Doug Crane

{{Short description|American animator (1935–2020)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox person

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Doug Crane

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|06|15}}

| birth_place = Bronxville, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|12|17|1935|06|15}}

| death_place = Stuart, Florida, U.S.

| alma_mater = The School of Visual Arts

| occupation = Animator

| years_active = 1957–2007

| notable_works = He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
The Smurfs
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
Heavy Metal

}}

Douglas P. Crane (June 15, 1935 – December 17, 2020) was an American animator.

Life and career

Crane was born on June 15, 1935, in Bronxville, New York. He was one of eight kids in his family. "Often, it could be pretty tough trying to get my two cents into a conversation around the dinner table, It dawned on me that I could get my point across and also vent my frustrations by drawing pictures, usually of myself with my cartoon mouth wide open with balloon blurbs saying stuff like, 'Bobby, Shut Up!' or, 'Betty, Be Quiet!'", he said in a 2012 interview.[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/doug-crane-heavy-metal-and-beavis-and-butt-head-animator-dies-at-85 Doug Crane, 'Heavy Metal' and 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Animator, Dies at 85 | Hollywood Reporter]

After graduating from Eastchester High School in Eastchester, New York, he got a job at Terrytoons in 1957, which was located at New Rochelle, New York. He married his wife, Maureen Hurley, at the time.

Crane took a break from animating during the beginning of his animation career and went to the United States Army in 1958. During his time with the army, he became a cartoonist and created a comic strip that ran in the military newspaper called Tiptoe and Timber. Other things he did while in the army include illustrating recruitment pamphlets, creating and painting floats for base parades, and painting signage for the White Sands Proving Grounds.

After returning from the army, he came back to Terrytoons and opened the Hanna-Barbera East Studios in New York City alongside Red Auguston at the request of Hanna-Barbera co-founder William Hanna. Crane then went on to animate for films, television series, television commercials, half-hour specials. He also drew comic strips and comic books.

Crane worked on Challenge of the Superfriends, The Smurfs, and Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, as well as one episode of the original television series, "Beavis and Butt-Head Are Dead".

He received a Clio Award and a National Television Commercials Award for his work on a Wall Street Journal commercial. He was also an animation professor at his alma mater, School of Visual Arts, formerly known as the Cartoonist and Illustrators School, where he taught classical animation (Professor of Classical Animation) for 15 years. Crane was also invited to teach at the Institute of Animation and Film at the Academy of Art and Design, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.[https://deadline.com/2020/12/doug-crane-dies-animator-for-terrytoons-hanna-barbera-mtv-was-85-obituary-1234659878/ Doug Crane Dies: Animator For Terrytoons, Hanna-Barbera, MTV Was 85 - Deadline]

Crane also spent time as the Artist In Residence at the Thornton-Donovan School in New Rochelle. He also served the Westchester County residents as an Auxiliary police officer, a Grand Knight at the New Rochelle Knights of Columbus, and as the Municipal Arts Commissioner where he planned and carried out the weekend-long 40th Anniversary celebration for Terrytoons in February 1982.

Crane died of cancer at age 85 on December 17, 2020, in Stuart, Florida.[https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/doug-crane-dead-dies-animator-spiderman-beavis-butthead-1234867415/ Doug Crane Dies: 'Beavis and Butt-Head Do America' Animator Was 85 - Variety]

Filmography

class="sortable wikitable"
Year

! Title

! Notes

1957

| Flebus

| Inker

1957

| It's a Living

| Ink & Paint Artist

1957

| The Juggler of Our Lady

| Inker

1958

| Dustcap Doormat

| Ink and Paint

1962

| Peanut Battle

| Animator

1962

| The Adventures of Lariat Sam

| Animator

1962

| Where There's Smoke

| Animator

1962

| Riverboat Mission

| Animator

1962

| Rebel Trouble

| Animator

1963

| The Mighty Hercules

| Animator, 1 episode

1963

| The Deputy Dawg Show

| Animator, 92 episodes

1966

| Mighty Thor

| Animator, 13 episodes

1967

| Alter Egoist

| Animator

1967

| Clean Sweep

| Animator

1967

| Brother Bat

| Animator

1967

| A Bridge Grows in Brooklyn

| Animator

1967

| The Opera Caper

| Animator

1967

| Keep the Cool, Baby

| Animator

1967

| Marvin Digs

| Animator

1967

| The Fuz

| Animator

1967

| The Bickersons

| Animator

1967

| Mouse Trek

| Animator

1967

| Mini-Squirts

| Animator

1968-1970

| Spider-Man

| Animator, 32 episodes

1975

| Really Rosie

| Animator

1975

| Chicken Soup with Rice

| Animator

1977

| Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure

| Animator, Sea and Ships sequence

1977

| King of the Beasts

| Animator, credited as Douglas Crane

1977

| I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali

| Animator

1978

| Challenge of the Superfriends

| Animator, 16 episodes

1978-1979

| Godzilla

| Animator, 19 episodes

1979

| The New Misadventures of Ichabod Crane

| Animator

1980

| Gnomes

| Animator

1981

| Heavy Metal

| Animator; Segments: "Den" and Harry Canyon"; credited as Douglas Crane

1981

| Super Friends

| Animator, 2 episodes

1981

| Trollkins

| Animator, 13 episodes

1981

| The Smurfs

| Animator, 26 episodes

1983

| The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings

| Animator

1983-1985

| He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

| Animator, 114 episodes

1985

| He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword

| Animator

1985

| Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

| Animator, 2 episodes

1985

| She-Ra: Princess of Power

| Animator, 65 episodes

1985

| He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special

| Animator

1987

| Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night

| Animator

1987-1988

| BraveStarr

| Animator, 65 episodes

1988

| BraveStarr: The Movie

| Animator

1990

| Happily Ever After

| Animator, credited as Douglas P. Crane

1990

| The Nutcracker Prince

| Additional animator

1991

| The Pirates of Dark Water

| Animator, 2 episodes

1992

| Fish Police

| Animator, 1 episode

1992

| Benjamin the Elephant

| Animator, 1 episode

1996

| Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

| Posing artist

1997

| Beavis and Butt-Head

| Layout artist, 1 episode, "Beavis and Butt-Head Are Dead"

1999

| Downtown

| Background designer and Layout artist, 2 episodes

2007

| Chicago 10

| Animator

References