December 19, 2006
Kaj Pindal Alive and Well
photo by Fatkat Animation Studios
Earlier today, I ran an item about Kaj Pindal's passing, but as many have emailed, he is, in fact, still quite alive. He was teaching at Sheridan College today and even emailed me himself to say, "Please be advised that I'm alive and well."
The story of his passing started when an executive at the National Film Board of Canada emailed Ottawa International Animation Festival director Chris Robinson to say that they'd just heard on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that Pindal had passed away. It's still unclear whether the person at the NFB misheard the report or whether the CBC misreported the news. In any case, Robinson emailed us with the news, and everything in that chain of knowledge seemed reliable enough for me to run the story. If anything, this whole incident serves as yet another good example of why animation execs—whether American or foreign—are never to be trusted.
So again, our sincere apologies to Kaj. He's busy teaching and producing new animation, and we hope he continues to do so for a long time yet to come. To celebrate his continuing aliveness, here is a Kaj Pindal rotating head on YouTube: