John W. Dunn (25 February 1919 – 17 January 1983) was a Scottish

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

for

animated cartoons Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

, active from 1955 to 1983.

Biography

Dunn began his career at the artists

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...

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 ...

cartoon studio, where his first story credit—'' Man in Space''—received an Oscar nomination. He moved to

Warner Bros. Cartoons Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...

in 1960; there, he began with ''

The Pied Piper of Guadalupe ''The Pied Piper of Guadalupe'' is a 1961 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 19, 1961, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester. It was nominated at the 34th Academy Awards in the categ ...

'', which was also nominated for an Oscar. He and fellow Disney man David Detiege replaced Warner Brothers top writers

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably "Wha ...

and

Warren Foster Warren Foster (October 24, 1904 – December 13, 1971) was an American writer, cartoonist and composer for the animation division of Warner Brothers and later with Hanna-Barbera. Early life He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Marion B. Fos ...

after they went to

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

to receive higher billing in the 1960s. He usually worked under

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' ...

and

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

' units. After the Warner's cartoon studio closed in 1963, Dunn joined DePatie–Freleng Enterprises; in 1964, he crafted the story for '' The Pink Phink'', which earned the Oscar as Best Animated Short. Many of his DePatie–Freleng cartoons re-use plots from Warner Brothers cartoons. He was a prolific story man over the next 19 years and also did some animation work for the ask comic book

Gene Deitch Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...

Popeye the Sailor Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...

1967 ''Spider-Man'' '' Heathcliff'' Dunn died in San Fernando, California of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

on 17 January 1983.

External links

* 1919 births 1983 deaths People from Coatbridge Scottish animators Scottish screenwriters Scottish emigrants to the United States Walt Disney Animation Studios people Warner Bros. Cartoons people 20th-century British screenwriters {{Scotland-artist-stub