---
name: "Will Vinton"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/will-vinton"
fi1m_id: "will-vinton"
imdb_id: "nm0899139"
tmdb_id: 60220
wikidata_id: "Q973687"
roles: ["Producer","Director"]
born: "17 November 1947"
died: "4 October 2018"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 0
updated: "2026-10-04T20:40:28.650677+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Will Vinton

## Identity

Will Vinton

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/will-vinton
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** will-vinton
- **IMDb ID:** nm0899139
- **TMDB ID:** 60220
- **Wikidata ID:** Q973687
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Vinton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q973687, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0899139/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/60220

Producer and director. Born 17 November 1947 in McMinnville, Oregon, USA. Died 4 October 2018.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer, Director
- **Born:** 17 November 1947, McMinnville, Oregon, USA
- **Died:** 4 October 2018
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 4 nominated)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Vinton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q973687, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0899139/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/60220

## Biography

Will Vinton (1947–2018) was an American animator, director and producer. Born in McMinnville, Oregon, he co-directed the short film *Closed Mondays* (1974) with Bob Gardiner. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and was the first to use the stop-motion technique Vinton later termed Claymation.

Vinton directed the feature *The Adventures of Mark Twain* (1985) and the 'Speed Demon' segment of *Moonwalker* (1988), on which he also served as producer. His studio produced numerous Claymation television specials and commercials, including the California Raisins series.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Moonwalker* (1988), Fi1m 40, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/moonwalker.md)

## Complete filmography (39)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Wild* (2006), Executive Producer
- *The Morning After* (2005), Producer, Director, Screenplay
- *Día de los muertos* (2002), Executive Producer
- *Gary & Mike* (2001), series, Producer
- *I Lost My M in Vegas* (1999), Executive Producer
- *The PJs* (1999), series, Executive Producer
- *Klay's TV* (1998), Director
- *The Online Adventures of Ozzie the Elf* (1997), Executive Producer
- *Bride of Resistor* (1997), Producer
- *Mr. Resistor* (1994), Producer
- *Hammer Time* (1994), Executive Producer
- *The World's Greatest Animation* (1994), Director
- *Will Vinton's Claymation Easter* (1992), Producer, Executive Producer, Story
- *Will Vinton's Claymation Comedy of Horrors* (1991), Executive Producer
- *Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II* (1990), Director, Producer
- *The California Raisin Show* (1989), series, Executive Producer
- *Meet the Raisins!* (1988), Producer
- *Moonwalker* (1988), Producer, Director — Fi1m 40, [page](https://film.one/film/moonwalker.md)
- *Claymation Christmas Celebration* (1987), Director, Producer
- *Dinosaurs: A Fun Filled Trip Back in Time* (1987), Director
- *The Festival of Claymation* (1987), Director, Writer, Producer, Animation
- *Shadow Play* (1986), Producer
- *Return to Oz* (1985), Animation Director
- *The Adventures of Mark Twain* (1985), as Dan'l Webster (voice) · Director, Animation
- *The Great Cognito* (1982), Director, Producer
- *The Creation* (1981), Director
- *God's Trombones* (1981), Director
- *A Christmas Gift* (1980), Director
- *Dinosaurs!* (1980), Producer, Director
- *Dinosaur* (1980), Director
- *Legacy: A Very Short History of Natural Resources* (1979), Director
- *The Little Prince* (1979), Director
- *Rip Van Winkle* (1978), Director, Producer
- *Claymation: Three Dimensional Clay Animation* (1978), Director
- *Martin the Cobbler* (1977), Director
- *Mountain Music* (1976), Director, Writer, Producer, Animation
- *Closed Mondays* (1974), Director, Animation
- *Gone for a Better Deal* (1974), Director
- *Go Down Death*, Director

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 4 nominated

- 1986: Best Visual Effects (nominated), for *Return to Oz*
- 1983: Best Animated Short Film (nominated), for *The Great Cognito*
- 1982: Best Animated Short Film (nominated), for *The Creation*
- 1979: Best Animated Short Film (nominated), for *Rip Van Winkle*
- 1975: Best Animated Short Film (won), for *Closed Mondays*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/will-vinton