Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1906 â€" May 26, 1995), often
credited as I. Freleng, was an American animator, cartoonist,
director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros.
Cartoons on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons.He
introduced and/or developed several of the studio's biggest stars,
including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite
Sam (to whom he was said to bear more than a passing resemblance), and
Speedy Gonzales. The senior director at Warners' Termite Terrace
studio, Freleng directed more cartoons than any other director in the
studio (a total of 266), and is also the most honored of the Warner
directors, having won five Academy Awards and three Emmy
Awards[disputed â€" discuss]. After Warner closed down the animation
studio in 1963, Freleng and business partner David H. DePatie founded
DePatieâ€"Freleng Enterprises, which produced cartoons (including The
Pink Panther Show), feature film title sequences, and Saturday-morning
cartoons through the early 1980s.The nickname "Friz" came from his
friend, Hugh Harman, who initially nicknamed him "Congressman Frizby"
after a fictional senator who appeared in satirical pieces in the Los
Angeles Examiner. Over time, this shortened to "Friz". Freleng was
born to a Jewish family in Kansas City, Missouri, where he began his
career in animation at United Film Ad Service. There, he made the
acquaintance of fellow animators Hugh Harman and Ub Iwerks. In 1923,
Iwerks' friend, Walt Disney, moved to Hollywood and put out a call for
his Kansas City colleagues to join him. Freleng, however, held out
until January 1927, when he finally moved to California and joined the
Walt Disney studio, taking Rollin Hamilton's place because of the
abuse from Walt. He worked alongside other former Kansas City
animators, including Iwerks, Harman, Carman Maxwell, and Rudolph
Ising. While at Disney, Freleng worked on the Alice Comedies and
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons for producers Margaret Winkler and
Charles Mintz. Friz said in an interview with Michael Barrier that
Walt had patience and remorse in letters prior to joining him, but
didn't show that attitude and instead Walt became abusive and he
harassed him.
credited as I. Freleng, was an American animator, cartoonist,
director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros.
Cartoons on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons.He
introduced and/or developed several of the studio's biggest stars,
including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite
Sam (to whom he was said to bear more than a passing resemblance), and
Speedy Gonzales. The senior director at Warners' Termite Terrace
studio, Freleng directed more cartoons than any other director in the
studio (a total of 266), and is also the most honored of the Warner
directors, having won five Academy Awards and three Emmy
Awards[disputed â€" discuss]. After Warner closed down the animation
studio in 1963, Freleng and business partner David H. DePatie founded
DePatieâ€"Freleng Enterprises, which produced cartoons (including The
Pink Panther Show), feature film title sequences, and Saturday-morning
cartoons through the early 1980s.The nickname "Friz" came from his
friend, Hugh Harman, who initially nicknamed him "Congressman Frizby"
after a fictional senator who appeared in satirical pieces in the Los
Angeles Examiner. Over time, this shortened to "Friz". Freleng was
born to a Jewish family in Kansas City, Missouri, where he began his
career in animation at United Film Ad Service. There, he made the
acquaintance of fellow animators Hugh Harman and Ub Iwerks. In 1923,
Iwerks' friend, Walt Disney, moved to Hollywood and put out a call for
his Kansas City colleagues to join him. Freleng, however, held out
until January 1927, when he finally moved to California and joined the
Walt Disney studio, taking Rollin Hamilton's place because of the
abuse from Walt. He worked alongside other former Kansas City
animators, including Iwerks, Harman, Carman Maxwell, and Rudolph
Ising. While at Disney, Freleng worked on the Alice Comedies and
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons for producers Margaret Winkler and
Charles Mintz. Friz said in an interview with Michael Barrier that
Walt had patience and remorse in letters prior to joining him, but
didn't show that attitude and instead Walt became abusive and he
harassed him.
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