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Will Vinton

Will Vinton

Director · 1947–2018 · McMinnville, Oregon, USA

IMDb

Biography

Award-winning co-director of "Closed Mondays", the first Claymation (tm) film. Will Vinton was born on November 17, 1947 in McMinnville, Oregon, USA as William Gale Vinton. He was a producer and director, known for Claymation Easter (1992), Martin the Cobbler (1977) and Moonwalker (1988). He was married to Gillian Allred and Susan Shadburne. He was a Claymation artist who coined the term. His studio created numerous Claymation characters for ads, most notably the California Raisins, which gained fame in an ad set to the Motown hit "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". He died on October 4, 2018 in Portland, Oregon.

Directed 20

1990s

  1. 1994

    The World's Greatest Animation

    Director

  2. 1990

    Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II

    Director

1980s

  1. 1988

    Moonwalker

    Director

    60
  2. 1987

    Claymation Christmas Celebration

    Director

  3. Dinosaurs: A Fun Filled Trip Back in Time

    Director

  4. The Festival of Claymation

    Director

  5. 1985

    The Adventures of Mark Twain

    Director

    73
  6. 1982

    The Great Cognito

    Director

  7. 1981

    God's Trombones

    Director

  8. 1980

    A Christmas Gift

    Director

  9. Dinosaurs!

    Director

  10. Dinosaur

    Director

1970s

  1. 1979

    Legacy: A Very Short History of Natural Resources

    Director

  2. The Little Prince

    Director

  3. 1978

    Rip Van Winkle

    Director

  4. Claymation: Three Dimensional Clay Animation

    Director

  5. 1977

    Martin the Cobbler

    Director

  6. 1976

    Mountain Music

    Director

  7. 1974

    Closed Mondays

    Director

No release date

  1. Go Down Death

    Director

Produced 21

1990s

  1. 1999

    I Lost My M in Vegas

    Executive Producer

  2. The PJs

    Executive Producer

    68
  3. 1997

    The Online Adventures of Ozzie the Elf

    Executive Producer

  4. Bride of Resistor

    Producer

  5. 1994

    Mr. Resistor

    Producer

  6. Hammer Time

    Executive Producer

  7. 1992

    Will Vinton's Claymation Easter

    Producer, Executive Producer

  8. 1991

    Will Vinton's Claymation Comedy of Horrors

    Executive Producer

  9. 1990

    Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II

    Producer

1980s

  1. 1989

    The California Raisin Show

    Executive Producer

  2. 1988

    Meet the Raisins!

    Producer

  3. Moonwalker

    Producer

    60
  4. 1987

    Claymation Christmas Celebration

    Producer

  5. The Festival of Claymation

    Producer

  6. 1986

    Shadow Play

    Producer

  7. 1982

    The Great Cognito

    Producer

  8. 1980

    Dinosaurs!

    Producer

1970s

  1. 1978

    Rip Van Winkle

    Producer

  2. 1976

    Mountain Music

    Producer

Visual effects 5

1980s

  1. 1987

    The Festival of Claymation

    Animation

  2. 1985

    Return to Oz

    Animation Director

    60

  3. The Adventures of Mark Twain

    Animation

    73

1970s

  1. 1976

    Mountain Music

    Animation

  2. 1974

    Closed Mondays

    Animation

Wrote 3

1990s

  1. 1992

    Will Vinton's Claymation Easter

    Story

1980s

  1. 1987

    The Festival of Claymation

    Writer

1970s

  1. 1976

    Mountain Music

    Writer

Acted in 1

Appearances6

2020s

  1. 2022

    Claydream

    Self (archive footage)

  2. LIGHT & MAGIC

    Self (archive footage) · 1 episode

    85
  3. 2021

    Remembering Return to Oz

    Self

2010s

  1. 2019

    Animation Outlaws

    Self

  2. 2011

    Adventures in Plymptoons!

    Self