W9: Tex Avery @ MGM / UPA Flashcards
Briefly explain why Tex Avery is important to the history of animation (3)
Perfected the wild “gag” cartoon
faster pacing and more aggressive gags
pushed absurdist and ironic humour and extreme takes
1943 Tex Avery cartoon featuring a lusty lady
Red Hot Riding Hood
Tex Avery characters developed at MGM (7)
Screwy Squirrel
Droopy
The Girl
The Wolf
Bad Luck Blackie
Kitten
Dog
How did Tex Avery influence Hanna-Barbera’s Tom & Jerry series?
- Became faster paced
- More aggressive gags
- More violent actions
What event can the formation of UPA be traced back to?
The animator’s labour strike
How did UPA artists differ from Disney veterans?
more aware of strides in the art world; better knowledge of art history (Disney animators learned most stuff on the job)
influenced by commercial advertising design and modern art
more political and independent minded (cartoons are a means for social reform!!)
explore more contemporary graphic styles and ways of storytelling
not in awe of Walt Disney
original UPA name
Industrial Film and Poster Service
UPA’s original 3 founders
Stephen Bosustow
Dave Hilberman
Zack Shwartz
what does UPA stand for
United Productions of America
studio that distributed UPA cartoons
Columbia Pictures
describe UPA’s animation style
use of limited animation for creative expression, not to cut costs like how people normally used it for
describe UPA’s artistic design style
wide variety of different techniques and stories for each animated film
stylized character and background designs: graphic, flat, minimalist
influenced by modern art and contemporary commercial art designs.
graphic design and the “line” trumps rounded, three-dimensional realism
shit UPA didn’t wanna do
Funny animal characters
Disney-style shit (realism, fantasy, fairy tales, traditional narratives)
WB style shit (aggressive action, gags, slapstick violence, brash characters, etc)
Classical approaches to art and design
Recurring characters in a cartoon series
UPA’s most famous character that they totally hated
Mr. Magoo
Which UPA founder became executive producer after the other 2 peaced it?
Stephen Bosustow
UPA’s supervising director
John Hubley
1951 UPA cartoon based on a Dr. Seuss story that won the studio its first Academy Award?
Gerald McBoing Boing
Who did Tex Avery work for when he started his career?
Walter Lantz
producer who gave Tex Avery his first official opportunity to direct cartoons with screen credit
Leon Schlesinger
animation studio for which Tex Avery made his last few theatrical cartoons
Walter Lantz
former Warner Brothers animator who directed the gentlest UPA cartoons during the 1950s
Robert “Bob” Cannon
First UPA theatrical short cartoon (1941)
Robin Hoodlum
Political short made by UPA founders. Who were they promoting and who directed it?
Hell Bent for Election, directed by Chuck Jones
Supporting Franklin Delano Roosevelt
