Three-time Oscar nominee is best known for directing the animated cult classic ‘Heavy Metal’ and for his animation work on The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine.’
Musivision Films has launched a new crowdfunding campaign for The Flying Animator, an experiential documentary film on the life and career of British director, producer and animator Gerald Potterton.
Best known for directing the 1981 cult classic Heavy Metal and for his animation work on Yellow Submarine, Potterton has played a key role in many animation milestones of the twentieth century. From humble roots in working-class south London to garnering three Oscar nominations, Potterton’s contributions to animation film has advanced the state of the art and laid the groundwork to the present day.
Potterton earned three nominations for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: twice as director on the NFB animated shorts My Financial Career and Christmas Cracker, and once as producer for The Selfish Giant. Now into his eighth decade, Gerald continues to work on new projects including his short film High Flight and TV project The Snowjetters as a freelance director-animator from his home outside of Montreal, where he paints and builds model airplanes.
With unprecedented access to never-seen-before archival material, The Flying Animator will retrace Potterton’s steps from London to Montreal, New York and Los Angeles with candid and intimate interviews of his collaborators and many protégés. Many interviews have already been completed, including with Nelvana co-founder Clive Smith and cinéma vérité veteran Terence Macartney-Filgate, to name just two.
This very worthy campaign has only 17 days to go, and has already raised $4,082 from 42 backers towards its $7,525 goal. Campaign rewards include Flying Animator poster prints, silkscreened t-shirts, autographed copies of Heavy Metal, and pencil caricatures drawn by Potterton himself. Head over to The Flying Animator Kickstarter campaign page and Facebook page to learn more about the project and lend your support.
Source: Musivision Films
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
