History Creator / RobertMcKimson

* RedOniBlueOni: As an animator for Bob Clampett, he was the Blue to Rod Scribner's Red.

* {{Motifs}}: Moreso than the other two major directors, many of [=McKimson=]'s cartoons had a unique father/son dynamic; in addition to his Sylvester and Sylvester Jr. cartoons, Foghorn acted as a surrogate father figure to Egghead in many shorts. And Bugs acts a surrogate father figure to Shorty in ''Rabbit's Kin''.

* WorldOfJerkass: His cartoons tend to have a cynical worldview. Almost all of his characters--even his interpretation of Bugs--are grumpy, middle aged curmudgeons, with the main contrasts in the different characters' personalities being how smart or how stupid the various curmudgeons were. Ironically, Rob himself was by all accounts a [[NiceGuy soft-spoken, conservative and pleasant fellow in real life.]]

* Rabbit's Kin

* Pre-Hysterical Hare

[=McKimson=] was the only animator from the ''Looney Tunes'' glory days to come back for the brief revival and sad end of the animation unit in the late 1960s; he directed the very last ''Looney Tunes'' short: a Cool Cat cartoon called "WesternAnimation/InjunTrouble1969". After WB closed its animation department forever, [=McKimson=] went back to work for Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises, where he directed many WesternAnimation/PinkPanther shorts.

[=McKimson=] created WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn, Hippety Hopper (a recurring adversary of Sylvester whom he mistook for a giant mouse), and the Tasmanian Devil. In all three cases, he directed every outing for those characters. [=McKimson=] also created WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales (inspired on a pair of Mexican brothers he played polo with who were very friendly and excitable and, despite most outward opinions, was ''not'' meant to be a stereotype of all Mexicans), who was later finalized by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt as the sombrero-donning speedster we know today. Even as late as 1968, [=McKimson=] was creating new characters in the hope that they would catch on and become recurring (which, sadly, didn't happen, as the era of theatrical cartoons was waning, thanks to television). His Bunny and Claude (a parody of ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'') and Rapid Rabbit characters are examples of this. He also directed two WesternAnimation/RoadRunner cartoons (Rushing Roulette and Sugar and Spies), among 14 ''not'' directed by Jones (11 were directed by Rudy Larriva and [[FanonDiscontinuity are despised and/or forgotten about by amateur and professional theatrical cartoon fans alike]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheWildChase one]] was directed by Freleng), as well as the bumpers for ''The Road Runner Show''.

[=McKimson=] was the only animator from the ''Looney Tunes'' glory days to come back for the brief revival and sad end of the animation unit in the late 1960s; he directed the very last ''Looney Tunes'' short: a Cool Cat cartoon called, "WesternAnimation/InjunTrouble1969". After WB closed its animation department forever, [=McKimson=] went back to work for Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises, where he directed many WesternAnimation/PinkPanther shorts.

* OffModel: His early (~1946-1949) shorts, oddly enough, didn't use the Bugs Bunny model sheet that he himself drew in 1943; as a result, Bugs during this era was chunkier than the Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng units. By the 1950 cartoons, he had finally started using his own model sheet, creating some continuity across the three remaining units.

[=McKimson=] was an animator at Termite Terrace from almost the beginning, and had a knack for detail. For an example of his work, see the start of "What's Cookin', Doc?" when Bugs performs all the celebrity impersonations. He also was one of the animators on the classic short "WesternAnimation/ACornyConcerto" directed by Creator/BobClampett. There's a professionalism to the animation, and the graceful movement emphasizes Bugs's likeability. He also drew the definitive Bugs Bunny model sheet in 1943 (which ironically he didn't use himself when he began directing; see below). [=McKimson=]'s versions of the classic Warners characters generally seem rounder and fatter than most of the other directors' (though it was Creator/BobClampett who introduced the infamous "Fat Elmer"), with rather small eyes[[note]]his characters have a tendency to peer out through half-closed eyelids[[/note]], at least in his earlier period.

