| Noveltoons | |
|---|---|
_(1945_variant).jpg) The opening card in the 1945 variant. | |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | November 26, 1943 – June 1, 1967 |
Running time | 6–10 minutes (one reel) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English (usually) |
Noveltoons is a series of cartoons produced by Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios from 1943 to the end of the studio during 1967.[1] The series was known for bringing the characters from Harvey Comics to life, such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy the Good Little Witch, Herman and Katnip, Little Audrey, and Baby Huey. All shorts from Baby Huey and Little Audrey are included. It was the successor to the series Color Classics produced by Fleischer Studios. Several Noveltoons feature characters which originated in Color Classics. This series was also similar to the two series from Warner Bros., Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in that it features several recurring characters with one general title.
In 1956, Paramount sold all of the pre-October 1950 Noveltoons (ending with Saved by the Bell) to television distributor U.M. & M. TV Corporation. Shortly afterward, U.M. & M.'s assets were acquired by National Telefilm Associates. In the 1980s, NTA changed its name to Republic Pictures, and after a brief period of ownership by Spelling Entertainment in 1994, was acquired by Paramount's parent company Viacom, which placed the cartoons back in Paramount's control (Republic Pictures has been renamed to Melange Pictures since 2006, which in turn was placed in the revived Republic Pictures subsidiary).
Later in 1962, Paramount sold the post-October 1950 to pre-March 1962 Noveltoons (beginning with The Voice of the Turkey and ending with T.V. or No T.V.) to Harvey Films, which in turn was purchased by Classic Media in 2001. Classic Media was purchased by DreamWorks Animation in 2012 (and briefly renamed it DreamWorks Classics), which was purchased by Comcast's NBCUniversal in 2016 and currently distributed by Universal Pictures.
Paramount continues to own the post-March 1962 Noveltoons (beginning with Yule Laff).
Most of the pre-October 1950 cartoons are currently under public domain (with some few post-1950 exceptions as well).
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 113–114. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.