Michael Sporn

Michael Victor Sporn (April 23, 1946 – January 19, 2014) was an American animator who founded his New York City-based company, Michael Sporn Animation, in 1980, and produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.

Sporn was nominated for an Oscar in 1984 and an Emmy in 1988 for adaptations of two books by William Steig. the award for Best Short Animation Made for Children at the 2006 Ottawa International Animation Festival, and was short-listed for an Oscar nomination.

Early life and education Sporn was born on April 23, 1946, in New York City, and had a sister Patricia (now Scherf). His father, William Sporn, abandoned the family when Michael was a toddler. His mother later remarried. His stepfather, Mario Rosco, wanted to legally adopt Michael. Although Michael considered Mario his father, he refused the adoption because he wanted his biological father to be able to find him. His mother and stepfather had three children together: Christine (now O'Neill), Jerry and John Rosco, his half-siblings. Sporn started drawing cartoons as a child. Also in 1984, Sporn received the CINE Golden Eagle Award in Education for his direction of this animated film. In 1988 Sporn was nominated for an Emmy Award for his TV film adapted from William Steig's Abel's Island. alongside HBO Storybook Musicals such as Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, The Story of the Dancing Frog, Ira Sleeps Over, The Marzipan Pig, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale, The Red Shoes (1990), the animated adaptation of the beloved 1939 Virginia Lee Burton book Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and Santa Bear's First Christmas.

In 2011, Sporn created a program for HBO entitled, I Can Be President. Related to the election in 2008 of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States, it explored the dreams and ambitions of children who aspire to that office. I Can Be President was awarded the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children's Program in 2011.

Awards and honors His company's productions received numerous awards, including an Academy Award nomination for his short, Doctor DeSoto, and several Cable ACE Awards for The Story of the Dancing Frog and Ira Sleeps Over. His short film, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers won the 2005 Audience Choice award for Short Film at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, and "Best Short Animation Made for Children" at the 2006 Ottawa International Animation Festival.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City honored Sporn with a four-day retrospective of his work in 2007.

Splog His blog "Splog" featured bits of animation art and history mixed with candid opinion.

Death Sporn died on January 19, 2014, from pancreatic cancer at his birthplace in New York City, aged 67. He was survived by his wife Heidi Stallings, an actress. At the time of his death, Sporn was producing and directing Poe, an animated feature based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe.