Marcell Jankovics, icon of Hungarian animated films dies at 79 – VIDEOS of his works

Acclaimed director of animation films and illustrator Marcell Jankovics, honorary president of the Hungarian Academy of the Arts (MMA), died aged 79 early on Saturday, MMA said.

The academy praised Jankovics as a “visual artist and public figure, a scholar of fairy tales … with an exceptionally wide-ranging, varied work.

His oeuvre remains an important part of Hungarian culture,” the statement said.

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Jankovics was born in 1941 in Budapest. Having been denied admission to the Technological University’s architecture faculty for political reasons, he started working in a factory, and soon found a position at Pannonia Film Company, where he was appointed animation director in 1965.

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He worked with the best of the golden era of Hungarian animation such as József Nepp and Attila Dargay, MMA said.

His works include full-length animation films such as János vitéz (John the Valiant), Fehérlófia and The Tragedy on Man, all re-imaginings of well-known Hungarian tales and dramas.

He also directed an animated series of Hungarian fairy tales.

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Source: MTI