Vinton Back in Motion

After a brief spell in the show-biz wilderness, Oscar-winning, Claymation© guru Will Vinton is back with new projects and a new agent. A couple of weeks after being laid off by his own studio, Vinton is developing projects with the help of the Creative Artists Agency.

Best known for his stop-motion animation using clay figures in TV, films and commercials, Vinton is now reportedly focusing on developing and directing a range of animated features and other projects. Among other things, Vinton is known for the Eddie Murphy WB series The PJs, UPN’s Gary & Mike and the 1985 feature The Adventures of Mark Twain. In commercials, his most prominent contributions are the popular ad campaigns featuring the dancing California Raisins and Red and Yellow M&Ms candies.

Vinton founded Will Vinton Studios in 1976, after winning an Oscar for best-animated short with Bob Gardiner for Closed Mondays. Last year, Nike founder Phil Knight assumed majority ownership of the studios. Then Vinton was inexplicably laid off from the company he started.