Eli Noyes


Eli Noyes is an American animator most noted for his stop animation work using clay and sand.

Early life

Eliot Fette Noyes, Jr. was born the son of noted "Harvard Five" architect Eliot Noyes and his wife, interior designer Molly Duncan Weed Noyes. He is the brother of Fred Noyes. He graduated from Harvard University in 1964.

Career

In 1964, Noyes created the animated film Clay or Origin of the Species which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The film is considered one of the earliest examples of clay stop-animation and is cited by Wallace and Gromit creators, Peter Lord and David Sproxton as a large influence on their work.
Noyes is also noted for his creation of the Sand Alphabet for Sesame Street and the Nickelodeon children's television series, Eureeka's Castle. In 2003, Noyes cofounded the animation production studio Alligator Planet with Ralph Guggenheim and Alan Buder. Noyes directed animation sequences for two films which were shortlisted for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Under Our Skin and The Most Dangerous Man in America, a final nominee.

Filmography