'Heiji', 1935.
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Theodore Geisel, who would become known as Dr. Seuss, studied at the Dartmouth College. Among his early graphic influences was George Herriman. After his graduation in 1925, Seuss began his weekly 'Birdsies and Beasties' page in Judge magazine. Using the pen name of Dr. Seuss, his name soon appeared on gags and strips inside the magazine and on covers. Later on, he also drew for Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty. Between 1930 and 1931, when Seuss worked for Audio Cinema, Frank Little was one of his co-workers.
He was the creator of the short-lived newspaper strip 'Hejji' in 1935. In the 1940s, he drew political cartoons for the PM newspaper in New York, and embarked on a career in animation.
At Warner Brothers, Seuss led the Army Signal Corps, the unit responsible for World War II wartime propaganda and military instruction films, where he had animators like Jack Bradbury, P.D. Eastman, Hank Ketcham, Munro Leaf and Owen Fitzgerald under his command. In 1942, Seuss' picture book 'Horton Hears A Who' was also adapted into an animated short by Bob Clampett, making it one of the rare Looney Tunes cartoons not featuring any of the familiar characters.
As the president and publisher of Beginners Books, Dr Seuss changed the nature of children's books in the 1950s and later with the 'Cat in the Hat' series. He published over 40 children's books, full with imaginative characters and frequent use of rhymed prose. Besides 'Cat in the Hat', famous books by Dr. Seuss are 'Green Eggs and Ham' and 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish'. In 1974, Seuss let two other illustrators, liven up the pages of his books, namely 'Great Day for Up!' by Quentin Blake and George Booth for 'Wacky Wednesday'.
In 1966, Chuck Jones adapted Seuss' 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' into an animated TV special for the holiday season. Seuss had worked in Warner Brothers' animation department during the 1940s, he and Jones were old friends and colleagues. The TV special was narrated by horror film icon Boris Karloff, while Albert Hague and Eugene Poddany provided the soundtrack. The soundtrack album won the 1966 Grammy Award for "Best Children's Album", while Karloff won in the "Spoken Word" category. Don Morgan was lay-out and background artist. The story about a grinch who learns the true value of Christmas was first broadcast on 18 December 1966. It has been re-aired annually during the holiday season, becoming one of the most often repeated Christmas specials. Jones had nothing to do with the other 'Grinch' animated specials, nor with the 2000 live-action remake.
In 1989, Ralph Bakshi adapted 'The Butter Battle Book' into an animated TV special, with Seuss writing the screenplay. The author paid Bakshi a huge compliment by saying it was the best screen adaptation of his work he ever saw.
In 2004, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Even after his death, Dr. Seuss' films are frequently adapted into films and TV specials. In 2000, a live-action adaptation of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' was released in theaters, starring comedian Jim Carrey in the title role. Bob Camp was the storyboard artist. For the 2012 adaptation of 'The Lorax', Joe Murray was a story artist and Bruno Dequier character animator. The 2018 adaptation of 'The Grinch' featured designs by Dany Fernàndez.
In the United States, Dr. Seuss was an influence on Matt Groening, who placed 'The 5.000 Fingers of Dr. T' on nr. 91 and 'On Beyond Zebra' on nr. 25 in his personal list of '100 Favorite Things'. Seuss' books and characters are frequently referenced in 'The Simpsons', with the segment 'Oh, The Places You'll D'oh!' in the episode 'Treehouse of Horror XXIV' (2013) being a full-blown tribute. Other U.S. artists influenced by Seuss have been Barbara Dale, Guy Gilchrist, Keith Haring, Stephen Hillenburg, Heather McAdams and Mimi Pond. In Canada, Seuss inspired Dave Cooper and in Europe Wilma Van den Bosch.
'Heiji'.