Iron Giant, animation icons combine for free event Saturday at The Venetian

Greg Haas
·2 min read

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A 10-foot statue of “The Iron Giant” will be unveiled Saturday, Dec. 2, at Animazing Gallery at Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. The event is free and open to the public.

But that’s practically a sideshow to what will follow: a gathering of four big names in animation.

A rare public appearance by Bob Singer, who is now 95, highlights a three-hour session featuring well-known animation artists. Singer’s work for Hanna-Barbera Studios, Marvel and Warner Bros. brought the world characters including Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and more.

Bob Singer with some of his drawings. (Courtesy: Animazing Gallery)
Bob Singer with some of his drawings. (Courtesy: Animazing Gallery)

Alan Bodner, who worked with the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, The Cartoon Network and Filmation, began his animation career with Mighty Mouse, The Fat Albert Show, Heckle & Jeckle and Pee Wee’s Playhouse before moving on to Looney Tunes shorts with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Sylvester & Tweety. More recently, he worked on Kim Possible, Phineas & Ferb, The Replacements, The Iron Giant and more. His five Annie Award nominations include a win for Warner Bros. The Iron Giant and an Emmy for Disney’s Tangled Series.

Known for his work on You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown, Larry Leichliter has worked on Peanuts characters throughout his career. Among his other credits, Hey Arnold! features a character named after him — a theatre critic/director named Mr. Leichliter.

John Kricfalusi, creator of The Ren and Stimpy Show (he voices Ren), adds another style to the gathering of animation legends. The Canadian-born cartoonist, director, producer, writer, animator and voice actor worked his way up through the animation ranks, getting his big break when Nickelodeon bought The Ren & Stimpy Show in 1991. He was fired from his own show in 1992 after a battle over creative control.

Robert Valentine, “Las Vegas Master Armourer,” will unveil “The Iron Giant” at 1 p.m., and the session featuring the four animators will follow at 2 p.m. Valentine created the Golden Knight armour for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

Nick Leone, the owner of Animazing Gallery, will also take part in the event.

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