Morris Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Morris Francis Sullivan was an American
businessman who co-founded the Sullivan Bluth Studios
with three former Disney animators. Sullivan Bluth Studios employeed approximately 400 people at the peak of its success. Under Sullivan's direction, the former animation studio created such films as The Land Before Time
and An American Tail
.
, on December 8, 1916, to parents Frank and Pauline Sullivan. His father, Frank, owned a local lumber
company in the Pacific Northwest
.
Sullivan received his bachelor's degree
in business finance from Seattle College. Sullivan married his wife, Rose, in 1941. The family relocated to La Crescenta, California, in 1948. The family relocated to a large home in La Cañada Flintridge, California
, after the ninth of Sullivan's ten children were born in 1954.
consulting
company, M.F. Sullivan and Co., a corporate mergers and acquisitions
firm, in 1960. The company was based in downtown Los Angeles
.
, Gary Goldman
and John Pomeroy
— left the Walt Disney Company in 1979, along with a group of artists and animators. The animators and artists, led by Bluth, felt that the Walt Disney Company had turned aganist its traditional production values in favor of pursuing a profitable bottom line
. Bluth, Pomerory and Goldman set up a new animation studio based in Van Nuys, California. The new company was struggling financially and looking for a source of financing. According to the Los Angeles Times
, Morris Sullivan, who was semi-retired in the early 1980s, was persuaded to join the new company and provide financing by a golf
partner.
Bluth and the other animators screened
their 1982 animated film
, The Secret of NIMH
, to persuade Sullivan to join the company. At the end of The Secret of NIMH screening an impressed Sullivan told Bluth and the other animators that, "I'm your guardian angel
. I'm going to make this work for you." In a 1989 interview
with the Los Angeles Times
, Don Bluth said of Morris' early involvement with the company that, "He came along at a time when we were desperate, and he saved us."
Sullivan, who provided financing to the company, which eventually became known as Sullivan Bluth Studios
, became its owner-president
. During the production of the 1986 film, An American Tail
, Sullivan began orchestrating a plan to move the majority of the studio's operations to Dublin, Ireland. Sullivan had discovered that animated feature films could be made for much less in Ireland
due to grants and tax incentives. According to Sullivan's daughter, Terry Sullivan Maphis, "He orchestrated the move to Dublin . . . to capitalize on the Irish government's special tax subsidies to filmmakers." By moving to Ireland, Bluth Sullivan Studios had a major impact in the emergence of an Irish animation industry, including the National College of Art and Design
.
Sullivan Bluth Studios had approximately 400 employees at the peak of its success and produced landmark animated films including The Land Before Time
in 1988 and All Dogs Go to Heaven
in 1989. However, the Studio struggled after another major investor
withdrew financial support, partially due to a string of films which were unsuccessful at the box office
. Don Bluth
and Gary Goldman
, two of the co-founders of the company, left Sullivan Bluth Studios in 1994 to set up the now defunct Fox Animation Studios
. With a string of unsuccessful films and the departure of two of its founders, Sullivan Bluth Studios closed in 1995.
Sullivan's memorial service was held at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
in North Hollywood.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman who co-founded the Sullivan Bluth Studios
Sullivan Bluth Studios
Sullivan Bluth Studios was an American animated film production company established in 1985 by animator Don Bluth. Bluth and several colleagues, all of whom were former Disney animators, left Disney in 1979 to form Don Bluth Productions, later known as the Bluth Group...
with three former Disney animators. Sullivan Bluth Studios employeed approximately 400 people at the peak of its success. Under Sullivan's direction, the former animation studio created such films as The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
and An American Tail
An American Tail
An American Tail is a 1986 American animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The film tells the story of Fievel Mouskewitz and his family as they immigrate from Russia to America for freedom. However, Fievel gets lost and must...
.
Early life
Morris F. Sullivan was born in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, on December 8, 1916, to parents Frank and Pauline Sullivan. His father, Frank, owned a local lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
company in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
Sullivan received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in business finance from Seattle College. Sullivan married his wife, Rose, in 1941. The family relocated to La Crescenta, California, in 1948. The family relocated to a large home in La Cañada Flintridge, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, after the ninth of Sullivan's ten children were born in 1954.
Career
Sullivan founded his own financialFINANCIAL
FINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
consulting
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
company, M.F. Sullivan and Co., a corporate mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
firm, in 1960. The company was based in downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
.
Sullivan Bluth Studios
Three of Walt Disney Animation Studios's highest ranking animators — Don BluthDon Bluth
Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH , An American Tail ,The Land Before Time , and All Dogs Go to Heaven ,...
