- Arthur Rankin, Jr.
Arthur Rankin, Jr. (born
July 19 ,1924 inNew York City ) is an American-born, Bermudian director, producer and writer, mostly working inanimation .The son of actor [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0710233/ Arthur Rankin] , in the early 1960s he founded the film production company Videocraft International (now called
Rankin/Bass ) withJules Bass . The two worked closely together for many years, co-directing and producing a wide array ofstop motion animated features and cartoons, perhaps most famously the holiday-themed TV specials, such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ", "Rudolph's Shiny New Year ", "The Year Without a Santa Claus " and "Frosty the Snowman ". He is also credited with devising the story for many Rankin/Bass productions, including the feature films "The Daydreamer " and "Mad Monster Party? ". In 1977 Rankin and Bass produced a version ofJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Hobbit ". The pair also teamed on a wide variety of animated TV series, including "ThunderCats " and "Silverhawks ". The pair last teamed on the 1987 TV special based on "The Wind in the Willows ". Rankin's last producing credit was on the 1999 animated version of "The King and I ", in which Bass was not involved.Rankin's grandfather was
Harry Davenport , perhaps best known as Dr. Meade in "Gone with the Wind" (1939).External links
*imdb name|710230|Arthur Rankin Jr.
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