Leo D. Sullivan (c. 1940 – March 25, 2023) was an American writer and director of animated films, and a pioneer in black animation.[1][2] With Floyd Norman, who he met working on Beanie and Cecil, he launched Vignette Films, later Vignette Multimedia, and worked on the original animated Soul Train logo.[3][4] They also produced short films geared toward a high school audience on leaders in the African-American community.[5]

Sullivan worked for Bob Clampett Productions as an animation cel polisher before moving up to working as an artist and animator.[4] Over a more than sixty year career, he and his wife collaborated on improving animation for black children.[6] His company, Leo Sullivan Multimedia, is behind brands such as AfroKids.[2][6]

Sullivan and Norman's work was recognized by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1991 and Sullivan received an Emmy in 1992 as a Timing Director.[4] Interviews of Sullivan are featured prominently in the documentary Floyd Norman: An Animated Life (2016) by Michael Fiore.

Filmography

  • Round Trip to the Moon (1972)
  • Examining the Moon (1972)
  • Men to Meet the Challenge (1972)
  • Living in Space (1972)[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Leo D. Sullivan, Pioneering Black Animator, Dies at 82". The Hollywood Reporter. March 30, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Funky Turns 40: Sista ToFunky's Interview With Leo Sullivan | The Museum Of UnCut Funk". museumofuncutfunk.com.
  3. ↑ Evans, Kelley D. (October 24, 2016). "Legendary black animators penned life into big films — now they have a new website to empower families".
  4. 1 2 3 Moon, Spencer; Allen, Linda (1997). Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 255–258. ISBN 978-0-313-29830-1.
  5. ↑ Turran, Kenneth (2016-08-25). "Disney's first black animator looks back in the incisive doc 'Floyd Norman: An Animated Life' - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  6. 1 2 "This Couple Spent 60 Years Developing Animated Content For Black Children Around the World". BET. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  7. ↑ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (February 21, 1974). "Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series" – via Google Books.
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