What do you think?
Rate this book
Tex Avery: The Mgm Years, 1942-1955
Tex Avery is considered the most important influence on Hollywood studio cartoons after Walt Disney. The career of this legendary director, who created Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Droopy, among others, spanned fifty years and took him to most of the major cartoon studios, including Walter Lantz, Warner Bros., MGM, and Hanna-Barbera.
His formative years were at Warner Bros., where, in the mid-1930s, his innovative directorial spark dazzled and inspired colleagues such as Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Frank Tashlin, all of whom went on to become industry stars themselves. Avery had a long tenure at MGM's cartoon unit where his high-octane, uninhibited, joyously cartoon-y ideas flowered into some of the greatest (and funniest) animated film shorts ever made. Avery's body of work during the Golden Era of the Hollywood cartoon is a creative legacy that continues to impact contemporary directors of animation and live action, in feature films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Mask, as well as in television.
Although warmly admired as a film genius by colleagues in the industry and adored by the international cartoon cognoscenti, Avery never shared in the tremendous expansion of the animation industry into television or feature films in a studio of his own, nor did he own the licensing/merchandising rights to the cartoon characters he created and brought to vital life.
Original storyboards, character sketches, and animation cels highlight the career of this important artist, who created sixty-five classic films and numerous unforgettable characters in his fourteen-year stint at MGM.
His formative years were at Warner Bros., where, in the mid-1930s, his innovative directorial spark dazzled and inspired colleagues such as Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Frank Tashlin, all of whom went on to become industry stars themselves. Avery had a long tenure at MGM's cartoon unit where his high-octane, uninhibited, joyously cartoon-y ideas flowered into some of the greatest (and funniest) animated film shorts ever made. Avery's body of work during the Golden Era of the Hollywood cartoon is a creative legacy that continues to impact contemporary directors of animation and live action, in feature films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Mask, as well as in television.
Although warmly admired as a film genius by colleagues in the industry and adored by the international cartoon cognoscenti, Avery never shared in the tremendous expansion of the animation industry into television or feature films in a studio of his own, nor did he own the licensing/merchandising rights to the cartoon characters he created and brought to vital life.
Original storyboards, character sketches, and animation cels highlight the career of this important artist, who created sixty-five classic films and numerous unforgettable characters in his fourteen-year stint at MGM.
221 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1996
About the author
John Canemaker
30 books28 followersJohn Canemaker (born 1943) is an Academy Award-winning independent animator, animation historian, teacher, lecturer, and author perhaps best known for his many books about the Disney studio, including Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation.In 1980, he began teaching and developing the animation program at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts', Kanbar Institute of Film and Television Department. Since 1988 he has directed the program and is currently a tenured full professor. From 2001-2002 he was Acting Chair of the NYU Undergraduate Film and Television Department. In 2006, his film The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation, a 28-minute animated piece about Canemaker's relationship with his father, won the Academy Award for best animated short. In 2007 the same piece picked up an Emmy award for its graphic and artistic design.
His first book, The Animated Raggedy Ann and Andy, detailing the making of an animated feature based on Johnny Gruelle’s storybook characters, was published in 1977. Eight more books followed: Treasures of Disney Animation Art (1982),Winsor McCay: His Life and Art (1987), Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat (1991), Tex Avery: The MGM Years (1996), Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists (1996), Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards (1999), Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation (2001), The Art and Flair of Mary Blair (2003), and a revised and updated edition of Winsor McCay (2005).
His first book, The Animated Raggedy Ann and Andy, detailing the making of an animated feature based on Johnny Gruelle’s storybook characters, was published in 1977. Eight more books followed: Treasures of Disney Animation Art (1982),Winsor McCay: His Life and Art (1987), Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat (1991), Tex Avery: The MGM Years (1996), Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists (1996), Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards (1999), Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation (2001), The Art and Flair of Mary Blair (2003), and a revised and updated edition of Winsor McCay (2005).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 4, 2017
I can't really say this book is gripping - it's a coffee table book. I got it for Christmas one year a long way back and it is beloved by me, mostly for the artwork. Tex Avery was an animation genius, a pioneer of the medium and a true artist. The man has left a cartoon legacy in America and many still follow in his footsteps - even if the style has changed.
It chronicles his start in the industry and his moves between many of the various studios of the time. He worked for Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, Disney and several other studios in his career and his works are nothing less than genuine Americana.
The book does cover his life as well, and unfortunately, it is a tale that is actually more sad than one would expect. Barring the details of the personal tragedies he faced later in life, the book is a wonderful piece as an artbook and I recommend it highly as reference and something to page through with a glass of your favorite spirit.
It chronicles his start in the industry and his moves between many of the various studios of the time. He worked for Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, Disney and several other studios in his career and his works are nothing less than genuine Americana.
The book does cover his life as well, and unfortunately, it is a tale that is actually more sad than one would expect. Barring the details of the personal tragedies he faced later in life, the book is a wonderful piece as an artbook and I recommend it highly as reference and something to page through with a glass of your favorite spirit.
November 24, 2021
A very interesting read about the one and only Tex Avery.
I knew very little of the man and yet his creations filled our VCR many a weekend.
We loved the cheekiness and light-heartedness of the shows, my favourites being Wollfy, Droopy, Red Hot Riding Hood...
Reading this book, I've learned so much about his formative years and the start of MGM.
A beautiful quote I thought I'd share here, made by Chuck Jones in the introduction, where he gives homage to Tex Avery and his work:
"You must always remember that only man, of all creatures, can blush, or needs to, and that if you are in the trade of helping others to laugh and to survive by laughter, then you are privileged indeed"
I knew very little of the man and yet his creations filled our VCR many a weekend.
We loved the cheekiness and light-heartedness of the shows, my favourites being Wollfy, Droopy, Red Hot Riding Hood...
Reading this book, I've learned so much about his formative years and the start of MGM.
A beautiful quote I thought I'd share here, made by Chuck Jones in the introduction, where he gives homage to Tex Avery and his work:
"You must always remember that only man, of all creatures, can blush, or needs to, and that if you are in the trade of helping others to laugh and to survive by laughter, then you are privileged indeed"
February 4, 2008
this guy is a mentor to so many....A true pioneer. co-founder of Looney Tunes, MGM, Walter Lantz.... need I say more.
June 17, 2010
Gorgeous Coffee Table Book about one of the Masters of Animation!!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews