Charles August Nichols

Charles A. Nichols
Born
Charles August Nichols

(1910-09-15)September 15, 1910
Milford, Utah, U.S.
DiedAugust 23, 1992(1992-08-23) (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupationanimator
Employers

Charles August "Nick" Nichols (September 15, 1910 – August 23, 1992) was an American animator and film director, who worked in animation for over 50 years at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Hanna-Barbera. At Disney, he worked on various short subjects and films from the 1940s into the 1950s, including the Academy Award-winning short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953). Nichols co-directed Charlotte's Web (1973) while at Hanna-Barbera.

Biography

Nichols was born in Milford, Utah.

As an animator for Disney, his first credit was on the film Pinocchio,[1] where he was the lead animator for the villainous Coachman. During World War II, Nichols animated several short subjects, including First Aiders (1944)[2] and numerous cartoons involving the character Pluto. The authors of The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons opined Nichols' animation style made Pluto an "even more likable character."[3] Nichols directed Mickey and the Seal (1948)[4] and Morris the Midget Moose (1950). He then animated on the 1951 feature film Alice in Wonderland.[5]

Alongside Ward Kimball,[6] Nichols co-directed two films in 1953: Melody, notable for being the first 3D film at Disney,[7] and Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom.[8] The latter earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[9] Nichols worked on the anthology series Disneyland during the mid-1950s, tasked with combining new footage made for the series with older productions, such as cartoons and live action segments.[10] Nichols later served as director on the live action series The Mickey Mouse Club.[11]

He became a stalwart at the Hanna-Barbera studio, directing much of their output made between the 1960s and 1980s.[12] Nichols directed the adventure-themed Jonny Quest and Space Ghost[13] in addition to the comedic Quick Draw McGraw,[14] The Jetsons and The Flintstones.[15] In 1966, Nichols served as animation director for The Man Called Flintstone.[16]

Nichols continued directing at Hanna-Barbera during the 1970s, working on Super Friends,[17] Hong Kong Phooey, Goober and the Ghost Chasers,[18] and The Scooby-Doo Show. With Iwao Takamoto, he co-directed the feature-length animated film Charlotte's Web (1973).[19] In a mixed review, The New York Times felt the animation was "uninteresting" but noted the film stayed true to the book on which it was based.[20] Takamoto opined Nichols was an "unsung legend" who rarely got recognition for his work in animation.[21] He was heavily involved in the production of Josie and the Pussycats, alongside Takamoto and Hoyt Curtin.[22]

He is also credited as Nick Nichols on Scooby's All-Stars on ABC (the second-season title of Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics). During the 1980s, Nichols worked for Ruby-Spears, providing animation direction to ABC Weekend Specials[23] and Alvin and the Chipmunks.[24] In addition, he directed the animated television films Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School and The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound (both released in 1988). Near the end of his career, Nichols returned to Disney, working on The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Darkwing Duck, and Goof Troop, the latter of which aired posthumously.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1944 Springtime for Pluto director
First Aiders director
1945 Dog Watch director
Canine Casanova director
The Legend of Coyote Rock director
Canine Patrol director
1946 Pluto's Kid Brother director
In Dutch director
The Purloined Pup director
A Feather in His Collar director
Bath Day director
1947 Pluto's Housewarming director
Rescue Dog director
Figaro and Frankie director
Mickey's Delayed Date director
Pluto's Blue Note director
1948 Mickey Down Under director
Bone Bandit director
Pluto's Purchase director
Cat Nap Pluto director
Pluto's Fledgling director
Mickey and the Seal director
1949 Pueblo Pluto director
Pluto's Surprise Package director
Pluto's Sweater director
Bubble Bee director
Sheep Dog director
1950 Pluto's Heart Throb director
Pluto and the Gopher director
Wonder Dog director
Primitive Pluto director
Puss Cafe director
Pests of the West director
Food for Feudin' director
Camp Dog director
Morris the Midget Moose director
1951 Plutopia director
R'coon Dawg director
Cold Turkey director
1953 The Simple Things director
Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom director
1954 Grand Canyonscope director
1956 How to Have an Accident in the Home director
1959 How to Have an Accident at Work director
1961 The Saga of Windwagon Smith director
1966 The Man Called Flintstone animation director
1973 Charlotte's Web director

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1961 Top Cat animation director
1964 The Magilla Gorilla Show animation director
The Peter Potamus Show animation director
1964-1965 Jonny Quest animation director
1966 Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles animation director
Space Ghost animation director
1967 Birdman and the Galaxy Trio animation director
1968 Wacky Races animation director
1969 The Perils of Penelope Pitstop animation director
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines animation director
Cattanooga Cats animation director
1970 Josie and the Pussycats animation director
Harlem Globetrotters animation director
1973 Speed Buggy director
Goober and the Ghost Chasers director
The Addams Family director
Super Friends director
Inch High, Private Eye director
1974 Hong Kong Phooey director
Devlin director
Valley of the Dinosaurs director
Partridge Family 2200 A.D. director
Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch director
1976 Clue Club director
The Mumbly Cartoon Show director
1976-1977 Dynomutt, Dog Wonder director
1977 CB Bears director
1984 Dragon's Lair director
1986 Rambo: The Force of Freedom director
Karate Kommandos director
1990 Piggsburg Pigs! supervising director

References

  1. ^ Eagan, Daniel (2010). America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 311. ISBN 9780826429773.
  2. ^ Shull, Michael E.; Wilt, David E. (May 23, 2014). Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939–1945 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 168. ISBN 9780786481699.
  3. ^ Horn, Maurice; Marschall, Richard (1980). The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons. Vol. 1. Gale Research Company. p. 450.
  4. ^ Webb, Graham (2000). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences 1900-1979. McFarland & Company. p. 309. ISBN 9780786407286.
  5. ^ Pitts, Michael R. (April 3, 2015). RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956. McFarland & Company. p. 11. ISBN 9780786460472.
  6. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 178. ISBN 9781557836717.
  7. ^ Hayes, R. M. (1989). 3-D Movies: A History and Filmography of Stereoscopic Cinema. McFarland & Company. p. 261. ISBN 9780899504070.
  8. ^ Klossner, Michael (January 9, 2015). Prehistoric Humans in Film and Television: 581 Dramas, Comedies and Documentaries, 1905-2004. McFarland & Company. p. 144. ISBN 9781476609140.
  9. ^ Solomon, Charles (July 9, 2002). "Ward Kimball, 88; Key Disney Animator". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  10. ^ Telotte, J. P. (2004). Disney TV. Wayne State University Press. pp. 61–64. ISBN 9780814330845.
  11. ^ Norman, Floyd (February 15, 2013). Animated Life: A Lifetime of Tips, Tricks, Techniques and Stories from a Disney Legend. CRC Press. p. 10. ISBN 9781136126376.
  12. ^ Perlmutter, David (March 18, 2014). America Toons In: A History of Television Animation. McFarland & Company. p. 45. ISBN 9780786476503.
  13. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: The shows, M-Z. McFarland & Company. p. 767.
  14. ^ Erickson, Hal (1995). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 1993. McFarland & Company. p. 396. ISBN 9780786400294.
  15. ^ "Midnight". The Norwalk Hour. April 28, 1961. p. TV-6.
  16. ^ Beck, Jerry (October 28, 2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. p. 161. ISBN 9781569762226.
  17. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (August 21, 2008). The encyclopedia of superheroes on film and television. McFarland & Company. p. 360. ISBN 9780786437559.
  18. ^ Jones, Stephen (2000). The Essential Monster Movie Guide: A Century of Creature Features on Film, Tv and Video. Billboard Books. p. 167. ISBN 9780823079360.
  19. ^ Browsh, Jared Bahir (December 28, 2021). Hanna-Barbera: A History. McFarland & Company. p. 98. ISBN 9781476644202.
  20. ^ "'Charlotte's Web' Opens at Music Hall". The New York Times. February 23, 1973. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  21. ^ Takamoto, Iwao; Mallory, Michael (2009). Iwao Takamoto: My Life with a Thousand Characters. University Press of Mississippi. p. 105. ISBN 9781604734775.
  22. ^ Weingarten, Marc (November 2000). Station To Station: The Secret History of Rock & Roll on Television. Gallery Books. p. 203. ISBN 9780671034443.
  23. ^ Browning, John Edgar; Picart, Caroline Joan (January 10, 2014). Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010. McFarland & Company. p. 18. ISBN 9780786462018.
  24. ^ Crump, William D. (March 11, 2019). Happy Holidays--Animated!: A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Company. p. 9. ISBN 9781476636467.