Vinnie Bell

Born 1931-10-27 · Port Chester, New York

Died 2021-02-01

Born October 27, 1931 to Vincenzo and Mariee Iacobelli, Vinnie Bell graduated from the local Port Chester school system and served with U.S. armed forces during the Korean War before starting his animation career at the famed Terrytoons studio, just down the road in New Rochelle. He started as an ink & paint artist before becoming a trusted animator, bringing to life cartoon shorts starring Clint Clobber, Sidney the Elephant, Dinky Duck and Gaston Le Crayon. In the following years, he worked on Terrytoons TV series such as "The Deputy Dawg Show" and "Mighty Mouse". Over the coming decades, Bell contributed his talents to diverse projects, such as Ernest Pintoff’s Oscar shortlisted "The Old Man and the Flower", John Hubley’s geological trip, "Dig", "The MAD Magazine TV Special", several "Berenstain Bears" TV movies, Michael Sporn’s "Nightingale", "The Lizzie McGuire Movie", and "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law", to which he lent his valuable experience of ’60s and ’70s cartooning to the retro-inspired animation and background art. Bell closed out five decades in the industry by contributing to "Saturday Night Live" and "The Best of TV Funhouse" in 2006/7.