Charles Bear Mintz (November 5, 1889 – December 30, 1939)''Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014''.

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify f ...

. was an American film producer and distributor who assumed control over Margaret J. Winkler's

Winkler Pictures Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its pa ...

after marrying her in 1924. The couple had two children, Katherine and William. Between 1925 and 1939, Mintz produced over 370 cartoon shorts.

Career

Charles Mintz was unhappy with the production costs on

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

and Ub Iwerks's '' Alice Comedies'', and asked the two to develop a new character. The result was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the first animated character for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. In February 1928, when the character proved more successful than expected, Mintz hired away all of Disney's animators except Iwerks, who refused to leave Disney, and moved the production of the Oswald cartoons to his new Winkler Studio, along with Margaret Winkler's brother, George. After losing the Oswald contract to Walter Lantz, Mintz focused on the ''

Krazy Kat ''Krazy Kat'' (also known as ''Krazy & Ignatz'' in some reprints and compilations) is an American newspaper comic strip, by cartoonist George Herriman, which ran from 1913 to 1944. It first appeared in the ''New York Evening Journal'', whose owne ...

'' series, which was the output of a Winkler-distributed property. The Winkler Studio became known as the Mintz Studio after he took over in 1929. Mintz experienced his biggest success in Scrappy, which continued production after Mintz died. In 1933, Mintz's studio (Winkler Pictures) became known as

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...

. Mintz produced two theatrical cartoon series in the 1930s. '' Color Rhapsody'' began in 1934 and continued until 1949, after Mintz's death. ''Fables'' began in 1939 and continued until 1942. In 1939, Mintz became indebted to Columbia, which resulted in him selling the studio to

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. After a heart attack, Mintz died on December 30, 1939. Screen Gems remained open until 1946. The name was later be used for Columbia's television division, among other things. Walt Disney mentioned in an interview that Mintz cultivated his standards for high-quality cartoon movies, and he kept emphasizing them even after their contract ended. Mintz was nominated for two

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s for Best Short Subject. His first nomination was in 1935 for '' Holiday Land'', and he was nominated again in 1938 for '' The Little Match Girl''. Charles Mintz was portrayed in the feature film ''

Walt Before Mickey ''Walt Before Mickey'' is a 2015 American biographical drama film about the early years of Walt Disney based on the book ''Walt Before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919–1928'' by Timothy S. Susanin, with a foreword written by Diane Disney. Th ...

'' by Conor Dubin.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mintz, Charles B. 1889 births 1939 deaths American film producers American animated film producers American film studio executives Screen Gems American Jews St. Lawrence University alumni Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery