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Woody Woodpecker

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This article is about the animated character. For other uses, seeWoody Woodpecker (disambiguation).

Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker'scharacter
First appearanceKnock Knock
(November 25, 1940)
Created byWalter Lantz
Ben Hardaway
Designed byAlex Lovy(1940–1943)
Emery Hawkinsand Art Heinemann (1944–1947)
Dick LundyandFred Moore(1947–1949)
Laverne Harding(1950 onwards)
Voiced by
Years Active1940–present
AwardsHollywood Walk of Fame[1]
SpinoffsAppearances
In-universe information
SpeciesPileated woodpecker
GenderMale
Family
    • Splinter (niece)
    • Knothead (nephew)
SignificantotherWinnie Woodpecker

Woody Woodpeckeris an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by theWalter Lantz StudioandUniversal Animation Studioand distributed byUniversal Pictures[2][3]since 1940. Woody's last Woody Woodpecker was produced byWalter Lantzin 1972.[4]

Woody, an anthropomorphicwoodpecker,was created in 1940 byLantzandstoryboardartistBen "Bugs" Hardaway,who had previously laid the groundwork for two other screwball characters,Bugs BunnyandDaffy Duck,at theWarner Bros. cartoon studioin the late 1930s. Woody's character and design evolved over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined-looking and acting character in the vein of the laterChuck Jonesversion of Bugs Bunny.[5]Woody was originally voiced by prolific voice actorMel Blanc,who was succeeded in the shorts byDanny Webb,Kent Rogers,Dick Nelson, Ben Hardaway, and, finally,Grace Stafford(wife of Walter Lantz).[6]

Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on television in 1957 under the titleThe Woody Woodpecker Show,which featured Lantz cartoons bookended by new footage of Woody and live-action footage of Lantz. Lantz produced theatrical cartoons longer than most of his contemporaries, and Woody Woodpecker remained a staple of Universal's release schedule until 1972 when Lantz finally closed down his studio. The character has been revived since then for special productions and occasions, as well as forThe New Woody Woodpecker Show,aSaturday-morning cartoontelevision series featuring prolific voice actorBilly Westas Woody that aired from 1999 to 2002.[7][8]In 2017, a live-action/CGI hybrid feature film,Woody Woodpecker,was released theatrically in Latin America, while released direct-to-video in other territories. It was followed by a new series of shorts released viaYouTubebeginning in 2018. In2024,a new film,Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp,was released onNetflix.

Woody has a motion picture star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. He also made acameo appearancealongside many other famous cartoon characters in the 1988 filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit.Woody Woodpecker is the official mascot of Universal Pictures. Woody and his friends are also icons at theUniversal Studios Theme Parksworldwide, as well as thePortAventura Parkin theSalou, Spain,where they remain despite Universal no longer having a financial stake in the park.

Origin

The inspiration for the character allegedly came during producerWalter Lantz's honeymoon with his wife,Grace,inJune Lake, Californiain 1940, a dubious story given the fact that Woody's first appearance predated Lantz and Stafford's honeymoon.[9]A noisyacorn woodpeckeroutside their cabin kept the couple awake at night, and when heavy rain started, they learned that the bird had bored holes in their cabin's roof. Walter and Gracie told Dallas attorney Rod Phelps during a visit that Walter wanted to shoot the bird, but Gracie suggested that her husband make a cartoon about the bird, and thus Woody was born.[10][11]However, according to Lantz's biographerJoe Adamson,Ben Hardawayand L.E. Elliott had written a story whereAndy Pandaand his father,Papa Panda,experienced roof troubles caused by a rainstorm. Lantz took one look at the storyboard and found it "too expensive". He needed a roofing problem that was easier to animate, and suggested a pesky bird like a woodpecker (a couple of Lantz's 1930s cartoons, including the 1936Oswald the Lucky RabbitcartoonNight Life of the Bugs,had featured incidental woodpeckers).[12]Woody shares many characteristics in common with thepileated woodpeckerin terms of both physical appearance as well as his characteristic laugh, which resembles the call of the pileated woodpecker. These similarities are the result of theartistic licenseof the creators and have caused much confusion within thebirdingcommunity among those who have attempted to classify Woody's species.[10]

