Hawley Pratt | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 9, 1911 |
| Died | March 4, 1999 (aged 87) |
| Years active | 1933–1990 |
Hawley Pratt (June 9, 1911 – March 4, 1999) was an American film director, animator, and illustrator. He is best known for his work for Warner Bros. Cartoons and as the right-hand man of director Friz Freleng as a layout artist and later as a director. Pratt also worked for Walt Disney Studios, Filmation, and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises where he co-created The Pink Panther.
Life and career[]
Born in Seattle and raised in the Bronx by his widowed mother Mabel,[1] Pratt graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He became an artist at Walt Disney Studios in 1933 before joining Warner Bros. Cartoons, along with fellow animators Frank Tashlin, Bill Melendez, Emery Hawkins, Basil Davidovich, Maurice Noble, Cornett Wood, Ted Bonnicksen, and Jack Bradbury after the Disney animators' strike in 1941.[2] At Warners, he served as a layout artist providing background layouts and character poses from 1945 to the early 1960s. Working closely with director Friz Freleng, Pratt's Warner Bros. resume includes the Oscar-winning cartoons Tweetie Pie, which introduced the duo of Sylvester and Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, where Freleng and Pratt redesigned the character into his modern incarnation, and Birds Anonymous. Pratt directed Señorella and the Glass Huarache, a Looney Tune released in 1964 after the studio closed its animation division.[3]
Pratt briefly worked at the Hanna-Barbera studio with Freleng before the two moved to DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. They created the Pink Panther character for the animated title sequence of the 1963 feature film of the same name; though, Pratt is often solely credited for the character's creation.[4][3] While there, he directed (or co-directed) all episodes of The Pink Panther Show. Pratt made his directorial effort in the 1966 short The Pink Blueprint, which received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject (Cartoon). His other directorial works also include three Roland and Rattfink shorts, The Super 6, and three Dr. Seuss television specials: The Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss on the Loose, and The Lorax.[3] Pratt also served as associate director and animator of the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet. Hawley Pratt's last design credit was on 1990s Jetsons: The Movie.
Pratt's skills also had him illustrating several Little Golden Books and Big Golden Books.
Pratt died on March 4, 1999.[5]
Awards[]
- Golden Award 1992
References[]
- ↑ U.S. Census, 1920
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, March 7, 1999
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Baxter, Devon (January 4, 2017). "Comics by Hawley Pratt". Cartoon Research.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Baxter, Devon (August 3, 2016). "The Pink Panther "In The Pink" (1967)". Cartoon Research.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Animation World News - In Passing". 2002-03-28. Archived from the original on 2002-03-28. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
{{cite web}}:
External links[]
| DePatie–Freleng Enterprises | |
|---|---|
| Founders | David H. DePatie • Friz Freleng |
| Theatrical shorts (original) | The Pink Panther (1964–1980) • The Inspector (1965–1969) • Roland and Rattfink (1968–1971) • The Ant and the Aardvark (1969–1971) • Tijuana Toads (1969–1972) • The Blue Racer (1972–1974) • Hoot Kloot (1973–1974) • The Dogfather (1974–1976) |
| Commissioned by Warner Bros. |
Merrie Melodies/Looney Tunes (theatrical, 1964–1967) • Bugs Bunny's Easter Special (CBS/TV special, 1977) • Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (CBS/TV special, 1979) |
| Television shorts | Texas Toads (1976) • Misterjaw (1976) • Crazylegs Crane (1978) |
| Television shows | The Super 6 (NBC, 1966–1969) • Super President (NBC, 1967–1968) • Here Comes The Grump (NBC, 1969–1970) • The Pink Panther Show (NBC, 1969–1971) • The Pink Panther Meets The Ant and the Aardvark (NBC, 1970–1971) • Doctor Dolittle (NBC, 1970–1971) • The New Pink Panther Show (NBC, 1971–1976) • The Barkleys (NBC, 1972–1973) • The Houndcats (NBC, 1972–1973) • Bailey's Comets (CBS, 1973–1975) • The Oddball Couple (ABC, 1975–1977) • Return to the Planet of the Apes (NBC, 1975–1976) • The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half-Hour and a Half Show (NBC, 1976–1977) • Baggy Pants and the Nitwits (NBC, 1977–1978) • What's New Mr. Magoo? (CBS, 1977–1979) • Think! Pink Panther (NBC, 1978) • The All New Pink Panther Show (ABC, 1978–1979) • The Fantastic Four (NBC, 1978–1979) • Spider-Woman (ABC, 1979–1980) |
| Television specials | The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (NBC/TV special, 1973) • My Mom's Having a Baby (ABC/TV special, 1977) • Where Do Teenagers Come From? (ABC/TV special, 1980) |
| Dr. Seuss Television specials |
The Cat in the Hat (CBS/TV special, 1971) • The Lorax (CBS/TV special, 1972) • Dr. Seuss on the Loose (CBS/TV special, 1973) • The Hoober-Bloob Highway (CBS/TV special, 1975) • Halloween Is Grinch Night (ABC/TV special, 1977) • Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? (ABC/TV special, 1980) • The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (ABC/TV special, 1982) |
| See also | Marvel Productions Ltd. • Saban Entertainment • Here Comes the Grump (film) |