History Creator / FamousStudios

* Raggedy Ann: Appeared in two shorts made by the studio: "Suddenly It's Spring" (1944), and "WesternAnimation/TheEnchantedSquare" (1947), the latter notably directed by Bill Tytla of Disney fame. Both shorts are in the public domain.

* WesternAnimation/{{Noveltoons}} (1943 – 1967). A series of (primarily) one-shot shorts designed as a testing ground for potential new recurring characters; notable for originating several of Famous' most notable original characters (such as Herman, Katnip, Baby Huey and, most famously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), alongside a slew of more obscure recurring figures (such as the WesternAnimation/BugsBunny-reminiscent Blackie). Characters, trademarks and cartoons produced from October 1950 to March 1962 owned by Creator/{{Universal}} Studios through [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation [=DreamWorks=] Classics]] though all other shorts remain with Paramount or are in the public domain

* ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} the Sailor (inherited from Creator/FleischerStudios, 1942 – 1957); shorts now owned by Creator/WarnerBros through Turner Entertainment (some are in the public domain)

* [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons Superman]] (inherited from Creator/FleischerStudios, 1942 – 1943); all shorts in the public domain but WB owns the original film elements and all authorized home media releases come from them (as owners of DC Comics)
* WesternAnimation/{{Noveltoons}} (1943 – 1967); characters, trademarks and cartoons produced from October 1950 to March 1962 owned by Creator/{{Universal}} Studios through [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation [=DreamWorks=] Classics]] though all other shorts remain with Paramount or are in the public domain
* ComicStrip/LittleLulu (1943 – 1948); character rights owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics, though Paramount retains control of the shorts; though a few of them are public domain
* WesternAnimation/LittleAudrey (1947-1958); character rights and shorts produced from October 1950 to 1958 owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics, though all cartoons prior to that are still owned by Paramount or are in the public domain
* Raggedy Ann: Appeared in two shorts made by the studio: "Suddenly It's Spring" (1944), and "WesternAnimation/TheEnchantedSquare" (1947). Both shorts are in the public domain.
* WesternAnimation/ScreenSongs (1947 – 1951; originally produced by Fleischer Studios 1929 – 1938); last seven shorts owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics. Many from 1947-October 1950 in the public domain
* WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost (Initially appeared in three Noveltoons short subjects, graduated to a standalone series from 1950 – 1959); character rights and all standalone cartoons owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics, while the first three shorts are in the public domain alongside two made afterwards
* WesternAnimation/BabyHuey (1950-1959); character rights and all shorts from October 1950 to 1959 owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics, with earlier shorts in the public domain or still with Paramount

* WesternAnimation/HermanAndKatnip (1952 – 1959); character rights and shorts owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics
* Modern Madcaps (1958 – 1967); character rights and shorts from 1958 to March 1962 owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics, and all other shorts remain with Paramount

* The Cat (1961); character rights and shorts owned by Universal through [=DreamWorks=] Classics

