Dianne Jackson (28 July 1941 – 31 December 1992) was an English

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

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 ...

, best known for ''

The Snowman ''The Snowman'' is a 1982 British animated television film and symphonic poem based on Raymond Briggs's 1978 picture book '' The Snowman.'' It was directed by Dianne Jackson for Channel 4. It was first shown on 26 December 1982, and was an ...

'', made in 1982 and repeated every Christmas on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in the United Kingdom. She was born Dianne Hillier in 1941 and attended Twickenham County Grammar School and Twickenham Art School. She had a long career as an animator and director of animated half-hour TV Specials. Her earliest credit was for

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' '' Yellow Submarine'' in 1968. She is particularly noted for recreating the style of the original artists in her animations, for example of

Raymond Briggs Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...

's picture book, ''The Snowman'' and John Burningham's '' Granpa''. She directed ''Granpa'' by John Burningham in 1989 and was due to direct Raymond Briggs' ''

Father Christmas Father Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and typically considered to be synonymous with Santa Claus, he was originally part of a much older and unrela ...

'' in 1991, having completed storyboarding for the film, although due to development work on the 'Beatrix Potter Series' this was directed by Dave Unwin. She also wrote the outlines and treatments for the first series of animated adaptations of the tales of

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Heelis (; 28 July 186622 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( ), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' ...

as '' The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends''. She died of cancer on New Year's Eve 1992 at the age of 51. The series episode "The Tailor of Gloucester", a Xmas special, which was in production during the last year of her life is "dedicated to her memory".

Personal life

Hillier first married Michael Jackson in 1963 (divorced 1971), and secondly David Norton in 1975, with whom she had one son and one daughter. She died at home in

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the north-east, while Bournemouth is also nearby, south-west. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

References

External links

*
Dianne Jackson
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Dianne 1941 births 1992 deaths British animated film directors Women animated film directors English animators British women animators