David Hudson DePatie (/dəˈpæti/;[4] December 24, 1929 – September 23, 2021) was an American film and television producer who was the last and longest lived executive in charge of the original Warner Bros. Cartoons studio.

DePatie received on-screen production credit and cartoon director Friz Freleng was promoted to producer.

[12] While he held his production position at Warner Bros., DePatie originally received no on-screen credit, similar to his two predecessors after Leon Schlesinger retired in 1944.

The character would appear in many animated shorts of his own (no longer as the villain) due to his critical acclaim in the title sequence, also produced by DePatie–Freleng.

These cartoons were directed by many people including Arthur Davis, Robert McKimson, Hawley Pratt, and Gerry Chiniquy.

[14][15] Chuck Jones was producing Dr. Seuss specials for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, until MGM shut down its animation studio.

Chuck Jones co-produced with Ted Geisel while DePatie and Freleng were executive producers for The Cat in the Hat only.

[18] He left the company in 1984, and then briefly worked for Hanna-Barbera, producing Pink Panther and Sons, before retiring.