Photo courtesy © Jean-Louis Rizet

Our friend Pierre has left us. Like many in our profession, I owe him an enormous debt. He knew how to communicate his passion for animation to us, to guide us, warn us, encourage us to start up crazy, but always deeply human, projects. We must all continue his work. I had run into him just before his passing. Full of fire, he had a new project he wanted to bring us into and I had taken this picture as proof of his determination and good humor (Tuesday, March 17, 1998, at 10:00 a.m.).

See you soon, Pierre!!

Jean-Louis Rizet
Ramses. Pev. TouTenKartoon

Pierre Ayma: A Devil of a Man

In 1983, when I finished my first professional short film, Story of a Clown, my producer, Julien Pappé, advised me to go meet Pierre Ayma at the Department of Animation at the CFT Gobelins, because he thought that I would be able to teach at the school. Hardly convinced of the idea, seeing my young age, I nevertheless risked knocking on the door of this gentleman, a proven authority in the world of animation. From the first second of our conversation, I was charmed by the smile, the malice, the mustache, and the good-nature of Pierre, who had, among other things, that incomparable gift of immediately putting his companion at ease. After testing out my knowledge, he hired me right there and then, and that was the point of departure for a long friendship that never failed over fifteen years.

Conscious of my handicap as a beginner in the medium, Pierre Ayma quickly became my chosen counselor, and even if some illustrious people like Norman McLaren, Rene Laloux and Julien Pappé had the goodness to lean over my cradle, it is Pierre Ayma to whom I owe being able to practice my métier as animator in France and elsewhere in the world. During all those years, at any hour of the day or night, Pierre encouraged me, counseled me, consoled me, reassured me, and told me off with a bashful charm of a father that dares not speak all the love that he bears for his children.

His infectious enthusiasm, his innate sense of appreciation for others, his generosity, his honesty, his visceral rejection of corruption, his cool humor, his professionalism and his explosive anger have been for me a model of life and comportment with my peers. By himself, and often against opposition, he raised French Animation to its just value, and I know of no one in our profession who is not indebted to him for something.

Forcibly refusing all honors and thank-yous: "If you mention me in your credits, I'll never speak to you again!..." (sic), Pierre Ayma's only happiness was to see animators and filmmakers succeed with their projects. For, not content just to head a school with all the vigor that one knows, Pierre would help every animator in difficulty, freely giving his energy to each person that asked for his help.

Pierre was Voltairian: he could have taken part in the Callas affair, or that of the Chevalier de la Barre.

Now that he has left us, who will protect us from fate? No one can tell me now that no man is irreplaceable...

My friend Philippe Hervieux and I kept close to Pierre Ayma in the last days of his life. He asked us to complete the training of thirty apprentices before they participated in the Mediapole adventure in the town of Arles, with the cooperation of the new Arles Animation Studio. A certain number of problems had obliged Pierre to draw back from the project that he had tried to finish for two years. He had put a great deal of effort into it, and we devoted all of our energy to keeping it going as long as we could, this last promotion of artists that he had rigorously pursued. When he announced to the apprentices that he was leaving for reasons beyond his control, his farewells were drowned out by spontaneous applause, and he was very moved. In a short time, these young people had understood the dimensions of this man who never compromised, and who never hesitated to launch their program, even if it meant using his own personal money to advance the costs. But that wasn't the best part. Even though he had to step aside from the project, Pierre continued to telephone us to find out how our apprentices were doing, calling each of them by name. He didn't have anything to worry about. His last project continues to do him honor.