Canadian animator draws admirers, critics for updated Looney Tunes

By Bruce Ward and Jeremy Mesiano-Crookston,  Ottawa Citizen May 26, 2010

OTTAWA — The wit and wisdom of that rascally rabbit and his cartoon sidekicks captivated Canadian animator Jessica Borutski when she was a little girl.

“I started learning these characters when I was maybe six,” Borutski, 26, said in an interview. “I remember watching cartoons and then I’d love it and pause it (the videotape) and draw it and I would study these characters, even way back then.”

The Ottawa woman’s early devotion has paid off.

Now she’s working for Warner Bros., redesigning Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam and other characters for a new 26-episode half-hour TV show called The Looney Tunes Show, which will air on the Cartoon Network in the fall.

In a plot twist that seems as implausible as Bugs’ mastery of classical music, Borutski got a terse e-mail about 18 months ago that led to a dream job.

“Hey. Interested in redesigning the Looney Tunes? Tony,” the e-mail said in its entirety.

“It was very weird,” said Borutski. “It was like, ‘OK, what is this and is this for real?’ “

The e-mail was from from Warner Bros.’ creative producer, Tony Cervone, and his interest was genuine.

“He must have found me online or through my art blog and just liked my style,” Borutski said.

Cervone told the Ottawa Citizen that although Borutski’s artwork is impeccable, “most important, Jess has a solid grasp of the personalities of these characters. The Looney Tunes are distinct, complex, living people to us, and Jess totally understands that.”

Put simply, Borutski’s work has “appeal,” Cervone said. “Her characters drew me in, I wanted to see more of them.”

In redrawing Bugs and Daffy Duck, Borutski looked back to classic Looney Tunes cartoons from the 1940s and 1950s, many of which are the work of animator directors Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett.

“At first, I thought they (Warner Bros.) maybe wanted to make it ‘cool’ and ‘hip.’ I wasn’t interested in that,” she said.

Instead, she was determined to “keep all the spirit of the characters without changing them dramatically,” as she wrote on her blog. “I gave them slightly different proportions that emphasize things I always liked about the characters.”

For instance, she made Bugs’ feet bigger.

“I love big feet on characters, and I just thought it would look awesome on Bugs,” Borutski laughed over the phone. “He’s too cool, that guy.”

She also tweaked Daffy Duck’s tail feathers, giving his hindquarters a spiky look. “I played that up because it was sort of visually exciting.”

Updating classic characters for today’s children without upsetting the adults who loved the cartoons when they were kids is no easy task.

When some hard-core animation geeks saw a sample of Borutski’s Bugs with ‘Botoxed’ feet, they reacted as if she had drawn a moustache on the Mona Lisa. She was sharply criticized on some websites devoted to animation.

“I knew that would happen, though,” she said. “It’s kind of exciting to be part of something that people are so passionate about, either negative or positive. It’s cool that people are talking.”

Jerry Beck, an animation historian and author of the forthcoming The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons, said in an e-mail that Borutski’s drawings “evoke both the classic school of Hollywood animated cartooning and a fresh new take on that style.

“Her character designs walk that middle ground between cute and dangerous — and that was a subtle something the old Warner Bros. cartoons also had. The producers of the new Looney Tunes show wanted a fresh perspective on these characters. Jessica was a perfect choice.”

Updating the characters is nothing new, Beck said.

“The characters were always evolving during the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s and beyond. Daffy Duck moved from a zany lunatic to egotistical foil. The characters looked and behaved differently, depending on who was directing them. Chuck Jones’ Bugs Bunny was a different animal from Robert McKimson’s or Friz Freleng’s.”

Added Beck: “The original cartoons are beloved and the characters are cherished, so any new take — even a slavish remake — will be looked upon very critically. I want the original classic cartoons to be seen and appreciated for the works of art they are. Any new publicity is good. Keeping the characters alive is good. I look forward to seeing how this new team does — but regardless, we always have the original cartoons, which are true animation and comedy classics.”

In high-school classes, Borutski often filled her books with drawings rather than paying attention to the teacher. On weekends, she would trawl through the VHS bin at the drugstore, looking for old Warner Bros. cartoons and other animation classics.

She also admired the “strong line work” of Betty Boop cartoons, and Japanese animation with the “colourful and graphic” Sanrio characters, like Hello Kitty.

After completing an animation program in college, Borutski was hired by John Kricfalusi, creator of The Ren and Stimpy Show. She showed her talent in scenes with “custom-tailored poses and expressions,” Kricfalusi said.

“I gave her many of the hardest scenes, and she stoically did them and made them look great,” he said.

Her Ottawa apartment reflects her fascination with cartoons: a Betty Boop statue in the living room and an Astroboy mug in the kitchen. There’s a picture of Woody Woodpecker on display, as well.

Borutski demurs when asked about her own style.

“I don’t know how to describe it. My influences are traditional animation with a bit of Japanese vintage toy sort of look.”

Borutski works from her living room mostly, drawing her designs directly on a special computer. She has been to the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, Calif., several times to co-ordinate her designs with the team working on the TV show.

For the new show, Bugs and the others will behave and sound much as they did in the earliest cartoons. The show stars Bugs and Daffy as roommates living in suburbia. Among their neighbours are Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig and Yosemite Sam.

Each show features three interconnected six-minute stories, as well as a two-minute “Merrie Melodies” segment in which characters perform in music videos.

“I don’t think I really realized how big these characters are,” said Borutski. “I’m so comfortable drawing these characters, I didn’t really think about it. I didn’t realize the whole world would see it.

“I think it’s actually just hitting me now,” she laughed.

As appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, and syndicated around the CanWest newspapers on May 26, 2010. Original has since gone off-line.