Abe Levitow

Visual Effects·Jul 2, 1922·Los Angeles, California, USA

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Abraham Levitow (July 2, 1922 – May 8, 1975) was an American animator who worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons, UPA and MGM Animation/Visual Arts. He is best known for his work under Chuck Jones' direction. Levitow began working as an in-betweener and assistant animator at Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1940 at the age of 17. He briefly left Warner Bros. when he was drafted during World War II working on training films. Levitow returned to the studio, working as an assistant animator for Ken Harris under the Chuck Jones unit, and he was later promoted to animator in 1950 and would receive his first animations credit in 1953 for the cartoon Wild Over You. He worked steadily for Jones over the remainder of the 1950s, and directed several cartoons for release in 1959, including the Pepé Le Pew cartoon "Really Scent". While working under Jones, he made characters' joints more angular than most other animators. Those characters with fur (Wile E. Coyote, for example) looked especially shaggy in Levitow's scenes. Levitow joined UPA in 1958 to work on the Mr. Magoo feature 1001 Arabian Nights, staying behind even after the studio was sold to Henry G. Saperstein. In 1962, he directed the first feature-length animated television special, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. 1962 also saw the release of his theatrical feature Gay Purr-ee. By 1962, he was working with Jones at MGM as an animator and a director in the Tom and Jerry series. He co-directed the feature film The Phantom Tollbooth with Chuck Jones at MGM. In addition, he worked with UPA on more Mr. Magoo cartoons, including The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, and also collaborated with Chuck again on the program Curiosity Shop through Format Films. He animated on the Chuck Jones-produced A Christmas Carol, directed by Richard Williams at Williams' London studio in 1971. In 1972, he and producer Dave Hanson founded Levitow/Hanson Films. The studio produced several animated pieces for Sesame Street, the most notable being Willie Wimple. His last completed project was B.C.: The First Thanksgiving, which aired in November of 1973. At the time of his death, Levitow was in line to direct the animated feature film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. The project was taken over by Richard Williams when Levitow died from a bone tumor during pre-production at the age of 52. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]

Film	Credit
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume One2011 · Director	Director
Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes1991 · Director	Director
WWhat Happened to All That Bread?1975 · Producer	Producer
B.C.: The First Thanksgiving1973 · Director	Director
BB.C. - The Shadow1971 · Director	Director
The Wizard of Id1971 · Director	Director
The Phantom Tollbooth1970 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
Uncle Sam Magoo1970 · Director	Director
Surf-Bored Cat1967 · Director	Director
The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R.1967 · Director	Director
Rock 'n' Rodent1967 · Director	Director
Guided Mouse-Ille1967 · Director	Director
O-Solar-Meow1967 · Director	Director
Catty-Cornered1966 · Director	Director
The A-Tom-inable Snowman1966 · Director	Director
Filet Meow1966 · Director	Director
Puss 'n' Boats1966 · Director	Director
Jerry-Go-Round1966 · Director	Director
Mr. Magoo, Man of Mystery1964 · Director	Director
Martian Through Georgia1962 · Director	Director
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol1962 · Director	Director
Gay Purr-ee1962 · Director	Director
Inside Magoo1960 · Director	Director
Magoo Meets Boing Boing (The Noise-Making Boy)1959 · Director	Director
Unnatural History1959 · Director	Director
A Witch's Tangled Hare1959 · Director	Director
Really Scent1959 · Director	Director
Baton Bunny1959 · Director	Director