A rough character layout of Ralph Phillips placed over a final background based on Maurice’s background layout. Everything in the background supports the character. In 1971 Maurice explained to historian Joe Adamson how the filmsin the Jones unit differed fromother units at Warner Bros., and how it affected hislayout design: One thing about Chuck’s cartoons is the tremendous number of cuts and backgrounds. In the business, a same-as is a scene that is used over again. And his pictures would never have same-as backgrounds, because there was always a new facet or something, so it meant a new layout. [Often layout designers economize by using a single background over and over in different scenes.] Many times I would design maybe a hundred backgrounds for one cartoon. And this gave them a sense of motion and variety, while the other departments would be painting twenty-five and thirty backgrounds. And the same telephone pole would be coming through constantly. Well, my sense of design wouldn’t permit me to do that. We couldn’t go back and reuse backgrounds. And many times when we tried to, it was a loss of time, because we would have to make readjustments and repaint and repeg, and by the time we had gone through all that, we might as well have started from scratch.
GRIDS AND COMPOSITION Themost important job of a background layout isto support the story and to stage the characters. Maurice used to say, “Clarityis one of themost important elements of any composition.” The audiencemust always know where to look, and the position and acting of the charactermust be supported. Thoughmany of Maurice’scompositionsmayseemsimple at first,you can be sure he worked very hard to get themto feel that way. Onemethod he employed in achieving this was using grids, and a variety ofcompositional theories, to help himorganize elementsin a harmonious way. Some artistscall these grids armatures. In sculpture, an armature isthe structure upon which a sculptor builds up theirclaymodel. In drawing, the idea issimilar, in that an artist builds up a composition over a line grid. Maurice used different grid structures during hiscareer, depending on the needs of the story and composition he was using themon.Here are a few grid examplesthat Maurice frequently used. A rectangle in the theme of three (above left), that is, three horizontal and three vertical divisionsfor a total of nine subdivisions; a rectangle in the theme of four(above center); and a rectangle in the theme ofsix(above right). The specifics of these grids will be explained later in the chapter. I asked Maurice about design structures when we were planning our filmThe Pumpkin of Nyefar.He toldme, “Compositional theories are only a tool, not a crutch to limit the designer. When you are pleased with a composition, and when you feel itconveysthe message you are after, go for it! You are probablyright.” Then he added, “Never begin designing with a grid inmind. Work your thumbnailsinto something you like first. Then you can begin thinking about how a gridmight help organize elementsin your composition.” Maurice felt that the best art was a balance of instinctual andmore analytical approaches. In agreement with thisJayHambidge, in his breakthrough text The Elementsof Dynamic Symmetry(1926), writes, “Instinctive art withoutmentalcontrol is bound to fail, to end in incoherence. In art the control of reasonmeansthe rule of design. Without reason art becomeschaotic. Instinct and feelingmust be directed by knowledge and judgment.” Grids aremost useful when they help tighten something that is working fairly well in the first place.
One of the best explanationsI’ve ever read about the use of grids and compositional structure is Michael Barrier’s1995 interview with John McGrew, Chuck Jones’slayout designer fromthe early1940s. McGrew said: As I tell my students, the structure of a composition is like a pretty girl: she has a skeleton, and the structure is the skeleton—if she didn’t have a skeleton, she’d be a horrible mess—[but] you don’t want to see the skeleton when you see a pretty girl. The only places you can see the skeleton are her elbows and her ankles and a few places where the bones touch. So the construction, the composition, is hidden—but it’s there, and it feels satisfying. Grids work best as a rough guide. Strong horizontal compositions relate a feeling of stability and calm as in this background layout from the The Adventures of the Road-Runner (1962). Evenly spaced parallel lines in the columns of the capitol building give the idea of stability and power.
GRID ELEMENTS There aremany,many waysto divide a composition: themain compositional guide lines that Maurice used in his grids were horizontal,vertical, and diagonal. HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL LINES In hisclassictext The Practice and Scienceof Drawing(1913),Harold Speed wrote: The horizontal and the vertical are two very important lines, the horizontal being associated with calm and contemplation and the vertical with a feeling of elevation. . . . Their relation to the sides of the composition to which they are parallel in rectangular pictures is of great importance in uniting the subject to its bounding lines and giving it a well-knit look, conveying a feeling of great stability to a picture. Pictorially,vertical lines aremore important than any other. We relate stronglyto the vertical because of our relationships with people, trees, buildings, etc. Vertical lines often communicate a sense of height and grandeur. Skyscrapers and religious architecture all over the world focus on the vertical to inspire the human race to loftier things. Maurice used strong horizontal lineslessfrequentlythan verticals. And when he did, they were usuallycombined with strong vertical elements. This often gave Maurice’scompositions a vertical feeling of optimism. However, arranging elementsstrictly on horizontal and vertical linescan oftenmake a composition look stiff. Thisisn’t always a bad thing. Often when Maurice needed to reinforce a feeling ofstability or elegance in a story, he would use horizontal and vertical linesthat had a strong parallel relationship to the screen edge. For example, hemight use strong vertical parallel linesin the columns of the capitol building to give the idea of stability and power.Hemayreinforce these ideas by using a strong horizontal base for the capitol building to sit on. Maurice frequently used symmetryto support thisfeeling. More often, he would avoid strong horizontal lines, andmanytimes would break up these lines with other elementsto soften their impact. DIAGONALS More often though, a story point requires pizazzmore than straight horizontal and vertical linescan provide.Diagonals are simplymore dynamic and can convey a greatersense of movement and energy.
Often Maurice would tilt hisvirtualcamera up or down slightlyto pinch horizontal or vertical lines at one end. Skewing compositional lines, even slightly,can create interest and depth andmake a compositionmuchmore dynamic. Even these skewed lines were based roughly on horizontal and vertical grid structures. Though the placements ofvertical and horizontal elements are important, Maurice would frequently use a diagonal line to be the primaryspine on which he would base the rest of hiscomposition. Twomajor diagonalscan be found going fromcorner to corner through the center of the screen space. When using diagonals he would usuallychoose one dominant direction for hiscomposition. Here are a few examplesto show how Maurice would use these lines. Using diagonal lines will make a composition more dynamic, giving it more depth. As shown in this variation from The Bear That Wasn’t (1967). Maurice often used diagonals based on a diamond shape. A grid often used in classical painting.
Notice how Maurice uses the diamond shape as a rough guide for placing elements in these layouts from Hare-Way to the Stars, Boyhood Daze, and What’s Opera, Doc? Here are a few more of many ways to divide a composition diagonally based on thirds. RHYTHM AND SPACING Before analyzing specific grid structures, let’slook at a few examples of how Maurice spaced compositional lines,specificallyvertical lines. Maurice wouldn’t use all the lines available to himat once: he would repeat and echo certain linesthroughout a composition in order to create rhythms. Line rhythmand spacing can be used to control depth and help guide the eye.He thought of these rhythms asmusic, contrasting open areastomore tightlycontrolled space. The amount ofcontrast would depend on the scene.
