| Birth: | Nov. 17, 1920 | | Death: | Feb. 15, 1979 | 
Animator. He directed The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" (1968), which starred cartoon likenesses of the group. It was the first animated feature to seriously challenge Walt Disney's dominance of the genre. Its psychedelic visual style influenced commercial design for many years, and its success encouraged animators Ralph Bakshi and Don Bluth to become independent filmakers. While equal credit must go to the film's production designer, Heinz Edelmann, and animation supervisor Robert Balser, it was Dunning who orchestrated these talents and gave his artists the creative freedom to make "Yellow Submarine" fun and unique. Born in Toronto, Canada, he joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1943 and experimented with stop-motion photography and animation on painted glass. His first noteworthy film was "Cadet Rousselle" (1947). In 1956 Dunning went to England as manager of UPA Animation's new London branch, and when that enterprise folded within a year he founded his own studio, TV Cartoons (later TVC London), which he headed for the rest of his life. Commercial advertising was TVC's bread and butter, but Dunning continued to craft short, personal films that were innovative and intriguing. Several of them won international awards, including "The Wardrobe" (1959), "The Flying Man" (1962), "The Apple" (1962), "Canada Is My Piano" (1967), "Damon the Mower" (1972), and "The Maggot" (1973). In 1965 TVC produced a Beatles cartoon series for American television, which led to the assignment for "Yellow Submarine". Its production was fraught with difficulties. Given only 11 months to complete the film (a typical Disney feature took four years to make), Dunning had to quadruple his studio staff, fight off financial backers who wanted to change The Beatles' Liverpool accents, and work with scant cooperation from The Beatles' themselves, who wanted little to do with the project. (Voice actors had to be used to impersonate their characters' spoken dialogue). Released in the Summer of 1968, "Yellow Submarine" was a smash hit, bringing Dunning immense prestige and a special award from the New York Film Critics. Even The Beatles were impressed, agreeing at the last minute to appear in a hastily filmed live-action epilogue. Ironically, Dunning lost money on it. He produced "Yellow Submarine" for a flat fee - which he plowed back into the film when it ran over budget - and saw none of the enormous profits it generated. He never made another feature. Long plagued by poor health, he died at 58, leaving his last film, "The Tempest", unfinished. The TVC studio remained active until 1997. (bio by: Bobb Edwards)
Search Amazon for George Dunning | | | Burial:
Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend. |
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Originally Created by: Bobb Edwards
Record added: Sep 22, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 11795152 |
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Added by:
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