George Dunning

Dunning was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and studied in at the Ontario College of Art, and soon found freelance work as an illustrator. Dunning joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1943, where he worked with Norman McLaren[1] and contributed to several episodes of the Chants populaires series. From 1944 to 1947 Dunning created many original short films and developed his skills animating articulated, painted, metal cut-outs.

In 1948, he spent a year working for UNESCO in Paris under the mentorship of Czech-born animator Berthold Bartosch. Then in 1949, he and fellow NFB grad Jim McKay created one of Toronto's first animation studios, Graphic Associates, where he produced commercials and gave Michael Snow his first job in film. Dunning later moved on to New York City working on UPA's The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show and in 1956 he moved to England to manage UPA's new London office. After the office went under, he hired many of the UPA staff to work for him and his newly established production company, T.V. Cartoons Ltd. (renamed TVC London). Among the animators working for TVC were Richard Williams and Jimmy Murakami. By 1961, TVC was producing about one hundred commercials a year. During this time Dunning also managed to make many personal short films noted for their surrealistic atmosphere and Kafkaesque themes. The Flying Man earned him the Annecy Cristal Grand Prix in 1962 while The Apple won the 1963 BAFTA Award (UK equivalent of an Oscar).

Dunning also oversaw the cartoon series The Beatles for ABC, and this led to his involvement with Yellow Submarine (1968). Dunning was also responsible for the opening credits of Blake Edwards' A Shot in the Dark, along with a series of shorts and inserts including "the digger", for the BBC's Vision On series for children. His final project, an animated version of Shakespeare's The Tempest, was never completed.

By January 1979, long-standing health issues had come to the fore; Dunning died at his home in London on February 15, 1979, at age 58. His 51 percent of TVA London passed to his wife, Faye. However she had cancer and died the following August. The couple had no children, so their shares reverted to Coates who feared that, without Dunning, clients would no longer be interested in working with the firm. That was not the case, and TVA London continued on, very successfully, until it was sold to Varga Studio in 2001.[2]

