June 1, 2023

The Animation Hall of Fames 2023 Inductees!

The Animation Hall of Fame is proud to announce animations highest honor, the 2023 Animation Hall of Fames Inductees. They are:

Donald Virgil Bluth
Animation Director, Producer, & Studio Founder/Owner

Gary Wayne Goldman
Animation Producer, Director, & Studio Founder/Owner

Caroline Leaf
Sand & Paint On Glass Animation Pioneer, Animation Director, & Producer

John Foster Pomeroy
Animation Producer, Animator, & Studio Founder/Owner

Major Herbert M. Dawley
Stop Motion Animation Pioneer, Director, & Producer  

May 11, 2023

Dutch Animation Oscar Winning Producer and Animation Distribution Company Founder Cilia van Dijk Lieshout has Passed Away!

The Animation Hall Of Fame family is sad to acknowledge the passing of Dutch Oscar winning animation producer and animation distribution company founder Cilia van Dijk Lieshout. She died on April 26, 2023, she was 81.
Cilia van Dijk Lieshout was born in Uden, North Brabant, Netherlands on November 12, 1941. After graduating from school at an early age she self-trained herself as a teacher and was also an active entrepreneur, These business ventures included co-founding and setting up both a modeling agency and a nursery school.
In 1963 she married actor-filmmaker Gerrit van Dijk. In that same year she was introduced to the world of animation when he began making animated films. She would eventually serve as producer on his works like The Last Words of Dutch Schultz, Frieze Frame, Pas à deux (with Monique Renault) and I move, so I am.
In 1978, to reach a wider audience for Dutch animated films, she founded the distribution company Animated People, which was the forerunner for the Netherlands Institute for Animated Film.
In 1983 Lieshout internationally released her Dutch animated short, Anna & Bella. The following year it earned her an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film as a producer. Her other notable productions include DaDA (1994), Frieze Frame (1991), I Move, So I Am (1998), The Last Words of Dutch Schultz (2001), and A Good Turn Daily (1983).
Additionally, throughout her career she was a board member for the Holland Animation Association and was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She participated in advisory committees for grant awards and was also active on selection committees and as a jury member for festivals around the world. And, in the community of Haarlem, Netherlands, where she resided along with her husband Gerrit until his passing in 2012, she was active in the fine arts circuit, looked after the production and finances of Haarlem theatre company Het Volk, was involved administratively with the Toneelschuur, and contributed to various local initiatives. For her contributions and support to the Netherlands she was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.  

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