Jimmy T. Murakami
| Jimmy Murakami | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Teruaki Murakami June 5, 1933 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died |
February 16, 2014 (aged 80) Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Founder of Fred Wolf Films Dublin |
| Spouse(s) | Ethna Murakami |
Teruaki "Jimmy" Murakami (村上輝明 Murakami Teruaki, June 5, 1933 – February 16, 2014) was an American animator and film director with a long career working in numerous countries. Among his best-known works are the animated adaptations of the Raymond Briggs books When the Wind Blows and The Snowman. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for The Magic Pear Tree (1968).
Biography
As a child, Murakami was interned with his family at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in northern California.[1] Murakami attended Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and worked as an animator at UPA in Burbank.[2]
Following a short stint with Toei Animation in Tokyo, Murakami joined TVC in London in 1960. He returned to Los Angeles in 1965, and established Murakami Wolf Productions. Murakami then moved to Ireland in 1971 and established Quarteru Films.[2]
Murakami formed Murakami-Wolf Films with Fred Wolf.[3] He also directed the music video for "King of the Mountain", the single from Kate Bush's album Aerial. In 1989, with his former partner Fred Wolf, he established Murakami Wolf Dublin to produce the hit animation series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”[2]
He also worked on 3 films for Roger Corman in the 70's, including directing Battle Beyond The Stars
Murakami was the subject of a 2010 feature documentary film made by Irish director Sé Merry Doyle and produced by Martina Durac and Vanessa Gildea of Loopline Films. Jimmy Murakami - Non Alien was premiered in Dublin at the 2010 IFI Stranger than Fiction Film Festival.[4]
He died in 2014, aged 80.[5]
Partial filmography
- Von Richthofen and Brown (1971): associate producer
- Humanoids from the Deep (1980): director (uncredited)
- Battle Beyond the Stars (1980): director
- The Snowman (1982): supervising director
- When the Wind Blows (1986): director
- The Chronicles of Narnia (1988–1990): animation director
- The Story Keepers (1995–1998): supervising director
- Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001): director
References
- ↑ Osmond, Andrew (2001-12-19). "Animation World Magazine: Jimmy Murakami's Five Decades of Animation".
- 1 2 3 "Animation Pioneer Jimmy Murakami Dies at 80", Rafu Shimpo, February 24, 2014
- ↑ Dyess, Phil (2014-02-19). "R.I.P. Jimmy Murakami, animator of When The Wind Blows and The Snowman · Newswire · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
- ↑ IFI, page (2010-08-12). "Jimmy Murakami - Non Alien".
- ↑ ""When the Wind Blows" Director Jimmy Murakami, RIP". cartoonbrew.com. 2014-02-16. Retrieved 2014-02-16.