Yoram Gross: Blinky Bill dominates rich animation legacy

Jewish survivor of Nazi Germany and original Blinky Bill animator Yoram Gross dies, aged 88.

Filmmaker Yoram Gross has released his memoir, "My Animated life".

A pioneer and legend of local animation, Yoram Gross, has died, aged 88.

Gross was born in Poland and endured Nazi occupation during World War II before his family was placed on Oskar Schindler’s list but eventually managed to escape on their own. He made his first full-length feature in Israel in 1962. After a decade in the film industry there, Gross migrated in 1968 to Sydney, where he made commercials, short films and documentaries before founding the Yoram Gross Film Studio with his wife, Sandra,in 1977.

His first big success here was the 1977 animated feature Dot and the Kangaroo, which unabashedly tried to take the Disney powerhouse on at its own game. Dot was spun off into several features and series before the other leading character of his career, Blinky Bill, jumped forth in Gross’s 1992 animated feature based on the Australian children’s classic by Dorothy Wall.

The film and character’s popularity ensured Blinky Bill was spun off into a successful animated television series that was a forerunner to international sales by Australian producers, selling to more than 80 territories; buyers included the Walt Disney Company’s US cable channels. The character subsequently has been reimagined and merchandised successfully, including a new CGI version that is in cinemas, and a series, due to air next year, is being produced for the Seven Network by Flying Bark Productions, which bought the Gross family business in 2006.

Barbara Stephen, managing director of Flying Bark Productions and the producer of Blinky Bill the Movie, says Gross’s characters will be enjoyed by young audiences for many years to come: “Yoram and his family have been true pioneers in the animation industry. As a director, he inspired children around the world and especially here in Australia through his special brand of classic storytelling. Blinky, Dot and The Magic Riddle, to name a few, have undeniably enriched our cultural fabric.”

In 1995, Gross was awarded the Order of Australia for his outstanding achievements and for his contribution to the Australian film industry; the Yoram Gross Animation Award is part of the Dendy awards for Short Australian Films.

He is survived by Sandra, children Guy and Karen, and five grandchildren.

Gross’s most enduring character, Blinky Bill, returned to the screen last weekend with a mediocre launch that will build through this first week of the school holidays as more daytime sessions and word of mouth kick in. Blinky Bill the Movie, featuring an all-star Australian cast led by Ryan Kwanten, David Wenham and Toni Collette, opened with $253,000 during the weekend to rank seventh for the weekend. The competing Australian family film, Oddball, starring Shane Jacobson as a Warrnambool egg farmer, opened stronger with $984,000 and a solid screen average.

The adventure drama Everest, starring Aussies Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki and Sam Worthington and a couple of Poms doing convincing Kiwi accents (Keira Knightley and Emily Watson), opened at the top of the box office with $3.2 million, ahead of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials ($2.5m for $7.1m in total).

Two other local films remain in the top 20: Holding the Man added another $79,000 for a total box office of $995,000 and Last Cab to Darwin keeps on chugging along, ranking 11th for the weekend with $130,000, now up to an impressive $6.9m in total.