Paul J. Smith (March 15, 1906 – November 17, 1980) was an American

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

and director. He began as a cel painter for

Walt Disney Animation Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...

in August 1926, then moved up to an animator when he remembered he did not work behind a curtain, but a back room. On May 5, 1928, when all the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons for

Charles Mintz Charles Bear Mintz (November 5, 1889 – December 30, 1939)''Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014''. Social Security Administration. was an American film producer and distributor who assumed control over Margaret J. Winkler's Winkler Pict ...

were completed, Smith left the payroll. Smith worked for the Walter Lantz studio for much of his career, first starting as an animator, and then as a director. He also animated at

Warner Bros. Cartoons Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...

. By 1955, Smith had taken over as primary director of the ''

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by ...

'' cartoon shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by peers

Alex Lovy Alexander Lovy (September 2, 1913 – February 14, 1992) was an American animator. He spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions. He was later a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervised the car ...

Jack Hannah John Frederick Hannah (January 5, 1913 – June 11, 1994) was an American animator, writer and director of animated shorts. Biography Hannah was born on January 5, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art ...

, and Sid Marcus. With Smith in the director's chair, the ''Woody Woodpecker'' series maintained its trademark frenetic energy, while the animation itself was simplified, due to budget constraints. By the late 1960s, Smith became the sole director of the Lantz studio's output: the cartoon series ''Woody Woodpecker'', ''

Chilly Willy Chilly Willy is a cartoon character, a diminutive penguin. He was created by director Paul Smith for the Walter Lantz studio in 1953, and developed further by Tex Avery in the two subsequent films following Smith's debut entry. The character ...

'', and ''

The Beary Family ''The Beary Family'' (also known as ''The Beary's Family Album'') is an American animated series and cartoon animal theatrical series made by Walter Lantz Studios. Twenty eight shorts were made from 1962 to 1972, when the studio closed. The series ...

''. Smith stayed with Lantz until the studio was closed in 1972. Smith died in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

on November 17, 1980. He was the brother of animators Frank Smith and Hank Smith and the uncle of actor and film director

Charles Martin Smith Charles Martin Smith (born October 30, 1953) is an American actor, writer, and director of film and television, based in British Columbia. He is known for his roles in ''American Graffiti'' (1973), ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), '' Never Cry W ...

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References

External links

*
A Paul J. Smith Scrapbook
1906 births 1980 deaths American animators American animated film directors Warner Bros. Cartoons people Walter Lantz Productions people Walt Disney Animation Studios people {{US-animator-stub