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Jack Hannah

Jack Hannah

Director and writer · Died June 11, 1994, aged 81 · Tucson, Arizona, USA

Jack Hannah (January 5, 1913 - June 11, 1994) was an animator, writer and director of animated shorts.He began his career at the Walt Disney Studios as an animator in the short Modern Inventions (released on May 29, 1937). After thirteen films in that capacity, he was assigned to the story department writing cartoon short continuities, beginning withDonald's Nephews (released on April 15, 1938). He received writing credit on 21 Disney cartoon shorts.In 1942 he collaborated with Carl Barks on the first two comic books Barks worked on, Pluto Saves the Ship and Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold. Hannah in subsequent years did a handful of other Donald Duck comic book stories but unlike Barks he stayed at the studio and eventually was given a chance to be a director. The short Donald's Off Day (released on December 8, 1944) was the first of 94 films he would direct. These include most of the shorts featuring Donald Duck in the post-war era along with all starring Chip 'n Dale and Humphrey the Bear; he also directed some shorts starring Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Pluto and some minor Walt Disney characters. After Disney stopped producing animated shorts Hannah did 14 episodes of the Walt Disney anthology television series (composed of footage from the classic cartoons along with new linking material) and fulfilled his ambition to direct live-action by handling Walt Disney's introductions for the episodes. Hannah hoped to segue into a career in live-action but "Walt had me pegged as an animation director so he balked at the suggestion. We had a few heated discussions and I became aware that I had come to an impasse." He then went to the Walter Lantz Studio and directed a number of films featuring Woody Woodpecker and some minor characters. Besides directing shorts Hannah also was Assistant Director for the TV series The Woody Woodpecker Show, which started airing on October 3, 1957. "I did more or less the same thing that I did with Walt Disney in directing live action except Lantz was better at taking direction." His last directing effort was the short Charlie's Mother-In-Law (released on April 16, 1963). He retired shortly thereafter.Hannah was one of the co-founders, along with T. Hee, of the Character Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts.Hannah was honored as a "Disney Legend" in 1992. As Carl Barks is credited with creating the personality of Donald Duck's comic book version, Jack Hannah is credited with developing, if not creating, the personality of the animated version. It is for this reason Disney historian Jim Korkis has dubbed him "Donald Duck's Other Daddy".Hannah died in 1994, aged 81.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 5, 1913
Died
June 11, 1994 (aged 81)
From
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
32 on Motif · 155 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 13% in 30 days

What are Jack Hannah's films like?

Across their 29 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Animation24 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Family4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile
: browse their Family movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
34%
Survival
18%
Society
16%
Self
14%
Ideas
8%
Morality
7%
Power
1%
Family bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 29 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 14

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 21 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 4

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 24

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 8

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 26 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 29 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
21
Absurd
14
Manic
7
Warm
5
Tense
5
Other
12

How their films linger

Fun26 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good23 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy16
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous5
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jack Hannah's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 32 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Disney+ (28).

Subscription and free streaming for Jack Hannah's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

155 credits, 32 with a Motif page.

  • 100 Years of Disney Animation: A Shorts Celebration (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    Director

  • The Pixar Story(2007)

    as Lamp Shop Owner (voice) (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Disney's Christmas Favorites (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Everybody Loves Donald (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Goofy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Mickey's House of Villains (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Disney's House of Mouse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Here's Goofy! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)

    Director

  • DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Daisy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Donald Duck's First 50 Years (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Disney's Halloween Treat(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Lady and the Lamp (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)

    as Lamp Shop Owner (voice)

  • Halloween Hall o' Fame (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1977)

    Animation Director

  • Rascal(1969)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Corny Concerto (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Punchy Pooch (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Mother's Little Helper (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Rocket Racket (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Mackerel Moocher (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • The Beary Family (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 28 episodes · Director

  • Fowled-Up Birthday (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Pest of Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Fish and Chips (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Rock-a-Bye Gator (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Doc's Last Stand (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Kids Is Kids (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Tin Can Concert (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · Writer

  • Woody's Kook-Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Tricky Trout (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Voo-Doo Boo-Boo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Franken-Stymied (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Bear and the Bees (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Clash and Carry (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Gabby's Diner (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Eggnapper (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Poop Deck Pirate (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Aquamania(1961)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Southern Fried Hospitality (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • Hunger Strife (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • Freeloading Feline (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

    Director · Story

  • This Is Your Life Donald Duck (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • Jungle Medics (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • The Adventures of Chip 'N' Dale (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Duck Flies Coop (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Bric’s Stew (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    Story