Despite these merits, as well as directing the third most shorts out of all the directors (141 total), [=McKimson=] isn't recognized as much as the other two "big" directors at WB. Part of this may be the fact that he never had a feature-length compilation film that highlighted his work; Creator/ChuckJones had one film and Creator/FrizFreleng had three (it should be noted that two of Friz's movies featured [=McKimson=]'s cartoons, however). Part of this may also be due to his post-1955 shorts, which featured slower timing, simpler animation, and less interesting direction than his pre-1955 output [[note]]Explanation: WB briefly closed in 1953 and temporarily laid everybody off. Unlike Jones and Freleng, [=McKimson=] basically had to restart his unit from scratch when WB reopened its cartoon unit, so that certainly put him at a disadvantage for a while, not least because his new unit was mostly made up of the animators that Jones and Freleng didn't want.[[/note]] He also gave few interviews before his death, which made it difficult to get an insight into his directing methods and philosophies. Luckily, [[http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Interviews/McKimson/McKimson.html a vintage interview on Michael Barrier's website]], along with a [[https://www.amazon.com/Say-Son-Legendary-Animators-McKimson/dp/1595800697/ biography]] written by Robert [=McKimson=] Jr. released in 2012, rectify that.

[=McKimson=] created WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn, Hippety Hopper (a recurring adversary of Sylvester whom he mistook for a giant mouse), and the Tasmanian Devil. In all three cases, he directed every outing for those characters. [=McKimson=] also created WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales (inspired on a pair of Mexican brothers he played polo with who were very friendly and excitable and, despite most outward opinions, was ''not'' meant to be a stereotype of all Mexicans), who was later finalized by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt as the sombrero-donning speedster we know today. Even as late as 1968, [=McKimson=] was creating new characters in the hope that they would catch on and become recurring (which, sadly, didn't happen, as the era of theatrical cartoons was waning, thanks to television). His Bunny and Claude (a parody of ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'') and Rapid Rabbit characters are examples of this. He also directed two WesternAnimation/RoadRunner cartoons (Rushing Roulette and Sugar and Spies), among 14 ''not'' directed by Jones (11 were directed by Rudy Larriva and [[FanonDiscontinuity are despised and/or forgotten about by amateur and professional theatrical cartoon fans alike]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheWildChase one]] was directed by Creator/FrizFreleng), as well as the bumpers for ''The Road Runner Show''.

* The Turn-Tale Wolf

* Well Worn Daffy

* Astroduck

* SignatureStyle: As animator for Bob Clampett, he was known for his very graceful, professional animation; he was often called upon for scenes where the characters were closer to the camera because of his talent for character acting. As director, his characters often had half-shut/relaxed eyes, especially compared to Jones and Freleng's units. “WesternAnimation/BartholomewVersusTheWheel“ [[SomethingCompletelyDifferent is the]] [[LimitedAnimation only exception]].

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: "WesternAnimation/BartholomewVersusTheWheel", which is done in a LimitedAnimation style reminiscent of children’s book illustrations..

* MortonsFork: In most Hippety Hopper shorts, Sylvester falls victim to a CassandraTruth scenario, with his son Junior failing to believe his stories of getting overpowered by a "giant mouse", and shaming his father into going back and dealing with the seemingly ordinary rodent. There are times Hippety is exposed to Junior however, in such cases he gets excited by the discovery and pressures his father to catch it anyway (most of these instances [[MilesGloriosus follow after Sylvester exaggerating his mousing capabilities to his son]], leading the latter to believe he could easily catch one of such size).

* MortonsFork: In most Hippety Hopper shorts, Sylvester falls victim to a CassandraTruth scenario, with his son Junior failing to believe his stories of getting overpowered by a "giant mouse", and shaming his father into going back and dealing with the seemingly ordinary rodent. There are times Hippety is exposed to Junior however, in such cases he gets excited by the discovery and pressures his father to catch it anyway (most of these instances [[MilesGloriosus precede Sylvester exaggerating his mousing capabilities to his son]], leading the latter to believe he could easily catch one of such size).

* MortonsFork: In most Hippety Hopper shorts, Sylvester falls victim to a CassandraTruth scenario, with his son Junior failing to believe his stories of getting overpowered by a "giant mouse", and shaming his father into going back and dealing with the seemingly ordinary rodent. There are times Hippety is exposed to Junior however, in such cases he gets excited by the discovery and pressures his father to catch it anyway.

