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Will Vinton

Will Vinton

Director, producer and editor, also actor · Died October 4, 2018, aged 70 · McMinnville, Oregon, USA

Award-winning co-director of "Closed Mondays", the first Claymation (tm) film. Will Vinton was born on November 17, 1947 in McMinnville, Oregon, USA as William Gale Vinton. He was a producer and director, known for Claymation Easter (1992), Martin the Cobbler (1977) and Moonwalker (1988). He was married to Gillian Allred and Susan Shadburne. He was a Claymation artist who coined the term. His studio created numerous Claymation characters for ads, most notably the California Raisins, which gained fame in an ad set to the Motown hit "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". He died on October 4, 2018 in Portland, Oregon.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 17, 1947
Died
October 4, 2018 (aged 70)
From
McMinnville, Oregon, USA
Works as
Director, producer and editor, also actor
Titles
6 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 10% in 30 days

What are Will Vinton's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Bonds.

Genres

Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
34%
Bonds
25%
Self
12%
Ideas
10%
Power
8%
Morality
8%
Survival
3%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
5
Warm
4
Hopeful
3
Melancholic
2
Contemplative
3
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Will Vinton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Will Vinton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

39 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Wild(2006)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Morning After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

  • Día de los muertos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Executive Producer

  • Gary & Mike (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 13 episodes · Producer

  • I Lost My M in Vegas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Executive Producer

  • The PJs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 43 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Klay's TV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • The Online Adventures of Ozzie the Elf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Executive Producer

  • Bride of Resistor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Producer

  • Mr. Resistor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Producer

  • Hammer Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Executive Producer

  • The World's Greatest Animation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Will Vinton's Claymation Easter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Executive Producer · Producer · Story

  • Will Vinton's Claymation Comedy of Horrors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Executive Producer

  • Raisins Sold Out: The California Raisins II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Producer

  • The California Raisin Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 15 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Meet the Raisins! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Producer

  • Moonwalker(1988)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Grandpa's Magical Toys(1988)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Claymation Christmas Celebration(1987)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Dinosaurs: A Fun Filled Trip Back in Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director

  • The Festival of Claymation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Animation · Producer · Writer

  • Shadow Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Producer

  • Return to Oz(1985)

    Animation Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Mark Twain(1985)

    Director · Animation · Editor · Producer · as Dan'l Webster (voice)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Great Cognito (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director · Producer

  • The Creation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

  • God's Trombones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

  • A Christmas Gift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • Dinosaurs! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Producer

  • Dinosaur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • Legacy: A Very Short History of Natural Resources (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • The Little Prince (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Rip Van Winkle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Producer

  • Claymation: Three Dimensional Clay Animation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Martin the Cobbler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Mountain Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director · Animation · Producer · Writer

  • Closed Mondays (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Animation

  • Gone for a Better Deal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles from 1974 to 2006.

Biggest box office

The Wild (2006)

$102M worldwide

Highest rated

Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Wild (2006)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 38: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting23 of 38: 12 only directing, 11 with another roleWriting4 of 38: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing23 of 38: 13 only producing, 10 with another roleOther crew5 of 38: 1 only other crew, 4 with another role

38 titles, 12 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1970s8 · crew1980s15 · 1 acting · 15 crew1990s11 · crew2000s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Will Vinton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 6 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Grandpa's Magical Toys (1988)

77th percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, producer

Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987)

Midcredits 95th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Will Vinton's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 9 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 23 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Will Vinton work with?

People who share at least 2 of Will Vinton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Susan Shadburne shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors