Warner Brothers Studio History

"A small child once said to me: 'You don't draw Bugs Bunny, you draw pictures of Bugs Bunny.' That's a very profound observation because it means he thinks that the characters are alive, which, as far as I'm concerned, is true. And, I feel the same way about animation... Animation isn't an illusion of life. It is life." (Chuck Jones, animator and director)

The first Warner Bros. enterprise, Warner Brothers Studios, was co-founded in Hollywood, California, in 1923 by four brothers, Harry Warner (1881-1958), Albert Warner (1882-1967), Sam Warner (1887-1927) and Jack Warner (1892-1978).

The first major star of the studio was a dog named Rin Tin Tin. Staring in 26 films, the canine actor is actuually credited with saving the studio from bankruptcy. Rin Tin Tin's first film, called "Man From Hell's River," priemered in 1924.

In 1927, the brothers invested in the new technology of "sound," and produced the movie "The Jazz Singer," starring Al Jolson. The movie was a sensational box-office hit, and it sparked the wave of "talking pictures" that ended the era of silent movies, and made Warner Brothers studio a force to contend with.

During the 1930s, the Warner Bros. Studio became known for producing gritty, dark crime films that were accused of glorifying the gangster lifestyle. Movie stars such as James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart rose to the heights of Hollywood at Warner Brothers with their tough guy images. They also produced a number of action-adventure movies that were such a success that they monopolized that market and genre for a great deal of time, and forever identified the name of Errol Flynn with Robin Hood.

Animators, Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, and Isadore "Friz" Freleng received their career start in animation working for Disney. In 1928 this crew left Disney to work on Oswald the Rabbit shorts distributed by Universal Studios. However, Universal decided instead to commission a young Walter Lantz to produce Oswald the Rabbit cartoons. Unemployed and without a distributor, Harman and Ising united to produce a three minute short "Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid" which drew the interest of well-connected financier Leon Schlesinger who successfully pitched the idea to Warner Brothers. In 1930, Warner Brothers released the first Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bosko in "Sinkin' in the Bathtub".

By the mid-thirties, animators Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett had joined the team at Warner Brothers and developed and created, among others, Porky Pig. Fred "Tex" Avery joined the studio as a director in 1935. Leaning away from imitation Disney cartoons every other studio in Hollywood was producing, Avery made fun of animated cartoon traditions, lampooning fairy tales and creating offbeat wise guy characters. Avery introduced Daffy Duck in 1937, and directed 'A Wild Hare' in 1940, the cartoon that crystallized the personality of Bugs Bunny. Two other key players joined the team soon there after. Musical director Carl Stalling, whose scores added depth and movement to the shorts, and Mel Blanc, whose voice breathed life and personality into the characters.

Beacause of the success of Avery's wave of insane cartoons in the mid - 1940's, Warner Brothers bought, what had been until then, Leon Schlesinger's Studio.

By 1942 Warner Brothers lead the popularity parade in animation shorts. Chuck Jones, who had by then become a director as well as an animator, created some of Warner Bros. most memorable shorts, including the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner series. He was recognized most for the stylized movements of his characters, and his distinctive production backgrounds.

In 1945, three major new characters appeared. Directed by Chuck Jones, emerged Pepe le Pew; Friz Freleng introduced, Sylvester. And the volatile Yosemite Sam erupted onto stage in "Hare Trigger," also directed by Freleng. A year later, Robert Mc Kimson's "Walky Talky Hawky" introduced us to the boisterous rooster Foghorn Leghorn. Mc Kimson also brought to life the Tasmanian Devil, Hippety Hopper, and Sylvester's son.

In 1985, New York's prestigious Museum of Modern Art hosted a major retrospective of Warner Brothers cartoons, with Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones as special guests at the opening ceremonies. Included in the exhibit were many original animation drawings, storyboards, production cels and limited editions. In 1996, Chuck Jones was awarded a special Oscar for his contributions and lifetime achievement in animation.