Will Vinton
Encyclopedia
Will Vinton is an American
director and producer of animated films. He was born in McMinnville
, Oregon
, near Portland
. He has won an Oscar
for his work, and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards
for the work of his studio.
and filmmaking
at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he was influenced by the work of Antoni Gaudi
. During this time, Vinton made a black-and-white
feature-length documentary film
about the California
counter-culture movement titled, Gone For a Better Deal which toured college campuses in various film festivals of the time. Two more films about student protest followed, Berkeley Games and First Ten Days, as well a narrative short Reply, and his first animation
, Culture Shock.
in the Berkeley, California
area in the early 1970s, Vinton brought him to Portland
and the two commandeered Vinton's home basement
to make a quick 1½-minute test film of clay animation
(and the supporting armatures) called Wobbly Wino, completed in early 1973. Gardiner refined his sculpting and animation skills while Vinton built a system for animating his Bolex Rex-5 16mm camera and the two began work in mid-1973 on an 8-minute 16mm short film about a drunk wino who stumbles into a closed art museum and interacts with the painting
s and sculpture
s. Completed in late 1974 after 14 months of production, the innovative film combined Gardiner's amazing sculpting skills with Vinton's considerable camera skills and Closed Mondays stunned film festival judges around the world. Closed Mondays then won an Oscar for best animated short film
in the spring of 1975, the first film produced in Portland to do so.
Vinton and Gardiner parted ways during the production of their second short film, Mountain Music completed by Vinton in 1976. Gardiner focused on producing PSA spots for local political issues (eventually evolving into other artistic media such as music and holograms) while Vinton established Will Vinton Productions (later Will Vinton Studios) in Portland to capitalize on his constantly-improving animation technology. Quickly expanding his studio by hiring new animators, Vinton produced dozens of commercials for regional and then national companies.
of acclaimed 27-minute fairy tales in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Martin the Cobbler (1977), Rip Van Winkle (1978, nominated for an Academy Award), and The Little Prince (1979). The trio of films later were collectively theatrically released under the title Trilogy, then to video as The Little Prince and Friends. 1978 also saw the production of a 17-minute documentary
featuring the behind-the-scenes technical processes used by Vinton and his animators. Titled Claymation, the term caught on with viewers, and was soon trademarked by Vinton, later to become synonymous with clay animation
in general.
, and Vanz Kant Danz (1987) for Creedence Clearwater Revival
's John Fogerty
. VHS
Video compilations of these films were released in the 1980s as Festival of Claymation and Son of Combo II.
Vinton, himself no longer actively animating by now, also produced special effects scenes for TV shows and movies, including a sequence for Bette Midler's Divine Madness!
movie (1980), an Emmy-winning sequence for the Moonlighting
TV series (1987), the opening and closing title sequences for the feature comedy film Brain Donors
(1992), and his own feature-length movie, The Adventures of Mark Twain
(1985). His studio's animation effects for Disney's Return to Oz
(1985) were also nominated for a special effects Oscar.
Springing from his work on Return to Oz
, Vinton was hired by the Disney studio to produce animation effects for their Michael Jackson
multi-media Disneyland-Disney World extravaganza, Captain EO
in 1986 (September 12, 1986) and the Speed Demon sequence for Michael Jackson musical anthology feature-length film, Moonwalker
(1988).
Prominent among his hundreds of now international commercial creations were the California Raisins, the Domino's Pizza
Noid
, and the M&M's
Red, Yellow, and Green characters.
The California Raisins' first big hit was the song I Heard It Through the Grapevine
in the first of their series of TV spots for the California Raisin Advisory Board
. They became such a media phenomenon that they went on to star in their own pair of primetime specials for CBS
television, Meet the Raisins (1988) and The Raisins Sold Out (1990). A couple music albums of songs from the specials, produced by Nu Shooz
pop-rock band leader John Smith were released also.
