He who laughs, lasts." I heard this saying years ago, but don’t know its author. Nonetheless, that quotation instantly popped into my head upon hearing about the death of Oscar-winning cartoon director Chuck Jones, who passed away on Feb. 21, at the age of 89.
Indeed, Jones’ sense of humor will last for all time—and that humor helps to sustain us all. I am one of the millions who since their childhood have been unabashed fans of Jones. The appeal of his work is universal, crossing all ages and geographic boundaries. He was a great "artist" in the true sense of the word, yet somehow managed to make that artistry part of mainstream culture.
To this day, in comedy that works well, be it live action or animation, I often see the subtle and sometimes not so subtle influence of Jones—be it a streak of self-deprecating humor or a laugh with an intellectual underpinning that simultaneously isn’t afraid to embrace a sense of silliness.
Will Vinton, chairman of the Portland, Ore.-headquartered Vinton Studios, known for its humorous creations in dimensional animation, met Jones at the Portland Creative Conference in ’93, which honored him on his 80th birthday. "Getting the chance to meet Chuck was incredible," remembered Vinton. "He had a great deal of wisdom that was even reflected in cantankerous rants about people who run companies. There was a humorous double-edged sword to that for me since I run a company, though I consider myself first and foremost a filmmaker who’s sort of secondarily involved in creating a studio. His humor about that was so sharp. Personally, I completely related to everything he said."
Vinton described the influence of Jones’ work as "profound … The cartoons exhibit a wonderful and rare form of timing. I especially think of the Road Runner stuff—no words; everything was performed and acted out by wonderful gestures, expressions, pieces of action. He’s not alone in having created those great Looney Tunes cartoons—people like Tex Avery come to mind. But Chuck was certainly one of the leading proponents of a classic art form that will never go away. His influence can be seen not only in animators and animation timing today, but in contemporary live-action comedy and comedians."
"You certainly don’t need to be involved in animation to appreciate Chuck Jones," said director J.J. Sedelmaier of White Plains, N.Y.-based animation/ mixed-media house J.J. Sedelmaier Productions. Jones’ influence can be seen in Sedelmaier’s own brand of offbeat humor, frequently demonstrated in commercials.
"Think of all the classics that we can thank Jones for: The Grinch, the Road Runner, ‘The Rabbit!’ " exclaimed Sedelmaier. "I just remember how he was always careful to remind everyone how he and his cohorts were doing cartoons for themselves—not for kids. He always figured that if he was entertained by the films—kids, adults, everyone was going to like them. There’s nothing better to keep you on track and make your work unique than that approach. Charlie Rose recently ran a rerun of an interview he did with Jones a few years ago. I was struck with the realization that the only thing ‘old’ about Chuck Jones was the vessel carrying him through his remaining years. Absolutely everything else about him was as fresh and invigorating as a person can be. What a terrific inspiration he was … I mean, he is!!"
