Prolific VFX Supervisor Pete Kozachik Passes at 72
The Oscar-nominated artist and frequent Tim Burton and Henry Selick collaborator died September 12 after suffering complications due to aphasia and primary progressive aphasia.
The Oscar-nominated artist and frequent Tim Burton and Henry Selick collaborator died September 12 after suffering complications due to aphasia and primary progressive aphasia.
Suspected of swindling investors of the Beijing-based VFX and animation company, as well as Knightsbridge Entertainment, out of at least $234 million, the former producer died of liver failure on July 31 in Blackpool, with his alleged co-conspirator still at large.
Also known for her role as Calliope Jones on ‘Days of Our Lives,’ Sorkin was the original inspiration for the maniacal blonde villain and lent her voice to the character in ‘Batman: The Animated Series,’ video games, animated films, and multiple other series.
The acclaimed anime creative worked on many Studio Ghibli films, including ‘Princess Mononoke’ and ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ and was known for his grand cloud vistas, called ‘Nizō-gumo’ or ‘Nizō Clouds.’
Known for his work as on the show as bounty hunter Dale Gribble, the talented actor and comedian died at home in Austin, Texas on August 8.
The Oscar-winning producer, known for films including the Academy Award-winning animated short, ‘Anna & Bella,’ established the Dutch animation distribution company Animated People, was active in the Haarlem artist circuit, and was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
The Imagineer, named a Disney Legend in 2004, was a key designer for the ‘Haunted Mansion,’ ‘Enchanted Tiki Room,’ ‘Adventureland Bazaar,’ and ’It’s a Small World’ attractions at Disneyland.
The longtime industry leader and ASIFA India chapter founder was a key player in building the animation production industry in India, including the setup of the Toonz Academy in Kerala and The Week of the Masters Animation Festival.
The former Marketing Manager of the organization’s English Program Animation Studio, a passionate, tireless, and unwavering ambassador for animated films, died January 7.
The creative executive served in various positions in animation and live-action, honing his skills at Corus Entertainment prior to joining the WildBrain family; he passed away on December 28 after a short illness.
In addition to the illustrious anime icon’s achievements in entertainment, he was responsible for establishing initiatives to aid the anime industry, such as The Association of Japanese Animations collective and NUROANI Juku.
The BAFTA award-winning animation and visual effects director, who was expecting a second child with wife Claire Pepper, was struck by a drunk driver while visiting Los Angeles on business.
The noted stage, film, and TV performer, whose work voicing the caped crusader spanned 15 films and nearly 400 episodes including the landmark ‘Batman: The Animated Series,’ passed away after a short battle with cancer.
The animator, producer, director, and composer who worked diligently on some of the most popular stop-motion holiday films of the 1960s and 1970s with his production partner Arthur Rankin Jr. passed away on Tuesday.
The beloved voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and face of Jessica Fletcher of ‘Murder She Wrote’ passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday; she is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
The prolific lawyer, who specialized in special effects and animation, was closely involved in such projects as ‘Stuart Little,’ ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,’ ‘Trolls,’ and ‘Starship Troopers.’
The co-producer on ‘StarDog and TurboCat’ passes suddenly during production on Sky’s ‘The Amazing Maurice;’ the life-long Sir Terry Pratchett fan worked tirelessly to ensure the ‘Discworld’ novel adaptation lived up to the author’s vision and his own affection for the source material.
A pioneer for women in animation, the trailblazing funny lady began her career in the ‘90s, becoming one of very first women in the writer’s room; she worked on numerous series as a script writer including ‘Daria,’ was senior editor of ‘Nickelodeon Magazine,’ and her illustrations were seen in ‘Redbook’ and ‘The New York Times.’
Renowned for his work in film and theater, he composed soundtracks for all five of Nicolás P. Villarreal’s animated short films, and served as musical director for Broadway tours including ‘Victor/Victoria,’ ‘Cinderella’ and Disney's ‘The Lion King’ and worked on several Las Vegas spectaculars such as ‘Mamma Mia!,’ ‘Avenue Q,’ and ‘Le Reve.’
Renowned for his work on over 100 productions, the colorful and well-liked actor will be sorely missed by the animation community.
The beloved actor will be remembered through his memorable work in ‘Battles Without Honor,’ ‘Humanity,’ and ‘Kita no kuni kar’ (From the Northern Country), which ran on Japanese television for 20 years.
The voice of Malory Archer, the FXX hit show’s acerbic, biting, and hilariously strident spymaster, also known for her work as matriarch Lucille Bluth on ‘Arrested Development,’ passes away at her New York home.
Created to honor the studio’s late employee, an alumnus of Algonquin College, the $5,000 annual gift will reward a Film and Media Production program graduate with passion for excellence in editing matched by leadership, mentoring, kindness, and desire to learn and grow in the editorial field.
Widely known for his work on Bill Burr’s animated series, he is also remembered for his contributions to ‘The Simpsons,’ for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award, and the stop-motion animated series ‘The PJs.’
The influential supervising animator and mentor, who spent four decades at the studio and worked on films from ‘Robin Hood’ to ‘Frozen,’ passed away last Friday from complications due to ALS.