The golden age of American animation was a period that began with the popularization of sound synchronized cartoons in 1928 starting with Steamboat Willie, and gradually ended throughout the 1960s when theatrical animated cartoon film shorts lost ground to the newer medium of television. Animated media from after the golden age, especially on television, were produced on cheaper budgets and with more limited techniques starting in the late 1950s. Furthermore, the history of animation became very important artistically in the United States.
Multiple highly popular animated cartoon characters emerged from this period, including: Walt Disney Productions' Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Ludwig Von Drake, Goofy, Pluto, Chip 'n' Dale, Humphrey the Bear, and Pete Fleischer Studios' Betty Boop, Bimbo, Koko the Clown, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, and Superman Warner Bros. Cartoons' Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, and Speedy Gonzales. MGM's Bosko, Barney Bear, Tom and Jerry and Droopy Walter Lantz Productions' Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda, and Chilly Willy Van Beuren Studios' The Little King, Molly Moo-Cow, Cubby Bear, and Milton Mouse. Famous Studios' Casper the Friendly Ghost, Herman and Katnip, Little Lulu, and Baby Huey Screen Gems' the Fox and the Crow, Krazy Kat, Scrappy, Li'l Abner, and Flippy and Flop Terrytoons' Farmer Al Falfa, Kiko the Kangaroo, Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Gandy Goose, Astronut, and Deputy Dawg UPA's Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing-Boing Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat Jay Ward's Crusader Rabbit and early versions of Dudley Do-Right and Rocky and Bullwinkle Hanna-Barbera's Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear, Loopy De Loop, Fred Flintstone, and Barney Rubble DePatie–Freleng Enterprises' the Pink Panther, the Inspector, and the Ant and the Aardvark
Over the course of these four decades, the quality of the media released throughout the golden age has often been debated. The peak of this era is usually cited as during the 1930s and 1940s. In later decades, namely between the 1950s and 1960s, the era is sometimes divided into a "silver age" due to the emergence of studios such as UPA, DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, and Jay Ward Productions; these companies' presence in the industry grew significantly with the rise of television following the golden age's conclusion. At the same time, as the popularity of television animation grew, theatrical animation following the golden age fell into a creative slump and a period of low-budget production—generally referred to as the "bronze age"—spanning the 1970s and early 1980s.
Feature-length animation began during this period, most notably with Disney's "Walt-era" films, spanning from 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and 1940's Pinocchio to 1967's The Jungle Book and 1970's The Aristocats (last animated films produced before Walt Disney's death in 1966). During this period, several live-action films incorporated animation, such as Saludos Amigos (1942), Anchors Aweigh (1945), Song of the South (1946), Dangerous When Wet (1953), Mary Poppins (1964) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). In addition, stop motion and special effects were also developed, with films such as King Kong (1933), The War of the Worlds (1953), The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), Them! (1954), Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy (1954), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Forbidden Planet (1956), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Fantastic Voyage (1966) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
Animation also began on television during this period with Telecomics (the first animated series broadcast in 1949), Jim and Judy in Teleland (1949), and Crusader Rabbit (1950). The rise of television animation is often considered to be a factor that hastened the golden age's end. However, various authors include Hanna-Barbera's earliest animated series through 1962 as part of the golden age, with shows like Ruff and Reddy (1957), Huckleberry Hound (1958), Quick Draw McGraw (1959), The Flintstones (1960), Yogi Bear (1961), Top Cat (1961), Wally Gator (1962) and The Jetsons (1962), including the theatrical cartoons released by Columbia Pictures such as Loopy De Loop (1959) and the feature films released between 1964 and 1966. Huckleberry Hound became the first animated television series to win an Emmy Award (for Outstanding Children's Program).
Major studios
Walt Disney Productions
Beginnings Walt Disney had originally planned to become a newspaper cartoonist drawing political caricatures and comic strips.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, pp. 42–44, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City. However, nobody would hire him, so his older brother Roy, who was working as a banker at the time, got him a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio where he created advertisements for newspapers, magazines, and movie theaters.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, pp. 44–45, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City. Here he met fellow cartoonist Ub Iwerks. The two quickly became friends, and in January 1920, when their time at the studio expired, they decided to open up their own advertising agency together called Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 45, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City. The business, however, got off to a rough start and Disney temporarily left for the Kansas City Film and Ad Co. to raise money for the fleeting company and Iwerks soon followed as he was unable to run the business alone.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 51, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City.
