One of the first people to take note of the young Joseph Barbera’s (1911–2006) talent for drawing was Sister Mary Nicholas, his teacher at Holy Innocents Catholic School in Brooklyn, New York. She was so taken with his budding artistic abilities that she would often ask him to sketch religious scenes on the chalkboard. Thus was launched a glittering career in animation.

In 1937, the youthful cartoonist moved from New York to California. While working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he met fellow animator William Hanna (1910–2001). A fruitful partnership was quickly established, with one of their first co-creations being the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry.

When MGM dissolved its animation department in 1957, the pair co-founded Hanna-Barbera. The company’s litany of popular television cartoon characters includes The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, Top Cat, Huckleberry Hound, and The Jetsons.

Hanna and Barbera directed seven Academy Award-winning films and won eight Emmy Awards. But what did Joseph Barbera consider their greatest achievement? Answer: The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible. This 13-part animated series tells the story of three young adventurers who travel back in time to witness biblical events.

“It took me 17 years to get it done,” said Joseph Barbera to Catholic News Service in 1993. He explained the difficulty of trying to overcome industry doubts that Bible cartoons would “cause too many problems.” Barbera said he “would keep going out every year, for 17 years, and they rejected me year after year.”

In the end, 13 episodes were released directly to home video between 1985 and 1992. Each charts the unfolding story of salvation from the Garden of Eden to Easter Sunday. The series proved very popular with the public, earning Hanna-Barbera around $20 million in sales during its first seven years alone. The episodes are still available on various online platforms.