“Actors With A Pencil”

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We’re accustomed to think of a TV character being played by an actor.  But an animated TV character is really played by two actors.  The person who provides the voice is the obvious  one; the other is the animator.  Animators are much more than pencil pushers.  Sure, they have to be able to draw like crazy, understand movement, dynamics and the laws of physics (even if they break them most of the time).  But perhaps more importantly, they have to be able to act.  They have to know what the character’s face looks like when he or she is happy, sad, angry wistful, lonely, joyful, jealous or bored.  They have to know how the character walks and stands in grips of those emotions.  But instead of using their own voices, facial expressions and body language to express themselves, animators have to squeeze all the character’s feeling and actions out through the tiny point of their pencil.  Ouch!

One of the most amusing things about visiting the Hanna-Barbera production studio is watching our cartoonists draw.  They silently scrunch up their faces, wriggle in their seats and contort themselves as they get into their “roles.”   Sometimes it’s completely unconscious; they don’t realize they’re doing it!  On occasion you might see an animator with a mirror on his or her desk, making faces and sketching furiously.  Through the magic of the animator’s talents, the face in the mirror  gets reflected on the paper as the face of Yogi Bear, Wilma Flintstone or Snagglepuss.  What acting!

Method actors throw themselves into a role.  They think like the character, believe in the character, and if they’re good actors, they become the character.  But actors have it easy compared to our cartoonists.  Imagine how tough it is to think like Dino, to believe in Elroy Jetson, or to become Baba Louie.  Hanna-Barbera animators need great imaginations to go with their great acting and drawing talents.

Unlike Shakespeare’s “poor player that struts and frets his upon the stage,” an animator never gets to strut, walk, run or sweat bullets on opening night.  They never get the applause that on-screen actors do, nor do they get even the small recognition that voice actors receive.  But here at Hanna-Barbera we know that inside each cartoonist beats the heart of a great actor.  The smell of the cel paint, the roar of the crowd!

“Actors With A Pencil”
Essay #6 (of 15)
Original essay written by Bill Burnett, Creative Director, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, 1993-1996