John McGrew, a layout artist for Chuck Jones Warner Bros. unit from 1938 to 1943, passed away on January 11, 1999 in France at the age of 88. McGrews contributions to the artform are often overlooked because of the short time he spent in the business, but his layouts and color stylings for THE DOVER BOYS, THE ARISTO-CAT, CONRAD THE SAILOR and SUPER RABBIT, among others films, were groundbreaking and revolutionary for their time. Chuck Jones has often said in interviews that McGrew helped introduce a more abstract and design-influenced background style. It was this innovation that would later inspire UPA artists in the 50s. After Warners, McGrew joined the Navy and eventually moved to France where he had been living for the last fifty years. An accomplished fine painter in his own right, a book of his artwork was published in France last year, UN GENIE INGENU.
