Chuck Jones
Animator
About This Interview
Chuck Jones (1912-2002) was interviewed for three hours in Orange County, CA. Jones fondly recalled creating notable Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Pepe Le Pew, Wile E. Coyote, and Road-Runner. He spoke about attending art school, outlined the early days of Hollywood's animation industry in the 1930s, and recounted joining the Leon Schlesinger studio in 1933. He discussed Schelsinger's sale of the studio to Warner Brothers, commented on his brief tenure at Walt Disney's studio, and spoke of creating training films with Dr. Seuss during World War II. Jones described the basics of the animation process, the importance of story, and the challenges of directing a cartoon, and spoke in depth about directing the successful 1967 television special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Tom Sito conducted the interview on June 17, 1998.
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Video clips: Clips from Tom & Jerry from WB's Chuck Jones Collection
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Highlights
Chuck Jones on Bugs Bunny's character
(02m 25s)- Chuck Jones on the difference between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (02m 15s)
Chuck Jones on voiceover master Mel Blanc (04m 26s)- Chuck Jones on on the creation of Daffy Duck (02m 38s)
Chuck Jones on the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"- sung by the man who voiced "Tony the Tiger"
(01m 11s)- Chuck Jones on How the Grinch Stole Christmas - securing a sponsor for the program, getting Boris Karloff to narrate, and extending the story in the book
(07m 50s)
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On his childhood and early influences; on growing up in Southern California; on growing up across from Chaplin studios; on attending art school at the Chouinard Art Institute; on being an avid reader when he was young and skipping three grades in school
- On cartoons that influenced him; on his time at art school; on pep talks from his uncle when he second guessed his talent; on the importance of understanding bone structure and musculature for drawing; on the "thoughtful line"
- On working for Tex Avery; on working for Ub Iwerks - the animator for Mickey Mouse; on washing cells for Iwerks; on "in-betweeners"
- Chapter 2
- On Walt Disney and Walt Lantz; on composer Carl Stalling and Walt Disney's early films; on becoming a painter, then inker for Iwerks; on drawing portraits; on assisting the Yale puppeteers; on drawing figures so they have weight; on Disney's early success in shorts - Brave Little Tailor and Three Little Pigs
- On working for Leon Schlesinger; on animator Friz Freleng; on how talented people attract other talented people to the workplace; on animation director Bob Clampett; on William Randolph Hearst's love of cartoons; on the production schedule for early animated short films - films with no edits
- Chapter 3
- On producing six-minute shorts; on test reels; on cleaning up dialogue; on "Bugs Bunny's" catch phrase "What's up, doc?"; on voiceover master Mel Blanc; on the first short he directed, The Night Watchman; on Merrie Melodies
- On music and sound effects for cartoons - by Carl Stalling and Treg Brown; on film distribution and block booking; on an idea for a short by Friz Freleng that was tied to the era; on the writers with whom he worked - Tedd Pierce, Michael Maltese, and Friz Freleng
- On the creation of "Daffy Duck"; on "Bugs Bunny's" catch phrase "What's up, doc?" - on where the "doc" came from, and how "Bugs Bunny" got his name
- Chapter 4
- On his characters always being in the process of learning; on Bugs Bunny's character; on helping to organize the Cartoonist's Guild; on the creation of Daffy Duck; on the difference between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck
- On World War II and working with Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) on cartoon war films starring "Private Snafu"; on Leon Schlesinger selling his studio to Warner Brothers; on poor management after the sale to Warner Brothers; on 1963 being a pivotal year; on meeting the Warner brothers; on the studio closing and his move to Disney; on Warner wanting to do pictures in 3D; on working on Sleeping Beauty at Disney
- Chapter 5
- On leaving Disney for Warner Brothers; on moving to MGM; on stitching together shorts for the Bugs Bunny Show on television; on knowing his job was to make people laugh; on Saturday morning cartoons; on the life of a cartoon film being 3 years before television extended their lives; on the first time he saw television; on working on Tom and Jerry cartoons at MGM
- Chuck Jones on convincing Dr. Seuss to allow How the Grinch Stole Christmas to come to television; on getting Boris Karloff to narrate How the Grinch Stole Christmas; on putting memories of his childhood dog into "Max" the dog in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- On the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"; on being a consultant for Sesame Street; on his own company and making The Jungle Book movies and how they differed from Disney's; on serving as VP of Children's Programming for ABC TV; on winning awards
- Chapter 6
- On 1971's Bugs Bunny show; on admiring Richard Williams and getting involved in the British version of A Christmas Carol; on the state on animation in 1998 (when the interview was conducted); on the importance of short films in training animators; on advice to an aspiring animator
- On people with whom he's worked; on his wife, Marian Jones; on Pepe Le Pew; on Wile E. Coyote
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Merry Christmas to Chuck Jones - his Spirit lives on in the laughter of children and the hearts of us all.
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