  • Donald in Mathmagic Land(1959)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • From All of Us, To All of You (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • The Great Cat Family (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • In the Bag (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • Hooked Bear (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From? (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • On Vacation with Mickey Mouse and Friends (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • Up a Tree (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Beezy Bear(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Bearly Asleep (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • No Hunting (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    Director · as Moose (voice) (uncredited)

  • The Donald Duck Story (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    Director · Writer

  • The Flying Squirrel (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Grin and Bear It (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • Dragon Around(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Spare the Rod (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • Canvas Back Duck (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • Working for Peanuts (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • Walt Disney's Halloween Hilarities (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • Rugged Bear (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • The New Neighbor(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Don's Fountain of Youth(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Pluto's Christmas Tree(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Trick or Treat(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Uncle Donald's Ants (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • Let's Stick Together (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • Two Chips and a Miss (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • Lambert the Sheepish Lion(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Donald Applecore (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • Bee On Guard (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Out of Scale(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Lucky Number (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Test Pilot Donald (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Corn Chips(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Dude Duck (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Chicken in the Rough (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • Out on a Limb (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Bee at the Beach (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Hook, Lion and Sinker (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Trailer Horn(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Crazy Over Daisy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Lion Around (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Toy Tinkers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • Slide Donald Slide (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • The Greener Yard (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • All in a Nutshell(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Honey Harvester (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • Winter Storage(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Sea Salts (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • Donald's Happy Birthday (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • Tea for Two Hundred (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Three for Breakfast (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Soup's On (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Inferior Decorator (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Daddy Duck (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • They're Off (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Chip an' Dale(1947)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Foul Hunting (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Bootle Beetle (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Clown of the Jungle (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Straight Shooters (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Double Dribble(1946)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Frank Duck Brings 'em Back Alive (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1946)

    Director

  • Lighthouse Keeping (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1946)

    Director

  • Squatter's Rights (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1946)

    Director

  • A Knight for a Day(1946)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • No Sail (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1945)

    Director

  • The Eyes Have It (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1945)

    Director

  • Donald's Off Day (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1944)

    Director

  • The Plastics Inventor (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1944)

    Story

  • Donald Duck and the Gorilla (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1944)

    Story

  • Trombone Trouble (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1944)

    Story

  • Home Defense (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1943)

    Story

  • The Old Army Game (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1943)

    Story

  • Bellboy Donald (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Sky Trooper (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Donald's Garden (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Animation

  • The Army Mascot (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Donald Gets Drafted (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Donald's Snow Fight (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    Animation

  • Chef Donald(1941)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Old MacDonald Duck(1941)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Truant Officer Donald (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1941)

    Story

  • Early to Bed(1941)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Timber (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1941)

    Writer

  • Fire Chief (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1940)

    Writer

  • Window Cleaners (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1940)

    Story

  • Donald's Vacation (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1940)

    Animation · Story

  • Mr. Duck Steps Out(1940)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Donald's Penguin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

    Animation

  • Sea Scouts (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

    Animation

  • Beach Picnic(1939)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Cousin Gus(1939)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Hockey Champ(1939)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Lucky Day (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

    Animation · Story

  • Donald's Golf Game(1938)

    Animation · Story

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Good Scouts (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    Animation

  • Donald's Nephews(1938)

    Animation · Story

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Better Self (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    Animation

  • Self Control (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    Animation

  • Donald's Ostrich (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    Animation

  • The Old Mill(1937)

    Animation

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Woodland Café (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    Animation

  • Don Donald (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    Animation

  • The Country Cousin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    Animation

  • Donald and Pluto (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    Animation

  • Toby Tortoise Returns(1936)

    Animation

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 151 titles from 1936 to 2023.

Highest rated

Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Corn Chips (1951)

Film career

  • 1955Screen debut· No Hunting

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 151: 2 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting109 of 151: 105 only directing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score82ndWriting28 of 151: 21 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score77thOther crew19 of 151: 15 only other crew, 4 with another role

151 titles, 8 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1930s18 · crew1940s47 · crew1950s45 · 1 acting · 45 crew1960s27 · crew1970s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew1980s4 · crew2000s7 · 1 acting · 6 crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jack Hannah's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 32; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 32 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th11

Shape of the crowd

None of their 32 titles divides audiences: 25 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser25

Most loved · actor

The Pixar Story (2007)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 60/100 in their films, across 26 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Jack Hannah work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jack Hannah's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Walt Disney shares the most, 27.

Directors

Writers

  • Carl Barks9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Carl Barks
  • Bill Berg8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Bill Berg
  • Al Taliaferro7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Al Taliaferro
  • Ted Osborne7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Ted Osborne

Actors

Composers

Producers