Batchelor, Joy (1914–1991)

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Batchelor, Joy (1914–1991)

English film animator. Born May 12, 1914, in London, England; m. John Halas (b. April 16, 1912), in Budapest.

One of the most prolific and successful animators in British history, teamed with husband to form an animation studio (1940); made films for war effort (1941–45), including Digging for Victory, with composer Matyas Seiber; after war, made instructional and public-relations films; won international fame for adaptation of Orwell's Animal Farm (1954), the 1st full-length animated feature to come out of UK; animated US tv series, including "Popeye" (c. 1958), which ran for at least 2 decades in syndication; worked on several cartoon series for children produced by Hanna-Barbera (1970s), most notably "The Addams Family," "The Jackson Five" and 'The Osmonds.

See also Roger Manvell, The Story of Halas and Batchelor: Animation Studio 1940–1980 (1980); and Women in World History.