COUNTER-RHYTHMS In his book Composing Pictures,Don Grahamwrote: The relative positions of elements, whether in nature or pictures, are seldom mechanically aligned. An element may contribute to a straight line, curve, or spiral movement. At times such counters may be of great value in emphasizing a dominant movement. To keep hiscompositionsfromgetting too stiff and regular, Maurice would often use counter-rhythms, that is, a fewmoreminor elementsthat would go against the overall rhythmof the grid. Interestingly, these irregularitiesseemto strengthen the overall pictorial rhythm. Young artists oftenmisinterpretcounter-rhythmsin themodern “wonky” style, where lines go every which way and follow no structure. Not only doesthis way of working not guide the eye, it also drove Maurice bananas. Knowing this, we would sometimes build wonkycompositionsjust to get a rise out of the old guru. COMPOSITIONAL THEORIES Now that we have discussed themain elements of a grid, let’stalkmore specifically about how Maurice arranged all these elementsin a rectangularspace. In hisyouth, Maurice spent a lot of time studying variouscompositional theories.His heroes,classical artistssuch as Leonardo da Vinci and Tintoretto, are thought to have divided up theircanvasesmathematicallytomake themmore pleasing. Maurice filled sketchbook aftersketchbook with studies and compositional experiments based on theoriessuch asthe golden section, root 2 harmonic divisions, and the rule of thirds. But by the time I began working with Maurice, he had greatlysimplified his approach. THE RULE OF THIRDS AND RABATMENT Compositional theoryis a fascinating subject that isfar too deep and complexto explore at much length here. There are great resourcessuch asJayHambidge’sclassictext The Elementsof Dynamic Symmetry(1926) and KimElam’sintriguing book Geometryof Design: Studies in Proportion and Composition,second edition (Princeton Architectural Press, 2011) for those wanting to dive deeper into the subject.
In the veryloosest terms,mostcompositional theoriestell usthatsymmetryis dull and dividing a subject in the center is boring. These theories also saythat dividing a composition too far one way or the othercan be too severe. But dividing a subject somewhere between these two extremesseemsto be just about right. Compositional theoriesjust help an artist be a littlemore precise about where these division points are. So, just to get our feet wet, let’slook at two simple but usefulmethodsthat Maurice used to composemany of his pictures: the ruleof thirds and rabatment. In regard to these theories, author and artists KimElamwrote: Both thirds grid and rabatment inspire asymmetry and are a more informal method of organization. Rabatment has been called “the lazy man’s golden section,” and yields compositions with pleasing proportional arrangements. The two systems, rabatment and thirds, are highly interchangeable and yield closely compatible compositional arrangements. ABOUT THE RULE OF THIRDS The rule of thirdsis as prettymuch asitsounds. The rectangle on which ourcomposition will play out is divided into thirds both vertically and horizontally. Many of themain compositional elements will play on or near these third lines, especially where these lines intersect. In her book Geometry of Design, Kim Elam wrote: In art and design odd numbers are magic numbers because when used as an organizational device they inspire asymmetry, which often makes a composition more visually interesting. . . . An awareness of the law of thirds enables the artist or designer to focus attention where it will most naturally occur and to control the compositional space. Elements do not need to land directly on the intersecting point, as close proximity will draw attention to them. I asked Kimto analyze a few of Maurice’scompositionsthat used the rule of thirds. You may notice thatcenter and diagonal line divisionsformother importantcompositional lines that elementscan play out on.
Thirds (center panel) and rabatment compared. Though the vertical lines are important, this is essentially a diagonal composition. Many important compositional elements fall where the third lines intersect. Left rabatment
Right rabatment Notice the importance of the diagonals in these compositions. ABOUT RABATMENT No one is quite sure why, but the humanmind tendsto divide simple objects,such as squares and rectangles, into smaller parts. The simplest divisions of these objects are usually halves:vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. In design we canmake use of these divisionsin the placement ofcompositional elements. Ourminds alsomake other divisions. In the case of a rectangle, like the one used as a template in film, our brainstrytomake a relationship between the short and long sides of the rectangle, and create an imaginarysquare. We can’tsee it, butsubconsciouslyit’s
there. Thisiscalled rabatment, and a horizontal rectangle will have both left and right rabatment divisions. Mauricemade use of these division linesinmany of hiscompositions. Using an overlay, it is easyto see how Maurice used rabatment in hiscompositions. KimElamwrites: Rabatment is a compositional method that consists of placing a square, with a side equal to the edge of the rectangle, over the left and right sides of the composition. The resulting verticals and diagonals create a compositional structure. All horizontal rectangles have both a left and right rabatment and all vertical rectangles have both a top and bottom rabatment. The rabatment structure suggests asymmetry, assists the artist in positioning elements in the composition in a visually interesting way, and creates a proportional relationship between the elements, placement, and the rectangle. The area of overlap by the two squares in a left and right rabatment can be used for a secondary rabatment and the same method of construction applies as the top and bottom squares overlap and create horizontals. As described earlier in thischapter, Chuck Jones would create the character layoutsfirst, with Maurice designing the environments around themafterward. In order to create harmoniouscompositionsthat felt asif they were created by one artist, it was essential that both Chuck and Maurice were on the same page in the waythey broke down their compositions. Often Maurice wouldmove the character layoutslightlyto create a better composition, and sometimes Chuck would ask Maurice to adjustcertain elementsto better fit the action and cutting. There aremany,many waysto divide and plan a composition, and these examples are but a few. Look to artistssuch as Leonardo, Vermeer, Tintoretto, and Raphael for ideas and inspiration; Maurice did!
More examples of rabatment.
Vertical pans from Roadrunner, Robin Hood Daffy, Nelly’s Folly, and Much Ado About Nutting. To give the eye an easy path to follow, many pans will have one primary curving line of flow focusing on one main compositional element. A change of perspective will make the composition more dynamic.
