Best known for co-founding Spümcø and co-developing the ‘The Ren & Stimpy Show,’ the veteran animator also contributed to ‘Tiny Toon Adventures,’ Batman: The Animated Series,’ ‘Ice Age,’ ‘The Oblongs,’ ‘Over the Garden Wall,’ and many others.
Storyboard and layout artist, character designer, and musician Jim Smith passed away on May 2 following a heart attack. He was 70.
Smith is best known for co-founding Spümcø with John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, and Lynne Naylor, and co-developing the Nickelodeon series The Ren & Stimpy Show. He also co-developed the studio’s The Ripping Friends, which debuted in 2001.
The animation vet was born in Lubbock, Texas and began his career in the early 1980s as a layout and storyboard artist, contributing his talents to The Real Ghostbusters, The Get-Along Gang, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures and Beany and Cecil. He served as an animator on the Rolling Stone music video Harlem Shuffle, and layout artist on the Bjork music video I Miss You.
His other work includes storyboard artist on Cool World, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Batman: The Animated Series, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, Ice Age, The Oblongs, Poochini, Ren and Stimpy Rocks, Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon, SamuraiJack, The X’s, Tom and Jerry Tales, The Mighty B!, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, and Scooby-Doo: Legend of the Phantasaur; background artist on Cartoon Network’s Over the Garden Wall miniseries; and guitarist on the Ren & Stimpy theme song, alongside Scott Huml and Chris Reccardi.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
