Faith Hubley
Encyclopedia
Faith Hubley was an animator
, known for her experimental work both in collaboration with her husband John Hubley
, and on her own following her husband's death.
. She subsequently worked as a sound-effects and music editor, and then script clerk for Republic Pictures
. She later worked as a script supervisor (12 Angry Men) and editor (Go, Man, Go; with the Harlem Globetrotters
).
Faith and John Hubley were married in 1955. They founded Storyboard Studios as an independent animation studio, vowing to make one independent film a year. They collaborated on 21 short films, up until John Hubley's death during open-heart surgery in 1977.
At that time they were working on the Doonesbury
television cartoon, A Doonesbury Special
. Faith Hubley, with Garry Trudeau
and Bill Littlejohn
, completed the special despite the doubts of NBC
executives. The Hubleys won Oscars for their shorts: Moonbird
(1959), The Hole
(1962) and A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1966); they also received Oscar nominations for Windy Day, Of Men and Demons, Voyage to Next and
A Doonesbury Special
.
Hubley was often regarded as simply an assistant to John, who was always credited as director on their films. However her many solo projects established her as a significant film creator in her own right. She began her first solo project, W.O.W. (Women of the World), after being diagnosed with cancer in 1975.
Between 1976 and 2001, she completed 24 further solo animated films. Her films often feature abstract
imagery and non-linear
stories; many draw on themes of mythology
and indigenous
art. She was also a painter, with her works being exhibited in galleries in Europe and the United States.
, Venice
, London
, and San Francisco
film festivals.
She won fourteen CINE
Golden Eagle awards, and received honorary doctorates from the University of Chicago
, Columbia College
, and Hofstra University
. Her 1981 animated film "Enter Life
" can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution
's National Museum of Natural History
, as part of the Early Life exhibit. In 1995, the National Gallery of Art
presented a retrospective program of her works.
, from cancer, 26 years after her initial diagnosis.
, and Hamp Hubley. Their children's voices were featured in a number of their films.
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
, known for her experimental work both in collaboration with her husband John Hubley
John Hubley
John Hubley was an American animation director, art director, producer and writer of traditional animation films known for both his formal experimentation and for his emotional realism which stemmed from his tendency to cast his own children as voice actors in his films.- Biography :Hubley was...
, and on her own following her husband's death.
Biography
Born as Faith Chestman to Sally and Irving Chestman, Hubley grew up on the west side of Manhattan in the 1920s and 1930s. She spoke little about her childhood, except that her behavior became somewhat of a burden to her parents. She left home at age 15 to work in the theater and adopted the name Faith Elliott. Aged 18, she moved to Hollywood, starting as a messenger at Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. She subsequently worked as a sound-effects and music editor, and then script clerk for Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
. She later worked as a script supervisor (12 Angry Men) and editor (Go, Man, Go; with the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
).
Faith and John Hubley were married in 1955. They founded Storyboard Studios as an independent animation studio, vowing to make one independent film a year. They collaborated on 21 short films, up until John Hubley's death during open-heart surgery in 1977.
At that time they were working on the Doonesbury
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
television cartoon, A Doonesbury Special
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
. Faith Hubley, with Garry Trudeau
Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
and Bill Littlejohn
Bill Littlejohn
William Charles Littlejohn was an American animator and union organizer. Littlejohn worked on both animated shorts and features from the 1930s through to the 1990s...
, completed the special despite the doubts of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
executives. The Hubleys won Oscars for their shorts: Moonbird
Moonbird
Moonbird is a 1959 short animation by John Hubley and Faith Hubley "...in which Two Boys have an Adventure in the Middle of the Night..." as they sneak out and try to catch a Moonbird and bring it home. The film was animated by Robert Cannon and Ed Smith...
(1959), The Hole
The Hole (1962 film)
The Hole is a 15-minute animated film by John Hubley and Faith Hubley that won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1962.The film uses improvised dialogue from Dizzy Gillespie and George Mathews as two construction workers at work in the bottom of a hole on a construction site...
(1962) and A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1966); they also received Oscar nominations for Windy Day, Of Men and Demons, Voyage to Next and
A Doonesbury Special
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
.
Hubley was often regarded as simply an assistant to John, who was always credited as director on their films. However her many solo projects established her as a significant film creator in her own right. She began her first solo project, W.O.W. (Women of the World), after being diagnosed with cancer in 1975.
Between 1976 and 2001, she completed 24 further solo animated films. Her films often feature abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
imagery and non-linear
Nonlinear (arts)
Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique, sometimes used in literature, film, hypertext websites and other narratives, wherein events are portrayed out of chronological order...
stories; many draw on themes of mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
art. She was also a painter, with her works being exhibited in galleries in Europe and the United States.
