George Dunning

George Garnett Dunning (November 17, 1920 – February 15, 1979) was a Canadian-born British filmmaker and animator. He is known for animating and directing the 1968 Beatles film Yellow Submarine.

This article is about the Canadian animator. For the English author, see George Dunning (author). For the American composer, see George Duning.
George Dunning
Born
George Garnett Dunning

(1920-11-17)November 17, 1920
Toronto, Ontario
DiedFebruary 15, 1979(1979-02-15) (aged 58)
London, England
OccupationAnimator, Producer, Director, Illustrator
Known forYellow Submarine

Biography

Dunning was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and studied in at the Ontario College of Art, and soon found freelance work as an illustrator. Dunning joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1943, where he worked with Norman McLaren[1] and contributed to several episodes of the Chants populaires series. From 1944 to 1947 Dunning created many original short films and developed his skills animating articulated, painted, metal cut-outs.

In 1948, he spent a year working for UNESCO in Paris under the mentorship of Czech-born animator Berthold Bartosch. Then in 1949, he and fellow NFB grad Jim McKay created one of Toronto's first animation studios, Graphic Associates, where he produced commercials and gave Michael Snow his first job in film. Dunning later moved on to New York City working on UPA's The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show and in 1956 he moved to England to manage UPA's new London office. After the office went under, he hired many of the UPA staff to work for him and his newly established production company, T.V. Cartoons Ltd. (renamed TVC London). Among the animators working for TVC were Richard Williams and Jimmy Murakami. By 1961, TVC was producing about one hundred commercials a year. During this time Dunning also managed to make many personal short films noted for their surrealistic atmosphere and Kafkaesque themes. The Flying Man earned him the Annecy Cristal Grand Prix in 1962 while The Apple won the 1963 BAFTA Award (UK equivalent of an Oscar).

Dunning also oversaw the cartoon series The Beatles for ABC, and this led to his involvement with Yellow Submarine (1968). Dunning was also responsible for the opening credits of Blake Edwards' A Shot in the Dark, along with a series of shorts and inserts including "the digger", for the BBC's Vision On series for children.

About the time of his death he was working on an animated version of Shakespeare's The Tempest, which was never completed. His company was briefly resurrected in the 1990s, before being merged with Varga Studio.

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References
  1. Rosenthal, Alan. The new documentary in action: a casebook in film making. University of California Press, 1972. 267-8. Print.

Sources
  • Axelrod, Mitchell. Beatletoons: The Real Story Behind The Cartoon Beatles. Wynn, 1999. Lenburg, Jeff. Encyclopedia Of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books, 1999.
  • Lehman, Christopher P. American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961-1973. McFarland, 2007.
  • TV.com.
  • The Big Cartoon Database.
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