* Honey Halfwitch (1965 – 1967); still owned by Paramount

* Go Go Toons (1967); still owned by Paramount

In 1956, however, Paramount, increasingly dissatisfied with Famous' output, reduced the studio's budgets further (catalyzing the dismissal of several longtime Fleischer staffers, among them Izzy Sparber) and assumed control of its management entirely, subsequently rebranding it "Paramount Cartoon Studios". The formerly-popular ''Popeye'' series, having long descended into [[StrictlyFormula highly-repetitive]] narratives focusing on Popeye and Bluto feuding over Olive Oyl, was finally discontinued during this period, while Famous' remaining original series rapidly declined into extremely crudely-drawn LimitedAnimation virtually comparable to Creator/HannaBarbera's contemporary TV output in quality. Following the sale of their remaining characters to Creator/HarveyComics in 1959, Famous/Paramount was essentially left creatively adrift, alternating between increasingly dull kid-oriented one-shots and more adult-oriented shorts such as the noir parody "Cool Cat Blues", none of which proved overly successful. Owing to Sparber's dismissal, Kneitel became the studio's sole creative producer during this period, exacting an immense volume of labor which only succeeded in exacerbating his long-standing cardiac issues. Resultantly, Kneitel suffered another heart attack in 1964, which ultimately proved to be fatal; following his passing, comic book veteran Howard Post and, subsequently, Creator/ShamusCulhane assumed creative control in his wake. Despite the low staff morale and even-lower budgets plaguing the studio during this period, both men are frequently viewed as having revitalized the studio's long-decimated output creatively; Culhane in particular produced the overtly experimental "My Daddy the Astronaut", a short written and animated in a highly-stylized manner reminiscent of a young child's illustrated journal. By 1967, however, Culhane had departed over creative conflicts and left Creator/RalphBakshi, formerly of Creator/{{Terrytoons}}, as the studio's lead director, but he only completed a small handful of shorts (among them the psychedelic "Marvin Digs", centering on a teenage hippie's fraught relationship with his temperamental, conservative father) when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down, extinguishing the final remnants of what had once been Fleischer Studios.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work. Lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head "directors" Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law, partially installed as a studio head to bar Fleischer from attempting to sue Paramount) and Izzy Sparber (a former storyboard artist) increasingly ousted or marginalized more experimental animators and directors (most notably ''Popeye'' animator Jim Tyer and director Dan Gordon, whose shorts, confined to the studio's first two years, featured a relentless energy and [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall-demolishing]] gags equivalent to, or even exceeding, those of contemporary WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Tex Avery]] shorts in scope and absurdity) and opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced. By the end of the decade, the pair had both issued studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposed stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work. Lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law, partially installed as a studio head to bar Fleischer from attempting to sue Paramount) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly ousted or marginalized more experimental animators and directors (most notably ''Popeye'' animator Jim Tyer and director Dan Gordon, whose shorts, confined to the studio's first two years, featured a relentless energy and [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall-demolishing]] gags equivalent to, or even exceeding, those of contemporary WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Tex Avery]] shorts in scope and absurdity) and opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced. By the end of the decade, the pair had both issued studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposed stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

In 1956, however, Paramount, increasingly dissatisfied with Famous' output, reduced the studio's budgets further and assumed control of its management entirely, subsequently rebranding it "Paramount Cartoon Studios". The formerly-popular ''Popeye'' series, having long descended into [[StrictlyFormula highly-repetitive]] narratives focusing on Popeye and Bluto feuding over Olive Oyl, was finally discontinued during this period, while Famous' remaining original series rapidly declined into extremely crudely-drawn LimitedAnimation virtually comparable to Creator/HannaBarbera's contemporary TV output in quality. Following the sale of their remaining characters to Creator/HarveyComics in 1959, Famous/Paramount was essentially left creatively adrift, alternating between increasingly dull kid-oriented one-shots and more adult-oriented shorts such as the noir parody "Cool Cat Blues", none of which proved overly successful. Owing to Sparber's death in 1958, Kneitel became the studio's sole creative producer during this period, exacting an immense volume of labor which only succeeded in exacerbating his long-standing cardiac issues. Resultantly, Kneitel suffered another heart attack in 1964, which ultimately proved to be fatal; following his passing, comic book veteran Howard Post and, subsequently, Creator/ShamusCulhane assumed creative control in his wake. Despite the low staff morale and even-lower budgets plaguing the studio during this period, both men are frequently viewed as having revitalized the studio's long-decimated output creatively; Culhane in particular produced the overtly experimental "My Daddy the Astronaut", a short written and animated in a highly-stylized manner reminiscent of a young child's illustrated journal. By 1967, however, Culhane had departed over creative conflicts and left Creator/RalphBakshi, formerly of Creator/{{Terrytoons}}, as the studio's lead director, but he only completed a small handful of shorts (among them the psychedelic "Marvin Digs", centering on a teenage hippie's fraught relationship with his temperamental, conservative father) when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down, extinguishing the final remnants of what had once been Fleischer Studios.

