Celebrating the Art, Craft and Business of Animation https://www.awn.com/ en-US 15 Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:16:10 -0800 Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:16:58 -0800 https://www.awn.com/news/noted-photographer-and-filmmaker-paul-de-nooijer-dies-82 Known as one of the forerunners of staged photography made popular in the Netherlands, his stop-motion works combined photography with film, often made in collaboration with son Menno. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/noted-photographer-and-filmmaker-paul-de-nooijer-dies-82 Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:16:10 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/simpsons-writer-dan-mcgrath-passes-61 The award-winning creative, also known for his work on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘King of the Hill,’ passed away Friday in Brooklyn after suffering a stroke. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/simpsons-writer-dan-mcgrath-passes-61 Mon, 17 Nov 2025 8:17:43 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/french-animation-director-philippe-vidal-dumas-passes-59 The industry veteran was known for his work on series such as ‘The Garfield Show,’ ‘Bobby & Bill,’ and the recent ‘Belfort & Lupin,’ which won a Pulcinella Award this spring. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/french-animation-director-philippe-vidal-dumas-passes-59 Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:38:35 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/phil-mulloy-british-animator-known-dark-satiric-work-dies-76 Revered for his unflinching films that skewered politics, religion, and human nature with cutting humor and minimalist style, the filmmaker died last Thursday at the age of 76. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/phil-mulloy-british-animator-known-dark-satiric-work-dies-76 Mon, 14 Jul 2025 10:31:19 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/king-hill-actor-jonathan-joss-killed-shooting Updated: Joss' husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales posted a lengthy Facebook message that a neighbor, after yelling homophobic slurs at the couple who were checking mail at their burned down house, pulled a gun and shot the actor, known for his longtime role as John Redcorn. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/king-hill-actor-jonathan-joss-killed-shooting Mon, 02 Jun 2025 9:29:46 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/emmy-winning-simpsons-composer-alf-clausen-passes-84 The prolific creative, also known for his work on ‘Moonlighting’ and ‘ALF,’ passed away on May 29 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/emmy-winning-simpsons-composer-alf-clausen-passes-84 Mon, 02 Jun 2025 8:56:45 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/master-stop-motion-animator-co-hoedeman-dies-84 The distinguished director known for his films at the NFB, including 1977 Oscar-winning ‘The Sand Castle’ and 1972 BAFTA-winning ‘Tchou-tchou,’ passed away on May 26 in Montreal.   Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/master-stop-motion-animator-co-hoedeman-dies-84 Tue, 27 May 2025 14:17:16 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/ren-stimpy-co-developer-character-designer-jim-smith-passes-70 Best known for co-founding Spümcø and co-developing the ‘The Ren & Stimpy Show,’ the veteran animator also contributed to ‘Tiny Toon Adventures,’ Batman: The Animated Series,’ ‘Ice Age,’ ‘The Oblongs,’ ‘Over the Garden Wall,’ and many others. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/ren-stimpy-co-developer-character-designer-jim-smith-passes-70 Tue, 06 May 2025 7:54:49 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/vfx-pioneer-and-cinematographer-bruce-logan-passes-78 Known for his work on ‘Star Wars’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ the British creator passed away on April 10 in Los Angeles after a short illness. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/vfx-pioneer-and-cinematographer-bruce-logan-passes-78 Mon, 28 Apr 2025 8:38:48 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/publicity-executive-fumi-kitahara-passes-56 The longtime publicist and awards consultant for Disney, DreamWorks, Aardman, Netflix, Google Spotlight Stories and countless indie filmmakers, as well as WIA’s publicity chair, died after a long battle with a rare blood cancer.   Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/publicity-executive-fumi-kitahara-passes-56 Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:18:25 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/veteran-animator-director-and-producer-robert-verrall-passes-97 The artist, celebrated for his distinguished career, from 1945-1987, as a filmmaker and later as the head of the animation department at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), is credited with works such as the Oscar-nominated 'The Romance of Transportation in Canada,' Ryan Larkin’s ‘Walking,’ and many others. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/veteran-animator-director-and-producer-robert-verrall-passes-97 Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:00:24 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/animationworld/binocular-briefs-tribute-emma-calder AWN’s latest survey of under-the-radar animated shorts currently making their way through the festival circuit or newly available for online viewing pays tribute to the talented British artist and collage master who passed away September 26 at age 65 from cancer. Chris Robinson https://www.awn.com/animationworld/binocular-briefs-tribute-emma-calder Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:34:30 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/legendary-actor-james-earl-jones-passes-93 The prolific thespian and famed voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa passed away at his New York home on Monday; with a prolific career in film, television, and stage career, he was one of only a handful of actors to earn EGOT status. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/legendary-actor-james-earl-jones-passes-93 Tue, 10 Sep 2024 9:52:31 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/japanese-visual-artist-and-animator-keiichi-tanaami-passes-88 Revered independent filmmaker played a role in the development of autonomous and experimental animation film in Japan. Debbie Diamond Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/japanese-visual-artist-and-animator-keiichi-tanaami-passes-88 Fri, 23 Aug 2024 14:12:01 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/legendary-producer-jon-landau-passes-63 The Oscar-winning producer of  the hugely successful 'Titanic' and the 'Avatar' film franchise and longtime producing partner to James Cameron at Lightstorm Entertainment passed away on Friday after a battle with cancer.  