Tom Ray
Encyclopedia
Thomas Archer Ray was an American
animator
.
. He began work at Warner Bros. Cartoons
in 1937. Over the first two decades of his career, he was a junior animator who received no screen credit until Destination Earth
in 1956. In 1958, he became a master animator in the Robert McKimson
unit. Later, he transferred to the Chuck Jones
unit, where he co-directed Adventures of the Road-Runner
and several Bugs Bunny Show episodes. He followed Jones to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
in 1963; there, he directed two Tom and Jerry
compilation shorts, Matinee Mouse
in 1966 and Shutter Bugged Cat
in 1967.
His later credits include animatian on Pink Panther shorts, Bakshi’s Heavy Traffic
and Coonskin
, Chuck Jones TV Specials, numerous Filmation and Hanna Barbera series, Tiny Toon Adventures
and Animaniacs
. Ray directed many episodes of various series including Transformers
and Garfield and Friends
.
After his retirement from the Los Angeles animation business in 1998, Ray founded his own animation studio, Tomstone Animation, first located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
. Ray moved his studio to Virginia Beach, Virginia
just before he died in Virginia on April 6, 2010.
Ray's wife, Brenda Ellen Ray, continues to live in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ray's son, Thomas G. "Greg" Ray, and daughter, Donna Mouliot, followed him into the animation business.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
.
Career
Ray was born in Williams, ArizonaWilliams, Arizona
Williams is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States west of Flagstaff. Its population was 2,842 at the 2000 census; according to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,094. It lies on the route of Historic Route 66, Interstate 40, and the Southwest Chief Amtrak...
. He began work at Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the in-house division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical...
in 1937. Over the first two decades of his career, he was a junior animator who received no screen credit until Destination Earth
Destination Earth
Destination Earth is a 1956 promotional cartoon created by John Sutherland. The 14 minute short explains the fundamentals of the petroleum industry and how petroleum products enrich everyday life in the United States of America, as well as the benefits of a free market economy.A brief clip from the...
in 1956. In 1958, he became a master animator in the Robert McKimson
Robert McKimson
Robert "Bob" Porter McKimson, Sr. was an American animator, illustrator, and director best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros., and later DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
unit. Later, he transferred to the Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
unit, where he co-directed Adventures of the Road-Runner
Adventures of the Road-Runner
Adventures of the Road-Runner is an animated film, directed by Chuck Jones and co-directed by Maurice Noble and Tom Ray. It was the intended pilot for a TV series starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, but was never picked up until four years later when Warner Bros. Television produced The...
and several Bugs Bunny Show episodes. He followed Jones to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
in 1963; there, he directed two Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
compilation shorts, Matinee Mouse
Matinee Mouse
Matinee Mouse is a 1966 Tom and Jerry cartoon, acting as a wrap-around short, featuring clips from a number of older cartoons from the Hanna-Barbara era. The story was supervised by Tom Ray, while William Hanna and Joseph Barbera received a special director's credit on the cartoon, though they did...
in 1966 and Shutter Bugged Cat
Shutter Bugged Cat
Shutter Bugged Cat is a 1967 Tom and Jerry cartoon, produced in the Chuck Jones era. The story was supervised by Tom Ray. William Hanna and Joseph Barbera received a special director's credit, though the two did not contribute any work towards the cartoon .- Plot:Tom watches clips of him attempting...
in 1967.
His later credits include animatian on Pink Panther shorts, Bakshi’s Heavy Traffic
Heavy Traffic
Heavy Traffic is a 1973 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film, which begins, ends, and occasionally combines with live-action, explores the often surreal fantasies of a young New York cartoonist named Michael Corleone, using pinball imagery as a metaphor for...
and Coonskin
Coonskin (film)
Coonskin is a 1975 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, about an African American rabbit, fox, and bear who rise to the top of the organized crime racket in Harlem, encountering corrupt law enforcement, con artists and the Mafia...
, Chuck Jones TV Specials, numerous Filmation and Hanna Barbera series, Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
and Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
. Ray directed many episodes of various series including Transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
and Garfield and Friends
Garfield and Friends
Garfield and Friends is an American animated television series based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. The show was produced by Film Roman, in association with United Feature Syndicate and Paws, Inc., and ran on CBS Saturday mornings from September 17, 1988 to December 10, 1994, with...
.
After his retirement from the Los Angeles animation business in 1998, Ray founded his own animation studio, Tomstone Animation, first located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
East Stroudsburg is the most populous municipality in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state. Originally known as "Dansbury", East Stroudsburg was renamed for geographic reasons when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad opened a...
. Ray moved his studio to Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
just before he died in Virginia on April 6, 2010.
Ray's wife, Brenda Ellen Ray, continues to live in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ray's son, Thomas G. "Greg" Ray, and daughter, Donna Mouliot, followed him into the animation business.