In 1956, however, Paramount, increasingly dissatisfied with Famous' output, reduced the studio's budgets further and assumed control of its management entirely, subsequently rebranding it "Paramount Cartoon Studios". The formerly-popular ''Popeye'' series, having long descended into [[StrictlyFormula highly-repetitive]] narratives focusing on Popeye and Bluto feuding over Olive Oyl, was finally discontinued during this period, while Famous' remaining original series rapidly declined into extremely crudely-drawn LimitedAnimation virtually comparable to Creator/HannaBarbera's contemporary TV output in quality. Following the sale of their remaining characters to Creator/HarveyComics in 1959, Famous/Paramount was essentially left creatively adrift, alternating between increasingly dull kid-oriented one-shots and more adult-oriented shorts such as the noir parody "Cool Cat Blues", none of which proved overly successful. Owing to Sparber's death in 1958, Kneitel became the studio's sole creative producer during this period, exacting an immense volume of labor which only succeeded in exacerbating his long-standing cardiac issues. Resultantly, Kneitel suffered another heart attack in 1963, which ultimately proved to be fatal; following his passing, comic book veteran Howard Post and, subsequently, Creator/ShamusCulhane assumed creative control in his wake. Despite the low staff morale and even-lower budgets plaguing the studio during this period, both men are frequently viewed as having revitalized the studio's long-decimated output creatively; Culhane in particular produced the overtly experimental "My Daddy the Astronaut", a short written and animated in a highly-stylized manner reminiscent of a young child's illustrated journal. By 1967, however, Culhane had departed over creative conflicts and left Creator/RalphBakshi, formerly of Creator/{{Terrytoons}}, as the studio's lead director, but he only completed a small handful of shorts (among them the psychedelic "Marvin Digs", centering on a teenage hippie's fraught relationship with his temperamental, conservative father) when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down, extinguishing the final remnants of what had once been Fleischer Studios.

In 1956, however, Paramount, increasingly dissatisfied with Famous' output, reduced the studio's budgets further and assumed control of its management entirely, subsequently rebranding it "Paramount Cartoon Studios". The formerly-popular ''Popeye'' series, having long descended into [[StrictlyFormula highly-repetitive]] narratives focusing on Popeye and Bluto feuding over Olive Oyl, was finally discontinued during this period, while Famous' remaining original series rapidly declined into extremely crudely-drawn LimitedAnimation virtually comparable to Creator/HannaBarbera's contemporary TV output in quality. Following the sale of their remaining characters to Creator/HarveyComics in 1959, Famous/Paramount was essentially left creatively adrift, alternating between increasingly dull kid-oriented one-shots and more adult-oriented shorts such as the noir parody "Cool Cat Blues", none of which proved overly successful. Following Kneitel's passing in 1963, comic book veteran Howard Post and, subsequently, Creator/ShamusCulhane assumed creative control in his wake, thus briefly revitalizing the studio's long-decimated output creatively; Culhane in particular produced the overtly experimental "My Daddy the Astronaut", a short written and animated in a highly-stylized manner reminiscent of a young child's illustrated journal. By 1967, however, Culhane had departed over creative conflicts and left Creator/RalphBakshi, formerly of Creator/{{Terrytoons}}, as the studio's lead director, but he only completed a small handful of shorts (among them the psychedelic "Marvin Digs", centering on a teenage hippie's fraught relationship with his temperamental, conservative father) when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down, extinguishing the final remnants of what had once been Fleischer Studios.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work. Lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law, partially installed as a studio head to bar Fleischer from attempting to sue Paramount) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly ousted or marginalized more experimental animators and directors (most notably ''Popeye'' animator Jim Tyer and director Dan Gordon, whose shorts, confined to the studio's first two years, featured a relentless energy and [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall-demolishing]] gags equivalent to, or even exceeding, those of contemporary WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Tex Avery]] shorts in scope and absurdity) and opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced, issuing studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposing stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work. Lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly ousted or marginalized more experimental animators and directors (most notably ''Popeye'' animator Jim Tyer and director Dan Gordon, whose shorts, confined to the studio's first two years, featured a relentless energy and [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall-demolishing]] gags equivalent to, or even exceeding, those of contemporary WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Tex Avery]] shorts in scope and absurdity) and opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced, issuing studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposing stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work. Lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly ousted or marginalized more experimental animators and directors (most notably ''Popeye'' animator Jim Tyer and director Dan Gordon, whose shorts, confined to the studio's first two years, featured a relentless energy and [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall-demolishing]] gags equivalent to, or even exceeding, those of contemporary [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes]] and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Tex Avery]] shorts in scope and absurdity) and opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced, issuing studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposing stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work. Lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly ousted or marginalized more experimental animators and directors (most notably ''Popeye'' animator Jim Tyer and director Dan Gordon, whose shorts, confined to the studio's first two years, featured a relentless energy and [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall-demolishing]] gags equivalent to, or even exceeding, those of contemporary [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesAndMerrieMelodies Warner's]] and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Tex Avery]] shorts in scope and absurdity) and opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced, issuing studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposing stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work. Lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly ousted or marginalized more experimental animators and directors (most notably ''Popeye'' animator Jim Tyer and director Dan Gordon, whose shorts, confined to the studio's first two years, featured a relentless energy and [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall-demolishing]] gags equivalent to, or even exceeding, those of contemporary [[WesternAnimationLooneyTunesAndMerrieMelodies Warner]] and [[WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons Tex Avery]] shorts in scope and absurdity) and opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced, issuing studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposing stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work: lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced, issuing studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposing stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties.

