William Hanna

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William Hanna
Born	William Denby Hanna July 14, 1910 Melrose, New Mexico Territory
Died	March 22, 2001 Los Angeles, California
Cause of death	Throat cancer
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Animator Cartoonist Voice actor
Years active at MGM	1940-1958
Years active at Hanna-Barbera	1957-2001
Characters played	Tom Cat Jerry Mouse Himself
Hanna guesting on I Yabba-Dabba Do!

William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, cartoonist, and an occasional musician who was the creator of Tom and Jerry, as well as the voice artist for the two titular characters. He was also one of the two founders behind the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera, along with Joseph Barbera.

Hanna began his career at the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930 and steadily built his skills into prominence while working on cartoons. In 1937, Hanna was employed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's cartoon department, in which he met Barbera and co-created the Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts. In 1957, they co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which not only became the most successful television animation studio in the business, but also created or produced programs such as The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Flintstones; The Yogi Bear Show; Top Cat; The Jetsons; Jonny Quest; and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! among others. In 1967, Hanna-Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company. In 1991, the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System, which in turn was merged with Time Warner, owners of Warner Bros., in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.

Hanna and Barbera directed seven Academy Award films and won eight Emmy Awards. Their cartoon shows have become cultural icons, and their characters have appeared in other media such as films, books, and toys.

Hanna passed away from throat cancer on March 22, 2001, at the age of 90.

Roles

Flintstones

Main article: Flintstones (franchise)

• Himself in the I Yabba-Dabba Do! TV movie (1993).
• Boardroom executive in The Flintstones theatrical film (1994).
• Wedding guest in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas theatrical film (2000).

Behind the scenes

• Despite his long-time partnership and friendship with Joseph Barbera, Hanna rarely socialized with him outside of their work environment. They had different tastes in recreational activities and hung out in different social circles.
• Before entering animation, he had a strong background in music. He claimed that this aided in his mastery of animation timing and direction.

Tributes

WARNING: The following section contains content that may be seen as mature or offensive to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

• In the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "The Acme Bowl," the Acme Loo football team lost against the Santa Ana Barbarians, a play on Hanna-Barbera, who resemble cavemen dressed in Fred Flintstone's orange loincloth.
• In Judge Dredd: The Megazine #14-15, the Daphne and Velma doppelgangers are revealed to be called Hannah and Barbara, respectively.
• Hanna was one of three contestants in a 1975 episode of To Tell the Truth, where the panelists had to guess the correct Hanna.
• There is a character resembling Hanna at the beginning of the film Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf.
• In the film I Yabba-Dabba Do!, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm put Barbera and Hanna's names on an invitation to their wedding reception, with them showing up and voicing themselves. In the sequel, Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby, they sent flowers to the couple after the birth of their twins, Roxy and Chip.
• At the beginning of The Ren & Stimpy Show episode "Stupid Sidekick Union," Stimpy quits again due to being part of the Stupid Sidekick Union, which Ren mocks him for and asks if he will work at "Handle-Barbarian."
• In the Animaniacs segment "Back in Style," Thaddeus Plotz, the CEO of Warner Bros., loaned the Warner siblings to Phil and Shmoe, who were known for making cartoons of limited animation.
• The film Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase is in memory of him.
• A special Cartoon Network bumper was made in his memory.
• The Web Premiere Toons short "The Pitch," was dedicated to his memory.
• In the CollegeHumor Original online short "CSI: Scooby-Doo," Mystery Incorporated investigates the rape and death of Velma Dinkley, with Fred Jones suspecting it was a two-man job and asks for the whereabouts of Hanna-Barbera and the Warner Brothers.
• In the film Scoob!, there is a barbershop named Hanna's Barber Shop.
• In the Teen Titans Go! episode "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary," Starfire was excited to see the Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera guests, referring to the latter in her broken English as "the Hanna of Barbera's gang."

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  Bill as Phil, to the left.