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While the history of Columbia's animation output is marked by hits and misses, experimentation is a constant. It was the early Charles Mintz/Screen Gems studio that produced some of the most groundbreaking cartoons of the 1930s, outside the [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Disney]] and Creator/FleischerStudios. The Scrappy series, for example, employed exaggerated, abstract character designs and stories that involved unique personalities. The character of Scrappy, created by Dick Huemer, became an overnight success with a popularity surpassed only by Mickey Mouse.

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While the history of Columbia's animation output is marked by hits and misses, experimentation is a constant. It was the early Charles Mintz/Screen Gems studio that produced some of the most groundbreaking cartoons of the 1930s, outside the [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Disney]] and Creator/FleischerStudios. The Scrappy series, Initially formed via the absorption of Ben Harrison and Manny Gould's smaller studio (producing a series of shorts based on ''ComicStrip/KrazyKat'' for example, employed Columbia), Mintz subsequently expanded his staff by hiring Fleischer veterans Dick Huemer, Art Davis and Sid Marcus. Following an unsuccessful series of shorts centering on the anthropomorphic dog Toby the Pup, Huemer created Scrappy, a BrattyHalfPint inhabiting a world of exaggerated, abstract character designs and stories that involved bizarre characters. Possibly owing to its unique personalities. The character of Scrappy, created by Dick Huemer, aesthetics, the Scrappy series, while mostly forgotten in the present day, became an overnight success with a popularity surpassed only by Mickey Mouse.
Mouse. Scrappy's success did not, however, subsume the Krazy Kat series, which continued in a form [[InNameOnly increasingly diverging from Herriman's strip]].
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* InNameOnly: Their cartoon adaptations of Krazy Kat have absolutely nothing in common with George Herriman's classic comic strip, turning the character into a shameless WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse copycat. The sole exception is a 1936 short "Lil Anjil", which at least tried to capture the art direction and basic plot elements of the comic, and also had Ignatz and Offica Pup present.

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* InNameOnly: Their cartoon adaptations of Krazy Kat (at least during the 1930s) have absolutely nothing in common with George Herriman's classic comic strip, turning the title character from an elfin, innocent, ambiguously-gendered creature into a shameless WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse copycat. copycat with a [[DistaffCounterpart lookalike girlfriend]] in the vein of Minnie; the signature brick gags, bizarre desert settings and the entire remainder of Herriman's cast (including co-protagonist Ignatz) were likewise unceremoniously dropped. The sole exception is a 1936 short "Lil Anjil", which which, at the insistence of storyman Izzy Klein, at least tried to capture the art direction and basic plot elements of the comic, and also had alongside prominently featuring Ignatz and Offica Pup present.Offisa Pupp and depicting the Kat as potentially-female.

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* "WesternAnimation/HolidayLand" (1934): Screen Gems.
* "WesternAnimation/{{The Little Match Girl|1937}}" (1937): Screen Gems.

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* Color Rhapsody (1934-1949): Screen Gems.
**
"WesternAnimation/HolidayLand" (1934): Screen Gems.
*
(1934)
**
"WesternAnimation/{{The Little Match Girl|1937}}" (1937): Screen Gems.(1937)
** "WesternAnimation/{{Imagination}}" (1943): Produced by [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Dave Fleischer]].
** "WesternAnimation/DogCatAndCanary" (1945)



* "WesternAnimation/{{Imagination}}" (1943): Screen Gems, produced by [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Dave Fleischer]].
* "WesternAnimation/DogCatAndCanary" (1945): Screen Gems.
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* LorreLookalike: The ''Color Rhapsodies'' MissingEpisode "Cockatoos for Two" features one as the antagonist, who conspires to cook and eat the title bird.
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The void left by the closure of Screen Gems was filled by "United Productions of America" or UPA. This occurred when Steve Bosustow and his creative staff, including many alumni of Tashlin's avant-garde ensemble at Screen Gems, approached the studio. In 1948, Columbia tentatively agreed to distribute UPA's theatrical shorts, a decision that would quickly prove to be the studio's wisest, animation-wise. Throughout the late 1940s and the 1950s, UPA would earn several Academy Awards and nominations for the fruits of their efforts. In the process, they brought to the screen such endearing characters as the nearsighted WesternAnimation/MrMagoo (voiced by Jim Backus) and WesternAnimation/GeraldMcBoingBoing. In 1959, however, UPA ceased production of theatrical cartoon shorts and Bosustow ended up selling the studio to Henry G. Saperstein. After a brief distribution deal with "Creator/HannaBarbera" in the 1960's, which was mostly involved in Television, the era of classic animation at Columbia came to a close in 1967.

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The void left by the closure of Screen Gems was filled by "United Productions of America" or UPA. This occurred when Steve Bosustow and his creative staff, including many alumni of Tashlin's avant-garde ensemble at Screen Gems, approached the studio. In 1948, Columbia tentatively agreed to distribute UPA's theatrical shorts, a decision that would quickly prove to be the studio's wisest, animation-wise. Throughout the late 1940s and the 1950s, UPA would earn several Academy Awards and nominations for the fruits of their efforts. In the process, they brought to the screen such endearing characters as the nearsighted WesternAnimation/MrMagoo (voiced by Jim Backus) and WesternAnimation/GeraldMcBoingBoing. In 1959, however, UPA ceased production of theatrical cartoon shorts and Bosustow ended up selling the studio to Henry G. Saperstein. After a brief distribution short-lived deal with "Creator/HannaBarbera" in the 1960's, 1960's to distribute theatrical shorts by Creator/HannaBarbera, which was mostly involved in Television, television, the era of classic animation at Columbia came to a close in 1967.
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that “columbia favorite” title is a fan edit


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* ''Frosty the Snowman'' (1953) UPA.
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Uncanny Valley is IUEO now and the subjective version has been split; cleaning up misuse and ZCE in the process


* FurriesAreEasierToDraw: The UPA films are a major aversion. The UPA animators felt that FunnyAnimal characters were too cliché, and chose to use humans instead. They worked around this by making the humans as simplistic as possible, so they would both be easy to animate and avoid falling into the UncannyValley.

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* FurriesAreEasierToDraw: The UPA films are a major aversion. The UPA animators felt that FunnyAnimal characters were too cliché, and chose to use humans instead. They worked around this by making the humans as simplistic as possible, so they would both be easy to animate and avoid falling into the UncannyValley.UnintentionalUncannyValley. [[invoked]]
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%%%%Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16637609930.33907900



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couldn't find poster or ad of the studio so I got an image from a "make cartoons" book


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Of all the classic theatrical animated cartoons, those released by Creator/ColumbiaPictures during UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfAnimation and UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation are perhaps the most overlooked by the general public today. This is unfortunate because some of the most significant endeavors in the medium's history emerged from the collective works of Charles Mintz, Screen Gems and UPA. It is difficult, for example, for one to think of the history of animation without films like "The Little Match Girl", "The Fox and the Grapes", "WesternAnimation/GeraldMcBoingBoing" or "WesternAnimation/RootyTootToot" that, in so many ways, redefined what a cartoon was. The only short they did that's still somewhat famous today is their adaptation of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''The Tell-Tale Heart'', which is often played in English classes.

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Of all the classic theatrical animated cartoons, those released by Creator/ColumbiaPictures during UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfAnimation and UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation are perhaps the most overlooked by the general public today. This is unfortunate because some of the most significant endeavors in the medium's history emerged from the collective works of Charles Mintz, Screen Gems and UPA. It is difficult, for example, for one to think of the history of animation without films like "The Little Match Girl", "The Fox and the Grapes", "WesternAnimation/GeraldMcBoingBoing" or "WesternAnimation/RootyTootToot" that, in so many ways, redefined what a cartoon was. The only short they did that's still somewhat famous today is their adaptation of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''The Tell-Tale Heart'', which is often played in English classes.
schools.



Following the Death of Mintz, his production manager, Jimmy Bronis, became his successor. After Bronis came Mintz's brother-in-law, George Winkler. Meanwhile, the studio was scrambling for a new star, as Scrappy was being phased out around this time. Later Columbia got rid of Winkler and brought in former Disney storyman and Warner Bros. cartoon director, Creator/FrankTashlin. Under Tashlin, the studio experienced a considerable talent boom. Many of the studio staffers were former Disney employees, fresh off the picket line from the 1941 strike at that studio, leaving Tashlin with a lineup of talent including John Hubley, Zack Schwartz, Emery Hawkins, [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Ray Patterson]], Phil Duncan and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Louie Schmitt]]. The drive to experiment and employ new, innovative ideas was strong and led to the emergence of a handful of highly-stylized cartoons as well as the successful ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' series, pitting a refined, sophisticated Fox against a chiseling, street-wise Crow. Unfortunately, Tashlin's stay was short-lived and he was replaced by Dave Fleischer. Later Fleischer too would depart and his other successors would make little impact on the studio. The quality of the cartoons, meanwhile, began to deteriorate and finally, in 1946, Screen Gems closed. However, they had produced enough cartoons to be released through 1949.

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Following the Death death of Mintz, his production manager, Jimmy Bronis, became his successor. After Bronis came Mintz's brother-in-law, George Winkler. Meanwhile, the studio was scrambling for a new star, as Scrappy was being phased out around this time. Later Later, Columbia got rid of Winkler and brought in former Disney storyman and Warner Bros. cartoon director, Creator/FrankTashlin. Under Tashlin, the studio experienced a considerable talent boom. Many of the studio staffers were former Disney employees, fresh off the picket line from the 1941 strike at that studio, leaving Tashlin with a lineup of talent including John Hubley, Zack Schwartz, Emery Hawkins, [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Ray Patterson]], Phil Duncan and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Louie Schmitt]]. The drive to experiment and employ new, innovative ideas was strong and led to the emergence of a handful of highly-stylized cartoons as well as the successful ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' series, pitting a refined, sophisticated Fox against a chiseling, street-wise Crow. Unfortunately, Tashlin's stay was short-lived and he was replaced by Dave Fleischer. Later Fleischer too would depart and his other successors would make little impact on the studio. The quality of the cartoons, meanwhile, began to deteriorate and finally, in 1946, Screen Gems closed. However, they had produced enough cartoons to be released through 1949.



* {{Bowdlerize}}: The TV airing of "The Little Match Girl" completely removed the entire sequence where [[spoiler:the girl's dream falls apart and she freezes to death on-screen]], completely ruining the story's tragic emotional impact.

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* {{Bowdlerize}}: The TV airing Totally Tooned In! version of "The Little Match Girl" completely removed the entire sequence where [[spoiler:the girl's dream falls apart and she freezes to death on-screen]], completely ruining the story's tragic emotional impact.



** The Fox and the Crow became Screen Gems' most popular characters, so much that they had spin off their own shorts, had a very notable comic book series and even exist in the DC multiverse. Also they were going to appear in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' before they were cut.

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** The Fox and the Crow became Screen Gems' most popular characters, so much that they had spin off their own shorts, had a very notable comic book series and even exist in the DC multiverse. Also they They were going also intended to appear in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' before they were cut.
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Following the Death of Mintz, his production manager, Jimmy Bronis, became his successor. After Bronis came Mintz's brother-in-law, George Winkler. Meanwhile, the studio was scrambling for a new star, as Scrappy was being phased out around this time. Later Columbia got rid of Winkler and brought in former Disney storyman and Warner Bros. cartoon director, Creator/FrankTashlin. Under Tashlin, the studio experienced a considerable talent boom. Many of the studio staffers were former Disney employees, fresh off the picket line from the 1941 strike at that studio, leaving Tashlin with a lineup of talent including Creator/John Hubley, [[Creator/UPA Zack Schwartz]], Emery Hawkins, [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Ray Patterson]], Phil Duncan and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Louie Schmitt]]. The drive to experiment and employ new, innovative ideas was strong and led to the emergence of a handful of highly-stylized cartoons as well as the successful ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' series, pitting a refined, sophisticated Fox against a chiseling, street-wise Crow. Unfortunately, Tashlin's stay was short-lived and he was replaced by Dave Fleischer. Later Fleischer too would depart and his other successors would make little impact on the studio. The quality of the cartoons, meanwhile, began to deteriorate and finally, in 1946, Screen Gems closed. However, they had produced enough cartoons to be released through 1949.

to:

Following the Death of Mintz, his production manager, Jimmy Bronis, became his successor. After Bronis came Mintz's brother-in-law, George Winkler. Meanwhile, the studio was scrambling for a new star, as Scrappy was being phased out around this time. Later Columbia got rid of Winkler and brought in former Disney storyman and Warner Bros. cartoon director, Creator/FrankTashlin. Under Tashlin, the studio experienced a considerable talent boom. Many of the studio staffers were former Disney employees, fresh off the picket line from the 1941 strike at that studio, leaving Tashlin with a lineup of talent including Creator/John John Hubley, [[Creator/UPA Zack Schwartz]], Schwartz, Emery Hawkins, [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Ray Patterson]], Phil Duncan and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Louie Schmitt]]. The drive to experiment and employ new, innovative ideas was strong and led to the emergence of a handful of highly-stylized cartoons as well as the successful ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' series, pitting a refined, sophisticated Fox against a chiseling, street-wise Crow. Unfortunately, Tashlin's stay was short-lived and he was replaced by Dave Fleischer. Later Fleischer too would depart and his other successors would make little impact on the studio. The quality of the cartoons, meanwhile, began to deteriorate and finally, in 1946, Screen Gems closed. However, they had produced enough cartoons to be released through 1949.
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Following the Death of Mintz, his production manager, Jimmy Bronis, became his successor. After Bronis came Mintz's brother-in-law, George Winkler. Meanwhile, the studio was scrambling for a new star, as Scrappy was being phased out around this time. Later Columbia got rid of Winkler and brought in former Disney storyman and Warner Bros. cartoon director, Creator/FrankTashlin. Under Tashlin, the studio experienced a considerable talent boom. Many of the studio staffers were former Disney employees, fresh off the picket line from the 1941 strike at that studio, leaving Tashlin with a lineup of talent including [[Creator/JohnHubley John Hubley]], [[Creator/UnitedProductionsOfAmerica Zack Schwartz]], Emery Hawkins, [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Ray Patterson]], Phil Duncan and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Louie Schmitt]. The drive to experiment and employ new, innovative ideas was strong and led to the emergence of a handful of highly-stylized cartoons as well as the successful ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' series, pitting a refined, sophisticated Fox against a chiseling, street-wise Crow. Unfortunately, Tashlin's stay was short-lived and he was replaced by Dave Fleischer. Later Fleischer too would depart and his other successors would make little impact on the studio. The quality of the cartoons, meanwhile, began to deteriorate and finally, in 1946, Screen Gems closed. However, they had produced enough cartoons to be released through 1949.

to:

Following the Death of Mintz, his production manager, Jimmy Bronis, became his successor. After Bronis came Mintz's brother-in-law, George Winkler. Meanwhile, the studio was scrambling for a new star, as Scrappy was being phased out around this time. Later Columbia got rid of Winkler and brought in former Disney storyman and Warner Bros. cartoon director, Creator/FrankTashlin. Under Tashlin, the studio experienced a considerable talent boom. Many of the studio staffers were former Disney employees, fresh off the picket line from the 1941 strike at that studio, leaving Tashlin with a lineup of talent including [[Creator/JohnHubley John Hubley]], [[Creator/UnitedProductionsOfAmerica Creator/John Hubley, [[Creator/UPA Zack Schwartz]], Emery Hawkins, [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Ray Patterson]], Phil Duncan and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Louie Schmitt].Schmitt]]. The drive to experiment and employ new, innovative ideas was strong and led to the emergence of a handful of highly-stylized cartoons as well as the successful ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' series, pitting a refined, sophisticated Fox against a chiseling, street-wise Crow. Unfortunately, Tashlin's stay was short-lived and he was replaced by Dave Fleischer. Later Fleischer too would depart and his other successors would make little impact on the studio. The quality of the cartoons, meanwhile, began to deteriorate and finally, in 1946, Screen Gems closed. However, they had produced enough cartoons to be released through 1949.

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