Rudy Larriva


Rudolph Larriva was an American animator and director from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Early life

Born in El Paso, Texas, which his parents moved out at the age of two, he attended several grammar schools, and graduated from John C. Fremont High School with a major in commercial art, but never went to college. He was of Mexican descent.

Career

Larriva worked at a number of studios, including Format Films, Filmation, and Walt Disney Productions, but is best known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons and UPA. He was an animator in Chuck Jones' unit, starting in 1939 with the short Dog Gone Modern. He later animated for shorts like Elmer's Pet Rabbit and Porky's Cafe. Larriva was considered by Jones to be his top animator in the late 1930s and early 1940s, where he particularly delivered Disney-quality animation.
Some of the productions he worked on include Song of the South, Mr. Magoo, The Unicorn in the Garden, Gerald McBoing Boing, The Alvin Show, The Lone Ranger, the 1965–1967 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons for Format Films, and Fangface. He was also the animation director of The Twilight Zone opening titles for 1959-1960.
He died in Irvine, California on February 19, 2010, aged 94. Larriva was buried in Eternal Hills Cemetery in Oceanside, California in March of that year. He is survived by his son and his three grandchildren.
TitleDateMain characters
Run, Run, Sweet Road RunnerAugust 21, 1965Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Tired and FeatheredSeptember 18, 1965Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Boulder Wham!October 9, 1965Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Just Plane BeepOctober 30, 1965Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Hairied and HurriedNovember 13, 1965Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Highway RunneryDecember 11, 1965Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Chaser on the RocksDecember 25, 1965Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Shot and BotheredJanuary 8, 1966Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Out and Out RoutJanuary 29, 1966Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
The Solid Tin CoyoteFebruary 19, 1966Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Clippety ClobberedMarch 12, 1966Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Quacker TrackerApril 29, 1967Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales
The Music Mice-TroMay 27, 1967Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales
The Spy SwatterJune 24, 1967Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales

Note: The Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoons in the above list are sometimes called the "Larriva Eleven."