Excellent Andy Panda Site

Check out the link below for a good site all about Walter Lantz' creation, Andy Panda.

https://toontracker.neocities.org/woody/andypanda.htm

Woody Woodpecker (2017) | Teaser Trailer released at Comic Con Experienc...

Robin Williams presents an Honorary Award to Walter Lantz: 1979 Oscars

Robin Williams presents an Honorary Award to Walter Lantz, for bringing joy and laughter to every part of the world through his unique animated motion pictures. From the 51st Academy Awards, hosted by Johnny Carson and featuring an appearance by Danny Thomas.

Walter Lantz Shows How to Make Cartoons

Woody Woodpecker Movie Coming!?

Woody Woodpecker may be coming to the big screen -- Cool!

I located an article that is a few years old but shows there is interest in bringing Woody back to the forefront of pop culture.

Click the link below to read about Walter Lantz's favorite bird.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/woody-woodpecker-movie-universal-illumination-262540

Knothead, Splinter Introduced

I always wondered where the first appearance of Knothead and Splinter happened (in cartoons, not comics). According to Wikipedia, it is in the cartoon Get Lost.

Get Lost is the 67th animated cartoon short subject in the Woody Woodpecker series. Released theatrically on March 12, 1956, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal-International, per Wiki.

Woody is reading the story of Hansel and Gretel to his nephew Knothead and his niece Splinter. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Lost_(film)

Knothead and Splinter first appeared in New Funnies in 1952.

DIZZY KITTY - an Andy Panda cartoon

Andy Panda The Wacky Weed (1946) Walter Lantz Production cartoons

Classic Woody Woodpecker Cartoon: Who's Cookin' Who?

Woody Woodpecker - Whos Cookin Who? by Necopodalex

Visit Recreational Parks, Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker in Orlando

Below is a cool article I found on another site. It was written by Austin Marsh. I found this while doing some research on Florida, where my family is thinking of going for a vacation.

If you live in Florida and are thinking for a place to have a weekend trip with your family, then consider visiting Walt Disney World. This place of recreation is situated 21 miles southwest of Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, a beautiful city in the state. It is one such destination where both local and foreign tourists take pleasure to visit whenever they get a chance.

Walt Disney World in Orlando covers an area of 30,080-acre of land and is considered as the largest Disney land in the entire world. It consist of 4 themed parks, 2 water parks, 23 resorts and hotels having facilities like campground, health spas, fitness centers and other places for amusement. By visiting this place, you can indulge yourself in various fun-filled activities which are hardly expected in any other kind of recreational venues.

Take a look at tourist activities in the Walt Disney World in Orlando that you would surely want to include in your trip:

• Enjoy a ride on railroad (a steam engine) and capture the scenic vista around the park.

• Take a walk towards the Mickey's Toontown fair and get a chance to meet the popular Disney characters.

• Visit Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique which is a beauty salon and let your beloved daughter dress like a princess.

• Shop some appealing souvenirs, outfits of Disney character and attractive accessories from the Emporium store in the Magic Kingdom.

• Take a magical spin via magic carpets of Aladdin. Each carpet is being equipped with buttons to adjust the movement as per the requirements.

Besides the above mentioned activities, there are more things to do in the Walt Disney World. After discovering the beauty of Disney land, you can also consider visiting the Universal Studio Park in Orlando. The park has themed sections with name like Production Central, New York, San Francisco, World Expo, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and Hollywood. The kids will love to take rides in the junior roller coaster at the Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and you would not mind walking through the greatest monuments in the Hollywood section.

Now, if you want to experience memorable trip to both Walt Disney World and Universal Studio, then you can consider seeking assistance from companies which provide vacation packages. Some reputed tour service providers will help you to book tickets to the amusement parks in advance and also at discount rates.

So, get set to visit the dream-like recreational lands and create memories to be cherished forever.

Cartoon: Woody Woodpecker in The Hollywood Matador

Awesome Andy Panda Statue

For all you Walter Lantz lovers, here is a nifty find--an Andy Panda statue.

This Electric Tiki Andy Panda statue was limited to 200 numbered pieces, according to my research. The base features Andy Panda’s nemesis from the Walter Lantz cartoon The Wacky Weed.

This miniature statue stands approximately 6-1/2″ tall. Furthermore, it is designed by Tracy Mark Lee and sculpted by Ruben Procopio. It was produced by Sideshow Collectibles a few years ago but some editions can still be found on eBay and online stores.

I plan to locate one for myself and was sure you other Lantz collectors would like to pick this piece up, as well!

