I admired Mark Gustafson, even before I met him. A pillar of stop motion animation- a true artist. A compassionate, sensitive and mordantly witty man. A Legend- and a friend that inspired and gave hope to all around him. He passed away yesterday. Today we honor and miss him.
He leaves behind a Titanic legacy of animation that goes back to the very origins of Claymation and that shaped the career and craft of countless animators. He leaves friends and colleagues and a historic filmography. Prayers and thoughts go to his beloved wife, Jennifer.
They say- "Never meet your heroes..." I disagree. You cannot be disappointed by someone being human... We all are. Burning the midnight oil during postproduction, or doing daily animation turnovers via Zoom during COVID or being trapped in an elevator in a Cinema in London...
I am as glad to have met Mark, the human as I was honored to have met the artist. As I said, I admired him before I met him. I loved having had the chance to share time and space with him during the highs and the lows. Always and forever.
@RealGDT I once went to meet Michael Rosenbaum with my wife, we were both Hugh fans and he was how I got her to go lol we were in front of him when suddenly they closed his line and announced he was leaving, he had time to greet the 2 hot girls behind us though, never watched another
@RealGDT Hi, I am a reporter with KATU-TV Portland. I am sorry about Mark’s passing. Can I talk to you about the legacy he left behind? Please DM me or my email is [email protected]
@RealGDT I can't wait to meet Sally Hawkins. She's my hero and muse. She's everything.