Humphrey the Bear

Last updated
Humphrey the Bear
Donald Duck character
Humphrey the Bear.1.png
Humphrey the Bear sporting his signature grin;
from the intro to Hooked Bear (1956).
First appearance Hold That Pose (1950)
Created by Walt Disney
Jack Hannah
Voiced by James MacDonald (1950–1956, 1989)
Frank Welker (1992)
Jim Cummings (1999–present)
In-universe information
Species Brown bear
GenderMale

Humphrey the Bear is a cartoon character created in 1950 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. [1] He first appeared in the 1950 Goofy cartoon Hold That Pose , in which Goofy tried to take his picture. After that he appeared in four classic Donald Duck cartoons: Rugged Bear (1953), Grin and Bear It (1954), Bearly Asleep (1955), and Beezy Bear (1955). [2]

Contents

Disney gave him his own series in 1955, but only two films resulted ( Hooked Bear and In the Bag , both 1956) before Disney discontinued making theatrical short subjects. When the shorts division closed, Humphrey was the last of only seven Disney characters who had been given a series of their own, starring in cartoons who opened with their own logo (the six others were Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip 'n' Dale (counting as one), and Figaro).

The Humphrey cartoons feature a broader, wilder style of comedy than the usually cute or coy Disney gags; critic Leonard Maltin described them as "belly-laugh comedies that can hold their own against the best of MGM and Warner Brothers." [3]

Development

The bear that would become Humphrey first appeared in the 1950 Goofy cartoon Hold That Pose! Three years later, Donald Duck series animator Jack Hannah revived the ursine character:

"For the sake of something new, we tried the Duck with a bear in Rugged Bear and it seemed like an immediate success for them to play against each other. At the time we had not named the bear. Later, when we started thinking of another picture for the bear, it seemed natural to be in a National Forest... We again used the bear and now he got his name of Humphrey." [2]

Personality

Humphrey is a big, opportunistic, neurotic brown bear who lives in Brownstone National Park. He is constantly trying different ways to catch food and/or shelter from unsuspecting visitors, often violating the park rules in the process. However, his habit of fulfilling his wants/needs in this manner is not entirely unjustified, as it is often shown that he is seldom rewarded when he follows the rules. Unlike most Disney characters, Humphrey does not speak, but instead makes an assortment of inarticulate sounds to convey his emotions; those grunts were supplied by Disney staffer Jimmy MacDonald. When stricken by worry or panic, Humphrey runs desperately in place, with his feet seemingly headed in all directions. Humphrey's foil is most often Donald Duck, one of his antagonists; otherwise it is typically an officious park ranger voiced by Bill Thompson. The ranger's name was never identified in the theatrical shorts, but when the films were re-edited into an hour-long Disney TV episode, he was referred to as J. Audubon Woodlore.

Popularity

The films were popular in theaters, and the character was familiar enough to be included in the Mickey Mouse Club opening (Humphrey is one of the characters who holds the trampoline that bounces Mickey Mouse in the air).

Later appearances

Although the series Humphrey starred in enjoyed only a short run, a later generation of Disney artists and directors remembered Humphrey fondly, and cast him in episodes of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers , Goof Troop , Mickey Mouse Works , House of Mouse , and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse . Humphrey returned to the screen in three new shorts: Donald's Grizzly Guest and Donald's Fish Fry reunite Humphrey with Donald Duck, and in Hot Tub Humphrey Humphrey is once again in the title role, alongside Ranger Woodlore. In these appearances, his vocals alternated between Frank Welker and Jim Cummings. Due to adding Humphrey to these Disney programs he became a more current character and can be seen in more Disney-related merchandise such as watches, cards, pins, T-shirts, and posters. In 2018, he returned in the series Legend of the Three Caballeros , where he is re-imagined as a bear rug reanimated by a magical artifact called the Spark of Life. He later made a cameo in Ralph Breaks the Internet , where he is seen doing a dance and picking up trash on the floor in the background when Vanellope visits OhMyDisney.com. [4] He has a cameo appearance in the 2023 short film Once Upon a Studio , where he rode in an elevator to take a group photo with several other Disney characters. [5]

Filmography

Short films

Television

Feature films

Comic book appearances

Humphrey appeared in two American comic stories drawn by Paul Murry in 1959 and in another one drawn by Tony Strobl in 1966. Strobl also drew comic stories with Humphrey for the market outside of the US, most of them also featuring Grandma Duck. Ed Nofziger wrote scripts for many foreign market stories with Humphrey. Most of those ones were drawn by cartoonists of the Argentinian art studio Jaime Diaz Studio.

