Bill Melendez Animation

Here's the original video:    • Bill Melendez Reel  


José Cuauhtémoc 'Bill' Melendez (1916 – 2008) was a Mexican American character animator, film director, voice artist and producer. He was hired by Walt Disney around the late 30's and early 40's as an assistant animator on films like "Pinocchio", "Fantasia" "Dumbo" and "Bambi". After the Disney Strike, Melendez moved to Warner bros. and was assigned to Bob Clampett's unit, then Arthur Davis', then Robert Mckimson's. He left Warner bros. around the early 50's to work at UPA on shorts like "Gerald McBoing Boing", "The Miner's Daughter" and many more. But possibly Melendez' most Well-known work is the Peanuts specials and movies that he wrote and direct like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown". (Fun Fact: Melendez even provided the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock when working on the Peanuts).

Melendez' animation is similar to Rod Scribner's (because he was Rod's assistant animator), but there's very few wrinkles shown and the way the characters move with their gestures is very elegant.

Special Thanks to Jerry Beck, Devon Baxter and Thad Komorowski for some of the identifications of Bill Melendez.

List of Cartoons presented (mostly Warner bros.):

Mexican Joyride (1947)
What's Up Doc? (1950)
Two Gophers From Texas (1948)
Boobs in the Woods (1950)
A Fractured Leghorn (1950)
The Big Snooze (1946)
The Goofy Gophers (1947)
Porky Chops (1949)
What Makes Daffy Duck (1948)
Baby Bottleneck (1946)
Punchy De Leon (1950)(UPA)
Dough Ray Me-ow (1948)
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946)
A Ham in Role (1949)
Book Revue (1946)
Nothing But the Tooth (1948)
Hurdy Gurdy Hare (1950)
The Stupor Salesman (1948)
The Miner's Daughter (1950)(UPA)
The Pest That Came To Dinner (1948)
Doggone Cats (1947)
Bushy Hare (1950)
Gerald McBoing Boing (1950)(UPA)
Corn Plastered (1951)
Riff Raffy Daffy (1948)
The Rattled Rooster (1948)
Giddyap (1950)(UPA)
The Foxy Duckling (1947)

Music: "Happy Faces", "Along Came Daffy" and "Tickle Toe" by Quincy Jones & His Orchestra

If I made any mistakes in this reel, feel free to point them out.

Note: For the record, NO, I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE CARTOONS IN THIS VIDEO REEL. this video was made for "educational" and "instructional" purposes, so this would fall into the category of "fair use". these cartoons belong to their respective companies or creators. NO INFRINGEMENT INTENDED (this goes for music as well).