Marcell Jankovics
Marcell Jankovics | |
|---|---|
Jankovics in 2016 | |
| Born | 21 October 1941 |
| Died | 29 May 2021 (aged 79) Budapest, Hungary |
| Known for | Animation |
| Notable work | Johnny Corncob, Son of the White Mare, The Tragedy of Man |
| Awards | Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts (2009) |
Marcell Jankovics (21 October 1941 – 29 May 2021) was a Hungarian graphic artist, film director, animator and author. He is best known for the animated films Johnny Corncob (1973; the first animated feature of his native country) and Son of the White Mare (1981; cited as one of the best animated films ever made).[1]
Life and career
Jankovics was born on 21 October 1941 in Budapest, Hungary. From 1955 he attended the Pannonhalma Benedictine Secondary School. He started working at Pannónia in 1960.
In 1973, he wrote and directed Hungary's first ever animated feature film, Johnny Corncob, based on the 1845 narrative poem John the Valiant by Sándor Petőfi.[2] His fourth feature film The Tragedy of Man was in production from 1988 until its release in 2011. He died on 29 May 2021.[3][4][5][6]
Accolades and legacy
He received his Oscar nomination for the 1974 animated short film Sisyphus.[7][8] That film was used for a GMC Yukon Hybrid ad during the 2008 Super Bowl based on an agreement between the Hungarian film studio Pannónia and GM. He also received a Palme d'Or for the short film The Struggle at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival.[9] He has been presented multiple awards at the Kecskemét Animation Film Festival since 1985. In 2009, he was presented with the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts.[10] In 2021, he received the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from the CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival.[11]
Son of the White Mare was placed #49 on the Olympiad of Animation in 1984.[12][13]
Animation historian Charles Solomon listed The White Mare's Son as one of the best animated films of the 1980s.[14]
Filmography
His filmography includes:
- Johnny Corncob (János vitéz) (1973)
- Sisyphus (1974)
- The Struggle (Küzdők) (1977)
- Son of the White Mare (Fehérlófia) (1981)[15][16]
- A Székely asszony és az ördög ("The Transylvanian Woman and the Devil") (1985) - Winner of the 1st KAFF Prize for Best Series.[17]
- Hol volt, hol nem volt ("A Hungarian Fairy Tale") (1987)[15]
- Tangram (1988) - Winner of the KAFF Award for Best Animation.[18]
- Magyar népmesék ("Hungarian Folk Tales") (1988-1996) - Jankovics was awarded the KAFF Prize for Best Film Series together with Zsuzsanna Kricskovics for their work on the episode entitled "Mindent járó malmocska" ("Mill Film").[18] He would go on to win the KAFF Prize for Best TV Series with Mária Horvát in 1996 for their work on the episode entitled "A pityke és a kökény" ("The Han and the Wild Plum")[19]
- Jankula (1993) - Winner of the KAFF Award for the Category of Cultural History[20]
- Ének a Csodaszarvasról ("Song of the Miraculous Hind") (2002) - Winner of the KAFF-Sponsored Award of the National Radio and Television Commission.[21]
- Az ember tragédiája ("The Tragedy of Man") (2011) - Jankovics was awarded the KAFF Prize for Best Visual Language for the sequence entitled "Egy jottányit sem!" ("Not an iota!") from Az ember tragédiája VII. szín ("The Tragedy of Man Part 7),[22] and the Jury's Special Mention at the 8th Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials for this work.[23]
- Toldi (2022)
References
- ^ "BEYOND THE YELLOW SUBMARINE: MARCELL JANKOVICS' PSYCHEDELIC ANIMATIONS". MUBI. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Celebrating the Great Cartoon Director Marcell Jankovics' Birthday". HungarianConservative.com.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (1 June 2021). "Hungarian Animation Legend Marcell Jankovics Dies Age 79". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ Varga, Denes. "OBITUARY: Hungarian Animation Director Marcell Jankovics - FilmNewEurope.com". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ de Wit, Alex Dudok (31 May 2021). "Marcell Jankovics, Giant Of Hungarian Animation, Dies At 79". Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ Leitner, Attila (30 May 2021). "Animation film director Marcell Jankovics dies at 79". The Budapest Times. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ Oscars (23 April 2014). Short Film Winners: 1976 Oscars. Retrieved 30 August 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "The 48th Academy Awards | 1976". www.oscars.org. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Festival Central". IMDb. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts 2009". Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ^ "Awards | CineFest". Cinefest Miskolc. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "The Olympiad of Animation: An Interview With Fini Littlejohn". www.awn.com. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ Parks, Corrie Francis (2 June 2021). "In Memoriam: Marcell Jankovics". ASIFA. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "MOVIES OF THE '80s : ANIMATION : MICE DREAMS". Los Angeles Times. 27 July 1986. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ a b Culhane, John (2011). "Marcell Jankovics". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
- ^ Spectacle (22 January 2017). FEHÉRLÓFIA (SON OF THE WHITE MARE). Retrieved 30 August 2025 – via Vimeo.
- ^ 1.Kecskeméti Animációs Filmszemle Archived 21 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1985.
- ^ a b "kaff1988". www.kaff.hu. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ 4. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál 1. Nemzetközi Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál Archived 13 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1996.
- ^ 3. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál Archived 21 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1993.
- ^ KAFF 2002 - Díjak Archived 26 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine (English: "KAFF 2002 - Award Archived 26 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine"). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2002.
- ^ KAFF 2007 Díjak Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (English: "KAFF 2007 Awards Archived 8 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine"). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2007.
- ^ 11. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál 8. Európai Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál Archived 30 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2013.