Leo D. Sullivan Explained

Leo D. Sullivan (– March 25, 2023)^{[1] [2]} was an American writer and director of animated films, and a pioneer in black animation.^{[3] [4]} 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.^{[5] [6]} They also produced short films geared toward a high school audience on leaders in the African-American community.^[7]

Sullivan worked for Bob Clampett Productions as an animation cel polisher before moving up to working as an artist and animator.^[6] Over a more than sixty year career, he and his wife collaborated on improving animation for black children.^[8] His company, Leo Sullivan Multimedia, is behind brands such as AfroKids.^{[4] [8]}

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.^[6] 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)^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pioneering Animator Leo D. Sullivan Dies Age 82 . 2024-06-03 . Animation Magazine.
2. Web site: Lang . Jamie . 2023-03-30 . Leo Sullivan, Co-Founder Of Hollywood's First Black-Owned Animation Studio, Dies At 82 . 2024-06-03 . . en-US.
3. Web site: Leo D. Sullivan, Pioneering Black Animator, Dies at 82. . March 30, 2023.
4. Web site: Funky Turns 40: Sista ToFunky's Interview With Leo Sullivan | The Museum Of UnCut Funk. museumofuncutfunk.com.
5. Web site: Legendary black animators penned life into big films — now they have a new website to empower families. Kelley D.. Evans. October 24, 2016.
6. Book: Moon . Spencer . Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers . Allen . Linda . 1997 . Greenwood Publishing Group . 978-0-313-29830-1 . 255–258 . en.
7. News: 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 . 2022-02-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210822221614/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-floyd-norman-review-20160823-snap-story.html . 2021-08-22.
8. News: 2021-09-29 . This Couple Spent 60 Years Developing Animated Content For Black Children Around the World . en-US . BET . 2022-02-26.
9. Web site: Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. Library of Congress Copyright. Office. February 21, 1974. Google Books.