News
Transformers, Soul Train Animator Leo D. Sullivan Passes Away
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Entertainment news source The Hollywood Reporter reported on March 29 that Emmy-winning animator Leo D. Sullivan (Leo Sullivan) passed away of heart failure on March 25. He was 82.
Sullivan is perhaps best known as the man who animated the chugging train sequence that served as the opening for the music show Soul Train for decades.
Sullivan worked as an animator for more than five decades. He also worked as a writer, producer, director, layout artist, and storyboard artist. He worked on such series as Fat Albert, My Little Pony, The Incredible Hulk, Flash Gordon, Scooby-Doo, and BraveStarr. He worked for such studios as Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros., Filmation, DiC Entertainment, and Marvel Productions.
He served as a storyboard artist for the 1986 U.S. television series Transformers.
Sullivan was born in Texas and moved to Los Angeles in 1952, where he worked for Looney Tunes animator Bob Clampett. He co-founded Vignette Film in the 1960s with Floyd Norman, the first Black animator at Disney.
The official Twitter account for the Floyd Norman: An Animated Life documentary posted a video tribute to Sullivan on March 29.
Our friend Leo Sullivan has passed on.
— Floyd Norman: An Animated Life (@FloydNormanDoc) March 29, 2023
He was a legend in the animation community, using animation and filmmaking to share Black History with U.S. high school students in the 1960s.
Take a moment to celebrate Leo with this tribute.
Rest in peace, Leo. pic.twitter.com/vq8D0kIDth
Sullivan was honored by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1979 and in 1991.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter (Mike Barnes), Deadline (Bruce Haring)
