Arthur Rankin Jr.
Directing
Born: July 19, 1924 · New York City, New York, USA
Died: January 30, 2014 (aged 89)
Highest Rated
Biography
Arthur Rankin, Jr. (July 19, 1924 - January 30, 2014) was an American-born, Bermudian director, producer and writer, mostly working in animation. The son of actor Arthur Rankin, in the early 1960s he founded the film production company Videocraft International (now called Rankin/Bass) with Jules Bass. The two worked closely together for many years, co-directing and producing a wide array of stop motion animated features and cartoons, perhaps most famously the holiday-themed TV specials, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974 TV special), and Jack Frost. He is also credited with devising the story for many Rankin/Bass productions, including the featurefilms The Daydreamer and Mad Monster Party?. In 1977 Rankin and Bass produced a version of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. The pair also teamed on a wide variety of animated TV series, including ThunderCats and Silverhawks. The pair last teamed on the 1987 TV special based on The Wind in the Willows. Rankin's last producing credit was on the 1999 animated version of The King and I, in which Bass was not involved, since Arthur was a supervising animator in The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron. Rankin's grandfather was Harry Davenport, perhaps best known as Dr. Meade in Gone with the Wind (1939). Description above from the Wikipedia article Arthur Rankin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Photos (2)
Movies (2)
Directing (44)
The Last Unicorn
Director
The Jackson 5ive
Director
The Smokey Bear Show
Director
The Hobbit
Director
The Flight of Dragons
Director
The Return of the King
Director
The Osmonds
Director
Frosty the Snowman
Director
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Director
Festival of Family Classics
Director
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Director
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
Director
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Director
Cricket on the Hearth
Director
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Director
Willy McBean & His Magic Machine
Director
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
Director
Frosty's Winter Wonderland
Director
The Stingiest Man in Town
Director
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Director
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
Director
Jack Frost
Director
The Little Drummer Boy
Director
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
Director
The Emperor's New Clothes
Director
The Wind in the Willows
Director
The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
Director
That Girl in Wonderland
Director
The First Easter Rabbit
Director
The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians
Director
SilverHawks: The Origin Story
Director
The Mouse on the Mayflower
Director
The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold
Director
The Little Drummer Boy: Book II
Director
Festival of Family Classics: Alice in Wonderland
Director
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Director
The Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters
Director
The Coneheads
Director
Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid
Director
Jack O'Lantern
Director
Pinocchio's Christmas
Director
A Christmas Tree
Director
The Rudolph, Frosty & Friends Sing Along
Director
The Red Baron
Director
Writing (8)
The King and I
Adaptation
The Daydreamer
Writer
Cricket on the Hearth
Writer
Willy McBean & His Magic Machine
Writer
Mad Monster Party?
Story
The Bermuda Depths
Story
The Wacky World of Mother Goose
Story
The Ivory Ape
Writer
Producing (59)
ThunderCats
Producer
ThunderCats
Executive Producer
ThunderCats
Consulting Producer
SilverHawks
Producer
The Last Unicorn
Producer
The King Kong Show
Executive Producer
The Jackson 5ive
Producer
The Smokey Bear Show
Producer
TigerSharks
Executive Producer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Producer
The King and I
Producer
The Hobbit
Producer
The Flight of Dragons
Producer
King Kong Escapes
Executive Producer
The Osmonds
Producer
Frosty the Snowman
Producer
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Producer
Festival of Family Classics
Producer
The Bushido Blade
Producer
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Producer
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
Producer
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Producer
The Daydreamer
Producer
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Producer
Willy McBean & His Magic Machine
Producer
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
Producer
Frosty's Winter Wonderland
Producer
Mad Monster Party?
Producer
The Stingiest Man in Town
Producer
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Producer
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
Producer
The Last Dinosaur
Executive Producer
Jack Frost
Producer
The Little Drummer Boy
Producer
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
Producer
The Emperor's New Clothes
Producer
The Wind in the Willows
Producer
The Sins of Dorian Gray
Executive Producer
The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
Producer
The First Easter Rabbit
Producer
The Bermuda Depths
Producer
The Mouse on the Mayflower
Producer
The Wacky World of Mother Goose
Producer
The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold
Producer
The Little Drummer Boy: Book II
Producer
Ballad of Smokey the Bear
Producer
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Producer
The Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters
Producer
The Coneheads
Producer
The Ivory Ape
Executive Producer
The Ivory Ape
Producer
Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid
Producer
Santa, Baby!
Executive Producer
Marco
Producer
Jack O'Lantern
Producer
Snarf: Butterfly Blues
Consulting Producer
Return to Oz
Producer
Pinocchio's Christmas
Producer
The Red Baron
Producer
Other Crew (8)
The Last Unicorn
Production Design
The Jackson 5ive
Creator
The Smokey Bear Show
Creator
The Hobbit
Production Design
King Kong Escapes
Technical Advisor
The Return of the King
Production Design
Festival of Family Classics
Creator
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Production Design