In Memoriam 2023 In Memoriam 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
Chris Ledesma

Music editor on The Simpsons who worked on more than 730 episodes


Todd Brian
Todd Brian

TV writer and Wildbrain animation executive


Bill Dennis
Bill Dennis

Disney and Hanna-Barbera executive who helped develop the Southeast Asian animation industry


William Ruzicka
William Ruzicka

Board artist and director on Invincible


Tezuka Osamu
Tezuka Osamu

Toei Company president and CEO


Leiji Matsumoto
Leiji Matsumoto

Creator of legendary manga and anime including Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999


Burny Mattinson
Burny Mattinson

Disney legend and the company’s longest-employed worker


Rolly Crump
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 D. Sullivan
Leo Sullivan

Co-founder of Vignette Films, Hollywood’s first Black-owned animation studio


Roger Chouinard
Roger Chouinard

Co-founder of Duck Soup Produckions


Ken Mundie
Ken Mundie

Adventurous artist who directed Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert and The Door


Per Åhlin
Per Åhlin

Director of I huvet på en gammal gubbe (Out of an Old Man’s Head), Sweden’s first animated feature


Alan Dewhurst
Alan Dewhurst

Co-founder of Passion Pictures and producer of Peter & The Wolf


Randy Fullmer
Randy Fullmer

Animation artist who later produced The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little


Ippei Kuri
Ippei Kuri

Co-founder and former president of Speed Racer, Robotech studio Tatsunoko Production


Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Paul Reubens

Creator of the Peewee Herman character and seminal mix-media Saturday AM kids’ series


Ian Emes
Ian Emes

Celebrated British animator and long-time Pink Floyd collaborator


Jim Korkis
Jim Korkis

Animation author and historian who specialized in Disney


Johnny Hardwick
Johnny Hardwick

King of the Hill writer, producer, and Dale Gribble voice actor


John Warnock
John Warnock

Adobe co-founder and creator of the earliest version of Adobe Illustrator


Paul Bush
Paul Bush

British filmmaker who experimented with animation techniques


Nizo Yamamoto
Nizo Yamamoto

Longtime Studio Ghibli art director and background artist


Pete Kozachik
Pete Kozachik

Director of photography on The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline


Daniel Langlois
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

Jamie Lang

Jamie Lang is the Editor-in-Chief of Cartoon Brew.

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