L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/legendary-producer-jon-landau-passes-63 Mon, 08 Jul 2024 9:37:50 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/veteran-vfx-artist-roger-dicken-passes-84 The British special effects artist, sculptor, and model maker known for his work on ‘Alien’ and ‘When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth’ passed away in his North Wales home on February 18. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/veteran-vfx-artist-roger-dicken-passes-84 Fri, 19 Apr 2024 12:45:44 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/disney-imagineering-consultant-and-artist-dan-goozee-passes-80 The creative, also known for his movie poster art and production illustrations on shows like ‘Battle for the Planet of the Apes’ and ‘Battlestar Galactica’ died of an age-related condition on April 7. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/disney-imagineering-consultant-and-artist-dan-goozee-passes-80 Wed, 17 Apr 2024 15:24:40 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/henson-creature-shop-innovator-david-barrington-holt-passes-79 The long-time leader of The Jim Henson Company’s first Creature Shop in Los Angeles, whose pioneering work included development of the ground-breaking Henson Performance Control System that revolutionized computer-driven puppetry, died of cancer on March 13. Dan Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/henson-creature-shop-innovator-david-barrington-holt-passes-79 Sat, 06 Apr 2024 8:59:38 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/chance-perdomo-dies-tragically-27-gen-v-season-2-postponed ‘The Boys’ spinoff and ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ actor passed away over the weekend following a motorcycle accident. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/chance-perdomo-dies-tragically-27-gen-v-season-2-postponed Mon, 01 Apr 2024 15:12:01 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/oscar-winning-vfx-supervisor-tim-mcgovern-passes-68 Known for his work on ‘Total Recall,’ the visual effects artist, filmmaker, and VES 2023 Founders Award recipient passed away peacefully in his sleep. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/oscar-winning-vfx-supervisor-tim-mcgovern-passes-68 Mon, 01 Apr 2024 10:42:11 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/animation-film-and-media-creator-eli-noyes-dies-81 The multi-talented artist’s innovative 1964 student Oscar nominated clay animation film ‘Clay, or the Origin of Species’ remains a classic of stop-motion filmmaking. Debbie Diamond Sarto https://www.awn.com/news/animation-film-and-media-creator-eli-noyes-dies-81 Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:55:44 PDT In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/dragon-ball-creator-akira-toriyama-passes-68 The internationally beloved artist, who left a permanent mark on the manga and anime industry after a legendary career spanning over 45 years, passed away on March 1 of an acute subdural hematoma. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/dragon-ball-creator-akira-toriyama-passes-68 Fri, 08 Mar 2024 7:18:46 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/backyardigans-creator-janice-burgess-passes-72 The long-time Nickelodeon creative executive began her career in craft services before joining the network, eventually overseeing Nick Jr. shows such as ‘Blue’s Clues’ and ‘Gullah Gullah Island;’ her development and writing work included ‘Winx Club and’ ‘Bubble Guppies.’ L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/backyardigans-creator-janice-burgess-passes-72 Wed, 06 Mar 2024 7:24:23 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/famed-character-sculptor-kent-melton-passes-68 Known for his work on multiple high profile animated films including ‘Aladdin,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Mulan,’ ‘The Incredibles,’ and ‘Coraline,’ the artist dies last Thursday from Lewy body dementia. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/famed-character-sculptor-kent-melton-passes-68 Mon, 26 Feb 2024 15:14:15 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/japanese-manga-artist-ashihara-hinako-passes-50 Shortly before her death, the artist and author of ‘Sexy Tanaka-san’ was involved in a minor social media feud with Aizawa Tomoko, writer of the Nippon Television live-action adaptation of the work, with the artist claiming Tomoko was allowed to stray too far from the source material; fans now blame NTV for failing the deceased creative. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/japanese-manga-artist-ashihara-hinako-passes-50 Mon, 05 Feb 2024 8:15:35 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/stop-motion-animator-and-director-mark-gustafson-passes-63 The Oscar, Annie, Emmy, and BAFTA-winning creative, known for his work on ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘Meet the Raisins,’ and many other stop-motion projects, has died of a heart attack. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/stop-motion-animator-and-director-mark-gustafson-passes-63 Fri, 02 Feb 2024 8:32:09 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/blog/award-winning-animator-evert-de-beijer-has-passed-away Evert de Beijer passed away on Sunday, 28 January 2024 in Amsterdam at the age of 70 Nancy Denney-Phelps https://www.awn.com/blog/award-winning-animator-evert-de-beijer-has-passed-away Fri, 02 Feb 2024 7:24:21 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/coco-voice-actress-ana-ofelia-murgu-passes-90 The illustrious Mexican actress, who lent her voice to Mamá Coco in the Oscar-winning 2017 Pixar musical comedy, appeared in more than 100 projects, most notably ‘The Queen of the Night’ (1995), ‘Mi Querido Tom Mix’ (1992), and ‘Life Sentence’ (1979), and was awarded the Golden Ariel special lifetime achievement award in 2011. L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/coco-voice-actress-ana-ofelia-murgu-passes-90 Wed, 03 Jan 2024 8:36:14 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/comedy-and-tv-legend-norman-lear-passes-101 Known for his early ‘70s sitcoms, including ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Sanford and Son,’ the famed creative contributed his talents to numerous hit shows and films, both live-action and animated, until his last days.  L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/comedy-and-tv-legend-norman-lear-passes-101 Wed, 06 Dec 2023 13:39:41 PST In Passing https://www.awn.com/news/indiana-jones-and-star-wars-vfx-artist-marc-thorpe-passes-77 The artist, also known for his competition show ‘Robot Wars,’ passed away November 24 of complications related to Parkinson’s Disease, shared his daughter Megan Feffer on Facebook.  L'Wren Alexa https://www.awn.com/news/indiana-jones-and-star-wars-vfx-artist-marc-thorpe-passes-77 Wed, 29 Nov 2023 7:45:03 PST In Passing