Guillermo del Toro, Gustafson’s co-director in the dark reinvention of the classic tale of Pinocchio, paid tribute to him through his networks.
Mark Gustafsonwho won an Oscar last year for co-directing the animated film “Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro”, died Thursday, The Oregonian reported. She was 64 years old.
Guillermo del ToroGustafson’s co-director on the dark reimagining of the classic Pinocchio tale, paid tribute to him Friday morning.
“I admired Mark Gustafson, even before I met him”, wrote del Toro in X. “A pillar of stop motion animation, a true artist. A compassionate, sensitive and bitingly witty man. A legend and a friend who inspired and gave hope to everyone around him. He passed away yesterday. Today we honor and miss him.”
“Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro”, released on Netflix in late 2022, won the Oscar for best animated film last year. It also received a Golden Globe, three Visual Effects Society Awards, and five Annie Awards, including Outstanding Achievement in Directing for Del Toro and Gustafson.
The stop-motion film reinvented the story of Pinocchio and took place in fascist Italy after World War I. Geppetto loses his son in a bombing and carves Pinocchio into a tree planted next to the grave. As he learns what it means to be human, Pinocchio repeatedly returns from the dead and later joins the circus and the army.
Del Toro continued in his tribute to Gustafson: “He leaves behind a titanic legacy of animation that dates back to the very origins of claymation animation and shaped the careers and crafts of countless animators. He leaves behind friends and colleagues and a historic filmography. Prayers and thoughts for his beloved wife, Jennifer. They say, ‘Never meet your heroes…’ I disagree. You can’t be disappointed by someone who is human. We all are. Burning until midnight during post-production, or doing daily animation changes via Zoom during COVID, or being stuck in an elevator in a cinema in London… I’m as glad to have met Mark the human as it was an honor to have met the artist. Like I said, I admired him before I met him. I loved having the opportunity to share time and space with him during the ups and downs. Always and Forever.”
Mark Gustafson’s career
Gustafson began his career in animation in the 1980s and dabbled in various types of animation. His claymation work can be seen in the 1987 television special “Claymation Christmas Celebration”the Serie “The PJs” starring Eddie Murphy and the television special “Meet the Raisins”starring the iconic California Raisins.
He was also the animation director of the film Wes Anderson nominated for an Oscar in 2009, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”and worked on clay animation in “A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas”.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