Awards
Faith Hubley received honors from the CannesCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, Venice
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, London
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
, and San Francisco
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
film festivals.
She won fourteen CINE
CINE
CINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
Golden Eagle awards, and received honorary doctorates from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Columbia College
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
, and Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
. Her 1981 animated film "Enter Life
Enter Life
Enter Life is an 8-minute animated film from 1982 about the earliest origin of life, or abiogensis on earth. Directed by Faith Hubley of Hubley Studios, the film traces a possible course of development, according to contemporary theory, of organic compounds, amino acids and early cellular...
" can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
, as part of the Early Life exhibit. In 1995, the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
presented a retrospective program of her works.
Death
Faith Hubley died in 2001, aged 77, in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, from cancer, 26 years after her initial diagnosis.
Family
John and Faith Hubley had four children: Mark Hubley, animator Emily Hubley, musician Georgia HubleyGeorgia Hubley
Georgia Hubley is an American percussionist and is one of the founding members of the alternative-rock band Yo La Tengo.She is married to the group's other founding member, Ira Kaplan. They would often see each other in record shops and at the same shows...
, and Hamp Hubley. Their children's voices were featured in a number of their films.
With John Hubley
- Harlem Wednesday (1957)
- Tender Game (1958)
- MoonbirdMoonbirdMoonbird is a 1959 short animation by John Hubley and Faith Hubley "...in which Two Boys have an Adventure in the Middle of the Night..." as they sneak out and try to catch a Moonbird and bring it home. The film was animated by Robert Cannon and Ed Smith...
(1959) - Children of the Sun (1960)
- Of Stars and MenOf Stars and MenOf Stars and Men is a 1964 animated film from the Hubley family of animators, based on the 1959 book of the same name by astronomer Harlow Shapley, who also narrates...
(1961) - The HoleThe Hole (1962 film)The Hole is a 15-minute animated film by John Hubley and Faith Hubley that won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1962.The film uses improvised dialogue from Dizzy Gillespie and George Mathews as two construction workers at work in the bottom of a hole on a construction site...
(1962) - The Hat (1963)
- A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1965)
- Urbanissimo (1966)
- The Cruise (1966)
- Windy Day (1967)
- Of Men and Demons (1968)
- ZuckerkandlZuckerkandlZuckerkandl is the name of:* Amalie Zuckerkandl* Bertha Zuckerkandl , journalist, author* Emil Zuckerkandl , anatomist* Emile Zuckerkandl , biologist, physiologist...
(1969) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Imagination E", 1969) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("O Song", 1969) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Polar Bear & Exit", 1970) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Small V", 1970) - Eggs (1970)
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("F for Football", 1971) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Baby Fantasy", 1971) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Birds 1-20", 1971) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Penguin Rhythms", 1971) - Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Hungry M", 1971) - Dig (1972)
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Letter S", 1972) - Cockaboody (1973)
- Voyage to Next (1974)
- People, People, People (1975)
- Everybody Rides the CarouselEverybody Rides the CarouselEverybody Rides the Carousel is a 1975 independent animated film about the stages of life. It was directed by John Hubley and written and produced by Hubley and his wife Faith...
(1976) - A Doonesbury SpecialDoonesburyDoonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
(1977)
Solo
- W.O.W. (Women of the World) (1975)
- Second Chance: Sea (1976)
- Whither Weather (1977)
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Catch the Kitty", 1977) - Step by Step (1978)
- Sky Dance (1980)
- The Big Bang and Other Creation Myths (1981)
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Vitamin V", 1981) - Enter LifeEnter LifeEnter Life is an 8-minute animated film from 1982 about the earliest origin of life, or abiogensis on earth. Directed by Faith Hubley of Hubley Studios, the film traces a possible course of development, according to contemporary theory, of organic compounds, amino acids and early cellular...
(1981) - Starlore (1983)
- Hello (1984)
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Bedtime Noises", 1985) - The Cosmic Eye (1985)
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("Telephone Cat", 1986) - Time of the Angels (1987)
- Yes We Can (1989)
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
("S-Snake", 1989) - Who Am I? (1989)
- Amazonia (1990)
- Upside Down (1991)
- Tall Time Tales (1992)
- Cloudland (1993)
- Seers and Clowns (1994)
- Rainbows of Hawai'i (1995)
- My Universe Inside Out (1996)
- Beyond the Shadow Place (1997)
- Africa (1998)
- Witch Madness (1999)
- Our Spirited Earth (2000)
- Northern Ice, Golden Sun (2001)