CBS also commissioned three more prime-time specials, A Claymation Christmas Celebration
(1988, an Emmy winner), The Claymation Comedy of Horrors a 1991 Halloween special, and A Claymation Easter (1992) All were later released to video and DVD.
During the 1990s, the Vinton Studios produced the animated series The PJs
for the FOX
TV network. The series was conceived and executive-produced by Eddie Murphy
. Another animated series was produced for the UPN
TV network by the Vinton studio, Gary and Mike, now a cult favorite. Both series used a refinement in Vinton's style of dimensional animation. Most of the clay figures were replaced by models of moulded foam rubber, eliminating many of the limitations, and maintenance issues, that are inherent with clay, which had been developed by Vinton and his technical teams as far as it could go. Vinton soon coined a new term for this process, Foamation.
The 1990s also flourished as a variety of Vinton's 400 + animators and technicians flowered with new creations and films of their own using the Vinton facilities called the Walkabout Program. Craig Bartlett
created his Arnold Escapes From Church short film (1988) which later spawned Hey Arnold!
, a cel-animated series for Nickelodeon
and generated two more clay-animated short films, The Arnold Waltz (1990) and Arnold Rides a Chair (1991).
film, Fluffy, directed by Doug Aberle, was created during this time. Other CGI films — some combined with clay and stop-motion animation — soon followed. Vinton also briefly dabbled in a consumer user form of computer animation software called Playmation, co-developed by animation software writers based at a computer animation company, Hash, Inc., located across the Columbia River
in Portland's sister city, Vancouver, Washington
. Vinton and associates also dabbled in animation for the internet with a series called Ozzie the Elf.
owner Phil Knight
and his son
, who had worked at the studio as an animator.
In 2002, Vinton lost control of the studio he founded after Knight became the majority shareholder and Vinton failed to garner funds for further feature production in Los Angeles
, eventually being dismissed from the studio. Vinton later sought damages for this and sued for ownership of his name. In 2005 Will Vinton Studios was renamed LAIKA and LAIKA/House
. Premier animator-director Henry Selick
joined the LAIKA studio in 2005.
Vinton has since founded a new production facility (with a web site), Will Vinton's Freewill Entertainment, also based in Portland. Vinton is also associated with the Portland branch of The Art Institutes
in Northwest Portland and maintains an office there as an artist in residence. The Creative Artist Agency in Beverly Hills, California represents Vinton for production projects (CAA). Projects include a graphic novel called Jack Hightower produced in tandem with Dark Horse comics
located in Milwaukie, Oregon
a suburb of Portland. Plans exist for a variety of film, TV, and multi-media projects and one short film, The Morning After, the first produced under Vinton's new banner, which combines CGI and live action
, was completed in 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
director and producer of animated films. He was born in McMinnville
McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, near Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. He has won an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for his work, and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards
Clio Awards
The Clio Awards are annual awards bestowed to reward innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication. The categories include work in nearly all types of media, and the judges are advertising professionals from around the world....
for the work of his studio.
Education
During the 1960s, Vinton studied physics, architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he was influenced by the work of Antoni Gaudi
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was...
. During this time, Vinton made a black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
feature-length documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the 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...
counter-culture movement titled, Gone For a Better Deal which toured college campuses in various film festivals of the time. Two more films about student protest followed, Berkeley Games and First Ten Days, as well a narrative short Reply, and his first animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, Culture Shock.
Collaboration with Bob Gardiner
Meeting clay animator Bob GardinerBob Gardiner
James Robbins Gardiner was an animator who helped pioneer what would become known as Claymation. He was born in Torrance, California and died in Grass Valley, California. He received an Oscar in 1974 for his short film Closed Mondays, which he made in partnership with Will Vinton.-External links:...
in the Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
area in the early 1970s, Vinton brought him to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and the two commandeered Vinton's home basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
to make a quick 1½-minute test film of clay animation
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
(and the supporting armatures) called Wobbly Wino, completed in early 1973. Gardiner refined his sculpting and animation skills while Vinton built a system for animating his Bolex Rex-5 16mm camera and the two began work in mid-1973 on an 8-minute 16mm short film about a drunk wino who stumbles into a closed art museum and interacts with the painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s and sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s. Completed in late 1974 after 14 months of production, the innovative film combined Gardiner's amazing sculpting skills with Vinton's considerable camera skills and Closed Mondays stunned film festival judges around the world. Closed Mondays then won an Oscar for best animated short film
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
in the spring of 1975, the first film produced in Portland to do so.
Vinton and Gardiner parted ways during the production of their second short film, Mountain Music completed by Vinton in 1976. Gardiner focused on producing PSA spots for local political issues (eventually evolving into other artistic media such as music and holograms) while Vinton established Will Vinton Productions (later Will Vinton Studios) in Portland to capitalize on his constantly-improving animation technology. Quickly expanding his studio by hiring new animators, Vinton produced dozens of commercials for regional and then national companies.
Going solo
Still with only a handful of animators, he produced a highly-polished trilogyTrilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
of acclaimed 27-minute fairy tales in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Martin the Cobbler (1977), Rip Van Winkle (1978, nominated for an Academy Award), and The Little Prince (1979). The trio of films later were collectively theatrically released under the title Trilogy, then to video as The Little Prince and Friends. 1978 also saw the production of a 17-minute documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
featuring the behind-the-scenes technical processes used by Vinton and his animators. Titled Claymation, the term caught on with viewers, and was soon trademarked by Vinton, later to become synonymous with clay animation
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
in general.
The 35mm years
Graduating to 35mm film, other short films were produced during this time: Legacy (1979), Dinosaur (1980), The Creation (directed by Joan Gratz, 1981, Oscar nominated), The Great Cognito (directed by Barry Bruce, 1982, Oscar nominated), and early music videos: a longform "video" called A Christmas Gift for Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and MaryPeter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
, and Vanz Kant Danz (1987) for Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
's John Fogerty
John Fogerty
John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
. VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
Video compilations of these films were released in the 1980s as Festival of Claymation and Son of Combo II.
Vinton, himself no longer actively animating by now, also produced special effects scenes for TV shows and movies, including a sequence for Bette Midler's Divine Madness!
Divine Madness!
Divine Madness is a 1980 concert film directed by Michael Ritchie, and featuring Bette Midler during her 1979 concert at Pasadena's Civic Auditorium...
movie (1980), an Emmy-winning sequence for the Moonlighting
Moonlighting (TV series)
Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes...
TV series (1987), the opening and closing title sequences for the feature comedy film Brain Donors
Brain Donors
Brain Donors is an American comedy movie released by Paramount Pictures, loosely based on the Marx Brothers comedy, A Night at the Opera...
(1992), and his own feature-length movie, The Adventures of Mark Twain
The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)
The Adventures of Mark Twain, released in the UK as Comet Quest, is a 1986 American stop-motion animation film directed by Will Vinton . It received a wider theatrical release, still limited to seven major cities, in January 1986. It was released on DVD in January 2006...
(1985). His studio's animation effects for Disney's Return to Oz
Return to Oz
Return to Oz is a 1985 film which is an unofficial sequel to Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz...
(1985) were also nominated for a special effects Oscar.
Springing from his work on Return to Oz
Return to Oz
Return to Oz is a 1985 film which is an unofficial sequel to Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz...
, Vinton was hired by the Disney studio to produce animation effects for their Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
multi-media Disneyland-Disney World extravaganza, Captain EO
Captain EO
Captain EO is a 3-D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola that was shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 through the 1990s...
in 1986 (September 12, 1986) and the Speed Demon sequence for Michael Jackson musical anthology feature-length film, Moonwalker
Moonwalker
Moonwalker, also known as Michael Jackson: Moonwalker, is an American anthology film released in 1988 by singer Michael Jackson....
(1988).
