Soviet and Russian animator Vyacheslav Nazaruk has died

Soviet and Russian artist and animator Vyacheslav Nazaruk passed away on January 28, at the age of 81, according to a Facebook announcement by Sergey Kapkov, the director of the Soyuzmultfilm film studio.

Vyacheslav Nazaruk was born on March 4, 1941. He’s most famous for art directing the animated films Mother For a Little Mammoth and Baby Raccoon, among others. In 1985, the artist won the USSR State Prize for a series of animated films about a cat named Leopold.

In addition to animation, Nazaruk worked on painting, book illustration, and sculpting. He also lectured on the theory of drawing, painting, and composition at Disney’s invitation.