A recent report has confirmed that the animated film director Kelly Asbury, who was part of some of the huge animated films, including “Shrek 2” is no longer between us. Sources confirmed that the director died after a long battle with cancer. On Friday, Kelly died peacefully in Encino, CA. Kelly has left behind an amazing resume in the world of animation.
Kelly was pretty much popular in the industry for making Oscar-nominated ‘Shrek’ sequel, “Shrek 2”. Besides this, Kelly even worked on some of the biggest animated films from Disney, including “Beauty and the Beast.”
Kelly has written and directed the script for the “Gnomeo & Juliet,” which was released for 2011. Besides this, he also directed “UglyDolls,” which came out last year. From 1983 to 1995, Asbury was involved from animated storyboards for famous films such as ‘the Little Mermaid,’ ‘The Rescuers down below’, and ‘The Black Cauldron.’ He also worked in an animation studio at the Mouse House.
In 1995, he moved to DreamWorks and made his debut in 2002 in the Oscar-nominated movie ‘Spirit.’ He later returned to Disney for a brief time, serving as a concept artist for famous hits such as ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ and ‘Frozen.’
He also wrote a biography that portrayed ventriloquists such as Jeff Dunham, Edgar Bergen, Shari Lewis, Jimmy Nelson, and Paul Winchell, and was also a children’s books author. The death of the director of the animated movie was reported by a Hollywood Reporter. Kelly was 60 years old.
Asbury directed or co-directed both Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) for DreamWorks Animation and Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017), in addition to Oscar-nominated Stallion of Cimarron (2002).
“Contrary to what outsiders may think, making animation can be, well, grueling, and always is at some phase of production,” he said in a July interview with Cartoon Brew. “Still, I can honestly state that one of the emotional hazards I’ve discovered about being an artist and/or director of any animated project is the inevitability of taking everything about it into my heart. I believe that, particularly for a director, such a connection to the project is an inescapable job requirement.”
Kelly left behind his wife, Jacquie, his stepsons Andrew and Connor and sister Gwen and niece Leslie.
