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George Pal (February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980), born György Pál Marczincsák, was a Hungarian-born American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 animator
Animator

An animator is an artist who creates multiple images called frames and Key frames that form an illusion of movement called animation when rapidly displayed....
 and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction
Science fiction

Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media....
 genre. He became an American citizen after emigrating from Europe.

He was born in Cegléd
Cegléd

Cegl?d is a town in Pest county, Hungary, approximately southeast of the Hungarian capital, Budapest....
, Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of George Pál Sr. and his wife Maria. He graduated from the Budapest Academy of Arts in 1928.






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George Pal (February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980), born György Pál Marczincsák, was a Hungarian-born American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 animator
Animator

An animator is an artist who creates multiple images called frames and Key frames that form an illusion of movement called animation when rapidly displayed....
 and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction
Science fiction

Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media....
 genre. He became an American citizen after emigrating from Europe.

He was born in Cegléd
Cegléd

Cegl?d is a town in Pest county, Hungary, approximately southeast of the Hungarian capital, Budapest....
, Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of George Pál Sr. and his wife Maria. He graduated from the Budapest Academy of Arts in 1928. From 1928 to 1931, he made films for Hunnia Films of Budapest
Budapest

Budapest is the Capitals of Hungary of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commerce, Industry, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe....
, Hungary.

In 1931 he married Zsoka Grandjean, and moving to Berlin, founded Trickfilm-Studio Gmbh Pal und Wittke, with the UFA Studios
Universum Film AG

Universum Film AG, better known as Ufa or UFA, was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945....
 as its main customer from 1931 to 1933. During this time, he patented Pal-Doll (known as Puppetoons
Puppetoons

George P?l's Puppetoons were a series of animated puppet films made in Europe in the 1930s and in the U.S. in the 1940s. They are memorable for their use of "replacement" animation - using a new hand-carved wooden puppet for each frame of film , rather than moving a single puppet, as is the case with most stop-motion puppet animation....
 in the USA).

In 1933 he worked in Prague; in 1934, he made a film advertisement in his hotel room in Paris, and was invited by Philips
Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is a Netherlands electronics company. It is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands....
 to make two more ad shorts. He started to use Pal-Doll techniques in Eindhoven, in a former butchery, then at villa-studio Suny Home.

He made five films before 1939 for the British company Horlicks Malted Milk. He left Germany as the Nazis came to power. In 1940, he emigrated from Europe, and began work for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
 At this time, his friend Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz

Walter Benjamin Lantz was an United States cartoonist and animator, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker....
 helped him obtain American citizenship.

As an animator, he made the Puppetoons
Puppetoons

George P?l's Puppetoons were a series of animated puppet films made in Europe in the 1930s and in the U.S. in the 1940s. They are memorable for their use of "replacement" animation - using a new hand-carved wooden puppet for each frame of film , rather than moving a single puppet, as is the case with most stop-motion puppet animation....
 series in the 1940s, then switched to live action filmmaking with The Great Rupert
The Great Rupert

The Great Rupert, is a 1950 comedy film/family film, produced by George Pal, directed by Irving Pichel and starring Jimmy Durante, Tom Drake and Terry Moore ....
 in 1950. He was awarded an honorary Oscar
Academy Honorary Award

The Academy Honorary Award, instituted in 1948 in film for the 21st Academy Awards , is given by the discretion of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences#Current administration of the Academy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards....
 in 1944 for "the development of novel methods and techniques in the production of short subjects known as Puppetoons".

He is best remembered as the producer of landmark science fiction film
Science fiction film

Science fiction film is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, science-based depictions of phenomena that aren't necessarily accepted by mainstream science....
s in the 1950s and 1960s, four of which were collaborations with director Byron Haskin
Byron Haskin

Byron Conrad Haskin was an American film and television director. He was born in Portland, Oregon.He is remembered today for directing 1953's The War of the Worlds , one of many films where he teamed with producer George P?l....
. His background with the whimsical Puppetoons set the foundation for the imaginative production designs for his films during this period.

He died in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood, California are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, California....
 of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when the Blood flow to part of the heart is interrupted. This is most commonly due to occlusion of a coronary artery following the rupture of a Vulnerable plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids and white blood cells in the wall of an artery....
 at the age of 72, and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City

Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic Church cemetery located at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, that is operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
, California. The Voyage of the Berg, on which he was working at the time, was never completed.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment hall of fame....
 at 1722 Vine St. In 1980 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures....
 founded the "George Pal Lecture on Fantasy in Film" series in his memory.

