 |
 |
|
Chuck Jones Memorial
Chuck Jones Online Memorial: Dave Brain, A REMEMBERANCE OF CHUCK JONES: "I met Chuck Jones two times... three if you count passing notes. When I was very young, just into the animation business, I shot a stop motion film with two art school buddies. We were in-betweeners at Disney Studio. The film was a more substantial version of one we had done in school. Once we had a good amount of 16-mm footage shot we showed it to Ward Kimball. He got us an editorial room at the studio to use at night, after work, to rough cut the footage into a silent workprint. He even gave us some continuity and gag building advice and, when the work print looked pretty good, He said he’d show it to Walt. Walt Disney liked it and authorized our use of the studio’s sound effects library. The head of editorial gave us a key and some training about how to build soundtracks. We even mixed the sound in the studio theater with Walt’s engineers. Then Walt died. This is where Chuck Jones came in. The studio wasn’t interested in buying the film to release it (a very tough time for them, really). Len Janson, the least timorous of the three of us, made an appointment to show the film to Chuck at his Tower Twelve Productions. Chuck liked the film and invited us to his office. He talked to us about how we made the film, the derivation and antecedents of our gags. He used words like that quite easily and precisely. He said he’d recommend unqualifiedly that MGM buy and distribute the film if we would re-shoot one scene. It had to do with the main character putting the hat, in his hand, on his head before he went off stage so his silhouette with the hat on in the next scene would match. We re-shot the scene and Chuck got MGM to buy the film. It got an Oscar nomination. Twelve years later, Chuck’s independent studio was producing an Alvin and the Chipmunks TV special. He was using the town's pool of TV commercial animators for a really short production schedule. I got a call from Phil Monroe to come up to Chuck’s Lake Hollywood area home and pick up some scenes to animate. Phil explained that Chuck was at his Newport place, the doctor having ordered him to rest after surgery to remove skin melanomas. Phil was using the upstairs bedroom wing of this snazzy, three-story, terraced house as an assembly and meeting point for the shows staff. Everything was messengered to Chuck, if he needed to approve it. In the case of the scenes I picked up, Chuck had seen and approved the layouts and had added a few rough drawings to suggest gesture and attenuations. Phil went over each each scene with some added suggestions and I returned home to do the work. A week or so later I went back to Phil and gave him my rough animation. He sent it to Chuck in Newport. Four days later Phil called me to pick up the scenes for clean-up. There were a few pose corrections for improvement and a note in the first scene folder that read, "Nice work Dave. Glad we could work together finally. Remember to wear sunblock and a hat when you’re in the sun… Chuck." A few years later, I was working at Filmfair Productions, on an assignment-to-assignment basis. Having finished animating a Keebler Cookie spot, I was doing storyboard fixes on a production board for an animated TV special using David Kirshner's written notes when Gus Jeckel, Filmfair’s president, opened my bungalow door to let Chuck Jones step in. Chuck was a consultant of the project and this was a walk through prior to the full storyboard presentation for him. During that time I had been contributing a strip cartoon to the Screen cartoonists union newspaper. It was jokes and comments about behind-the-scenes in an animation studio and an animator's home life. A recent strip had been a tongue-in-cheek comment that Fritz and Chuck’s Warner Bros. shorts being so funny was a matter of luck. Chuck had always been a strong union man. I guess he was continuing to read The Pegboard because, after our hellos, he commented, " That strip in the union paper... very funny m’boy." Since Chuck’s passing, I’ve read lots of memorial comments about people's experiences with him and so many have mentioned his ability to remember them with specificity, and hand out some positive encouragement. A few of us will have the chance, as Chuck did, to pull together and keep happy and productive groups of talented people in order to make memorable shows. All of us can follow Chuck’s example of signifying the worth of our fellow workers when they deserve it. There are some jobs in the animation business where it may be perceived that complimenting good work is a financially tactical error. But, that’s not the case among artists. So lets share that compliment when we can. Encourage the new person. Give respect to the veteran. If Charles Martin Jones did it, we certainly can." Linda Weinrib:
"I grew up with Bugs Bunny and his pals so I always thought my family
consisted of all the Looney Tunes and having them in my living room
every day just seemed like they were part of my family. Sometimes
people will ask me if I am from New York and I always say NO because
