Baby Bottleneck Breakdowns (part 2)

Continued from the last post! Starting the way we began with...

Rod Scribner

“Akron...”

“Hollywood...”

Those wrinkles, bulging eyes and pupils give it away. This is an awfully strange scene, though, because there’s a switch mid-scene.

Izzy Ellis

Here, compare these two frames. They’re consecutive. One is Scribner, one is Ellis.

Bob Clampett was famous for switching animators mid-scene. This one isn’t as obvious until the key frame at the end. The biggest indicator for me is how his overalls are drawn. Scribner’s overalls ride up farther than Ellis’. The white U-shape on the side is closer to his bow-tie in Scribner’s than Ellis’, which extends farther down. The nose shapes slightly vary as well. Eyes are smaller in Ellis’, too.

“Eh-dee-ah-dee-ah-deh-Daffy!”

Izzy Ellis

“Yessir!”

More certifiably Ellis. Look at how dynamic these poses are! They look like something straight out of a Tashlin cartoon. What a great contrast between the sharp, angular dynamics of Daffy’s body compared to the round pudginess of Porky’s body.

“Yeah, I’ll have to sit on it! And—“ 

Ellis is easy to identify because of how large he draws Daffy’s hat. It’s absurdly large and absurdly hilarious. Who can say why he drew it so big, but he knew it would be funny, and he was right! Especially when another animator takes over and it’s normally sized again.

“Oh no. Hohohoooooh no!”

“Sittin’ on eggs is OUT!”

“O-W-T, OUT!”

Bill Melendez

“Ya musta been a beautiful baby...”

Kind of a tricky one. The slim beak, pointy tongue and Porky’s overall face suggest it’s Melendez. Not Scribner and not Ellis, and unlikely Gould.

Izzy Ellis

“Eh-ehs-eeahs-sit on that egg!”

Daffy’s giant hat makes a return, indicating Ellis once more.

So many good frames to cover, which is why I’ll keep you on your toes and end it here for now. The good stuff is just ahead! Keep a look out!