Eugene Merril Deitch was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020.
19 Facts About Gene Deitch
2.
In 1929, the family moved to California, and Gene Deitch attended school in Hollywood.
3.
Gene Deitch graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1942.
4.
From 1940 to 1951, Gene Deitch contributed covers and interior art to the jazz magazine The Record Changer.
5.
In 1955, Gene Deitch took an apprenticeship at the animation studio United Productions of America, and later became the creative director of Terrytoons, creating such characters as Sidney the Elephant, Gaston Le Crayon, Tom Terrific, and Clint Clobber.
6.
Gene Deitch originally planned to spend only ten days in Prague.
7.
From 1960 to 1963, Gene Deitch collaborated with Rembrandt to direct Popeye cartoons for television with King Features, and from 1961 to 1962 he directed 13 new Tom and Jerry shorts for MGM.
8.
The Bluffers, which was based on one of Gene Deitch's ideas, was co-produced by him.
9.
Gene Deitch directed the 1966 film Alice of Wonderland in Paris.
10.
However, producer William L Snyder couldn't secure the funds, and in order to not let the rights for the novel expire, he asked Deitch to produce a short film adaptation in 30 days.
11.
Gene Deitch and illustrator Adolf Born made a 13-minute animated film never intended for distribution; the film was long considered lost until it was rediscovered by Snyder's son and released on YouTube in 2012.
12.
Also in 1966, Gene Deitch created a young girl adventurer in Terrible Tessie.
13.
From 1969 until his retirement in 2008, Gene Deitch was the leading animation director for the Connecticut organization Weston Woods Studios, adapting children's picture books.
14.
Gene Deitch adapted 37 films for Weston Woods, from Drummer Hoff in 1969 to Voyage to the Bunny Planet in 2008.
15.
Gene Deitch's studio was located in Prague near the Barrandov Studios, where many major films were shot.
16.
In 2003, Gene Deitch was awarded the Annie Awards' Winsor McCay Award by ASIFA-Hollywood for a lifetime contribution to the art of animation.
17.
Gene Deitch met his first wife, Marie, when they both worked at North American Aviation, and they married in 1943.
18.
Several days after arriving in Prague in October 1959, Gene Deitch met Zdenka Najmanova, the production manager at the studio Bratri v triku where he worked.
19.
Gene Deitch died in Prague on April 16,2020, at the age of 95.