Boyd Douglas Kirkland (November 4, 1950 – January 27, 2011) was an American

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of animated

cartoons A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

. He was best known for his work on '' X-Men: Evolution'' and '' Batman: The Animated Series''.

Biography

Kirkland was raised in

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

as a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church). He received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from

Weber State College Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy and earned its current name in 1991. As of fall 2023, the student population reached 30,536 students, cons ...

Ogden, Utah Ogden ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the United States Census ...

. His career in animation started in 1979 as a layout artist. This evolved into XAM! Productions, a partnership based in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

that subcontracted for larger

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-based studios. He moved his family to Los Angeles in 1986. Kirkland published articles about the nature of God in Mormon thought. While a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

for the LDS Church, Kirkland was confused about the

Adam–God doctrine The Adam–God doctrine (or Adam–God theory) was a theological idea taught in mid-19th century Mormonism by Brigham Young, a president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Although the doctrine is rejected by the LDS ...

, ostensibly taught in the 19th century and denied in the 1970s, which led him to start questioning the current official church leaders. After brief requests for answers from church leaders, Kirkland researched the controversy, resulting in articles published in '' Sunstone Magazine'', '' Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', and chapters of ''Line Upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine''. Kirkland was a producer for ''

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes ''Attack of the Killer Tomatoes'' is a 1978 American parody film produced by J. Stephen Peace and John DeBello, and directed by John DeBello based upon an original idea by Costa Dillon. The film stars David Miller, George Wilson, Sharon Tayl ...

'', and as a storyboard artist for '' G.I. Joe: The Movie'', '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'', '' My Little Pony: The Movie'', and '' Starchaser: The Legend of Orin''. Additionally, he was a director and writer for '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes''. " Michael Korvac", an episode of the latter series, was dedicated to him. Kirkland had

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) synonymous with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar ...

(IPF) and

interstitial lung disease Interstitial lung disease (ILD), or diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium (the tissue) and space around the alveoli (air sacs) of the lungs. It concerns alveolar epithelium, pulm ...

(ILD). He died on January 27, 2011, at

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as UCLA Medical Center, RRMC or Ronald Reagan) is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United S ...

, while awaiting a

lung transplant Lung transplantation, or pulmonary transplantation, is a surgical procedure in which one or both lungs are replaced by lungs from a donor. Donor lungs can be retrieved from a living or deceased donor. A living donor can only donate one Lobes of t ...

Notes

External links

*
Beyond Evolution: X-Men Evolution

Boyd Kirkland's Eulogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkland, Boyd American Latter Day Saint writers American Mormon missionaries Television producers from California Television writers from California American male television writers American male screenwriters American television directors American storyboard artists Artists from Los Angeles Artists from Salt Lake City Weber State University alumni 1950 births 2011 deaths Writers from Los Angeles Writers from Salt Lake City Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from California Film directors from Los Angeles American male non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Utah