Chuck Menville facts for kids

Charles David Menville (born April 17, 1940 – died June 15, 1992) was an American animator and writer. He created stories for many popular TV shows. Some of his most famous works include Batman: The Animated Series, Land of the Lost, The Real Ghostbusters, The Smurfs, Star Trek: The Animated Series, and Tiny Toon Adventures.

Starting in Animation

Chuck Menville was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. When he was 19, he moved to Los Angeles to become an animator. He got a job at Walt Disney Productions. There, he helped with the 1967 movie The Jungle Book.

Chuck soon started writing. He began a long working friendship with his friend Len Janson.

Cool Stop-Motion Tricks

In the mid-1960s, Chuck and Len made short live-action films. One of these was Stop Look and Listen. This film was even nominated for an Academy Award! It used a special animation trick called pixilation. This is a type of stop-motion where real people look like they are moving in jerky, funny ways. In the film, characters "drove" invisible cars down city streets.

Chuck and Len brought this cool technique back to life. They showed it to a new generation of viewers.

They made another short film in 1967 called Vicious Cycles. It was a comedy about biker gangs. Chuck even played the leader of a scooter club in the film. Clips from this movie were shown on TV in 1970. This made Chuck's pixilation technique famous in the USA.

Later, they made Blaze Glory in 1970. This film made fun of old Western movies. Chuck played the main character. In this movie, a full-sized stagecoach moved by itself without wheels! This film was very popular at special "midnight movies" in the early 1970s.

They continued to make more short films. These included Sergeant Swell (1972) and Captain Mom (1972). By this time, Chuck and Len were known as creative talents in Hollywood animation.

In the mid-1970s, the team worked at Filmation. They wrote two episodes for Star Trek: The Animated Series. These episodes were "Once Upon a Planet" and "The Practical Joker". Many Star Trek fans believe the "rec room" in "The Practical Joker" was the first idea for the holodeck. The holodeck is a room that can create any environment you can imagine!

Later Career in Cartoons

In the 1980s, Chuck Menville worked on many popular Saturday morning cartoons. These included The Smurfs, The Real Ghostbusters, and Kissyfur.

One of his last projects was an episode for the live-action show Land of the Lost. He was nominated for an award for this episode. His very last project was writing a story for Batman: The Animated Series. Chuck passed away before he could finish writing the episode. Another writer, Brynne Stephens, finished the script. Chuck still received credit for his story idea.

Chuck Menville also wrote a book. It was called The Harlem Globetrotters: Fifty Years of Fun and Games. This book was about the famous basketball team. It was published in 1978.

Chuck's Passing

Chuck Menville passed away in Malibu, California in 1992. An episode of The Little Mermaid called "Thingamajigger" was dedicated to his memory.

Family Life

Chuck Menville had two sons. His son Scott Menville is a well-known American voice artist and musician. His other son, Chad Menville, is a writer.

Writing for Television

Chuck Menville wrote for many television shows. Here are some of the shows he worked on:

• Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1969-1972)
• Groovie Goolies (1970)
• The Flintstones Comedy Hour (1972)
• Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)
• Hong Kong Phooey (1974)
• The New Adventures of Batman (1977)
• The Smurfs (1981)
• Benji, Zax & The Alien Prince (1983)
• The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991) - He was the head writer for several seasons!
• Tiny Toon Adventures (1990)
• Land of the Lost (1991-1992)
• The Little Mermaid (1992)
• Batman: The Animated Series (1993)

Writing for Films

Chuck Menville also wrote for a few films:

• Stop Look and Listen (1967)
• Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies (1972)