Gary Goldman
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- For the screenwriter, see Gary Goldman (screenwriter).
Gary Goldman (born November 17, 1944 in Oakland, California) is an American animator.
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[edit] Pre-Disney
Raised in Watsonville, California, as a youth, Goldman studied piano and enjoyed model-making and drawing. Before devoting himself entirely to the arts, he served as an electronics technician in the United States Air Force from 1962 to 1967. He received his Associate of Arts Degree in 1969 from Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz, California, and he graduated in December, 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Life Drawing and Art History from the University of Hawaii.
[edit] Disney
In early 1972, he began his career in animation when he joined Walt Disney Productions. His first assignment was as an in-betweener to legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas on the film Robin Hood. He then worked alongside Don Bluth, as an animator, on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too and The Rescuers before serving as Directing Animator on Pete's Dragon and The Small One.
In an effort to accelerate their skills in preparation for leadership assignments within the Disney organization, Goldman and Bluth began to probe every aspect of animated production. United by the common goal of restoring the lost techniques of classical animation, Goldman and Bluth, along with animator John Pomeroy, produced the classically animated television special Banjo the Woodpile Cat. It took four years, working nights and weekends in Bluth's garage. The film won the National Film Advisory Board Award for excellence and the Golden Scroll Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Using what they learned on their project, they implemented their techniques on projects at Disney.
[edit] Post-Disney
Divided by disagreements over story and production values, Goldman, along with Bluth and Pomeroy, resigned from Walt Disney Productions to establish their independent animation studio, Sullivan Bluth Productions, Inc. in 1979.
Since leaving Disney, the team produced several feature films, starting with The Secret of NIMH, which won the Saturn Award for "Best Animated Feature" from the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Academy. Their follow-up effort, An American Tail, ushered in a new era of success for the full-length animated feature, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of its time.
Goldman was a producer on the animated laser disc interactive video games, Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp. Dragon's Lair received the Inkpot Award for the "First Interactive Laser Disc Arcade Game" and an Arkie Award for the "Best Arcade Audio/Visuals".
In 1986, Goldman and Bluth moved their entire operation, including 87 employees and their families to Dublin, Ireland, at the invitation of the Irish Government. Their third feature film The Land Before Time, was their first production created entirely in Ireland.
In August 1994, Goldman returned from Ireland to head up the Fox Animation Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona where he shared the creative leadership with Don Bluth. The first production completed by the studio was the award winning Anastasia in 1997. Also produced at the Phoenix studio was Bartok the Magnificent in 1999, and the animated science fiction film, Titan A.E., in 2000.
In 1999, Goldman, with Don Bluth, John Pomeroy, Rick Dyer and David Foster formed a new company, Dragon's Lair, LLC. The company was formed to develop new 3D games, starting with a revamp of the hit 1983 game Dragon's Lair. Goldman and Bluth have reestablished their independence with their production company, Don Bluth Films, Inc. The company has established a web site, http://www.donbluth.com/, where they will communicate with their audience on a personal level, and will provide animation information online.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Gary Goldman has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1976.
