Leo D. Sullivan ( – March 25, 2023) was an American writer and director of animated films, and a pioneer in black animation.
With
Floyd Norman
Floyd Ernest Norman (born June 22, 1935) is an American animator, writer, and cartoonist. Over the course of his career, he has worked for various animation companies, among them Walt Disney Animation Studios, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Ruby-Sp ...
, who he met working on
Beanie and Cecil, he launched Vignette Films, later Vignette Multimedia, and worked on the original animated
Soul Train
''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...
logo.
They also produced short films geared toward a high school audience on leaders in the African-American community.
Sullivan worked for
Bob Clampett Productions as an animation cel polisher before moving up to working as an artist and animator.
Over a more than sixty year career, he and his wife collaborated on improving animation for black children.
His company, Leo Sullivan Multimedia, is behind brands such as AfroKids.
Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. (BFHFI), was founded in 1974, in Oakland, California. It supported and promoted black filmmaking, and preserved the contributions by African-American artists both before and behind the camera. It also sponso ...
in 1991 and Sullivan received an Emmy in 1992 as a Timing Director.
Filmography
*''Round Trip to the Moon'' (1972)
*''Examining the Moon'' (1972)
*''Men to Meet the Challenge'' (1972)
*''Living in Space'' (1972)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Leo D.
1940s births
Year of birth missing
2023 deaths
American animators
20th-century African-American artists
21st-century African-American artists