About

Known credits:
65
Birthday:
1922-07-02
Place of birth:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Website:
N/A

Abe Levitow

Overview

Abraham Levitow (July 2, 1922 – May 8, 1975) was an American animator who worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons, UPA and MGM Animation/Visual Arts. He is best known for his work under Chuck Jones' direction.

Levitow began working as an in-betweener and assistant animator at Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1940 at the age of 17. He briefly left Warner Bros. when he was drafted during World War II working on training films. Levitow returned to the studio, working as an assistant animator for Ken Harris under the Chuck Jones unit, and he was later promoted to animator in 1950 and would receive his first animations credit in 1953 for the cartoon Wild Over You. He worked steadily for Jones over the remainder of the 1950s, and directed several cartoons for release in 1959, including the Pepé Le Pew cartoon "Really Scent". While working under Jones, he made characters' joints more angular than most other animators. Those characters with fur (Wile E. Coyote, for example) looked especially shaggy in Levitow's scenes.

Levitow joined UPA in 1958 to work on the Mr. Magoo feature 1001 Arabian Nights, staying behind even after the studio was sold to Henry G. Saperstein. In 1962, he directed the first feature-length animated television special, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. 1962 also saw the release of his theatrical feature Gay Purr-ee. By 1962, he was working with Jones at MGM as an animator and a director in the Tom and Jerry series. He co-directed the feature film The Phantom Tollbooth with Chuck Jones at MGM. In addition, he worked with UPA on more Mr. Magoo cartoons, including The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, and also collaborated with Chuck again on the program Curiosity Shop through Format Films. He animated on the Chuck Jones-produced A Christmas Carol, directed by Richard Williams at Williams' London studio in 1971.

In 1972, he and producer Dave Hanson founded Levitow/Hanson Films. The studio produced several animated pieces for Sesame Street, the most notable being Willie Wimple. His last completed project was B.C.: The First Thanksgiving, which aired in November of 1973.

At the time of his death, Levitow was in line to direct the animated feature film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. The project was taken over by Richard Williams when Levitow died from a bone tumor during pre-production at the age of 52.

[biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]

Known for

Directing
2011 Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume One Directing Director 59
Average
1991 Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes Directing Director 59
Average
1973 B.C.: The First Thanksgiving Directing Director 59
Average
1971 The Wizard of Id Directing Director N/A
N/A
1970 The Phantom Tollbooth Directing Director 60
Fair
1970 Uncle Sam Magoo Directing Director N/A
N/A
1970 B.C. - The Shadow Directing Director N/A
N/A
1967 Surf-Bored Cat Directing Director 58
Average
1967 The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. Directing Director 59
Average
1967 Rock 'n' Rodent Directing Director 58
Average
1967 Guided Mouse-Ille Directing Director 59
Average
1967 O-Solar-Meow Directing Director 59
Average
1966 Catty-Cornered Directing Director 58
Average
1966 The A-Tom-inable Snowman Directing Director 58
Average
1966 Filet Meow Directing Director 58
Average
1966 Puss 'n' Boats Directing Director 58
Average
1966 Jerry-Go-Round Directing Director 59
Average
1964 Mr. Magoo, Man of Mystery Directing Director N/A
N/A
1962 Martian Through Georgia Directing Director 59
Average
1962 Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol Directing Director 59
Average
1962 Gay Purr-ee Directing Director 59
Average
1961 Nelly's Folly Directing Co-Director 58
Average
1961 Lickety-Splat Directing Co-Director 58
Average
1961 The Dick Tracy Show Directing Director 69
Fair
1960 Inside Magoo Directing Director N/A
N/A
1959 Magoo Meets Boing Boing (The Noise-Making Boy) Directing Director N/A
N/A
1959 Unnatural History Directing Director 58
Average
1959 A Witch's Tangled Hare Directing Director 59
Average
1959 Really Scent Directing Director 59
Average
1959 Baton Bunny Directing Director 59
Average

Writing
1971 A Christmas Carol Writing Story Artist 59
Average

Production
1973 B.C.: The First Thanksgiving Production Executive Producer 59
Average
1970 The Phantom Tollbooth Production Producer 60
Fair
1961 Magoo Meets Frankenstein Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A

Art
1959 1001 Arabian Nights Art Art Direction 59
Average

Visual Effects
1980 Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1960 Barbecue for Two Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1958 Cat Feud Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1958 Whoa, Be-Gone! Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1958 Hare-Way to the Stars Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1958 Robin Hood Daffy Visual Effects Animation 60
Fair
1957 Zoom and Bored Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1957 What's Opera, Doc? Visual Effects Animation 63
Fair
1957 Steal Wool Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1957 Boyhood Daze Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1957 Scrambled Aches Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1956 90 Day Wondering Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1956 There They Go-Go-Go! Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1956 Deduce, You Say Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1956 Rocket-bye Baby Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1956 Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1956 Broom-Stick Bunny Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1955 One Froggy Evening Visual Effects Animation 63
Fair
1955 Guided Muscle Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1955 Two Scent's Worth Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1955 Ready.. Set.. Zoom! Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1955 Beanstalk Bunny Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1955 A Hitch in Time Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1954 Baby Buggy Bunny Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1954 Stop! Look! and Hasten! Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1954 Claws for Alarm Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1954 Feline Frame-Up Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1954 It's Everybody's Business Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1953 Forward March Hare Visual Effects Animation 59
Average
1948 Scaredy Cat Visual Effects Animation 60
Fair