A pan from Drafty, Isn’t It? (1957). Another important way that Maurice minimized strobing and created flow in a pan was by planning elements parallel to a camera’s path. PANS A pan is not onlysomething you cook with, it also describes a long piece of background art thatmovesin front of an animation camera, giving a panoramic effect. When planning a pan Maurice considered not onlythe length of the art and speed of the shot, but also its rhythmic nature. At Warner Bros. the films were set tomusical beats. Chuck Jones would notate the beats of each shot on the exposure sheets. Bythe time a shot would reach layout, the shot length and rhythmwere set. Chuck often used 16-frame (92 beats perminute) or 12-frame (120 bpm) beats, which would be used by both the animators and the composer. Fromthis, Maurice would figure the pan speed and pan length. Then he would know how many elements would be needed in the pan, and how far apart he would need to space them. He planned certain compositional elementsto crossthe camera field on certain frames. Don Graham, one of Maurice’s Chouinard instructors, also noted: Rhythm is an emotional response. Color, texture, and pattern all play a part in creating rhythmic movement. To some degree all pictures involve movement. But when movement is not understood and controlled or when it is generated accidentally, results are usually chaotic, lacking vitality and energy. Maurice planned the rhythmof his pansto support and enhance the story, as he expressed in a 1971interview with Joe Adamson:
I don’t know whether any other designer thinks in the same terms that I do, but I design in motion. If you have a panoramic shot, it’s a series of areas that are exposed to the eye as they pass through. You have a big area and a small area and a staccato area and so forth: put on a flash of red, let it extend for a long time, and then two flashes of blue, and green, and it’s a rhythmic thing. From the artistic standpoint, when you’re on a still composition, your eye has a chance to wander and see a big area and a small area, and the balance of the composition. When you’re on a panoramic shot also, your overall total has to balance out to be an interesting eye experience: your large areas and small areas are exhibited to the eye as the pan goes along, and the spaces and rhythms of this whole thing. This total, overall, is a visual composition in motion. And this is purely done by the use of color and space relationships, and accents in patterns of forms, and so forth. Onmyfirst few pans, I was actuallytrying to create a good overallcomposition. Maurice emphasized that it wasn’t important what a pan looked like as a whole physically. What mattersis what it lookslike through the lens.He taughtme, “The eye isn’t going to see much detail in themiddle of a fast pan. It willsee color and pattern in an abstract way. Focus onmaking the start and finish of the pan work well, the partsthat the audience will actuallysee, then concentrate on the length and feel of the pan.” On slow pans, such as the opening of Touché and Go (1957), Maurice would lean elements slightly to avoid strobing. He would also reduce contrast in areas with a lot of detail, as shown in the color sketch to the right for the same pan. On faster pans, such as this from It’s Everybody’s Business (1954), Maurice would give elements a more severe lean, so they would “slice” through the camera frame more smoothly. This pan is also a good example of using diagonal lines to bring the viewer’s eye to and from the camera plane. Jill Petrilak, who worked as Maurice’s background painter in the 1990s, remembers how
Jill Petrilak, who worked as Maurice’s background painter in the 1990s, remembers how Maurice’stested his pans: Maurice used to make his hand into a loose fist, and put it up to his eye so he could see through. Then he would scan along a rough pan layout at the speed it was going to be in the film, to see what it would look like. On a longer pan he would have to get up and walk along it. He wanted to see what the camera would see, to make sure everything flowed the way he wanted. Maurice was one of those rare art directors who [were] only concerned with what the camera saw. He was not interested in the pretty objects that were out of field. Nobody gets to study these backgrounds; they just get the essence of them. Really, the audience is supposed to be looking at the characters. Maurice didn’t get caught up in a lot of stupid stuff. He was interested in making sure everything read properly and that the viewer was not confused with what the viewer was looking at. One of the biggest problems with flow in pansisstrobing(a frame rate that istoo slow for a viewer’s eyesto deal with, resulting in a stutteredmotion). There are several waysto minimize this annoying effect. Themostcommon solution inmodern studiosisto throw motion-blur onto the image. Thistechnique wasn’t an option to Maurice in the 1950s and ’60s, though zip pans of randombrush strokes were used for extremelyfast pans. Motionblur issimple, and can work well. But forsomethingmore stylized,motion-blur isn’t necessarilythemost graphic or interesting solution.Here are a few approaches Maurice took in combating strobing in his pans: • Leaning elementsthatcut acrossthe picture plane • Making the spacing of elements uneven • Using diagonals and S-curves • Lowering contrast Vertical elements on a horizontal won’tcut through the picture plane smoothly, and tend to strobe, orstutter. The same istrue of horizontal elements on a vertical pan. Leaning elementsslightly will help the “slice” through the picture plane. The faster the speed of a pan, themore Maurice would lean his elementsto avoid strobing. Though he preferred the bottomedge of a pan to lead, the direction of lean on elements doesn’t reallymatter, particularlyin a slow-to-mediumspeed pan. Themain concern is keeping elementsfrom being parallel with each other and the edge of the picture frame. Think of using big,small,
andmediumelementsto create interest. Also, try not to space elementstoo evenly. Breaking up patterns with uneven spacingmakesfor amuchmore natural and less mechanical feel, lessening the chance ofstrobing. Another important waythat Mauriceminimized strobing and created flow in a pan was by planning elements parallel to a camera’s path. To give the eye an easy path to follow, many pans will have one primarycurving line of flow focusing on onemain compositional element. Maurice also used a path of elementsto create thisflow. Amixture ofmajor and minorcurvescan add interest to a pan; it all depends on the style,complexity,speed, and story point of the scene being designed. Keep inmind thatmostcompositions aren’t flat. Designing elementsto lead the eye to and awayfromthe camera willmake a panmuchmore dynamic. Even a slightchange in perspective willcreate interest. PARALLAX I once asked Maurice why he didn’t usemore parallaxin the films he designed. Parallaxis when objectsin the distance appear tomovemore slowlythan objectsin the foreground, which is achieved by breaking the background,middle ground, and foreground into separate planes, and panning themat differentspeeds. This helps give a realsense of depth to the composition. Maurice agreed that it was a nice effect, butsaid: Look, you have to balance out what’s important in the picture. You only have so much time to layout the picture. The background man only has so long to paint everything. And the camera man only has so much time to shoot it. When you put in a scene of parallax, you double the amount of work for everyone. I would rather spend that extra bit of time on bringing up the level of the whole picture. Also, when you’re working with a series of scenes of “flat” graphics, and you throw in a scene with deep parallax, it just seems a little odd. FRAMING WITH ELEMENTS Maurice emphasized that designers need to give characters a clear, open acting space, especially around their heads. A simple, but importantcompositional tool that Maurice used wasto frame characters with elementssuch astrees, buildings, and other objectsin a scene. Framing in effect leaves an uncluttered area for the action and acting of a scene. Negative space and value play a big part inmaking this work. Robin Hood Daf y was one of Maurice’smore satirical and lighthearted films.He
Robin Hood Daf y was one of Maurice’smore satirical and lighthearted films.He overexaggerated nearly every detail, down to the rubber-stamped leaves and grass. Another aspect of exaggeration in thisfilmwasthe clear acting spacesfor the characters, especially around the heads. Though exaggerated, it highlights an important aspect of Maurice’s use of negative space in design,clearing the composition for the acting. In Boyhood Daze (1957), Maurice frames the characters with various elements, leaving the acting space clear.
Maurice would often drop the horizon line in order to give more room for acting and action. As indicated in the layout from Lumber Jack-Rabbit. These examples from Robin Hood Daffy highlight an important aspect of Maurice’s use of negative space in design. This clears the composition for acting, especially around the head of the characters and particularly in front of the character’s face.