In the shortDumb Like a Fox(1964), a museum offers a 25-dollar reward to anyone who captures aCampephilus principalis,which is Woody Woodpecker himself.[13][14]

History

Early years

Woody Woodpecker first appeared in the shortKnock Knockon November 25, 1940. The cartoon ostensibly starsAndy PandaandPapa Panda,but it is Woody who dominates. Thewoodpeckerconstantly pesters the twopandas,apparently just for the fun of it. Meanwhile, Andy tries to sprinkle salt on Woody's tail, believing that this will somehow capture the bird. To Woody's surprise, Andy's attempts prevail, and Woody is taken away to thepsychiatric hospitalbut not before his captors prove to be crazier than he is.

The Woody ofKnock Knockwas designed by animatorAlex Lovy.Woody's originalvoice actor,Mel Blanc,stopped performing the character after the first three cartoons to work exclusively forLeon Schlesinger Productions(later renamedWarner Bros. Cartoons), producer ofWarner Bros.'Looney TunesandMerrie Melodiesafter signing a loyalty contract. At Leon Schlesinger's, Blanc had already established the voices of two other famous "screwball" characters who preceded Woody,Daffy DuckandBugs Bunny.Ironically, Blanc's characterization of the Woody Woodpecker laugh had initially been applied to the prototype ofBugs Bunny,in shorts such as those aboveElmer's Candid Cameraand was later transferred to Woody. Blanc's regular speaking voice for Woody was much like the earlyDaffy Duck,minus the lisp. Once Warner Bros. signed Blanc to an exclusive contract, Woody's voice-over work was taken over by Danny Webb, followed byKent Rogersand Dick Nelson, andBen Hardawaylater became Woody's voice after Rogers was sent to the army duringWorld War IIand would voice the woodpecker for the rest of the decade. This makes Woody Woodpecker one of the very few cartoon characters initially voiced by Mel Blanc to be voiced by someone else during Blanc's lifetime. Despite this, Blanc continued to voice Woody on a Mutual Network radio show[15]and in recordings forCapitol Recordsfrom 1948 until 1955,[16]while his laugh would continue to be used in the shorts until 1951.

Audiences reacted well toKnock Knock,and Lantz realized he had finally hit upon a star to replace the waningOswald the Lucky Rabbit.Woody starred in several films. The character's brash demeanor was a natural hit during World War II. His image appeared on US aircraft asnose artand on mess halls, and audiences on the homefront watched Woody cope with familiar problems such as food shortages. The 1943 Woody cartoonThe Dizzy Acrobatwas nominated for the 1943Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons),which it lost to the MGMTom and JerrycartoonThe Yankee Doodle Mouse.Woody Woodpecker's debut also marked a change in directing style for Walter Lantz studio, since the character was heavily inspired byTex Avery-created Looney Tunes character Daffy Duck at Warner Bros, and thus Woody's cartoons tended to have a hint of Tex Avery's style and influence in terms of humor, and that's what gave Walter Lantz studio its fame. Curiously enough, Avery himself never directed a Woody Woodpecker short while at the Walter Lantz studio.

Woody Woodpecker and his captive client inThe Barber of Seville(1944), directed byShamus Culhane.

AnimatorEmery Hawkinsand layout artist Art Heinemann streamlined Woody's appearance for the 1944 filmThe Barber of Seville,directed byJames "Shamus" Culhane.The bird became rounder, cuter, and less demented. He also sported a simplified color scheme and a brighter smile, making him much more like his counterparts atWarner Bros.andMGM.Nevertheless, Culhane continued to use Woody as an aggressive lunatic, not a domesticated straight man or defensive homebody, as many other studios' characters had become. The follow-up toThe Barber of Seville,The Beach Nut,introduced Woody's original chief nemesis,Wally Walrus.

Woody's wild days were numbered, however. In 1946, Lantz hiredDisneyveteranDick Lundyto direct Woody's cartoons. Lundy rejected Culhane's take on the series and made Woody more defensive; the bird no longer went insane without a legitimate reason. Lundy also paid more attention to animation, making Woody's new films more Disney-esque in their design, style, animation, and timing. Lundy's last film for Disney was theDonald DuckshortFlying Jalopy.This cartoon is played much like a Woody Woodpecker short, down to the laugh in the end. It also features abad guynamed "Ben Buzzard" who bears a strong resemblance toBuzz Buzzard,a Lantz character introduced inWet Blanket Policy(1948), who eventually succeededWally Walrusas Woody's primary antagonist.

