John Hubley

John Hubley
Photograph portrait of Hubley looking up
Hubley in 1941
Born
John Kirkham Hubley

(1914-05-21)May 21, 1914
Marinette, Wisconsin, US
DiedFebruary 21, 1977(1977-02-21) (aged 62)
New Haven, Connecticut, US
EducationArtCenter College of Design
OccupationAnimated film director
Years active1936–1977
Employer(s)Walt Disney Animation Studios (1936–1941)
Screen Gems (1941–1943)
UPA (1944–1953)
Storyboard, Inc./Hubley Studios (1953–1977)
Spouses
Claudia Sewell
​
​
(m. 1941; div. 1954)​
​
(m. 1955)​
Children6, including Emily Hubley and Georgia Hubley
RelativesKathleen Kirkham (Aunt)
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branch
Years of service1942–1946
RankPrivate
Unit18th AAF Base Unit
Battles / warsWorld War II

John Kirkham Hubley (May 21, 1914 – February 21, 1977) was an American animated film director, art director, producer, and writer known for his work with the United Productions of America (UPA)[1] and his own independent studio, Storyboard, Inc. (later renamed Hubley Studio).[2] A pioneer and innovator in the American animation industry, Hubley pushed for more visually and emotionally complex films than those being produced by contemporaries like the Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers Animation.[3] He and his second wife, Faith Hubley (née Chestman), who he worked alongside from 1953 onward, were nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning three.[4]

Hubley was born in Marinette, Wisconsin, in 1914 and developed an interest in art from a young age, as both his mother and maternal grandfather were professional painters.[5] After high school, Hubley attended the ArtCenter College of Design to study painting. After three years of classes, he got a job at the Walt Disney Animation Studio at the age of 22.[6] Although his talents were recognized by the studio and he was given a position as an animation director on Fantasia, Hubley felt restricted by the studio's conservative animation style. Hubley left Disney in 1941 during the Disney animator's strike and joined the First Motion Pictures Unit, later following many of his fellow unit artists to the newly-formed Industrial Poster Service (later renamed the United Productions of America). Hubley served many roles at UPA and directed several Academy Award-nominated animated shorts. Most famously, he directed The Ragtime Bear (1949), the debut of Mr. Magoo, a character he co-created.

In 1952, Hubley was forced to leave UPA after refusing to denounce communism, leading to his eventual investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee. He soon opened his own independent studio to capitalize on commercial work for the new market of television advertising,[7] directing the successful "I Want My Maypo!" spot. In 1954, he was commissioned by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to make an animated short film, the first short ever funded by an art museum.[8]

Hubley (alongside his wife Faith) is often considered the most important figure in American independent animation and one of the most important figures in the history of animation. The Hubleys' film Moonbird (1959) became the first independent film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Hubley collaborated with jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, and Quincy Jones and often used unscripted, improvised dialogue in his films, creating an entirely new way of expressing emotion and feeling through the medium of animation. His films are considered important in the evolution of post-war modernism in film.[9] The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences claim the Hubleys' films "bucked the establishment and defined an era of independent animation production".[10]

  1. ^ Abraham, Adam (2012). When Magoo Flew: The Rise and Fall of Animation Studio UPA. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-7270-7.
  2. ^ "Overview for John Hubley". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Hubley, John; Schwartz, Zachary (July 1946). "Animation Learns A New Language". Hollywood Quarterly. 1 (4): 360–363. doi:10.2307/1209495. JSTOR 1209495. S2CID 191564703.
  4. ^ https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org Academy Awards Database.
  5. ^ Hubley, John and Faith (1974). Animation: A Creative Challenge. Mid-America Film Center and the Kansas City Art Institute.
  6. ^ "Screening Room with John and Faith Hubley". Screening Room. April, 1973. WGBH Boston. Film
  7. ^ "The Red Scare Killed an Animator's Career, So He Took Over TV".Animation Obsessive. Published May 18, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  8. ^ Haug, Sarah. "A Joyful, Animated Mid-Century Film from the Guggenheim's Archives". Guggenheim.org. Published January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Amidi, Amid (2006). Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in 1950s Animation. Chronicle Books. ISBN 0811847314.
  10. ^ Wall text, Inventing Worlds and Characters, Animation, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, California