Rick Reinert | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frederick George Reinert Jr. (1925-09-14)September 14, 1925 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 5, 2018(2018-11-05) (aged 93) Annandale, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, Director |
| Notable work | Cap'n O. G. Readmore,Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. |
Frederick George Reinert Jr. (September 14, 1925 – November 5, 2018), known professionally asRick Reinert, was an American animator and the founder of the defunct studio Rick Reinert Productions.[1][2] In addition to his work on twoWinnie-the-Pooh projects forDisney during the early 1980s, he directed intros forAfter School Special andABC Weekend Special, and was also a producer onCap'n O. G. Readmore.[3]
Beginning in 1945, Reinert began working at theMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio and ended up at the Army Photo Center Animation Department in New York two years later. He was removed from both companies, but in 1960 he opened his own studio inCleveland, Rick Reinert Productions, producing animation for TV ads;The Dipsy Doodle Show, a 1974 TV special (now consideredlost);ABC's Saturday morning bumpers; intros for the children's seriesAfter School Special (1972); andABC Weekend Special (1977).
In 1980 Reinert relocated his studio to southern California as he was contracted byDisney Studios. He later produced educational featurettes such asFoods and Fun: A Nutrition Adventure (1981),Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons (1981), andWinnie the Pooh and a Day For Eeyore (1983).[4]
In 1983, after the success of theLibrary of Congress'sRead More About It, the Library's Center for the Book createdCap'n O. G. Readmore in association withABC. During that period, Reinert created 30- or 60-second spots to promote reading for young viewers. In 1985, he began making 21-minute specials plotting the character, starting withCap'n O. G. Readmore's Jack in the Beanstalk. He made four more until 1992 whenRead More About It ended.
Reinert also produced other specials such asThe Bollo Caper (1985) andThe Kingdom Chums: Original Top 10[5] (1990), a direct-to-video movie that is a sequel toThe Kingdom Chums: Little David's Adventure (1986).[5] In the early 1990s, he produced specials based onPrecious Moments figurines, likeTimmy's Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas (1991). In 1997 he served as an animation supervisor on a half-hourPeanuts special,It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown.
In 2008, Reinert briefly returned to animation, working on thePebbles cereal commercials atDuck Studios forPost for two years. He quietly quit making the advertisements in 2010 after Post got sued forplagiarizing the use of aHulk Hogan caricature.[6]
Reinert died in Annandale, Virginia on November 5, 2018.[1][2]