They say what we do in life echoes in eternity, and that was never more true than in the case of legendary animator Leo D. Sullivan.
Throughout his illustrious career, Sullivan lent his talents to the history-making animated series Fat Albert, My Little Pony, and the iconic moving train logo for Soul Train. His work spanned five decades and earned him an Emmy Award. Most notably, in 2017, Sullivan was heavily featured in the 2016 documentary An Animated Life, which explores his business partner Floyd Norman’s expansive career as the first Black animator at The Walt Disney Co.
In 1966, Norman and Sullivan created Vignette Films Inc., making six animated films, and were one of the first companies to develop projects on Black history. “I would go to the movies and see all
these cartoons and I thought it was little people running around in costumes doing it. Then I started doing some research when I was in high school and I said, ‘Hey, this is fantastic”, Sullivan once said. The pair, along with Richard Allen and Norm Edelen, produced the 1969 Bill Cosby special Hey, Hey Hey! It’s Fat Albert for NBC. In 1972, the series was picked up in a weekly format that aired on CBS.“It was also during this time that I learned that my partner Leo was an excellent movie producer. Actually, it would not be exaggerating to say he’s better than most. During this time, it was highly unlikely that a Black man would ever be given such a position in a major studio,” Norman said in his 2013 memoir, Animated Life: A Lifetime of tips, tricks, techniques and stories from an animation Legend.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Sullivan is also credited on The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle, The Flintstones, Flash Gordon, Scooby-Doo, The Incredible Hulk, Tiny Toons, Pac-Man, and I Am the Greatest!: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali.
Sullivan leaves behind his wife, Ethelyn, son Leo Jr., and daughter, Tina.