In 1947, contract renewal negotiations between Lantz and Universal (now Universal-International) fell through, and Lantz began distributing his cartoons throughUnited Artists.[17]: 161 The UA-distributed Lantz cartoons featured higher-quality animation and the influence of Dick Lundy (the films' budgets remained the same).[17]: 172–175 Former Disney animators such asFred MooreandEd Lovebegan working at Lantz and assisted Lundy in adding touches of the Disney style to Woody's cartoons. Despite the Disney style added for the later cartoons, Woody's cartoons still try to maintain a good dose of slapstick and madcap humor from the pre-Lundy cartoons.

Wet Blanket Policy,directed byDick Lundy,introduced Woody's new adversaryBuzz Buzzardand featured Woody'sAcademy Award-nominated theme song, "The Woody Woodpecker Song".

"The Woody Woodpecker Song"

In 1947, Woody got his theme song when musiciansGeorge TibblesandRamey Idrisswrote "The Woody Woodpecker Song", making ample use of the character's famous laugh.Kay Kyser's 1948 recording of the song, withHarry Babbitt's laugh interrupting vocalistGloria Wood,became one of the biggest hit singles of 1948.[18][19]Other artists did covers, including Woody's original voice actor,Mel Blanc.Lantz first used "The Woody Woodpecker Song" inWet Blanket Policy(1948), and it became the first and only song from an animated short subject to be nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Songin 1948, but it lost out to "Buttons and Bows".[20]Lantz soon adopted the song as Woody's theme music.[citation needed]

"The Woody Woodpecker Song" and theWoody Woodpeckercartoons extensively used Woody's famous laugh, upsetting the man who created it, Mel Blanc. He first used the laughter, in a different recording, for the seminal pre-Bugs Bunny character in 1938'sPorky's Hare Hunt.Although Blanc had only recorded three shorts as the voice of Woody, his laugh had been recorded as a stock sound effect and used in every subsequentWoody Woodpeckershort up until this point. Blanc sued Lantz and lost, but Lantz settled out of court when Blanc filed an appeal. Although Lantz stopped using Blanc's Woody Woodpecker laugh as a stock effect in the early 1950s, Blanc's voice was still heard saying "Guess who?" at the beginning of every cartoon for the duration of theWoody Woodpeckerseries.

Financial impasse/hiatus

Financial problems at United Artists during the aftermath of theParamount case—which forced movie distributors to end the practice ofblock booking,or selling shorts and features to theaters in packages—affected Lantz. The revenues Lantz received from UA's distribution of his cartoons were much lower than his returns had been from Universal. Once the Lantz studio hit its loan debt cap of $250,000 at theBank of America,Lantz was forced to shut the studio down.[17]: 172–175 He began a series of staggered layoffs in December 1948 until work on the final 1940s Lantz short, the Woody cartoonDrooler's Delight,was finished at the otherwise shuttered studio in early 1949.

Walter Lantz Productions remained closed for a full calendar year. During this time, Walter Lantz and his wife, actressGrace Stafford,toured Europe to spend money impounded there after World War II and also to entertain the European Universal exchanges still distributing the Universal era Lantz cartoons.[17]: 179–182 By keeping the studio closed while the Universal and United ArtistsWoody Woodpeckercartoons were still in distribution,[21]Lantz was able to amass enough income to pay off the studio's debts and upgrade the studio, after which time the studio finally reopened with a reduced staff.[17]: 179–182 

Later films

The revived Lantz studio's first new project was an animated segment of the feature filmDestination Moon(1950), produced by Lantz's friendGeorge Pál.In the segment, astronauts are shown an animatededucational filmfeaturing Woody Woodpecker explainingrocket propulsion.[17]: 183–185 

Beginning withDestination Moon,Woody's voice was assumed by Grace Stafford. According to the Lantzes, Stafford slipped a recording of herself into a stack of audition tapes, and her husband chose her without knowing her identity.[17]: 185–186 Lantz also began having Stafford supply Woody's laugh due to the court settlement with Mel Blanc. However, Stafford was not credited for the role at her request untilMisguided Missile(1958), as she felt audiences might reject a woman performing Woody's voice. She also tried to tone down the character through their voice work to appease Universal's complaints about Woody's raucousness.

