Some sad news...
Yesterday Joe Barbera, half of the Hanna-Barbera team, died at age 95. He and his partner Bill Hanna (who passed away in 2001) founded one of the first independent studios that made animation specifically for television way back in 1957. They have produced some of the most memorable animated TV series ranging from The Flintstones and The Jetsons, to Johnny Quest, Yogi Bear and the Smurfs, to more modern series like Swat Kats, and of course Scooby Doo, the longest running animated series in history.
Below is a brief excerpt from the article in the Hollywood Reporter. A link to the full article follows below. I think it's worth reading to take a moment and remember someone who started an entire industry and paved the way for all the great TV animation that we take for granted today.
-------------------------------
Animation pioneer Joe Barbera dies
Dec 19, 2006
Joe Barbera, half of the Hanna-Barbera animation team that produced such beloved cartoon characters as Tom & Jerry, Yogi Bear, the Flintstones and the Jetsons, died Monday, a Warner Bros. spokesman said. He was 95.
Barbera died of natural causes at his Studio City home with his wife Sheila at his side, the spokesman said.
With partner Bill Hanna, Barbera first found success in the late 1930s creating the fussin' and fightin' Tom & Jerry cartoons at MGM. The cat and mouse went on to win seven Academy Awards, more than any other series with the same characters.
Then, as founders and partners in Hanna-Barbera Studios, they discovered a whole new realm of success starting in the 1950s with animated TV comedies including "The Flintstones," "The Jetsons," "Huckleberry Hound and Friends" (the first animated TV series to receive an Emmy), "Quick Draw McGraw" (which introduced Yogi, Boo-Boo and Jellystone Park), "Top Cat," "Jonny Quest" and "Scooby-Doo."
Hanna-Barbera Studios would rake in eight Emmys, including the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1988, and Barbera and Hanna were elected to the ATAS Hall of Fame in 1994.
"Joe Barbera truly was an animation and television legend," Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer said. "From the Stone Age to the Space Age and from primetime to Saturday mornings, syndication and cable, the characters he created with (Hanna) are not only animated superstars but also a very beloved part of American pop culture. While he will be missed by his family and friends, Joe will live on through his work."
Warner Bros. Animation president Sander Schwartz added: "Joe's contributions to both the animation and television industries are without parallel. He has been personally responsible for entertaining countless millions of viewers across the globe."
---------------------
Click here to read the full article.