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Danny Antonucci

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Danny Antonucci
Antonucci at the 2007 Platform Festival
Born (1957-02-27) February 27, 1957 (age 67)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma materSheridan College
Occupation(s)Animator, director, producer, writer
Years active1980–present
Children2

Danny Antonucci (/ˌæntəˈnuːtʃi/,[1] Italian: [antoˈnuttʃi]; born February 27, 1957) is a Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer. He created the Cartoon Network animated comedy series Ed, Edd n Eddy as well as Lupo the Butcher and The Brothers Grunt for MTV.

Antonucci dropped out of the Sheridan College of Visual Arts to take a job as an animator at Hanna-Barbera, and worked on a number of series: The Flintstone Comedy Show, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The Smurfs, and Richie Rich. He continued his career in Vancouver, working on animated shorts and television commercials at International Rocketship Limited, where he created his first solo work, Lupo the Butcher. For MTV, Antonucci made a number of bumpers, his series The Brothers Grunt, and the title sequence to animation showcase program Cartoon Sushi. He went on to create Ed, Edd n Eddy on Cartoon Network.

Many of his commercials for Converse, ESPN and Levi's won a number of awards, which he keeps in a trash can by his desk. Lupo the Butcher was a successful short and is considered to be a cult classic.

Early life

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Antonucci's parents were Italian immigrants to Canada. His experiences as a child in an immigrant family deeply influenced his later work, such as Lupo the Butcher.[2]

Antonucci attended the Sheridan College of Visual Arts but quit to take a job as an animator[3] at Canimage Production, a division of Hanna-Barbera.[4]

Career

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Starting his career as an animator, Antonucci worked on numerous shows, including The Flintstone Comedy Show,[4] Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo,[5] The Smurfs, and Richie Rich.[6]

Intending to move to Los Angeles in 1984 to find more work, Antonucci landed in Vancouver, British Columbia. He landed a job at International Rocketship Limited, animating short films and television commercials. His first effort was on the short film Hooray for Sandbox Land.[6]

International Rocketship Limited, foundation of a.k.a. Cartoon, and MTV work

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Antonucci's first solo work was Lupo the Butcher, produced by International Rocketship Limited, about a short-tempered butcher who swears at the meat he is cutting and gets extremely mad at the smallest mistakes. Antonucci explains the short arose out of his own frustration at having to work in children's film for so long, and to try his hand at creating a full-fledged character on film.[2] The short animated film screened at several film festivals, including Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation in the United States.[7]

The 'Lupo' character was eventually licensed by the Converse athletic shoe company. This led to additional work, including animated commercials for Levi Strauss & Co. ESPN, Converse and MTV.[8] He also originally created a mascot for Cartoon Network, known as the jester, as well as the mascot's bumpers.[citation needed]

On April 1, 1994, Antonucci started an animation company named a.k.a. Cartoon, which produced the short-lived MTV series The Brothers Grunt, which began airing in 1994 and ended its run in 1995.[9] Antonucci went on to work on MTV's Cartoon Sushi show in 1997, directing, writing and providing voices, in addition to being responsible for the title sequence of the show.[10]

Ed, Edd n Eddy

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Main article: Ed, Edd n Eddy

Feeling confined to "gross" and "edgy" work, such as his series The Brothers Grunt, Antonucci decided to produce an animated children's television show again with his company a.k.a. Cartoon.[11] He resolved, however, to ensure that the series was produced in a way similar to the cartoon styles from the 1940s to the 1970s.[11] Antonucci spent months designing the show, before trying to sell it to Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon told him that they would take the show, if they also obtained creative control. Antonucci refused to give it, and instead took the show to Cartoon Network. A deal was ultimately made for Cartoon Network to commission the show, after they agreed to let Antonucci go in his own direction.[11]

Antonucci is a strong advocate of hand-drawn animation. The wobbling animation in Ed, Edd n Eddy is an homage to the hand-drawn cartoons with a style that harkens back to cartoons of the 1940s to the 1970s.[11] To give the impression of movement, Ed, Edd n Eddy uses shimmering character outlines similar to Squigglevision.[12] The crawling lines are not nearly as active as those in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, but are still visible,[12] and Antonucci likens it to cartoons of the 1930s.[11]

According to Antonucci, the characters were based on real people in his life. The personalities of Ed, Edd, and Eddy are based on personal traits of himself, and the activities of his two sons.[13] The Eds also possess personality traits similar to The Three Stooges, whose money-making schemes and antics also invariably backfire.[14] The cul-de-sac children and the Kanker Sisters were all based on children he grew up with. Antonucci also stated that he believed it was important to add Plank, a board of wood, to the show, stating that he "thought it would be really cool to do the show with Plank taking on a character of his own" and to cause Jonny to do things he would usually never do. He also stated that Rolf is strongly based on himself and his cousins, since he was part of an immigrant family, and grew up in a first-generation foreign household with different customs and ways of living.[13]

Ed, Edd n Eddy is the only a.k.a. Cartoon show to have a movie based on the animated television series. The series' finale movie, Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show, aired on November 8, 2009, officially ending the series.[8]

WildBrain and upcoming series

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While Antonucci was working on Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show, it was announced on September 4, 2008 that he signed to WildBrain; Antonucci stated that he was "already kicking around three different ideas for his first WildBrain project".[15] On June 11, 2013, US animator Joe Murray posted a short interview with Antonucci for his class on his website, and on the end wrote: "He's currently working on a new series, so rock on."[16] In November 2020, Antonucci confirmed a series based on Lupo the Butcher was in development for release on Netflix[17] which got canceled due to creative differences between Antonucci and Netflix.[citation needed]

