Biography
William Hanna, in tandem with longtime collaborator Joseph Barbera, built an expansive animation studio whose output encompassed The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Jonny Quest, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles, Atom Ant, The Banana Splits, and scores of additional series. Their alliance endured more than five decades, during which they also originated the MGM cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry. Another signature element was the vivid musical accompaniment shaped under Hoyt Curtin’s direction. Rhino later assembled multiple collections drawn from these properties, among them Hanna-Barbera Classics, Vol.1, Hanna-Barbera: Pic-A-Nic Basket of Cartoon Classics, The Flintstones: Modern Stone-Age Melodies, Scooby-Doo's Snack Tracks: The Ultimate Collection, and Toon Tunes: 50 Favorite Classic Cartoon Songs.
Before entering the field, Hanna completed college and briefly served as a construction engineer until the Great Depression eliminated that position. He then moved into animation, beginning at Leon Schlesinger’s Pacific Art and Title, whose founder would subsequently oversee Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes unit. In 1930 Hanna joined Harmon-Ising Studios, contributing as writer, lyricist, and composer to both Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies. He encountered Barbera in 1937 while both were employed in MGM’s animation division. Their Tom and Jerry shorts earned seven Academy Awards and appeared alongside live-action sequences featuring Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh and Esther Williams in Dangerous When Wet. Following MGM’s decision to shutter its cartoon department, the pair launched an independent venture.
In the late 1950s they inaugurated Hanna-Barbera Productions with the Huckleberry Hound and Friends program, the first animated series to receive an Emmy. They next introduced the first enduring prime-time animated series, The Flintstones, which ranked among the decade’s Top 20 programs and thereby paved the way for later evening entries such as Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Simpsons, and Futurama. Hanna passed away at ninety in his North Hollywood residence on March 22, 2001.
Before entering the field, Hanna completed college and briefly served as a construction engineer until the Great Depression eliminated that position. He then moved into animation, beginning at Leon Schlesinger’s Pacific Art and Title, whose founder would subsequently oversee Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes unit. In 1930 Hanna joined Harmon-Ising Studios, contributing as writer, lyricist, and composer to both Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies. He encountered Barbera in 1937 while both were employed in MGM’s animation division. Their Tom and Jerry shorts earned seven Academy Awards and appeared alongside live-action sequences featuring Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh and Esther Williams in Dangerous When Wet. Following MGM’s decision to shutter its cartoon department, the pair launched an independent venture.
In the late 1950s they inaugurated Hanna-Barbera Productions with the Huckleberry Hound and Friends program, the first animated series to receive an Emmy. They next introduced the first enduring prime-time animated series, The Flintstones, which ranked among the decade’s Top 20 programs and thereby paved the way for later evening entries such as Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Simpsons, and Futurama. Hanna passed away at ninety in his North Hollywood residence on March 22, 2001.
Singles
