John Hubley - An Animator and His Background
20th Century Animator John Hubley and the World that Shaped Him
Jul 14, 2009
Today, animator John Hubley is remembered for being a maverick of his craft. Throughout his career, Hubley’s artistic abilities brought him credit within The Walt Disney Company and UPA (United Productions of America). He is also widely respected for the independent animations he created with his wife, Faith Hubley. Despite being remembered for his achievements in the world of animation, Hubley’s career was not without its trials and tribulations. His work and character were tested innumerably by the consistently shifting political and commercial climates of the 20th Century.
The Way Things Were
Born in Wisconsin in 1914, Hubley’s life began during what many consider to be the dawn of the modern era. Trouble in the Balkans nearly 10 years prior eventually led to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. According to First World War.com, “The shot heard ‘round the world” was fired by Serbian national Gavrilo Princip, and triggered the series of events that began World War I, the catastrophic altercation that introduced the world to contemporary warfare. Modern technology and medicine enabled the survival of soldiers with life-threatening injuries, who would have barely had a chance for a post-war existence in prior conflicts such as the American Civil War.
International relations exploded - dividing, connecting, and uniting nations like never before. Immigration through New York's Ellis Island had already been active since 1892, and had created an unprecedented blending of cultures. It was an historic episode of social reform, and throughout the changes, the major communications industries such as newspapers, radio and film were there to provide information to the public.
Communicating Entertainment
Communications media was responsible for transmitting reports of, not only conflict, but entertainment. Throughout the early 20th Century, the live action comedy of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin inspired animation creators such as the Fleischer Brothers (Betty Boop) and Walt Disney (The Alice Comedies and Silly Symphonies). Winsor McCay’s popular newspaper comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland, was adapted into an animated short film by McCay himself in 1911. George Herriman’s esoteric comic, Krazy Kat, received consistent newspaper publication, and beginning in 1916, animations of the strip were produced by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
By 1927, synchronized sound was introduced to the cinema, with Al Jolson’s character Jack Robin in The Jazz Singer uttering the first lines of “Wait a minute. Wait a minute . . . you ain’t heard nothin’ yet.” Evidently, they hadn’t. When cartoons were given soundtracks, animations could be coordinated to music, and an exchange of dialogue could be had between characters. These developments added liveliness, and contributed a sense of audience immersion that may have been lacking during the silent film era.
Mr. Hubley and Mr. Disney
Walt Disney incorporated synchronized sound into his cartoons, beginning with 1928’s Steamboat Willie. This short animation was also the first film to showcase the, now legendary, Mickey Mouse. By 1935, Walt’s production company had gained enough power to begin work on a feature length animated film. The production of that film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, required a multitude of fresh animators. Many of the individuals who had worked on Disney’s early shorts had been raw talent from the streets, and had gained proficiency as animators after years spent working at the studio. John Hubley, who had been educated at the Los Angeles Art College, became a member of the new generation of academic animators. Though not credited for his work in the 1937 release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (he worked as a background painter), Hubley received recognition for Fantasia (1940), in which he is documented as the art director of the Rite of Spring segment. Hubley also contributed to Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942).
Though Hubley both gave and received quality experience with The Walt Disney Company, it was just a spring board for the animator. Answers.com states that “Hubley quickly grew disenchanted with the hallmarks of Disney – the naturalism, the anthropomorphic character design, the detailed artwork, and the gag comedy.” These personal sentiments, as well as brewing political strife, pushed Hubley toward the more experimental, graphic approaches to animation that became prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s.
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