Michaël Dudok de Wit (; born 15 July 1953) is a Dutch

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

, director and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...

based in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He won an

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

for '' Father and Daughter'' (2000) and was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

for ''

The Red Turtle ''The Red Turtle'' (french: La Tortue Rouge; ja, レッドタートルある島の物語, Reddo Tātoru: Aru Shima no Monogatari) is a 2016 animated fantasy drama film co-written and directed by Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit and produce ...

'' (2016).

Early life and education

Michaël Dudok de Wit was born in

Abcoude Abcoude () is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. Since 2011 it has been part of the municipality of De Ronde Venen. Population centres The former municipality of Abcoude consisted of the villages Abco ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. After his high school education in the Netherlands, he attended the

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

School of Fine Arts. In 1978, he graduated from the West Surrey College of Art & Design (now the

University for the Creative Arts The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in the south of England. It was formed in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester when the Kent Ins ...

) with his first film ''The Interview''.

Career

After working for a year in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, he settled in London where he directs and animates award-winning commercials for television and cinema. In 1992, he created the short film ''Tom Sweep'', followed by ''The Monk and the Fish'' (1994), (Making of '' Father and Daughter'') Focal Press. which was made in France with the studio Folimage. This film was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

and has won numerous prizes including a

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

for ''Best Short Film'' and the

Cartoon d'or The Cartoon d'Or was a European award for animated short films. History It was rewarded every year to the best European short film from Cartoon's partner festivals until it was suppressed in favor of the Emile Awards. Amongst this short list, a ...

. Michael also writes and illustrates children's picture books and teaches animation at art colleges in England and abroad. His film '' Father and Daughter'' (2000) won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

, the

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...

, Grand Prix at

Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb ( hr, Svjetski festival animiranog filma), also known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Fi ...

and dozens of other major awards. In 2006, he made the short film ''The Aroma of Tea'', which was drawn entirely with tea. His films ''

The Monk and the Fish ''The Monk and the Fish'' (french: Le Moine et le poisson) is a 1994 animated short film made by Michaël Dudok de Wit at the studio Folimage. Plot Standing next to a water reservoir in a monastery enclave, a monk sees a fish and goes to get his ...

'' and '' Father and Daughter'' were included in the Animation Show of Shows. In 2016, he released the feature-length film ''

''. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 89th Academy Awards.

Style

Since '' Tom Sweep'', all Dudok de Wit's films have his trademark brush stroke drawing and his use of ink and watercolour.

Filmography

Animation

*''The Interview'' (1978) *'' Tom Sweep'' (1992), short film *''

'' (''Le Moine et le poisson'') (1994), short film *'' Father and Daughter'' (2000), short film *'' The Aroma of Tea'' (2006), short film *''

'' (2016), feature film

Commercials

*"Actifed Germ" The Welcome Foundation, Cough Medicine *"Heinz Egg" Heinz Salad Cream *"The Long Sleep" Mcallan Malt Whiskey *"VW Sunrise" Volkswagen *"Pink Foot" Owen's Corning Roof Insulation *"Smart Illusions" Nestlé Smarties *"Noah" The Irish Lottery" *"AT&T" five TV commercials *"A Life" United Airlines

Film and television animation contributions

*''The Canterbury Tales''/''The Knight's Tale'' (Television series, Pizazz/S4C, UK) *''

The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all the ...

'' (TV Feature, US, UK and Spain) 1979 *''Den'' segment of '' Heavy Metal'' (Film featuring the animation of

Gerald Potterton Gerald Potterton (8 March 1931 – 23 August 2022) was a British–Canadian director, writer, producer and animator. He is best known for directing the cult classic '' Heavy Metal'' and his animation work on '' Yellow Submarine''. Potterton w ...

, Canada, US & UK) 1980 *''Mickey's Audition'' (Mickey Mouse Special, Disney, US) 1989 *''Prince Cinders'' (Television special, UK) 1991 *''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

'' (Storyboarding,

Walt Disney Feature Animation Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...

, US) 1992 *''T.R.A.N.S.I.T.'' (Short film directed by Piet Kroon, UK and NL) 1997 *''Charlie's Christmas'' (Television Special,

Folimage Folimage is a French animation studio, based in Bourg-lès-Valence, Drôme, France. It was founded in 1981 by Jacques-Rémy Girerd. The studio produces animation films for cinema and TV (short films, TV specials and series, feature films). In 199 ...

, France) 1998 *''

Fantasia 2000 ''Fantasia 2000'' is a 1999 American animated musical anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distin ...

'' (Walt Disney Feature Animation) 2000 *''

Raining Cats and Frogs ''Raining Cats and Frogs'' (French: ', literally "The Prophecy of Frogs") is a French traditional animation children's feature film, released in 2003, directed by Jacques-Rémy Girerd and written by Girerd, Antoine Lanciaux and Iouri Tcherenkov a ...

'' (Folimage) 2003

Illustrations in books

*"Snakes and Ladders" (card game, 1991) *"The History of Geneva" (Editions Chenoises, Geneva 1991) *"Oscar & Hoo" (HarperCollins 2001) (translated in various languages) *"Oscar and Hoo Forever"(HarperCollins 2003) (translated in various languages) *"Vader en dochter" (Leopold, NL, 2001) (translated in various languages) *"Vier bevertjes in de nacht" (Leopold, NL, 2004) (translated in various languages) *"Vier bevertjes en een kastanje" (Leopold, NL, 2007) (translated in various languages)

References

External links

* *
Michaël Dudok de Wit
at USA representative Acme Filmworks {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudok de Wit, Michael 1953 births Alumni of the University for the Creative Arts César Award winners Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners Dutch animators Dutch animated film directors Dutch expatriates in the United Kingdom Dutch film directors Dutch illustrators Living people People from Abcoude