Boyd Kirkland


Boyd Douglas Kirkland was an American television director of animated cartoons. He was best known for his work on X-Men Evolution. His other famous works included . He suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease. While in ICU at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, he died waiting for a lung transplant on January 27, 2011. He has a book dedicated to him called Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Team-Up.

Biographical background

Kirkland was raised in Utah as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Weber State College in Ogden, Utah. His career in animation started in 1979 as a layout artist. This evolved into XAM! Productions, a partnership based in Salt Lake City that subcontracted for larger Los Angeles based studios. He moved his family to Los Angeles in 1986.
Kirkland published articles about the nature of God in Mormon thought. While a missionary for the LDS Church, Kirkland was confused about the Adam-God doctrine, ostensibly taught in the 19th century and denied in the 1970s, which led him to start questioning the current official church leaders. After brief requests for answers from church leaders, Kirkland continued his own research into the controversy, resulting in articles published in Sunstone Magazine, ', and chapters of Line Upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine.
Kirkland worked as a producer for ', and with storyboards for ', ', ', and '. He also worked on various Mormon cartoons from the Living Scriptures, Inc, including "The Savior in America" and "The Miracles of Jesus."

Notable works

''Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero''

is considered a major personal achievement in Boyd Kirkland's career. As a writer, director and producer on the film, he was seen as an integral part of the creative process. This gave him a unique opportunity to highly influence critical decisions, and to make the type of movie that he felt Batman fans would enjoy and appreciate.

''Batman: Mask of the Phantasm''

Boyd Kirkland was a sequence director and storyboard artist for the 1993 film .

''Batman: The Animated Series''

Boyd Kirkland was a writer and director for .

''The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes''

Boyd Kirkland was a director for the show's second season. The episode "Michael Korvac" was dedicated to his life. The ending credits included the dedication, "In Loving Memory Of Boyd Kirkland: Friend, Father, Director, Avenger." After the dedication, the episode's end credits played in complete silence, which is highly unusual for an American television series.