Hawley Pratt
(June 9, 1911—March 2, 1999)

Hawley Pratt was an American film director, animator, and illustrator. He is best known for his work during the heyday of Warner Bros. Cartoons and as the right-hand man of director Friz Freleng as a layout artist and later as a director. Pratt also worked for Walt Disney Studios, Filmation, and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises where he co-created The Pink Panther.

Raised in New York City, Pratt graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He became an artist at Walt Disney Studios in the 1930s before joining Warner Bros. Cartoons. There he served as a layout artist providing background layouts and character poses from 1945 to the early 1960s. Working closely with director Friz Freleng, Pratt's Warner Bros. resume includes the Oscar-winning cartoons Tweetie Pie, which introduced the duo of Sylvester and Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, where Freleng and Pratt redesigned the character into his modern incarnation, and Birds Anonymous.

Pratt later joined Freleng at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises where they created the Pink Panther character; although, Pratt is often solely credited for the famous character's creation. While there, he directed (or co-directed) all episodes of The Pink Panther Show. Pratt's directorial effort in the 1966 short The Pink Blueprint won him an Oscar nomination. His other directorial works also include three Roland and Ratfink shorts, The Super 6, and three Dr. Seuss television specials: The Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss on the Loose, and The Lorax. Pratt also served as associate director and animator of the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet.

Pratt's skills also had him illustrating several Little Golden Books and Big Golden Books. His decorated career finally came to an end in 1972.

This obituary for Hawley Pratt was published in the April, 1999 issue of the Animation World News: Pink Panther Designer Dies - "Legendary Warner Bros. layout artist, Hawley Pratt, who worked predominantly under the direction of Friz Freleng, passed away March 4 at the age of 87. "He was raised in New York City and ironically [shouldn't it be "fittingly"? - DogRat] graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In the 1930s, Pratt became an artist at Walt Disney Studios but soon found himself at Warners where he worked on all of Freleng's Oscar-winning cartoons including Tweety Pie, Speedy Gonzalez and Birds Anonymous, and was nominated for an Oscar as director of the 1966 DePatie-Freleng short, The Pink Blueprint. For the greater part of Friz Freleng's prolific career as a director, Pratt was his right-hand man providing not only the background layouts but also the character poses for all his cartoons. In addition, Pratt illustrated many Little Golden Books and Big Golden Books, and was an animation director on The Incredible Mr. Limpet, along with Robert McKimson. Pratt followed Friz to DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE) and is credited with designing the Pink Panther. While at DFE, Pratt directed numerous Pink Panther cartoons, the first few Roland and Ratfink films, the TV series The Super Six, and many specials, including The Cat In The Hat and The Lorax. Hawley Pratt retired from animation in the 1970s."