Legendary animator Ed Benedict died August 28 at age 94, according to his longtime friend and fellow animator David Sheldon earlier this week.
If you don't recognize Benedict's name, you will certainly recognize his work. Arguably responsible for the incredible success of the Hanna-Barbera animation studio, Benedict was the lead animator and designer on many of the studios initial creations, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quickdraw McGraw, and The Flintstones, including Fred, Barney, Wilma, Betty, all of the "stone age" houses and machinery.
"Benedict's designs are both simple -- they needed to be to accommodate the strenuous demands of limited TV animation -- and highly sophisticated, containing that indefinable drawing quality that gives a drawing charm and personality," wrote Amid Amidi in his book Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in Fifties Animation. You can also find Amidi's online tribute (with sketches) here.
Benedict had requested that his ashes be spread over California's Carmel Bay, where his wife's ashes were scattered previously.
You can see some sketches from Benedict's lengthy career at AnimationBlast. Also, see John Kricfalusi's (Ren and Stimpy, Ripping Friends) blog back in April where he talks about how he was influenced by Benedict's work (with Flintstones sketches).