Prominent among his hundreds of now international commercial creations were the California Raisins, the Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
Noid
Noid
The Noid is an advertising character for Domino's Pizza created in the 1980s. He was a villainous red-suited character with red rabbit ears who attempted to ruin Domino's pizza but was constantly thwarted. The Noid was created in 1986 by Group 243, the advertising agency for Domino's Pizza and was...
, and the M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
Red, Yellow, and Green characters.
The California Raisins' first big hit was the song I Heard It Through the Grapevine
I Heard It through the Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles...
in the first of their series of TV spots for the California Raisin Advisory Board
California Raisin Advisory Board
The California Raisin Advisory Board , Fresno, California, is most notable for the use of The California Raisins to market their namesake product, raisins.It was abolished in 1994. There is now a California Raisin Marketing Board....
. They became such a media phenomenon that they went on to star in their own pair of primetime specials for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television, Meet the Raisins (1988) and The Raisins Sold Out (1990). A couple music albums of songs from the specials, produced by Nu Shooz
Nu Shooz
Nu Shooz is an American Freestyle-R&B-Dance group fronted by husband-and-wife team of John Smith and Valerie Day, based in Portland, Oregon. The Shooz released four albums in the U.S...
pop-rock band leader John Smith were released also.
CBS also commissioned three more prime-time specials, A Claymation Christmas Celebration
A Claymation Christmas Celebration
Will Vinton's A Claymation Christmas Celebration is an Emmy Award-winning Christmas television special originally broadcast on the American CBS TV network in 1987...
(1988, an Emmy winner), The Claymation Comedy of Horrors a 1991 Halloween special, and A Claymation Easter (1992) All were later released to video and DVD.
During the 1990s, the Vinton Studios produced the animated series The PJs
The PJs
The PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...
for the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
TV network. The series was conceived and executive-produced by Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
. Another animated series was produced for the UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
TV network by the Vinton studio, Gary and Mike, now a cult favorite. Both series used a refinement in Vinton's style of dimensional animation. Most of the clay figures were replaced by models of moulded foam rubber, eliminating many of the limitations, and maintenance issues, that are inherent with clay, which had been developed by Vinton and his technical teams as far as it could go. Vinton soon coined a new term for this process, Foamation.
The 1990s also flourished as a variety of Vinton's 400 + animators and technicians flowered with new creations and films of their own using the Vinton facilities called the Walkabout Program. Craig Bartlett
Craig Bartlett
Craig Michael Bartlett is an animator best known for writing for Rugrats and creating the television series Hey Arnold!.-Career:...
created his Arnold Escapes From Church short film (1988) which later spawned Hey Arnold!
Hey Arnold!
Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series created by Craig Bartlett for Nickelodeon. The show's premise focuses on a fourth grader named Arnold who lives with his grandparents. Episodes center on his experiences navigating big city life while dealing with the problems he and his friends...
, a cel-animated series for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
and generated two more clay-animated short films, The Arnold Waltz (1990) and Arnold Rides a Chair (1991).
Computer animation
The late 1990s also saw Vinton adding computer animation to his output, used most visibly for his many M&M's character commercials. A short CGIComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
film, Fluffy, directed by Doug Aberle, was created during this time. Other CGI films — some combined with clay and stop-motion animation — soon followed. Vinton also briefly dabbled in a consumer user form of computer animation software called Playmation, co-developed by animation software writers based at a computer animation company, Hash, Inc., located across the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in Portland's sister city, Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
. Vinton and associates also dabbled in animation for the internet with a series called Ozzie the Elf.
Vinton Studio
By the end of the 1990s, the Vinton studio, seeking funds for more feature length films, had become big enough to bring in outside investors, which included shoe company Nike, Inc.Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
owner Phil Knight
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson "Phil" Knight is an American business magnate. He is the co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc. He resigned as the company's chief executive officer in 2004, while retaining the position of chairman of the board...
and his son
Chilly Tee
Travis "Chilly Tee" Knight is an American animator, film executive and former rapper, he son of Phil Knight, the founder and chairman of Nike, Inc....
