Rudy Larriva

Rudolph Larriva (February 12, 1916 – February 19, 2010) was an American animator and director from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Rudy Larriva
Larriva seated at his artist desk
Rudy Larriva, American animator.
Born
Rudolph Larriva

(1916-02-12)February 12, 1916
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
DiedFebruary 19, 2010(2010-02-19) (aged 94)
Irvine, California, U.S.
OccupationAnimator/Film director
Years active1939–1986
Children1
Signature

Early life

Born in El Paso, Texas, which his parents moved out at the age of two, he attended several grammar schools, and graduated from John C. Fremont High School with a major in commercial art, but never went to college.[1] He was of Mexican descent.[2]

Career

Larriva worked at a number of studios, including Format Films, Filmation, and Walt Disney Productions, but is best known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons and UPA. He was an animator in Chuck Jones' unit, starting in 1939 with the short Dog Gone Modern. He later animated for shorts like Elmer's Pet Rabbit and Porky's Cafe. Larriva was considered by Jones to be his top animator in the late 1930s and early 1940s, where he particularly delivered Disney-quality animation.[2][3]

Some of the productions he worked on include the 1965-1967 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons for Format Films, Song of the South, Mr. Magoo (the first short, "The Ragtime Bear"), Gerald McBoing Boing, Fangface, The Alvin Show, The Lone Ranger and The Unicorn in the Garden. He was also the animation director of The Twilight Zone opening titles for 1959–1960.[2][3][4]

He died in Irvine, California on February 19, 2010, aged 94. Larriva was buried in Eternal Hills Cemetery in Oceanside, California in March of that year. He is survived by his son and his three grandchildren.[3]

Format Films-produced Warner Bros. cartoons directed by Rudy Larriva
Title Date Main characters
Run, Run, Sweet Road Runner August 21, 1965 Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Tired and Feathered September 18, 1965
Boulder Wham! October 9, 1965
Just Plane Beep October 30, 1965
Hairied and Hurried November 13, 1965
Highway Runnery December 11, 1965
Chaser on the Rocks December 25, 1965
Shot and Bothered January 8, 1966
Out and Out Rout January 29, 1966
The Solid Tin Coyote February 19, 1966
Clippety Clobbered March 12, 1966
Quacker Tracker April 29, 1967 Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales
The Music Mice-Tro May 27, 1967
The Spy Swatter June 24, 1967

Note: The Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoons in the above list are sometimes called the "Larriva Eleven."

References
  1. "The Exposure Sheet #17 & #18". 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  2. Amidi, Amid (2021-10-20). "A Celebration Of The Mexican Artists Who Helped Create The American Animation Industry". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  3. "Animator Rudy Larriva dies at 94 Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2021
  4. Zahed, Ramin (2010-02-27). "Veteran Animator Rudy Larriva Passes Away". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
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