Cartoon Logic

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.