Walter Lantz Productions
Walter Lantz ran Universal's cartoon studio for more than four decades, first making Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts after Universal took the character from Walt Disney in 1928, and then building a roster of his own. Woody Woodpecker, introduced in 1940, became the studio's star and stayed with it until Lantz stopped making theatrical cartoons in 1972.
About Walter Lantz Productions
Walter Lantz ran Universal's cartoon studio for more than four decades, first making Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts after Universal took the character from Walt Disney in 1928, and then building a roster of his own. Woody Woodpecker, introduced in 1940, became the studio's star and stayed with it until Lantz stopped making theatrical cartoons in 1972. The studio's work was louder and faster than Disney's, and its television package, The Woody Woodpecker Show from 1957, kept the characters in front of American children for decades. Universal owns the library today.
Lantz's studio made cartoons for Universal from 1929 until theatrical production ended in 1972.
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Key eras
| Era | Years | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Oswald | 1929–1938 | Lantz takes over Universal's Oswald cartoons. |
| Woody Woodpecker | 1940–1972 | The studio's star through the end of theatrical production. |
| Television | 1957– | The Woody Woodpecker Show and later revivals. |