, Gary Goldman
Gary Goldman
Gary Wayne Goldman is an American Film Producer, Director, Animator, Writer and voice actor, he is well known for working on films with Don Bluth like Anastasia, An American Tail and The Land Before Time...
and John Pomeroy
John Pomeroy
John Pomeroy is an American animator who has worked for several major studios, including The Walt Disney Company and Sullivan Bluth Studios...
— left the Walt Disney Company in 1979, along with a group of artists and animators. The animators and artists, led by Bluth, felt that the Walt Disney Company had turned aganist its traditional production values in favor of pursuing a profitable bottom line
Bottom Line
The Bottom Line was a music venue at 15 West Fourth Street between Mercer Street and Greene Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
. Bluth, Pomerory and Goldman set up a new animation studio based in Van Nuys, California. The new company was struggling financially and looking for a source of financing. According to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Morris Sullivan, who was semi-retired in the early 1980s, was persuaded to join the new company and provide financing by a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
partner.
Bluth and the other animators screened
Film screening
A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle...
their 1982 animated film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 animated film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film was produced by Aurora Pictures and released by United Artists. While released to critical acclaim,...
, to persuade Sullivan to join the company. At the end of The Secret of NIMH screening an impressed Sullivan told Bluth and the other animators that, "I'm your guardian angel
Guardian angel
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
. I'm going to make this work for you." In a 1989 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Don Bluth said of Morris' early involvement with the company that, "He came along at a time when we were desperate, and he saved us."
Sullivan, who provided financing to the company, which eventually became known as Sullivan Bluth Studios
Sullivan Bluth Studios
Sullivan Bluth Studios was an American animated film production company established in 1985 by animator Don Bluth. Bluth and several colleagues, all of whom were former Disney animators, left Disney in 1979 to form Don Bluth Productions, later known as the Bluth Group...
, became its owner-president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
. During the production of the 1986 film, An American Tail
An American Tail
An American Tail is a 1986 American animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The film tells the story of Fievel Mouskewitz and his family as they immigrate from Russia to America for freedom. However, Fievel gets lost and must...
, Sullivan began orchestrating a plan to move the majority of the studio's operations to Dublin, Ireland. Sullivan had discovered that animated feature films could be made for much less in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
due to grants and tax incentives. According to Sullivan's daughter, Terry Sullivan Maphis, "He orchestrated the move to Dublin . . . to capitalize on the Irish government's special tax subsidies to filmmakers." By moving to Ireland, Bluth Sullivan Studios had a major impact in the emergence of an Irish animation industry, including the National College of Art and Design
National College of Art and Design
The National College of Art and Design is a national art and design school in Dublin, Ireland.-History:Situated on Thomas Street, the NCAD started as a private drawing school and has become a national institution educating over 1,500 day and evening students as artists, designers and art educators...
.
Sullivan Bluth Studios had approximately 400 employees at the peak of its success and produced landmark animated films including The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
in 1988 and All Dogs Go to Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford...
in 1989. However, the Studio struggled after another major investor
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
withdrew financial support, partially due to a string of films which were unsuccessful at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
. Don Bluth
Don Bluth
Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH , An American Tail ,The Land Before Time , and All Dogs Go to Heaven ,...
and Gary Goldman
Gary Goldman
Gary Wayne Goldman is an American Film Producer, Director, Animator, Writer and voice actor, he is well known for working on films with Don Bluth like Anastasia, An American Tail and The Land Before Time...
, two of the co-founders of the company, left Sullivan Bluth Studios in 1994 to set up the now defunct Fox Animation Studios
Fox Animation Studios
Fox Animation Studios is an American animation production company located in Phoenix, Arizona and is a division of 20th Century Fox. After the bankruptcy of Sullivan Bluth Studios in Ireland in 1994, animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman returned to the United States and were hired by 20th Century...
. With a string of unsuccessful films and the departure of two of its founders, Sullivan Bluth Studios closed in 1995.
Death
Morris Sullivan died on August 24, 2008, at his home in Toluca Lake, California, of complications from old age. He was 91 years old. Morris was survived by nine of his ten children — David, Kathleen, Patrick, Michael, Kelly, Mary, Tim, Terry and Dan; as well as nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. His wife, Rose, died in 1971, while his daughter, Maureen, died in 1998.Sullivan's memorial service was held at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
St. Charles Borromeo Church (North Hollywood)
St. Charles Borromeo Church is a Catholic church and elementary school located at Moorpark and Lankershim in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It is one of the oldest parishes in the San Fernando Valley dating back to 1921...
in North Hollywood.