Animation Maverick: The Lou Scheimer Story

[@Kamandi1971]

RIP Lou us kids from the 70's and 80's Thank you

[@Alphlond]

You're welcome.

[@lazarusdarkstar3015]

Filmation was truly an American industry that not only created cartoons for kids but gave jobs and education in business. Filmation will always be remembered!

[@myramanibog6678]

Lou is an icon in animation. His works will remain in our hearts forever.

[@Alphlond]

AMEN!

[@ericoxner326]

Other than hanna barbra filmation worked out its own path in animation.Very strong and good cartoons.He made my childhood fun for many years.

[@RichSDet]

They look like a happy, kooky family. What fun it must have been.

[@extremesegaa9239]

lou held onto something you cant get today which is a chance at animation for young artists with huge talent.

[@susanfit47]

Filmation's last production was the feature film Happily Ever After (a sequel to the story of Snow White), produced from 1986 to 1988, and released to theaters five years later in 1993. Also, at the time of the closing, two new animated series, Bugzburg (a spin-off of Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, concerning insect characters who had shown up in that movie) and Bravo (a spin-off of BraveStarr), were beginning production. In 1989, Westinghouse sold Filmation to Paravision International, an investment consortium led by the French cosmetics company L'Oréal. Before that sale was complete, Westinghouse shuttered the film studio on February 3, 1989, which left L'Oréal with only the Filmation library. This happened a day before the WARN Act went into effect requiring companies to give employees 60 days' notice before a mass layoff. Starting with 1987's The New Archies, DIC was given the rights, by Archie, to Archie's animation. Not just the right to perp new shows, but also that to air Archie shows perped by Filmation. DIC gave the The Family Channel to air Filmation-perped shows; after the Filmation logo, I remember the 1990-99 DIC "Kid in Bed" logo appearing after it.

[@DJRitty]

What I loved most was the repeated cast on every show. There was something familiar about every new show. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, Fat Albert, Tarzan, Zorro, Batman, He-Man, She-Ra, Ghostbusters, Shazam!, Blackstar, The Lone Ranger - man so much magic in my childhood.

[@stephenholloway6893]

Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland, and Norm Prescott were among the great animators during the Saturday Morning era of cartoons. RIP gentlemen and thanks for all you did at Filmation.

[@suelondon4257]

This man is my childhood, nothing better in the world than sitting down with your bowl of cereal on Saturday morning, and watching filmation cartoons and live-action, but it's an added plus that he was a good human being.

[@jupitr2]

Lou Scheimer - such a class act. I have always liked 'most' of the productions that FILMATION produced since the 1960s and after seeing this and learning about his upbringing and background as a Pittsburgh youth, I have such great respect for the man and his leadership. He was dedicated to his team of employees and he respected all. So sad to see the horrific way it was shutdown. So much of the talent is evident in the shows that they produced. It's a shame that it all can't be shared with the fans and a 'new' viewing audience on some 24-hr FILMATION cartoon channel. It certainly deserves it!

[@Alphlond]

"So sad to see the horrific way it was shutdown." And on my father's 44th birthday, no less. (No, he didn't work there; we lived in a different city and Dad is a retired policeman.) Still, I think we need a new "Filmation" studio here, you know, a traditional animation studio on this side of the Pacific to make Saturday morning cartoons.

[@moogyboy6]

I personally think what Filmation lacked in out-and-out quality animation of the Disney kind, was made up for by the culture that Scheimer built up at his studio. With the sort of technology that we have now, and the respect for his employees, Filmation could have flourished today. If I were ever to start an animation studio of my own, I would like follow Scheimer's model: gather a large group of talented artists, treat them right, encourage them to fully utilize whatever talents they have in any capacity, make the most of your resources however small they might be, and stay true to your principles. I think Filmation's biggest shortcomings related to being in the tough field of TV animation with its tight budgets, but more crucially of not developing enough of their own properties, not investing enough in first-rate writers and story-men to come up with bankable original characters. While Scheimer's people were hard-working and capable, ultimately Filmation was doomed because as much as they "kept it in the family" production-wise, they were far too dependent on outside parties for both their characters and their financing. Pretty much all of their most memorable and successful series were originated by outsiders: the DC superheroes, The Archies, Fat Albert, Star Trek, Tarzan, Zorro, Flash Gordon, Tom & Jerry, He-Man and She-Ra, I think even Bravestarr. (When they did occasionally try an original series, it backfired...Filmation's Ghostbusters, based on their '70s live action series, got torpedoed by the interloping Real Ghostbusters franchise!) Compare to Hanna-Barbera's huge universe of original characters. Poor Lou had very little bargaining power when the money men closed in, all he had was a production plant and a large staff. Filmation essentially started out doing work-for-hire and never really got out of that rut, unlike Hanna-Barbera who had decades of experience with creating original product at MGM before venturing into TV. I think Scheimer really did do the best he could with the background he'd had, but unfortunately it made him and Filmation vulnerable in a way that H-B never were. Their story is a truly a tragic fable.

[@Alphlond]

You're a man after my own heart! I hope we can create new cartoons here in the US without outsourcing production!

[@austinreed7343]

Apparently John Kricfalusi wasn’t respected there. That might very well explain why he’s such a monster.

[@stephenholloway6893]

Plus they were practically the last studio that kept animation exclusively in the states.

[@pythonfan1]

Cartoons were made not just to entertain, but double as a learning too at the same time.

[@TheNewEmphinix]

Thank You For Bravestarr Lou Scheimer. RIP.

[@Alphlond]

I wish I could have met him in real life.;(

[@TheNewEmphinix]

***** The action, the storyline and what was enjoyable was that Wild West feel mixed with the future. Plus, it was a Native American hero

[@extremesegaa9239]

I feel like im 15 years behind, i always wanted people to reconize my talent , had lou met me he would gave me a chance i know it. im 10 years to late living in the wrong country.

[@ericfoxndine5240]

Thanks lou for making tv fun for us kids.Thanks for superman,batman,captain marvel.Star trek,flash gordon, fat albert,blackstar,the oz movie,bravestar,heman,shera and many more.Rip lou you have done so much good.

[@darthmeyers074]

RIP Mr. Scheimer. Thank you for all the great cartoons from my childhood. He-Man, Fat Albert, Blackstar, Batman, Shazam and Tarzan.

[@mattdawg83686]

I just happen to stumble upon this documentary, and although I grew up watching programming from Filmation, I hadn’t given Lou the credit he deserves for his contribution to animation. I learned something new today, and I’m a better person now that I’ve watched this.

[@sydneyflabbott745]

Rip uncle lou I miss u dearly

[@ericoxner8333]

He was a trail blazers in cartoons. Saturday morning would not be the same.RIP Lou for your race is over.

[@pupolozano]

Thanks for my amazing chidhood in 70's Lou and THE TEAM.

[@darkknight1938]

RIP, dear Lou and thank you. I was raised on Filmation, starting with Blackstar. I still cherish those cartoons to this day.

[@JayJayinNYC]

Filmation. My god. Fat Albert, He-Man, She-Ra, etc.! Thanks for making my Saturday mornings so much fun Mr. Scheimer! Sitting indian style in front of my chesnut colored console tv with a bowl of cereal. I can't believe you voiced Dumb Donald. So hilarious! RIP man.

[@DrShrinker00]

Thank you Lou for making my youth kickass i love you!!!!

[@VicMartino]

It's good to know that good animators like Lou Sheimer are appreciated and remembered.

[@brokedownsystem]

Thanks for posting. How sad, that these gentleman passed away relatively recently.

[@anythinganywhere05]

Legacy, Quality Cartoons Story and Animation. Thank you very much for bringing up my childhood and the whole world. (I'm from Philippines).

[@ericoxner326]

Well done lou you made the world a bit brighter.RIP Lou you will never know how much you help us kids.Rest well lou your race is over.

[@extremesegaa9239]

Lou is beyond walt disney dont kid yourself he will always be my hero.

[@michaelcampbell6327]

Thanks for all the memories Lou!

[@Alphlond]

Michael Campbell I only wish I could have known him before he passed away. ;( Filmation closed its doors just weeks before my tenth birthday, so I never could have worked there. R.I.P. Lou Scheimer, you will be sorely missed.

[@ACLTony]

Made such a positive impact on kids and adults. My only peeve with Mr. Scheimer is that he, directly or indirectly, fired Jackson Bostwick (Captain Marvel) from the "Shazam" tv show. Bostwick had to see a doctor for an eye injury, but was wrongly accused of holding out for a pay increase, in spite of Bostwick's proof of his injury and medical treatment.

[@emmagrove6491]

Filmation DOMINATED the T.V. animation I (and everyone I know in the animation industry) watched every weekday after school at age 13. They had hit show after hit show. You could tell the artists and writers were at least TRYING for something good.

