DePatie–Freleng Enterprises
| DePatie–Freleng Enterprises | |
|---|---|
 Company logo. | |
| Type | Partnership |
| Industry | Animation |
| Predecessor(s) | Warner Bros. Cartoons |
| Founded | May 1963 |
| Founder(s) | David H. DePatie Friz Freleng |
| Defunct | 1981 |
| Fate | Partnership dissolved Acquired and renamed by Marvel to Marvel Productions |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Products | Television shows Theatrical shorts Television specials |
DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, also known as Mirsch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng Productions and DFE Films, was an American animation studio founded in May 1963 by former Warner Bros. Cartoons staff, namely producer David H. DePatie and animator Friz Freleng. Based in Burbank, California, DFE produced numerous film and television works, among which included entries of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series from 1964 to 1967.
More notably, they were also involved in producing the opening titles for The Pink Panther, its sequels and a series of theatrical shorts featuring the title character, television specials based on Dr. Seuss' work from 1971 to 1982, the lightsaber effects of the original Star Wars film, and the The Bod Squad and Time for Timer series of public service announcements for ABC.
In 1981, DFE Films was sold to Marvel Comics and subsequently renamed to Marvel Productions, which mainly produced superhero cartoons and animated series based on licensed toy lines. DePatie and Freleng's partnership in the company dissolved following the latter's return to the Warner Bros. Animation studio, but DFE was later revived in-name only in 1984 for Pink Panther and Sons, an otherwise entirely different production by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Currently, The Walt Disney Company (who purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009) owns the studio's library of all-original and Marvel Comics-based cartoons; with the exceptions of the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons (which are still owned by Warner Bros.), the Dr. Seuss specials (which are currently distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment through the Dr. Seuss estate), The Pink Panther theatrical shorts and character trademarks (United Artists, under its parent company MGM), and a few others.
History
From 1964 to 1967, DePatie–Freleng Enterprises produced 39 cartoons for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series, after Warner Bros. had closed down its animation studio. Due to limited budgets and constrictions, the studio was only allowed to use certain characters such as Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote. Sometimes, characters like Sylvester, Granny, The Goofy Gophers, Porky Pig, Witch Hazel and Yosemite Sam appeared in some of the shorts. Several of DFE's shorts (notably the ones directed by Rudy Lariva) were panned by critics and fans alike,[1] especially when compared to the previous one made by Warner Bros. Cartoons.
The cartoons created in this era are most known for the stylized opening and ending sequences (although the "Abstract WB" opening and closing sequences were first used in three cartoons made by Warner Bros. Cartoons), and a new composition of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" provided by William Lava.[1] The change of title cards were reflective of the switch in the animation style to the shorts themselves. DePatie–Freleng would also outsource eleven Road Runner cartoons to Format Films, as well as producing the bridging sequences for The Road Runner Show. Additionally, two shorts – Roadrunner a Go-Go and Zip Zip Hooray! – were cut downs from the Chuck Jones featurette, Adventures of the Road-Runner.
After the production of new Looney Tunes shorts shifted to in-house production at Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1967, DFE did not continue doing work for Warner Bros. until the late 1970s and early 1980s, in which they produced new Looney Tunes television specials. Unlike the theatrical shorts DFE produced between 1964-1967, the studio was allowed to use a larger selection of characters for the specials, including ones that didn't originally appear such as Bugs Bunny, Tweety and Yosemite Sam.
Staff
Filmography
Theatrical shorts
- Pancho's Hideaway (1964)
- Road to Andalay (1964)
- Zip Zip Hooray! (1965)
- It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House (1965)
- Cats and Bruises (1965)
- Roadrunner A Go-Go (1965)
- The Wild Chase (1965)
- Moby Duck (1965)
- Assault and Peppered (1965)
- Well Worn Daffy (1965)
- Suppressed Duck (1965)
- Corn on the Cop (1965)
- Rushing Roulette (1965)
- Run, Run, Sweet Road Runner (1965)
- Tease for Two (1965)
- Tired and Feathered (1965)
- Boulder WHAM! (1965)
- Chili Corn Corny (1965)
- Just Plane Beep (1965)
- Hairied and Hurried (1965)
- Go Go Amigo (1965)
- Highway Runnery (1965)
- Chaser on the Rocks (1965)
- The Astroduck (1966)
- Shot and Bothered (1966)
- Out and Out Rout (1966)
- Mucho Locos (1966)
- The Solid Tin Coyote (1966)
- Mexican Mousepiece (1966)
- Clippety Clobbered (1966)
- Daffy Rents (1966)
- A-Haunting We Will Go (1966)
- Snow Excuse (1966)
- A Squeak in the Deep (1966)
- Feather Finger (1966)
- Swing Ding Amigo (1966)
- Sugar and Spies (1966)
- A Taste of Catnip (1966)
- Daffy's Diner (1967)
TV specials
- Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies (1977)
- Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special (1977)
- How Bugs Bunny Won the West (1978)
- Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers (1979)
- The Bugs Bunny Mother's Day Special (1979)
- Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet (1979)
- Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979)
- Daffy Duck's Easter Egg-citement (1980)
- The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special (1980)
- Bugs Bunny: All American Hero (1981)
- Bugs Bunny's Mad World of Television (1982)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Misce-Looney-Ous: That Wasn't All, Folks!: Warner Bros. Cartoons 1964-1969", intanibase.com. Archived from original on Febuary 12, 2019.
