 The early 1960s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon logo. | |
| Formerly | Sib-Tower 12 Productions, Inc. (1962–1965) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation Short films |
| Predecessor | MGM Cartoons |
| Founded | 1962; 63 years ago (1962) |
| Founders | Chuck Jones Les Goldman Walter Bien |
| Defunct | December 1970; 54 years ago (1970-12) |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successors | Studio: Chuck Jones Enterprises Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation Library: Warner Bros. (throughWarner Bros. Animation andTurner Entertainment Co.) (pre-1986 only) |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Parent | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1964–1970) |
MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an Americananimation studio established in 1962 byanimation director/producerChuck Jones, producer Les Goldman and executive Walter Bien asSib Tower 12 Productions. Its productions include the last series ofTom and Jerry theatrical shorts, the TV specialsHorton Hears a Who! andHow the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and the feature filmThe Phantom Tollbooth, all released byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The studio was founded in 1960 as "S I B Productions, Inc." by Walter Bien,[1] which in 1962 had hired the just developingFilmation Associates to animate a syndicated series calledRod Rocket.[2] Separately Tower 12, Inc. was formed in 1962 byChuck Jones to produce theatrical shorts, as well as informational and educational shorts, industrial and corporate films, and television programming.[3] It was afterward taken over by SIB Productions, Inc. and evolved into "Sib Tower 12, Inc.", being taken over by Jones after he was fired fromWarner Bros. Cartoons, because he was in violation of his contract[4] where he had served for over 30 years directing theLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies series.[5] A number of animators who had worked under Jones during his Warner Bros. career followed him to Sib Tower 12, as did voice actorMel Blanc and storyman and writerMichael Maltese. Sib Tower 12 Productions received a contract fromMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer to produce a new series ofTom and Jerry cartoons, which proved successful. As a result, MGM purchased the Sib Tower 12 studio from the bankrupt SIB Productions and renamed itMGM Animation/Visual Arts in 1964.[6][7] This studio continued with Jones'Tom and Jerry shorts until 1967.
In addition to theTom and Jerry cartoons, Jones worked on the one-off shortsThe Dot and the Line (1965), an abstract piece based upon a children's book byNorton Juster which won that year'sAcademy Award for Animated Short Film; andThe Bear That Wasn't (1967), an adaptation of the book of the same name by Jones' onetime Warner Bros. colleagueFrank Tashlin.
The studio also turned to television, producing two highly acclaimed TV specials based on books byDr. Seuss.How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, which aired in 1966, andHorton Hears a Who! in 1970.
The studio's most ambitious work was its 1970 feature filmThe Phantom Tollbooth, adapted from another Norton Juster book, which had been completed in 1968 but was held up from release until two years later due to internal studio problems.
After the studio closed in late 1970, Chuck Jones went on to foundChuck Jones Film Productions which produced television specials based on the stories ofRudyard Kipling and ofThe Cricket in Times Square series. In 1993, MGM opened a new animation studio,MGM Animation.
Majority of studio's output were Tom and Jerry cartoons, but the studio also produced standalone shorts.
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
