Marcell Jankovics (21 October 1941 – 29 May 2021) was a Hungarian graphic artist, film director, animator and author. He is best known for the animated films Johnny Corncob (1973; the first animated feature of his native country) and Son of the White Mare (1981; cited as one of the best animated films ever made).

Life and career

Jankovics was born on 21 October 1941 in Budapest, Hungary. From 1955 he attended the Pannonhalma Benedictine Secondary School. He started working at Pannónia in 1960. In 1973, he wrote and directed Hungary's first ever animated feature film, Johnny Corncob, based on the 1845 narrative poem John the Valiant by Sándor Petőfi. His fourth feature film The Tragedy of Man was in production from 1988 until its release in 2011. He died on 29 May 2021.

Accolades and legacy

He received his Oscar nomination for the 1974 animated short film Sisyphus. That film was used for a GMC Yukon Hybrid ad during the 2008 Super Bowl based on an agreement between the Hungarian film studio Pannónia and GM. He also received a Palme d'Or for the short film The Struggle at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. He has been presented multiple awards at the Kecskemét Animation Film Festival since 1985. In 2009, he was presented with the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts. In 2021, he received the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from the CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival. Son of the White Mare was placed #49 on the Olympiad of Animation in 1984. Animation historian Charles Solomon listed The White Mare's Son as one of the best animated films of the 1980s.

Filmography

His filmography includes: