Nicholas Tafuri
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Tafuri was an American
animator
who worked primarily for the Fleischer Studios
and Famous Studios
, most prolifically in the animation unit headed by Myron Waldman
. With the exception of a few years in Miami with the Fleischers, Tafuri worked exclusively for studios based in New York City
.
Born in the Coney Island
section of Brooklyn
, the oldest of six children of immigrant parents, Tafuri earned his first screen credit in 1934 on the Popeye
cartoon The Two-Alarm Fire. He also contributed to the studio's feature films and the ambitious Superman
cartoon series. When Paramount ousted the Fleischers from their Florida studio, Tafuri returned to New York and worked on Casper the Friendly Ghost
and Little Lulu
cartoons. He was one of the last animators still involved with the studio when it closed in 1967. His career concluded in the 1970s. Two of his most notable projects were the 1939 animated version of Gulliver's Travels
and the screen adaptation of Robert Crumb's
Fritz the Cat
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animator
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...
who worked primarily for the Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
and Famous Studios
Famous Studios
Famous Studios was the animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount acquired the aforementioned studio and ousted its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1941...
, most prolifically in the animation unit headed by Myron Waldman
Myron Waldman
Myron Waldman was an American animator, best known for his work at Fleischer Studio.Waldman was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a graduate of the Pratt Institute, where he majored in Art. He started his first career work in 1930 at Fleischer Studio...
. With the exception of a few years in Miami with the Fleischers, Tafuri worked exclusively for studios based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Born in the Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, the oldest of six children of immigrant parents, Tafuri earned his first screen credit in 1934 on the Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
cartoon The Two-Alarm Fire. He also contributed to the studio's feature films and the ambitious Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
cartoon series. When Paramount ousted the Fleischers from their Florida studio, Tafuri returned to New York and worked on Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...
and Little Lulu
Little Lulu
"Little Lulu" is the nickname for Lulu Moppett, a comic strip character created in the mid-1930s by Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character debuted in The Saturday Evening Post on February 23, 1935 in a single panel, appearing as a flower girl at a wedding and strewing the aisle with banana peels...
cartoons. He was one of the last animators still involved with the studio when it closed in 1967. His career concluded in the 1970s. Two of his most notable projects were the 1939 animated version of Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels (1939 film)
Gulliver's Travels is a 1939 American cel-animated Technicolor feature film, directed by Dave Fleischer and produced by Max Fleischer for Fleischer Studios. The film was released on Friday, December 22, 1939 by Paramount Pictures, who had the feature produced as an answer to the success of Walt...
and the screen adaptation of Robert Crumb's
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb —known as Robert Crumb and R. Crumb—is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded...
Fritz the Cat
Fritz the Cat (film)
Fritz the Cat is a 1972 American animated comedy film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi as his feature film debut. Based on the comic strip of the same name by Robert Crumb, the film was the first animated feature film to receive an X rating in the United States...
.