Editing Walter Lantz Productions (section)

=== 1950–1967: Reopening and venture to television ===
In 1950, the Walter Lantz studio opened its doors once again. The first effort the studio produced was a brief sequence featuring Woody Woodpecker for the [[George Pal]] feature ''[[Destination Moon (film)|Destination Moon]]'', released on June 27 the same year. Lantz then renegotiated with Universal-International for seven cartoons to be released the following year, provided that they all feature Woody Woodpecker. Lantz and his crew immediately set to work on the new batch of shorts. Two of these new films — ''[[Puny Express]]'' and ''[[Sleep Happy]]'' — were previously storyboarded by [[Ben Hardaway]] and [[Heck Allen]] during the United Artists period. In 1951, the new cartoons were finally released and became instant hits with audiences. They were so successful that U-I commissioned six more shorts for the following year. Overall, 1951 marked the beginning of a new era for the Walter Lantz studio. Lantz served as the director, writer and producer for these new shorts until the roles were given to animator [[Don Patterson (animator)|Don Patterson]], and writer [[Homer Brightman]]. Patterson's shorts were often praised for showing a level of ambition despite the meager budgets.<ref name="Maltin">{{cite book |last1=Maltin |first1=Leonard |title=Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons |date=1987 |publisher=Plume |isbn=0-452-25993-2 |edition=Revised |page=177}}</ref>

The 50s brought changes to other studios that helped benefit Lantz' own output. In 1953, [[MGM]] closed [[Tex Avery]]'s unit while [[Warner Bros.]] briefly closed there entire animation facility over the immense popularity of 3-D films. Lantz was able to hire some of the displaced staff to the point he was able to open a second unit, with animator [[Paul J. Smith (director)|Paul J. Smith]] placed as director. Some of the men he was able to hire include writer [[Michael Maltese]], animators Herman Cohen, [[Gil Turner (animator)|Gil Turner]] and [[Robert Bentley (animator)|Robert Bentley]], and Avery himself, who replaced Patterson from his role of director. Smith  created the studio's second most popular star, [[Chilly Willy]], in 1953, and the character was refined by Avery the following year.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=razMCgAAQBAJ&q=chilly%20willy%20inspiration&pg=PT66 Animation: A World History: Volume II: The Birth of a Style - The Three Markets-Google Books]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-09-28 |title=Chilly Willy-"I'm Cold" |url=https://klangley.wordpress.com/2006/09/28/chilly-willy-im-cold/ |access-date=2021-11-09 |website=Cartoons, Comics & Model Sheets |language=en}}</ref> Former MGM animators [[Ray Patterson (animator)|Ray Patterson]] and Grant Simmons also directed two shorts before they left to form [[Grantray-Lawrence Animation]] in 1954.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Irv Spence's "Rugged Rangers" {{!}} |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/irv-spences-rugged-rangers/ |access-date=May 19, 2021 |website=cartoonresearch.com}}</ref>

During the mid-50s, the film industry was suffering and losing money, meaning lower budgets for cartoons. Avery left Lantz in 1955 over pay disputes,<ref name="Adamson">Adamson, Joe, ''Tex Avery: King of Cartoons'', New York: Da Capo Press, 1975.</ref> and was succeeded by a returning Alex Lovy. By 1956, there were only seven animation producers in the short-subjects business, and by the end of the decade that number dwindled to three. Walter Lantz and his distributor, Universal-International Pictures, knew that the only way to subsidize the rising costs of new shorts was to release their product to television. Norman Gluck, from U-I's short-subjects department, made a deal with the [[Leo Burnett Agency]] to release some older Lantz product on television. Burnett handled the [[Kellogg's]] cereal account and Lantz soon met with the Kellogg's people to sign the contract. At first, Lantz was not very eager and admitted that he was only working in the medium because he was "forced into TV" and "cartoons for theaters would soon be extinct".

''[[The Woody Woodpecker Show]]'' debuted on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] on the afternoon of October 3, 1957, and lasted until September 1958. The series was seen once a week, on Thursday afternoons, replacing the first half hour of the shortened ''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]]''. Lantz integrated his existing cartoons with new live-action footage, giving the show an updated look that satisfied both viewers and Lantz himself. The live-action and animation segments created for the show, called 'A Moment with Walter Lantz', featured an informative look at how the animation process for his "cartunes" worked and how the writers came up with stories and characters. The live-action segments were directed by [[Jack Hannah]], who was fresh from the Disney Studio, where he had done similar live-action/animation sequences for the Disney show. 

Hannah eventually directed theatrical shorts in 1960 after Lovy left for [[Hanna-Barbera]]. His shorts were regarded for having a level of sophistication comparable to Dick Lundy, and created characters such as ''[[Fatso the Bear]]'' and ''[[The Beary Family]]'' before he left too in 1962. His role was assumed by writer Sid Marcus. In 1964, with new Universal owner [[MCA Inc.]] dropping the International name, the cartoons were introduced with the new Universal presents open.  Lantz eventually reduced the number of units back to one, leaving Smith as the sole director of all theatrical shorts by 1966.