Sketches for Tiny Toons. When creating dynamic perspective, it’s okay to think outside the box. DEPTH Maurice was alwaystrying to give the illusion of depth in his 2-Dcompositions. Adding depth givesinterest andmakes a settingmore dynamic.DirectorDave Thomas kidnapped Maurice for a weekend and wouldn’t let himgo until he got Maurice to share a few of his thoughts on creating depth.Here isthe list thatDave brought back with him: • Create depth by changing value as it recedes into space. • Overlap forms—even flat, highly graphic elements will recede if they overlap. • Always push and force your perspective. • Use foreground, midground, background elements to create depth. • Use gradating values to create depth, i.e., dark to light, light to dark, etc. • Always try to show many sides (top, bottom, etc.) of an object to create depth. • Add depth through shadows that suggest objects in the environment that the audience can’t see. Let audiences know where they are at all times. Shadows are especially useful for this.
• Casting shadows over several planes and/or objects lends to graphic believability. • Floor tiles or wooden floor boards are good for pattern and perspective. • Repeat and resize objects in space: trees, phone poles, etc. • Use streets and roads receding into distance. • Tilt the camera up or down slightly. • Saturation of color: close objects are brightest and sharpest. Objects in the distance appear pale and washed out. • Use more texture in the foreground, less in the background. • Warm colors advance, cool colors recede. • Atmospheric perspective: objects in the distance may appear bluish. PERSPECTIVE Linear perspective was one of Maurice’s greatest toolsin achieving depth, but it is also one of the least understood aspects of his design approach. There is an entire school of “wonky” background design that attemptstomimic Maurice’sstyle by using lines and objectsthat go every which way, trying to get a “fun” cartoonylook but with virtually no thought to storytelling orstaging. Maurice put it down to a lack ofyoung artistsreally looking at—and understanding—the world around them. Though he used perspective in a stylized way, he alwaysstarted with the basics. Of his approach Maurice said, “It is always important to keep the audience grounded, even when you are designing a highlystylized film. I usually design with classic perspective elementsinmind,starting with natural perspective, then skew thingsfromthere.” There have beenmany great books published on perspective,so we won’t discussthe subject inmuch depth here. But here is a simple introduction to some conceptsthat Maurice used when starting a composition: Zero Point: No distinctvanishing point. One Point: Allvanishing linescome fromone point. Two Point: Allvanishing linescome fromtwo points. Three Point: Allvanishing linescome fromthree points.
Four Point: Allvanishing linescome fromfour points. Perspective was used by Maurice to give the illusion of depth to a flat, 2-Dworld.Depth makes a compositionmore dynamic. Perspective linescan be used to draw the viewer’s eye to a character and specificsection of a composition. Maurice said, “Classical perspective is important to understand, and is useful when composing layouts butcan become a little dull. Especially when composing amore satirical, fun type of film. Look for the fun in your composition.” MULTIPOINT PERSPECTIVE One of the easiest ways Maurice created depth and volume was by usingmultistation vanishing points, frequently off of the same horizon line. One of his Chouinard instructors, Don Graham, taught thatclassical Italian perspective wasthe world asseen through one eye. But ofcoursemost people see dimension because they have two eyes. Therefore, in any composition you essentially need at least two points ofconvergence. Grahamwrote in his book Composing Pictures: Once the artist is liberated from a single fixed station point, his whole concept of picture making changes. No longer is he bound by a Ptolemaic point of view as reflected in a fixed viewpoint with the world revolving around it. Now the artist is free to choose as many station points as he feels necessary. He sees his subject from a Copernican point of view: he can show aspects of form not visible from any one station point. Millard Sheets, another of Maurice’sinstructors, explains his philosophy on perspective: If you teach structural drawing, it doesn’t take the student very long to grasp how important it is to learn certain things about perspective, just as a means. But if you attack it the other way, and say, “Now, your perspective is wrong, therefore, you’ve got to put this line this way and this line this way,” as they did in the old academic way, what you’re doing is just making a very sad victim of the eye. You’re not in any sense teaching the mind to comprehend what’s back, behind, which is more important than what you see. Maurice elaborated on his use of pushing perspective at a guest lecture at CalArtsin 1977:
I studied a lot of perspective years ago. But then, you soon find out that that isn’t extreme enough. A given two-point or three-point perspective doesn’t force the eye enough. So if you want something to converge forcefully, then you pull it. Enlarge things in the foreground, diminish them in the background. I’ve discovered, and it’s my own individual feeling, that pulling stuff around and dropping off the left and right gets a dimensional quality to your layout that you couldn’t get by retaining a true perspective on things. If you had a line over here, you dropped it a little bit to the right or to the left, and let the eye give it a volume to a given area. This is what I was speaking about—enhancing the restrictions of the medium. It’s the eye that kind of pulls things over. It is an instinctive thing. Whether you instinctively design or want to design through experience, you see that it works well on the screen. Many times Maurice drew perspective from more than one vanishing point for the simple reason that most people see dimension because they see the world through two eyes.
Wide angle examples from Deadwood, South Dakota, and Times Square, New York City. Wide angle examples from Claws for Alarm (1954) and Punch Trunk (1953). DISTORTED PERSPECTIVE Art director Mike Giaimo said of Maurice’s use of perspective: In regard to Maurice going beyond the academic one-point perspective, I have always felt that this was something he loved to play around with, to shape and mold to his own imaginings. His use of multi-point often had a kind of surreal, Dal -esque quality, another great Maurice signature. His use of perspective was always more “artful” and far-reaching than any other layout artist at Warner Bros. Maurice tended to use distorted perspectivemore than hiscontemporaries. But he didn’t use distortions onlyforstylisticreasons. Rather he wastrying to solve a simple design problem.
Chuck Jonesloved to usemediumand close-up shotsin hisfilms. But because of this, Maurice considered the filmsto feelclaustrophobic and closed in. Therefore, he used a simple trick that he learned while training as a photographer in WWII: ifyou have a closeup subject and want to have depth, use a wide-angle lens. Wide-angle lenses are great for exaggerating depth bymagnifying distances between background and foreground objects. Thisin turn createsmore dramaticimages. But wideangle lenses also have their own peculiaritiesthat Maurice took advantage of, including barrel distortions, an effect wherein edges of the picture frame can become distorted and curved.
STEP 08: Final Film Color sketch from Chariots of Fur (1994).
