Exhibit Entry

Bright colors and asymmetric shapes were used to bring the fun and excitement of Jones’ characters to the exhibit.

Bugs Bunny Photo-Op

Several photo-ops were placed throughout the exhibit, giving visitors an opportunity for a picture with their favorite character.

Bringing Characters to Life

Brightly-colored, free-standing triangles were created to hold art, graphic panels and media components throughout the exhibit.

Elmer Fudd, Bringing Characters to Life

As the exhibit travelled from location to location, more components were added to the exhibit. Large-scale vector images of some of Jones’ most beloved characters were shared from the MoPOP Seattle’s exhibit and then placed throughout the exhibit.

Creative Experiments

Headphones and intentional placement of media components throughout the exhibit helped with sound bleed and media overload.

Audio Stations

Two audio stations played interviews and soundbites from some of Jones’ most popular works.

Situating the Story

Along with wall graphics, ACME props were used to invoke the spirit of Jones’ films.

ACME Props

The Warner Brothers Animation Department

The exhibit was a mix of graphic panels, framed art and media components.

Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner Photo-Op

Another photo-op places visitors in a scene from a Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon.

Adapting Characters to the Screen

Theater

A small theater was created to show 5-10 minutes clips of several of Jones’ most popular. Not only did this offer a moment of respite and enjoyment for visitors, but the gallery was filled with the sounds of beloved characters like Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd creating an even more fun and unique viewing experience.

What's Opera, Doc?

Exhibit Exit

A fun and familiar goodbye for visitors as they exit the exhibit.

Bubble Diagram and Exhibit Plan

With only 5,000 square feet to work with, and a tight budget, much care and planning went into fitting the 136+ exhibit components into 9 different exhibit sections.

WHAT'S UP, DOC?
THE ANIMATION
ART OF
CHUCK JONES

Animation director and artist Charles Martin “Chuck” Jones (1912–2002) brought to life some of the most iconic cartoon characters in animation history. He perfected the wisecracking Bugs Bunny and the exasperated Daffy Duck and created a host of other characters, including Pepé Le Pew, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. He brought an unparalleled talent for comic invention and a flair for creating distinctive, memorable characters to the art of film animation.

A Smithsonian traveling exhibit, What’s Up, Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones featured 23 of Chuck Jones’ animated films and more than 136 original sketches and drawings, storyboards, production backgrounds, animation cels and photographs, demonstrating how Jones and his collaborators worked together to create cinematic magic. The films, shown as large wall projections and on monitors throughout the exhibition, included such classic Warner Bros. cartoons as “What’s Opera, Doc?” and “One Froggy Evening,” and the Academy Award®-winning short film “The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics,” which expanded the boundaries of the medium with its experimental techniques.

The 5,000 square foot exhibit was a partnership between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, and the Museum of the Moving Image.

Click here to read the official MNHS Press Release

April 2016 - August 2016
Minnesota History Center
St. Paul, MN

All Photos: Therese Scheller, MNHS