Eli Noyes

Eliot Fette Noyes, Jr. (October 18, 1942 – March 23, 2024) was an American animator most noted for his stop animation work using clay and sand. His 1964 work, Clay or the Origin of Species, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and established claymation as a medium. He designed animated sand pinwheels for the Nickelodeon show Pinwheel and the sand alphabet for Sesame Street.

Noyes partnered with Kit Laybourne and created the show Braingames as well as the children's television series Eureeka's Castle and Gullah Gullah Island. He co-founded the studio Alligator Planet with Ralph Guggenheim and directed animation sequences for the documentaries Under Our Skin and The Most Dangerous Man in America. Noyes was the son of architect Eliot Noyes and graduated from Harvard University in 1964.

Early life and education Eliot Fette Noyes, Jr. was born on October 18, 1942, in Amherst, Massachusetts, the son of noted "Harvard Five" architect Eliot Noyes and interior designer Molly Duncan Weed Noyes. He graduated from Harvard University in 1964. Alongside Caroline Leaf, Noyes was mentored by National Film Board of Canada animator Derek Lamb. In 1964, Noyes created the eight-minute animated film Clay or the Origin of Species which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The work was cited by Wallace and Gromit creators, Peter Lord and David Sproxton, as a large influence on their work.

In the early 1970s, Noyes filmed documentaries with Claudia Weil, including This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant Graham, a cinéma vérité film of the life of a Black family in Washington, D.C., and Aspen: 1970, which concerned a "generational clash of architects". Noyes also used sand for his animations, including in his 1973 work Sandman and the 1976 pixelated stop motion Peanut Butter and Jelly. He also designed animated sand pinwheels for the Nickelodeon show Pinwheel

Noyes partnered with Kit Laybourne to establish Noyes and Laybourne Enterprises in 1983. One of their first series was Braingames on HBO, and they also later created Eureeka's Castle and Gullah Gullah Island for Nickelodeon.

Personal life and death Noyes was married to Augusta Talbot and had two children, Isaac and Abigail. He and his family moved to San Francisco in 1991.

Filmography Clay or the Origin of Species (1964) Alphabet (1966)

This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant Graham (1970) Worm Dances (1973) Sesame Street ("Sand Letters" shorts) (1974–1991) (TV series) Bad Dog (1976) Peanut Butter & Jelly (1976)

Braingames (1983–1985) (TV series) Nickelodeon (network IDs) (1985–1989) (TV series) Nick at Nite (launch IDs) (1986) (TV series) Eureeka's Castle (1989–1994) (TV series) Liquid Television (1991–1994) (TV series)