In 1956, however, Paramount, increasingly dissatisfied with Famous' output, reduced the studio's budgets further and assumed control of its management entirely, subsequently rebranding it "Paramount Cartoon Studios". The formerly-popular ''Popeye'' series, having long descended into [[StrictlyFormula highly-repetitive]] narratives focusing on Popeye and Bluto feuding over Olive Oyl, was finally discontinued during this period, while Famous' remaining original series rapidly declined into extremely crudely-drawn LimitedAnimation virtually comparable to Creator/HannaBarbera's contemporary TV output in quality. Following the sale of their remaining characters to Creator/HarveyComics in 1959, Famous/Paramount was essentially left creatively adrift, alternating between increasingly dull kid-oriented one-shots and more adult-oriented shorts such as the noir parody "Cool Cat Blues", none of which proved overly successful. Following Kneitel's passing in 1963, comic book veteran Howard Post and, subsequently, Creator/ShamusCulhane assumed creative control in his wake, thus briefly revitalizing the studio's long-decimated output creatively; Culhane in particular produced the overtly experimental "My Daddy the Astronaut", a short written and animated in a highly-stylized manner reminiscent of a young child's illustrated journal. By 1967, however, Culhane had departed over creative conflicts and left Creator/RalphBakshi, formerly of Creator/{{Terrytoons}}, as the studio's lead director, but he only completed a small handful of shorts (among them the psychedelic "Marvin Digs", centering on a teenage hippie's fraught relationship with his temperamental, conservative father) when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down.

In 1956, however, Paramount, increasingly dissatisfied with Famous' output, reduced the studio's budgets further and assumed control of its management entirely, subsequently rebranding it "Paramount Cartoon Studios". The formerly-popular ''Popeye'' series, having long descended into [[StrictlyFormula highly-repetitive]] narratives focusing on Popeye and Bluto feuding over Olive Oyl, was finally discontinued during this period, while Famous' remaining original series rapidly declined into extremely crudely-drawn LimitedAnimation virtually comparable to Creator/HannaBarbera's contemporary TV output in quality. Following the sale of their remaining characters to Creator/HarveyComics in 1959, Famous/Paramount was essentially left creatively adrift, alternating between increasingly dull kid-oriented one-shots and more adult-oriented shorts such as the noir parody "Cool Cat Blues", none of which proved overly successful. Following Kneitel's passing in 1963, comic book veteran Howard Post and, subsequently, Creator/ShamusCulhane assumed creative control in his wake, thus briefly revitalizing the studio's long-decimated output creatively; Culhane in particular produced the overtly experimental "My Daddy the Astronaut", a short written and animated in a highly-stylized manner reminiscent of a young child's illustrated journal. By 1967, however, Culhane had departed over creative conflicts and left Creator/RalphBakshi, formerly of Creator/Terrytoons, as the studio's lead director, but he only completed a small handful of shorts (among them the psychedelic "Marvin Digs", centering on a teenage hippie's fraught relationship with his temperamental, conservative father) when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work: lacking Max Fleischer's technical ambitions and threatened with both increased ExecutiveMeddling from Paramount and decreasing budgets post-WWII, head directors Seymour Kneitel (a former animator and Max Fleischer's son-in-law) and Izzy Sparber (a former camera operator) increasingly opted for safer, more formulaic output as the forties advanced, issuing studio-wide "timing guides" that forced animation directors to time finished animation at a slow, evenly-paced cadence (thus flattening the studio's attempts at slapstick in ensuing years) and imposing stifling market-researched sensibilities upon the corresponding shorts' comedy: if a given gag tested well in three audience screenings, Kneitel and Sparber would effectively strongarm the studio's storymen to include said gag in ''every'' ensuing picture. When compounded with the increasingly child-oriented sensibilities of the studio's original characters (such as Little Audrey and, most infamously, Casper the Friendly Ghost), Famous' output had largely declined into simplistic, heavily formulaic kid's faire by the early fifties. In 1956, however, Paramount, increasingly dissatisfied with Famous' output, reduced the studio's budgets further and assumed control of its management entirely, subsequently rebranding it "Paramount Cartoon Studios". The formerly-popular ''Popeye'' series, having long descended into [[StrictlyFormula highly-repetitive]] narratives focusing on Popeye and Bluto feuding over Olive Oyl, was finally discontinued during this period, while Famous' remaining original series rapidly declined into extremely crudely-drawn LimitedAnimation virtually comparable to Creator/HannaBarbera's contemporary TV output in quality. Following the sale of their remaining characters to Creator/HarveyComics in 1959, Famous/Paramount was essentially left creatively adrift, alternating between increasingly dull kid-oriented one-shots and more adult-oriented shorts such as the noir parody "Cool Cat Blues", none of which proved overly successful. Following Kneitel's passing in 1963, comic book veteran Howard Post and, subsequently, Creator/ShamusCulhane assumed creative control in his wake, thus briefly revitalizing the studio's long-decimated output creatively; Culhane in particular produced the overtly experimental "My Daddy the Astronaut", a short written and animated in a highly-stylized manner reminiscent of a young child's illustrated journal. By 1967, however, Culhane had departed over creative conflicts and left Creator/RalphBakshi, formerly of Creator/Terrytoons, as the studio's lead director, but he only completed a small handful of shorts (among them the psychedelic "Marvin Digs", centering on a teenage hippie's fraught relationship with his temperamental, conservative father) when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down.

Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the animation division of the film studio Creator/{{Paramount}} Pictures from [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1942]] to [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation 1967]]. Famous was founded as a successor company to Creator/FleischerStudios, after Paramount acquired Fleischer Studios and ousted its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1941. The studio's productions included three series started by the Fleischers—[[ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} Popeye the Sailor]], [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons Superman]], and Screen Songs—as well as ComicStrip/LittleLulu, WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost, WesternAnimation/HermanAndKatnip, WesternAnimation/BabyHuey, WesternAnimation/LittleAudrey, and the anthology WesternAnimation/{{Noveltoons}} series.

Unlike the Fleischer Brothers, this studio proved to be a mere shadow creatively to their work as the films produced gradually declined into largely formulaic kiddie stuff. This especially applied after their original characters like Casper were sold to Creator/HarveyComics (along with their October 1950 - March 1962 cartoons) and production budgets were slashed. There was a momentary ray of hope in 1964 when comic book veteran Howard Post assumed control with some creative films along with Creator/ShamusCulhane, but they soon left after internal conflicts. Eventually, Creator/RalphBakshi was hired in 1967, but he barely got going with his vision when Paramount's new corporate owners, Gulf+Western, began shutting the shorts department down.

With that, Paramount's involvement in theatrically released animation[[note]]their television division was involved with AnimatedAdaptations of their live-action series in the meantime[[/note]] was limited to occasional releases of movies from other studios until its acquisition by [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom]] in 1994, when they started co-producing and distributing features based on or serving as pilots for Franchise/{{Nicktoons}} (and one Creator/{{MTV}} film, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''). This was accompanied in 2006 by a distribution pact with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' (DWA films would move their distribution to [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]] in 2013 and move again with their acquisition by Creator/{{Universal}}'s parent company in 2019). Then in 2011, Paramount co-produced and distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', with [[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] handling animation duties. Soon after, Paramount Animation was launched as an imprint responsible for Nicktoon movies and other projects, with their first release being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

* [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons Superman]] (inherited from Creator/FleischerStudios, 1942 – 1943); all shorts in the public domain

* The Mighty Thor segments of ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelSuperHeroes'' (1966; outsourced from Grantray-Lawrence Animation); now owned by Creator/{{Disney}}

With that, Paramount's involvement in theatrically released animation[[note]]their television division was involved with cartoon adaptations of their live-action series in the meantime[[/note]] was limited to occasional releases of movies from other studios until its acquisition by [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom]] in 1994, when they started co-producing and distributing features based on or serving as pilots for Franchise/{{Nicktoons}} (and one Creator/{{MTV}} film, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''). This was accompanied in 2006 by a distribution pact with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' (DWA films would move their distribution to [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]] in 2013 and move again with their acquisition by Creator/{{Universal}}'s parent company in 2019). Then in 2011, Paramount co-produced and distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', with [[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] handling animation duties. Soon after, Paramount Animation was launched as an imprint responsible for Nicktoon movies and other projects, with their first release being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

