Cartoon Logic

It's the conclusion of our Bugs Bunny 80th Birthday Blu-Ray review! Our favorite cartoon hero runs on autopilot with Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, and (occasionally on this set) Chuck Jones trying to keep interest in Bugs alive. We do see some bright moments with a few masterful Yosemite Sam encounters, countered with more TV parodies and cheaters than one can humanly stomach. Also: possibly the shortest dissection of What's Opera, Doc? ever recorded on human record.

November's Blu-ray release of Bugs Bunny cartoons is so jam-packed with Technicolor animated perfection we have to do two episodes about it! In part one, we discuss what made the character take off immediately, and all the highlights of the set's first disc of 1940s cartoons, in which very different filmmakers managed to have individual takes on Bugs, yet maintain a singular vision that made him Warner Animation's eternal foundation.

We discuss the newest Tex Avery collection from Warner Archive! Despite some substandard presentation, the laughs come faster and furious in this volume, thanks in no small part to animator Mike Lah and MVP Spike. Immortal works like Little Rural Riding Hood and Magical Maestro headline this volume, with Droopy in peak (and non-peak) form. Witness in real time as Tex literally snaps and falls back on softer, designy humor. You'd have to be a real screwball not to love this disc - or listen!

Our first (of few) forays into TV animation, examining the early days of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera's "planned" animation empire! We talk about what went wrong at Hanna-Barbera, and what went right in the early days, thanks to folks like Ed Benedict (whom Bob met), Daws Butler, Alan Reed, and Carlo Vinci. We also dissect "The Flintstone Flyer", the first-aired episode of the first primetime adult cartoon show, which shows just how elegantly crude and inventive a prehistoric Laurel & Hardy knockoff can be!

Here to guide us through the history of NYC's Van Beuren Studio in the '20s and '30s is our most qualified special guest, historian and musician Charlie Judkins! Learn how Paul Terry, John Foster, and Jim Tyer shaped cartoons that never came close to matching the Fleischers (despite being right across the street!), and how their endearing weird crudeness occasionally turned out a pre-code gem like our highlighted Halloween-appropriate cartoon, The Magic Mummy (1933), starring the pre-MGM Tom and Jerry.

Warner cartoon legend Art Davis was a long-term animator and had an exceptionally memorable three-year run directing the studio's "D-unit" in the late '40s. We discuss Davis' history that began in the silent era as an errand boy on Mutt & Jeff; how he became the business' first assistant/inbetweener; his many years working on the strange Columbia cartoons; his suspicions of a certain studio's antisemitism; and just what makes his contributions to Looney Tunes history so fun.

Our breakdown this month: Davis' Two Gophers from Texas, which pits the genial Goofy Gophers against a contemptible conceited dog who hinges on utter derangement.

Because no one asked for it, we're givin' you some CRINGE. We return to the subject of Famous Studios to zero in on what exactly made their cartoons of the 1950s so infamously unfunny. What's your favorite Famous cringe? Herman mutilating Katnip? Popeye trying to seduce Poopdeck Pappy? Just Casper? Or Little Audrey's laugh? Guys like Dave Tendlar, Al Eugster, and Irv Spector weren't untalented, though, and could once-in-a-while turn out a classic despite (or because?) of its cringe. We discuss all this and more...

In lieu of our regular episode this week, we're offering the first episode of Spinach Skrewtny, our Patreon-exclusive chronological examination of the Popeye cartoons made by the Fleischer Studio. We hope this sample entices you to join us!

In our premiere, Bob gives a summation of his lifelong history (re: obsession) with Popeye the Sailor. We talk about the character's origins in Segar's strip and why incidental elements like spinach and Bluto became staples of the animated series. We were astounded at how rich this first year of six Popeye cartoons was, and we're sure you'll agree and learn more than you ever wanted to know about what made this sailor (and the animators who brought him to life) so special, even in the beginning!

Cartoons discussed: Popeye the Sailor, I Yam What I Yam, Blow Me Down, I Eats My Spinach, Seasin's Greetinks!, and Wild Elephinks.

We return to Ub Iwerks, this time to take a look at his uniquely raunchy cartoons he did at his own studio, like Flip the Frog, Willie Whopper, and the ComiColor series... But other than pre-code filth, did these films have much else to offer? Our single cartoon analysis is the Cinecolor Hell's Fire, the Willie Whopper cartoon that proves Hell is fun, prohibition is evil, and it pays to be Satan's stooge!

