A new year has begun, so that means it's time for a new list. In 2024, I looked at my favorite Hanna-Barbera characters. Last year, I ranked their best voice actors. Now, it's time I gave the artists their due. I initially wanted this to focus on only the animators, but I thought it'd be more fun to discuss the studios' artists in all their forms. Also, unlike previous lists, this isn't a ranking. These are simply ten of my favorites. Whichever one I prefer depends on the day, so don't get too hung up on who is where.
1. Ed Benedict
For many of the classic Hanna-Barbera characters, their stories began with Ed Benedict. The Flintstones, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and various others were designed by him. Though he wasn't exactly thrilled with how the studio's animators handled the designs, Benedict's characters are synonymous with Hanna-Barbera. Could you ever imagine Fred Flintstone not looking like the fellow up above? He was a major ingredient in early Hanna-Barbera's success, and I couldn't even fathom not placing him here.
Also, on an unrelated note, his interviews are a delight to read. Give them a read if you haven't, you'll be glad you did!
2. Art Lozzi
One of my favorite elements of old-school Hanna-Barbera cartoons is the backgrounds. They're nothing short of breathtaking; the kind of art you'd love to have framed. We have Art Lozzi to thank for those pieces. While many scenes in Hanna-Barbera cartoons had mere solid color backgrounds, Lozzi made every actual background nothing short of lovely and memorable. Just like you can't imagine Fred Flintstone without Ed Benedict's design, I don't think anyone could picture The Jetsons without those buildings in the blue sky.
3. Kenneth Muse
A bit of an odd pick, but I have to give kudos to Ken Muse here. Muse doesn't get a lot of love from fans, but I think his animation has more charm than many give him credit. I love the big row of teeth he seems to always sneak into his drawings (just look at the above photo for proof). Think of it as his signature trait. Yes, his art isn't as lively as some of his contemporaries', but I think there's some really great stuff if you delve deeper into his work at Hanna-Barbera.
4. George Nicholas
In my mind, nobody did expressions better at Hanna-Barbera than George Nicholas. More than any other animator, he really went for it when drawing the mood of a character. His expressions are so strong they're funny on their own. Even divorced from the show, they make me laugh. He makes the eyes in particular come to life in a way that feels unique to him and him alone. All the proof you need is in the photo of Wilma. How can you not love that?
5. Dick Bickenbach
While Ed Benedict may have been the original designer of many HB classics, it was Dick Bickenbach who refined them. He's often credited as the artist who gave many of their characters unique model sheets, setting the template for how they would look throughout the series. Just like Ed Benedict, he played a critical role in developing Hanna-Barbera's memorable artstyle and helped turn the characters into the icons we know today.
6. Ed Love
If George Nicholas was all about the eyes, then I'd say Ed Love was all about the mouths. Mouths like those seen in the above photo (one of my favorite of his Flintstones drawings, too) are quite common in his work. His sense of timing was also superb, but I'm far from the only person to point that out. He's definitely among the more memorable of the Hanna-Barbera animators, and with mouths like that, it's easy to see why!
7. Alex Toth
How good was Alex Toth when it came to designing characters? So good he could make the most mediocre of cartoons worth watching! I'm not the biggest fan of shows like Space Ghost, but his designs were easily the standouts of those shows. Toth came from the world of comic books, so it was nothing short of genius when he was tapped to design the characters for Hanna-Barbera's superhero shows. Even today, these characters are well remembered, and I don't think that'd be true if it weren't for Toth's work on them. It sure wasn't because of the scripts!
8. Carlo Vinci
A pretty popular HB animator, and for good reason. Of all the animators in the studio's earlier years, his animation was by far the most lively. It's commonplace to see characters run and chase each other in Hanna-Barbera cartoons, but Vinci never simply had them race from one side of the screen to the other. In general, he was a master of posing. He's almost always got the hands and feet doing something. There's a lot of "sass," if you will, in his poses. And even if you don't care for his animation, you can't deny that he cared deeply about the craft. Vinci could animate entire Flintstones episodes by himself. How many other animators can you think of that are capable of that?
9. Mike Lah
With Mike Lah, it's all in the legs. Notice those moments in early Hanna-Barbera where the characters' legs turn into wheels? Nine times out of ten, that's Mike Lah's doing. You could almost call him Mike Legs! But don't think for a second that he's a one-trick pony. His expressions were top-tier as well. Take a look at the still of Mr. Jinks above, showing both those windmill legs and a solid expression. He was a great animator, and it's a real shame we didn't see more from him at the studio.
10. Doug Wildey
Another artist who came from the world of comics, Wildey was the mastermind behind Jonny Quest. Pretty much everything we love about the show came from him. It goes without saying, but Jonny Quest would be a much different (and likely worse) show if he were not involved. His character designs, combined with the heavy shadows, created a look that's often been imitated but never quite duplicated. His work was brilliant and criminally underrated, making him more than deserving of being here.
And those are my favorite classic Hanna-Barbera artists. There are many other greats I missed, but perhaps I'll do a second installment of this sometime in the future. While I'm here, I also want to apologize for the lack of updates recently. Work was pretty hectic during the holidays, and I also had a nasty injury. I don't want to make any promises, but this year should see more updates than 2025. I've got some neat projects in the pipeline that I don't want to spoil just yet, but if they come to pass, 2026 will be quite funtastic! Perhaps fanriffic, even!
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