, who had worked at the studio as an animator.
In 2002, Vinton lost control of the studio he founded after Knight became the majority shareholder and Vinton failed to garner funds for further feature production in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, eventually being dismissed from the studio. Vinton later sought damages for this and sued for ownership of his name. In 2005 Will Vinton Studios was renamed LAIKA and LAIKA/House
Laika Entertainment House
LAIKA, Inc. is an American animation studio specializing in feature films, commercials, music videos, broadcast graphics and short films. The studio is best known for its stop-motion feature film Coraline, released in 2009....
. Premier animator-director Henry Selick
Henry Selick
Henry Selick is an American stop motion director, producer and writer who is best known for directing The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach and Coraline...
joined the LAIKA studio in 2005.
Vinton has since founded a new production facility (with a web site), Will Vinton's Freewill Entertainment, also based in Portland. Vinton is also associated with the Portland branch of The Art Institutes
The Art Institutes
-Fraud lawsuit:In August 2011 Education Management Corporation was investigated and sued by the United States Department of Justice and four states for illegal recruitment practices and fraudulent receipt of $11 billion in federal and state financial aid money....
in Northwest Portland and maintains an office there as an artist in residence. The Creative Artist Agency in Beverly Hills, California represents Vinton for production projects (CAA). Projects include a graphic novel called Jack Hightower produced in tandem with Dark Horse comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
located in Milwaukie, Oregon
Milwaukie, Oregon
Milwaukie is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1848 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city, known as the Dogwood City of the West, was incorporated in...
a suburb of Portland. Plans exist for a variety of film, TV, and multi-media projects and one short film, The Morning After, the first produced under Vinton's new banner, which combines CGI and live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
, was completed in 2005.
Feature films
- The WildThe WildThe Wild is a 2006 computer-animated film directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams, produced by Clint Goldman, assistant produced by Jim Burton and C.O.R.E...
(2006) - executive producer - MoonwalkerMoonwalkerMoonwalker, also known as Michael Jackson: Moonwalker, is an American anthology film released in 1988 by singer Michael Jackson....
(1988) - segmant director, producer: Speed Demon - Festival of Claymation (1987) - director, producer (compilation of short films)
- The Adventures of Mark TwainThe Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)The Adventures of Mark Twain, released in the UK as Comet Quest, is a 1986 American stop-motion animation film directed by Will Vinton . It received a wider theatrical release, still limited to seven major cities, in January 1986. It was released on DVD in January 2006...
(1986) - director, producer (Comet Quest: UK: video title) - Shadow Play (1986) - producer (live action thriller)
- Return to OzReturn to OzReturn to Oz is a 1985 film which is an unofficial sequel to Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz...
(1985) - claymation director, producer (Academy Award Nominee) - Gone for a Better Deal (????) - director, producer (live action documentary)
TV series
- Gary and Mike, TV Series 23:00 × 13 (executive producer) Prime-time Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Nominee - The PJsThe PJsThe PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...
, TV Series 23:00 × 52 (executive producer) Prime-time Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Winner - The California Raisin ShowThe California Raisin ShowThe California Raisin Show is an animated television series based on the claymation advertising characters The California Raisins. The show is based on an Emmy Award-winning claymation special, Meet the Raisins!, which originally aired on CBS in 1988...
, TV Series 23:00 × 13 (creative director, executive producer) - Klay's TV, TV Series Pilot (director, executive producer)
- Slacker CatsSlacker CatsSlacker Cats is an animated ABC Family series that premiered on August 13, 2007. It was the first animated show on ABC Family since the Fox Family era. It was created using Adobe Flash....
