Barry Caldwell dying: Cartoon veteran behind Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain dies aged 68
Barry Caldwell, a veteran American animator and storyboard artist whose credits included Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain and Osmosis Jones, has died at the age of 68.
His death was announced on Facebook by his longtime friend and fellow animator Paul Dini.
“Barry Caldwell was one of the first animation artists I met when I started my career fresh out of school way back around 1980,” Dini began his heartfelt post, which included a photo of Caldwell in an animation office.
“He was also one of the finest artists I ever met, and easily one of the best people. The man’s talent as a cartoonist, designer and director was revered throughout the industry…
“When it comes to humor, it takes a special kind of genuis to be both dry and warm. Barry was both. No artist ever mocked the insanity of the Hollywood cartoon stystem with such devastating incisiveness, and yet loved its creative output so much. At least, I believe he did. You don’t last too long in the cartoon business unless you have some true affection for the characters and the people you work with to bring them to life.
He continued: “That spirit was on display for as long as I knew him, and in all the places we worked together, Filmation, Ruby-Spears, Warner Bros, Disney, so many others. Barry knew how to make a blah assignment sing and turn a good one into something wonderful…
“When Dan Haskett told me today Barry had passed, it was like a silent cannonball blowing away a piece of my world. A lot of people’s worlds, actually. Barry was admired, celebrated and loved by just about everyone, myself included, for many more reasons than I can list here. Gonna miss you, pally.”
Dini’s tribute was reposted by another animator, Tom Ruegger, the creator of Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. Ruegger said he took the photo of Dini shared of Caldwell at Warner Bros. Studio in Sherman Oaks in the early Nineties.
“We were about to transition from Tiny Toons to Animaniacs, two series in which Barry and his artistic brilliance played huge roles,” Ruegger shared.
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“After I met Barry in 1989 and saw what he could accomplish with his incredible talent, I wanted to be sure to make him a big part of whatever show I ever worked on. The subtle expressions he could achieve on characters with his deft and revelatory drawings were unrivaled.
“His direction was a lesson in the joy of animation, packed with personality, humor and heart. With Barry’s passing, animation has lost an incredible artist, director and creative leader, and all of us who knew and worked with Barry have lost a great and faithful friend. I concur with Paul Dini on everything he says about the remarkable Barry Caldwell.”
Born on June 19, 1957, in New York City, Caldwell trained at the School of Visual Arts and went on to work with Warner Bros. Animation, Walt Disney Television Studios and DreamWorks Animation over the course of his career.
His final credit listed on IMDB is as a storyboard artist on Disney Junior’s Ariel.
