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Charles Martin Jones (21 September 1912 – 22 February 2002) was an American animator, director, cartoon artist, screenwriter, and producer. He created and co-created several Looney Tunes characters, such as his collaborative help with co-creating Bugs Bunny, but his creations also included Sniffles, Pepé Le Pew, Penelope Pussycat, Michigan J. Frog, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, and Hubie and Bertie, and many others. He also changed Daffy Duck from a zany screwball to a narcissistic anti-hero.

On 19 July 2014, the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City opened the exhibit What's Up, Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones, which features some of Jones' artwork over his career.[1]

Jones has his own website he made in 2000.[2]

History[]

He originally worked as an animator in the series, being hired by Leon Schlesinger following Hugh Harman's and Rudolf Ising's move to MGM. He would often work alongside Bob Clampett, and serve as one of his key animators once Clampett was promoted to director. When Frank Tashlin first quit Warner Bros. in 1938, he was promoted to director after Robert McKimson turned down his request to become director.

Chuck Jones early cartoons from up to 1942 notably had a different direction compared to the other directors at the time; they tended to be more experimental with abstract designs and follow a more Disney-esque formula, often focusing more on visuals over humor. Following Jones being threatened to be fired by Schlesinger twice (after the release of "The Bird Came C.O.D." and "The Dover Boys"), Jones would aim on a similar direction in between his original visual-based direction and that of Friz Freleng's slapstick.

Jones later worked on UPA's Gay Purr-ee, despite his contract being locked into working for the Warner Bros. studio at the time. When Warner Bros. received Gay Purr-ee for distribution and found Jones' name on the film, he was terminated from Warner Bros. in 1962, and Phil Monroe was held accountable to finish Jones' remaining cartoons before his crew would be terminated from the studio. Following Jones' firing from Warner Bros., he would receive an offer from MGM, and start his own studio, Sib Tower 12 Productions, where he would notably direct The Dot and the Line, a TV adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and 1963-67 Tom and Jerry cartoons after Gene Deitch's contract with MGM was terminated.

Looney Works[]

As a Director[]

See List of cartoons supervised by Chuck Jones

As a Writer[]

As a Producer[]


Characters Created[]

Trivia[]

  • He appears in the bar scene in Gremlins. A credit for Chuck Jones's title animation appeared in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
  • Jones made a cameo appearance as a caricatured version of himself in the Animaniacs episode "Back in Style", along with Friz Freleng.
  • In 2012, the Circus Circus hotel in Las Vegas housed the Chuck Jones Experience exhibit. It is now housed by the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity in Southern California.[3]

Gallery[]

References[]

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