History Creator / RobertMcKimson

[=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: ''Taz-Mania''). 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''.

* AffectionateNickname: Creator/TexAvery nicknamed him "[=McKimp]".

* False Hare

* Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too
* Shamrock and Roll

* The Great Carrot Train Robbery

Robert Porter "Bob" [=McKimson=], Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an animator and director who is most known for his work at Warner Bros. on the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' series. His "WesternAnimation/HillbillyHare" is generally regarded as a classic outing for WesternAnimation/BugsBunny.

* What's Up, Doc?

* WesternAnimation/The Oily American

* WesternAnimation/The Oily Americano

* The Oily American

* WesternAnimation/DaffysDiner

* Daffy's Diner

* Devil May Hare

[=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", 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.

* Boston Quackie

[=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: ''Taz-Mania''). 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 (the rest were directed by Rudy Larriva and [[FanonDiscontinuity are despised and/or forgotten about by amateur and professional theatrical cartoon fans alike]]), as well as the bumpers for ''The Road Runner Show''.

* 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.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: "Bartholomew Versus The Wheel".

[=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: ''Taz-Mania''). 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 (the rest were directed by Rudy Larriva and [[FanonDiscontinuity are despised and/or forgotten about by amateur and professional theatrical cartoon fans alike]]).

* Bartholomew Versus The Wheel

* CompositeCharacter: [=McKimson=] was noted for evolving to the revised personalities of recurring characters at a much slower pace than Jones and Freleng, resulting in something of a blend of both the initial and modern depictions. This is particularly noticable with WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, who gained some of the pompousness and wit akin to Jones' version but still maintained shades of his original hyperactive trickster role into the late fifties. Allegedly this was because [=McKimson=] wasn't much for the [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] characterisations.

* CompositeCharacter: [=McKimson=] was noted for evolving to the revised personalities of recurring characters at a much slower pace than Jones and Freleng, resulting in something of a blend of both the initial and modern depictions. This is particularly noticable with WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, who gained some of the pompousness and wit akin to Jones' version but still maintained shades of his original hyperactive trickster role into the late fifties. Allegedly this was because [=McKimson=] wasn't much for the [[Flanderization Flanderized]] characterisations.

* CompositeCharacter: [=McKimson=] was noted for evolving to the revised personalities of recurring characters at a much slower pace than Jones and Freleng, resulting in something of a blend of both the initial and modern depictions. This is particularly noticable with WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, who gained some of the pompousness and wit akin to Jones' version but still maintained shades of his original hyperactive trickster role into the late fifties.

* Daffy Rents

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 technically created Speedy Gonzales (basing it on a Mexican man he met once who was 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 (the rest were directed by Rudy Larriva and [[FanonDiscontinuity are despised and/or forgotten about by amateur and professional theatrical cartoon fans alike]]).

[=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, "Injun Trouble". After WB closed its animation department for the final time, [=McKimson=] went back to work for Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises, where he directed many WesternAnimation/PinkPanther shorts.

* Daffy Duck Slept Here