Born in McMinnville, OR. Chairman of Will Vinton Studios in Portland, Oregon, the premiere practitioner of demensional character animation in the world, with two Academy Award winning directors, six prime-time Emmy Awards, and numerous Clio awards (Vinton created the famous California Raisins). Vinton won the 1975 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for CLOSED MONDAYS with co-creator Bob Gardiner. Vinton now spends most of his time executive producing, directing, and developing film and television projects, including the studio's current partnership on FOX Television's prime time series, "The PJs." Vinton serves on the advisory board of the Center for Excellence in Writiing, the Oregon Film & Video Board and the Northwest Academy.  Short Films (Animated Films) 1974: CLOSED MONDAYS - Producer (w. Bob Gardiner)  Nominated for Short Films (Animated Films) 1978: RIP VAN WINKLE - Producer  Nominated for Short Films (Animated Films) 1981: THE CREATION - Producer  Nominated for Short Films (Animated Films) 1982: THE GREAT COGNITO - Producer  Nominated for Visual Effects 1985: RETURN TO OZ (w. Ian Wingrove, Zoran Perisic & Michael Lloyd) 5 nominations, 1 Award