While working there he made commercials for local theaters using crude cut-out animation. Disney became fascinated by the art and decided to become an animator.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 52, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City. He then borrowed a camera from work and rented a book from the local library called Animated Cartoons: How They Are Made, Their Origin and Development by Edwin G. Lutz, decided that cel animation would produce better quality, and decided to open up his own animation studio.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 56, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City. Disney then teamed up with Fred Harman and made their first film, The Little Artist which was nothing more than an artist (Disney) taking a cigarette break at his work desk. Harman soon dropped out of the venture, but Disney was able to strike a deal with local theater owner Frank L. Newman and animated a cartoon by himself entitled Newman Laugh-O-Grams screened in roughly February 1921.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 57, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, pp. 36–37, Oxford University Press, UK. Disney then quit his job at the film and ad company and incorporated Laugh-O-Gram Films in May 1922, and hired former advertising colleagues as unpaid "students" of animation including Ub Iwerks and Fred Harman's brother, Hugh Harman.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, p. 37, Oxford University Press, UK.
Throughout 1922, the Disney company produced a series of "modernized" adaptations of fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, The Four Musicians of Bremen, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Killer, Goldielocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots, Cinderella and Tommy Tucker's Tooth, the latter being mostly a live-action film about dental hygiene. None of these films turned a profit.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, pp. 37–38, Oxford University Press, UK. The last film made by the Disney company was a short called Alice's Wonderland. Loosely inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the short featured a live-action five-year-old girl named Alice (Virginia Davis) who had adventures in a fully animated world. The film was never fully completed, however, as the studio went bankrupt in the summer of 1923.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, pp. 68–72, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City.
Upon the closure of Laugh-O-Grams, Walt Disney worked as a freelance filmmaker before selling his camera for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 73, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City Upon arrival, he moved in with his Uncle Robert and his brother Roy, who was recovering at a nearby government hospital from tuberculosis he had suffered during World War I.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, p. 38, Oxford University Press, UK. After failing to get a job as a director of live-action films he sent the unfinished Alice's Wonderland reel to short-subjects distributor Margaret J. Winkler of Winkler Pictures in New York. Winkler was distributing both the Felix the Cat and Out of the Inkwell cartoons at the time, but the Fleischer brothers were about to leave to set up their own distribution company, Red Seal Films, and Felix producer Pat Sullivan was constantly fighting with Winkler; therefore, Winkler agreed to produce and distribute Disney's Alice Comedies as a kind of insurance policy.
Once Walt Disney received the notice on October 15, he convinced Roy to leave the hospital and help him set up his business.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 81, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City The next day, on October 16, 1923, Disney Bros. Cartoon Studio opened its doors at a small rented office two blocks away from his uncle's house with Roy managing business and Walt handling creative affairs.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, p. 39, Oxford University Press, UK. He persuaded Virginia Davis's parents to bring her to Los Angeles to star in the films. The first official Alice short, Alice's Day at Sea, was released on January 1, 1924, delayed by eleven days. Ub Iwerks was re-hired in February 1925 and the quality of animation on the Alice series improved; this prompted Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, and Carman Maxwell to follow Disney west in June 1925.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, pp. 39–41, Oxford University Press, UK.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, pp. 85–86, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City. Around that time, Davis was replaced with Maggie Gay and the cartoons started to focus less on the live-action scenes and more the fully animated scenes, particularly those featuring Alice's pet sidekick Julius, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Felix the Cat, which Winkler distributed.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, p. 41, Oxford University Press, UK. In February 1926, Disney moved to a larger studio at 2719 Hyperion Avenue.Barrier, Michael, 1999, Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age, p. 43, Oxford University Press, UK.Gabler, Neal, 2006, Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, p. 98, Alfred A. Knopf, New York City.