Mark Gustafson and Guillermo del Toro.Photo:Guillermo del Toro/X
Guillermo del Toro/X
Mark Gustafson, a longtime Hollywood director who won anAcademy Awardin March 2023 for co-directingGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, has died. He was 64.
Del Toro, 59, announced Gustafson’s death in a post he shared onXFriday, stating that Gustafson died Thursday.
In del Toro’s post, the filmmaker shared a photo of himself and Gustafson taken on the set of the stop-motion animatedPinocchiofilm.
“I admired Mark Gustafson, even before I met him. A pillar of stop motion animation- a true artist,” he wrote in the post. “A compassionate, sensitive and mordantly witty man. A Legend- and a friend that inspired and gave hope to all around him. He passed away yesterday. Today we honor and miss him.”
Guillermo del Toro’sPinocchiowon Best Animated Filmat last year’s95th Oscarsceremony. It also won best animated film at the2023 Golden Globe Awards, among other accolades. In del Toro’s social media post announcing Gustafson’s death, the filmmaker wrote that Gustafson “leaves behind a Titanic legacy of animation that goes back to the very origins of Claymation and that shaped the career and craft of countless animators.”
Mark Gustafson on March 10, 2023.Kevin Winter/Getty
Kevin Winter/Getty
“I am as glad to have met Mark, the human as I was honored to have met the artist. As I said, I admired him before I met him,” del Toro added. “I loved having had the chance to share time and space with him during the highs and the lows. Always and forever.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Gustafson was a native of Portland, Ore., asThe Oregoniannoted in an obituary published Friday. He started his career in animation working in claymation for Will Vinton Studios in Portland for theCalifornia Raisinsbrand, asmultipleoutletsreported. His first film credits came as part of the claymation teams for 1985’sThe Adventures of Mark TwainandReturn to Oz, kicking off a career that lasted more than 30 years.
Mark Gustafson on Jan. 10, 2023.Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty
Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty
Prior toGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Gustafson worked as the animation director on Wes Anderson’s 2009 filmFantastic Mr. Fox. He received fourEmmy Awardnominations over the course of his career and won at that awards ceremony in 1992 for the television specialClaymation Easter, in the outstanding animated program (for programming one hour or less) category.“It’s so good to know that this art form we love so much, stop-motion, is very much alive and well,” Gustafson said at the Oscars last year ceremony followingPinocchio’s win. He also took a moment to thank his wife, Jennifer, during his short speech.
source: people.com
