Paul Gruwell
Paul Gruwell was an American multidisciplinary artist, animator, creative director, and designer, whose career spanned animation, music, publishing, and graphic arts. Best known as the director of Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces, Gruwell worked with major studios including Hanna-Barbera, Marvel Productions, Disney, Amblin, Filmation, Film Roman, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Warner Bros. He also lead creative projects for companies like Boeing, Microsoft, Softimage, Humongous Entertainment, Shanachie Records, Epic Records, A&M Records, and Ode Records, and Watermark Inc.
The Los Angeles Times referred to Gruwell as "one of the last hand-drawn animation artists" in the movie industry, highlighting his commitment to traditional animation techniques in a time of evolving technologies. With a career that spanned children's entertainment, political satire, and commercial projects.
He spent his later years in Bellingham, Washington, where he remained until his death on November 4, 2014, from complications related to type 2 diabetes.