Ted C. Bemiller worked for Wally Bulloch Camera Service and shot a number of films for Chuck Jones during the 1960s. His son, Ted T. Bemiller, worked with Maurice at Chuck Jones Film Productions in the 1990s. Originally, Maurice had planned separate chapters discussing backgrounds and camera. However, most of the practical aspects of these steps have already been examined in earlier chapters, so won’t be revisited in detail here. After the backgrounds and cels were painted, the artwork would then be combined into a scene folder with an exposure sheet. The exposure sheet(also called an X-sheet or dope sheet)is the blueprint for a scene and would contain all the information the camera operator would need to shoot the film. These scene folders would then be rechecked tomake sure all the elements were in the right order, and in the properscene number. Then everything would be shipped off to the camera department. Once all the artwork had been shot,silent footage of a filmwould be reviewed. Then it would be reviewed again with voice,music, and sound FX added. Once any needed changes,cuts, orcorrections had beenmade, a filmwould be
then be screened for all the animation units of the studio. In his1989 interview with Michael Barrier, Maurice said that during these screeningsthere was “a certain reserve. You didn’t applaud their pictures, and they didn’t applaud ours.” The films would have then been released into the theaters as a lead-in to a feature film. . . and then Chuck, Maurice, and company wouldmove on to the next picture. At the time, the life expectancy of a Warner Bros.cartoonmight be just a few years. I asked Maurice if he knew he was working on filmsthat would be asrevered asthey are.He answered, “It was a job; we worked hard and did the best we could, trying tomake the next picture better than the last. Istill feel that way. If I’mno longer excited bythe work, and doing something fresh and new, I don’t want to be around anymore, I really don’t.” A Phil DeGuard background, and Maurice layout from Boyhood Daze.
Dearly missed. IN CONCLUSION This book isin no way a complete statement; it is but a small glimpse into the life and thoughts of an amazingman and one of animation’s great pioneers. It was Maurice’s hope thatsome of the knowledge gained through hissixty-odd yearsin the business would help informand inspire generations of designers after him. Even if one of the ideas nestled among these pages helpsyou become a better artist, then Maurice will have been successful. In histwilightyears, he honestly believed that the best films ever to bemade were stillyet to bemade. A few final thoughtsthat Maurice wanted to share: These past few years in the animation field have been amazing and also disappointing. A strange dichotomy has developed: live-action using animation gags and cutting and, alas, animation destroying itself by imitating live-action. Where is the graphic innovation, satire, fun, and freshness? Are we afraid to laugh and poke fun these days? This ability of animation to satirize and make us laugh at ourselves is almost unique. We can pull out and stretch practically any facet of life and bring our audience into this magic circle.
There is a tendency in both live-action and animation to throw handfuls of rapid “snippets” together so we think we have seen something. When all else fails, an almost routine violent ending explodes. Instead, let’s find those human interest themes that can touch the audience—happy or sad—but touch them. Animation can do this. We are in danger of entering an age of impersonal coexistence: a wired, pushbutton, and almost faceless society. This is reflected in our attitudes and sensibilities to the world around us. To really laugh, we need to know how to cry.
“When working in animation you can’t take any credit. You can only say you participated.” Maurice Noble (1910–2001)
Acknowledgments During the course of this project I’ve discovered that it is far easier to practice film design, than to write about it. This book would still be a box of loose notes if it weren’t for the loving support of so many. Thank you for your thoughts and reflections: Amid Amidi, Michael Giaimo, Michael Barrier, Harry McCracken, Jerry Beck, Kim Elam, Karl Coen, Pete Docter, Willie Ito, Martha Sigall, John KrisFalusci, Darryl Van Citters, Robert Stanton, Ric Sluiter, Mary Burton, Ed Bell, Jim Hull, Eddie Fitzgerald, Eric Goldberg, Susan Goldberg, Craig Kellman, Max Howard, Nancy Beiman, Tomm Moore, Ralph Eggleston, Paul Felix, Andrew Farago, Alex Williams, John Canemaker, Stephen Fossatti, Tom Sito, Peter Merryman and the Nordli family, Thad Komorowski, Heidi Leigh, Hans Bacher, Miles Thompson, Norman M. Klein, Don Shank, Steven Grossfeld, Martha Baxton, Shanna Galloway, Ralph Bakshi, Jeff Pidgeon, Glen Mullaly, Jeff Goldner, Ted Bemiller and Mark Burstein. . . . and for the great support through the years: Lawrence Marvit, Mark Oftedal, Jorge Gutteriez, Dave Thomas, Don Hall, Scott Morse, Ricardo Barahona, Bill Benson, Mike Cachuela, Lou Romano, Mary Claire Scanlon, Jeff Ranjo, Cynthia Ignacio, Mike Polvani, Greg Duffel, Jill Petrilac, Dave Marshall, Kurt Nielsen, Robert McKinnon, and Rose Long. Juck and Nitpat Somsaman and the Monk Studios, Thailand. Morten Thorning, Michelle Nardone and the Animation Workshop. A huge thanks to my parents Nita and Ken Duncan, for all the scanning, and packages received and delivered. . . . and my wife Bang-On Phothi-In who has been such a great help and support to me.
Emily and Sanjay . . . thank you for helping make Maurice’s dream come true. . . . and the Great Father . . . without whom none of this would have been possible. Artwork: Those that so generously shared their collections: Warner Archives, special thanks to Leith Adams and Mark Greenhalgh. Steve Ison, who has been so generous with his thoughts and time. Mike Glad, Steve Schnieder, Greg Ford, Darryl Van Citters, Paul Bussolini, Eric Calande, Linda Jones Clough, Craig Kausen, Ron Baraff at Rivers of Steel National Heritage area, Anna Cannizzo at the Denison Museum, James Buran, Rick Schneider Calabash, Robert McKinnon, Lars Emanuelsson, Bengt Jareteg, Animation Sensations/Peter Bortz, Robert Cowan, Paul Harmon, Ted Bemiller, Chuck Jones Center For Creativity. Additional illustrations provided by Esben Sloth, and Lawrence Marvit. WPA Poster by M. Weitzman (1939), Library of Congress. Photos: Kimberly Crest Mansion and Gardens by Bang-On Phothi-In and Susie Hibdon, Monument Valley Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress, Robinson’s Christmas by Dick Whittington. Interviews: Maurice Noble Interview, December 29, 1971. Courtesy of Joe Adamson Copyright ©1975 by The Film Society of Lincoln Center, renewed 2003 by Joseph Adamson, III. Transcribed by Lindsay Doran. Interview with Maurice Noble, January 24, 1977. Courtesy of Michael Barrier and Milton Gray. Discussion with Maurice Noble, March 30, 1977. Courtesy of Darryl Van Citters. Transcribed by Nancy Beiman. Interview with Maurice Noble, May 31, 1989. Courtesy of Michael Barrier. Animations Old Rebel-Maurice Noble, March 1, 1998. Courtesy of Karl Cohen.
“Stepping Into the Picture,” January 20, 1991. Interview for Animato Magazine. Courtesy of Harry McCracken. Interview with Maurice Noble. Courtesy of Heidi Leigh 1992. Maurice Noble, December 19, 2000. Courtesy of Nancy Beiman.
