From Newsgroup: rec.arts.animation

Jules Bass, known as the producer and director of oRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeero and oFrosty the Snowman,o died on Tuesday at the age of 87.

His publicist Jennifer Fisherman-Ruff confirmed the death of Bass at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bass, who also produced oSanta Claus Is Coming to Town,o released his classic Christmas stop-motion programs in the 1960s and 1970s. The television
specials have since become known as holiday classics enjoyed by millions of viewers worldwide.

The famed producer was known for his longtime work with director Arthur
Rankin Jr.

During their years together, the Rankin/Bass Productions company set new standards for stop-motion technology. The productions included the use of thousands of individual photos pieced together at 24 frames per second in a process known as Animagic, The Hollywood Reporter noted.

Very sad to hear about the death of Jules Bass, of Rankin-Bass fame.
I've always loved the quirky stop-motion in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED
REINDEER, THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS, and so many other great
movies and specials. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/7EXnGUjvtW

u Vincent Alexander (@NonsenseIsland) October 25, 2022

In addition to the three Christmas classics, Bass and Rankin released the televised series oThe New Adventures of Pinnochioo in 1960. The team won an Emmy for their work on oThe Little Drummer Boy Book IIo in 1977 and released an animated version of J.R.R. TolkienAs oThe Hobbito in 1980, later releasing the sequel, oThe Return of the King.o

Additional television programs released by the production company included oHere Comes Peter Cottontailo (1971), the oJackson 5iveo series (1971-1972), oThe Year Without a Santa Clauso (1974), the 1980s series oThundercats,o and oThe Coneheadso (1983), according to Variety.

Bass and Rankin also co-directed oThe Last Unicorno (1983). The animated film featured top Hollywood voices, including Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, and Angela Lansbury.

In addition to television and film projects, Bass was a composer of popular songs. His popular-song works include oPinocchio,o oThree Sad Souls,o and oDaydreamer,o according to IMDB.

Bass went on to author multiple childrenAs books in his later years. He also released the novel Headhunters (2001), which was adapted for the 2011 film oMonte Carloo starring Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy.

Bass was born in Philadelphia in 1935, attending New York University before joining Rankin in what would later become one of the outstanding partnerships in childrenAs productions.

Rankin passed away on January 30, 2014, in Harrington Sound, Bermuda. He was the son of Arthur Rankin Sr., an early American actor known for his roles in oTo Have and to Holdo and oThe Great Adventure.o

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Let's go Brandon!

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