[@LopezMelendez]

History of animation thanks you, not to mention my childhood, God rest your soul.

[@antoniod]

The daytime Emmy was for Filmation's STAR TREK, but they didn't make that clear here.

[@robinrhodie6452]

MISS YOU LATE GREAT LOU SCHEIMER CARTOON SHE RA AND HE MAN REMEMBER YOU THANK YOU 👼👼👼🙏🙏🙏

[@cyborgstream]

Awesome work. I love Filmmation.

[@Alphlond]

cyborgstream Thanks. I wish we Americans could create another Filmation and make all our animated series here in the U.S., but the government has imposed so many taxes it would be impossible to do so.

[@KendrickHarrisKenfinity]

"I have THE POWER!" To always reconnect with our unique and focused on keeping American animation in America producer/head of animation legend. Stay safe everyone!

[@1burnman]

was a part of my childhood in fact it was my child and I would have to thank him

[@themysteriousunknownrevealed]

this is a beautiful documentary.

[@kosmic000]

thak you lou for my childhood

[@meaganh637]

It’s as that two co-founders passed away in 2013 and three months later in 2014 that’s so so so so very sad.

[@antoniod]

As a KId, I lived vicariously through the Archie characters.

[@hezekiahramirez6965]

Oh God, I hope nobody says that about Riverdale in 20 + years.

[@veeseee128]

They did Fat Albert, He Man, Zorro, Tarzan- Lord of the Jungle, Shazam, Flash Gordon, etc.

[@KAS6558]

Thanks, Lou Scheimer!

[@Wridde23]

At least Lou would be proud of having Shazam! being in theatres.

[@KendrickHarrisKenfinity]

"Let's go!" with finding out so much about our unique and unforgettable animation studio. Stay safe everyone!

[@richardmattocks]

Fantastic programme. Thanks for uploading. Really showed a true gent doing what he did best.

[@jonathanschweizer3631]

Thanks for posting this! I especially liked when they spoke of rotoscoping and reusing stock footage. Sure, a lot of scenes looked familiar from one show to the next, but as a kid I didn't care! If anything, I was more interested in how and why they did it. This was really interesting.

[@spunkhead]

amazing....thank you

[@RichSDet]

Great story! The American dream.

[@JoeMidnightSpookShow]

Great insight!! Thanks!

[@humnun9869]

Thank you very much for He-man and She-ra Lou!!

[@mowm88]

Just read his bio, written with the guy here with the sideburns. Really fun read too. This guy was such a huckster-and I mean that in the best way-always cobbling something together to sell to CBS or whomever. I think he lived breathed and ate cartoons. And I liked more of his stuff than not-the Archies, Batman, urmmm of course Fat Albert, etc. Ghost Busters. This was fun to watch here too. Thanks for posting it.

[@spunkhead]

at 30:48....brought a tear to my eye as well...

[@artytoons]

Mr. Scheimer had the knack of selecting great established ideas to animate for his studio's series. While the animation and backgrounds were repetitive and recycled many times (as a child watching on tv, I didn't mind it), the studio's output was polished and watchable and on time and on budget. He did well.

[@coreylevine8095]

I miss Flimamation so much growing up in the 70's and 80's watching cartoons back then today cartoons are bad

[@STP43FAN1]

Filmation's best work - DC Superheroes, especially Superman, Aquaman, and Guest Superheroes - Journey To The Center Of The Earth, Fantastic Voyage, and Flash Gordon.

[@jeffbrock4705]

I bought a production animation cel of Harpo Marx in 1992 that is the same art as his character in A Day At The Horse Opera. I still have it. However, I didn't see a scene like this in the feature (huge full body image almost dead center facing you, holding harp up to his left ear). Could it have been done as a one-off promo? No ink markings, no peg desk holes, smaller cel than standard 12.5 x 10.25. Anybody have an idea?

[@spunkhead]

i learned from him and his cartoons....

[@spunkhead]

it's ok...he was buzzed/drunk....they're still working together till this day.....just in heaven though....

[@masterfarr8265]

if you're a true fan of this man, cancel your netflix account

[@jgdsgh]

It's sad that many animators looked back on Filmation with such disdain. Okay, the animation was cheap and stiff, but it looks amazing and the backgrounds are very well done. Kind of like Dingo Pictures a few years after Filmation's demise, except they used computers and are looked back on in an even more dim light.