Jack Hannah, who directed the 1950s Humphrey shorts, revived the "dumb bear" idea for Walter Lantz's "Fatso the Bear" cartoons in 1960 and 1961. It would also seem probable that the Hanna-Barbera animation studio was somewhat inspired by Humphrey in its creation of the somewhat smarter Yogi Bear (from 1958), who lives at Jellystone Park, begs, steals, and plays tricks to steal picnic baskets from campers, and is constantly on the lookout for Ranger Smith.

Humphrey is currently the spokescharacter for Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort at Walt Disney World in Florida. He is featured on the totem pole in the lobby along with Mickey, Donald Duck, and Goofy. His merchandise is featured in the Briar Patch in the Magic Kingdom.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisy Duck</span> Disney cartoon character

Daisy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the girlfriend of Donald Duck, she is an anthropomorphic white duck that has large eyelashes and ruffled tail feathers around her lowest region to suggest a skirt. She is often seen wearing a hair bow, blouse, and heeled shoes. Daisy was introduced in the short film Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940) and was incorporated into Donald's comic stories several months later. Carl Barks, the screenwriter and lead storyboard artist for the film, was inspired by the 1937 short, Don Donald, that featured a Latin character named Donna Duck, to revive the concept of a female counterpart for Donald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluto (Disney)</span> Disney cartoon character

Pluto is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a yellow-orange color, medium-sized, short-haired dog with black ears. Unlike most Disney characters, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression. He is Mickey's pet. Officially a mixed-breed dog, he made his debut as a bloodhound in the Mickey Mouse cartoon The Chain Gang. Together with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy, Pluto is one of the "Sensational Six"—the biggest stars in the Disney universe. Though all six are non-human animals, Pluto alone is not dressed as a human.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete (Disney)</span> Disney cartoon character, antagonist of Mickey Mouse

Pete is a cartoon character created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks of The Walt Disney Company. Pete is traditionally depicted as the villainous arch-nemesis of Mickey Mouse, and was made notorious for his repeated attempts to kidnap Minnie Mouse. Pete is the oldest continuing Disney character, having debuted in the cartoon Alice Solves the Puzzle in 1925. He originally bore the appearance of an anthropomorphic bear, but with the advent of Mickey in 1928, he was defined as a cat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goofy</span> Disney cartoon character

Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and is Max Goof's father. He is normally characterized as hopelessly clumsy and dim-witted, yet this interpretation is not always definitive; occasionally, Goofy is shown as intuitive and clever, albeit in his own unique, eccentric way.

<i>Mickey Mouse Works</i> American animated television series

Mickey Mouse Works is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated shorts. The first Disney television animated series to be produced in widescreen high definition, it is formatted as a variety show, with skits starring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Ludwig Von Drake while Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Chip 'n' Dale, Scrooge McDuck, Pete, Humphrey the Bear, J. Audubon Woodlore, Dinah the Dachshund, Butch the Bulldog, Mortimer Mouse, José Carioca, and Clara Cluck appear as supporting or minor characters. Musical themes for each character were composed by Stephen James Taylor with a live 12-piece band and extensive use of the fretless guitar to which the music of the series was nominated for an Annie Award in both 1999 and 2001. Most of the shorts from the series were later used in House of Mouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnie Mouse</span> Disney cartoon character

Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a red or pink bow, blue polka-dotted dress, white bloomers and low-heeled shoes occasionally with ribbons on them. The Mickey Mouse comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse, although this is seldom used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey Mouse universe</span> Fictional universe involving Mickey Mouse and related Disney characters

The Mickey Mouse universe is a fictional shared universe which is the setting for stories involving Disney cartoon characters, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Pluto the pup and Goofy as the primary members, and many other characters related to them, being most of them anthropomorphic animals. The universe originated from the Mickey Mouse animated short films produced by Disney starting in 1928. Still, its first consistent version was created by Floyd Gottfredson in the Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strip. Real-world versions also exist in Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, called Mickey's Toontown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chip 'n' Dale</span> Disney cartoon characters

Chip and Dale are a cartoon duo of anthropomorphic chipmunks created in 1943 by The Walt Disney Company.