• Chants populaires No. 2 - animated short, National Film Board of Canada 1944 - animator and co-director with Jean-Paul Ladouceur[3]
• Chants populaires No. 3 - animated short, National Film Board of Canada 1944 - animator and co-director with Jim MacKay[4]
• Chants populaires No. 4 - animated short, National Film Board of Canada 1944 - animator and co-director with Jim MacKay[5]
• Grim Pastures - cartoon, National Film Board of Canada 1944 - animator, director[6]
• Keep Your Mouth Shut - animated short, National Film Board of Canada, Norman McLaren 1944 - animator[7]
• Back to Normal - documentary short, National Film Board of Canada 1944 - producer, director[8]
• The Three Blind Mice - animated film, National Film Board of Canada 1945 - director, co-animator with Robert Verrall and Grant Munro[9]
• Cadet Rousselle - documentary short, National Film Board of Canada 1946 - director, co-animator with Colin Low [10] awards
• Christmas Carols - animated film, National Film Board of Canada 1947 - director, co-animator with Robert Verrall, Grant Munro, Colin Low, Helen MacKay and Lyle Enright[11]
• Family Tree - documentary short, National Film Board of Canada 1950 - animator, co-director with Evelyn Lambart[12]
• The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show - The Election/The Fifty-First Dragon/Twirlinger Twins in the Ballet Lesson -TV series episode, United Productions of America 1956 - animator
• The Wardrobe - cartoon, TV Cartoons 1958 - animator, producer, director[13]
• The Story of the Motor Car Engine - animated documentary, Industrial Animation for Ford Motor Company, Erwin Broner and Richard Williams 1958 - producer[14]
• Power Train - animated training film, Industrial Animation for Ford Motors, Jimmy T. Murakami 1960 - writer, producer[15]
• Redemption of a Retailer - animated film, TV Cartoons, Bill Sewell 1961 - producer, director[16]
• The Ever-Changing Motor Car - animated documentary, TV Cartoons for Ford Motor Company 1962 - co-producer with Robert Adams, co-director with Alan Ball[17]
• The Flying Man - cartoon, TV Cartoons 1962 - animator, producer, director[18]
• Mr. Know-How in Hot Water - animated short, Industrial Animation, Bill Sewell 1962 - producer[19]
• Mr. Know-How in All-Round Comfort - animated short, Industrial Animation, Bill Sewell 1963 - producer[20]
• The Apple - animated short, TVC London 1963 - animator, director[21]
• Discovery - Penicillin - documentary, TVC London, Denis Rich 1964 - producer[22]
• The First Adventures of Thud and Blunder - training film, National Coal Board, Bill Sewell 1964 - producer[23]
• Thud and Blunder: Knock-Off Time - training film, National Coal Board, Alan Ball 1964 - producer[24]
• Thud and Blunder: Haulage Hazards - training film, National Coal Board, Bill Sewell 1964 - producer[25]
• The Insects - animated film, TVC London, Jimmy T. Murakami 1964 - co-producer with Jimmy T. Murakami[26]
• Charley -TV movie, TVC London 1965 - producer, director[27]
• Kindred Spirit Scotch Whisky's Guide to International Relations - animated TV film, TVC London, Alan Ball, 1965 - producer[28]
• The Loco - training film, National Coal Board, 1965 - producer, director[29]
• The Beatles (TV series)|The Beatles]] - TV series, TVC London et al 1965-1967 - producer (33 episodes)
• The Helmet - training film, National Coal Board, 1966 - producer, director[30]
• The Roof - training film, National Coal Board, 1966 - producer, director[31]
• Safety Boots - training film, National Coal Board, 1966 - producer, director [32]
• Thud and Blunder: Materials Handling - training film, National Coal Board, Bill Sewell 1966 - producer[33]
• Canada is My Piano - animated short film, National Film Board of Canada and Expo 67 - writer, producer, director[34]
• The Chair - training film, National Coal Board, Bill Sewell 1967 - producer[35]
• The Ladder - training film, National Coal Board, 1967 - producer, director[36]
• Shaped for a Living - animated film, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 1967 - creator, co-producer with John Arnold[37]
• Tidy Why - training film, National Coal Board, Bill Sewell 1964 - producer[38]
• Yellow Submarine - feature, TVC London/Apple Corps/King Features Syndicate 1968 - director
• Lazy River - animated film, TVC London 1968 - producer, director[39]
• Discovering Radar - animated film, TVC London, Jim Duffy and John Fletcher 1968 - producer[40]
• Cod Fishing - animated film, TVC London, Bill Sewell 1969 - producer[41]
• Hands, Knees and Bumps a Daisy - training film, National Coal Board, 1969 - producer, director[42]
• A Sense of Responsibility - training film, National Coal Board, Alan Ball 1970 - producer[43]
• The Self-Breathing Apparatus - documentary short, TVC London, Alan Ball 1970 - producer[44]
• Moon Rock -short film, TVC London 1970 - producer, director[45]
• Horses of Death - training film, National Coal Board 1972, producer, co-director with Jim Duffy[46]
• Damon the Mower - short film, TVC London 1972 - animator, producer, director[47]
• How Not to Keep a Head While Shot-Firing - training film, National Coal Board, 1973 producer, co-director with Jim Duffy[48]
• The Maggot - short film, TVC London 1973 - producer, director[49]
• Plant a Tree - documentary short, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 1973 - director, producer[50]
• Dandruff - cartoon, TVC London, Jim Duffy 1973 - co-producer with Jim Duffy[51]
• Five Problems in Communications - training film, National Coal Board, Jim Duffy 1974 - producer[52]
• Along These Lines - documentary short, Bell Canada, Peter Pearson 1974 - animator
• Teamwork - training film, National Coal Board, Jim Duffy 1975 - producer[53]
• Safety Senses - training film, National Coal Board, Jim Duffy 1975 - producer[54]
• The Devil May Care - training film, National Coal Board, Jim Duffy 1975 - producer[55]

• Axelrod, Mitchell. Beatletoons: The Real Story Behind The Cartoon Beatles. Wynn, 1999. Lenburg, Jeff. Encyclopedia Of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books, 1999.
• Lehman, Christopher P. American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961-1973. McFarland, 2007.
• TV.com.
• The Big Cartoon Database.

• Canadian Film Encyclopedia A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group
• George Dunning biography and credits at the BFI's Screenonline
• George Dunning at IMDb