The Orson Welles of Animation

Chuck Jones in his office at his home in Cameo Shores

​Chuck Jones, the legendary animator and director who gave life to cartoon greats such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Road Runner was a longtime Corona del Mar resident.  In an almost 70-year animation career he directed more than 300 films, three of which won Academy Awards, received an Oscar in recognition of his life’s work, and created some of the most famous and beloved cartoon characters.  He is credited as a co-creator of Bugs, Daffy, Elmer Fudd, and Porky Pig and as the sole creator of Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote, Marvin Martian, Pepe Le Pew, Michigan J. Frog and dozens more memorable characters.  

​After three decades at Warner Brothers, he started his own studio, Chuck Jones Enterprises in 1962 and produced cartoons for MGM including Tom & Jerry shorts and a TV adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  He continued to write, direct, and produce for many years with his last major film ''Chariots of Fur'' featuring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, being released by Warner Brothers in 1996.  

Jones continued his TV work through the mid-1970s at his own production company, Chuck Jones Enterprises. (Photo: The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity)

In 1992, his Bugs Bunny cartoon, ‘What’s Opera, Doc? (1957) was added to the National Film Registry and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995.  Perhaps his greatest honor was when Robin Williams presented him with an Honorary Oscar at the 68th Academy Awards in 1996.  Williams concluded his impassioned introduction of Jones by calling him “The Orson Welles of Animation.” 
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​Chuck Jones lived in a 1961 single level home on Cameo Shores at 4527 Tremont Lane and was a regular at Five Crowns until he passed away in 2002 at age 89.  It appears he bought the house on Tremont where he had his home office, in 1979.  When it was sold in 2018, it appeared to be largely original at that point.  It was subsequently torn down in 2019 and there is a new house going up now.  

Chuck Jones' home in Cameo Shores at 4527 Tremont Lane, Corona del Mar, CA

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He founded the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, a non-profit in Costa Mesa that encourages creativity through art classes, exhibitions, film festivals, and their online community.  They have some great virtual projects that you can work on from home if you are looking for something to do while stuck indoors.