‘A Legend’: Award-winning Portland animator Mark Gustafson dies at 63
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland animator Mark Gustafson, best known for his work on “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” died on Thursday morning. He was 63 years old.
Gustafson’s death was announced in an X post shared on Friday by del Toro.
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“I admired Mark Gustafson, even before I met him,” del Toro wrote. “A pillar of stop motion animation — a true artist. A compassionate, sensitive and mordantly witty man. A Legend — and a friend that inspired and gave hope to all around him.”
The filmmaker, who co-directed “Pinocchio” alongside Gustafson, added that his colleague has shaped the claymation industry and inspired generations of animators.
ShadowMachine, the Portland-based production studio behind “Pinocchio,” echoed his statement on Instagram and said that Gustafson died “suddenly and unexpectedly.”
“[Gustafson] was a revered Academy Award-winning director, a world-class creative, and a beloved part of the animation community in Portland, Oregon, over the past four decades,” ShadowMachine wrote. “His contribution to the world of stop-motion animation is legendary.”
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According to the post, Gustafson started his career in a Portland animation studio owned by late animator Will Vinton. There, he worked on projects such as “Claymation Christmas Celebration,” “Mr. Resistor,” and “Meet the Raisins!”
In the early 2000s, he became the animation director for Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” The stop-motion comedy film starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep. The movie received an Academy Award nomination for “Best Animated Feature” in 2010, although it didn’t win.
Gustafson did, however, take home the award in 2022 for his work on “Pinocchio.” According to IMDB, the filmmaker has also received multiple Primetime Emmy Awards, Annie Awards and a BAFTA for his role in various shows in films.
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The animator is survived by his wife Jennifer. His cause of death is unknown.
“Mark’s passing comes as a great shock to the animation community and is a great loss to the entertainment industry at large. He was one of a kind and he will be missed,” ShadowMachine wrote.
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