Awards and nominations

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Antonucci's first solo work Lupo the Butcher was a successful short and is considered to be a cult classic.[8] Eric Fogel, creator of Celebrity Deathmatch, stated that Lupo the Butcher "opened [his] eyes to a world of animation that was strictly for grownups and inspired [him] to pursue a career path that was a bit more... twisted".[18] Throughout his career, Antonucci received a number of awards. He worked on a number of award-winning commercials for Converse, ESPN and Levi's.[8] In 1998, for his work on Cartoon Sushi, Antonucci received a National Cartoonists Society Division Award for Television Animation. Ed, Edd n Eddy received various awards and nominations; for his work on the series, he won a Reuben Award for Best Television Animation in 1999[19] and a Leo Award for Best Director in an Animated Production or Series in 2000.[20] With an almost 11-year run, it remains the longest running original Cartoon Network series and Canadian-made animated series to date.[8][21] It was also Cartoon Network's most popular series among boys ages 2–11.[22] Bob Higgins, head of WildBrain, considered Ed, Edd n Eddy to be a "landmark in animation".[4] Joe Murray, known for creating the animated series Rocko's Modern Life and Camp Lazlo, called Antonucci "one of the founders and mainstays of modern animation".[16]

Personal life

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Antonucci has two children named Tex and Marlowe who were named after animator Tex Avery and the fictional character Philip Marlowe respectively.[23]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Role
1981 Heavy Metal Animator
1984 Hooray for Sandbox Land Short film
Lead animator
1984 Anijam Short film
Production artist
1987 The Chipmunk Adventure Assistant animator
1987 Lupo the Butcher Short film
Director, animator, and composer
1989 Let's Chop Soo-E Short film
Corrections artist
1994 Deadly Deposits Short film
Animator

Television

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Year Title Role
1980–1982 The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show Animator
1980–1982 The Flintstone Comedy Show Animator
1981 The Smurfs Animator
1985 The Velveteen Rabbit Television film
Animator
1985 Rumpelstiltskin Television film
Animator
1987 Tales of the Mouse Hockey League Short television film
Character designer and key animator
1994–1995 The Brothers Grunt Creator, writer, executive producer, director, and voice actor
1997 Cartoon Sushi Co-creator and director
1999–2009 Ed, Edd n Eddy Creator, co-writer, director, executive producer, and voice of Mr. Sun from "The Eds are Coming, the Eds are Coming"
2009 Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show Television film
Director, co-writer, executive producer
2017 Snotrocket Pilot
Creator, director, writer and executive producer

References

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  1. ^ "400th Episode Special: Cartoon Network Interview with Danny Antonucci". YouTube. June 9, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Mac, Gabe (August 25, 2006). "WMX 66 "Interview with Danny Antonucci"". Xolo.tv. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  3. ^ "Danny Antonucci". Ottawa International Animation Festival. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Ball, Ryan (September 5, 2008). "Antonucci Makes Toons with W!LDBRAIN". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  5. ^ "Ed, Edd n Eddy TV Show Facts". Kidzworld.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Beck, Jerry (2003). Outlaw Animation: Cutting-Edge Cartoons from the Spike & Mike Festivals. New York: Harry N. Abrams. p. 138. ISBN 0810991519.
  7. ^ Beck 2003, pp. 64–65, 154.
  8. ^ a b c d e Kapko, Matt (November 16, 2009). "Ed, Edd 'n Eddy's Big Picture Show Premiers in the U.S." Animation World Network. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  9. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 160. ISBN 0-7864-2255-6.
  10. ^ Erickson 2005, p. 187.
  11. ^ a b c d e Danny Antonucci (October 10, 2006). Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Complete First Season—Interview with the Creator (DVD). Warner Home Video. Event occurs at 0:22–2:34.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  12. ^ a b Shumway, Matt; Wayne, Lamont (June 1999). "Ed, Edd n Eddy: A Unique Approach". Animation World Magazine. Vol. 4, no. 3. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  13. ^ a b Danny Antonucci (October 10, 2006). Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Complete First Season—Interview with the Creator (DVD). Warner Home Video. Event occurs at 2:15–4:39.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  14. ^ Cornelius, David (April 24, 2007). "DVD Talk Review: Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy — The Complete Second Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  15. ^ Schneider, Michael (September 4, 2008). "WildBrain pacts with Antonucci". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  16. ^ a b Joe Murray (June 11, 2013). "June 11, 2013". Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  17. ^ Paltridge, Peter (November 2, 2020). "Lupo The Butcher Series In Development At Netflix". Anime Superhero. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Kapko, Matt (February 5, 2010). "The Toon That Changed My Life". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  19. ^ "Animation World News: Awards". Animation World Magazine. 4 (3). Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  20. ^ "2000 Winners". Leo Awards. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  21. ^ Grove, Chris (September 5, 2008). "CN/D3 Unleash New Ed, Edd n Eddy Game". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  22. ^ Sarrazin, Marc-André (February 26, 2005). "Midway Enters Publishing Agreement For 3 Cartoon Network Shows". NintendoSpin.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  23. ^ Woulfet, Molly (June 29, 2004). "The head Ed". NWI Times. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
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