With that, Paramount's involvement in theatrically released animation[[note]]their television division was involved with cartoon adaptations of their live-action series in the meantime[[/note]] was limited to occasional releases of movies from other studios until its acquisition by [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom]] in 1994, when they started co-producing and distributing features based on Franchise/{{Nicktoons}} (and one Creator/{{MTV}} film, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''). This was accompanied in 2006 by a distribution pact with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' (DWA films would move their distribution to [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]] in 2013 and move again with their acquisition by Creator/{{Universal}}'s parent company in 2019). Then in 2011, Paramount co-produced and distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', with [[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] handling animation duties. Soon after, Paramount Animation was launched as an imprint responsible for Nicktoon movies and other projects, with their first release being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

With that, Paramount's involvement in theatrically released animation[[note]]their television division was involved with cartoon adaptations of their live-action series in the meantime[[/note]] was limited to occasional releases of movies from other studios until its acquisition by [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom]] in 1994, when they started co-producing and distributing features based on Franchise/{{Nicktoons}} (and one Creator/{{MTV}} film, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''). This was accompanied in 2006 by a distribution pact with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' (DWA films would move their distribution to [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]] in 2013 and move again with their acquisition by Creator/{{Universal}}'s parent company in 2019). Then in 2011, Paramount co-produced and distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'',[[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] handling animation duties. Soon after Paramount Animation was launched as an imprint responsible for Nicktoon movies and other projects, with their first release being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

With that, Paramount's involvement in theatrically released animation[[note]]their television division was involved with cartoon adaptations of their live-action series in the meantime[[/note]] was limited to occasional releases of movies from other studios until its acquisition by [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom]] in 1994, when they started co-producing and distributing features based on Franchise/{{Nicktoons}} (and one Creator/{{MTV}} film, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''). This was accompanied in 2006 by a distribution pact with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''. Then in 2011, Paramount co-produced and distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'',[[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] handling animation duties. Soon after Paramount Animation was launched as an imprint responsible for Nicktoon movies and other projects, with their first release being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

With that, Paramount's involvement in theatrically released animation[[note]]their television division was involved with cartoon adaptations of their live-action series in the meantime[[/note]] was limited to occasional releases of material from other studios until its acquisition by [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom]] in 1994, when they started co-producing and distributing features based on Franchise/{{Nicktoons}} (and one Creator/{{MTV}} film, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''). This was accompanied in 2006 by a distribution pact with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''. Then in 2011, Paramount co-produced and distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'',[[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] handling animation duties. Soon after Paramount Animation was launched as an imprint responsible for Nicktoon movies and other projects, with their first release being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

With that, Paramount's involvement in theatrically released animation[[note]]their television division was involved with cartoon adaptations of their live-action series in the meantime[[/note]] was limited to occasional releases of material from other studios until its acquisition by [[Creator/ParamountGlobal Viacom]] in 1994, when they started co-producing and distributing features based on Franchise/{{Nicktoons}} (and one Creator/{{MTV}} film, ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica''). This was accompanied in 2006 by a distribution pact with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''. Then in 2011, Paramount co-produced and distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'',[[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] handling animation duties. Soon after Paramount Animation was launched as an imprint responsible for Nicktoon movies and other projects, with their first project being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

With that, Paramount's involvement in animation came to a close until they became the distributor of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation in 2006 who soon [[GrowingTheBeard hit its artistic stride]] with great new animated feature films like ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''. Then in 2011, Paramount distributed the Oscar winning hit, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', with [[Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic ILM]] producing and Paramount decided to reenter the animation game once again, with their first project being ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water]]'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie''.

* ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' (1958 – 1961; produced fmrKing Features and Trans-Lux); now owned by [=NBCUniversal=]

* Segments of ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' (1958 – 1961; outsourced from King Features and Trans-Lux); now owned by [=NBCUniversal=]

* StrictlyFormula: The studios cartoons are notorious for how formula-driven they were, although part of this was the result of Paramount's frugal budgets and explicit forbidding of the studio taking artistic risks--this was an attempt to prevent the studio from going through another financial meltdown like what had happened with the two Fleischer Studios [[WesternAnimation/GulliversTravels animated]] [[WesternAnimation/MrBugGoesToTown features]]. Lee Mishkin, an inbetweener for the studio, even has a quote about it: