R.I.P. Kent Melton, character sculptor for Disney, Laika, etc. (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

Kent Melton has died at age 68. He might not have been a widely recognized name, but you've probably seen his work. He was a character sculptor for many animated films.

In particular, he was involved in the creation of the Cave of Wonders for Aladdin. Most people who have been reading my posts will know this is my favorite movie of all time. I thought I should post to acknowledge his passing, especially since he created my avatar.

Melton’s first Disney credit came on Aladdin (1992), followed by work on such other studio films as Thumbelina (1994), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules(1997), Mulan (1998), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Tarzan (1999), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) and Pixar’s The Incredibles (2004).

For Aladdin, Melton worked on the first computer-animated character ever done in a feature animated film, the Cave of Wonders’ tiger head that talks and moves. “When I saw it on film, I said, ‘It’s alive! I created this thing!’ It was scanned right off of my sculpture,” he said. “And it was so nice because I was just this kid who grew up on a farm, and here I am sitting in a theater with this giant character that I made happen.”

More about what sounds like a remarkable career at the link:

Kent Melton, Character Sculptor for ‘Aladdin,’ ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Coraline,’ Dies at 68

He helped fuel Disney’s animation renaissance in the 1990s, then worked on stop-motion films for Laika Studios.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

And here also is his IMDb page with an extensive list of credits:

Kent Melton | Animation Department, Art Department, Visual Effects

Known for: Hercules, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Aladdin

www.imdb.com

May he Rest In Peace. . Thank you, sir.

 

[Edwin-S]

Terrible news. He was a great sculptor who worked on a wide variety of animated films and TV series for all of the major American animation houses.

I have the limited edition of Red Hot Riding Hood based on his sculpture of the character as well as two maquettes from the Tiny Toon Aventures series. It would have been great to get one of his original production maquttes from his Disney work, but it was just too expensive to afford.

Condolences to his family and friends. He is a great loss to the animation community.

May He RIP.