René Laloux

René Laloux was a French animator, screenwriter and film director.

Biography

He was born in Paris in 1929 and went to art school to study painting. After some time working in advertising, he got a job in a psychiatric institution where he began experimenting in animation with the interns. It is at the psychiatric institution that he made the 1960 film Monkey's Teeth, in collaboration with Paul Grimault's studio, and using a script written by the Cour Cheverny's interns.
Another important collaborator of his was Roland Topor with whom Laloux made Dead Time, The Snails and his most famous work, the feature length Fantastic Planet.
Laloux also worked with Jean Giraud to create the lesser known film Les Maîtres du temps, released in 1982. Laloux's 1987 film, Gandahar, was released in the US as Light Years, and made in cooperation with the artist Caza. The US version was redubbed by Harvey Weinstein, from a screenplay adapted by Isaac Asimov. The US version was not as successful as the French, grossing less than $400,000 on its release.
Laloux died of a heart attack on 14 March 2004 in Angoulême, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France.

Feature films

Short films