Paul Gruwell
Paul Gruwell | |
|---|---|
Paul Gruwell, 1990 | |
| Born | Paul Hugh Gruwell November 28, 1933 Bremerton, Washington |
| Died | November 4, 2014 (aged 80) Bellingham, Washington, US |
| Education | UW, Art & Architecture program, Seattle (mid-1950s) |
| Known for | Animation, illustration, graphic art |
| Notable work | Basketball Jones (1973). Director. |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Marilyn (Wickers) Gruwell, Sharon (Ehler) Gruwell |
| Children | Gina Gruwell, Lisa Gruwell Spicer, Renee (Gruwell) Williams, Maria (Gruwell) Thompson |
Paul Gruwell (November 28, 1933 – November 4, 2014) was an American multidisciplinary artist, animator, creative director, and designer, whose career spanned animation, music, publishing, and graphic arts.[1] Best known as the director of Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces, Gruwell worked with major studios including Hanna-Barbera, Marvel Productions, Disney, Amblin, Filmation, Film Roman, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Warner Bros.[1] He also lead creative projects for companies like Boeing, Microsoft, Softimage, Humongous Entertainment, Shanachie Records, Epic Records, A&M Records, and Ode Records, and Watermark Inc.[2][3][4]
The Los Angeles Times referred to Gruwell as "one of the last hand-drawn animation artists" in the movie industry, highlighting his commitment to traditional animation techniques in a time of evolving technologies. With a career that spanned children's entertainment, political satire, and commercial projects.[1]
He spent his later years in Bellingham, Washington, where he remained until his death on November 4, 2014, from complications related to type 2 diabetes.[1]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | California Split | Animator - Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces scene | |
| 1979 | Being There | Animator - Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces scene | |
| 1978 | Up in Smoke | Animator - uncredited | Cut from final |
| 1979 | Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All | Model designer | |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Concept artist | |
| 1981 | Heavy Metal | Assistant animator | Segment "Taarna" |
| 1985 | Starchaser: The Legend of Orin | Storyboard artist | |
| 1987 | Sport Goofy in Soccermania | Model designer | |
| The Garbage Pail Kids Movie | Storyboard artist |
Shorts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces | Director, animator | |
| 1978 | The Big Sniff | Director, animator | Considered for Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film[5] |
| 1989 | Garfield's Babes and Bullets | Model designer | Won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-1969 | The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Layout artist | |
| 1969 | The Banana Splits | ||
| 1969-1970 | Scooby Doo, Where Are You! | ||
| 1972 | The New Scooby-Doo Movies | credited as 'Paul Gruwett' | |
| 1973 | Emergency +4 | ||
| 1974 | These Are the Days | ||
| 1978 | Super Friends | ||
| 1978-1979 | Godzilla | Story director, layout artist | |
| 1979 | Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | Animator | |
| The New Adventures of Flash Gordon | Model designer | ||
| 1981 | Heathcliff | Layout artist | |
| 1982 | The Little Rascals | ||
| Pandamonium | |||
| Meatballs & Spaghetti | Storyboard artist | ||
| Pac-Man | Layout artist | ||
| 1983 | Mister T | ||
| Dungeons & Dragons | Background designer | ||
| 1984 | The Transformers | Storyboard artist | Credited as 'Paul Grewell' |
| 1985-1986 | G.I. Joe | Layout artist | |
| 1986 | My Little Pony | Storyboard artist | |
| InHumanoids | Model designer | Credited as 'Paul Gruell' | |
| Garbage Pail Kids | Storyboard designer, layout designer, model designer | ||
| 1988 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | Scenic designer | |
| Dino-Riders | Background layout artist | ||
| 1988-1989 | DuckTales | Storyboard designer | |
| 1989 | The Magical World of Disney | ||
| 1989-1990 | Garfield and Friends | Director, supervising director, overseas supervisor | |
| 1990 | Kid 'n' Play | Background designer | |
| 1993 | Bonkers | Key layout designer, storyboard artist | |
| 1995 | Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | Storyboard artist | |
| 1996 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Background designer | |
| 1998 | The New Batman Adventures | Background key designer | |
| The Simpsons | Animator, additional animation timer | ||
| Batman Beyond | Background key designer | ||
| 1999-2002 | Mission Hill | Background designer |
Educational Filmstrips
| Year | Company | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s-1990s | Disney | Storyboard artist |
Industrial
| Year | Client | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Boeing | Filmmaker |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Backyard Baseball | Background layout artist | |
| 2000 | Backyard Baseball 2001 | Background layout artist |
Music industry
LPs
| Year | Title | Artist | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Key | Meredith Monk | Art Direction | |
| Cheech and Chong | Cheech & Chong | Album cover art & typography | ||
| 1972 | An Evening With Richard Nixon | Gore Vidal | Design and cover drawings | |
| 1993 | From The Polynesian Odyssey | Tubuai Choir | Art direction, design |
Singles
| Year | Title | Artist | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Santa Claus and His Old Lady | Cheech & Chong | Typography | |
| 1973 | Sister Mary Elephant | Picture sleeve illustration | ||
| 1977 | Bloat On / Just Say "Right On" (The Bloaters' Creed) | Album cover art |
Compilations
| Year | Title | Label | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Cruisin' 56 | Increase Records | Art direction, thumbnails | Final illustrations by Mike Royer |
| Cruisin' 57 | ||||
| Cruisin' 58 | ||||
| Cruisin' 59 | ||||
| Cruisin' 60 | ||||
| Cruisin' 61 | ||||
| Cruisin' 62 | ||||
| 1972 | Cruisin' 55 | |||
| Cruisin' 63 |
Radio shows
| Year | Title | Host | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–1979 | American Top 40 | Casey Kasem | Logo designer, graphic designer for branding & marketing materials |
Books
| Year | Title | Author | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Seven Arrows | Hyemeyohsts Storm | Storyboard & layout artist for film adaptation | |
| 1986 | Mentor and the Magic Circle | Illustrator | Initially published by München Boer in Germany as Mentor und der Magische Kreis | |
| 2005 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem (The 1970s) | Pete Battistini | Book cover | The logo for American Top 40, created by Gruwell, is displayed prominently on the book cover |
Other
| Year | Client | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Sky Music in Ojai, California | Logo designer, graphic designer for branding & marketing materials |
References
- ^ a b c d "Paul Gruwell Obituary (2015) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ "Paul Gruwell". Discogs. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ "Mike Royer's Cruisin' Years: the Interview, part 2". Who's Out There?. July 13, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ "Paul Gruwell". MobyGames. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ Beck, Jerry (2017-12-04). "Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1978". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved 2025-01-13.