Hawley B. Pratt (June 9, 1911 – March 4, 1999) was an American film director, animator, and illustrator. He is best known for his work for Warner Bros. Cartoons and as the right-hand man of director Friz Freleng as a

layout artist Graphic design careers include creative director, art director, art production manager, brand identity developer, illustrator and layout artist. Graphic art managers The following are positions or responsibilities and usually titles, held by e ...

and later as a director. Pratt also worked for Walt Disney Studios,

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...

, and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises where he co-created

The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...

Life and career

Born in Seattle and raised in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

by his widowed mother Mabel, Pratt graduated from the Pratt Institute in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He became an artist at Walt Disney Studios in 1933 before joining Warner Bros. Cartoons, along with fellow animators

Bill Melendez José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was an American character animator, voice actor, film director and producer. Melendez is known for working on the ''Peanuts'' animated specials. Before ''Peanuts'', he p ...

Maurice Noble Maurice James Noble (May 1, 1911 – May 18, 2001) was an American animation production designer, background artist and layout designer whose contributions to the industry spanned more than 60 years. He was a long-time associate and right-hand m ...

Cornett Wood Cornett Wood (September 12, 1905 – May 16, 1980) was an American animator and layout artist. Along with other Disney animators Harry Reed and John A. Waltz, Wood was a graduate of the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. He served as a ...

, and Jack Bradbury after the

Disney animators' strike The Disney animators' strike in 1941 reflected anger at inequities of pay and privileges at the non-unionized Walt Disney Productions. Walt Disney responded to the five-week strike by firing many of his animators, but was eventually pressured i ...

in 1941.At Warners, he served as a layout artist providing background layouts and character poses from 1945 to the early 1960s. Working closely with director Friz Freleng, Pratt's Warner Bros. resume includes the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-winning cartoons ''

Tweetie Pie ''Tweetie Pie'' is a 1947 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester the Cat, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon. ''Tweetie Pie'' marks the first ...

'', which introduced the duo of Sylvester and

Tweety Tweety is a yellow canary in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being an English onomatopoeia for t ...

, ''

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...

'', where Freleng and Pratt redesigned the character into his modern incarnation, and ''

Birds Anonymous ''Birds Anonymous'' is a 1957 Warner Bros. '' Merrie Melodies'' animated short, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on August 10, 1957, and stars Tweety and Sylvester. Plot The cartoon starts with T ...

''. Pratt directed ''

Señorella and the Glass Huarache ''Señorella and the Glass Huarache'' is a 1964 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Hawley Pratt (who also produced the layouts) and written by John W. Dunn. The short was released on August 1, 1964. The plotline is a typical Cind ...

'', a

Looney Tune ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

released in 1964 after the studio closed its animation division. Pratt briefly worked at the Hanna-Barbera studio with Freleng before the two moved to DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. They created the

Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film ''The Pin ...

character for the animated title sequence of the 1963 feature film of the same name; though, Pratt is often solely credited for the character's creation. While there, he directed (or co-directed) all episodes of ''

The Pink Panther Show ''The Pink Panther Show'' is a showcase of animated shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1978, starring the animated Pink Panther character from the opening credits of the live-action films. The series was pr ...

''. Pratt made his directorial effort in the 1966 short '' The Pink Blueprint'', which received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject (Cartoon). His other directorial works also include three '' Roland and Rattfink'' shorts, ''

The Super 6 ''The Super 6'' is an animated cartoon series which was produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and Mirisch-Rich Television Productions in 1966, and shown on the NBC television network from 1966 to 1969. This was DePatie–Freleng's first vehicl ...

'', and three

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' television specials A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

: ''

The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red b ...

'' and ''

Dr. Seuss on the Loose ''Dr. Seuss on the Loose'' is an American animated musical television special, first airing on CBS on October 15, 1973, and was sponsored by Nestlé. The special is hosted by The Cat in the Hat, who introduces animated adaptations of the Dr. Seus ...

'', and ''

The Lorax ''The Lorax'' is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the titular character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who cause ...

''. Pratt also served as associate director and animator of the 1964 film '' The Incredible Mr. Limpet''. Hawley Pratt's last design credit was on 1990s '' Jetsons: The Movie''. Pratt's skills also had him illustrating several

Little Golden Books Little Golden Books is a series of children's books, published since 1942. ''The Poky Little Puppy'', the eighth release in the series, is the top-selling children's book of all time in the United States.. Many other Little Golden Books have b ...

and Big Golden Books. Pratt died on March 4, 1999.

Awards

* Golden Award 1992

References

External links

*
The Man Behind the Pencil
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Hawley 1911 births 1999 deaths American film directors American animated film directors American animators American illustrators Walt Disney Animation Studios people Hanna-Barbera people Artists from Seattle Pratt Institute alumni Warner Bros. Cartoons directors