Hubley was born in Marinette, Wisconsin to John Raymond Hubley and Verena K. Hubley, a painter. He moved to Los Angeles, California, to study painting at the Art Center School for three years. In 1935, he gained a job as a background and layout artist at Disney, where he worked on such classic films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Bambi, as well as "The Rite of Spring" segment from Fantasia. On February 25, 1939, the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright visited the studio, and brought with him a copy of the Russian animated movieThe Tale of the Czar Durandai, directed by Ivan Ivanov-Vano, which he showed to the artists, among them Hubley. Wright thought that the different style and design, that was very different from the typical Disney animation, would inspire and give the animators new ideas. Hubley liked what he saw and was influenced by it. He left the company during Disney animators' strike in 1941, and found work directing films for Screen Gems and the Army's First Motion Picture Unit until he joined United Productions of America which was founded by Stephen Bosustow, Zack Schwartz, Dave Hilberman. UPA soon became known for their highly stylized designs and limited animation.
UPA
In 1949 he was the creator of the Mr. Magoo cartoon character, based on an uncle, and directed the first Magoo cartoon with Jim Backus voicing Magoo. Hubley's final project at UPA was to direct the animation of The Four Poster, which became influential in Yugoslavia and was a major stylistic contributor to the Zagreb School of Animated Films. Hubley was forced to leave UPA in 1952 when he refused to name names before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He founded Storyboard Studios the next year and worked on commercials such as creating the Marky Maypo character, but was forced to turn down more exciting projects because his name was still blacklisted. He moved his studio to New York in 1955, where he switched production over to independent short films.
Later works
Hubley was originally the director of Watership Down, until disagreements with producer Martin Rosen caused the latter to take over. Some of his work, including the opening sequence, remain in the final version. He died shortly after. He married Faith Elliott the same year as the studio's move, and they collaborated on nearly every film he made until his death in 1977 at age 62 during heart surgery; their final production was A Doonesbury Special, which was a co-winner of the Short Film Palme d'Or jury award the year after his death.
Personal life
His two other children with Faith Hubley were Mark and Ray Hubley, whose voices were used for the Oscar-winning Moonbird. Children with Claudia Ross are son Mark Ross Hubley, an accomplished second generation animator; grandson Miles Hubley, screenwriter, director and editor; and daughters Anne Hubley Ricchiuti and Susan Hubley Blakeley. Faith and their four children carried on his legacy in the renamed Hubley Studios. Hubley is survived by his daughters Georgia Hubley, who plays drums and sings for the rock bandYo La Tengo, as well as Emily Hubley, a filmmaker and animator, who has made numerous short films, including animated inserts and segments for documentaries such as Blue Vinyl and the film version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and a feature called The Toe Tactic which combines live action and animation.
Preservation and legacy
The Academy Film Archive has preserved a number of John Hubley's films, including A Smattering of Spots, A Doonesbury Special, and Of Men and Demons. The Hole was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2013.
