Susan Shadburne

Susan Shadburne
Shadburne in 1985
Born(1942-12-16)December 16, 1942
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
DiedApril 24, 2018(2018-04-24) (aged 75)
Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Alma materStanford University
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • director
  • screenwriter
Years active1978–1994
SpouseWill Vinton (divorced)[1]
Children3

Susan Carol Shadburne (December 16, 1942 – April 24, 2018)[2] was an American screenwriter, director, producer, and filmmaker, best known for her collaborations with her husband, claymation animator Will Vinton. She wrote the screenplay for The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985), directed by Vinton, and wrote and directed the supernatural thriller film Shadow Play (1986). In addition to feature films, Shadburne wrote and directed several short films. Two of the short films Shadburne wrote that Vinton directed—Rip Van Winkle (1978) and The Great Cognito (1983) –were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Biography

Shadburne was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1960.[3][4] She later attended Stanford University.[3]

Shadburne began writing films in 1978 while married to animator Will Vinton, first a documentary short about Vinton's filmmaking process titled Claymation: Three Dimensional Clay Animation. She subsequently wrote the screenplay for Vinton's short film Rip Van Winkle (1978), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[5] In 1982, she again wrote the screenplay for Vinton's short The Great Cognito, which was again nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[6]

She collaborated with Vinton on the 1985 animated feature The Adventures of Mark Twain.[7][8] Shadburne researched Mark Twain extensively while writing the screenplay, adapting it from his autobiography and integrating direct quotes from him into the dialogue.[7] The following year, she wrote, produced, and directed the supernatural thriller film Shadow Play (1986) starring Dee Wallace and Cloris Leachman.[9]

In her later life, Shadburne worked as a medical intuitive and energy healer.[3]

Death

Shadburne died on April 24, 2018, in Vancouver, Washington, aged 75, after a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis.[10]

Filmography

Year Film Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
1978 Claymation: Three Dimensional Clay Animation No Yes No Documentary short [11]
1978 Rip Van Winkle No Yes No
1979 The Little Prince No Yes No Short film [12]
1979 Legacy: A Very Short History of Natural Resources No Yes No Short film
1979 The Legend of Black Thunder Mountain No Yes No [13]
1980 Dinosaur No Yes No Short film [14]
1980 The Diary of Adam and Eve No Yes No Short film
1981 A Family Affair Yes Yes No Short film [14]
1982 The Great Cognito No Yes No Short film [14]
1985 The Adventures of Mark Twain No Yes No [15]
1986 Shadow Play Yes Yes Yes [16]
1987 King Cole's Party Yes Yes Yes [17]
1987 Turn Around Yes Yes No Documentary film
1988 Grandpa's Magical Toys Yes Yes Yes [18]
1990 The Ultimate Challenge No Yes No Short film
1992 We Are Family Yes Yes No Short film
1994 Making a Difference Yes Yes No Short film

Accolades

Institution Year Category Recipient Result Ref.
Academy Awards 1978 Best Animated Short Film Rip Van Winkle Nominated [5]
1983 The Great Cognito Nominated [6]

References

  1. ^ Schudel, Matt (October 6, 2018). "Will Vinton, filmmaker and animator who created the California Raisins, dies at 70". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Susan Shadburne Obituary". Tributes.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Speakers: Susan Shadburne". Activating Happy. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "In Memoriam" (PDF). The Alumni News. 21 (2). Portland, Oregon: Lincoln High School: 3. Summer 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 27, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "The 51st Annual Academy Awards". Oscars.org. 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "The Will Vinton Collection". Oscars.org. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Beck 2005, p. 3.
  8. ^ "The Adventures of Mark Twain" (PDF). Treasures from the Yale Film Archive. Yale University Press. March 6, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Weldon 1996, pp. 497–498.
  10. ^ "An Interview with Dee Wallace". Shadow Play (Blu-ray interview short). Scorpion Releasing. 2019.
  11. ^ "Claymation: three dimensional clay animation (TEFC)". Trove. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "The little prince; Performers/Contributors: Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de, 1900-1944 ; Shadburne, Susan ; Vinton, Will". Toronto Public Library. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  13. ^ Pitts 2012, p. 188.
  14. ^ a b c "Susan Shadburne Credits". AllMovie. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Canby, Vincent (January 17, 1986). "Screen: 'Adventures of Mark Twain'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  16. ^ Weldon 1996, p. 497.
  17. ^ Atkinson & Zippan 1995, p. 59.
  18. ^ "Susan Shadburne". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.

Sources

  • Atkinson, Doug; Zippan, Fiona (1995). Videos for Kids: The Essential, Indispensable Parent's Guide to Children's Movies on Video. Rocklin, California: Prima Pub. ISBN 978-1-559-58635-1.
  • Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-569-76222-6.
  • Pitts, Michael R. (2012). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Film (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-786-46372-5.
  • Weldon, Michael (1996). The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film. New York City, New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-13149-4.