Lantz signed again with Universal (now Universal-International) in 1950 and began production on two entries that director Dick Lundy and storymen Ben Hardaway andHeck Allenhad begun before the 1948 layoff. These shorts have no director's credit, as Lantz claimed to have directed them himself.Puny Express(1951) was the first to be released, followed bySleep Happy.These shorts marked a departure from past dialogue-driven shorts. Though Stafford now voiced Woody, her job was limited, as Woody (and other characters) rarely spoke in the first dozen or so shorts. Because of these entries, Woody became popular outside theEnglish-speaking world,thanks to the lack of a language barrier (The Pink Panthershorts of the 1960s and 1970s also enjoyed worldwide popularity due to thispantomimeluxury).

Nine more Lantz-directed Woody cartoons followed beforeDon Pattersonbecame Woody's new director in 1952. The bird was redesigned again, this time byanimatorLaVerne Harding.Harding made Woody smaller and cuter, moving his crest forward from its original backward position. The small Lantz Studios logo seen at the start of every cartoon — Woody as an armored knight on horseback carrying alance— continued for a while to display Woody with his former topknot. For 1955'sThe Tree Medic,one last makeover was given to the woodpecker, making Woody's eye a simple black dot and removing the green/hazel iris he had had since his beginnings. However, Woody's eyes were not changed in the cartoon's intros, and they remained green for the rest of the shorts' production run. During this time, the opening was changed as well. Instead of having Woody's name on-screen and Woody pecking a hole in the screen to introduce himself, Woody now pecked his way onto the screen, greeting the audience with his iconic "Guess who?", then carved out his name on either a brown or gray wood background and jumped around the screen while laughing.

By 1955,Paul J. Smithhad taken over as the primary director of Woody's shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by Alex Lovy andJack Hannah,among others. With Smith on board, the shorts maintained a healthy dose of frenetic energy, while the animation was simplified due to budget constraints.

Woody in 1961'sThe Bird Who Came to Dinner,directed byPaul J. Smith.This cartoon was made several years afterWoody'slast redesign.

In addition to Stafford providing Woody's voice, which returned the cartoon to being more dialogue-driven again, voice talents during this period were generally split betweenDallas McKennonandDaws Butler.Several of Woody's recurring costars were also introduced during this era, such asGabby Gator(voiced by Butler in an Ozarks voice, a slightly different southern dialect than he used forHuckleberry Hound). Gabby first appeared inEverglade Raid(as "Al I. Gator" ). Other films paired Woody with a girlfriend, Winnie Woodpecker (voiced by Stafford), and a niece and nephew, Splinter and Knothead (both voiced byJune Foray). Other antagonists that Woody has dealt with were Ms. Meany (voiced by Stafford) andDapper Denver Dooley(voiced by McKennon).

Woody in the television era

As Lantz was struggling financially, Woody's longevity was secured when he made the jump to television inThe Woody Woodpecker ShowonABC.The half-hour program consisted of three theatrical Woody shorts followed by a brief look at cartoon creation hosted by Lantz. It ran from 1957 to 1958 then entered syndication until 1966.NBCrevived the show in 1970 and 1976. In addition, the woodpecker was no longer dishing out abuse to his foils, but was instead on the receiving end. The first significant short to feature Woody as a serious, put-upon character was 1961'sFranken-Stymied.Woody's popularity had been based on his manic craziness, but by 1961, this had all but been eliminated in favor of a more serious Woody, a straight man trying to do good. This was due in part to Woody's large presence on television, which meant Lantz had to meet the stringent rules against violence for children's television. Though production continued until 1972, the cartoons were a definite notch lower than in the 1940s and 1950s.

Woody appeared in new theatrical shorts until 1972, when Lantz closed his studio due to rising production costs. His cartoons returned to syndication in the late 1970s. Lantz sold his library of Woody shorts toMCA/Universalin 1985. Universal repackaged the cartoons for another syndicatedWoody Woodpecker Showin 1987. A year later, Woody made a cameo inWho Framed Roger Rabbit,voiced by Cherry Davis, near the end of the film.

Woody Woodpecker reappeared in theFox KidsseriesThe New Woody Woodpecker Show,which ran on Saturday mornings from 1999 to 2002, voiced byBilly West.For this series, Woody was redesigned more like his mid-1940s look (1944 to 1949), pushing back his crest and making his eyes green again. Winnie Woodpecker, who had debuted inReal Gone Woody(1954), became a semi-regular character as Woody's primary love interest. Like Woody, Winnie was redesigned to look almost exactly like Woody did from 1950 until 1972, the obvious differences being that she was a female woodpecker and had blue eyes. Woody's primary antagonist was Wally Walrus, who became Woody's neighbor (Woody lived in a tree house in Mrs. Meany's front yard, and Wally lived next door). Buzz Buzzard often appeared, as did Mrs. Meany and several other older characters.

In 2018, a new series ofWoody Woodpeckercartoons began streaming exclusively forYouTube,simply titledWoody Woodpecker.[22]

In August 2023,MeTVacquired the broadcast rights toWalter Lantzcartoons from 1934 to 1972 to airThe Woody Woodpecker Showon Saturday morning on September 2, marking the return on TV after 25 years.

Woody and Winnie Woodpecker, as seen atUniversal Studios Florida.

Reception

Walter Lantz with his most famous creation

TheWoody Woodpecker Showwas named the 88th best animated series byIGN.[23]

Legacy

Walter Lantz and movie pioneerGeorge Palwere good friends. Woody Woodpecker cameos in nearly every film that Pal produced or directed; for example, during the 1966 sequence inThe Time Machine(1960), a little girl drops her Woody Woodpecker doll as she goes into an air raid shelter. InDoc Savage: The Man of Bronze(1975), Grace Stafford cameos, carrying a Woody Woodpecker doll.

Obvious references to "The Woody Woodpecker Song" can be found in the work of at least two noted jazz innovators: specifically,Charlie Parker,a number of whose solos quote it in passing,[24][25]andWayne Shorter,whose 1961 composition "Look at the Birdie" —as heard onArt Blakey and the Jazz Messengers'Roots & Herbs(recorded in 1961, released in 1970)—has been singled out by both composer/trumpeterDavid Weissand Shorter's biographer Michelle Mercer as an ingenious variation on the theme.[26][27]In addition, a full-fledged cover of the song itself was recorded in 1986 by jazz trumpeterWoody Shawfor his 1987 release,Solid.[28]

In 1983-1984,Catapultmusicians Aart Mol, Cees Bergman, Elmer Veerhoff, Erwin van Prehn and Geertjan Hessing (under the pseudonym "Adams & Fleisner" ) wrote and produced "Woodpeckers from Space"byVideoKids,a synth-pop cover of "The Woody Woodpecker Song".[29]Released on 4 September 1984, the song became a number 1 hit in Spain and Norway. The idea for the song began when the children of Gert van den Bosch (co-founder of Boni Records) asked him if he could produce a record based on Woody Woodpecker, whom they were big fans of.[30][31]The Woody laugh used in the song was first heard in "Let's Break" by Master Genius in 1983, another Cat Music project.[32][31]The band's animated mascot, a "spacepecker" named Tico Tac, was created and used in place of Woody in order to avoid a lawsuit from Universal.[33][34]The band lasted from 1984 to 1988.

TheBaltimorasong "Woody Boogie",released in 1985, notably features a synthesizer replaying Woody Woodpecker's laugh, which is incorporated into the chorus as well as other parts of the song.

Woody was number 46 onTV Guide's list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time in 2002 and 2003. He came in at number 25 onAnimal Planet's list ofThe 50 Greatest Movie Animalsin 2004. The character has been referenced and spoofed on many later television programs, among themThe Simpsons,American Dad!,South Park,The Fairly OddParents,Family Guy,Seinfeld,Robot Chicken,Three's Company,and Flash Toons.

LikeBugs BunnyforWarner Bros.,Sonic the HedgehogforSega,MarioforNintendoandMickey MouseforDisney,Woody Woodpecker serves as the official mascot ofUniversal Pictures.In 1998 and 1999, Woody appeared on the nose of theWilliamsFormula OneTeam, and in 2000, he became the official team mascot of theHondaMotorcycle Racing Team. A Woody Woodpecker balloon had been a staple of theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Paradefrom 1982 until 1996.

