Leo D. Sullivan

This article is about the American animator and director. For other people with that name, see Leo Sullivan.

Leo D. Sullivan (c. 1940 – March 25, 2023)[1][2] was an American writer and director of animated films, and a pioneer in black animation.[3][4] With Floyd Norman, who he met working on Beanie and Cecil, he launched Vignette Films, later Vignette Multimedia, and worked on the original animated Soul Train logo.[5][6] They also produced short films geared toward a high school audience on leaders in the African-American community.[7]

Sullivan worked for Bob Clampett Productions as an animation cel polisher before moving up to working as an artist and animator.[6] Over a more than sixty year career, he and his wife collaborated on improving animation for black children.[8] His company, Leo Sullivan Multimedia, is behind brands such as AfroKids.[4][8]

Sullivan and Norman's work was recognized by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1991 and Sullivan received an Emmy in 1992 as a Timing Director.[6] Interviews of Sullivan are featured prominently in the documentary Floyd Norman: An Animated Life (2016) by Michael Fiore.

Filmography

  • Round Trip to the Moon (1972)
  • Examining the Moon (1972)
  • Men to Meet the Challenge (1972)
  • Living in Space (1972)[9]

References

  1. ^ "Pioneering Animator Leo D. Sullivan Dies Age 82". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  2. ^ Lang, Jamie (2023-03-30). "Leo Sullivan, Co-Founder Of Hollywood's First Black-Owned Animation Studio, Dies At 82". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  3. ^ "Leo D. Sullivan, Pioneering Black Animator, Dies at 82". The Hollywood Reporter. March 30, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Funky Turns 40: Sista ToFunky's Interview With Leo Sullivan | The Museum Of UnCut Funk". museumofuncutfunk.com.
  5. ^ Evans, Kelley D. (October 24, 2016). "Legendary black animators penned life into big films — now they have a new website to empower families".
  6. ^ a b c Moon, Spencer; Allen, Linda (1997). Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 255–258. ISBN 978-0-313-29830-1.
  7. ^ Turran, Kenneth (2016-08-25). "Disney's first black animator looks back in the incisive doc 'Floyd Norman: An Animated Life' - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  8. ^ a b "This Couple Spent 60 Years Developing Animated Content For Black Children Around the World". BET. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  9. ^ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (February 21, 1974). "Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series" – via Google Books.