LITTLEJOHN, Bill

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Birth/Death

Birth:1914

Occupation/Title

Bio Summary

Early Life/Family

Early life/family: Wouldn't you have thought that Bill and Fini met during the Disney strike? Nope. Fini had been an extraordinary screen actress in her native Vienna where, as a matter of fact, she was honored just a few short years ago

Education/Training

Bill started animating as a youngster at the Van Buren studio

Career Outline

Bill started animating at the Van Buren studio in New York in 1934 and for MGM in 1938. Duty called during World War II. In 1943 he left animation to become an engineer and pilot. In 1948, Littlejohn left the east coast and returned to Hollywood. He then became one of the founders of the Screen Cartoon, meeting many famous union leaders outside of the industry. Times changed during the Disney strike with his union being transmogrified from 852 into another that is still in existence today, but Bill wanted to return to his profession, animation. So in 1952, he went back to work to form an ASIFA chapter in Hollywood, the hub of animated features, shorts and festivals in Annecy and Zagreb that inspired Bill with Ward Kimball and Les Goldman ision series. They knew that Bill always had time for preserving and promoting animation besides working like crazy at his craft. Commercials galor. The short film, feature animation branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences claims as its membership hundreds of U.S. and world-wide artists,. In 1988, they voted Bill onto the Board of Governors to represent them. other two governors had another articulate, caring partner to protect and defend the short films. It was he who initiated the idea of creating an Oscar for theatrical animated features


Comments On Style

“ Bill Littlejohn was a master of his craft and somebody who was completely in tune with Modern design values. I’ve seen a lot of his commercial work so I have a fairly good sense of how he’d move these characters, but even if you haven’t seen a lot of his work, it’s easy to appreciate the animation genius contained within these stills.”
-Amid Amidi, author of CARTOON MODERN.


Influences

Ward Kimball and Les Goldman

Personality

Busy, busy, busy! You can't keep the Littlejohns down for a minute.

Anecdotes

Miscellaneous

Filmography


Misc. Crew:

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) (TV) (graphic blandishment)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) (TV) (graphic blandishment)
He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown (1968) (TV) (graphic blandishment)
It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969) (TV) (graphic blandishment)
Play It Again, Charlie Brown (1971) (TV) (graphic blandishment)
Snoopy Come Home (1972) (graphic blandishment)
You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972) (TV) (graphic blandishment)
There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown (1973) (TV) (graphic blandishment)
It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown (1974) (TV) (graphic blandishment)

Animator:
Jitterbug Follies (1939) (animator) (uncredited)
A Rainy Day with the Bear Family (1940) (animator) (uncredited) 
... aka A Rainy Day
The Hole (1962) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Of Stars and Men (1964) (animation director)
The Hat (1964) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Zuckerkandl (1968) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) (animator) 
... aka A Boy Called Charlie Brown (UK)
The Phantom Tollbooth (1970) (animator) 
... aka The Adventures of Milo in the Phantom Tollbooth
Voyage to Next (1974) (animator)
Everybody Rides the Carousel (1975) (animator)
WOW Women of the World (1975) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975) (TV) (animator)
People, People, People (1976) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Simple Gifts (1977) (TV) (animator)
Whither Weather (1977) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977) (animator)
It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977) (TV) (animator)
The Doonesbury Special (1977) (animator)
Step by Step (1978) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Watership Down (1978) (senior animator) 
... aka Richard Adams's Watership Down (UK: complete title)
You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown (1979) (TV) (animator)
She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown (1980) (TV) (animator)
Sky Dance (1980) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown (1980) (TV) (animator) 
... aka Life's a Circus, Charlie Brown (USA: video box title)
The Big Bang and Other Creation Myths (1981) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Enter Life (1981) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
It's Magic, Charlie Brown (1981) (TV) (animator)
Heavy Metal (1981) (animator) (segment "B-17")
Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown (1981) (TV) (animator)
Here Comes Garfield (1982) (TV) (animator)
"The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show" (1983) TV Series (animator)
Garfield on the Town (1983) (TV) (animator)
A Soldier's Tale (1984) (animator)
Hello (1984) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984) (TV) (animator)
Garfield in the Rough (1984) (TV) (animator)
Garfield in Disguise (1985) (TV) (animator) 
... aka Garfield's Halloween Adventure
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1985) (TV) (animator)
Garfield in Paradise (1986) (TV) (animator)
The Cosmic Eye (1986) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Time of the Angels (1987) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
"This Is America, Charlie Brown" (animator) (1 episode, 1988)
... aka Your're on Nickelodeon Charlie Brown (USA: rerun title) 
 - The NASA Space Station (1988) TV Episode (animator)
Yes We Can (1989) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Amazonia (1990/I) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Upside Down (1991) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Snoopy's Reunion (1991) (TV) (animator)
Tall Time Tales (1992) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown! (1992) (TV) (animator)
Frosty Returns (1992) (TV) (animator)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) (animator)
Seers & Clowns (1994) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
My Universe Inside Out (1996) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Cloudland (1998) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Rainbows of Hawai'i (1998) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)
Our Spirited Earth (2000) (animator) (as William Littlejohn)


Honors

Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award 1987
UCLA decided to honor him for his lifetime achievement, prime animator on the Doonesbury short which was nominated for an Oscar

Related Links

Theory: Chuck Jones on the Art of Animation
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0514722/

Bibliographic References

http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.02/4.02pages/foraylittlejohn.php3


BIO-AAA-473

Contributors To This Listing

editor@awn.com, June Foray

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