Mark Gustafson, co-director on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, died on Thursday, February 1 after a coronary heart assault.
Information of the 64-year-old filmmaker’s demise was revealed by del Toro, who eulogized him on Twitter as a “true artist. I admired [Mark], even earlier than I met him. […] A Legend- and a good friend that impressed and gave hope to throughout him.” He went on to say Gustafson leaves behind “a Titanic legacy of animation. […] I cherished having had the prospect to share time and house with him through the highs and the lows. All the time and perpetually.”
Born on September 19, 1959, Gustafson began within the 80s as a PA for claymation animation Will Vinton. He’d go on to guide animation on 1998’s TV particular for the California Raisins, and which grew to become its personal present the next 12 months. His profession additionally consists of the short-lived Fox collection The PJs and the claymation sequences of Return to Oz, plus serving as animation director for Wes Anderson’s The Incredible Mr. Fox.
Although Gustafson had directed a handful of shorts and TV episodes, Pinocchio marked his directorial debut for a characteristic movie. The 2022 movie obtained widespread vital acclaim and would go to obtain nominations for Finest Animated Movie in a number of awards circuits, together with the Golden Globes. It in the end received the award on the 2023 Oscars, making it the primary animated streaming movie at each it and the Globes. Following his Oscar win, Gustafson revealed he was engaged on an animated collection referred to as Milepost 88 with ShadowMachine, a manufacturing firm that labored on the movie.
Like del Toro, ShadowMachine gave its personal assertion on Gustafson’s demise. Highlighting Pinocchio specifically, it stated his work “will perpetually echo within the halls of creativity. […] Mark was genuinely certainly one of a sort, and his absence will probably be deeply felt throughout our studio. We have a good time his legacy and the indelible mark he left on the world of animation.”
Gustafson is survived by his spouse, musician Jennifer Smieja, and our ideas exit to her and his different household right now.
[through Deadline]
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