Index The index entries below are asthey appeared in the printversion of the book and are included here foryour reference. Please use the search function on your eReader to search for terms of interest. A Abominable Snow Rabbit (1961) Adamson, Joe The Adventures of the Road-Runner (1962) Al Tudi Tuhak (1999) Animation Workshop of Denmark Another Froggy Evening (1995) Arioli, Don The Aristo-Cat (1943) armatures. See grids Armitage, Frank Ashmead, Hal aspect ratio B background layout background painter, relationship with Baker, Ryan Bakshi, Ralph Bambi (1942) Barahona, Ricardo Barbary Coast Bunny (1956) barrel distortions Barrier, Michael The Bear That Wasn’t (1967) Beep Prepared (1961) Beiman, Nancy Bell, Ed Bell Telephone Science Series Bemiller, Ted C. Bemiller, Ted T. Benson, Billy “Keys” Bewitched Bunny Bird, Brad black, personality of Blair, Lee Blair, Mary blue, personality of Boyhood Daze (1957) Broomstick Bunny (1956) brown, personality of budget, working with Bugs Bonnets (1956) The Bugs Bunny Show (TV show) Bully for Bugs (1953) Burton, Johnny Butterworth, Kent C Cachuela, Mike California Institute of the Arts Capitol Records Capra, Frank Cartoon Colour Company Castle Rock
The Cat in the Hat (1971) Chang, Chen-Yi character layout characters color for eyes of hands of personality of supporting visual hierarchy and Chariots of Fur (1994) Chouinard Art Institute Chuck Jones Film Productions Church-Craft Clampett, Bob Claws for Alarm (1954) Clough, Linda Jones Cohen, Karl Cole, Corny color. See also color schemes/themes basics for characters chords chroma cool vs. warm dimension dull, against bright importance of intensity isolation keys palette personality for quick cuts saturation sketches value vs. wheels color schemes/themes analogous complementary rectangle split-complementary square triadic using color theory, prismatic vs. pigment Columbia Pictures composition depth framing
grids pans parallax perspective rabatment rhythms and counter-rhythms rule of thirds theories of Confusions of a Nutzy Spy (1943) contrast counter-rhythms The Country Cousin (1936) Crawford curiosity, importance of D The Daffy Duckaroo (1942) Daffy Duck’s Thanks-for-Giving (1980) Decker, Tom Deduce, You Say (1956) DeGuard, Phil DePatie, Dave DePatie-Freleng depth, adding Descanso Gardens Despretz, Sylvain Dias, Ron director, relationship with Disney, Walt. See also Walt Disney Studios distortions Docter, Pete Dr. Seuss on the Loose (1973) Dr. Seuss’s Butter Battle Book (1989) Don’t Give Up the Sheep (1953) dope sheet Doré, Gustave The Dot and the Line (1965) The Dover Boys of Pimento University (1942) Drafty, Isn’t It? (1957) Duck Amuck (1953) Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½ Century (1980) Duck Dodgers in the 24½ Century (1953) Duck! Rabbit, Duck! (1953) Dufau, Oscar Duffell, Greg Dumbo (1941) Dunn, John DuPont E Earle, Eyvind Elam, Kim elements list Elmer Elephant (1936) Engel, Jules Escape of the Gingerbread Man!!! (2011) exposure sheet eyes F Fantasia (1940) Fantasia 2000 (1999) Feed the Kitty (1952) Feline Frame-Up (1954) A Few Quick Facts About Fear (1945) field chart film, shooting
filters, using Fitzgerald, Eddie Fitzgerald, Owen Fleury, Gene The Flintstones (TV show) flowers, simplifying focus Fossatti, Steve Foster, Warren framing with elements with light Freberg, Stan Freleng, Fritz From A to Z-Z-Z-Z (1953) fun, sense of G gags Galloway, Shanna Gateways to the Mind (1958) Gay Purr-ee (1962) Geisel, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Giaimo, Mike Givens, Robert gold, personality of Goldberg, Eric Goldberg, Susan Graham, Don graticule Gray, Milton gray, personality of green, personality of Gremlin Galleries Gribbroek, Robert grids Grossfeld, Steven Gutierrez, Jorge R. H Haboush, Victor Hall, Don Hambidge, Jay hands Hanna-Barbera Studio Hare-Way to the Stars (1958) Harris, Ken High Note (1960) Hilberman, Dave Hirschfeld, Al Horton Hears a Who! (1970) How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) Hubley, John Hull, Jim humor, role of
I Ignacio, Cynthia The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) Inman, Bob inspiration, sources of It’s Everybody’s Business (1954) Ivanov-Vano, Ivan I Was a Teenage Thumb (1963) J James, William The Jetsons (TV show) Jeup, Dan John Sutherland Productions Jones, Ben Jones, Chuck Julian, Paul Juster, Norton K Karsh, Yousuf Kazaleh, Mike Kent, Rockwell Kimball, Ward Kimberly Crest mansion Kiss Me Cat (1953) Klein, Earl Koenig, Eric “Panama” Komorowski, Thad Korellis, John Kricfalusi, John L Landacre, Paul Lasseter, John layout. See also composition background character Leigh, Heidi Leon Schlesinger Productions Lerew, Jenny Levitow, Abe light, framing with Lighthouse Story lighting tests limitations, working within location, determining Looney Tunes The Lorax (1972) Lost Horizon (1937) Lumber Jack-Rabbit (1954) M Maltese, Mike The Maltese Bippy (1969) Marshall, David Martian through Georgia (1962) Marvin Martian cartoons Marvit, Lawrence Maurice Noble Productions McCabe, Norm McCrackern, Harry McGrew, John McKean, James
McKimson, Robert McKinnon, Robert J. Merrie Melodies MGM Studios Monk Studio monochrome filters Monsters, Inc. (2001) mood, as story element Moore, Rich Morgan, Don Morse, Scott Moshier, Joe motion-blur Mouse-Warming (1952) Much Ado About Nutting (1953) Mulan (1998) Murphy, Lawrence music, importance of Musker, John My Little Duckaroo (1954) N N by E (1930) Nelly’s Folly (1961) Nierva, Ricky 90 Days Wondering (1956) No Barking (1954) Noble, Maurice birth of childhood of education of at Robinson’s department store at Disney during World War II in the postwar period at Warner Bros. at John Sutherland Productions at MGM at DePatie-Freleng in retirement in television animation final years of death of appearance of artwork of design philosophy of drawings of legacy of personality of photographs of student compositions of style of Noble Tales Nordli, Ernie Now Hear This (1962) O O’Brien, Kevin Off to See the Wizard (1967–1968) Oftedal, Mark The Old Mill (1937) O’Neill, Warren Operation Snafu (1945) orange, personality of P pans
parallax peach, personality of perspective Petrilak, Jill The Phantom Tollbooth (1970) Phillips, Marjorie Pidgeon, Jeff Pierce, Ted pink, personality of Pinocchio (1940) Pixar Polifka, Bernyce Polvani, Mike Private Snafu series props The Pumpkin of Nyefar (2004) Punch Trunk (1953) purple, personality of R rabatment Rabbit Seasoning (1952) red, personality of reference, using Rhapsody of Steel (1959) rhythms and counter-rhythms Rivera, Tony Road Runner cartoons Robin Hood Daffy (1958) Robinson, Mary Browne. See Blair, Mary Robinson’s department store Romano, Lou Rose, Dave rule of thirds S same-as scenes saturation scene folder Schlesinger, Leon Schneider, Rick Schwartz, Zack scripts Selzer, Eddie sequences shades Shank, Don Sharaf, Herman Sheets, Millard Sheridan College Sib Tower 12 Productions Silly Symphonies shorts silver, personality of simplification Sito, Tom Sleeping Beauty (1959) Snoke, Craig Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Speed, Harold spit, painting with Stern, Mike Stop! Look! And Hasten! (1954) story beats story elements
