Paul J. Smith, a Disney veteran who worked for Lantz in the 40s, returned to work for the studio for the majority of the studio's lifespan at this time as an animator, and later a director. Paul created "Chilly Willy", who first appeared in 1953, and became Lantz' second most popular character besides Woody. He would later be refined by Tex Avery in the following year, who left MGM earlier that decade. Avery himself would direct only 4 shorts during his time at Walter Lantz Productions, until finally leaving his career of directing animated shorts in 1956. Additional directional contributions included Don Patterson, Jack Hannah, and Sid Marcus. Alex Lovy also returned as role of director since the early 40s.