, TV Series Pilot (executive producer) - Boyer Brother, TV Series Pilot (executive producer)
- 5 Cecille shorts for Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, 1:30 min. (producer) - Hammer Time short for Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
- Adventures in WonderlandAdventures in WonderlandAdventures in Wonderland is a live-action musical television series based on Walt Disney's animated classic Alice in Wonderland. In the series, Alice , was portrayed as a girl who can go to and from Wonderland simply by walking through her mirror .Usually the...
, (animated segments), 4 min. × 30 (executive producer)
TV specials
- Will Vinton's A Claymation Christmas Celebration, 24 min. (director, producer) Prime-time Emmy Winner
- Claymation Easter Special, 24:00 (director) (executive producer, producer) Prime-time Emmy Winner
- Claymation Comedy of Horrors, 24:00 (executive producer, producer) Prime-time Emmy Winner
- Raisins Sold Out: California Raisins II, 24:00 (director, producer) Prime-time Emmy Nominee
- Meet the Raisins!Meet the Raisins!Meet the Raisins! is a 1988 animated television special directed by Will Vinton, featuring the advertising characters The California Raisins. The show was broadcast November 4, 1988, on the U.S. television network CBS during primetime. It was the Raisins' second appearance in a primetime special...
, 24:00 (director, producer, executive producer) Prime-time Emmy Winner
Short films
- The Little PrinceThe Little PrinceThe Little Prince , first published in 1943, is a novella and the most famous work of the French aristocrat writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ....
, 25 min. (director, producer) - Martin the Cobbler, 26 min. (director, producer)
- Rip Van WinkleRip Van Winkle"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving published in 1819, as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. Written while Irving was living in Birmingham, England, it was part of a collection entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon...
, 26 min. (director, producer) Academy Award Nominee - The Diary of Adam and Eve, 24 min. (director, producer)
- Closed Mondays, 9 min. (co-creator) Academy Award Winner
- Mr. Resistor, 8 min. (executive producer)
- Bride of Resistor, 6 min. (executive producer)
- Dinosaurs! - A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time!Dinosaurs! - A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time!Dinosaurs! – A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time! is a film short released by Golden Book Video in 1987 under their "GoldenVision" series. It stars Fred Savage playing a grade school student named Philip who gives a class report on dinosaurs, with the help of an animated chalkboard and Will Vinton's...
, 17 min. (director, producer) - Legacy: A Very Short History of Natural Resources, 7 min. (director, producer)
- A Christmas Gift, 7 min. (director, producer)
- The Great Cognito, 5 min. (director, producer) Academy Award Nominee
- The Creation, 9 min. (director, producer)
- The Morning AfterThe Morning AfterThe Morning After may refer to:* "The Morning After" , a 1937 song recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra*"The Morning After" , a 1969 episode of The Avengers* The Morning After , a 2010 album by James...
, 7:30 (director, producer) - Mountain MusicMountain MusicMountain Music may refer to:* Mountain Music , an album by Alabama** "Mountain Music" , the title track* Old-time music or "mountain music", a genre of North American folk music* Mountain Music , a 1937 film featuring Arthur Hohl...
, 9 min. (director, producer) - Wobbly Wino, 2 min. (director, producer)
- Culture ShockCulture shockCulture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
, 17 min. (director, producer) - Go Down DeathGo Down DeathGo Down, Death! is a 1944 race film directed by and starring Spencer Williams. The film’s title derives from a poem by the African American writer James Weldon Johnson.-Plot:...
, 10 min. (director, producer) - Claymation, documentary, 18 min. (director, producer)
- Vanz Kant Danz (John FogertyJohn FogertyJohn Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
), 6 min. (director, producer) - The Lost ‘M’ Adventure (3-D short film featuring the M&M's characters), 12 min. (executive producer)
- Xerox and Mylar, 5 min. (executive producer)
- The Stars Came Dreaming, 12 min. (executive producer)
- Day of the DeadDay of the DeadDay of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
, 8 min. (executive producer)
External links
- LAIKA previously Vinton Studios
- Willvinton.net, Vinton's personal history website
- Freewill Entertainment