John Frederick Hannah was an American animator, writer and director of animated shorts.

<i>Orphans Benefit</i> 1934, 1941 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Orphan's Benefit is an American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions in black-and-white. It was first released in 1934 and was later remade in Technicolor in 1941 under the corrected title Orphans' Benefit. The cartoon features Mickey Mouse and his friends putting on a vaudeville-style benefit show for a group of unruly orphans. It contains a number of firsts for Disney, including the first time in which Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck appear together, and it was the 68th Mickey Mouse short film to be released, and the sixth of that year. It was also the cartoon which had the first story to be written that featured Donald Duck, though it was the second Donald Duck short to be produced and released, after The Wise Little Hen.

<i>Goofy and Wilbur</i> 1939 film

Goofy and Wilbur is a 1939 animated cartoon short produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on March 17, 1939. Although the cartoon is billed as a Mickey Mouse cartoon, it was the first cartoon which featured Goofy in a solo role without Mickey Mouse and/or Donald Duck.

This is a list of appearances made by Donald Duck in Disney features and cartoons.

<i>In the Bag</i> 1956 film by Jack Hannah

In the Bag is a 1956 American animated short comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Jack Hannah, and featuring park ranger J. Audubon Woodlore and his comedic foil Humphrey the Bear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Duck</span> Disney cartoon character

Donald Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known for his semi-intelligible speech and his mischievous, temperamental, and pompous personality. Along with his friend Mickey Mouse, Donald was included in TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time in 2002, and has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character.

<i>Grin and Bear It</i> (film) 1954 Donald Duck cartoon

Grin and Bear It is a 1954 Disney animated short featuring Donald Duck, It is the third appearance of Humphrey the Bear, and marks the debut of Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore.

<i>Rugged Bear</i> 1953 Donald Duck cartoon

Rugged Bear is a 1953 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon follows Humphrey the Bear as he takes refuge in Donald Duck's cabin during hunting season by disguising himself as a bearskin rug. The film was directed by Jack Hannah and features the voices of Clarence Nash as Donald, Jimmy MacDonald as Humphrey, and an uncredited narrator.

<i>Beezy Bear</i> 1955 Donald Duck cartoon

Beezy Bear is a 1955 Disney animated short featuring Donald Duck, who appears as a beekeeper. This is Humphrey the Bear's fifth appearance. The cartoon portrays Humphrey as a honey-stealing bear.

<i>The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse</i> Disney+ continuation of Mickey Mouse

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation for Disney+. The series is a continuation and revival of the Emmy Award-winning 2013 Mickey Mouse shorts, uses the same style, and has many of the same cast and crew, with the exception of the late Russi Taylor, who was replaced by Kaitlyn Robrock in the role of Minnie Mouse. The series premiered on November 18, 2020 to coincide with Mickey's 92nd birthday. The animation is provided by Mercury Filmworks.

References

  1. ↑ ""Bearly" a Star: A Tribute To Disney's Humphrey the Bear |". cartoonresearch.com.
  2. 1 2 Grant, John (1998). Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters (2nd ed.). Hyperion. pp. 113–114. ISBN   978-0786863365.
  3. ↑ Maltin, Leonard (1987). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons (Revised ed.). Plume. p. 72. ISBN   0-452-25993-2.
  4. ↑ Libbey, Dirk (December 24, 2018). "7 Disney References Hidden In Ralph Breaks The Internet You Probably Missed". CinemaBlend. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  5. ↑ Radish, Christina (17 October 2023). "'Once Upon A Studio' Directors on Creating the Perfect Short to Celebrate 100 Years of Disney Animation". Collider. Collider.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023. The great Tony DeRosa animated those characters, and seeing Humphrey the Bear look like exhausted the next time we get back to it and Mother Gothel back there in the corner, it's just fun to see them riding in an elevator together.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.