Noted animator, character designer, and layout artist. Bob Givens was one of the last surviving notable figures from animation's early golden age. In 1936, Bob Givens as a teen, joined the Disney studio as an animation checker on several of their short subjects (mostly involving Donald Duck), before working on their first feature-length film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). Givens worked for numerous animation studios during his career, besides Disney, others include Warner Bros. Cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, beginning his career during the 1930s and continuing until the early 2000s. He was a frequent collaborator with director Chuck Jones, working with Jones both at Warner Bros. and Jones; own production company.
In 1940 he moved to Warner Bros., where he was widely known for working on the redesign of a character that would come to be known as Bugs Bunny. According to Animation Magazine, "One of Given's biggest career moments came in 1940, when Tex Avery asked him to review designs of a new character, a grey rabbit that was coming across too cute for the slapstick cartoons". Givens went on to create the first official design for Bugs Bunny, now the iconic lead character of the Looney Tunes franchise, in the Merrie Melodies short, "A Wild Hare" (1940). For that cartoon A Avery asked Givens to redesign a rabbit character previously designed by director Ben Hardaway and character designer Charles Thorson, which Avery thought had potential, but was "too cute" in his existing design. Givens, therefore, created the first official design for the rabbit, now named Bugs Bunny. Givens' design was subsequently refined by fellow animator Robert McKimson (under whom Givens would frequently work in the decades ahead) two years later, with his last cartoon "The Draft Horse" (1942), for the studio, before leaving. Givens' initial tenure at the studio ended when he was drafted during World War II. As part of his military service, he worked with former Warner Bros. animator Rudolf Ising on military training films.
Givens returned to the studio to work mainly as a layout artist for various directors. Givens also illustrated characters such as Tom & Jerry, Daffy Duck, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Popeye. By the 1950s and mostly worked as a layout artist under McKimson, and also Jones later on, staying with the studio until its 1954 shutdown. Unlike many of his co-workers, Givens did not rejoin the Warner Bros. studio when it eventually opened again, and worked at various studios, including UPA, Hanna-Barbera and the Jack Kinney studio. He returned for one last spell at Warner Bros. in the early 1960s, continuing until the studio's final shutdown, and even acting as the layout artist on "False Hare" (1964), the final cartoon (in production order) made by the studio.
Givens followed most of the Warner Bros. staffers to new studio DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, while also working with Jones once more on the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon produced by Jones at Sib Tower 12 Productions. He continued his Looney Tunes association by working at the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts cartoon studio in the late 1960s, remaining with that studio until it shut down. Further work came with DePatie–Freleng and Hanna-Barbera during the 1970s, before working at the re-formed Warner Bros. Animation studio, with further work for Filmation, and Film Roman company, through the 1980s and early 1990s. By the mid 1990s, he worked with Chuck Jones once again, handling the production design duties on the Looney Tunes cartoons Jones' production company worked on for Warner Bros. His last animation credit was at age 83, on 2001's "Timber Wolf", a direct-to-video animated feature written and produced by Jones. After Jones' died the following year, Givens largely retired from active animation work, though he continued to teach and give animation talks well into his 90s. His longevity, vigor and detailed recollections made Givens a sought-after speaker and mentor in the last decades of his life.
On December 14, 2017, his daughter Mariana Givens, president of Platinum Pathways in California, confirmed on social media, and then to Associated Press, that her father died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, in Burbank, CA. from acute respiratory failure. He was 99. Givens, who married twice, is survived by his daughter (who lives in Santa Barbara, CA), and is also survived by son, Christopher Givens of Walnut Creek, and two stepdaughters.
In 1940 he moved to Warner Bros., where he was widely known for working on the redesign of a character that would come to be known as Bugs Bunny. According to Animation Magazine, "One of Given's biggest career moments came in 1940, when Tex Avery asked him to review designs of a new character, a grey rabbit that was coming across too cute for the slapstick cartoons". Givens went on to create the first official design for Bugs Bunny, now the iconic lead character of the Looney Tunes franchise, in the Merrie Melodies short, "A Wild Hare" (1940). For that cartoon A Avery asked Givens to redesign a rabbit character previously designed by director Ben Hardaway and character designer Charles Thorson, which Avery thought had potential, but was "too cute" in his existing design. Givens, therefore, created the first official design for the rabbit, now named Bugs Bunny. Givens' design was subsequently refined by fellow animator Robert McKimson (under whom Givens would frequently work in the decades ahead) two years later, with his last cartoon "The Draft Horse" (1942), for the studio, before leaving. Givens' initial tenure at the studio ended when he was drafted during World War II. As part of his military service, he worked with former Warner Bros. animator Rudolf Ising on military training films.
Givens returned to the studio to work mainly as a layout artist for various directors. Givens also illustrated characters such as Tom & Jerry, Daffy Duck, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Popeye. By the 1950s and mostly worked as a layout artist under McKimson, and also Jones later on, staying with the studio until its 1954 shutdown. Unlike many of his co-workers, Givens did not rejoin the Warner Bros. studio when it eventually opened again, and worked at various studios, including UPA, Hanna-Barbera and the Jack Kinney studio. He returned for one last spell at Warner Bros. in the early 1960s, continuing until the studio's final shutdown, and even acting as the layout artist on "False Hare" (1964), the final cartoon (in production order) made by the studio.
Givens followed most of the Warner Bros. staffers to new studio DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, while also working with Jones once more on the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon produced by Jones at Sib Tower 12 Productions. He continued his Looney Tunes association by working at the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts cartoon studio in the late 1960s, remaining with that studio until it shut down. Further work came with DePatie–Freleng and Hanna-Barbera during the 1970s, before working at the re-formed Warner Bros. Animation studio, with further work for Filmation, and Film Roman company, through the 1980s and early 1990s. By the mid 1990s, he worked with Chuck Jones once again, handling the production design duties on the Looney Tunes cartoons Jones' production company worked on for Warner Bros. His last animation credit was at age 83, on 2001's "Timber Wolf", a direct-to-video animated feature written and produced by Jones. After Jones' died the following year, Givens largely retired from active animation work, though he continued to teach and give animation talks well into his 90s. His longevity, vigor and detailed recollections made Givens a sought-after speaker and mentor in the last decades of his life.
On December 14, 2017, his daughter Mariana Givens, president of Platinum Pathways in California, confirmed on social media, and then to Associated Press, that her father died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, in Burbank, CA. from acute respiratory failure. He was 99. Givens, who married twice, is survived by his daughter (who lives in Santa Barbara, CA), and is also survived by son, Christopher Givens of Walnut Creek, and two stepdaughters.
Noted animator, character designer, and layout artist. Bob Givens was one of the last surviving notable figures from animation's early golden age. In 1936, Bob Givens as a teen, joined the Disney studio as an animation checker on several of their short subjects (mostly involving Donald Duck), before working on their first feature-length film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). Givens worked for numerous animation studios during his career, besides Disney, others include Warner Bros. Cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, beginning his career during the 1930s and continuing until the early 2000s. He was a frequent collaborator with director Chuck Jones, working with Jones both at Warner Bros. and Jones; own production company.
In 1940 he moved to Warner Bros., where he was widely known for working on the redesign of a character that would come to be known as Bugs Bunny. According to Animation Magazine, "One of Given's biggest career moments came in 1940, when Tex Avery asked him to review designs of a new character, a grey rabbit that was coming across too cute for the slapstick cartoons". Givens went on to create the first official design for Bugs Bunny, now the iconic lead character of the Looney Tunes franchise, in the Merrie Melodies short, "A Wild Hare" (1940). For that cartoon A Avery asked Givens to redesign a rabbit character previously designed by director Ben Hardaway and character designer Charles Thorson, which Avery thought had potential, but was "too cute" in his existing design. Givens, therefore, created the first official design for the rabbit, now named Bugs Bunny. Givens' design was subsequently refined by fellow animator Robert McKimson (under whom Givens would frequently work in the decades ahead) two years later, with his last cartoon "The Draft Horse" (1942), for the studio, before leaving. Givens' initial tenure at the studio ended when he was drafted during World War II. As part of his military service, he worked with former Warner Bros. animator Rudolf Ising on military training films.
Givens returned to the studio to work mainly as a layout artist for various directors. Givens also illustrated characters such as Tom & Jerry, Daffy Duck, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Popeye. By the 1950s and mostly worked as a layout artist under McKimson, and also Jones later on, staying with the studio until its 1954 shutdown. Unlike many of his co-workers, Givens did not rejoin the Warner Bros. studio when it eventually opened again, and worked at various studios, including UPA, Hanna-Barbera and the Jack Kinney studio. He returned for one last spell at Warner Bros. in the early 1960s, continuing until the studio's final shutdown, and even acting as the layout artist on "False Hare" (1964), the final cartoon (in production order) made by the studio.
