Butch Hartman

For the racer, see Butch Hartman (racing driver).
Butch Hartman

Hartman at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con.
Born Elmer Earl Hartman IV
January 10, 1965
Highland Park, Michigan, US
Occupation Animator, producer, writer, voice actor, director, illustrator
Years active 1986–present
Spouse(s) Julieann Hartman

Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV (born January 10, 1965) is an American animator, writer, director, producer, illustrator and voice actor, best known for creating the Emmy-winning animated series The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and T.U.F.F. Puppy. Hartman also provided the voice for the character of Dr. Rip Studwell in The Fairly OddParents, and serves as the founder of Billionfold, Inc., which produces those programs. He has been the executive producer of The Fairly OddParents since its debut in 2001.

Childhood

Hartman was born in Highland Park, Michigan to Elmer Earl Hartman III and Carol Davis. He received the nickname "Butch" as a youth and continues to use the name professionally as an adult. Hartman spent his childhood in Roseville, Michigan and his teen years in New Baltimore, Michigan. He graduated from Anchor Bay High School in New Baltimore in 1983. He subsequently attended the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California.[1]

Career

Early career

While still attending the California Institute of the Arts, Hartman received the chance to intern as an in-between animator on the Don Bluth film, An American Tail. Shortly after graduating for the California Institute of the Arts Hartman was hired as a character designer for an unidentified My Little Pony animated series. Instead, they had him working on storyboards (which he had not done before) and as quickly as he was hired, he was fired.[2] Soon after Hartman found work with Ruby-Spears, where he worked on It's Punky Brewster and Dink, the Little Dinosaur. He was also a video reference crew for the movie, Pocahontas.

In the mid-1990s he got hired at Hanna-Barbera and created the shorts Pfish and Chip and Gramps for the What a Cartoon! Show. Eventually he became a writer, director and storyboard artist for several of the "What a Cartoon!" shorts that got turned into series, including Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and I Am Weasel. After his contract with Hanna-Barbera finished up he went to work with former co-worker Fred Seibert on the Oh Yeah! Cartoons show.

While working at Hanna-Barbera, he became friends with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. Hartman later designed and directed MacFarlane's 1998 animated short "Zoomates", for Oh Yeah! Cartoons. MacFarlane also has a character on Family Guy named after him: Dr. Elmer Hartman. Hartman currently lives in Bell Canyon, California, with his wife, Julieann, and daughters, Carly and Sophia.

The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and T.U.F.F. Puppy

His biggest success came in 1997, when he created The Fairly OddParents. (The idea came to him during the drive from Hanna-Barbara to Nickelodeon to pitch an idea to Fred Seibert.) It was originally a series of made for TV shorts on the anthology show, Oh Yeah! Cartoons. In 2001, Nickelodeon picked it up as a full series. The Fairly OddParents became a huge hit, second only in the ratings to SpongeBob SquarePants. Due to the success of "OddParents", Hartman was asked to create another cartoon for Nickelodeon, (Hartman says the President of Nickelodeon asked him if he had an idea, and before he could say the title he was given a contract.) which would later become Danny Phantom.[3] To produce that show, in 2004, Hartman created Billionfold Studios. Billionfold produced another Hartman cartoon for Nickelodeon, T.U.F.F. Puppy, which premiered on October 2, 2010, the same day that Planet Sheen premiered.[4]

The Fairly OddParents ceased production in 2006, but it was announced on Hartman's website on February 2, 2007 that 20 more episodes will be produced. Danny Phantom ended production on August 24, 2007. The 6th season of The Fairly OddParents aired on February 18, 2008, starting with the 1-hour special Fairly OddBaby. On May 1, 2009 to May 3, 2009, the brand new special "Wishology" aired. iCarly star Jerry Trainor voiced Dudley Puppy in T.U.F.F. Puppy.[2]

Doogal

Hartman was asked to serve as executive producer and screenwriter of Doogal, the Americanized dub of the British/French animated film The Magic Roundabout. Under his own assumption that the movie itself was lacking, Hartman proposed that in addition to dubbing, extra scenes be filmed in live action to fill up empty spaces in the story. While the idea was originally received with praise and was essentially given the okay, budgeting was pulled from it at the last minute and the only changes made were in the dubbing.

The film was then dubbed by The Weinstein Company, and was released on February 24, 2006. Doogal was poorly received by critics, and did poorly in the box-office, grossing $7 million and getting 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.[5]

Other works

His other TV work includes voicing various characters on the animated series Family Guy and playing the character Sean Masters on the short-lived series Generations in 1991. He also appeared on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives during the late 1980s. In 2012, Hartman serves as an animation director to teaming up with Sony Pictures Animation to bring ALF to the big screen.

Hartman House

Hartman also founded a non-profit organization in 2005, Hartman House, along with his wife, Julieann Hartman, who is the co-founder of the organization. Hartman House travels to developing nations and some of the most poverty stricken areas in the United States.[6]

Hartman House has built two homes for families in Guatemala, fed nearly 7200 families with Thanksgiving meals in the U.S., and is in the midst of funding a school in Africa. Hartman uses his talent to draw and autograph pictures of his animated shows for hundreds of children at these events.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1986 An American Tail in between artist
1992 California Hot Wax Eddie
1995 Pocahontas video reference cast
1997 Annabelle's Wish storyboard artist
Direct-to-video film
1998 Adventures in Odyssey: Baby Daze storyboard artist
Adventures in Odyssey: A Stranger Among Us storyboard artist
2004 Channel Chasers animator for "Channel 297" scene
2005 The Magic Roundabout writer: United States screenplay
2011 A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! Waiter writer: series and characters
2012 A Fairly Odd Christmas Christmas caroler writer: series and characters
2014 A Fairly Odd Summer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1985–1986 It's Punky Brewster models
1987 Growing Pains Robert Jordan Episode 3.5: "Michaelgate"
1988 Just the Ten of Us Rod Grossman Episode 1.4: "Close Encounters"
Police Academy models
1988–1989 Days of Our Lives Henry
Jake
1989 Dink, the Little Dinosaur storyboard artist
1990 Piggsburg Pigs! key model designer
1991–1993 Tom & Jerry Kids character designer
1993 Droopy, Master Detective designer
1995 The Cartoon Cartoon Show creator: "Pfish & Chip" and "Gramps"
1996–1997 Dexter's Laboratory storyboard artist/background designer/layout artist
1997–1999 Johnny Bravo writer/director
1997 Cow & Chicken models/storyboard artist
1997 I Am Weasel models/storyboard artist
1998–2001 Oh Yeah! Cartoons creator: "The Fairly OddParents" and "Dan Danger", director/storyboard artist: "Zoomates"
1999–2002 Family Guy additional voices
2001–Present The Fairly OddParents Dr. Rip Studwell creator/executive producer
2003 Pet Star Judge Episode 1.11
2004–2007 Danny Phantom creator/executive producer
2010–2015 T.U.F.F. Puppy Agent Weaselman
Agent Rodentski		 creator/executive producer
2013 Big Time Rush guest star
2013 Jinxed additional artist

References

  1. ↑ "'Fairly OddParents' is not just for kids". The Augusta Chronicle. February 12, 2004. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fletcher, Alex (September 7, 2012). "TUFF Puppy' Butch Hartman interview: 'I want Charlie Sheen character". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  3. ↑ Ball, Ryan (April 8, 2004). "Butch Hartman Talks Danny Phantom". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  4. ↑ Lloyd, Robert (October 2, 2010). "Television reviews: 'T.U.F.F. Puppy' and 'Planet Sheen'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ White, Stefanie (November 24, 2006). "Nickelodeon cartoon creator Butch Hartman visits McKinney". McKinney Courier-Gazette Star. Retrieved November 11, 2012.

External links