Boris Dyozhkin

Boris Petrovich Dyozhkin (1914 to 1992) was a Soviet animator, animation director and art director who spent about forty years at the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. Born in Kursk, he began as a factory locksmith while learning caricature through courses run by the magazine Krokodil, then trained in animation and joined the Experimental Animation Workshop in 1934, a group that tried to develop a style inspired by Disney and the Fleischer studios. He became known as one of the studio's most skilful animators and later often combined the work of director, art director and animator. By 1955 he had made a name with fast-paced slapstick comedies about rival sports teams, and the only feature film he directed was Cipollino (1961). He was a member of ASIFA and was named Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR in 1969.