In Memoriam: Remembering The Animation Figures Who Died In 2023
As 2023 draws to an end, we’ve collected the tributes and obituaries we published over the past 12 months to honor lost figures from the global animation community.
Each entry in our list includes a link to their obituary. As we put together this year’s In Memoriam, we were struck by how many of the figures were pioneers from the early days of computer animation. Without some of the names included in this article, the world of digital animation would look very different than it does today.
The artists and technicians in this piece worked in a variety of styles and formats, often pushing the boundaries of what was possible in animation at the time. They may be gone, but their work endures and informs the art being created by others today.
Chris Ledesma
Music editor on The Simpsons who worked on more than 730 episodes
Todd Brian
TV writer and Wildbrain animation executive
Bill Dennis
Disney and Hanna-Barbera executive who helped develop the Southeast Asian animation industry
William Ruzicka
Board artist and director on Invincible
Tezuka Osamu
Toei Company president and CEO
Leiji Matsumoto
Creator of legendary manga and anime including Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999
Burny Mattinson
Disney legend and the company’s longest-employed worker
Rolly Crump
Animation artist-turned-designer who worked on key Disneyland attractions
Raoul Servais
A 60-year industry veteran who earned global acclaim, including top prizes at Cannes, Venice, and Annecy, making him a national hero in Belgium.
Leo Sullivan
Co-founder of Vignette Films, Hollywood’s first Black-owned animation studio
Roger Chouinard
Co-founder of Duck Soup Produckions
Ken Mundie
Adventurous artist who directed Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert and The Door
Per Åhlin
Director of I huvet på en gammal gubbe (Out of an Old Man’s Head), Sweden’s first animated feature
Alan Dewhurst
Co-founder of Passion Pictures and producer of Peter & The Wolf
Randy Fullmer
Animation artist who later produced The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little
Ippei Kuri
Co-founder and former president of Speed Racer, Robotech studio Tatsunoko Production
Paul Reubens
Creator of the Peewee Herman character and seminal mix-media Saturday AM kids’ series
Ian Emes
Celebrated British animator and long-time Pink Floyd collaborator
Jim Korkis
Animation author and historian who specialized in Disney
Johnny Hardwick
King of the Hill writer, producer, and Dale Gribble voice actor
John Warnock
Adobe co-founder and creator of the earliest version of Adobe Illustrator
Paul Bush
British filmmaker who experimented with animation techniques
Nizo Yamamoto
Longtime Studio Ghibli art director and background artist
Pete Kozachik
Director of photography on The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline
Daniel Langlois
Founder of cg animation software Softimage, used on films including Jurassic Park, Titanic, and The Matrix
Pictured at top: Burny Mattinson, Leo Sullivan, Paul Reubens, Nizo Yamamoto