Editing Walter Lantz Productions (section)

=== 1940–1947: Continued success ===
Woody quickly became extremely popular, being given his own series in early 1941, and became one of the most famous examples of the "brash bird" cartoon characters of the late 1930s/early 1940s such as [[Donald Duck]] (also created by Disney). The success of ''[[Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat|Scrub Me Mama With A Boogie Beat]]'' and ''Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy'' (the former becoming subject to controversy and even protest soon after its release over racial stereotypes and the latter earning an [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film|Academy Award]])<ref>Sampson, Henry T. (1998). That's Enough, Folks: Black Images in Animated Cartoons, 1900–1960. Scarecrow Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-8108-3250-3.</ref> also led to the introduction of the ''[[Swing Symphony]]'' series that fall, often featuring popular musicians of the time. The series ended in 1945 at the twilight of the big band era. 

After the studio's 1930s cartoons were scored by a succession of composers, including James Dietrich, Victor Records producer Nat Shilkret and Harman-Ising veterans Frank Marsales and Darrell Calker took over in late 1940. Calker's arrangements became noted for their distinctive swing flavor.

After Disney's success with ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' (1937), the Lantz studio planned to make a feature, ''Aladdin and His Lamp'', featuring the ascendant comedy duo of [[Abbott and Costello]], but after ''[[Mr. Bug Goes to Town]]'' (1941) failed at the box-office, ''Aladdin'' never made it to actual production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.harrymccracken.com/theme.htm|title=The Ones that Didn't Make it|website=www.harrymccracken.com}}</ref> Late in the decade, Lantz attempted to do a feature-length cartoon again, but it never came to fruition.

The Lantz unit was perhaps considered the smallest major animation studio at that time, as Lantz and animator [[Alex Lovy]] produced cartoons with a single unit. In 1943, Lovy was drafted into the [[US Navy|Navy]] and was replaced by [[James Culhane|James "Shamus" Culhane]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alex Lovy is All Aces, 1942 {{!}} |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/alex-lovy-is-all-aces-1942/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=cartoonresearch.com}}</ref> Culhane quickly developed a distinct direction and art style characterized for its use of [[Russian avant-garde]] influences, minimalistic backgrounds and fast cutting.<ref name="klein">{{cite web |last=Klein |first=Tom |date=July 23, 2016 |title=Woody Woodpecker and the Avant-Garde |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/woody-woodpecker-the-avant-garde/ |access-date=25 November 2021 |website=cartoonresearch.com |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cieply |first=Michael |date=2011-04-10 |title=That Noisy Woodpecker Had an Animated Secret (Published 2011) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/arts/design/woody-woodpecker-and-shamus-culhanes-animation.html |access-date=2020-12-07 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Culhane eventually left Lantz in late-1945 over pay disputes.