December 30, 2019
AHOF's Journey Into IMAGIMATION Final Week at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas!
This is the final week of AHOF's travelling exhibition Journey Into IMAGIMATION: Over a Hundred Years of Animation Art From Around The World. If you haven't had a chance to see it yet in this absolutely wonderful venue of the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas, then you really should!  

December 26, 2019
Renowned Peanuts Executive Producer and Songwriter Lee Mendelson Has Passed Away!
The Animation Hall Of Fame family is sad to acknowledge the passing of one of animations great contributors Lee Mendelson. He passed away yesterday at the age of 86 at his home in Hillsborough, California.
Mendelson, originally from San Francisco, was known for his work in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," the first animated special featuring "Peanuts" characters. He not only executive produced/produced the special, but also wrote the lyrics to the special's song "Christmas Time is Here."
The special, which first aired on December 9, 1965, was an immediate critical and commercial hit, and it has since become a perennial holiday favorite having aired more than 50 years.  

November 17, 2019
Disneys' The Little Mermaid Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary Today!
The Little Mermaid is the 28th Disney animated feature film and is loosely based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. It was written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, with outstanding music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (who also served as co-producer alongside John Musker). Art direction was by Michael Peraza Jr. and Donald A. Towns. The film features the voices of Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett, and René Auberjonois.  

November 4, 2019
Nick Park and Aardman Animations Wallace & Gromit: A Grande Day Out 30th Anniversary Today!
On this day 30 years ago stop motion animation history was made, when at the British Short Film Festival Nick Park, Peter Lord, and David Sproxton presented the very first screening of Wallace & Gromit: A Grande Day Out.  

September 27, 2019
AHOF's Journey Into IMAGIMATION Travelling Exhibition Opens at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas!
We are proud to announce that AHOF's travelling exhibition Journey Into IMAGIMATION: Over a Hundred Years of Animation Art From Around The World has officially opened at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas! It will run from September 27, 2019 to January 5, 2020. More information on the exhibition can be found by visiting the AHOF Calendar. We would like to thank the Art Museum of South Texas for allowing AHOF's first world class travelling exhibition to be displayed at another one of the United States distinguished art museum venues.  

August 17, 2019
Multiple Academy Award Winning Legendary Animation Director Richard Williams Has Passed Away!
The Animation Hall Of Fame family is sad to acknowledge the passing of one of animations true legends, Richard Williams, who passed away yesterday at the age of 86 at his home in Bristol, England.
Richard, as we knew him here at the Animation Hall Of Fame, was a three-time Oscar-winning animator best known to the world for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and to the animation industry for "The Animators Survival Kit," his seminal instructional book.  

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July 27, 2019
International Renowned Voice Talent Russi Taylor Has Passed Away!
The Animation Hall Of Fame family is sad to acknowledge the passing of one of animations great voice talents, Russi Taylor.

The passing of Russi Taylor
 

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July 18, 2019
Tragedy at the Kyoto Animation Studio in Kyoto, Japan!
The Animation Hall Of Fame is sad to report the devastating tragedy that has taken place at the Kyoto Animation Studio in Kyoto, Japan. A fire reportedly set deliberately Thursday morning at the studio and has currently claimed at least 26 lives.
According to the report, the suspected arsonist, a 41-year-old man who has been detained, yelled "Drop dead" before spraying petrol and setting the three-story building ablaze. Of the 70 people supposedly in the building at the time of the fire, 36 are in area hospitals, and fears are mounting that the number of fatalities will increase, as many people trapped on the upper floors are unaccounted for.
Founded in 1981 and also known as KyoAni, the well-respected studio is noted for films such as A Silent Voice (2016) and Liz and the Blue Bird (2018), as well as the series Violet Evergarden, which was recently licensed by Netflix.
All of our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims and we wish and hope for the safe recovery of the missing.  

