Make like the Road Runner - Beep! Beep! - and dash to see "What's Up, Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones," a Smithsonian traveling exhibit currently at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Your inner child won't be inner for more than, oh, about a minute. I instantly reverted to giddy- youngster-self, crooning and giggling at the sight of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Pepé Le Pew, Rikki- Tikki-Tavi, the Grinch and, of course, my favorite as a former New Mexican, the Road Runner, to name just a few.
The exhibit features 23 of Jones' (1912-2002) animated films and 136 original sketches and drawings, storyboards, production backgrounds, animation cels and photographs.
You'll learn about Bugs Bunny's armed-forces career (he was a U.S. Marine recruiter during World War II), his "subtle but distinctive arrogance" and how his trademark stance with his weight on one leg was inspired by Degas' ballet dancers. Other influences on Jones' style included vaudeville and van Gogh. Jones, in turn, influenced scores of others, including director Ron Howard, who's quoted: "His Road Runner and Coyote cartoons are a perfect example of classic comedic timing and suspense. When I am directing a scene, I often refer to a Chuck Jones moment."
The show also gets into characters' psychological makeup, for instance the Coyote as a "living breathing allegory of Want," and the fact that most great stories revolve around conflict. Here, it's Bugs Bunny vs. Elmer Fudd, BB vs. Daffy Duck, BB vs. Yosemite Sam; Tweety Bird vs. Sylvester the Cat; or the Road Runner vs. the Coyote.
There's also great stuff about the Warner Bros. Animation Department, or "Termite Terrace" as it was known. Jones said of himself and his colleagues, "Just like Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd before us, we made films without any knowledge of or desire to know the human composition of our audience. Like our distinguished forebears, we made pictures for ourselves, believing with childlike innocence that if we laughed at and with each other, others perhaps would follow." Take that, modern- day pre-release screenings and audience demographics.
One of my favorite parts of the show was finding out about Jones' strict rules for each set of characters. For the Road Runner and Coyote, Rule
No. 5 states, "The Road Runner must stay on the road - otherwise, logically, he would not be called Road Runner." Rule No. 7: "All materials, tools or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the Acme Corporation" (which is owned by Road Runners!). Rule No. 8: "Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy."
Best of all, the show closes with several full-length pieces, including Duck Amuck (1953), in which Daffy goes up against his animator, getting literally rubbed out along the way; the holiday classic Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966); and Academy Award winner The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics (1965). In this short film, featuring a script by Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth), the line loves the dot, but the dot has eyes only for the jazzier squiggle. The poor line is "on edge," and "lacks spontaneity."
Don't follow in his sad foot ... er, line steps. Spontaneously get yourself to Fort Worth. This show's a must-see.
"What's Up, Doc?" continues through April 26 at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy St., Fort Worth. See the website for special programs related to the exhibit. $15 for adults, $11 for ages 2-12, $13 for ages 65 and older, free for children under 2. 817-255-9300. fortworthmuseum.org.