InBrazil,the character is a hugely popular and iconic cartoon character.[22]

Home media

Woody Woodpecker's star on theHollywood Walk of Fame

A handful of non-comprehensive Woody Woodpecker VHS tapes were issued by Universal in the 1980s and 1990s, usually includingAndy PandaandChilly Willycartoons as bonuses. A few were widely released on VHS in the mid-1980s by Kid Pics Video, an American company of dubious legality, which packaged the Woody cartoons with bootleggedDisneycartoons. In the early 2000s, a series of mail-orderWoody Woodpecker ShowVHS tapes andDVDswere made available by mail order throughColumbia House.

In 2007,Universal Pictures Home EntertainmentreleasedThe Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection,a three-disc DVD boxed set compilation of Walter Lantz "Cartunes". The first forty-five Woody Woodpecker shorts fromKnock KnocktoThe Great Who-Dood-Itwere presented in the box set in chronological order of release, with variousChilly Willy,Andy Panda,Swing Symphonies,and other Lantz shorts also included.[35]The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2,including the next forty-five Woody cartoons—Termites from MarsthroughJittery Jester—was released in 2008. A plain-vanilla best-of release, titledWoody Woodpecker Favorites,was released in 2009, which contained no new-to-DVD material.[36]

Woody Woodpeckershorts have been released for the first time on Blu-ray; labeled as the "Screwball Collection", the set was released on September 7, 2021.[37]

DVD/Blu-ray release name Cartoon # Release date
The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection(DVD) 45Woodycartoons,
30 others 		July 24, 2007
The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2(DVD) April 15, 2008
Woody Woodpecker Favorites(DVD) 15Woodycartoons,
5 others 		March 10, 2009
The Woody Woodpecker Screwball Collection(Blu-ray) 25Woodycartoons September 7, 2021

Voice actors

United States
Other countries
  • Katsue MiwaandKumiko Watanabe(Japan)
  • Olney Cazarré (Brazil) 1960s / 1980s
  • Garcia Júnior (Brazil) 1970s
  • Marco Antônio Costa (Brazil) 1990s / 2000s
  • Sérgio Stern (Brazil) 2017–present
  • Geertjan Hessing(Netherlands, "Let's Break" ) 1983[32][31]
  • Natalia Gurzo (Russia) 1996–1998/2000s
  • Jorge Arvizu(Mexico)
  • Stavros Mavridis (Greece) 2005–2007
  • Dimitris Marizas (Greece) 2007–2009
  • Dieter Kursawe (Germany)
  • Mića Tatić (Yugoslavia/Serbia)

Blanc originated the voice, in a characterization similar to hisDaffy Duck,minus the lisp, with the recording slightly sped up to give a higher-pitched tone to the voice. He stated that the laugh originated from a type of laugh he used to do at school and he just added the pecking sounds to the laugh.[57]That practice continued with other voice artists.[citation needed]

Filmography

Main article:Woody Woodpecker (franchise)

Theatrical cartoons

Further information:Woody Woodpecker filmography

TV series

Series number Title Broadcast run Original channel Total # episodes Total # seasons
1 The Woody Woodpecker Show 1957–1997 ABC,NBC,Syndication 113 episodes 5
2 The New Woody Woodpecker Show 1999–2002 Fox Kids 53 episodes 3
3 Woody Woodpecker 2018–2022 YouTube 30 episodes

Public service

  • Let's All Recycle with Woody Woodpecker(1991 – PSA Video)

Other appearances

Film

Main article:Woody Woodpecker (2017 film)

In the early 2010s,Universal PicturesandIllumination Entertainmentplanned aWoody Woodpeckerfeature film. John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky (King of the Hill) were in talks to develop a story,[20]but the project was canceled.[58]In 2013,Bill Koppwas attached to direct an animated feature film with three interwoven stories,[59]but the project was later canceled.[60]

A live-action/CGI hybrid film based onWoody Woodpecker,directed byAlex Zammand starringTimothy Omundsonand Brazilian actressThaila Ayala,was released theatrically inBrazilon October 5, 2017, and was scheduled for release on April 1, 2018, worldwide. The film had a straight-to-video release in theUnited Stateson February 6, 2018.[61] A sequel titledWoody Woodpecker Goes to Campwas announced in 2021 and released onNetflixon April 12, 2024.

