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