Tissa David

Thérèse "Tissa" David (January 5, 1921 – August 21, 2012) was a Romanian-born American animator of Hungarian ethnicity, whose career spanned more than sixty years.^[1]

She was one of the pioneering women in animation, a field which had been dominated by male animators.^[2][3] Millimeter magazine described her as "one of the few women to have reached the top in the traditionally male-dominated animated cartoon field" and "one of the world's best and busiest" animators in a story published in 1975.^[3]

In 1953, she directed  [fr], becoming the second female animator to direct an animated feature film.^[2] David later became one of the first women to create and animate a major character in a film when she designed Raggedy Ann for the 1977 movie, Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure.^[1]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Born in 1921 in Cluj,^[3] Romania to an ethnic Hungarian family, Thérèse "Tissa" David^[2] was the second oldest of her family's ten children.^[2] She first became interested in animation after watching the 1937 Walt Disney animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.^[2]

David initially earned a degree as a teacher.^[2] She then enrolled at the Academy of Beaux Arts in Budapest.^[2] However, she dropped out of the school to begin her career as an assistant animator at Magyar Film Iroda, a Budapest studio.^[3] In 2002, she described seeing her first animation project as, "the most exciting moment in my life."^[2] She survived the bombings during the Siege of Budapest in 1944 by eating beans and horse meat.^[2] David became the co-owner of the Studio Mackassy and Trsi after the end of World War II, where she oversaw the animated productions.^[2][3]

Bonjour Paris[]

David moved to Paris, France, in March 1950 with her friend, Judit Reigl, to escape the Hungarian Communist authorities.^[2] She initially worked as a maid and cleaner in Paris while she learned French.^[2] David became the animation director and principal animator for the animated film,  [fr], after less than a year of living in Paris.^[2] She became the second woman to direct an animated feature film with her work on Bonjour Paris, which would be released in 1953.^[2] (The first female animator to direct an animated film was Lotte Reiniger.)^[2] David also worked for Paul Grimault and Jean Image, both of whom were film producers, while living in Paris.^[3]

Career in the United States[]

In 1955, David emigrated to the United States and learned English, settling in New York City.^[2][3] In 1956, David joined UPA, where she became the assistant of animator Grim Natwick.^[2][3] She first worked with Natwick while both were employed at UPA animation studio.^[3] David and Natwick later partnered for freelance work for hundreds of animated television commercials.^[2][3] David and Natwick also collaborated to create the last theatrical short released starring the character, Mr. Magoo.^[2]

Her television commercial portfolio, which spanned the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, included spots for , for which she drew the characters, Bert and Harry, who were voiced by Bob and Ray, an American comedy team.^[2] David also created animated commercials for Barneys New York, Vlasic Pickles, WQXR, Perrier, Esso and Shell, IBM, Cheerios and Excedrin.^[2]

David also worked on films, short films, and commercials with husband and wife animators, John Hubley and Faith Hubley, for Hubley Studios.^[1][3] Her credits with the Hubleys included and Eggs, both released in 1970, and the 1974 short film, .^[3] David animated the little girls in Cockaboody.^[1]

She animated two characters, a man and a woman, for the Hubleys' 1976 independent animated film, Everybody Rides the Carousel. Actress Meryl Streep provided the voice for David's young woman in the film.^[2]

David, already an animation pioneer, became one of the first women to animate a major film character with the release of Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure in 1977.^[1] David animated the Raggedy Ann character for the film, which was directed by Richard Williams.^[4] She noted that "I project a lot of myself into Raggedy Ann."^[2] In 1977, David told the New York Times that she designed Raggedy Ann as "a plain Jane with a heart of candy – and she's all female."^[1] She elaborated on the production during the same interview saying, "If the work is good, then perhaps I will prove a point ... To create a female character in an animated film, you must think like a woman and 'feel' like a woman. In other words, you must be a woman."^[1][5]

David began animating for R.O. Blechman in the late 1970s.^[3] Her work with Blechman included television productions, both released in 1977: a television film, Simple Gifts and a special, A Doonesbury Special.^[1] In 1988, David was awarded the Winsor McCay Award during the Annie Awards.^[3]

David collaborated with Michael Sporn Animation later in her career,^[1] working on Sporn's 1990 adaptation of The Marzipan Pig, as well as , a 1991 animated television film.^[1] David also served as the animation director for Poe, based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe, which Sporn released in 2013.^[3]

Death[]

David died from a recently diagnosed brain tumor at her apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City, on August 21, 2012, at the age of 91.^[1][3][6]

References[]

External links[]

• Tissa David at IMDb
• Tissa David on GreatWomenAnimators