Born in Ravenna, Italy, raised in Milan, and currently living in Genoa, Bendazzi started his career as a journalist and at the same time a self-funded scholar. He turned to full-time academic teaching by 2002. Bendazzi has lectured on several continents, and particularly in Italy. In 2002 he first received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation Theory from the Animafest Zagreb. In 2016 Asifa granted him the Life Achievement Award. In 2019, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Universidade Lusófona.
Works
Dr.h.c. Bendazzi has authored or edited many books and articles. He is best known for his book "Cartoons − 100 Years of Cinema Animation" , a history of the medium, published in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Persian. This book has been considered the definitive work on the subject for animation students and scholars. But in 2016, the three-tome "Animation - A World History" was published by CRC Press . Bendazzi also edited "Alexeieff – Itinéraire d’un maître / Itinerary of a Master" , and "Quirino Cristiani, pionero del cine de animación". Bendazzi also wrote books on live-action cinema, on Woody Allen and Mel Brooks.
Publications
"Animation - A World History", CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 2016 and 2017.
"La fabbrica dell’animazione. Bruno Bozzetto nell'industria culturale italiana", Il Castoro, Milan, 2003.
"I continenti dell’animazione", Cuem, Milan, 2002, 2003.
"Alexeieff - Itinéraire d’un maître / Itinerary of a Master", Dreamland, Paris, 2001.
"Le tour de l’animation en 84 films – Joyaux d’un siècle / The Tour of Animation in 84 Films – Jewels of a Century", Festival International du Film d’Animation, Annecy, 2000.
"Bruno Bozzetto – Animazione Primo amore", Isca, Milan, 1972. Croatian/English edition, Zagreb Animation Festival, 1998.
"Il movimento creato – Studi e documenti di ventisei saggisti sul cinema d’animazione", Pluriverso, Turin, 1993.
"Cartoons – Cento anni di cinema d’animazione / Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation", Italian edition: Marsilio, Venice, 1988, 1992. French edition: Liana Lévi, Paris, 1992. English edition: John Libbey/Indiana University Press, London/Bloomington, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2003. Spanish edition: Ocho y Medio, Madrid, 2003. Persian edition:Yeksad Sal Cinemaye Animation, Tehran, 2007.
"Le cinéma d’animation", La Pensée Sauvage, Grenoble, 1985.
"La zuzzurellinea – Osvaldo Cavandoli e l’animazione", Incontri Internazionali con gli Autori di Cinema d’Animazione, Genoa, 1985.
"Woody Allen − Il comico piú intelligente e l’intelligenza piú comica", Fabbri, Milan, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995. French edition: Liana Levi, Paris, 1986, 1989, 1991. English edition: Ravette, London, 1987. German edition: Treves, Trier, 1990, 1998. Hungarian edition: Alexandra Kiado, Budapest, 1994. Spanish edition: Orbis, Barcelona, 1995.
"Pages d’Alexeieff", AAA, Annecy, 1983. Italian edition: Incontri Internazionali con gli Autori di Cinema d’Animazione, Genoa, 1984.
"Due volte l’oceano – Vita di Quirino Cristiani, pioniere del cinema d’animazione", La casa Usher, Florence, 1983.
"Appeso a una matita – Il cinema d’animazione di Guido Manuli", Incontri Internazionali con gli Autori di Cinema d’Animazione, Genoa, 1983.
"Mel Brooks – L’ultima follia di Hollywood", Il Formichiere, Milan, 1977. French edition: Glénat, Paris, 1980.
"Topolino e poi", Il Formichiere, Milan, 1978.
"Woody Allen", La Nuova Italia, Florence, 1976 and 1979.
