Today I offer an example of what I consider to be poor animation design. The cartoon is WACKIKI RABBIT, a 1943 WB short directed by Chuck Jones. The only reason I’m pointing out the film right now is because the entire cartoon was recently posted on the classic cartoon podcast Refrederator. Despite its faults, it’s worth checking out to see an example of Modern design in early-1940s animation.
My problem with this film is its backgrounds and how they compete with and overwhelm the animation. The superflat wallpaper styling also makes it seem as if the characters are performing in front of a backdrop rather than truly interacting with their environment. It’s hardly a surprise to read in this Mike Barrier interview that the film’s background stylist, Bernyce Polifka, had been designing wallpaper patterns prior to joining Jones’s unit.
John McGrew, who is the subject being interviewed in Barrier’s interview, was Chuck Jones’s layout designer prior to Polifka, and he was doing amazing modern design in the early-40s Warner shorts. He understood the balance between form and function that is necessary in successful layout design, and in a film like THE ARISTO-CAT (1943), he was able to push the background design in a way that complemented—and even enhanced—the film’s animation.
Couldn’t agree more with your comments on Wackiki-Wabbit. Even as a kid watching this particular episode, I couldn’t help being bothered by the “flatness” of the background. But even with this said, this is still one of my favorite Bugs toons.
Comment by peter the cartoonist — June 26, 2006 @ 1:56 pm
I disagree. I think the batik backgrounds are a perfect fit for the South Seas setting.
Comment by Ian Copeland — June 27, 2006 @ 4:05 am
Ian - I don’t think the idea is bad. But the execution doesn’t take into account the animation in front. Animation is a team effort and when the crew isn’t on the same page, it really shows in the film. Seeing a film like this makes it clear why Polifka didn’t last long in Jones’s unit.
Comment by Amid — June 27, 2006 @ 11:59 am
If it has to boil down to thumbs down or thumbs up for the entire package, I still give the short in question an unreserved thumbs up. Maybe my horror vacuui is showing, but I’d submit that for some people, the backgrounds aren’t overwhelming. In short, I think the ‘toons a blast.
Comment by D Levio — June 28, 2006 @ 8:24 am
I know this isn’t necessarily related to this post, but seeing Bugs Bunny made me think of rabbits, which lead me to think of “Watership Down”. Do you think you’ll ever do a post about the beautiful UPA-inspired animated opening to that film (about the rabbit creation myth)?
Comment by Juicy Justin — June 28, 2006 @ 8:59 am
This cartoon was produced right in the middle of what I consider ‘Holy-Era’ WB. On that basis, it’s admittedly difficult for me to concede any flaws, as it’s so vastly superior (unpretentious and funny) compared with 90% of cartoon product that followed in later decades.
But the subject at hand is the background design. I’ve always liked the backgrounds in this one. I can see how, intellectually, a case can be made that they detract but I think the psychologically disorienting tone that they lend is still more of a plus, as these characters were already prone to experiencing cannibalistic hallucinations. On that basis, you don’t have to think in terms of being too anchored or exacting. If anything, the backgrounds could have been even more dynamic, depending on the foreground context. Maybe that’s the real flaw, that the background is fairly constant rather than changing in tone.
Still, an A-grade toon by any measure.
Comment by Gerit Vandenberg — July 16, 2006 @ 6:58 pm
I do notice what you are saying in this post, and kind of agree with your opinion. However, I remember watching this cartoon when I was little and LOVING it. Maybe now that I am older and pickier I would point something like that out… but maybe we can be too critical at times as well.
Comment by Max W — July 29, 2006 @ 12:10 pm
Gerit / Max - Thanks for your comments. It’s always great to hear different points of view. I admire the cartoon a lot for what Bernyce was trying. Somebody who tries and fails is far better than somebody who plays by the rules and never goes beyond standard conventions. Having said that, I don’t think Polifka understood animaton design. She clearly was a good designer, but animation design is a diffrent discipline than other forms of design. As a background/layout artist, the primary goal is to create a setting that complements and enhances the action. Polifka’s island/batik motifs are clever from a superficial standpoint, but they don’t enhance Jones’s animation. In fact, they detract from it, by drawing too much attention to themselves and competing with the characters for attention. I agree with Gerit that there’s a disorienting tone to the backgrounds, however considering they’re all disorienting, one would have to believe that was unintentional. It’s not a horrible cartoon by any means. I also think the backgrounds are beautiful; they just weren’t designed for animation.
Comment by Amid — July 31, 2006 @ 3:02 am
As with all inventions Polifka was experimenting with a style that later became the norm in other animated films of that era. In other words what she was doing was a breakthrough that accomplished a feeling of jungle backgrounds without the realism of most animation at the time. I sudied with Polifka and as a matter of fact she and her husband were personally responsible for getting me my first job in animation at UPA Pictures and I was highly influenced by her work. Just for heck of it you can look up one of the Pink Panther episodes that I painted in 1993 and you can see my own version of jungle BGs all done in flat design which was promenient in the earlier Pink Panther original series. Anyway it’s all well and good to criticize other people’s work for the sake of debate but you have to keep in mind the time and place that things are being done and that your point of view may not relate, so keep an open mind. Actually some of the BG painters who followed Polifka actually used wallpapers in their BGs as well as rubbings and other effective tools, sponges being one I liked using. Take care and thanks for your contribution to our ever exciting industry.
Comment by JACK HEITER — November 15, 2006 @ 5:14 pm
I don’t know anything about animation but I have to say this is one of my all-time favorite shorts. I loved it as a child and even 35 years later I still thimk it’s fabulous. Sure, the gags are predictable but they are still hilarious for both young and old, I think. Bugs rocks!!!
Comment by Tony McLean — May 1, 2007 @ 4:48 am