2 months ago
Barry Caldwell, nan animator and head known for Animaniacs (1993-’98) and Osmosis Jones (2001), has died. He was 68.
The schematic artist’s longtime friend and colleague, animator Paul Dini, shared a heartfelt connection astir nan “funny, kind, a genial elephantine of a feline that you liked from nan infinitesimal you met him” aft Dan Haskett informed him of Caldwell’s death.
“Barry Caldwell was 1 of nan first animation artists I met erstwhile I started my profession caller retired of schoolhouse measurement backmost astir 1980. He was besides 1 of nan finest artists I ever met, and easy 1 of nan champion people. The man’s talent arsenic a cartoonist, designer and head was revered passim nan manufacture and I’ll get to that,” he prefaced successful nan Facebook post.
Dini added, “When Dan Haskett told maine coming Barry had passed, it was for illustration a silent cannonball blowing distant a portion of my world. A batch of people’s worlds, actually. Barry was admired, celebrated and loved by conscionable astir everyone, myself included, for galore much reasons than I tin database here. Gonna miss you, pally.”
Caldwell’s adjacent wrote of him, “He knew much astir cartoons than you aliases I ever will (trust maine connected this) yet he was incredibly generous pinch his clip and his talent. And my God, could he make you laugh! When it comes to humor, it takes a typical benignant of genuis to beryllium some barren and warm. Barry was both. No creator ever mocked nan insanity of nan Hollywood animation stystem pinch specified devastating incisiveness, and yet loved its imaginative output truthful much. At least, I judge he did. You don’t past excessively agelong successful nan animation business unless you person immoderate existent affection for nan characters and nan group you activity pinch to bring them to life. That tone was connected show for arsenic agelong arsenic I knew him, and successful each nan places we worked together, Filmation, Ruby-Spears, Warner Bros, Disney, truthful galore others. Barry knew really to make a blah duty singing and move a bully 1 into thing wonderful.”
Born June 19, 1957 successful New York City, Caldwell trained astatine nan School of Visual Arts. He worked for Warner Bros. Animation, Walt Disney Television Studios and DreamWorks during his storied career, which began pinch an section of Fat Albert and nan Cosby Kids successful 1980.
Throughout nan ’80s, Caldwell was a regular storyboard creator connected The New Adventures of Zorro, The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, He Man and nan Masters of nan Universe, The Smurfs and Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers.
Caldwell was besides known for his activity connected Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and nan Brain, The Tigger Movie (2000), Osmosis Jones (2001), Kim Possible and DreamWorks Dragons.
