Animation Magazine is pleased to announce more of its 2013 award recipients, which will be presented at the World Animation & VFX Summit, Opening Night Party, on November 3 at the Marina del Rey Yacht Club.
June Foray, one of Hollywood’s best-known animation icons and who is often referred to as “The First Lady of Cartoon Voices,” will receive the Lifetime Achievement-Hall of Fame Award.
“Being able to thank June for all her amazing contributions to our industry is a true honor for us,” says Jean Thoren, president of Animation Magazine and founder of the World Animation & VFX Summit. “Her enormous talent, drive and energy are a true inspiration for everyone and will be always remembered by anyone who has a fondness for animation and all the remarkable characters she has brought to life in her career.”
Foray has lent her skills to such legendary characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale on The Bullwinkle Show, Cindy Lou Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Granny in the Tweety and Sylvester series, and in The Bugs Bunny Show. Foray also voiced Looney Tunes‘ Witch Hazel and was the voice of Jokey Smurf on The Smurfs. Born June Lucille Forer in Springfield, Mass., in 1917, Foray got into voice-over work at the age of 12, performing in a local radio drama. She moved to Los Angeles at 17 and quickly established herself as a popular radio actress on national broadcasts like Lux Radio Theater and The Jimmy Durante Show. Her first major animation role came in 1950, playing Lucifer the Cat in Walt Disney’s Cinderella. Foray also provided the voice of the original Chatty Cathy doll, and later played the Talky Tina doll it inspired in The Twilight Zone. Foray won her first Emmy in 2012 for voicing Mrs. Cauldron on The Garfield Show. This September, she was also awarded the prestigious Governor’s Awards at the Creative Emmy Award ceremony. She is also one of the key forces behind the influential Annie Awards, which have taken a leading role in honoring the best achievements in the field of animation each year.
This year’s Original Vision Award will be presented to Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, writers and directors of the DreamWorks Animation feature film, The Croods.
“DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods was the highest grossing original film of the year, and we’re very pleased to honor the brilliant writers and directors behind this animated blockbuster, which has made over $585 million worldwide to date,” said Ramin Zahed, Animation Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief. “The film’s popularity all over the world is a testament to the creativity and authentic vision of these two talented artists.”
Born into an artistic household, Chris Sanders grew up drawing and penning short stories. After studying at CalArts’ Animation Program, Sanders went on to work for Marvel Productions, and then, Walt Disney Animation Studios. While at Disney, Sanders worked as a story artist on Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. He was made head of story on Mulan and went on to win an Annie Award for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production. Following the success of Mulan, Sanders partnered with Dean DeBlois and conceived, wrote, boarded and directed the Academy Award®-nominated Lilo & Stitch.
In 2006, Sanders left Walt Disney Animation Studios to join the filmmaking team at DreamWorks Animation. Teaming again with DeBlois, the duo wrote and directed the Academy Award®-nominated How to Train Your Dragon, which won them the Annie Award for Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production.
After graduating from the University of Southern California, Kirk DeMicco’s writing and directing career began in the legendary William Morris Agency in New York City. In October of 1994, he transferred to the company’s Los Angeles office, and six months later sold his first spec screenplay, A Day in November, which Warner Bros. landed after a bidding war.
Among DeMicco’s additional studio film credits are: writer and co-producer of the Warner Bros. family feature Racing Stripes, Sherlock Homeboy for Universal Family; Hong Kong Phooey for Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment; and Casper: Scare School for Classic Media. DeMicco has also done production rewrites for feature films from Disney, DreamWorks, Spyglass Entertainment, and Warner Bros. He has also written two scripts with John Cleese and teamed up with filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld as a first-time director for the animated film Space Chimps, released by Fox in July 2008.
Tapaas Chakravarti, Chairman and CEO of India’s hugely successful animation studio DQ Entertainment, will receive the Lifetime Achievement-Hall of Fame Award for his contributions to the growth of the animation industry in India and his global outreach efforts in animation.
“It’s been an honor to report on Tapaas’s amazing achievements and international partnerships in our magazine over the past 25 years,” says Thoren. “Through his many animation productions at DQ Entertainment and his global charities, he has made our world a much better place, and we’re very pleased to shed light on his achievements with this special award.”
Chakravarti is responsible for the overall development, management and implementation of the studio’s various projects. He has over 25 years of experience across various industries both national and multinational and is a vital part of numerous national and international charitable organizations, which include extensive work for orphans, children with AIDS, and education for the deprived. He has been nominated for the Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 India Awards and awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year award from 2004 to 2005 by the Hyderabad Management Association. Among his many animation production credits are The Pinky and Perky Show, Twisted Whiskers, Little Nick, The Little Prince, The Jungle Book, The Hive, Casper’s Scare.
As previously announced, Industrial Light & Magic’s Chief Creative Officer John Knoll and Burbank-based animation house Stoopid Buddy Stoodios will also receive special honors at the opening night party of the Summit on Sunday, November 3.
The World Animation & VFX Summit takes place November 3-6 at the California Yacht Club, Marina del Rey, California. The event will feature panels, discussion and networking with a global array of high-level animation and visual effects professionals, who are creating new business models in animation, vfx, distribution and financing. You can learn more about the event at www.animationmagazine.net/summit/.
