Bill Melendez, R.I.P.
Legendary animator Bill Melendez passed away on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, at the age of 91. For more information on Mr. Melendez, please visit Mark Evanier's blog, which includes links to other remembrances of Melendez, his life, and his work. The Cartoon Art Museum extends its deepest condolences to Melendez's family, friends, and fans.
Bill Melendez received the Cartoon Art Museum's Sparky Award in 2002. The award celebrates the significant contributions of cartoon artists who reside in the western United States and who embody the talent, innovation and humanity of Charles M. Schulz, for whom the award is named.
Mr. Melendez began his career in animation at the Disney studio in 1938. He worked as an animator on such classics as Fantasia, Pinocchio, Bambi, and Dumbo. After leaving Disney, he animated Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig for Leon Schlesinger Cartoons, which later became Warner Brothers Cartoons. Next, Mr. Melendez worked for the UPA studio on its groundbreaking and highly stylized shorts including Madeline and Gerald McBoing-Boing.
After a 10-year stint directing industrial films and award-winning television commercials, Mr. Melendez founded his own production company, Bill Melendez Productions, in 1964. That same year, he produced his first television special-A Charlie Brown Christmas. The show was an instant critical and popular success, winning both an Emmy Award and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Children/Young People’s program.
Mr. Melendez went on to produce more than 75 Charlie Brown specials and four feature-length movies as well as animating specials featuring Jim Davis’ Garfield, Babar the Elephant, and Cathy Guisewite’s Cathy. The eight Emmys and numerous other awards he has received attest to the significant contribution Melendez has made to the field of animation.