Michaël Dudok de Wit (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmixaːɛl ˈdydɔɡ ˈʋɪt]; born 15 July 1953) is a Dutch animator, director and illustrator based in London. He won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Father and Daughter (2000) [1] and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for The Red Turtle (2016).

Michaël Dudok de Wit
Born (1953-07-15) 15 July 1953 (age 71)
NationalityDutch
Alma materWest Surrey College of Art
Occupation(s)Animator, film director, illustrator
Notable workFather and Daughter
The Red Turtle

Early life and education

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Michaël Dudok de Wit was born in Abcoude in the Netherlands.[2] After his high school education in the Netherlands, he attended the Geneva School of Fine Arts. In 1978, he graduated from the West Surrey College of Art & Design (now the University for the Creative Arts) with his first film The Interview.[3]

Career

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After working for a year in Barcelona, he settled in London where he directs and animates award-winning commercials for television and cinema. In 1992, he created the short film Tom Sweep, followed by The Monk and the Fish (1994),[4] which was made in France with the studio Folimage. This film was nominated for an Oscar[5] and has won numerous prizes including a César Award for Best Short Film and the Cartoon d'or. Michael also writes and illustrates children's picture books and teaches animation at art colleges in England and abroad.

His film Father and Daughter (2000) won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, the Grand Prix at Annecy, Grand Prix at Animafest Zagreb and dozens of other major awards. In 2006, he made the short film The Aroma of Tea, which was drawn entirely with tea. His films The Monk and the Fish and Father and Daughter were included in the Animation Show of Shows.[6][7] In 2016, he released the feature-length film The Red Turtle. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 89th Academy Awards.

Style

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Since Tom Sweep, all Dudok de Wit's films have his trademark brush stroke drawing and his use of ink and watercolour.

Filmography

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Animation

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Commercials

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  • "Actifed Germ" The Welcome Foundation, Cough Medicine
  • "Heinz Egg" Heinz Salad Cream
  • "The Long Sleep" Mcallan Malt Whiskey
  • "VW Sunrise" Volkswagen
  • "Pink Foot" Owen's Corning Roof Insulation
  • "Smart Illusions" Nestlé Smarties
  • "Noah" The Irish Lottery"
  • "AT&T" five TV commercials
  • "A Life" United Airlines

Film and television animation contributions

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Illustrations in books

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  • "Snakes and Ladders" (card game, 1991)
  • "The History of Geneva" (Editions Chenoises, Geneva 1991)
  • "Oscar & Hoo" (HarperCollins 2001) ISBN 3-7941-5022-8 (translated in various languages)
  • "Oscar and Hoo Forever"(HarperCollins 2003) ISBN 0-00-714008-8 (translated in various languages)
  • "Vader en dochter" (Leopold, NL, 2001) ISBN 90-258-3494-9 (translated in various languages)
  • "Vier bevertjes in de nacht" (Leopold, NL, 2004) ISBN 90-74336-90-6 (translated in various languages)
  • "Vier bevertjes en een kastanje" (Leopold, NL, 2007) ISBN 978-90-258-5030-2 (translated in various languages)

References

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  1. ^ "Ben Stiller Presents Short Film Oscars® in 2001". YouTube. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  2. ^ Takken, Wilfred (6 July 2016). "De kalme strijd tegen de tijd van Michael Dudok de Wit". NRC. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Michael Dudok de Wit-ACME Filmworks". Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  4. ^ Olivier Cotte (2007) Secrets of Oscar-winning animation: Behind the scenes of 13 classic short animations.
  5. ^ Short Film Winners: 1995 Oscars-YouTube
  6. ^ "Father and Daughter, by Michael Dudok de Wit-Animation Show of Shows". Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  7. ^ "The Monk And The Fish, by Michael Dudok de Wit-Animation Show of Shows". Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
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