We’re all familiar with the likes of Chuck Jones and Friz
Freleng, the principal catalysts in the establishment and development of the Looney Tunes characters. But what about
Robert McKimson, the long-term, devoted employee of Warner Bros., whose
cartoons are often viewed in high regard, but whose name continues to evade the
casual viewer? The question I would like to pose is this: Why isn’t McKimson
universally recognised alongside the other, renowned animation directors?
The majority of shorts in McKimson’s filmography are
memorable and very funny. Hot Cross Bunny
(1948) contains an equal amount of verbal gags and physical humour –
consequently, the entire product is hilarious. His neglect in recent years,
with regards to the Warner Bros. shorts anthology, is frankly baffling,
especially considering the fact that he is credited with the establishment of
popular characters Foghorn Leghorn, Tasmanian Devil and Hippety Hopper.
Ironically, the most popular of these characters is arguably Tasmanian Devil,
who went on to star in his own spin-off series Taz-Mania in the early 1990s. However, in the original Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series, the
character merely featured in five shorts, implying the character’s potential
was only recognised posthumously – an unfortunate fact as it meant McKimson
never got the chance to see his creation hit the big time. The establishment of
Foghorn Leghorn in Walky Talky Hawky (1946)
saw more immediate success, yet his character was not nearly as well received
as his counterparts, such as the likes of Chuck Jones’ creations.
One might also argue that McKimson’s cartoons lacked that
‘edge’ that made Jones’ cartoons famous; he made no cartoons so memorable that
they might punctuate an era, and little films that were memorable in
themselves. Sure, Tasmanian Devil turned out a solid creation (albeit easily by
a fluke) but his cartoons were barely distinguishable. All but one of the five
original shorts of the Golden Age pitted the snarling, spinning, manic
marsupial against Bugs Bunny – a pairing that lacked humour and originality,
mostly due to the fact that Taz did not pose much of a challenge to the
protagonist. The best of his films, 1957’s Ducking
the Devil alternatively threw him in the ball pit with Daffy Duck, a
one-time pairing with laugh-out-loud results. The episode sees Taz escape from
the zoo and wreak havoc, encouraging Daffy to return the beast to captivity
after having learnt that there will be a reward for his efforts. That might not
sound all that inspired – but the originality and the majority of the comedy
derives from the additional detail that the Tasmanian Devil is made docile by
music, which leads to Daffy’s struggle to obtain instruments and entrance his
nemesis during the journey back to the zoo. It’s very amusing, but despite
being the best of the Tasmanian Devil shorts, it’s hardly a masterpiece.
Foghorn Leghorn’s cartoons, too, although they maintained a certain quality,
soon became quite repetitive. Many episodes began with Foghorn Leghorn beating
a sleeping Barnyard Dawg with a wooden plank and running in the opposite
direction, while others pitted him against Henery Hawk, a little, inexperienced
chicken hawk who was perpetually unable to recognise a chicken. The outings of
the characters did not become tired; each episode contained gags that were
different enough for the casual viewer to differentiate between them. But at
the same time, they were not wholly unique – they were merely part of a series.
Perhaps one of the most startlingly unique cartoons directed
by McKimson was Bartholomew versus the
Wheel (1964), distributed by Depatie-Freleng Enterprises, a cartoon that
follows a dog who develops an intense hatred of wheels after having had his
tail run over by a scooter. With simple, stylish animation, characteristic of
the 1960s, the cartoon was a one-shot, featuring no already-established Looney Tunes characters. It’s far from one
of the best of the 1960s canon, let alone one of the best of the series, but
it’s certainly unique. McKimson is also technically credited with the creation
of Speedy Gonzales, another long-term character, though his appearance in his
first cartoon Cat-Tails for Two (1953)
is substantially different to his subsequent, more familiar design. His design
of Bugs Bunny also probably affected his current presentation, implying
McKimson likely proves as influential as the likes of Chuck Jones to the Bugs
Bunny design of today. As well as playing a principal role in the animation
process of A Wild Hare (1940), which is
considered to be Bugs Bunny’s official first cartoon, he was also heavily
involved in Bugs Bunny’s remodelling. Upon becoming a director, his Bugs Bunny
had short, stubby legs, a round belly and a large mouth. Proportionally, Jones’
Bugs is a lot more slender, and intellectually he’s more witty and
subtle-humoured. McKimson’s Bugs is a stand-up comedian in the form of a
cartoon grey hare – a short, dumpy and grumpy upstart with an air of cynicism
characteristic of the majority of his cartoons, making them easily recognisable.
So why has McKimson become a lost figure over time? Well, it’s
possible that it relates to the time of his passing; Chuck Jones and Friz
Freleng were recognised as household names during the renaissance period
towards the end of the 1970s and throughout the ‘80s*. McKimson passed away in
1977, providing a probable reason for his dismissal with regards to the Warner
Bros. anthology. All the same, I can’t help but wonder whether this would
matter. His animation is easily identifiable through its sheer realism, and his
skill as a director is exemplified through his cynical humour and intriguing
and revolutionary character design. Yet despite this, there are no stand-out
cartoons attributed to him, regardless of his longevity behind the scenes. This
is unfair, yes, but understandable. The vast majority of McKimson’s cartoons
are criminally underrated and should probably be reviewed in as high regard as
Jones’ and Freleng’s productions. Indeed, McKimson is something of a forgotten
component in the creation and development of the Looney Tunes characters and canon; a supremely unjust and
unfortunate reality.
*Animation Magazine: http://www.animationmagazine.net/top-stories/the-case-for-robert-mckimson/
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