San Franciscos Wild Brain, Inc. has announced their work on the animated open, close and lifts for Cartoon Network's new weekly series, THE CHUCK JONES SHOW, which premiered on the cable network this past April 8, 2001. In the 30-second open, Wile E. Coyote zooms around on an Acme rocket, interacting with old Chuck Jones characters such as the Road Runner, Michigan J. Frog, Duck Dodgers, Marvin the Martian and Bugs Bunny. The characters eventually fall onto a stage and surround an animated, framed picture of Chuck Jones. As Wile E. zooms by, the camera follows him off a cliff right before he plummets down. He holds a THE CHUCK JONES SHOW sign, which the animated Chuck Jones takes from him. The open consists of three visual sections; the beginning is "rough" animation, with a pencil test look, the middle has a monochromatic, limited palate "color design" look, while the ending is in full color. Director George Evelyns concept was to mimic the stages animation goes through on its way to completion. Evelyn worked with Cartoon Network to develop a way to illustrate that there is an actual person behind those believable characters. "By showing the pencil drawn figures, we imply the process of animation, and by the end of the open, we reveal that it is Chuck who was drawing the art," said Evelyn. "We want to remind the audience that there is a creative human being, and in this case, a genius, behind those characters." The 10-second close has Wile E. in his lab, working on a rocket. While he's not looking, the rocket slips until it's aimed at his head. He pushes the button, the classic curtains close and an explosion blows all the color off the curtains. The spots utilized 2D cel animation and digital ink and paint. You can visit Wild Brain at www.wildbrain.com.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