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July 10, 2019
Shout! Factory Acquires Bill Plympton Library!
Shout! Factory has just announced they've acquired the library of prolific indie legend Bill Plympton, the famed cartoonist and animation director whose 40+ year career includes numerous awards as well as Oscar nominations for his shorts, Your Face and Guard Dog. The library will launch on their Main Digital platforms on October 15, 2019.
In a statement from long time Animation Hall Of Fame supporter Bill Plympton, "I'm happy to partner with Shout! Factory and get my library of work in front of a much bigger audience. They have a history of supporting indie and avant-garde animation, and I'm excited to be working with them. It's always great to have my films seen by new fans."
So are we Bill!! Thank you Shout! Factory!!  

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June 18, 2019
Internationally Famed Animator and Painter Suzan Pitt Has Passed Away!
The Animation Hall Of Fame family is sad to acknowledge the passing of legendary animator, artist, and designer Suzan Pitt. Throughout the animation world she is known for her trailblazing, surreal and avant-garde animated shorts, including Asparagus (1979), Joy Street (1995) and El doctor (2006), which won numerous international awards and appeared in countless curated programs. Additionally, she was internationally recognized as a fine artist with her installations, paintings and hand-painted coats.  

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April 30, 2019
Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki Documentary Released Today!
The documentary feature Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki was released today on Blu-ray + DVD combo pack by GKIDS and Shout! Factory. The film, directed by Kaku Arakawa, offers a new look at the rarely-interviewed Academy Award-winning filmmaker as he faces the challenges of working with unfamiliar CGI technology to create a new short film. Never-Ending Man's home video debut follows a limited theatrical release this past December.  

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February 24, 2019
And The Winners Are!
The Animation Hall of Fame is proud to announce this year's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar winners for Best Animated Film and Best Animated Short Film. The winner for Best Animated Film was awarded to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman; and produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The winner for Best Animated Short Film was awarded to Bao, which was directed by Domee Shi and produced by Becky Neiman-Cobb.  

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February 16, 2019
Disney Animation Archive Founder Dave Smith Has Passed Away!
The Animation Hall Of Fame family is sad to acknowledge the passing of a dear friend, one of the great animation historians, and The Walt Disney Archives founder Dave Smith. He passed away in Burbank, California, yesterday at the age of 78. Smith dedicated his four-decade career at The Walt Disney Company to preserving Disney's precious treasures from film, television, theme parks, and beyond. Named a Disney Legend in 2007, Smith was beloved by fans around the world for his wide knowledge of the company's rich history, which he shared in books and through his popular magazine column "Ask Dave."  

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February 12, 2019
The Women in Animation organization announces it's 2019 WIA Scholarship recipients!
Women in Animation vice president Jinko Gotoh announced the recipients of this year's WIA Scholarship. They are April Apodaca, Mariyah Rahman and Catharine Ren. Out of 66 applicants from all over the U.S., representing a range of over 25 different academic institutions with animation programs, the WIA scholarship committee came to the conclusion that there were three students who were equally deserving of these scholarships.  

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January 7, 2019
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Wins Golden Globe Award!
The statuette for Best Animated Motion Picture went to Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at this year's Hollywood Foreign Press Association's 76th Golden Globe Awards.  

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January 2, 2019
Disney Golden Age Animator Don Lusk Has Passed Away!
The Animation Hall Of Fame family is sad to acknowledge the passing of the last surviving Disney Golden Age animators at the astounding age of 105, the great Don Lusk!
He spent almost 30 years at Disney, starting his career there in 1933. During his studio tenure, he animated on an extraordinary list of classic Disney animated features including Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Song of the South, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians. Additionally, he worked on a numerous Disney shorts including Ferdinand the Bull, The Legend of Johnny Appleseed and The Wind in the Willows.
After leaving Disney in 1960, he spent more than 30 years animating numerous TV and movie projects, including more than 10 Charlie Brown specials for Bill Melendez as well as a number of episodes on Hanna-Barbera series such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, and Tom and Jerry.
Lusk was also a TV animation director, spending the 1980s and 90s helming dozens of episodes on shows like Jonny Quest, The Smurfs, The Addams Family and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures.
He eventually retired in 1993. In 2015, Lusk was honored by ASIFA Hollywood with the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement in the animation industry.  

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