Paul Newman has passed away after a long battle with cancer. While he was famous for such great films as “The Hustler”, “Cool Hand Luke”, and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, many animation fans will remember him as the voice of Doc Hudson from Disney/Pixar’s “Cars”.
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Seven years ago, this was the view from Blue Sky Studios in White Plains, NY. From our office on the 17th floor of 44 South Broadway, we could see the Twin Towers on fire. We were 30 miles to the north of Manhattan, looking down the length of the island. In the photo, you can make out both towers smoking in the distance. The building that looks like it is next to them is the Empire State Building, but it’s actually several blocks away, on 5th Ave and 34th street.
It was a chaotic day, with the radio stations being the first way I learned of the disaster in progress on my way to work. At first, DJs seemed to think it was some kind of joke, or perhaps just a small plane. The second plane hit as I was getting in to the parking garage [Read more…]
Bill Melendez, perhaps best known for his work with Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” characters has passed away. In his career, he animated on a wide range of projects, including Disney’s “Pinocchio”, UPA’s “Gerald McBoing Boing”, and Ralph Bakshi’s “Cool World”. His work as animator, director, producer, and even as a voice actor, will live on in animation history. Bill Melendez was 91.
-Floyd Bishop
Jerry Reed, actor, guitar legend, and Scooby Doo Guest Star has passed away. He was 71.
Aside from his Scooby Doo appearance, most people may remember him from his role as the Snowman (his CB handle) in “Smokey and the Bandit”.
Learning to play guitar at age 8, on a cheap guitar, he later dropped out of high school to go on tour with Ernest Tubb and Faron Young. He mastered the instrument.
He was a great talent in film, television, and music.
He’s one of the musicians I listen to most when I’m animating. He’ll be missed.