* MortonsFork: In most Hippety Hopper shorts, Sylvester falls victim to a CassandraTruth scenario, with his son Junior failing to believe his stories of getting overpowered by a "giant mouse". There are times Hippety is exposed to Junior however, in such cases he gets excited by the discovery and urges his father to catch it anyway.

[=McKimson=] took his first shot at directing on a WartimeCartoon in 1945, the obscure "The Return of Mr. Hook" (which was strictly a cartoon meant for the troops to see and not the general public); his main directorial debut is generally considered to be the 1946 short "Daffy Doodles"[[note]]the cartoon where Daffy Duck is a vandal who draws mustaches on public pictures and Porky is the cop who tries to take him down[[/note]], taking over Creator/FrankTashlin's unit (Tashlin had left the studio in 1945). For almost fifteen years (1950-1964), he, Creator/ChuckJones, and Creator/FrizFreleng were the main directors at Termite Terrace, and due to the post-1948 television package that many networks used during the '70s-early '90s, [=McKimson=]'s work, like the other two directors, was often seen on TV.

[=McKimson=] created WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn, Hippety Hopper (a recurring adversary of Sylvester whom he mistook for a giant mouse), and the Tasmanian Devil (who, despite starring in a handful of shorts, is considered one of ''the'' most popular Warner Bros. characters -- popular enough to have his own cartoon series in the 1990s: ''WesternAnimation/TazMania''). In all three cases, he directed every outing for those characters. [=McKimson=] also created WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales (inspired on a pair of Mexican brothers he played polo with who were very friendly and excitable and, despite most outward opinions, was ''not'' meant to be a stereotype of all Mexicans), who was later finalized by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt as the sombrero-donning speedster we know today. Even as late as 1968, [=McKimson=] was creating new characters in the hope that they would catch on and become recurring (which, sadly, didn't happen, as the era of theatrical cartoons was waning, thanks to television). His Bunny and Claude (a parody of ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'') and Rapid Rabbit characters are examples of this. He also directed two WesternAnimation/RoadRunner cartoons (Rushing Roulette and Sugar and Spies), among 14 ''not'' directed by Jones (11 were directed by Rudy Larriva and [[FanonDiscontinuity are despised and/or forgotten about by amateur and professional theatrical cartoon fans alike]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheWildChase one]] was directed by Creator/FrizFreleng), as well as the bumpers for ''The Road Runner Show''.

[=McKimson=] created WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn, Hippety Hopper (a recurring adversary of Sylvester whom he mistook for a giant mouse), and the Tasmanian Devil (who, despite starring in a handful of shorts, is considered one of ''the'' most popular Warner Bros. characters -- popular enough to have his own cartoon series in the 1990s: ''WesternAnimation/TazMania''). In all three cases, he directed every outing for those characters. [=McKimson=] also technically created Speedy Gonzales (basing it on a pair of Mexican brothers he played polo with who were very friendly and excitable and, despite most outward opinions, was ''not'' meant to be a stereotype of all Mexicans), though it was Friz Freleng's version which everyone knows and remembers today. Even as late as 1968, [=McKimson=] was creating new characters in the hope that they would catch on and become recurring (which, sadly, didn't happen, as the era of theatrical cartoons was waning, thanks to television). His Bunny and Claude (a parody of ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'') and Rapid Rabbit characters are examples of this. He also directed two WesternAnimation/RoadRunner cartoons (Rushing Roulette and Sugar and Spies), among 14 ''not'' directed by Jones (11 were directed by Rudy Larriva and [[FanonDiscontinuity are despised and/or forgotten about by amateur and professional theatrical cartoon fans alike]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheWildChase one]] was directed by Creator/FrizFreleng), as well as the bumpers for ''The Road Runner Show''.

[=McKimson=] was the only animator from the Looney Tunes glory days to come back for the brief revival and sad end of the animation unit in the late 1960s; he directed the very last Looney Tunes short: a Cool Cat cartoon called, "Injun Trouble". After WB closed its animation department forever, [=McKimson=] went back to work for Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises, where he directed many WesternAnimation/PinkPanther shorts.

** "The Mouse That Jack Built", a parody of Radio/TheJackBennyProgram, except the characters are mice.

* Hobo Bobo

* MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon: "Rabbit Stew and Rabbits, Too!" Also "Swallow the Leader" is mostly dialog-free, aside from the opening narration and a couple lines from the cat.