He moved to work at Warner Bros. Animation in 1941 where he was an animator for the Frank Tashlin department, which was assumed in 1946 by Robert McKimson. Later that same year, he became a director himself, replacing Bob Clampett, who moved over to Screen Gems.
Davis directed a number of hilarious Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, with a tone somewhere in-between those of Clampett and McKimson. Unfortunately, his department was shut-down only three years later in 1949 when Warners was having a budget problem. Art Davis was assigned to Friz Freleng's unit.
Thirteen years later, Davis directed a cartoon for Warners again when Freleng was busy with other projects. This cartoon was "Quackodile Tears", which was also his last Warners short; he soon left to work at Walter Lantz as animator. He left Lantz in 1965 to work briefly for Hanna-Barbera Productions. He later moved over to DePatie-Freleng Enterprises to direct Pink Panther shorts and other cartoon series.
He was born Oct. 10, 1920, in Hickman, Ky., son of Arthur Elmer and Fannie Belle Weatherspoon Davis.
Davis was a retired construction worker and member of the Assembly of God Church.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Larry Davis of East Prairie; three daughters, Betty Huff and Barbara Riggins of East Prairie, Wilma Alford of Sikeston; 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.