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Thursday, March 2, 2017

Complete 47 Page Pink Panther Xerographic Storyboard from "Pink U.F.O.," 1978


Complete 47 page Pink Panther xerographic storyboard from "Pink U.F.O.," 1978,  Depatie-Freleng Studios; Signed Friz Freleng in ink left center on page 1; Size - Sheets: 8 1/2 x 11"; Unframed.


DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, (1963-1981) was an American animation company that was based in Burbank, California. It produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, film title design sequences, and television specials; but was most known for The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts, as well as the Dr. Seuss cartoon adaptations made for CBS and ABC. The company was founded by two former Warner Bros. Cartoons employees, director/composer/producer Friz Freleng and executive David H. DePatie. Although Freleng and DePatie were no longer working for Warner Bros., they were able to lease the former Warner cartoons studio, complete with equipment and supplies, for only a few dollars each year.


Close up of the Friz Freleng signature.


Photograph of an example page from the Pink Panther xerographic storyboard.

Director Blake Edwards contacted DePatie-Freleng and asked them to design a panther character for Edwards's new film, The Pink Panther; and they would also produce the animated titles for the film. The opening titles were hugely popular and soon DePatie-Freleng contracted with United Artists to produce a series of cartoon shorts featuring the Pink Panther. The first entry in the Pink Panther series, The Pink Phink, was directed by Freleng; and won the studio its only Academy Award in 1964. In 1967, DePatie-Freleng would receive another Academy Award nomination for The Pink Blueprint. The studio created over 100 Pink Panther shorts for both theatrical release and television through 1980.


Photograph of an example page from the Pink Panther xerographic storyboard.

Henry Mancini composed "The Pink Panther Theme" for the live action films, which was also used in the cartoon series. Doug Goodwin composed the show's opening title music, while William Lava and Walter Greene composed music scores heard throughout the cartoons; many of which were derivations of Mancini's composition.


Photograph of an example page from the Pink Panther xerographic storyboard.

The Pink Panther theatrical series of cartoons became the basis of a Saturday morning television series, The Pink Panther Show. The series (1969-1980) also included cartoons of The Inspector; and eventually The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads (a.k.a. Texas Toads), Hoot Kloot, Misterjaw, Roland and Rattfink, The Dogfather, and two Tijuana Toads spinoffs: The Blue Racer and Crazylegs Crane. It was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and was broadcast on two American television networks: from September 6, 1969 to September 2, 1978, on NBC; and from September 9, 1978 to September 1, 1980, on ABC (as The All New Pink Panther Show). After nine years on NBC, the Pink Panther moved to ABC in 1978 and was titled The All New Pink Panther Show, where it lasted one season before leaving the network realm entirely. The ABC version of the series featured sixteen episodes with 32 new Pink Panther cartoons, and 16 featuring Crazylegs Crane.

Over its 11 years on various television networks, The Pink Panther Show had a variety of names:
The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970)
The Pink Panther Meets the Ant and the Aardvark (1970–1971)
The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974)
The Pink Panther and Friends (1974–1976)
It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (1976–1977)
Think Pink Panther (1977–1978)
The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980)

This is a wonderful 47 page Pink Panther xerographic storyboard from from "Pink U.F.O.," 1978. The story of the short is that a tiny insect-like UFO, armed with a ray that makes everything disappear, flies to Earth. The butterfly-collecting Pink Panther ends up catching it, believing it to be a butterfly. When the UFO gets loose in the Panther's house, both he and his house are in danger; and all attempts by the Panther to catch the UFO fail. This 47 page storyboard set would have been used by the Depatie-Freleng Animation Department in order to map out and create the animated short. The storyboards are hand signed Friz Freleng in ink left center on page 1. A rare and beautiful piece of animation artwork perfect for any collection!

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