Robert Balser was an animation director best known for his work on the 1968 film Yellow Submarine. Voiced by the Beatles, the movie followed the Fab Four as their cartoon selves accompanied Captain Fred in his yellow submarine to a surreal and psychedelic land. More than 200 artists worked on the hand-drawn feature, which took 11 months to complete.
Balser also served as the animation director on the early 1970s ABC television series Jackson 5ive, which followed the musical adventures of the Jackson brothers. Additionally, he served as the sequence director on the 1979 television movie The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, which won an Emmy Award for outstanding animated program, and was nominated for outstanding individual achievement for an animated program (for writers Bill Melendez and David D. Connell).
Balser also worked as an animation supervisor and director on the mid-1980s animated program The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. Additionally, he contributed to the cartoon series The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, Barney, The Triplets and Baydog.
Robert Balser was an animation director best known for his work on the 1968 film Yellow Submarine. Voiced by the Beatles, the movie followed the Fab Four as their cartoon selves accompanied Captain Fred in his yellow submarine to a surreal and psychedelic land. More than 200 artists worked on the hand-drawn feature, which took 11 months to complete.
Balser also served as the animation director on the early 1970s ABC television series Jackson 5ive, which followed the musical adventures of the Jackson brothers. Additionally, he served as the sequence director on the 1979 television movie The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, which won an Emmy Award for outstanding animated program, and was nominated for outstanding individual achievement for an animated program (for writers Bill Melendez and David D. Connell).
Balser also worked as an animation supervisor and director on the mid-1980s animated program The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. Additionally, he contributed to the cartoon series The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, Barney, The Triplets and Baydog.
He also worked on the main titles of 1968’s Inspector Clouseau, as well as the end-of-film title sequence for Michael Anderson’s 1956 film, Around the World in 80 Days. The latter, a seven-minute sequence, was co-designed by graphic artist Saul Bass. In 1981, Balser directed Heavy Metal’s “Den” segment. The anthology of short, animated, science-fiction films told the story of the battle of good vs. evil, and featured 10 segments, with “Den” coming in at number four.
Balser died January 4, 2016, in Los Angeles. He was 88.
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