Hanna-Barbera : A History

With careers spanning eight decades, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were two of the most prolific animation producers in American history. In 1940, the two met at MGM and the result was the Tom and Jerry duo, whose antics made up for whatever words weren't actually spoken. The cat and mouse creation earned 14 Academy Award nominations and seven wins. The emergence of television led to the founding of Hanna-Barbera's legendary studio that produced hundreds of hours of cartoons, with beloved characters from Fred Flintstone and Scooby Doo to the Super Friends and the Smurfs. Prime-time animated sitcoms, Saturday morning cartoons, and Cartoon Network's cable animation are some of the many areas of television revolutionized by the team, and their resulting productions are critical to our cultural history, reflecting ideologies and trends in both media and society. This book offers a complete company history and examines its productions' influences, changing technologies, and enduring cultural legacy.