A drastically reduced budget resulted in a series of films which look and feel significantly different from the original run. The first episode of this new era, Switchin’ Kitten (1961), shows a marked decline in the quality of the animation. The pair returned in 1961, this time directed by Gene Deitch. Hanna and Barbera left MGM in 1957 to set up the hugely successful Hanna Barbera Productions Inc. This did result in a slight dip in the quality (the films were also hit by the rise of television) and unfortunately, despite battling on, Hanna and Barbera were informed by a phone call to stop production and had to let the entire animation team go. In 1955, after 96 short films, Quimby left his role as producer.
With America at war, the short takes on a “military” theme, and could be seen as a thinly veiled piece of propaganda for the war effort in the Pacific. The result was Puss Gets the Boot (1940) featuring the duo under the stage names Jasper Cat and Jinx Mouse.ĭuring this golden era, the cartoon won seven Oscars and received six other nominations. Quimby begrudgingly greenlit the project. Their pitch – about the conflict between a cat and a mouse – was put in front of their unconvinced boss, Fred Quimby. Hanna was an impressive and fast-working storyboard artist, while Barbera had an expert eye for direction. In 1939, after working on a number of ultimately unsuccessful cartoons, Hanna and Barbera decided to collaborate on a new animated series for the studio. Their career goes back to the MGM cartoon department where animators Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera first met in around 1937. Last month, the pair celebrated their 78th anniversary with the news that they are teaming up in a new animated movie with, of all people, Willy Wonka and his Chocolate factory. They’ve been part of the backdrop to our lives for so long that it’s easy to forget that – in cat and mouse years anyway – Tom and Jerry’s running conflict must qualify as one of the longest double acts on record.
0 kommentar(er)
