Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation

I (like many other people) am certainly a very enthusiastic fan of Warner Bros.' Looney Tune cartoons from the 1940s & 50s. If you ask me - Those glorious days of yesteryear were, without question, when animation genius and excellence prevailed beyond compare.

Behind many of those wild, wacky & brilliant shorts from that unique era in cartoon history was, none other than, director Chuck Jones.

A 3-time Oscar winner, Chuck Jones (before he became a director) was originally on the team of animators who were instrumental in the development of such classic Looney Tune characters as - Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig & Daffy Duck, to name but a few.

Featuring dozens of cartoon clips, as well as interviews with big-name directors, Hollywood stars, family members (and even an interview with Chuck Jones, himself, in 1998), the viewer of this documentary learns (amongst other things) about the teamwork that went on behind the scenes at Warner Bros.' Animation Studios if those heydays.

Born in 1912 - Throughout his long career in the animation business, Chuck Jones is credited with directing a whopping 300 cartoons in all.

Sad to say - In 2002, Chuck Jones died at the golden age of 90.

Chuck Jones remains one of the great names of American animation, credited with presenting and directing snappy ideas for Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, creating the Road Runner and Coyote, and spoofing Charles Boyer with the skunk Pepe Le Pew.

This documentary follows the threads of Jones' career from his days as a cel washer through to the highs of Termite Terrace and later work for MGM and as an independent animator. There are clips galore of the top cartoons, especially from Looney Tunes days, as well as contributions from family, collaborators, and Jones himself, at that time still an active and sprightly 80-something.

Engrossing, interesting, and almost a fan letter to the cartoon, 'Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens' is definitely worth your time if you like the antics of the W-B gang, or want to see how a master of his craft works.

I didn't know about Chuck Jones before I saw this documentary, but it made me realize how much I owe to him. In much of my humor I am a devout Jonesian, that guy really tickled me like no-one else. But back to the documentary: lots of cartoon clips that leave you hungry for more, all - round well made (even though I didn't quite understand why they interviewed Whoopie Goldberg -- she has nothing to do with cartoons and the funniest thing about her is her name), and yet not at all sycophantic, it names Joneses blunders, and the man himself admits to have stolen front, left and right -- or as he puts it "I thought if I steal, I'll steal from the best". (I'll try to remember that line when I'm in front of a judge for pirating software and MP3s). Now that the man went down that same path he so often paved for Wile E. Coyote, all that is left for me to say is: Chuck Jones is dead -- long live Chuck Jones!

Chuck Jones is, without a doubt, one of the truly great names in animation. This documentary is a worthy tribute to his life. It incorporates numerous retrospectives and observations from many of his contemporaries and colleagues as well as from Jones himself. There are two things that I liked in particular about this film: (1) It's ability to convey (and teach) the importance and role of Chuck Jones as a director and the roles of the various animators, writers, and technicians who worked with him; and (2) the humility of the man himself. I was struck by how many times Jones took care to point out where he was not the sole creator of a character, or what the contributions of his colleagues were. Through this humility shines a brilliance and creativity that brought us many wonderful hours of comedy and animation in the middle decades of the 20th century.

The DVD version of this documentary includes several worthwhile extras. Two of Jones' best animated shorts, "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" and "Feed the Kitty" are included in their entirety (clips are featured in the main documentary). There are also "pencil test" versions of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Mississippi Hare" that show just what a work-in-process looked like. And there is a tutorial from Jones himself on some of the tricks of the trade, a behind the scenes view that was fun to see.

I give this a 9 out of 10: A must-see for any fan of animation.

I have many fond childhood memories of sitting in front of a TV set watching Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters. If you love cartoons, you'll really enjoy this biography of renowned animator Chuck Jones. The best part of this film is the huge number of clips from his cartoons; it seems like most of the film is taken up with them (the more, the better!).