After a CGI version of the Panther from Europe failed to impress, Kurtz was asked to present his vision. He did a storyboard and made an animatic, and won the job. Watch the pencil test for the tango sequence.

When boarding the title, Kurtz paid attention to the script. “I went through the script and pulled out some ideas and based gags on that. For example, there was a soccer game, a fire and special European car. So I built some gags on things like that. I do not give any jokes away. Rather, I came up with variations. Folks watching the titles won’t notice it. But when they see it a second time, they will realize how the title fits in.” Kurtz is proud that the titles “really fit this film. It is more than just a generic title that would fit on any Panther film.”

The highlight? Kurtz was enthused about a tango sequence. “I really wanted to throw a dance into the title. We see the Panther and the Inspector are dancing this passionate tango. But they do not realize they are dancing with each other. Suddenly they realize it. It gets a lot of laughs.”

What was it like going back to the Panther after all these years? And working with, what is now, a classic character icon? “We had done an opening title for the Scooby-Doo movie, which ended up on the DVD only. That was the first time our studio had really done another studio’s character. For the Panther, I did not want to mess with it. When I mentioned we were working on the Panther, people all around, and not just in the business, said ‘Oh, I love the Pink Panther’. So this is the Panther everyone remembers.”

Kurtz got the rare opportunity to revisit the Panther and had fun doing it. View the animatic of the opening moments to the title sequence.

DePatie-Freleng (who created the character), Richard Williams and Marvel Animation are but a few of those who have tackled Panther titles. “We went after the Richard Williams tone. Richard shifted the design a bit, to give the Panther longer legs. But we stuck closer to the original model. However, I wanted that grand look to the backgrounds and movement that Williams gave the Panther. There’s even a small tribute to Ken Harris, who animated the Panther for Williams. We threw in a small bit where he does that ‘double walk’ Harris used in those titles. Most will not even see it. But animation buffs should recognize it.”

Is Kurtz excited about the final result? “Yes. The title’s audio was re-mixed from our version. When you do that, it can make the filmmaker a little unhappy. After all, we lived with the title for months and felt we had a sound design that worked, and that we followed. But the title is still great. They even interviewed me and Eric Goldberg, who did some great animation on the title, for the future DVD release.”

Few get the chance to revisit classic characters from their past and still have a good time. “We had a lot of fun doing this. And the end result is a funny piece of animation. Audiences love the Panther. He is so sophisticated and when he moves just right, he is a great character.” It is odd to consider that, like previous Panther films, no matter how the film is received, the audience will certainly be talking about the credit sequence.

John Cawley is a producer of animation (television and features) at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank. Cawley is also a writer (Dexter’s Lab, Bugs Bunny, Disney Features), an author (Encyclopedia of Cartoon Superstars, Cartoon Confidential), an editor (Get Animated!), a publisher (Faster! Cheaper!), a lecturer and a performer.