Research Guru / Moderator
Posted:
Dec 8, 2007, 4:37 PM
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Veteran animator Ken Southworth dead at 89
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Ken Southworth, an animator and animation director at major studios for four decades, died Wednesday morning after suffering a series of strokes at his Anaheim, California home. He was 89.
The British-born Southworth animated at Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Walter Lantz, MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Clokey Productions and Filmation. Ironically, he died on the anniversary of Walt Disney's birthday.
From 1963 to 1986, he animated for Hanna-Barbera, working on such series as Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, Top Cat, Jonny Quest, Swat Kats, Scooby Doo, Where Are You!, The Smurfs, Dino Boy and Space Ghost.
Born on September 22, 1918 in Lancashire, England, he moved to the United States after receiving a scholarship to attend the Chicago Art Institute.
He started work at Disney in 1944. Though he was not formally credited at the studio, his works there included The Three Caballeros (1945), Song Of The South (1946), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (from 1949's The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mister Toad), Cinderella (1950) and Alice In Wonderland (1951).
Southworth animated numerous Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto short subjects. He worked with the legendary Nine Old Men, specifically Frank Thomas, Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl.
Southworth received his first screen credit with the 1953 Woody Woodpecker cartoon Wrestling Wrecks. He was an animator at Walter Lantz Productions from 1953 to 1956, creating the famous Woody Woodpecker opening title sequence. He also animated Chilly Willy and worked under the great Tex Avery.
He moved to MGM, where he animated the Tom and Jerry and Droopy series from 1956 to 1958.
At Clokey Productions, he was a stop-motion director and storyboard artist on Davey and Goliath.
His many other series included The Yogi Bear Show (1961); The Super 6 (1966); The Atom Ant Show, Fantastic 4 and The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (all 1967); The Batman/Superman Hour and The Archie Show (both 1968); Where's Huddles? and Harlem Globe Trotters (both 1970); The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971); The New Scooby-Doo Movies and The Roman Holidays (both 1972); Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch (1974); Challenge of the SuperFriends (1978); The New Fred and Barney Show and Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (both 1979); The Kwicky Koala Show (1981); The All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show (1983); The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985); BraveStarr (1987-88); and Potsworth & Co. (1990). He was a director and layout artist on QT Hush and Young Daniel Boone.
Other series for Filmation included Lassie and He-Man.
In 1993, he was animation director of the TV series Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron.
Southworth's TV movies included Bunnicula, the Vampire Rabbit, a 1982 installment of ABC Weekend Specials; Christmas Comes to PacLand (1982); Snoopy's Reunion (1991); and It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown! (1992).
He also animated the theatrical films Shinbone Alley (1971) and Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987). He animated Bugs and Tweety in Gremlins 2 and Earth Day TV.
Beyond animation, Southworth was a writer for 1973's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids and a storyboard artist for Star Trek: The Animated Series. He also directed the PBS series Adventures from the Book of Virtues.
Following his retirement, he began teaching. He gave lessons at H-B, as well as the American Animation Institute, Glendale Animation Studios, the University of California in Fullerton, the Art Institute of Southern California Laguna Beach, and the Detroit Center for Creative Studies. He was a guest instuctor for many years at VanArts' summer program.
"I got to know Ken well over the years, having had the privilege to work with him and visit his house in Anaheim," animator Ken Priebe recalled. "He was a very talented artist who will be missed greatly."
In 2005, he received the Golden Award from The Animation Guild.
At the time of his death, he and Ray Pointer were business partners in the Los Angeles-based firm Inkwell Images.
"As far as the future of animation, I think the best is yet to come, remembering that the play's the thing," Southwork once said. "I'm very optimistic for both 2D and 3D animation."
Ken Southworth is survived by his wife Carol.
(This post was edited by eminovitz on Dec 8, 2007, 4:44 PM)
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