Comics

Woody was the star of a number ofcomic bookseries published in the U.S. and around the world. The main title,Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker,ran from 1952 to 1983.

Woody first appeared as a comic book character in 1942, appearing alongsideAndy PandaandOswald the RabbitinDell Comics'New Funnies,an anthology comic that featured a number of other Lantz characters.[62]Eventually, Woody became the star ofNew Funnies,[62]leading toWoody Woodpeckersolo comics appearing as part ofDell Comics'Four Color Comicsone-shotseries, beginning in 1947.[63]

Walter Lantz Woody Woodpeckerbecame an independent comic book (starting with issue #16 to reflect the earlier appearances inFour Color) in Dec. 1952-Jan. 1953.[64]It ran for 201 issues, published by Dell and thenWestern Publishing(Whitman/Gold Key), lasting until 1983.[65]

Woody's niece and nephew Splinter and Knothead first made their appearances in the comics,[66]later appearing in the cartoons.[62]

Notable creators involved with theWoody Woodpeckercomic includedCarl Fallberg,Paul Murry,Tony Strobl,Frank Thomas,and in the European comics,Freddy Milton.[62]

Woody also starred in a short-livedcomic strip,syndicated by Consolidated News Features, in the early 1950s.[62]

Foreign-language versions of the Woody Woodpecker comic were published in many European countries, most actively in Sweden ( "Hacke Hackspett" ), the Netherlands, France, and Italy ( "Picchiarello" ).

Video games

Several Woody Woodpecker video games were released forMega Drive/Genesis,PlayStation,PlayStation 2,Microsoft Windows,Game Boy Color,Game Boy Advance,3DO Interactive MultiplayerandiOS:

Mattelpurchased the rights for a Woody WoodpeckerIntellivisiongame, and Grace Stafford recorded new dialog for the game, but was not completed.[67]

Maruhonhas released a series ofpachinkogames in Japan.

Woody Woodpecker appears as a park mascot in a Universal Studios themed Minecraft DLC map.[2]

See also

References

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  2. ^"Woody Woodpecker Theatrical Cartoon List".Big Cartoon Database. July 16, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2013.
  3. ^Denis Gifford."Woody Woodpecker shoots to the top of the cartoon tree: From the archive, 4 July 1972 | Film".The Guardian.RetrievedAugust 1,2016.
  4. ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999).The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons.Checkmark Books. pp. 156–158.ISBN0-8160-3831-7.
  5. ^Rovin, Jeff (1991).The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals.Prentice Hall Press. pp. 288–289.ISBN0-13-275561-0.RetrievedApril 8,2020.
  6. ^A. Folkart, Burt (March 19, 1992)."Gracie Lantz Dies; Invented Woody Woodpecker".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedAugust 24,2013.
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  9. ^Brennan, Shannon."Walter Lantz Biography".Rovi.RetrievedJanuary 30,2019.
  10. ^abZickefoose, Julie (March 10, 2009)."Woody The Acorn (Not Pileated) Woodpecker".NPR.RetrievedJanuary 22,2010.
  11. ^Lenburg, Jeff (2006).Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television... - Jeff Lenburg – Google Books.Hal Leonard Corporation.ISBN9781557836717.RetrievedOctober 3,2012.
  12. ^Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022).Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 1.BearManor Media.
  13. ^"U.S. DECLARES WOODY WOODPECKER EXTINCT".The Daily Cartoonist. September 30, 2021.RetrievedDecember 26,2021.
  14. ^"Uma mentira sobre o Pica-pau"(in Brazilian Portuguese). Biólogo. October 6, 2021.RetrievedDecember 26,2021.
  15. ^"Woody Woodpecker Arrives on TV".tralfaz.blogspot.com.August 2015.RetrievedSeptember 22,2017.
  16. ^abOhmart, Ben; Mitchell, Walt (2012).Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices.Bear Manor Media.ISBN978-1593937881.P.108.
  17. ^abcdefgAdamson, Joe (1985).The Walter Lantz Story.New York: Putnam Books.
  18. ^abWhitburn, Joel (1986).Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954.Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p.264.ISBN0-89820-083-0.
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External links

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