Chuck Jones

Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Brothers cartoon studio. He directed many of the classic short animated cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote, Pepé Le Pew and the other Warners characters, including the memorable What's Opera, Doc? (1957), Duck Amuck (1952) (both later inducted into the National Film Registry) and Jones' famous "Hunting Trilogy" of Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1951–1953), establishing himself as an important innovator and storyteller. After his career at Warners ended, he is remembered for directing the television adaptation of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). Throughout his career, Jones won three Academy Awards for his films, and was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1996.

Style
Jones has been hailed as an expert of timing. Pauses contribute largely to the gags in his films. Often the audience will know and expect the punchline to a gag, but Jones will draw it out and force the audience to wait. When the gag is finally delivered, it is that much funnier to the viewers. Jones is a minimalist in terms of depicting emotion. At times, a simple movement of an eyebrow or pupil is used to display the mental state of his characters. He effectively gives these characters life simply through tiny facial movements. The backgrounds used in Jones' films are at times very abstract and stylized. These settings become believable due to the familiar, cartoony motion of the characters within them. At times, Jones also uses backgrounds to show emotional turmoil within his characters.