Our second installment of Animation ID! We give an overview of Emery Hawkins, the Grand Wanderer of classic animation! This guy came up with not just the ultimate Woody Woodpecker, the immortal Marky Maypo, and the nauseating Greedy, but breathed life into characters at just about every studio: Lantz, Columbia, MGM, Disney, and WB, where he rounded out the '40s on the cartooniest cartoons directed by Art Davis. Join in as Bob and Thad discuss what made Mr. Hawkins so special.

Cartoons discussed: 

Columbia: Let's Ring Doorbells, Woodman Spare That TreeMGM: Honduras' HurricaneDisney: Fire Chief, A Gentleman's Gentleman, Donald's Dilemma, Donald's Dream VoiceLantz: Ration Bored, Barber of Seville, The Beach Nut, Woody Dines Out, The Dippy Diplomat, The Loose Nut, The Poet and Peasant, Who's Cookin' Who?, Bathing Buddies, The Reckless Driver, Fair Weather FiendsWB: Doggone Cats, Two Gophers from Texas, What Makes Daffy Duck, A Hick, A Slick, and a Chick, Dough Ray Me-Ow, The Stupor Salesman, Holiday for Drumsticks, Bowery Bugs, Bye Bye Bluebeard, Strife with Father, The Leghorn Blows at Midnight, Hillbilly Hare, What's Up Doc?, All Abi-r-r-r-d, Rabbit of Seville, Early to Bet, French Rarebit

We continue the saga of Walter Lantz to focus on the cartoons Dick Lundy directed in the late '40s. An O.G. Disney alumnus, Lundy brought a spit and polish to the Lantz product and made the studio's most lavish pictures—much to Walter's wallet's chagrin. Highlights: Freddie Moore at Lantz! The scumbaggery of Buzz Buzzard! The Woody Woodpecker Song's controversy! And just in time for Father's Day, we discuss Lundy's Wacky-Bye Baby, with doting papa Wally Walrus trying to kill his newly adopted son Woody.

Cartoons discussed: The Beach Nut, Ski for Two, Crow Crazy, Bathing Buddies, Smoked Hams, The Flying Jalopy, Wet Blanket Policy, Dog Tax Dodgers, and Wacky-Bye Baby.

"Beep, Beep!" Or is it "Hmeep, Hmeep?" The quintessential chase series by Chuck Jones and Mike Maltese is our topic for this episode. We discuss the origins of famishus vulgaris and birdibus zippibus, just what makes such a simple concept so funny, and list our favorite Coyote pratfalls. Then we cap it off with an in-depth analysis of arguably the most perfect Road Runner cartoon, Zoom and Bored. Listen—in the name of humanity!

Cartoons discussed: The Fox and Grapes, Fair and Worm-Er, Fast and Furry-Ous, Operation: Rabbit, Beep, Beep!, Going! Going! Gosh!, Stop! Look! And Hasten!, Ready.. Set.. Zoom!, Guided Muscle, Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z-z, There They Go Go Go!, Whoa Be-Gone!, Hopalong Casualty, Lickety-Splat, and Zoom and Bored.

We get even bolder in our classic cartoon hot takes as we discuss UPA, the hip postwar studio that changed the way animation at all the studios was done. We talk about directors like John Hubley and Bobe Cannon, who sought to make cartoons with aspirations opposite the status quo in Hollywood cartoons, and the golden years of UPA that birthed Mister Magoo and several Oscar wins and nominations. Our highlighted cartoon is a gem, Christopher Crumpet, from Cannon and writer/designer T. Hee, whom Bob actually met!

Cartoons discussed: The Dover Boys, The Rocky Road to Ruin, Professor Small and Mr. Tall, Hell-Bent for Election, Brotherhood of Man, Robin Hoodlum, Gerald McBoing Boing, Rooty Toot Toot, The Tell-Tale Heart, A Unicorn in the Garden, Ragtime Bear, Grizzly Golfer, Spellbound Hound, Trouble Indemnity, Hotsy Footsy, When Magoo Flew, and Christopher Crumpet.

We dip into the Cartoon Modern era of the Golden Age as we pay tribute to the late Gene Deitch, a true animation original. His sense of appealing design and humor made him a perfect match for animation, but he was not without controversy or critics. From his battles at Terrytoons, to his simultaneously reviled and revered work on Tom & Jerry and Popeye, to his humble masterpieces of Tom Terrific and Nudnik, we dissect what made the mark Gene left on animation history so remarkable.

Cartoons discussed: It's a Living, Sick Sick Sidney, Old Mother Clobber, the Tom Terrific TV series, The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, Dicky Moe, "From Way Out", "Partial Post", "Potent Lotion", "Dog Gone Dog Catcher", and Welcome Nudnik!

