John And Faith Hubley Honored With Their Own Day In Marinette, Wisconsin

Marinette, Wisconsin celebrated the first-ever John and Faith Hubley Day on Saturday after the city’s mayor Steve Genisot established the honor through a proclamation.

John Hubley was born in Marinette, where his father owned a Ford dealership and his mother was a painter. According to mayor Genisot, “Hubley’s hardworking can-do attitude is a direct result of his Wisconsin upbringing, and his earliest interests in art were first sparked when he was a child in Marinette watching his mother and grandfather paint.”

In his proclamation, the mayor cited Hubley’s trailblazing work as creative chief of the mid-century studio United Productions of America (UPA) and the prolific output of independent films that he made working with his wife Faith, as well as his work as an art director at Disney and co-creating UPA’s Mr. Magoo.

“John and Faith Hubley worked together to produce an animated film together almost every year, all the while pushing the art of animation further and further with their incredibly imaginative films,” reads the proclamation.

He went on to say, “The films of John Hubley have had an indelible impact on the art of animation, and he and his wife are unarguably some of the most important figures in the history of independent animation, and indeed independent film.”

To celebrate the first John and Faith Hubley Day, a new plaque in John’s honor was dedicated outside Marinette’s Stephenson Public Library. Animation Education Association president Griffin Hansen and Wisconsin Historical Society state historical markers program coordinator Fitzie Heimdahl led the dedication, which was followed by a free screening of several of the Hubleys’ films.

The Animation Education Association is proud to announce that our newest project was unveiled today at the Stephenson Public Library in Marinette, Wisconsin. Marinette's John Hubley was honored with an official WI state marker! (1/3) pic.twitter.com/32FM87LX4E

— Animation Education Association (@Animeducassoc) May 20, 2023