Michaël Dudok de Wit
Michael Dudok de Wit ( born 1953 in Abcoude, Netherlands) is a Dutch animated film director and animator.
Biography
Inspired by Eastern European animated films, he studied animation at West Surrey College of Art in England. He graduated in 1978 from the film The Interview. He then worked for a year in Barcelona and then moved to London, where he created award-winning advertising cartoons.
With Tom Sweep, he realized in 1992 in France a three-minute animated film, the 1994 film The Monk and the Fish (Le moine et le poisson ) followed he produced Folimage in the production studio. This work, which is a obsessively a fish -hunting Buddhist monk, became his breakthrough; he won several awards, including a César, and a nomination for an Academy Award for " Best Animated Short Film ", and was invited in the following time to the world's most important animation festivals.
Even more awards earned him his next film Father and Daughter ( 2000). This tells of a girl who says goodbye to his father moving to sea and up to the end of life is waiting for his return. The film won the 2002 SWR Audience Award at the Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart and was awarded among others with an Oscar and with the Cristal d' Annecy.
By the way, who lives in London Dudok de Wit worked for The Walt Disney Company again, where he Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia 2000, and Mickey's Audition collaborated on the films as an animator. He has also illustrated several children's books (including Oskar and Huu ) and gives lectures on animation at various universities. In order to secure his livelihood, he also produces further promotional films.
Style
Dudok de Wit turns his films in traditional animation technique. His minimalist backgrounds, often vast landscapes he paints mostly in watercolor and charcoal, while he digitally colors his figures on the PC. Due to its color it produces " nostalgic tones. " His experimental film The Aroma of Tea (2006) he painted using tea. He himself says about his style: " In my drawings, I 'm very strong on atmosphere, light and shadow, and the room. The heaping use of shadow has become my favorite optical technology. "
His films come from no dialogue and discuss various issues. While Le moine et le poisson is comedic, told Father and Daughter of a personal destiny, which is to communicate with the audience emotionally.