[@kootunesscrewy]

The difference though is that Filmation still looked uniquely frame by frame, despite looking cheap. Dingo Pictures' animation feels like those cringe Elsagate cartoons on KZbin (even if I find Dingo's animation quailty better than those toons).

[@lazarusdarkstar3015]

A true american animator

[@antdogg422]

The FILMATION logo (1977-81)

[@Launchpad05]

I wish there were more people like Lou Scheimer making new programs for syndication because nowadays, it's become nothing more than A news, and tabloid show wasteland. We're never gonna get the next 'He-Man', 'She-Ra', or 'Fat Albert' in today's TV landscape. Also, it's kinda cool that Lou saw the potential of A 24 hour cartoon channel before Ted Turner made it happen, and he could've made it happen if his studio was bought out by an entertainment conglomerate who understood, and loved animation because A cosmetics company like Loreal knows NOTHING about making cartoons.

[@therealghostbusters1995]

Nothing is dead. How can I contact his daughter? I have some ideas. Thank you.

[@moogyboy6]

A hint of what might-have-been at Filmation was their unsold pilot for "Dick Digit". Look it up. The writing is a little weak but it *looked* fabulous for its era, far classier than Hanna-Barbera's contemporary product, and its blend of slapstick comedy and sci-fi action would have been way ahead of its time...if it hadn't been rejected. (Note the bird sidekick's resemblance to Lou Scheimer, a hilarious caricature imo. :-) )

[@jbratt]

Much better than the Hanna-Barbera trash.

[@antoniod]

Cyril Rytchard was STILL ALIVE when HE-MAN was on?

[@DennisTamayo]

Unlike Renegade Animation, Filmation never switched the animation to digital ink & paint similar to Hanna-Barbera in the 1980s.

[@Alphlond]

That's funny,, I thought they had.

[@kootunesscrewy]

Digital ink and paint wasn't that big for animation at the time until Disney popularized it in 90s. Though, nobody noticed it until 1999 when Family Guy and Courage the Cowardly Dog came around.

[@DennisTamayo]

@@kootunesscrewy Also, Warner Bros. Animation began using digital ink & paint in direct-to-video films starting with Wakko's Wish in 1999.

[@craftruth2009]

What sentimental schlock! a formulaic Horatio Alger story, more formulaic than the stories of his animated series. a bunch of old co-horts and fanboys gving him a verbal rim job and his daughter saying "my daddy right or wrong!Animation Maverick, my ass! Lou Scheimer was the man that was partially responsible for the sad state of animation quality in the 60s-80s the man through copying the limited animation themes of Hanna Barbera (who stole from Jay Ward and U P A) and made them more shitty. used bargain basement budgets to make ultra cheap cartoons that neither entertained nor delivered stories that had relevance. the man should not be regarded as a unsung hero of anything animated, he is a adversary of animation and true animators! his name and that of his co horts Sutherland and especially Prescott, are and should be regarded as being notorious for being among the of the worst schlock peddlers in animation history! if you want to affix the title animation maverick to anyone. how about someone like Ralph Bakshi or John Kriscfalusi, you know someone who really thought outside the box and revived the art form for a new generation, an art form that was destroyed, partly by men like Schiemer, how about Paul Dini, who was featured in the video, one of the medium's most talented scriptmen also worthy of the maverick moniker. he co created Batman TAS w fellow Filmation alum Bruce Timm..... and revolutionized action cartoons) while he honored Norm Prescott for getting him into Flimation and respected Scheimer's authority Dini rightfully critiqued on Scheimer's need to make animation have morals and later PSA's every fucking time! its supposed to be Animated CARTOONS! not Sesame Street! Most of Scheimers fans are delusional loonatic fanboys/girls in their 30s 40s and50s that cnt see past the delusion of their childhods, childhoods watching poorly drawn, poorly written poorly animated bullshit from people like Schiemer and lets not forget that the reason that Filmation closed down was that real creator based animation overtook the Fordian approach of Scheimer (Hanna Barbera was savy enough to get the message and adopted to the creator driven movement though not until the Cartoon Network was created) Scheimer made one cartoon afterwards, the repulsive Robin and the Dreamweavers, which was thankfully passed over during the misdst of Poke-mania and greater Anime-nia of the late 90s early 2000s he then just limited himself to fanboy con apperances reminiscing about the so-called "good old days" whern cartoons were bad, because of a animation non-maverick named Lou Scheimer

[@Ccs1989]

You can say that but his studio keeping work in the US allowed Dini and Timm to get into the business.