story moments storytelling, visual strobing Sutherland, John sweaty fun T The Tale of the Czar Durandai (1934) Tarzan (1999) Tashlin, Frank teamwork thirds, rule of Thomas, Dave thumbnails Timber Wolf! (2001) time management as story element Tintoretto tints Tiny Toon Adventures (TV show) titles To Beep or Not to Beep (1963) To Hare Is Human (1956) Tom and Jerry cartoons Touché and Go (1957) trees, simplifying Turner Feature Animation Twilight of Man (1926) U The Unbearable Bear (1943) United Productions of America (UPA) V value importance of scale stacking testing Van Citters, Darrell Vilppu, Glenn voice, finding your W Wackiki Wabbit (1943) Walt Disney Studios Wang, James Wang Films Ward, Lynd Warner, Jack Warner Bros. Washam, Benny Water Babies (1935) wedge tests. See lighting tests What’s Opera, Doc? (1957) white, personality of Whittaker, Greg wide-angle lenses Wild Over You (1953) The Wizard of Oz (1939) Woodland Cafe (1937) working relationships World War II Wright, Frank Lloyd
X X-sheet Y Yasuda, Kelvin yellow, personality of Z zip pans
Image & Art Credits Page 2: Artwork courtesy of The Glad Family Trust. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 5: Artwork courtesy of Eric Calande. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 6: Artwork courtesy of The Glad Family Trust. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 8: Artwork courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 11: Photo by Yousuf Karsh, courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 12: All images collection of the author. © Tod Polson. Page 15: All images provided by the Warner Bros. Archive, TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) except (upper left) collection of author. © Tod Polson. Page 16: All images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 17: All images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 18: All images copyright Disney. Page 19: Artwork courtesy of (upper left) Stephen Ison, (upper right) The Glad Family Trust, and (bottom row) the Warner Bros. Archive, copyright Disney. Page 20: All images copyright Disney, courtesy of Stephen Ison. Page 21: All images from the public domain. Page 22: Images courtesy of (top row) the public domain, (center row) The Glad Family Trust, and (bottom row) Stephen Ison. Page 23: Images courtesy of (left) Bill Benson, (three images to right) the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 24: All images are in the public domain. See America Welcome To Montana by M. Weitzman is made available by the Library of Congress. Page 25: All images property of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Retouched by Esben Sloth. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 26: All images are in the public domain. Bugs Bunny is TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 27: Image courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 28: DuPont images are in the collection of the author. Lumber Jack Rabbit background appears courtesy of Steve Schneider. It’s Everybody’s Business color key courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 29: Image courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 30: All images appear courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 31: Rhapsody of Steel images appear courtesy of the Rivers of Steel Heritage Museum. Page 32: All images appear courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 33: All images appear courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 34: Images appear courtesy of (left) the Warner Bros. Archive, and (right) The Glad Family Trust. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 35: All images provided by Robert J. McKinnon. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 36: Images from Off to See the Wizard (top row) and The Incredible Mr. Limpet (lower left) courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. Images from The Phantom Tollbooth (lower right)
appear courtesy of The Glad Family Trust. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 37: Images courtesy of (left) the Warner Bros. Archive, and (right) the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 38: All images from authors collection. © Tod Polson. Page 39: Images (top row, and bottom center) courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12), and (bottom left and right) the author. © Tod Polson and Don Hall. Pages 40 and 41: Images courtesy of author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 42: All images appear courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 43: Images provided by (top) the Warner Bros. Archive, and (bottom row) Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 44: Images courtesy of (left side) Heidi Leigh and Animazing Galleries, (right) the author. Page 45: All images courtesy of Darrell Van Citters. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 46: Images courtesy of (left) the author, © Tod Polson/NobleTales and (right) the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 48: Image copyright Disney, courtesy of The Glad Family Trust. Page 50: Image from the author’s collection. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 52: Courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. Illustration by Warren O’Neil and author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 54: Courtesy of Animazing Galleries. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 55: Courtesy of Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 56: Images provided by (left) Michael Barrier, and (right) Darrell Van Citters. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 57: Images provided by (left column) the Warner Bros. Archive, (top right) Stephen Ison, and (lower left) from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 58: Images (left column) courtesy of Stephen Ison and (right column) TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 59: All images courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Pages 60 and 61: Image courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 62: All images courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 63: All images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 64: Light test images (top row and bottom left) from the collection of the author. Pencil layouts (center row) courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. Color keys (bottom center and right) provided by the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 65: Photo courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 66: Image courtesy of The Glad Family Trust. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 67: Image provided by the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 68: All photos by Maurice Noble. Collection of author. © Tod Polson. Page 69: Image courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 70: Maurice Noble Photo (top left) collection of author © Tod Polson. Images (center and right) Courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 71: Images (top left) Courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive (lower right) courtesy of The Glad Family Trust. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Photographs (top right and lower left) by Maurice Noble, collection of the author. © Tod Polson. Page 72: Images (top) from the public domain (lower left) courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive and (lower right) light test from the author’s collection. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 73: Images courtesy of (top left) Stephen Ison, (top right and center left) the Warner Bros. Archive TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12), (lower left) photo © Bang-On Phothi-In, and (lower right) from the authors collection. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 74: Images (right column) copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12), (left column) photos by author. © Tod Polson.
