William Moritz, 1941 - 2004.

William Moritz, a longtime California Institute of the Arts professor who was an authority on abstract animation and the work of experimental filmmaker Oskar Fischinger, has died. He was 63.... His death coincided with the publication of Optical Poetry: The Life and Work of Oskar Fischinger his full-length biography on the avant-garde animator and painter who fled Nazi Germany for Hollywood in the 1930s.... Moritz made 44 experimental films, including live-action shorts and animation, which were shown at museums in Europe and Asia.

Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, via the Charlotte Observer.

I saw a lot of animation in movie theatres, while growing up (there was no television then), like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Porky Pig, Woody Woodpecker cartoons, character animation made by studios. This was a vital part of everyday life. The big transformation for me was seeing interesting animation - the UPA cartoons in particular were really a completely different change. I saw things that were actually art, and not just cartoons..... I saw my first Fischinger film, and it popped all my buttons!

William Moritz, as quoted by Cindy Keefer, "A Lifetime in Animation: The Glamorous Dr. William Moritz," Animation World Magazine.