100 Important Directors of Animated Short Films: Background
This list of 100 important directors of animated short films was assembled in late 2008 to serve as a complement to “Brief Encounters,” a proposed list of 250 great short films (both animated and live-action) which was to be developed by the folks at the They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They? website. Unfortunately, that 250-film list is in limbo, leaving our list without a home.
The “100 Important Directors of Animated Short Films” list is not intended to be comprehensive. These are simply 100 directors whom we feel are important and deserving of increased recognition by film lovers. For each director, we selected three “highly recommended” movies. In addition, we included a category of “TSPDT 250 Greatest Shorts” to highlight any of these directors’ films which were tentatively slated to place on the abandoned Brief Encounters list.
This project was facilitated by Lee Price (lee-109) on the
IMDb Classic Film message board. Project team: Lee Price, Robert Reynolds (Illtdesq), Jorge Didaco (jdidaco), Bill Kamberger (bkamberger), and Rob Tomshany (RobT-2), with additional input from animation fans on the IMDb Classic Film message board.
100 Important Directors of Animated Short Films: The List
Mikhail Aldashin
1958 –
Born Tuapse, USSR
Key production country: Russia
Highly recommended: The Other Side (1993), Christmas (1997), Bukashki (2002)
Alexander Alexeieff and Claire Parker
Alexander Alexeieff (1901 – 1982); Claire Parker (1906 – 1981)
Alexander Alexeieff born Kazan, Russia; Claire Parker born Boston, Massachusetts
Key production country: France
Highly recommended: Night on Bald Mountain (1933), En Passant (1943), The Nose (1963)
Tex Avery
1908 – 1980
Born Taylor, Texas
Key production country: USA
TSPDT 250 Greatest Shorts: Blitz Wolf (1942), Red Hot Riding Hood (1943), King-Size Canary (1947), The Cat That Hated People (1948)
Other highly recommended shorts: Lucky Ducky (1948), Bad Luck Blackie (1949), The Legend of Rockabye Point (1955)
Frédéric Back
1924 –
Born Saarbrücken, Germany
Key production country: Canada
TSPDT 250 Greatest Shorts: Crac (1981)
Other highly recommended shorts: All Nothing (1980), The Man Who Planted Trees (1987), The Mighty River (1993)
Joseph Barbera and William Hanna
Joseph Barbera (1911 – 2006); William Hanna (1910 – 2001)
Joseph Barbera born New York City, New York; William Hanna born Melrose, New Mexico
Key production country: USA
Highly recommended: The Night Before Christmas (1941), Mouse in Manhattan (1945), The Cat Concerto (1947)
Garry Bardin
1941 –
Born Chkalov, Soviet Union
Key production country: Soviet Union
Highly recommended: The Coiling Prankster/Fioritures (1988), Grey Wolf & Little Red Riding Hood (1990), Adagio (2000)
Jirí Barta
1948 –
Born Prague, Czechoslovakia
Key production country: Czechoslovakia
Highly recommended: The Vanished World of Gloves (1982), The Last Theft (1987), The Club of the Laid Off (1989)
Walerian Borowczyk
1923 – 2006
Born Kwilcz, Poland
Key production country: France
TSPDT 250 Greatest Shorts: Les Jeux des Anges (1964), Rosalie (1966), Dom/House (1958), Les Astronautes (1959)
Highly recommended: The Concert of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal (1962), Renaissance (1963), Scherzo Infernal (1984)
Charley Bowers
1877 – 1946
Born Paterson, New Jersey
Key production country: USA
TSPDT 250 Greatest Shorts: Now You Tell One (1926)
Highly recommended: Egged On (1926), There It Is (1928), It’s a Bird (1930)
