RIP Archives | Cartoon Brew

Eli Noyes, Stop-Motion Animation Pioneer And ‘Liquid Television’ Director, Dies At 81

Noyes made the Oscar-nominated short ‘Clay or the Origin of Species’ as an English undergrad at Harvard, launching an influential career in animation.

Akira Toriyama, ‘Dragon Ball’ And ‘Dr. Slump’ Creator, Dies At 68

Toriyama was a prolific manga and anime creator who also worked on early jrpg video games including ‘Chrono Trigger’ and ‘Dragon Quest.’

Janice Burgess, Nickelodeon Executive And ‘The Backyardigans’ Creator, Dies At 72

Burgess was a key figure at Nick Jr. where she also oversaw the production of ‘Blue’s Clues’ and ‘Little Bill.’

Kent Melton, Disney And Laika Maquette Maker, Dies At 68

From ‘Aladdin’ to ‘Tangled,’ Melton made maquettes for more than a dozen Walt Disney Studios animated features.

Mark Gustafson, Stop-Motion Veteran Who Co-Directed Oscar-Winning ‘Pinocchio,’ Dies At 64

Gustafson was also the supervising director of ‘The PJs’ and animation director of ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox.’

John Bush, Veteran TV Animation Producer, Dies At 69

Bush’s 30-plus year career included stops at Film Roman, Disney TV Animation, WB Animation, and Jim Henson Company.

In Memoriam: Remembering The Animation Figures Who Died In 2023

A collection of the tributes and obituaries we published over the past 12 months to honor lost figures from the global animation community.

Multiple People In Custody After Softimage Founder And Computer Graphics Pioneer Daniel Langlois Found Dead In Dominica

Softimage was a key piece of cg animation software in the 1990s and used to make films like ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Titanic,’ and ‘The Matrix.’

Pete Kozachik, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas,’ ‘Coraline’ Director Of Photography, Dies At 72

Kozachik was the go-to cinematographer for spooky stop motion, also filling the role on ‘James and the Giant Peach’ and ‘Corpse Bride.’

Nizo Yamamoto, Longtime Studio Ghibli Art Director And Background Artist, Dies At 70

Other films on which Yamamoto was art director include ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time’ and ‘Grave of the Fireflies.’

Paul Bush, British Filmmaker Who Experimented With Animation Techniques, Dies At 67

Bush excelled at trying out new techniques and experimental methods of creating moving pictures.

John Warnock, Adobe Co-Founder, Dies At 82

Warnock co-founded Adobe, was a key figure in the development of the PDF format, and created the earliest version of Adobe Illustrator.

Johnny Hardwick, ‘King Of The Hill’ Writer, Producer, And Dale Gribble Voice Actor, Dies At 64

Hardwick voiced ‘King of the Hill’s Dale Gribble from day one and picked up three Emmy nominations and a win as a producer on the show.

Jim Korkis, Animation Author And Historian Who Specialized In Disney, Dies At 72

A prolific writer, Korkis wrote dozens of books related to animation and Disney history.

Ian Emes, Celebrated British Animator And Long-Time Pink Floyd Collaborator, Dies At 73

An artist who worked across many mediums, his animation work with Pink Floyd and Linda McCartney still has the power to dazzle.

Paul Reubens, Pee-wee Herman Actor And Animation Champion, Dies at 70

Reubens’ ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ influenced a generation of artists who work in children’s entertainment.

Ippei Kuri, Co-Founder And Former President Of ‘Speed Racer,’ ‘Robotech,’ ‘Gatchaman’ Studio Tatsunoko Production, Dies At 83

Kuri was an accomplished manga artist, producer, character designer, animator, and director several iconic anime series.

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