Chuck Jones Obituary
by Tim Wick
You probably don't know what Chuck Jones looked like despite the fact he was
responsible for so many moments I'm sure you remember.
Remember The Grinch Who Stole Christmas? No, not the Ron Howard one - the
one you grew up watching on TV every December. Chuck directed that one.
How about your favorite Looney Tunes cartoon? If it had Bugs Bunny and
Elmer in it, it was probably directed by Chuck Jones. The greatest cartoon
ever made (at least according to a book I own) was "What's Opera Doc?"
Guess who the director was?
I'm never sure I completely understand what a director does for an animated
cartoon or feature film. What I do know is that there are directors whose
names are almost synonymous with a really funny/touching/clever cartoon.
John Lasseter has shown his skill with four consecutive Pixar releases. But
Chuck Jones made over 300 animated cartoons. Three Hundred. Dang!
And I'm sure many of us could quote our favorite lines from many of them -
or at least our favorite gags. Jones had a gift for creating funny
characters and funny situations and making us laugh at the same thing over
and over again. How many Road Runner cartoons did he direct? Did I ever
get tired of them even though I knew that Will E's plan would inevitably go
horribly wrong? No, because Jones managed to have it go wrong in such
delightfully unexpected ways every time.
Mel Blanc was the voice of Warner Brothers animation but Chuck Jones was the
head. He guided the animation department through it's golden age in the
40's and 50's and went on to direct fine work (like the Grinch) when the
animated short business lost steam in the 60's. He hadn't done much
recently but that is OK because there isn't a Saturday morning where you
would fail to find some of his work being shown to our children so they can
discover him anew.
Chuck passed away on Friday the 22nd of February. He was 89 years old. He
may be gone, but his work will live on and those of us who grew up with it
(years after it was first made) will make sure our children don't forget
him.
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