I was born and raised here in L.A. yet when I think about all the
days I spent watching Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, Tweety, and all the others
I realized that I picked up on the dialect of the wonderful Mel
Blanc. All his characters had a New York sound and now that I am
a voiceover actress in animation myself, I realized that I can pick
up on people's accents and do so many wonderful voices too. I never
had the honor of meeting Chuck Jones, I just can say I feel like
I know him through Bugs Bunny and I want to thank him now for all
the good times and enabling me to feel like a Looney Tune now and
forever. Love, and peace." Simon Sherr, character animator, Kleiser-Walczak: "Chuck Jones is a name that will always be legendary. He made me realize what I wanted to do when I grow up (I say when I grow up, because my wife insists that I haven't quite gotten there yet). Watching Wiley Coyote made me realize that I wanted to make people laugh. Anyone who has given the gift of that much laughter to the world, improves the quality of life for everyone. Chuck Jones was an inspiration to all of us. His characters, his brand of humor, his comedic timing, all of these elements have forever changed the medium of animation. It would be very hard to imagine a childhood without Roadrunner, or Peppy, or What's Opera Doc. When I woke up on the morning of Chuck Jones' passing, my wife solemnly informed me of what had happened. I was so saddened by it, that I spent a week dragging my feet around the studio. It was a half hour in front of the TV watching a few classic Roadrunners, that made me pick my head up and realize that Chuck Jones will never really be gone. The life he gave to his characters is so real, the quality of his animation is so high, that Chuck Jones will continue to live on in the hearts of children (even us big kids) forever. My son, who was borne a week after your passing, will know your name well. We will all miss you." T.J. Thayer, student of Arts & Entertainment, North Carolina: "Chuck Jones was a man I wish I could've met and had lunch with. I grew up watching his cartoons on Saturday mornings and relished everything from his Warner Bros. cartoons to Tom & Jerry and his features like The Phantom Tollbooth. I remember when my mother purchased Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, which to this day is one of my favorites, for us children years ago. I'd watch that video over and over again! The sharpness and fluidity of Chuck's work has amazed me over the years. I always found it a special occasion when a Holiday special appeared on Friday nights on television. The treats came when How the Grinch Stole Christmas! came on and then Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over! appeared a couple of years later! It is certainly not easy to gather all the good words from the dictionary to compliment all the works of Chuck Jones. When my father informed me of his death, I was devastated. I felt a part of my world had collapsed! My heart and prayers go out to Mr. Jones' family. He's greatly missed!" Steven Rauchman, writer: "I have lost my Uncle Chuck. I couldn't understand why at the time - I didn't have the words for it - there was always something about the cartoons of Chuck Jones, when a Merrie Melodies or Looney Tunes would come on, that I knew would be special. On those Saturday afternoons at the Vogue Theatre in Indianapolis, when a cartoon by Chuck lit up the screen, the kids' applause and shouts of "YAAAAAAAYYY!!" would be just a little more enthusiastic and sustained. It was a hard thing for us to define, but somehow we knew. Later, when I learned words like urbane, cocky, underhanded, sociopath, schmendrick, and phrases like egotistical windbag, I realized why I had always liked - no, loved - Chuck Jones' cartoons. The icing on the cake came a year or so ago when I sought to interview him for a book I was writing. I was nervous, for I hadn't completely ditched the tremulous awe of that child from Indianapolis. To my great surprise he was so gracious as to actually invite me back for a few more conversations. He said he found my questions valid and worth answering. That coming from my childhood hero and mentor - one of the very few I ever had, and will have - will always linger with me. Chuck, you weren't officially my uncle, but you will always have my thanks for helping me navigate and withstand, with satire and understanding, that often irrational world of uncompromising authority, pointless nastiness and greed, that we so often encounter in childhood - and later in adult life. Hence the timeless appeal of your stories. They and you, in the company of Mike and Maurice and your other brilliant compatriots, will continue to span the years and the generations. Thank you for all you've given us." Joshua Muntain, manager, Media Arts/Chuck Jones: An Animated Life exhibit: "Chuck: Like too many people I never had the opportunity to meet you. Yet you influenced me before I knew who you were; you affected my outlook before I knew how animation was created. I remember being petrified by the cobras in Rikki Tikki Tavi. I recall rooting for Wile E. Coyote even though I knew, at a young age, he would never succeed. Time passed and my curiosity got the better of me. I figured out how animation is created, why it works. I learned your name. More time passed and now I'm in a position to help children find the answers to those questions I once had. I work in an exhibit with your name on it, an exhibit that allows children to create their own animation. Your work inspires many; it will inspire many more. I offer you a heartfelt thanks, Chuck. I still root for the coyote. "