Origin of Chilly Willy

Walter Lantz News Flash: I learned today that Chilly Willy came about because Walter Lantz wanted a new character to replace Andy Panda. (Andy's last cartoon – or cartune as Lantz often wrote the term – was in 1949.)

According to the Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia, “In 1953, Lantz wanted a new character, and one of his directors, Paul Smith, began work on a cartoon entitled Chilly Willy. This cartoon features a little penguin, more similar in design to the ones found in 1945's Sliphorn King of Polaroo than the Chilly Willy we think of today, voiced by Sara Berner. This cartoon set up the general formula of Chilly wanting to find warmth that most future Chilly Willy cartoons would adhere to...”

The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia (a great site to check out) goes on to state that although the first Chilly Willy short was not a success, Lantz was determined to have a penguin as a lead character. “...when Tex Avery returned to the studio in 1954, Lantz asked him to make another attempt at getting the character to work. Avery didn't feel a 'little fuzzy wuzzy penguin' would be particularly funny, so he decided to pair Chilly Willy with funny co-stars. The first of these cartoons, I'm Cold … introduces Smedley the dog, Chilly's long time co-star.”

My research shows Chilly Willy's last cartoon was in 1972. He had a very good run, having cartoons reguraly produced for two decades.

Chilly Willy became one of Lantz' major stars.

Like many adults today, I have fond memories of watching Chilly Willy cartunes as a child. Along with Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda, Chilly Willy is definitely one of Walter Lantz' main stars. I highly recommend renting or buying the Woody Woodpecker and Friends DVD sets. If you were a child between the 1940s and 1970s, you will love these sets of classic animation. They also make excellent gifts for friends and family members who grew up in the 1940s to 1970s.

Woody and Andy in Banquet Busters -- Classic Cartoon!

Forgotten Walter Lantz Star

Who is Oswald the Rabbit?

Author: John Allsopp

Oswald, sometimes called the Lucky Rabbit, is an animated cartoon character who starred in a series of cartoon motion pictures of 1920s and 1930s released by Universal Studios.

Oswald, as he looked at Disney.

Created and animated by Walt Disney Company, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was first introduced in 1927 after Walt Disney's series of Alice Comedies had run its course. Walt Disney wanted to go with something new and signed a new contract with Universal Studios; head Carl Laemmle, to produce a series of cartoons under Charles B. Mintz and George Winkler, which seemed like to be, just the ticket.

The first Oswald cartoon, "Poor Papa" was rejected by the Universal studio heads. After this, Disney, together with Ub Iwerks created a second cartoon called "Trolley Troubles". The short film officially launched the series, and proved to be Walt Disney's greatest success to date. However, when Walt asked Mintz for an increase in the budget, Mintz instead offered a budget cut? Walt Disney angrily refused and quit, taking Iwerks and a loyal apprentice artist, Les Clark, with him. Mintz, meanwhile, opened his own studio consisting primarily of former Disney employees.

Oswald was redesigned by Walter Lantz. Above is a cell from an Oswald cartoon.

Dissatisfied with Mintz, Laemmle selected Walter Lantz to produce new cartoons using the character, the first of which was 1929's "Race Riot"; many sources erroneously list "Ozzie of the Circus" as the first. However I am unable to confirm this? Over the next decade, Lantz would produce 140, "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons" making for a grand total of 192 films, that the character Oswald starred in over all three producers.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's last cartoon was "The Egg-Cracker Suite" in 1943. Oswald the Rabbit made occasional reappearances as a character in other cartoons as late as 1951.

Angered by the loss of Oswald, Walt Disney learned to retain full ownership of his animated characters and went on to find immense success with another animated character, Mickey Mouse, who is now one of the most widely recognized icons in the world. You can see Mickey and his partner Minnie, daily in the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Orlando Florida.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/who-is-oswald-the-rabbit-2834439.html

About the Author

John Allsopp
orlando-florida-holidays.com

The Big Blog of Kids’ Comics!: Andy Panda in "The Mighty Mites"

Be sure to check out a classic late 1940s Andy Panda comic over at Bigblogcomics.com. The comic in question is Four Color No. 198, September 1948.

See it at the link below.

The Big Blog of Kids’ Comics!: Andy Panda in "The Mighty Mites"

1st Chilly Willy Cartoon

Here is the very first Chilly Willy cartoon, entitled Chilly Willy. It is interesting to see how Chilly changes over the years. Chilly's appearance is different in this episode from later episodes.

From The Walter Lantz Encyclopedia:
Chilly Willy the penguin is one of the Walter Lantz studio's most recognized and beloved stars, and seemed to flourish in the late 50s, a period when most people feel the Lantz cartoons were in decline. In 1949, Walter Lantz retired his second biggest star, Andy Panda, leaving only one major character to star in his new cartoons: Woody Woodpecker.