This week's discussion is about Robert "I did all those Bugs cartoons you don't like" McKimson. Despite his reputation as the "lesser" of the WB directors, he was the backbone of the Warner cartoon style of drawing and animation, and did some of the most stunningly complex scenes in the medium's history. And of course, he went on to direct some of the bawdiest, rowdiest Looney Tunes ever in the '40s, including the brilliant film we dissect this week, Early to Bet. Listen now, or spin the penalty wheel!

Cartoons discussed: Hot Toe-Mollie, I Haven't Got a Hat, A Wild Hare, Falling Hare, A Gruesome Twosome, Book Revue, Birth of a Notion, Walky Talky Hawky, Crowing Pains, The Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck Slept Here, The Grey-Hounded Hare, The Windblown Hare, Cat-Tails for Two, and Early to Bet.

Our first Disney-centric episode is sure to ruffle feathers as we discuss the studio's superstar Donald Duck and the animators and storymen behind him. We discuss what makes some versions of the Duck better than others (namely the legendary writer-cartoonist Carl Barks) and, in spite of our reservations, our favorite Dolan moments. And our first negative critical dissection of 1941's Timber, written by the dynamic duo Barks and Jack Hannah and directed by the not-so-dynamic Jack King.

Cartoons discussed: The Wise Little Hen, The Band Concert, Don Donald, Billposters, Fire Chief, Chef Donald, Donald's Double Trouble, Clown of the Jungle, Soup's On, Donald's Happy Birthday, Dude Duck, Rugged Bear, Beezy Bear, and Timber.

It's all about Betty Boop this week as we discuss our favorite made-of-pen-and-ink moments from the Fleischer Studio. Red hot jazz, sex, charisma and girl power made her a superstar in the early sound era, and we highlight a prime example of the series: Betty Boop's Penthouse. Bonus: a "cancel"-worthy comment from Shamus Culhane.

Cartoons discussed: Dizzy Dishes, Mysterious Mose, Minnie the Moocher, Snow-White, The Old Man of the Mountain, I Heard, Boop Ooop a Doop, Betty Boop M.D., Is My Palm Red?, Betty Boop's Big Boss, Not Now, Riding the Rails, The Impractical Joker, Happy You And Merry Me, So Does An Automobile, and Betty Boop's Penthouse

The King of Cartoons finally gets his due! We examine the stunning new Blu-Ray release from Warner Archive with 19 of his classic MGM cartoons that illustrate just how Tex Avery was a master of his medium right down to the frame. Highlights include: Bob remembers the time he met Tex! The bad camerawork in these films! And just how much Screwy Squirrel is pure torment? We also do a scene by scene breakdown of Wags to Riches, which follows Spike's single-minded mission to murder Droopy.

Cartoons discussed: Red Hot Riding Hood, Dumb-Hounded, Northwest Hounded Police, Who Killed Who?, What's Buzzin' Buzzard?, Batty Baseball, Screwball Squirrel, Big Heel-Watha, The Screwy Truant, Lonesome Lenny, The Hick Chick, Hound Hunters, Red Hot Rangers, Bad Luck Blackie, Garden Gopher, The Chump Champ, The Peachy Cobbler, Daredevil Droopy, Symphony in Slang, and Wags to Riches.

It's our first installment of Animation ID: an "insider baseball" look at specific classic animators and their scenes! We give an overview of Mike Lah, the funniest animator the MGM cartoon studio ever had. He breathed comic life into Barney Bear, Tom and Jerry, Droopy, and Spike and made Tex Avery even funnier. Bob and Thad breakdown why Lah's "less is more" approach resulted in some of the best cartoon animation ever, and relay some of Lah's own insight on the MGM cartoon-making methodology.

We finally discuss the most famous of the Warner directors, Chuck Jones, in his first decade! Hear about his early days and flops, the legend of his approach to character layout, his gifted animators, and his most important collaborator, writer Mike Maltese. Our highlighted cartoon is Jones' '40s zenith, Long-Haired Hare, the social-cultural war of Bugs Bunny vs. fat opera singer Giovanni Jones. You'll love this one, music and rabbit haters excepted.

Did you know Gabby Goat, Porky Pig's one-time miserable sidekick, helps illustrate a fascinating chapter in the story of Warner cartoons? Listen as we discuss Mickey Mouse co-creator Ub Iwerks' crash-and-burn directing for Leon Schlesinger, and how Bob Clampett took his place! And just why did Clampett's own one-time pal Chuck Jones become a disgruntled goat himself during these days? Hear all this and more, and a breakdown of Clampett's second cartoon, Get Rich Quick Porky, Gabby's classic era farewell.

