Jack Hannah

John Frederick "Jack" Hannah (January 5, 1913 – June 11, 1994) was an American animator, writer and director of animated shorts.

Jack Hannah
Born
John Frederick Hannah

January 5, 1913
DiedJune 11, 1994(1994-06-11) (aged 81)
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Alma materCalifornia Institute of the Arts
OccupationAnimator, writer, director of Disney
Years active1933–1984

Biography

Hannah was born on January 5, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art Guild Academy. One of his first jobs was designing movie posters for Hollywood theaters. In 1933, during the Great Depression, Hannah dropped off his portfolio at Walt Disney Studios, and soon afterward was hired as an in-between and clean-up artist, working on Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Silly Symphony cartoons.

Hannah's career as an animator commenced with the short Modern Inventions (released on May 29, 1937). After thirteen films in that capacity, he was assigned to the story department writing cartoon short continuities, beginning with Donald's Nephews (released on April 15, 1938). He received writing credit on 21 Disney cartoon shorts.

In 1942 he collaborated with Carl Barks on the first two comic books Barks worked on, Pluto Saves the Ship and Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold. Hannah in subsequent years did a handful of other Donald Duck comic book stories[1] but, unlike Barks, he stayed at the studio and eventually was given a chance to be a director. The short Donald's Off Day (released on December 8, 1944) was the first of 94 films he would direct. These include most of the shorts featuring Donald Duck in the post-war era along with all starring Chip 'n Dale and Humphrey the Bear; he also directed some shorts starring Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Pluto and some minor Disney characters such as Lambert the Sheepish Lion.

After Disney stopped producing animated shorts, Hannah did 14 episodes of the Walt Disney anthology television series (composed of footage from the classic cartoons along with new linking material) and fulfilled his ambition to direct live-action by handling Walt Disney's introductions for the episodes. Hannah hoped to segue into a career in live-action but "Walt had me pegged as an animation director so he balked at the suggestion. We had a few heated discussions and I became aware that I had come to an impasse."[2]

Hannah then went to Walter Lantz Productions and directed a number of films featuring Woody Woodpecker and some minor characters. Besides directing shorts, Hannah also was Assistant Director for the television series The Woody Woodpecker Show, which began airing on October 3, 1957. "I did more or less the same thing that I did with Walt Disney in directing live-action except Lantz was better at taking direction."[2] His last directing effort was the short Charlie's Mother-In-Law (released on April 16, 1963). He retired shortly thereafter.

In 1975, Hannah was one of the co-founders, along with T. Hee, of the Character Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts.

Hannah was honored as a "Disney Legend" in 1992. Jack Hannah is often credited with developing, if not creating, the personality of the animated version of Donald Duck. It is for this reason Disney historian Jim Korkis has dubbed him "Donald Duck's Other Daddy." Despite that, Hannah has often been noted for being responsible for Donald's most formulaic period, where constantly paired Donald with pint-sized antagonists. The most famous of these antagonists are Chip 'n Dale, but other characters included Spike the Bee, Bootle Beetle and a colony of ants. These vermin became the focus of their shorts, relegating Donald to a supporting foil role with a consequent personality diminution.

Hannah died in Burbank, California on June 11, 1994, at age 81.

