Jules Bass Biography

Fast Facts

• His and Arthur Ranklin Jr․'s attempt at adapting J․R․R․ Tolkien's "The Hobbit" won a Peabody Award
• Studied at New York University
• The first televised effort of Videocraft International was a stop-motion children's animation program called "The New Adventures of Pinocchio․"
• Forged a creative partnership with Arthur Ranklin Jr․ in 1955 and the two formed Videocraft International with the intention of producing television commercials, animated television programs and feature-length films
• His first job was in the mailroom at the Gardner Advertising Agency where he met future producing partner Arthur Rankin Jr
• Often used a stop-motion animation process called Animagic
• Known for producing, directing and writing music for such holiday specials as 1964's "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and 1969's "Frosty the Snowman․"
• One half of the celebrated animation production company Rankin/Bass
• His first book was a children's book called "Herb the Vegetarian Dragon," but he later wrote the adult-oriented "Headhunters․"
• Retired from production to focus on writing fiction