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Having
begun his career in the same small Kansas City studio where
Walt Disney got his start in animation, Freleng moved to
California in the late 1920s. He was soon helping fellow
Kansas City animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising start
up the series of "Looney Tunes" for Warner Brothers release.
With the exception of one year with M-G-M in the mid-1930s,
Freleng was a Warner Brothers stalwart, becoming Senior
Director and supervising now-classic cartoons staring Bugs
Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tweety for over 30 years. Freleng
also directed the first cartoons starring Sylvester, Porky
Pig and Yosemite Sam, ultimately winning four Academy Awards®
for the studio.
When Warner Brothers shut down its animation department
in 1962, Freleng teamed up with cartoon producer David DePatie
to make animated commercials and industrial films. At this
time, directory Blake Edwards approached Freleng about providing
animation for the opening moments of his next film, The
PINK PANTHER.
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