It is always so difficult to make words present meaning in such a way as that of a drawing, but nothing I say or write can convey how much influence Chuck had on my life and my career as an animator. Though we had never met, I fell that I knew him intimately, much like a mentor or just a good friend. As a child I remember the cartoons I loved most were the product of Chuck and his team. As an adult I remember seeing his cartoons in a new light as I not only saw a witty cartoon but an ingenious piece of art, art in maybe its most passionate form. Now as an animator in my own studio I would look to Chuck and his work for inspiration. Reading between the in-betweens seeing something deeper in the animations I often took for granted. Chuck you have always been and always will be an inspiration, a mentor and a friend! My studio and I will miss you greatly. Alastair Swinnerton, writing services director, Skryptonite Ltd.: "I only ever saw the great man once, at one of the Guardian interviews in London in the early nineties, but ever since I read Chuck Amuck all those years ago I realised I had more than just an animation writer’s affinity with him, as one of his early heroes, Jimmy Swinnerton, was one of my distant ancestors. Although only one cartoon was ever made of Jimmy’s Canyon Kiddies strips, I always fantasized about collaborating with Chuck on a new version of those strips, and now it will never be. Of course, I always knew it would never be, but you have to have a dream. But if people are considering what to do as a tribute to Chuck, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to go back to his earliest influences, ie for the powers that be to collaborate on one last great cartoon that sums up Chuck’s peculiar take on the American Dream, which Jimmy Swinnerton’s strips summed up so well. I would also say one other thing, that is doubly sad that both Chuck and Maurice Noble should go within a year or so of each other: sorry if this sounds like someone making a bad speech at an award ceremony, but truly is an era ended." Christopher Grotke, MuseArts Cartoons: "In the early 1990's I was fortunate to be running Capital Children's Museum's Animation Lab in Washington, D.C. Chuck Jones would stop by once or twice a year to work with children (and adults posing as children) who came to the public access animation studio and were creating animation. I think he liked it better than just signing autographs; he got to share tricks of the trade with young artists. How to make something look like it was underwater. How to give something weight. How knowing bone structure could help you draw any animal. How humor works. And how his classic characters were constructed and how they evolved over time. He was truly a genius. The museum created an exhibit to pay tribute to Chuck, and he was in on many of the planning meetings. He led a brainstorming session, for example, leading off with us bouncing a balloon around the room. After we started having some fun, he snuck a pin out of his jacket and popped the balloon, much to our surprise. He explained that the balloon represented ideas and that the pin represented the power of someone saying no during brainstorming.... it stops things. It was an honor to be able to spend so much time with him and watch how he works. When the exhibit was complete, Chuck toured it with the museum director, my boss. At the end, Chuck said "Gee, to get this sort of tribute I should be dead already." It was great fun watching my boss explain to Mr. Jones that it was nice that he was living and it was perfectly alright not to be dead yet." John Andrews, Klasky Cuspo: "We interviewed
Chuck Jones for a PBS series called the Creative Spirit in 1990
when I was working for AHP Inc. in New YORK. I sat at Chuck's feet
through a full day of taping as he shared generously of his memories,
talking for hours about how Charlie Chaplin influenced Bugs Bunny,
about the making of the Private Snaafu shorts during WWII, about
his experiences talking to young kids around the world about animation.
He chatted, he drew, and he expressed great passion in talking about
how important it is not to squash the creativity of children. I
was transfixed and I remember very distinctly thinking that it was
the most important day of my life up until that point. I went on
to work with hundreds of animators, first producing series and ID's
at MTV -- basically everything from Beavis through Daria -- and
now overseeing commercials and special projects at Klasky Csupo.
Chuck's vision of the creative life has been a great guide to me
as a producer in understanding the creative process and the minds
of artists. Thanks Chuck!" Tomas Rosales: "I only met Chuck Jones via three letters that I wrote to him in the early to mid 80s. I received 3 letters, all hand written by him. That's what struck me about The man. He was taking his own time to answer letters to a nobody who thought his art was inferior and had high dreams. He was kind... understanding, and gave me a few suggestions. He gave me the great moments in my youth by discovering the magic and art of the animated cartoon. I relished every joke, nuance, style of his work and the others at Termite Terrace during the golden age of animation. Just recently... I started to collect original 16mm prints of cartoons that once were used on broadcast television. My small collection includes his early directorial debut (1939) Daffy and the Dinosaur to his most celebrated (1953) Duck Amuck. Thru his art... his wit... his humor... he brought to life the most celebrated cartoon characters in the history of motion pictures. God Bless you Chuck Jones." Jamaal Bradley: animator and grad student, Sharif Animation: "I have been touched by many things and many people in my lifetime, and Chuck Jones helped spark my interest in art. I remember sitting in front of my grandmother's television and laughing for hours, sometimes not even knowing what I was laughing at (You know, all the stuff we didn't get until we got older). No matter how many times we all saw the episodes, we all laughed. That is what made him, excuse me, MAKES him a true artists. Timeless work that stays in the animators'/directors' hearts and the hearts of every artist striving to make it in this wacky business.
As long as his work is still admired and enjoyed by the world he will always be here. Thank you for helping me along my artistic path. Will miss, but never forget you Chuck!" Gene Vandervoort, freelance animator/illustrator: "Chuck Jones was one of my three or four animation heros during my growing up years (I'm still not grown up). Although he is the only one I was able to meet. I attended a symposium at the Newport Beach Art museum with Chuck Jones, Ray Bradbury, and Ward Kimbel. I spoke with them all, but Chuck was by far the most personable. I was a cartooning instructor at a Souther California Community College at the time. Chuck was so open and warm. When I told him I was a cartooning instructor, he offered to be a guest lecturer. I was blown away, but before we were able to work it into his very busy schedule, the college pulled the plug on my class. I will never forget how open and easy he was to talk to and willing to help. He did send me a rough pencil sketch of Bugs Bunny, a prized possession!" Vaughn W. Wright: "If it wasn't for Chuck Jones and other innovated artist like him, media art would have been dead long ago. But because of his determination to animate and intimidate life in its rare form he as shown us all that there are more to media than just moving pictures. I grew up on bugs bunny and daffy duck. I became so influenced with the two characters that as a child I would use their wit to get me out of a lot jams and have a great laugh at the same time. As a comic book animator artist I have always looked at the way chuck and others like him have put together a series of sequential poses to cause motion. And I must say that I have been fascinated with animation art for as long as I can remember. I may have never meet Charles Jones, but through his work I feel that I have know him all my life. I can only hope that my legacy will be just as inspiring to someone when my time comes to pass. Thank you chuck for the many characters that you have shared with the world. I may not have any Loony Tunes animation to present so please accept this token of my affection of my own work. Welcome to the world of heroes chuck. "What's up doc?" Kristin Jackson, graphic/multimedia designer & illustrator: " His work lives forever in our hearts The characters have given smiles for generations A wink and a nod using art Cartoons? I think not.... Cultural visualizations. Immortalized in our memories and forever in film, That's not all, folks. It will never be all."
Already a fan of his work, I was blown away by the man himself - charming, interesting, interested and patient with all who crowded around him. In his late 70's at that time, he was also an inveterate ladies man, delightfully flirtatious, without being in the least bit sleazy. I fell hard. More recently, I enjoyed the scene in Monster's Inc., in which Sully watches through the window believing that Boo had been crushed, all the more for its obvious tribute to Chuck's fabulous 1952 short Feed the Kitty. This is truly indicative of the awe in which his work is held, and the great legacy with which we are left. We'll miss him, but thank God we had him." Rachelle Lewis, director of recruitment, Klasky Csupo: "Although I never had the honor of meeting Chuck Jones, his influence in my life has been tremendous. Not because he inspired me to work in animation, not because I admired his ingenuity, and not because I was enamoured with his character style. When I was a kid, I had no idea what the hell that stuff meant. He influenced me because his cartoons are intelligent, and have that uncanny wit to a make everyone watching (regardless of age, ethnicity, or religious beliefs) laugh their tails off. Not only did Chuck Jones affect the animation and entertainment industry in a positive way, but his outlook on life envisioned through his characters influenced all of society. He helped bond the American spirit through humor, making us laugh during a time when there wasn’t much to laugh about. We had wars, civil unrest, corrupt politicians, a slumping economy–and through it all Chuck helped us laugh. Thank you Chuck for sharing your soul with all of us."
Amy Howard Wilson: "When I heard the news that Chuck Jones had died, the first thing I thought of was how much my late mother loved Road Runner. I'm so grateful to Mr. Jones for his delightful characters and the joy they brought to all our lives. He will truly be missed." http://home.earthlink.net/~amysvoice/ P. Turner: "To me, Chuck Jones was the quintessential animator/director. His style gives a grace and dignity to his characters that, to pardon a cliche, will live on forever. My favorite character is the little black and white kitten (a.ka. Pussyfoot?) in the Marc Anthony cartoons. Just the sight of that kitten makes me smile. I never met Chuck Jones although I did read his two books "Chuck Amuck" and "Chuck Redux." And I learned so much about animation and art from them. He inspired me to continue my "independent studies" as an animator. Like him, I hope to elevate animation to a respected art form. Is he a mentor to me? Yes, even if it was only through his words and works. When I hear what a considerate, kind person he was, I'm glad. The world needs more people like him. I guess maybe God decided He wanted Chuck Jones to animate and direct animations for Him. (I believe God has a sense of humor.) So, I'm sure Chuck Jones is still doing what he does best -- making people laugh. And think. Goodbye. We'll miss you!" Tom Sito, former Warner Bros. Animation director, president emeritus, Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Guild: "One of the great artists of the art of animation has left us. Chuck Jones died at 3:00 p.m. Friday of heart failure at age 89. His influence was immeasurable, his contributions enormous and his films will live on as long as there are children who smile at the antics of Bugs, Wiley Coyote and the Grinch. To us in animation we mourn him as one of our legends, one of our forefathers. With Walt Disney and Winsor McCay, Chuck Jones was one of the most important animation artists who ever lived. To the public at large he's remembered as Mr. Bugs Bunny or Mr. RoadRunner, but to we animation artists Chuck Jones was our John Ford, our Frank Capra, our Hitchcock. He was one of the first to treat seriously animated film theory and was the roving ambassador of the artform. But not only was he a great artist and filmmaker, he was an articulate champion of the dignity of animation artists, and nothing riled him more than the callousness or disrespect of businessmen, from Eddie Seltzer to the current corporate culture. Risking his status as a director he took to the streets and was picket captain to help unionize Warner Bros. and Disney Studios. Later, as an elder statesman, he always exhorted us to beware of the moneymen who are indifferent to the needs of artists. Those of us who knew him will treasure the time we had him as a friend and mentor, but his influence was much wider than just those of us he knew personally. I wish I had his depth of recollection to apply an appropriate quote by his favorite writer Mark Twain to eulogize him. So let me quote Leonardo Da Vinci, 'Just as a good days work brings forth a good nights sleep, so does a life well lived deserve a good death.' Adieu Chuck." Danny Antonucci, el hombre, a.k.a. CARTOON Inc.: "Having met Chuck three times in my career, I was one of the lucky ones who got to see that "spark" in his eye and that wonderful Cheshire grin. He was cordial, patient and willing to divulge all to this irreverent Canuck. I'm saddened by his passing, yet motivated as he along with all the other great past CARTOON directors have left us with a wealth of information, vision and heaps of attitude. I for one plan on maintaining their attitude, contributing to their vision and utilizing their information, and make the best damn CARTOONS I can. Thanks Chuck, cheers..." Steve Sagovac, creative director, Mad Cow Picture Company: "Chuck Jones showed that you can have fun with animation. You look at his work today and you can tell that he enjoyed what he did. His work with Bugs and Daffy is the reason a lot of us are in the industry today." http://www.madcowpictures.com Dave Warren: "Chuck Jones was magic. Real magic. The spell he and his fellow magicians at Termite Terrace cast has covered the world many times over, built empires and will live on forever. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck taught me how to draw, how to laugh and inspired my dreams of one day doing the same thing. Today my young daughters faithfully tune into Cartoon Network every morning before school and laugh out loud to those same cartoons that I watched as a child thirty years ago. That's magic. Thank you Chuck. Dave Curbis: "This was a man who inspired me to want to draw, his love of art and the repectablity that he brought to the art of animation will never be forgotten. I would love to say my all time favorite Chuck Jones short was WHAT'S OPERA DOC? He truely was an ARTIST!!" Kristian Daniel: "I am a freshman student at the Art Institute of Los Angeles. Like everyone else of my generation, I grew up on the best of Looney Toons, where I saw a lot of Chuck Jones work, and I must say it was one of the things that influenced me to become an animator. Much