Walter Lantz

Walter Benjamin Lantz (* April 27, 1899 in New Rochelle, New York, † 22 March 1994 in Burbank, California ) was an American artist, director and producer of animated films. Lantz operation from 1929 to 1972 his own animation studio, his best-known cartoon characters counts Woody Woodpecker.

Biography

Walter Lantz was born into an Italian immigrant family. His father Francesco Paolo Lanza was given the new name of an immigration officer upon his arrival in the United States. Walter was early artistic talent, he graduated from the age of twelve a drawing course as distance learning. The early animated films such as Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur encouraged his interest in comics and cartoons.

Lantz worked as a car mechanic in a workshop when a customer named Fred Kafka became aware of his sketches on the notice board of the workshop. Kafka recognized Lantz ' talent, funded him to study at the Art Students League of New York and got him a job as a messenger boy at a newspaper. 1915 Walter Lantz worked the first time an animated film under the direction of Gregory La Cava for William Randolph Hearst's animation department. His first work as a draftsman included episodes of the short-lived cartoon version of the Katzenjammer Kids. 1919 Lantz moved to the studio of John R. Bray. There he rose after the departure of Max Fleischer quickly Director, Warhol created in 1924 his first cartoon series, Dinky Doodle. Lantz occurred in these early cartoons themselves and interacted with the cartoon characters.

When Bray was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1927, Lantz went to Hollywood. There he worked briefly as Gagautor for Mack Sennett. In 1928 he was hired by Charles Mintz, director of the Winkler Studios. Mintz owned the rights to the developed by Walt Disney cartoon series, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit ( Oswald the Lucky Rabbit) and searched for new animators for the continuation of the series. Lantz worked at Winkler Pictures along with cartoonists such as Friz Freleng, Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, who successfully later worked for Warner Brothers in the development of the Looney Tunes films. But Universal Studios, which distributed the Oswald cartoons were dissatisfied with the quality of the cartoons. Universal president Carl Laemmle therefore terminated the contract with Mintz and decided to settle its own animation studio at Universal. Lantz was appointed head of the studio.

Walter Lantz Productions

As Harman and Ising were not taken with by Laemmle, Walter Lantz had to look for a replacement. He was able to engage Bill Nolan, who was responsible for the leaner and more modern look of Felix the Cat before. Together with him, Walter Lantz published on September 2, 1929 his first cartoon, Race Riot. Lantz was here for the first time producer, director and illustrator in personal union. 1930 Lantz hired Tex Avery, Clyde Geronomi and Pinto Colvig as a draftsman, but soon again left the studio. Lantz produced an animated sequence that was added as the first in the history of film in Technicolorverfahren For the music film King of Jazz with the band leader Paul Whiteman in the lead role.

The rabbit Oswald was the star of the Walter Lantz Productions, but Lantz tried continuously to develop new characters. In 1932 he produced the first Pooch the Pup cartoon, but the series was discontinued after only one year. From 1935 to 1937 Movies with the chimpanzees Meany, Miny, and Moe were produced, whose characters were inspired by The Three Stooges. Parallel developed Lantz cartoons from 1934, in which stories were told similar to Disney's Silly Symphonies no recurring characters. The first series, which Cartune Classics was recorded in 2-color printing process of Technicolor. As Lantz but that could not compete with Disney's color films, the Cartune Classics were discontinued a year later.

When Carl Laemmle in 1935 had to relinquish the leadership of Universal, Lantz took the opportunity to become independent with the Animation Studio. The cartoons were but continue to be distributed by Universal. As the stories about Oswald not further developed, tested Lantz and his staff for suitable replacement, initially without success. 1938 ran from the Oswald series, there were initially only cartoons of the New Universal Cartoon series published without recurring characters. In this case, other employees took over more and more often the government, Lantz focused on the production of the films and organization of the studio. In September 1939, Lantz had finally with the panda Andy Panda found a worthy successor to Oswald. Life Begins for Andy Panda was one of the first Lantz cartoons that were published in 3-color Technicolor process. With Andy Panda Lantz could build on the success of the early 1930s. Nevertheless, Walter Lantz Productions fell due to increased production costs in financial difficulties, and the beginning of 1940, the studio had to be closed for a short time. Lantz but soon agreed on with Universal on a new contract, in which he was even given all exploitation rights he developed characters.

A short time later, the hyperactive Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker made ​​his debut in the Andy Panda cartoon Knock Knock. Woody Woodpecker was to Lantz ' biggest success. The idea to have come during his honeymoon with actress Grace Stafford Lantz. The distinctive voice of Woody was spoken in the first three films of Mel Blanc. But when this moved to Warner Brothers, Gagautor Ben Hardaway had to stand. Lantz used to continue Blancs inimitable laugh, for Woody, which makes it the end of the 1940s came to a dispute between Blanc and Lantz, than the written for the cartoon Wet Blanket Policy The Woody Woodpecker Song nominated to be a big hit and an Oscar for Best Song been. Blanc was subject to court Lantz agreed but still out of court with Mel Blanc and began searching for a new voice for Woody Woodpecker to search. In the early 1950s took Lantz ' wife Gracie secretly test shots and was actually hired as the new voice of Woody Woodpecker. She remained Woody's voice until the 1980s, initially anonymous, fearing to disappoint the children when Woody would be played by a woman.

In the late 1940s by Walter Lantz lived his greatest professional crisis. After 1947, the contract had expired with Universal, Universal insisted to get the recovery and license rights to Lantz 's characters back in a continuation of distribution. He finished then the cooperation and won United Artists as the new lender cartoons. However, there were only produced twelve films for United Artists; financial problems forced Lantz to close the studio in 1949. 1950 Lantz could begin operations by smaller contract work again, but only in 1951 he reached an agreement with Universal on a renewed partnership. Universal had initially been only seven Woody Woodpecker cartoons in order, but since even the first movies were a huge success, more films were appointed soon. Even if the cartoons never reached the artistic level or the humor of the Disney movies or the Looney Tunes cartoons, they were a lucrative source of income for both Lantz and Universal.

The late years

After fresh start with Universal and Lantz initially focused on the crowd favorite Woody Woodpecker. Andy Panda did not return to the big screen, instead of the end of 1953 had a small penguin named Chilly Willy his first appearance. Chilly Willy became the second star alongside Woody Woodpecker. For the popularity of Chilly Willy helped with that Tex Avery at the end of his career again was a brief stint with Walter Lantz and in two of the previous Chilly- Willy movies directed.

In 1957 Lantz the example Disney and produced for the ABC television the television series The Woody Woodpecker Show. In this series, not just older cartoons were shown, but Walter Lantz also appeared himself before the camera and explained in short films Box office how cartoons are made. The series ran initially for one year at ABC and was then repeated until the late 1960s when local television stations.

Despite increasing competition from television Lantz produced new short films exclusively for the cinema program. Lantz led continue to introduce new characters a, either as an opponent for Woody Woodpecker or as a star in its own, usually short-lived cartoon series. The last successful series was launched in 1962 with the Beary Family in which Jack Hannah directed. In the early 1970s Walter Lantz was the last major producer of cartoons for the movies. From the animation studio of the 1930s alongside Lantz only Walt Disney Productions was active, however, focused on feature films. 1972 Walter Lantz broke his studio. Bye, Bye Blackboard with Woody Woodpecker was the last film of Walter Lantz Productions. Overall, Walter Lantz had produced more than 800 cartoons since 1935.

As rights-holders to cartoons and figures Lantz remained active in retirement. He oversaw the evaluation of his films on television and the marketing of the pieces on merchandising products. 1979 Lantz was awarded an honorary Oscar. Lantz was ten times nominated as a producer for an Oscar for best animated short film, without ever having won a.

1984 Walter Lantz sold his rights to MCA, owner of Universal. In 1993, he donated a scholarship for animators at the California Institute of the Arts. On March 22, 1994 Walter Lantz died 94 years old from heart failure at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California.

Awards

Filmography (selection)

Publications

• Walter Lantz Walter Lantz new funnies. A Dell comic. Dell Publ, New York ( USA) 1949-1949. (Journal; nachgew vintage. )
• Walter Lantz: character - animation classics, No. 39; Woody Woodpecker. Picture-writing Verl. , Aachen 1968. (Eng. translator's from English )
• Walter Lantz: Comic -Gross album, No. 2; Widdi Hupf, Widdi Hupf rides again. Image fonts -Verl., Aachen 1970. (Eng. translator's from English )
• Woody Woodpecker, the fireworks. Autoris. Ed, Whitman, Frankfurt am Main, 1970. (Eng. translator's from the English; images by Walter Lantz - studio )