Jules Bass, half of the producing team behind the famous Christmas specials Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer AndFrosty, the SnowmanBass has passed away. Bass was 87. He co-founded Rankin/Bass Productions along with his friend. Arthur Rankin Jr.They produced more than a dozen animated TV shows together, from the 1960s up to the 1980s.
Bass, who was suffering from age-related illness, passed away Tuesday in Rye (New York). Publicist Jennifer Fisherman Ruff confirmed his death, reports Bass. Deadline. Jean Nicole Bass was his only child, and he died January at the age 61.
The animator was a Philadelphia native who was born September 16, 1935. He was also edited at New York University. In 1960, he was working as an advertising executive when Rankin/Bass Productions was founded with Rankin. They started with the traditionally-animated series Pinocchio’s Adventures 1960. Four years later, they achieved their greatest success with Rudolph, the Red-Nosed ReindeerThe stop-motion special is based on the Johnny Marks song. The special is a perennial classic and now airs on CBS during the holiday season.
The success of RudolphRankin/Bass was the premier studio for Christmas specials. They produced many more.The Little Drummer Boy (1968),Frosty the Snowman (1969), The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), Rudolph and Frosty celebrate Christmas in July(1980), Santa Claus’ Adventures and Life (1985). (1985).
Rankin and Bass have also explored other subjects. Mad Monster Party (1967), a theatrically-released movie with the voices of Phyllis Diller and Boris Karloff, and the Easter specialPeter Cottontail arrives! (1971). They also produced several animation hits during Saturday morning cartoon boom. Silverhawks, Thundercats, And The Jackson 5ive.
One of J.R.R.’s first adaptations was produced by Rankin and Bas in 1977. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth stories. They directed The HobbitThe film won Romeo Muller the Peabody Award for screenwriter. A follow-up was released in 1980. The Return of the KingThe final material was adapted by, Lord of the Rings book. It was broadcast on ABC. Rankin/Bass also produced a few theatrically-released films, their most famous being 1982’s The Last Unicorn.
Bass quit filmmaking in 1987 and continued to produce films for children. A series of books was written by Bass about Herb, the Vegetarian dragon.