Filmography

Films

Year Title Credits Notes
1934Servants' Entranceanimator
Gulliver Mickeyanimator
1936 Toby Tortoise Returns animator
Donald and Plutoanimator
The Country Cousinanimator
1937Don Donaldanimator
Woodland Caféanimator
Modern Inventionsanimator
The Old Millanimator
Donald's Ostrichanimator
1938 Self Controlanimator
Donald's Better Self story and animation
Donald's Nephewsstory and animation
Donald's Golf Gameanimator
Good Scoutsanimator
1939Sea Scoutsanimator
Donald's Penguinanimator
Donald's Lucky Day story and animation
The Hockey Champ story and animation
Donald's Cousin Gusstory
Beach Picnicstory
1940Mr. Duck Steps Outstory
Donald's Vacationstory and animation
Window Cleanersstory
Fire Chief story
1941 Timber story
Golden Eggsstory
Early to Bedstory
Truant Officer Donaldstory
Old MacDonald Duckstory
Chef Donald story
1942Sky Trooperstory
The Army Mascotstory
Donald Gets Drafted story
Donald's Snow Fightanimator
Bellboy Donaldstory
Donald's Garden animator
Out of the Frying Pan Into the Firing Lineanimator
1943Home Defensestory
The Old Army Gamestory
1944Trombone Troublestory
The Plastics Inventorstory
Commando Duckstory
Donald Duck and the Gorillastory
Donald's Off Daydirector
1945 The Eyes Have Itdirector
1946 Double Dribbledirector
Squatter's Rightsdirector
No Saildirector
A Knight for a Daydirector
Lighthouse Keepingdirector
Frank Duck Brings 'em Back Alivedirector
1947Clown of the Jungledirector
Bootle Beetledirector
Straight Shootersdirector
Chip an' Daledirector
Foul Huntingdirector
1948They're Off director
Daddy Duckdirector
Inferior Decoratordirector
Soup's Ondirector
Three for Breakfastdirector
Tea for Two Hundreddirector
1949All in a Nutshelldirector
Slide, Donald, Slidedirector
Honey Harvesterdirector
Donald's Happy Birthdaydirector
Winter Storagedirector
The Greener Yarddirector
Sea Saltsdirector
Toy Tinkersdirector
1950Trailer Horndirector
Hook, Lion and Sinkerdirector
Lion Arounddirector
Bee at the Beachdirector
Out on a Limbdirector
Crazy Over Daisydirector
1951 Chicken in the Roughdirector
Dude Duckdirector
Test Pilot Donalddirector
Corn Chipsdirector
Lucky Numberdirector
Out of Scaledirector
Bee on Guard director
1952Two Chips and a Missdirector
Lambert the Sheepish Liondirector
Donald Applecoredirector
Let's Stick Togetherdirector
Uncle Donald's Ants director
Trick or Treatdirector
Pluto's Christmas Treedirector
1953Don's Fountain of Youthdirector
The New Neighbordirector
Canvas Back Duckdirector
Rugged Beardirector
Working for Peanuts director
1954The Flying Squirreldirector
Social Liondirector
Grin and Bear Itdirector
Dragon Arounddirector
Spare the Roddirector
1955No Huntingdirector and voice (of Moose)
Bearly Asleepdirector
Beezy Beardirector
Up a Treedirector
1956In the Bagdirector
3D Jamboreedirectorthe "Working for Peanuts" short
Hooked Beardirector
1959Bric's Stewstory
1960Donald Duck and his Companionsstory and animation
Southern Fried Hospitalitydirector
Hunger Strifedirector
Freeloading Felinedirector and story
1961Doc's Last Standdirector
Woody's Kook-Outdirector
Gabby's Dinerdirector
Tin Can Concertdirector and story
Tricky Troutdirector
Voo-Doo Boo-Boodirector
Franken-Stymieddirector
Bear and the Beesdirector
Clash and Carrydirector
Mackerel Moocher director
Eggnapperdirector
Poop Deck Piratedirector
1962Greedy Gabby Gatordirector
Corny Concertodirector
Punchy Poochdirector
Mother's Little Helperdirector
Rocket Racketdirector
Fowled-Up Birthdaydirector
Pest of Showdirector
Rock-a-Bye Gatordirector
Fish and Chipsdirector
1964Jungle Medicsdirector and story

TV series

  • Disneyland (1954-79)
    • The Donald Duck Story (director and story; 1954)
    • Adventures of Mickey Mouse (director; 1955)
    • At Home with Donald Duck (director; 1956)
    • The Great Cat Family (segment director; 1956)
    • Where Do the Stories Come From? (director; 1956)
    • On Vacation (director; 1956)
    • A Day in the Life of Donald Duck (director;1956)
    • Duck for Hire (director; 1957)
    • Donald's Award (director; 1957)
    • All About Magic (sequence director; 1957)
    • Your Host, Donald Duck (director;1957)
    • From All of Us to All of You (director; 1958)
    • Four Tales on a Mouse (director: Christmas sequence; 1958)
    • Donald's Weekend (director; 1958)
    • Highway to Trouble (director;1959)
    • Duck Flies Coop (director; 1959)
    • Two Happy Amigos (director;1960)
    • This Is Your Life Donald Duck (director;1960)
    • Kids Is Kids (segment director; 1961)
    • A Square Peg in a Round Hole (segment director; 1963)
    • The Ranger of Brownstone (sequence director; 1968)
    • Baseball Fever (director; 1979)
  • The Woody Woodpecker Show (1957-58)
  • Matty's Funday Funnies (TV Series) (1962; story)

References

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