Chuck Jones : Remembering The Legend

Chuck Jones, the legendary animator, who gave us Bugs Bunny, Coyote, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig. A career span of 60 years, 300 animated films, winner of three Oscars as director and in 1996 an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. But even these are not enough the draw the legend that he was. Here are some quotes of Chuck Jones, dedicated to him in his memories.

1. Animation isn't the illusion of life; it is life.

2. When critics sit in judgment it is hard to tell where justice leaves off and vengeance begins.

3. Fog and smog should not be confused and are easily separated by color. Fog is about the color of the insides of an old split wet summer cottage mattress; smog is the color and consistency of a wet potato chip soaked in a motorman's glove.

4. You do not ‘suffer’ if you decide ‘that’s the way it is’ rather than ‘why is it this way?’

5. Comedy is unusual people in real situations; farce is real people in unusual situations.

6. Dogwood: Its bark is worse than its blight.

7. The only time a wife listens to her husband is when he's asleep.

8. The older I get, the more individuality I find in animals and the less I find in humans. Early experiences convinced me that animals can and do have quite distinct personalities.

9. The rules are simple. Take your work, but never yourself, seriously. Pour in the love and whatever skill you have, and it will come out.

10. The name 'Chuck Jones', according to my uncle, limited my choice of profession to second baseman or cartoonist.

11. The Coyote is limited, as Bugs is limited, by his anatomy. To give the Coyote a look of anticipatory delight, I draw everything up—the eyes are up, the ears are up, and even the nose is up. When he is defeated, on the other hand, everything turns down. You can’t do that as dramatically with human beings, although the emotions expressed are fully human.

12. If you want a midget to look like a baby, don’t put a cigar in his mouth.

13. Once you have heard a strange audience burst into laughter at a film you directed, you realize what the word joy is all about.

14. Each character represented a trait that resides in me.

Jones often recalled a small child who, when told that Jones drew Bugs Bunny, replied: "He doesn’t draw Bugs Bunny. He draws pictures of Bugs Bunny." His point was that the child thought of the character as being alive and believable, which was, in Jones’ belief, the key to true character animation. To know more about Chuck Jones, visit his official home page. Our childhood memories would always remain indebted to Chuck Jones.

After hearing that Jones had died, a four-year-old child asked her mother, between sobs, "Does this mean the bunny won’t be in the barber chair any more?" The answer is, "No, the bunny will be in the barber chair forever."