RIP: Toy Story’s Woody Animator Bud Luckey Dies At 83
Bud Luckey, animator, cartoonist, singer, musician, designer, composer, artist and voice actor passed away on Saturday, February 24. He was also the Pixar animator who designed Toy Story’s Woody.
In 2004, Luckey wrote and directed the Pixar short film Boundin‘, for which he also composed music and performed as the short’s singer and narrator. Boundin’ won the Annie Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film:
Luckey worked in the business for more than 60 years, beginning his career at the California Institute of the Arts in 1957. He was a Disney scholar, and received professional animation training at the University of Southern California with Disney veteran animator, Art Babbitt. In the 70’s, he made his mark on our pop culture radars with his work at Sesame Street, including these two animated classics:
Sesame Street: Alligator King
Sesame Street: Ladybugs’ Picnic
His passing was announced by his son, Andy:
“Bud Luckey – 1934-2018 – With great sadness I announce the passing of my Dad: Bud Luckey. My Dad was best known for his work in animation (PIXAR/Disney/Sesame Street) and as a voice actor (Eeyore, Agent Rick Dicker, Chuckles the Clown et al.). He loved his work but got even greater satisfaction from seeing others enjoy it.”
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Andy added, “He’ll be deeply missed by his friends, family and colleagues to whom he was just ‘Bud,’. His kind and easy going demeanor led his PIXAR colleagues to dub him ‘Bud Low-Key.’”
He continued to work as a performer of character voices in both Disney and Pixar films until his death in 2018.
