Disney veteran Jack Kinney at the first Golden Awards banquet in 1984.
The Animation Guild's new "Golden Awards" ceremony takes place on November 2, as Cartoon Brew relates:
... The awards will honor 28 artists who have worked in the industry since at least 1969, the same year that Nixon became president, man walked on the moon, and The Beatles performed publicly for the last time.
The Golden Awards, which have been held intermittently since 1984, celebrate industry artists, writers and technicians who have dedicated more than 50 years to the craft. This year’s group has a combined 1,400-plus years of animation experience, and has worked on everything from The Yellow Submarine to Samurai Jack, Sleeping Beauty to The Emperor’s New Groove, and Family Guy to Spongebob Squarepants. ...
The Golden Awards had their maiden voyage in 1984 in Toluca Lake California, when old-timers from the 1930s (Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Chuck Jones among them) received statuettes for their years of service in the animation industry.
This year, artists like Robert Alvarez (Yellow Submarine, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Animaniacs, and kajillions of other projects; also six Primetime Emmy Awards) and Floyd Norman (Sleeping Beauty, Jungle Book, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Toy Story 2, numerous others) will be picking up their trophies for decades of work in the field of cartoons.
But it isn't simply top-line talent that gets honored with Golden Awards, it's the animation checkers and cell painters and assistant animators, people who spend decades putting animated entertainment on television and theater screens, yet receive little recognition for their work. These folks are also honored because the Guild recognizes it takes more than just a director, story artist or writer to put entertainment onto screens around the globe.
Thanks Steve. Most of us go unnoticed for our entire careers. We struggle through long nights, working seven days a week, crazy deadlines, and all for the art of animation, the industry that we have loved since we were kids. Most of the public will not know who we are but this Saturday those of us lucky enough to have made it to this benchmark will appreciate the recognition from our peers.
ReplyDeleteRobert, you have never gone unnoticed by me. You and the other honorees have been pillars of the industry. Thank YOU for all the hard work over the years.
Delete