BR/>Almost as a rule, the pacing in Pierce's and Jones' stories go flat in the middle, maybe because they both seem to favor anti-climactic and passive come-uppance instead of Maltese who loves more violent punishment. Whatever it is, it feels like you could re-shuffle the entire middle section of a Pierce or Jones story and get the same effect. Hell some of them might improve...Will Finnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01297122976077620877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-18629194623002119692008-06-06T03:53:00.000-07:002008-06-06T03:53:00.000-07:00Yeah Will, this was one hell of a post! The last ...Yeah Will, this was one hell of a post! The last post of gag drawings was great too. You've really been on a run of high calibre posts between your sketches, Mullins, and now these. Can't wait to see what you've got for us next!chrisallisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03685522265059632195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-81969135248514164022008-06-05T15:44:00.000-07:002008-06-05T15:44:00.000-07:00Mr. Finn, you hit the nail right on the head. My G...Mr. Finn, you hit the nail right on the head. My God, your analysis of both Jones AND Clampett completely sums up their differences, yet you did without seeming to favor one over the other. This has to be one of your best posts ever, even if I disagree with you about "Knight-Mare Hare" (I actually like that cartoon. You do make good points about Pepe le pew, even though I still enjoy his cartoons. This was a very thoughtful and insightful post about an animation genius.Eric Noblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05872046921674512158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7128131605312127923.post-53211638583319153242008-06-05T13:56:00.000-07:002008-06-05T13:56:00.000-07:00Will, Excellent post!!! You know my love for Chuck...Will, Excellent post!!!<BR/> <BR/>You know my love for Chuck Jones so I won't repeat myself praising his genius--unless you insist ;)Larry Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02796712092304761340noreply@blogger.com