love to his family, and friends and fans, he was a great animator, and he will definitely be missed greatly. Hopefully, as animators, we can put a little of the spirit of all the great ones in our work, so that they will never be forgotten. Peace, Love and Happiness to all." Andy Makely, …the rendermouse: "I'm not some big animation producer, or even a real animation professional in the industry. I'm just a fan. A fan who grew up on Chuck Jones' cartoons. I can still hear my late father's laugh every time I see Chuck's work. And I laugh right along with him." "Follow your bliss." -- Joseph Campbell http://www.rendermouse.com Gary Meyer, Ideas: "I have many memories of Chuck. The first time I met him was at the Zagreb Animation Festival in 1972. There was a huge Yugoslavian style barbeque in a park. International animators were sitting around drawing characters for fans. After watching people request Bugs and Daffy (not his creations) and Roadrunner/Coyote, I approached Chuck and after talking a bit I asked if he could draw the frog from ONE FROGGY EVENING. His face lit up and he said...that is my favorite character of all I have worked on and nobody has ever asked me to draw him." The sketch holds a prized place in our home. At animation events and when I invited him to tributes and special events at venues I programmed, he was always gracious. I especially remember his joining Ray Bradbury at the Nuart for a tribute to Stan Freberg. What a night of memories. Once he was at a gallery event in San Francisco. The person from the gallery was preventing anyone from talking with him or getting his signature unless they bought something. Chuck was involved in with those fans surrounding him when he realized what was happening. He let it be known that once he'd finished with his "responsibilities" to the gallery, he would love to meet anyone else who had come by to see him...purchase or not. But mostly he will be remembered for his being a part of the Telluride Film Festival. In the early years he was tributed...long before it became a popular thing to do. He loved his visit so much that he became a regular and designed three year's worth of posters following the theme he had explained during the first tribute when he showed a Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd short following each with one of his own cartoons. The posters depicted Bugs as Charlie in the Gold Rush, Daffy as Harold hanging from a clock and RR as Buster in The General. They are a classic triptych. Chuck continued attending and contributing until the altitude was considered too high for his health. He tried to find a doctor...any doctor...who would say he could go to an elevation nearly 7000 feet. None would agree. A few years ago a new theater was opened for the Film Festival...called The Chuck Jones Theater and you buy tickets at the Acme Box Office. Designed using blowups of Chuck's sketches throughout the lobby his interpretation of great art masterworks framed in the auditorium, it has become a favorite venue at the Festival. The PBS documentary was partially filmed there and premiered there to following year when I got to introduce it to enthusiastic audiences. I cannot imagine the world will ever forgot Chuck Jones. His work can be seen around the world 24 hours a day. When Warners starts to bring out DVDs this fall it will most welcome but I have no doubt for Chuck, sitting with a large audience of all ages as they giggle and laugh out loud will continue to be the tribute he most would appreciate. Warners should put some of them back in theaters ASAP!" Steve Evangelatos, director/animator, Natterjack: "Charles M. Jones did more than establish most of the Warner characters as we know them today. He influenced our interest in the little guy and the big guy, our process of characterization, our demand for strong authorship in an unreal medium, and proved optimism can be both funny and genuine. But to say Chuck rose above cartoons is wrong: he proved how important cartoons can be and are. And if all that isn't true, Chuck sure as heck fooled me. That's why I've been sitting at a light table for 22 years. Chuck forever. Cartoons forever." Dennis Salvatier: "One of my oldest memories of how Chuck Jones inspired me goes back to when I was about 3-4 years old. Don't ask how I remember. My mom would get ready to go to work around 4 a.m., and in the process, I would wake up. She couldn't play with me because she was in such a hurry so she turned on the TV for me. That's when it happend. I saw my first Looney Tunes cartoon. After that day things changed. I always dreamt of meeting Chuck Jones, and sadly, will never do so. He leaves behind a legacy that will endure long after were gone. I am just glad to know that he was able to touch my life and inspire me to create and to touch life into my dreams. He once said "an artist's work is never done...he only abandons it". Those of you who are on the verge of quitting your dreams to become animators, remember what this wise man once said. Don't give up. Keep fighting and striving to make your dreams come true. Chuck Jones did it and never told a single person that they couldn't do the