"The Golfing Cat" and "The Hunter and The Dog" (lost Louis Wain animated shorts; 1917): Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
''The Golfing Cat'' and ''The Hunter and the Dog'' were short cartoons written and animated by famed illustrator Louis Wain, known for his artwork of humanized cats. The films were directed by George Pearson, produced by H. Wood, and were released theatrically by Gaumont Studios in 1917. <ref>[https://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/59791-Golfing-Cat Page for ''The Golfing Cat'' at Big Cartoon Database.] Retrieved 3rd August 2022</ref> | ''The Golfing Cat'' and ''The Hunter and the Dog'' were short cartoons written and animated by famed illustrator Louis Wain, known for his artwork of humanized cats. The films were directed by George Pearson, produced by H. Wood, and were released theatrically by Gaumont Studios in 1917. <ref>[https://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/59791-Golfing-Cat Page for ''The Golfing Cat'' at Big Cartoon Database.] Retrieved 3rd August 2022</ref> | ||
== History == | ==History== | ||
Some time before the film’s inception, Wain’s work for cinema posters of the time and book “Peter, a Cat O’One Tail” had gotten the attention of producer H.F. Wood (or H.D. Wood, sources are conflicting regarding his middle initial)<ref name="compendium"/><ref name="visual"/>, who had invited the artist to attempt the fledgling art of animation with Gaumont-British pictures.<ref name="compendium">[https://books.google.com/books?id=fObSDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT46&lpg=PT46&dq=%22three+or+four+cartoons+were+completed.%22&ots=ZsQCpkdYVw&sig=ACfU3U3Q2oOyJtXI3MHEaOLcBxhE-bSTIw&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22three%20or%20four%20cartoons%20were%20completed.%22&f=false Haining, Peter. A Cat Compendium: The Worlds of Louis Wain.] Published 2016</ref> | Some time before the film’s inception, Wain’s work for cinema posters of the time and book “Peter, a Cat O’One Tail” had gotten the attention of producer H.F. Wood (or H.D. Wood, sources are conflicting regarding his middle initial)<ref name="compendium"/><ref name="visual"/>, who had invited the artist to attempt the fledgling art of animation with Gaumont-British pictures.<ref name="compendium">[https://books.google.com/books?id=fObSDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT46&lpg=PT46&dq=%22three+or+four+cartoons+were+completed.%22&ots=ZsQCpkdYVw&sig=ACfU3U3Q2oOyJtXI3MHEaOLcBxhE-bSTIw&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22three%20or%20four%20cartoons%20were%20completed.%22&f=false Haining, Peter. A Cat Compendium: The Worlds of Louis Wain.] Published 2016</ref> | ||
== Content == | ==Content== | ||
Not much information is known about the pictures online. Both were as previously stated produced by H.F. Wood with Gaumont-British, and directed by George Pearson. The number of completed films is also uncertain, with some sources listing a third scrapped film, some saying that the films were never fully complete,<ref>[http://www.gunnsgallery.co.uk/artists/329/louis-wain Louis Wain's page at Gunn's Gallery] Retrieved 3rd August 2022</ref> and Pearson himself stating in his autobiography that “three or four cartoons were completed.”<ref name="compendium"/> The initial film, ''The Golfing Cat'' was reported to be approximately 10 minutes long, though it is unknown how much, if any, footage remains. Some sources suggest that there are only fractions remaining<ref name="visual">[https://books.google.com/books?id=2lSoBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT58&lpg=PT58&dq=louis+wain+%22the+golfing+cat%22&ots=o_cgWvJfn6&sig=ACfU3U3DunfZKaD1v00YXhR45YDXXEd5ww&hl=en#v=onepage&q=louis%20wain%20%22the%20golfing%20cat%22&f=false Huggins, Mike. The Visual in Sport.] Published 2012</ref>, however none seems to be available to the public at the time. The film was reportedly created at Shepperton studios<ref name="compendium"/>, but this is unlikely as [https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/things-to-do/history-of-shepperton-studios-in-surrey-7094680 Shepperton was founded in 1931], 14 years after the supposed creation of Wain’s films. | Not much information is known about the pictures online. Both were as previously stated produced by H.F. Wood with Gaumont-British, and directed by George Pearson. The number of completed films is also uncertain, with some sources listing a third scrapped film, some saying that the films were never fully complete,<ref>[http://www.gunnsgallery.co.uk/artists/329/louis-wain Louis Wain's page at Gunn's Gallery] Retrieved 3rd August 2022</ref> and Pearson himself stating in his autobiography that “three or four cartoons were completed.”<ref name="compendium"/> The initial film, ''The Golfing Cat'' was reported to be approximately 10 minutes long, though it is unknown how much, if any, footage remains. Some sources suggest that there are only fractions remaining<ref name="visual">[https://books.google.com/books?id=2lSoBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT58&lpg=PT58&dq=louis+wain+%22the+golfing+cat%22&ots=o_cgWvJfn6&sig=ACfU3U3DunfZKaD1v00YXhR45YDXXEd5ww&hl=en#v=onepage&q=louis%20wain%20%22the%20golfing%20cat%22&f=false Huggins, Mike. The Visual in Sport.] Published 2012</ref>, however none seems to be available to the public at the time. The film was reportedly created at Shepperton studios<ref name="compendium"/>, but this is unlikely as [https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/things-to-do/history-of-shepperton-studios-in-surrey-7094680 Shepperton was founded in 1931], 14 years after the supposed creation of Wain’s films. | ||
Despite the popular success of his art, Wain's style did not easily lend itself to animation, which along with his health and personal life, prevented any further exploration into the medium. Although he was infamous for the speed and ease of his illustrations, he found difficulty producing 16 frames of animation for each second of film, and thus abandoned the format after 1917.<ref name="compendium"/> | Despite the popular success of his art, Wain's style did not easily lend itself to animation, which along with his health and personal life, prevented any further exploration into the medium. Although he was infamous for the speed and ease of his illustrations, he found difficulty producing 16 frames of animation for each second of film, and thus abandoned the format after 1917.<ref name="compendium"/> | ||
== Legacy == | ==Legacy== | ||
The films reportedly experienced moderate acclaim, and had a lasting impact on the world of animation, as the first animated feline to hit the big screen. Notably, ''The Golfing Cat's'' character, Pussyfoot, is reminiscent of the Felix The Cat and Walt Disney animations that achieved commercial success years later.<ref name="compendium"/> | |||
The films reportedly experienced moderate acclaim, and had a lasting impact on the world of animation, as the first animated feline to hit the big screen. Notably, ''The Golfing Cat''' | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 12:58, 22 October 2022
A Louis Wain illustration from 1917, the year The Golfing Cat was released.
Status: Lost
The Golfing Cat and The Hunter and the Dog were short cartoons written and animated by famed illustrator Louis Wain, known for his artwork of humanized cats. The films were directed by George Pearson, produced by H. Wood, and were released theatrically by Gaumont Studios in 1917. [1]
History
Some time before the film’s inception, Wain’s work for cinema posters of the time and book “Peter, a Cat O’One Tail” had gotten the attention of producer H.F. Wood (or H.D. Wood, sources are conflicting regarding his middle initial)[2][3], who had invited the artist to attempt the fledgling art of animation with Gaumont-British pictures.[2]
Content
Not much information is known about the pictures online. Both were as previously stated produced by H.F. Wood with Gaumont-British, and directed by George Pearson. The number of completed films is also uncertain, with some sources listing a third scrapped film, some saying that the films were never fully complete,[4] and Pearson himself stating in his autobiography that “three or four cartoons were completed.”[2] The initial film, The Golfing Cat was reported to be approximately 10 minutes long, though it is unknown how much, if any, footage remains. Some sources suggest that there are only fractions remaining[3], however none seems to be available to the public at the time. The film was reportedly created at Shepperton studios[2], but this is unlikely as Shepperton was founded in 1931, 14 years after the supposed creation of Wain’s films.
Despite the popular success of his art, Wain's style did not easily lend itself to animation, which along with his health and personal life, prevented any further exploration into the medium. Although he was infamous for the speed and ease of his illustrations, he found difficulty producing 16 frames of animation for each second of film, and thus abandoned the format after 1917.[2]
Legacy
The films reportedly experienced moderate acclaim, and had a lasting impact on the world of animation, as the first animated feline to hit the big screen. Notably, The Golfing Cat's character, Pussyfoot, is reminiscent of the Felix The Cat and Walt Disney animations that achieved commercial success years later.[2]
References
- ↑ Page for The Golfing Cat at Big Cartoon Database. Retrieved 3rd August 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Haining, Peter. A Cat Compendium: The Worlds of Louis Wain. Published 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huggins, Mike. The Visual in Sport. Published 2012
- ↑ Louis Wain's page at Gunn's Gallery Retrieved 3rd August 2022