In 1953, Lantz wanted a new character, and one of his directors, Paul Smith, began work on a cartoon entitled Chilly Willy. This cartoon features a little penguin, more similar in design to the ones found in 1945's Sliphorn King of Polaroo than the Chilly Willy we think of today, voiced by Sara Berner. This cartoon set up the general formula of Chilly wanting to find warmth that most future Chilly Willy cartoons would adhere to, and it introduced an early version of the familar Chilly Willy theme song.

What Kind of Bird Is Woody?

Obviously Andy Panda is a panda and Charlie Chicken a traditional barnyard chicken, but did you ever wonder what kind of woodpecker is Woody the Woodpecker? Well, I found the answer at a cool site.

According to the site http://www.pestproducts.com/, Woody is a red headed woodpecker.

The site owner wrote, "Ever wonder what type of woodpecker Woody Woodpecker was? From his identifying marks, Woody was a Red Headed Woodpecker. These woodpeckers range in size from seven to nine inches and are identified by their white chest, red head, bluish gray bill and white markings in their wings."

The site went on to say, "In the summer, Red Headed Woodpeckers are found east of the Rocky Mountains and west of New England, in the winter they are found mainly in southwest Texas. Red Headed Woodpeckers eat beech and oak bark, seeds, nuts, berries, fruit, insects, bird eggs and mice. They produce five to seven eggs in nests found in dead trees or dead branches. These birds breed in woodlands, river bottoms, orchards, and swamps and are attracted to burnt or recent clearings."

Cool facts about the Red Headed Woodpecker: They are very territorial often attacking other birds and even going to great lengths to remove other birds' eggs from nests, and they sometimes puncture duck eggs. Red Headed Woodpeckers are one of four types of woodpeckers to store their food in wood or bark. They hide insects such as grasshoppers in cracks of wood and under roof shingles, according to pestproducts.com.

So, now we know more about Walter Lantz' famous bird. Be sure to check back for more information on Woody Woodpecker and other cartoon folk.

Andy Panda's Fish Fry Cartoon from 1944

I always liked this Andy Panda cartoon. It is a simple story and amusing. I like how the goldfish asks Andy to take him home at the beginning of the cartoon.

Description of the Cartoon from IMDb, "An alley cat attempts to steal the goldfish Andy Panda just bought from a pet shop, but the fish proves too clever for him."

Woody Woodpecker Vol. 2 Causes Disagreements

I have been dragging my feet on picking up Woody Woodpecker and Friends Vol. 2 but I am going to buy it soon. I can't wait. Here is an interesting editorial review I found of the Woody Woodpecker DVD set from Amazon.

Woody in his first appearance.

I have to say that I do not completely agree with this man's review. 

I find Walter Lantz' work entertaining and, if nothing else, his cartoons are fascinating from a historical view. His cartoons from the World War II era give a glimpse into the minds of animators at the time. It is also fascinating to see Woody evolve from a crazy bird to a very tame television cartoon character in the later years.
 
A Review from Amazon
The second installment in "The Walter Lantz Archive" includes 45 Woody Woodpecker cartoons from 1952 to 1958, and an assortment of films made between the early '30s and the mid-'60s. During the '50s, when the Warner Bros. directors were crafting some of the funniest cartoons ever made and MGM's "Tom and Jerry" series was winning Oscars, the Lantz shorts ranked as second-rate at best. Although some talented artists worked on them, the Woody films from this era feel stale and formulaic: the gags lack punch and the character never develops as a personality.

Five Oswald the Lucky Rabbit films qualify as genuine rarities. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created the character; Universal's Carl Laemmle took Oswald from Disney and ultimately gave him to Lantz. "Carnival Capers" (1932), "Five and Dime" (1933), and "Wax Works" (1934) reveal just how strongly the early Oswald resembled Mickey, down to the two-button shorts and chunky shoes. But the animation remains crude, rubbery and weightless. The most interesting of these cartoons is "Puppet Show" (1936), which juxtaposes live action footage of marionettes with drawn animation of the same characters. At this point, Oswald, who pulls the puppets' strings, had been re-designed to look like a white Easter Bunny.

"A Haunting We Will Go" (1939), starring Li'l Eight Ball, a forgotten stereotypical African American boy, exemplifies the dubious ethnic humor that was popular at the time in America. The extras include a dozen of Lantz's short explanations of the animation process from "The Woody Woodpecker Show." (Unrated, suitable for ages 10 and older: cartoon violence, alcohol and tobacco use, ethnic and racial stereotypes) --Charles Solomon