same. A door of opportunity will always open if you work hard enough to be there when it is does. God bless Chuck Jones, he will be sorely missed." Mauro Casales, animation director, Atomic Cartoons Inc.: "In the last two years, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with Chuck on his most recent creation, Timberwolf. I was deeply saddened when I received the news of his passing and will miss him dearly. Words cannot express what he meant to us here at Atomic Cartoons. He will be remembered fondly as both a mentor and a friend." Brian L.: "To see his cartoons was to experience pure joyous humor. To hear or read of him discussing his craft was to know the joy one could have in bringing joy to others. He was, to say the least, inspirational in that he never let us forget good was better than evil, right was better than wrong, and a coyote will never catch a road runner. It is said that often, we don't know what we have until it is gone. I believe, in Mr. Jones case, we did know what we had, and it makes it that much harder to lose." Kirk McCall: "Chuck Jones is dead. Chuck Jones is dead? Whoa, that one gets me teary. Hmmmm, wait a minute. If anyone on the planet will live forever it will be him. I was lucky enough to spend a week with him when we did a retrospective of his film and artwork here at the Walker Art Center in the late 80's. I got to be the one who just hung around with him and did/got what ever he needed. He was a very, very cool, calm, approachable, almost normal kind of guy but had this incredible twinkle in his eyes like he knew this amazing explosive secret that he thought you knew too, or would know later through a life. I remember meeting his wife and daughter and immediately had this cathartic vision of seeing their facial features in his feminine characters, especially in their eyes. I once went down to New Mexico and got to roam around the freakish Tentrock State Park for a day. I was told it was there he often used to go and where he got the inspiration for the fantastic scenery for the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote series. It was amazing and clear to see this because it reinforced my belief that good art, art that communicates, comes from making art about what you are intimate with, even if it is art about confusion and indecision. Even if it is insane animation, because that was what made him so great, the humanity he brought to the insane, not the distortion of humanity. At the end of his stay here, when I was alone with him for the last time after all the crowds and hubbub and frenzy, he asks me to go get some nice drawing paper. I flew to retrieve it, not really thinking about what it was for. When I returned he turned to me and said " Well?..........What do you want?" I blinked and didn't know what he meant. "What would you like?" he said. I still pondered for a second or two. He smiled and said "Everyone asks me to do something for them. You've been with me all week and haven't asked for anything." I then almost shook with this queasy feeling like I was going to see God right then and there. He grabbed a pen and said again "Well?" He was going to do a drawing for me. FOR ME. I couldn't think straight. The entire history of Warner Brothers cartoons was flashing through me. You don't choose a favorite child. I had to though, and quickly. I was torn between Foghorn Leghorn, Michigan J. (the singing) Frog and Marvin Martian. I chose the Martian because it was the weirdest, unprecedented, nihilistic, warmongering, sassy little shit that hit the screen (Which came first, Marvin Martian or Dr. Strangelove?). The other two were very special to me but not like that strange black dot with Converse All-Star hightop sneakers, a Trojan war helmet and this snotty little highbrow voice. It was my antithesis, and I was captivated by it. He said " Whoa,...........I haven't drawn that in twenty years!" I didn't know if I believed him or not, but he did scrunch up his face and looked puzzled for a second or two, then, started moving his hand in circles , hovering above the tabula rasa like a hawk sighting a mouse in the snow. He then started sweeping down in arcs and circles, almost gaining speed and began marking the page after divining the muscle memory stored deep down and still confident in him. The character began to breathe out of the paper after what seemed to be a bunch of random circles and arcs without purpose. It just leaped off the page. After he signed and handed it to me he said, "Hmmm, ....That was fun!" It was fun. It was still fun to him. You could see it. Even after all the billions of cells and pages of work he'd done in his life, after all his powers to still interpret those characters had pretty much been stripped entirely away by the Warner Brothers Corporation (but not here), he was still so alive in the process of creation. If I have ever witnessed the hand of God, it was then and there, God having fun creating evil and making evil look silly. I thanked and left him finally, feeling like Moses coming down from the mountain, eager to show it to the world. Behold the hand of God. Thank you Chuck Jones."
|
© 2002 Animation Magazine Inc.
|
|