Page 75: Images (top row) courtesy of Stephen Ison TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12), (lower left) photos by author © Tod Polson and (lower right) Image copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 76: Images courtesy of (top left) Carol M. Highsmith, from her collection at the Library of Congress, (top right) courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12), and (bottom row) photos by Maurice Noble, collection of the author © Tod Polson. Page 77: Photo (top) © Bang-On Phothi-In. Images courtesy (bottom row left) the Warner Bros. Archive, and (right) Film still TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 78: Images (left) from the public domain, (top right) courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12), (lower right) from the author’s collection. Page 79: Image courtesy of Paul Bussolini. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 80: Ali Baba Bunny background image kindly provided by Robert J. McKinnon. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 81: Thumbnail images provided by Michael Polvani, and Kurt Neilsen. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Pages 82 and 83: All images copyright Disney. Page 84: All images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 85: Light tests, collection of author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 87: All images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 88: Illustrations provided by author. © Tod Polson. Page 89: Images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 90: Light tests from collection of author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 91: Rockwell Kent image provided by the Denison Museum at Denison University. Page 92: Top row images (top left) copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment, (top center and top left) courtesy of Animation Sensations Gallery. Center row, (left) courtesy of Stephen Ison, (center and left) collection of the author, and (bottom row) provided courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 93: All images from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 94: Images courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 95: Images kindly provided by Lawrence Marvit. Page 96: Images courtesy of (left) the Warner Bros. Archive, TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12), (top right) by Esben Sloth, © Tod Polson and (bottom right) © Bang-On Phothi-In. Page 97: Tree artwork by Esben Sloth. © Tod Polson. Page 98: Background art from the collection of Steve Schneider. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 99: Illustration by the author. Page 100: Images courtesy of (left) Darrell Van Citters and (right) the author. Page 101: Art courtesy of Eric Calande, and is in the public domain. Page 102: Public domain, retouched by Esben Sloth. Page 104: All art from the collection of Steve Schneider. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 105: Images from 90 Days Wondering are in the public domain. Pages 106 and 107: Images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 108: Images courtesy of (top) Stephen Ison, and (bottom) The Glad Family Trust. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 109: Image courtesy of The Glad Family Trust. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 110: Images provided by Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12)
Page 111: Image courtesy of Darrell Van Citters. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 112: Images courtesy of (top) Stephen Ison, and (bottom) the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 113: Images courtesy of (top) Stephen Ison, and (bottom) the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 114: Image courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 116: Illustration by the author, Bugs Bunny image provided by Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 117: All images provided by Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 118: Image courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 119: Images (left) from the collection of the author, (right) courtesy of the Chuck Jones Center For Creativity. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Pages 120 and 121: All images courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 122: All images kindly provided by Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 123: Images courtesy of (top row) Stephen Ison, and (bottom) the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 124: Illustration by Esben Sloth. Pages 126 and 127: All images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 128: Images courtesy of (top left) Eric Calande, (top right) Stephen Ison, and (bottom) Steve Schneider. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 129: Images from the author’s collection. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 130: Images courtesy of (top and bottom left) Stephen Ison, and (bottom right) Eric Calande. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 131: Image courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 132: All images kindly provided by Stephen Ison. Page 133: Images courtesy of (top and bottom right) Stephen Ison, (top center and right) James Buran, (center right) Animation Sensations Gallery, (bottom right) Mike Giaimo. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 134: Images courtesy of (top left) Steve Schneider, (top right) James Buran, and (bottom) thumbnail sketches courtesy of Mike Polvani, and Kurt Neilsen. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 135: Images kindly provided by (top left and top center) Steve Schneider, (top right, center, and bottom center) the Warner Bros. Archive, (center left and bottom left) The Glad Family Trust, (center right) Eric Calande, and (bottom right) Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 136: Images courtesy of (top left) Steve Schneider (top right) Paul Bussolini, and (bottom row) Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 137: Images courtesy of (top left) Eric Calande, (top right) Steve Schneider, and (bottom) Robert Cowan. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 138: Images provided by (top) Steve Schneider, (bottom row) The Glad Family Trust. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 139: Images (top row) from the collection of the author, and (bottom) Steve Schneider. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 140: Images kindly provided by (top) Steve Schneider, (bottom left) Paul Bussolini, and (bottom right) Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 141: All images courtesy of Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 142: Images courtesy of (top two rows) Stephen Ison, and (bottom left and center) the Warner Bros. Archive, and (bottom right) Eric Calande. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 143: Images courtesy of (left and bottom right) Stephen Ison, and (top right) the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 144: Images provided by (top row) Stephen Ison, and (bottom row) Steve Schneider. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 145: Images courtesy of (top left and top center) the Warner Bros. Archive, (top right) The Glad Family Trust, (bottom right) Paul Bussolini, and (left center, and bottom left) Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Pages 146 and 147: All light test images from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Pages 148
and 149: All images courtesy of The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 150: Images provided by (top row) the Warner Bros. Archive, and (bottom row) the Chuck Jones Center For Creativity. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 151: Images courtesy of (top left) the Warner Bros. Archive, (top right) collection of the author, and (bottom) The Chuck Jones Center For Creativity. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 152: Top row of illustrations by the author, (lower left) the Warner Bros. Archive © Disney, (bottom center) the collection of the author, and (bottom right) Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 153: Images courtesy of (top) the Warner Bros. Archive, and (bottom row) from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 154: Images provided by (top left and top right) the collection of the author, (top center) Stephen Ison, (center row and bottom right) and the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Illustrations provided by the author. Page 155: Images from It’s Everybody’s Business are public domain, Courtesy of Glen Mullaly. Digital image retouched by Esben Sloth. Illustrations (right) provided by the author. Page 156: Light tests from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 157: Left and center columns from the collection of the author, TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) The Bambi sketch (right) is courtesy of The Glad Family Trust, © Disney. Page 158: All video images property of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Retouched by Esben Sloth. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 159: Images courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 160: Images from Touché and Go are courtesy of the Warner Bros. Archive. Page 161: Images courtesy of (top left) Animation Sensations gallery, (top and bottom right) Stephen Ison, and (bottom left and bottom center) from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 162: All film stills TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12). Page 163: Image provided by the Warner Bros. Archive. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 164: Light tests and illustrations from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 165: Photos ©Bang-On Phothi-In. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 166: Image courtesy of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 167: Image courtesy of and © Ted C. Bemiller. Page 168: Images courtesy of (left) The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, and (right) Stephen Ison. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 169: Light test from the collection of the author. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s12) Page 176: Photo of Maurice’s disc and tools courtesy of and © Bang-On PhothiIn. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in Fifties Animation (2006) By Amid Amidi, Chronicle Books. Composing Pictures: Still and Moving (1982) by Donald W. Graham, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. Dynamic Symmetry: The Greek Vase (1926) by Jay Hambidge Yale Univerity Press. The Geometry of Design: Studies in Proportion and Composition, second edition (2001) Kimberly Elam, Princeton Architectural Press. Hollywood Cartoons (2003) Michael Barrier, Oxford University Press, USA. Line and Form (1904) by Walter Crane, George Bell & Sons. Los Angeles Art Community: Group Portrait, Millard Sheets (1977) Interviewed by George M. Goodwin, The Regents of the University of California.
Noble Boy (2006) Scott Morse, Red Window, Inc. The Practice and Science of Drawing (1913) by Harold Speed, J.B. Lippincott Co., Seeley, Service & Co. Stepping Into the Picture: Cartoon Designer Maurice Noble (2008) by Robert McKinnon, University Press of Mississippi. Tunes for ’Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon (2007) Daniel Goldmark, University of California Press.