Joseph Barbera

Deckard · #1 12-18-2006, 06:12 PM

So Joseph Barbera, one half of the team behind such cartoon classics as The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and Huckleberry Hound, has died, aged 95.

Thinking back to my childhood (3 TV channels - woohoo!), Hanna Barbera were a key part of keeping me entertained, and the sheer volume of successful cartoon characters they managed to create must place them among the most influential "entertainers" of all time, at least for us 30somethings and older.

Their characters may not have had the wackiness of, say, the Warners' stable, and their limited animation style may not have been the most dazzling, but there was a certain warmth in their output that appealed to me in a way that the other studios never really managed with their characters. And on the budget they often had to make do with, their output was all the more remarkable.

I know the era ended long ago, but still.... it kind of feels like it's really ended now, with Hanna having died a few years back.

big screen satellite · #2 12-19-2006, 04:06 AM

sad day...

Hanna-Barbera were one of the best know of the 'classic' animation names and its sad to see that both have passed away, albeit after long and happy lives in the business.

One good thing is that their's (and all animated cartoons of the old era) are pretty much timeless and will remain as a legacy, especially cartoons like Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear and the Flintstones, of which Scooby Doo is still one of the best loved and most popular cartoons, even now.

without the likes of these guys and obviously other pioneers, Pixar and their ilk would be nowhere.

RIP Joe

34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j · #3 12-20-2006, 04:56 AM

Wow, I had no idea he was even still alive! 95 years old is quite a run though. Now that he's gone I suppose there's nothing to stop Adult Swim from molesting the man's every creation...

GreenPea · #4 12-20-2006, 11:21 AM

They also did Tom & Jerry!

potatobroth · #5 12-20-2006, 11:38 AM

but adult swim is some funny chit.

i grew up with Hanna-Barbera too but was never really into their brand of cartoon. Aside from the Smurfs and Tom and Jerry, I didn't like the characters. Although, the Laff-A-Lympics will always remain a classic:The Scooby Doos, The Really Rottens and the The Yogi Yahooeys!

Sean · #6 12-20-2006, 04:07 PM

Not many animation icons in the world to begin with, and he was a huge one. By all accounts, he was a great guy. Sad to see the Hanna-Barbera founders both gone.

Deckard · #7 12-20-2006, 05:07 PM

Oh well. Political cartoonist Martin Rowson has decided to pay tribute to him by thoroughly laying into Hanna Barbera.

Damn shame. I love Rowson's work, but on this I couldn't disagree more with him.

He claims H/B "effectively destroyed animation for at least two generations". That seems a pretty strange thing to say. Surely it could equally be argued that they effectively kept it going during the period when the industry was facing its biggest challenges.

GreenPea · #8 12-20-2006, 05:33 PM

That guy is an idiot, the pink panther cartoons were great. I see what he says from an animator's perspective but I don't give a damn, I'll watch stick figures if they make me laugh. Only thing he is right about is that Scooby Doo is shit :P

big screen satellite · #9 12-21-2006, 12:58 AM

the guy Rowson is simply a moron - by just dismissing something as 'crap' with no basic explanation is lazy commentating, and to blame H&B for others in the industry also making 'crap' is simply beyond me... perhaps other journalists will start writing 'crap' comments like his, in the future just because he does...

its true that the cartoons were not the best made, but they were certainly not 'crap' and they do still live long in the memories and STILL bring endless joy to children - my daughter, who is 4, for one, loves Scooby Doo (ok it is the same plot, set, basic drawing designs) but its watchable comic fun, which after all is the point, imo.

Just because someone has died its not fair to besmirch his memory by dissing almost his entire work.

Sean · #10 12-21-2006, 11:10 AM

He's ignorant. Right off the bat, he needs to know that THEY ARE NOT "ANIMATIONS"!! Animators don't make "ANIMATIONS" you retard! We make "animated films" or "animated shorts" or "animation"....but "animations" is a word used by people who are ignorant about the industry. Bit of a pet peeve of mine and many other animators.

Aside from that, to pin the downswing of animation through the 60's and 70's on anything done by Hanna-Barbera is equally ignorant. It was a brand new medium, still in it's infancy. It had enjoyed a strong beginning thanks to the novelty of moving drawings, but that soon wore off as audiences expected more from it. Evolution of an art form takes time, and it was a while before the whole industry was able to become what it did in the late 80's and really in the 90's. But in the meantime, only an ignorant moron like Rowson would equate limited animation with bad animation. I've seen some beautiful limited animation on an artistic level, and plenty of it that lacks something artistically still makes up for it through quality content, like a lot of the old Hanna-Barbera stuff. Simpsons are another great example. Or Family Guy. Or most anything on Adult Swim.

If Rowson wants to only see a very narrow definition of animation as being worthy of being considered quality work, then that's his problem, but it sucks that he has to sieze upon the death of an animation icon as an opportunity to spout his ignorance. Of course he also criticizes groundbreaking shorts coming out of "the baleful Disney gulag" in the 30's, 40's and 50's, so what does he know?

Okay...that rant felt good.