Barry Caldwell, the animator and director behind the cartoon series “Animaniacs” and the film “Osmosis Jones,” has died. He was 68.
The news of his death was confirmed in a Facebook post shared by his colleague, friend and fellow animator Paul Dini, who was informed of Caldwell’s death by Dan Haskett, an animator and art director.
“Barry Caldwell was one of the first animation artists I met when I started my career fresh out of school way back around 1980. He was also one of the finest artists I ever met, and easily one of the best people. The man’s talent as a cartoonist, designer and director was revered throughout the industry,” wrote Dini, who went on to refer to Caldwell as a “a genial giant of a guy that you liked from the moment you met him” who “knew more about cartoons than you or I ever will (trust me on this), yet he was incredibly generous with his time and his talent.”
He continued: “Barry was admired, celebrated and loved by just about everyone, myself included, for many more reasons than I can list here. Gonna miss you, pally.”
Caldwell’s art career began in 1980 with an episode of “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” followed by jobs as a storyboard artist on TV series including “The New Adventures of Zorro,” “Blackstar,” “The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show,” “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,” “The Smurfs” and “Alvin & the Chipmunks.” In the 2000s, Caldwell went on to work on beloved series, including “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Kim Possible,” among others. He also worked on films including 2001’s “Osmosis Jones,” “The Tigger Movie,” “Mulan II” and “Curious George.”
Caldwell was born on June 19, 1957, in New York City, where he attended the School of Visual Arts before working at Warner Bros. Animation, Walt Disney Television Studios and DreamWorks.
variety.com
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