Chuck Jones, the genius behind the iconic “Looney Tunes” cartoons, takes the spotlight at the Museum of the Moving Image in the exhibition “What’s Up Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones,” opening Saturday.
Trained as a fine artist, Academy Award-winning Jones spent most of his seven decadelong career at Warner Bros. Studios. As well as directing the famous Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, he created other classic characters, including Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. His post-Warner Bros. portfolio is also assessed, with work such as the 1966 classic “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”
As recognizable and present as these characters are today, the exhibition hopes to introduce Jones’ work to new generations, who may not have seen the original material from which the characters came.
Warren-like in its design, the show consumes nearly an entire floor of the museum. A plethora of artifacts — including 23 of Jones’ animated films, 130-plus sketches and storyboards — explains in detail the process of animation direction while showcasing Jones’ enduring legacy.
Visitors will discover the people who influenced and inspired Jones’s work, ranging from Charlie Chaplin and Groucho Marx to French Impressionist Edgar Degas.
Interactive experiences that allow visitors to act as animation directors and learn the art of character movement complement production backgrounds, animation cells and behind-the-scenes audio files, forming a deeply textured showcase.
A movie theater is featured within the exhibition, with excerpts of Jones’ classic animation films, introduced by Pixar’s John Lasseter.
At a preview for the exhibition, Linda Jones Clough, daughter of the late Chuck Jones, said that if her father wanted to leave any kind of legacy, it would be one of inspiration.
“If the enthusiasm that Chuck felt for what he was inspired to do can rub off on anyone else, [visitors] will be inspired to find their own creativity,” she said.
To accompany the exhibition, a series of Chuck Jones’ films will screen on weekend matinees at the museum. Animation-related activities and workshops are scheduled, too.