Givens followed most of the Warner Bros. staffers to new studio DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, while also working with Jones once more on the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon produced by Jones at Sib Tower 12 Productions. He continued his Looney Tunes association by working at the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts cartoon studio in the late 1960s, remaining with that studio until it shut down. Further work came with DePatie–Freleng and Hanna-Barbera during the 1970s, before working at the re-formed Warner Bros. Animation studio, with further work for Filmation, and Film Roman company, through the 1980s and early 1990s. By the mid 1990s, he worked with Chuck Jones once again, handling the production design duties on the Looney Tunes cartoons Jones' production company worked on for Warner Bros. His last animation credit was at age 83, on 2001's "Timber Wolf", a direct-to-video animated feature written and produced by Jones. After Jones' died the following year, Givens largely retired from active animation work, though he continued to teach and give animation talks well into his 90s. His longevity, vigor and detailed recollections made Givens a sought-after speaker and mentor in the last decades of his life.
On December 14, 2017, his daughter Mariana Givens, president of Platinum Pathways in California, confirmed on social media, and then to Associated Press, that her father died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, in Burbank, CA. from acute respiratory failure. He was 99. Givens, who married twice, is survived by his daughter (who lives in Santa Barbara, CA), and is also survived by son, Christopher Givens of Walnut Creek, and two stepdaughters.
In 1940 he moved to Warner Bros., where he was widely known for working on the redesign of a character that would come to be known as Bugs Bunny. According to Animation Magazine, "One of Given's biggest career moments came in 1940, when Tex Avery asked him to review designs of a new character, a grey rabbit that was coming across too cute for the slapstick cartoons". Givens went on to create the first official design for Bugs Bunny, now the iconic lead character of the Looney Tunes franchise, in the Merrie Melodies short, "A Wild Hare" (1940). For that cartoon A Avery asked Givens to redesign a rabbit character previously designed by director Ben Hardaway and character designer Charles Thorson, which Avery thought had potential, but was "too cute" in his existing design. Givens, therefore, created the first official design for the rabbit, now named Bugs Bunny. Givens' design was subsequently refined by fellow animator Robert McKimson (under whom Givens would frequently work in the decades ahead) two years later, with his last cartoon "The Draft Horse" (1942), for the studio, before leaving. Givens' initial tenure at the studio ended when he was drafted during World War II. As part of his military service, he worked with former Warner Bros. animator Rudolf Ising on military training films.
Givens returned to the studio to work mainly as a layout artist for various directors. Givens also illustrated characters such as Tom & Jerry, Daffy Duck, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Popeye. By the 1950s and mostly worked as a layout artist under McKimson, and also Jones later on, staying with the studio until its 1954 shutdown. Unlike many of his co-workers, Givens did not rejoin the Warner Bros. studio when it eventually opened again, and worked at various studios, including UPA, Hanna-Barbera and the Jack Kinney studio. He returned for one last spell at Warner Bros. in the early 1960s, continuing until the studio's final shutdown, and even acting as the layout artist on "False Hare" (1964), the final cartoon (in production order) made by the studio.
Givens followed most of the Warner Bros. staffers to new studio DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, while also working with Jones once more on the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon produced by Jones at Sib Tower 12 Productions. He continued his Looney Tunes association by working at the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts cartoon studio in the late 1960s, remaining with that studio until it shut down. Further work came with DePatie–Freleng and Hanna-Barbera during the 1970s, before working at the re-formed Warner Bros. Animation studio, with further work for Filmation, and Film Roman company, through the 1980s and early 1990s. By the mid 1990s, he worked with Chuck Jones once again, handling the production design duties on the Looney Tunes cartoons Jones' production company worked on for Warner Bros. His last animation credit was at age 83, on 2001's "Timber Wolf", a direct-to-video animated feature written and produced by Jones. After Jones' died the following year, Givens largely retired from active animation work, though he continued to teach and give animation talks well into his 90s. His longevity, vigor and detailed recollections made Givens a sought-after speaker and mentor in the last decades of his life.
On December 14, 2017, his daughter Mariana Givens, president of Platinum Pathways in California, confirmed on social media, and then to Associated Press, that her father died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, in Burbank, CA. from acute respiratory failure. He was 99. Givens, who married twice, is survived by his daughter (who lives in Santa Barbara, CA), and is also survived by son, Christopher Givens of Walnut Creek, and two stepdaughters.
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