Saturday, May 28, 2011

When Bob Clampett went to Mars


Footage from a Bob Clampett presentation, featuring a project he worked on in 1936, "John Carter of Mars." It was never completed.
I find it interesting for three reasons:
  1.  Effective use of a limited color palate (reds and blues).
  2.  Remarkably good animation for the mid 1930s.
  3. Clampett is best remembered for his insanely brilliant Loony Tunes cartoons: Porky in Wackyland, The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, Big SnoozeRussian Rhapsody etc..   Yet this master of goofy characters could draw, animate and direct realistic characters too.  Did his skill at the latter help with the former?  Did the skill, planning and thinking required for projects like "Mars" help prime his brain for becoming a Warner Brothers legend?
I wouldn't surprise me.

5 comments:

hapi said...
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Linda Davick said...

Those line drawings in the beginning are outa sight!

Pile Girl said...

This is great. Too bad the film was never completed.

Namowal (Jennifer Bourne) said...

Linda,
As I've said elsewhere, Clampett allegedly had a big ego (remember his Beany and Cecil Cartoon Intro that had "A Bob Clampett Cartooooooooon!" as part of it's theme song?)
If I had that kind of talent, I'd have a big ego too.
Pile Girl,
I agree that it's too bad the cartoon wasn't completed. Very ambitious for the 1930s.

GhostBuild said...

Nice find!

Wow, definitely a shame this didn't develop into anything beyond this concept footage.