Frank Tashlin, "the world's greatest yo-yo", made stylized, side-splitting cartoons for Warners that are among the studio's most unique. We discuss his early origins in New York cartooning, his innovative work with animator Art Davis, the influence live-action comedy had on Warner humor (and vice-versa), and what might be the most underrated WB cartoon of the '40s, "Tale of Two Mice"! Hey, Babbit!!!

Our inaugural guest is animator, historian, and national treasure Mark Kausler, who talks with us about his friends, cartoon pioneers Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising, two of Walt Disney's original top animators and the gents who got WB and MGM into the cartoon shorts business. Topics include: the early days in Kansas City with Walt! The genesis of Bosko! Booze crazed horses! Battling the studio bosses! And did Joe Barbera have anything to do with Hugh's adaptation of "Gray's Elegy" going missing? Our first podcast of the decade is certainly our richest so far, and we can't wait to continue celebrating Cartoon Logic into the new decade with you!

This week it's Yuletide cheer times five from the Fleischer and Famous studios, with Popeye, Bluto, Olive Oyl, Grampy, Herman & Katnip, and Baby Huey! We discuss how these Christmas cartoons were mostly made by Jewish producers and animators, the incredible strengths of Seasin's Greetinks! from Popeye's first year, Grampy's gift for joy-giving inventions being a perfect fit for the holidays, and the first ever feline corpse as a Christmas tree!

The Dean of Cartoons, Friz Freleng, is this week’s focus, zeroing in on his ‘40s golden era as Warner’s “senior director”, which birthed Warner superstars and earned the studio its first Oscar! Our cartoon discussion is the Freleng directed-and-written Rabbit Every Monday, one of his many classic Bugs Bunny vs. Yosemite Sam battles – and a prime example of Cartoon Logic that proves 1/3 of a cartoon can be engagingly centered around a single shot of a stove!

Walter Lantz produced cartoons that rarely aspired to be more than gag-driven potboilers. But once in a while some talented guys strived to do more within those restraints. Hear the stories of Lantz's early days and his prized creation Woody Woodpecker. We also analyze the brutal and beautiful Who's Cookin' Who?, directed by the great Shamus Culhane, a cartoon that shows just how painful a meat grinder can be!

This week is our first installment of Myth-Guided History, where we set the record straight on common cartoon history fallacies. We chat about the conception and development of beloved Warner stars Bugs Bunny (who was never "Happy Rabbit") and Elmer Fudd! And our dissection of Wabbit Twouble offers a not-so-startling revelation itself... And it ain't Big Chungus!

If you're at the end of your rope, you'd better give up all hope! We look at the uniquely chaotic world of Max and Dave Fleischer's Talkartoons, their early sound series, and just what makes these New York-brewed slices of the Depression so exciting to watch. And just in time for Halloween, our in-depth discussion puts the spotlight on Bimbo, their first sound era star, and the horrifically hilarious masterpiece, Swing You Sinners! 

We circle back to Famous Studios Popeye a lot sooner than expected to take a look at Warner Archive's Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3. This is when Famous got its, uh, famous reputation for "principled badness". What went wrong so fast, even if it was mostly the same powerhouse crew working on these cartoons? We try to figure out exactly what did...

Highlights: a rare Famous recording session courtesy of historian Mark Newgarden! Bob remembers directing Sid Raymond, the original Baby Huey! The history of animator George Rufle! And how "Popeye Man" Johnny Gent directed a sequence in our highlighted cartoon, possibly the new collection's only standout, A Balmy Swami!

This week we dive into MGM's flagship series, Tom & Jerry, the sassiest, brassiest cartoons made in Hollywood's Golden Age. We take a look at industry heavyweights Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (and their team of animators) and what made a seemingly hack concept of cat-and-mouse so unmatched for so long in this exploration of "visual nonsense". Our analysis is of Tee for Two, and will hear how the description of one scene in particular in a historic magazine article made Bob need to see this cartoon.

In this week's episode, we scratch the surface about just what makes director Bob Clampett's Warner Bros. cartoons so unique and invigorating, and what gives them the frenetic energy no one has ever matched. Our in-depth dissection is of Baby Bottleneck, one of his last and very best films starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, which Clampett himself called a series of "incidents". And just why did he call them that? Listen and find out! 

Our first episode will give you a taste of what to expect as we dive into an in-depth discussion about the cartoons featured on Warner Archive's summer release, Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 2. Learn all about the Famous Studios crew, particularly Disney Legend Bill Tytla and New York heavyweights Jim Tyer and John Gentilella, that brought these often maligned cartoons to life, and just why these little Blu-Ray collections are worth celebrating.

Every episode we'll also dissect one cartoon in detail, and we decided for our first episode to pick perhaps the most... famous of Famous Popeyes, Rocket to Mars. Strap yourselves in, because this trip is really necessary.