Blake Edwards was set as co-writer/director, but Peter Sellers was a last-minute replacement as Inspector Clouseau—and together they honed a character audiences would both relate to and roar at. The DePatie-Freleng studios’ credits incorporating the Pink Panther cartoon character, with Henry Mancini’s Oscar-nominated music, enhanced the thrill of discovery. David Niven stars as suave jewel thief The Phantom, tracked by Clouseau among the jet set.