Lately I've been watching quite a few Warner Bros. shorts from the 1960s, and I've noticed in the '60s that many shorts don't end with an iris-out like they were known for, instead just fading to black at the end. Considering how many cartoons from that decade I've noticed it missing from, I think it's safe to assume that Warner simply stopped putting it in their cartoons.

But does anybody know when Warner stopped putting an iris-out at the end of its cartoons? Or what the last classic cartoon was to have an iris-out? I've recently watched a few early 1960s cartoons, Person to Bunny and What's My Lion?, and saw that those two ended with an iris-out (I also know those might have been in development for a few years before they were released).

There were occasions before where cartoons just faded to black at the end, but most of those (Hare 'Um Scare 'Um, The Heckling Hare, Hollywood Steps Out, The Stupid Cupid) had their original endings cut upon release (so the missing endings probably did have iris outs). Though I've also noticed the earlier A Tail of Two Kitties and Show Biz Bugs also just fade to black, and I don't think those had anything cut at the end (considering how A Tale of Two Kitties ends, it seems like a clever exception).

I'm guessing before Now Hear This, because of the new LT/MM intro.


It had to be a cartoon prior to the 1962 closedown......

I'm guessing before Now Hear This, because of the new LT/MM intro.


It had to be a cartoon prior to the 1962 closedown......

Yeah, I had noticed that in cartoons that came before the shut down, but couldn't remember off-hand which ones.

Some post-1964 Warner Bros. cartoons had iris-outs, but they were becoming less and less frequent over time. I recall by the time Warner Bros. Animation had a brief re-opening in 1967-1969, the only two cartoons that used iris-outs were "Big Game Haunt" and "Shamrock and Roll."

I wonder what the reason was for the lack of an iris out. With budgets being cut, could it have been too expensive or difficult to make one? Were the iris-outs actually animated by hand (painting in the black over the animation or something as the circle shrunk)? Was there actually a special device that made the iris-outs (which shouldn't have made it too expensive/difficult, right?)? Or could it have been a stylistic choice?

I know they were used as late as Good Noose (1961).

I wonder what the reason was for the lack of an iris out. With budgets being cut, could it have been too expensive or difficult to make one? Were the iris-outs actually animated by hand (painting in the black over the animation or something as the circle shrunk)? Was there actually a special device that made the iris-outs (which shouldn't have made it too expensive/difficult, right?)? Or could it have been a stylistic choice?

I think that the iris-outs with a more fuzzy border are optical effects, while the ones with a hard border are hand-drawn. Somebody will have to confirm that, though.

I think that the iris-outs with a more fuzzy border are optical effects, while the ones with a hard border are hand-drawn. Somebody will have to confirm that, though.

I wonder which was used more (I'm guessing the optical effect, I assume that'd be more of a time/money saver).

I guess it would have been hand-drawn in cartoosn where characters visually interact with the iris-out (like at the end of A Fractured Leghorn).