Top 10 Iconic Animators

Ub Iwerks is truly a legend in animation history: he co-created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit AND Mickey Mouse with Walt Disney! In addition to co-directing films with Disney, Iwerks typically led animation production. Some of his most famous works were the 1927 debut of Oswald in the short “Trolley Troubles,” the first Mickey Mouse short, “Plane Crazy,” and the iconic Mickey follow-up, “Steamboat Willie!” After a falling out with Walt in 1930, Iwerks left to create the short-lived Iwerks Studios but ultimately returned to Disney in 1940.

Nick Park is a claymation expert! While he is most well-known for creating the iconic Wallace and Gromit in their 1990 debut short, “A Grand Day Out,” his first claymation film was the 1989 short “Creature Comforts.” Park went off to direct three more Wallace and Gromit short films so far as well as co-direct their first full-length movie “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” He also co-directed the 2000 film “Chicken Run” and created the Wallace and Gromit spin-off series, “Shaun the Sheep.” And all to much success; Nick Park’s work, with Aardman Animations or otherwise, has earned him Four academy awards to date!

Genndy Tartakovsky was an overnight success with his 1995 TV pilot for the Cartoon Network series “Dexter’s Laboratory!” Dexter ran for four seasons and, building off this fame, Tartakovsky premiered the critically acclaimed series “Samurai Jack” in 2001, which also ran for four seasons. While his friend Craig McCracken created the famous “Powerpuff Girls” series, Tartakovsky frequently wrote, directed and produced episodes. In 2003, he directed the Emmy-winning “Star Wars: Clone Wars” animated series with George Lucas. Tartakovsky finally released his full-length film directorial debut in 2012, the box office hit “Hotel Transylvania.”

Tex Avery created and improved upon Warner Bros.’ most revered cartoons! While he didn’t create Porky Pig, Tex definitely developed Porky’s personality in the character’s second film, the 1935 “Gold Diggers of ‘49.” Shortly thereafter, Tex was responsible for introducing Daffy Duck to audiences in 1937’s “Porky’s Duck Hunt” and he presented Bugs Bunny to the world in 1940 with “A Wild Hare.” While working for MGM studios, Tex created the monotonous sounding Droopy in 1943 and generated one of the most mold-defying cartoons in history, Screwy Squirrel the year after!

John Lasseter was an early pioneer of computer animation and started his career at Disney, where he was fired due to his insistence on them pursuing 3D animation! He went to work for Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group, which was sold off to Steve Jobs and later renamed Pixar! Lasseter received considerable attention, including an Oscar nod, for his 1986 short-film “Luxo Jr.,” which starred Pixar’s eventual mascot. It wasn’t until 1995 that Lasseter released his first full-length film, “Toy Story”, though! Since then, Lasseter has directed some of Pixar’s biggest hits, such as “A Bug’s Life” and “Cars” and has returned to working for Disney since the company bought Pixar in 2006.

Matt Groening started with his cynical comic stip series “Life in Hell” 1977, but it wasn’t until a decade later that he entered animation with “The Simpsons” shorts featured on “The Tracey Ullman Show.” By 1989, “The Simpsons” were given their own series, which still runs today and continuously mocks contemporary topics, with the series’ show-within-a-show, “The Itchy & Scratchy Show,” lampooning the cartoons of the past century. It wasn’t until 2007 that the longest running American sitcom and animated program got its very own full-length film, but its critical and commercial success demonstrate “The Simpsons”’ lasting impact on pop culture.. Groening’s other major series, “Futurama,” has had a more tumultuous history, but maintains a strong fan base.

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera’s 60-plus year partnership started at MGM where they would create “Tom and Jerry,” which premiered in the early 1940s. After winning several Oscars and seeing TV revenues diminish, they left MGM and established Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1957 where their first big hits were “The Huckleberry Hound Show” and “The Yogi Bear Show”. Their success resulted in the animation duo creating the instant hit series “The Flintstones,” which found an audience among both kids and adults alike, despite being animated! They were also behind series like “The Jetsons,” “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” “The Smurfs” and many others, producing more than more than 100 cartoon shows throughout their lives.

Chuck Jones started working on Warner Bros. animated series like “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” in the early ‘30s after being hired by indie studio Leon Schlesinger Productions, where he collaborated with Tex Avery, among others. During World War II, Jones and Dr. Seuss created “Private Snafu” shorts for the U.S. Army, but it was after this period, that he introduced audiences some of hismost well-known characters, including the less-than-suave French skunk, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian and the dynamic frenemies, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. His ambitious career had continuous hits, like the holiday classic “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Jones even created the opening to “Mrs. Doubtfire” in the ‘90s.

After working for Toei Animation and TMS Entertainment, Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial debut was the 1979 Lupin III film “The Castle of Cagliostro.” Five years later, he released “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” whose success allowed him to properly establish Studio Ghibli, where he produced all of his subsequent features. Miyazaki then blew up with Western audiences thanks to 1997’s “Princess Mononoke.” Four years later, he released his arguably most beloved film, “Spirited Away.” After many successes, such as 2008’s “Ponyo,” Miyazaki retired in 2013 following the release of “The Wind Rises,” but his influence lives on.

Before we unveil our number pick, here are some honorable mentions:
- Trey Parker & Matt Stone
- Richard Williams
- Max Fleischer
- Henry Selick
- Milt Kahl

As mentioned in our 10th entry, Disney started with Ub Iwerks, with whom he co-created Mickey Mouse! His studio attracted instant success with 1928’s “Steamboat Willie,” for which Disney provided all of the voices. 1932’s “Mickey’s Revue” introduced Dippy Dawg, who eventually came to be known as Goofy. One of his biggest hits was his 1933 retelling of “Three Little Pigs,” though his original characters were absent. The following year, his short “The Wise Little Hen” introduced Donald Duck. One historic hit after another, Disney is a true legend, whose works have stood the test of time and continue to entertain children and adults today.

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