Live action feature films

  • The Great Rupert
    The Great Rupert

    The Great Rupert, is a 1950 comedy film/family film, produced by George Pal, directed by Irving Pichel and starring Jimmy Durante, Tom Drake and Terry Moore ....
     (1950) (producer)
  • Destination Moon
    Destination Moon (film)

    Destination Moon is a 1950 United States science fiction feature film produced by George P?l, who later produced When Worlds Collide , The War of the Worlds , and The Time Machine ....
     (1950) (producer)
  • When Worlds Collide
    When Worlds Collide (film)

    When Worlds Collide is a 1951 in film science fiction film based on the 1932 When Worlds Collide co-written by Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin Balmer....
     (1951) (producer)
  • The War of the Worlds (1953) (producer; directed by Haskin)
  • Houdini
    Houdini (film)

    Houdini is a 1953 in film biographical film about the life of the magician and escapologist Harry Houdini. It was made by Paramount Pictures, directed by George Marshall and produced by George Pal from a screenplay by Philip Yordan, based on the book Houdini by Harold Kellock....
     (1953) (producer)
  • The Naked Jungle
    The Naked Jungle

    The Naked Jungle is a 1954 in film directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker. Telling the story of an attack of army ants on a Peruvian cocoa plantation, it was based on the short story "Leiningen Versus the Ants" by Carl Stephenson ....
     (1954) (producer; directed by Haskin)
  • Conquest of Space
    Conquest of Space

    Conquest of Space is a 1955 in film science fiction film produced by George P?l which depicts a voyage to Mars. The science and technology were intended to be as realistic as possible....
     (1955) (producer; directed by Haskin)
  • tom thumb
    Tom thumb (film)

    tom thumb is a 1958 in film United States of America fantasy-musical film directed by George Pal and released by MGM. It was based on the fairy tale of the Tom Thumb by the Brothers Grimm....
     (1958) (producer–director)
  • The Time Machine
    The Time Machine (1960 film)

    The Time Machine is a 1960 in film science fiction film based on H. G. Wells's 1895 The Time Machine about a man from Victorian England who travels far into the future....
     (1960) (producer–director & "Morlock" designer)
  • Atlantis, the Lost Continent
    Atlantis, the Lost Continent

    Atlantis, the Lost Continent is a 1961 in film science fiction film, directed by George Pal and starring Anthony Hall aka: Sal Ponti, about the destruction of Atlantis during the time of Ancient Greece....
     (1961) (producer–director)
  • The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
    The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm

    The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a Cinerama film directed by Henry Levin. George P?l was the producer and was also in charge of the stop motion animation....
     (1962) (producer–director)
  • 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
    7 Faces of Dr. Lao

    7 Faces of Dr. Lao is a 1963 in film film adaptation of the 1935 fantasy novel The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest United States, and the effects that visit has on the people of the town....
     (1964) (producer–director)
  • The Power
    The Power (film)

    The Power is a 1968 film based on the science fiction novel The Power by Frank M. Robinson. Its protagonist, a researcher named Tanner, discovers evidence of a person with psychic abilities among his coworkers....
     (1968) (producer; directed by Haskin)
  • Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975) (producer).


Unreleased, unfinished, or projected films

  • The Puppetoon Revue of 1933 (1933) /MGMs' tenth color talkie /
  • After Worlds Collide
    After Worlds Collide

    After Worlds Collide was a sequel to the 1933 science fiction novel, When Worlds Collide, both of which were co-written by Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin Balmer....
     (1955)
  • Odd John
    Odd John

    Odd John: A Story Between Jest and Earnest is a 1935 science fiction novel by the United Kingdom author Olaf Stapledon. The novel explores the theme of the ?bermensch in the character of John Wainwright, whose supernormal human mentality inevitably leads to conflict with normal human society and to the destruction of the utopian col...
     (1967) (rights acquired only)
  • Logan's Run (1968)
  • When the Sleeper Wakes (1972)
  • War of the Worlds
    War of the Worlds (TV series)

    War of the Worlds is a television program that ran for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990. The series is an extension of the original 1953 film The War of the Worlds , often incorporating aspects from the film, The War of the Worlds , and The War of the Worlds into its mythology....
     (~1974-75) Unfinished TV pilot
  • Doc Savage: The Arch Enemy of Evil
    Doc Savage: The Arch Enemy of Evil (film)

    Doc Savage: The Arch Enemy of Evil was announced as the Sequel#Film to the 1975 in film George P?l Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze at the conclusion of that film prior to the end credits....
     (1976)
  • The Time Traveller (1977-78) aka Time Machine II
  • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's literature novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M....
     (1979)
  • The Disappearance (1980) (only in preproduction)
  • Voyage of the Berg (1980) (only in preproduction)


Bibliography

Gail Morgan Hickman. The Films of George Pal (South Brunswick, NJ: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1977) ISBN: 0498019608

External links