Cool Catis a fictional cartoon character created by directorAlex LovyforWarner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation.[1]He was the final star of the original Warner Bros. theatrical cartoons.[2]His first appearance was inan eponymous shortin 1967.[3]He was voiced byLarry Storch.Robert McKimsontook over as director for the last two cartoons in this series.
| Cool Cat | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunescharacter | |
 | |
| First appearance | Cool Cat(1967) |
| Created by | Alex Lovy |
| Designed by | Jaime Diaz |
| Voiced by | Larry Storch(1967–1969) Joe Alaskey(1996) Jim Cummings(1999–present) Eric Bauza(2018) Fred Tatasciore(2023) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Bengal tiger |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
In 1967,Jack L. Warnerreorganized the Warner Bros. animation department, and hired Lovy away fromHanna-Barbera Productionsto handle Warner's last two classic characters (Daffy Duck,Speedy Gonzales) and create some new cartoon series. The two series that Lovy developed were Cool Cat andMerlin the Magic Mouse.[4]
Biography
editCool Cat is a hipBengal tiger(whose design was very similar to that ofThe Pink PantherandSnagglepuss) who wore a stylish greenberetand scarf. Unlike most otherLooney Tunescharacters, Cool Cat was unapologetically a product of his time. He spoke in 1960s-stylebeatnikslangand acted much like a stereotypical laid back 1960steenager— he was often seen strumming aguitaror traveling cross-country in hisdune buggy.One cartoon — McKimson'sBugged by a Bee— depicted him as an alumnus of "Disco Tech" playing varsityfootballagainst the long-haired team from "Hippie University".
However, most of Cool Cat's cartoons dealt with his encounters with Colonel Rimfire (also voiced by Storch), a fussy, British-accented big-gamehunterarmed with ablunderbuss.Rimfire essentially acted as theElmer Fuddto Cool Cat'sBugs Bunny,but was used only by Lovy. Cool Cat bears the distinction of starring in the very last cartoon produced at the original Warner Bros. Cartoons studio prior to its shutdown:Injun Troublein 1969.
His cartoons can easily be distinguished from most of the otherLooney Tunescartoons, as they feature an updated Looney Tunes logo with stylized animation, a 1967 remix of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down"byWilliam Lava,and featuring the then-currentWarner Bros.-Seven Artslogo (a combination of a simple W and 7 inside a stylized shield outline).
Cool Cat reappeared later inThe Sylvester & Tweety MysteriesTV series, for which he was voiced byJoe Alaskey.He made brief cameos in most, if not all of the episodes, appearing on posters in the background, walking by in street scenes, etc. His appearances aren't entirely overlooked by the cast, asTweetyonce responded to Cool Cat's appearance in the episode “Good Bird Hunting” with "You realize we had to stick this guy in someplace."
Cool Cat and Colonel Rimfire both appear in the 2000direct-to-videomovieTweety's High-Flying Adventurewhich Colonel Rimfire had a major role whichGrannymakes a bet with him to see if Tweety is smarter than felines by touring the world and collecting 80 cats' pawprints in 80 days, while Cool Cat makes a cameo appearance where it is revealed that he was disguised as one of the members of the club Granny and Colonel Rimfire are members of. Cool Cat was voiced byJim Cummingsand Colonel Rimfire was voiced byJoe Alaskey.
He later appears in theLooney Tunes Cartoonsshort "Happy Birthday Bugs Bunny!" in the opening crowd shot.
Cool Cat, Colonel Rimfire, Merlin the Magic Mouse, and Spooky the Ghost are the only W-7 Arts characters to make any further appearances, beyond the classic era shorts, to date.
Cool Cat appears in an episode ofTiny Toons Looniversity,[5]voiced byFred Tatasciore.
Titles
edit- Cool Cat(1967)
- Big Game Haunt(1968)
- Hippydrome Tiger(1968)
- 3 Ring Wing-Ding(1968)
- Bugged by a Bee(1969)
- Injun Trouble(1969)
References
edit- ^Markstein, Don."Cool Cat".Don Markstein's Toonopedia.Retrieved14 April2020.
- ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999).The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons.Checkmark Books. p. 69.ISBN0-8160-3831-7.Retrieved6 June2020.
- ^Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989).Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons.Henry Holt and Co. p. 362.ISBN0-8050-0894-2.
- ^Maltin, Leonard (1987).Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons(Revised ed.). Plume. p. 276.ISBN0-452-25993-2.
- ^"Tiny Toons Looniversity Review".4 September 2023.