Arnold Günther Stainton

Arnold Günther Stainton was an American-German animator and military soldier.
He has worked at UPA, MGM Animation/Visual Arts, Chuck Jones Enterprises, Sullivan Bluth Studios, Richard Williams Productions and Stainton Enterprises Country Club Hills and he served in the United States Army from 1991 to 2001.
== Biography ==
Arnold was born in 1931 at Rechts der Isar Hospital in Munich, Germany to Falco Auf der Maur (1901-1941) and Lý Vuong Dương (1900-1980).
When he was only an infant, he moved with his parents to Illinois due to the Nazi Party rising to power in Germany.
He planned to become a soldier in the United States Army by the age of 12, as he wanted to help overthrow the Nazi Party in Germany and even after the Nazi Party surrendered in 1945, he still wanted to join the United States Army, though in 1947 he started dating Shelly Stainton and because of that he decided on picking another career later in life, he became an animator at UPA, working on various shorts, films and television specials for the company.
At first he only joined UPA because the company paid him well, but he gradually started to grow a fondness for animation and the creation of it.
Arnold married Shelly Stainton in 1951, and he shortly after changed his name to Arnold Günther Stainton.
In 1966, Arnold left UPA due to the animation studio being gradually abandoned and later shut down four years after Arnold left the company, he then joined MGM Animation/Visual Arts, where he worked on the TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, various Tom & Jerry shorts and The Phantom Tollbooth, though in 1970, MGM Animation/Visual Arts was closed and Arnold started working at Chuck Jones Enterprises, where he worked on Curiosity Shop, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and the studio's two Raggedy Ann and Andy specials.
In 1967, Arnold became the father of Robert and Rebecca Stainton, and had multiple children after Robert and Rebecca's births, and even adopted a child.
In 1981, Arnold left Chuck Jones Productions and started working at Sullivan Bluth Studios, where he worked on films such as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven, during this time he also worked part-time on The Jeff Jones Show.
In 1991, Arnold left Richard Williams Productions and joined the United States Army, where he trained for two years and then was involved in the Iraqi No-Fly Zone conflict, Operation Gothic Serpent, most of the Yugoslav Wars and Operation Uphold Democracy, he left the United States army in 2001 due to "the United States' activity in Iraq at the time".
He then retired, only doing occasional writing and animation work on Greeny Phatom and Catgirl and the Clawed Crusaders, in 2008 he started animating various segments for the long-running German television series Die Sendung mit der Maus, he animated various Die Maus and Captain Bluebear segments until his death, in 2019, he started animating for Xilam's Mr. Magoo television series, Arnold stated about his work on the 2019 Mr. Magoo television series "It's fun to work on Mr. Magoo again after so many years, and the people at Xilam are very happy to have me around as animator".
In 2008, Arnold gained dual American-German citzenship, he then moved back to Munich, Germany after nearly 75 years, he then moved to Munich, Germany with his wife Shelly.
In 2013, Arnold's wife, Shelly Stainton passed away of cancer.
In December 2021, Arnold's oldest son Robert Stainton stated on his Twitter that Arnold's health has been declining and that Robert hopes that he will be able to take a hiatus from Greeny Phatom.
In March 2022, Robert stated again on his Twitter that Arnold's health has been declining even more and that there was a high chance that he was going to pass away sometime soon.
Arnold was able to celebrate his 91st birthday with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, though unfortunately about two weeks after, Arnold passed away due to old age at the age of 91 on May 17, 2022 in the morning hours, with his oldest son Robert beside him.
Robert stated on his Twitter that "I'm going to take a break from working at Stainton Enterprises for about a month or even longer to take time to mourn and accept my father's death", he stated that he deeply misses his father and hopes that "he's happily living with his wife in the afterlife".
Arnold's memorial was conducted on July 4, 2022 in Munich, Germany, with the entire Stainton and Michaels family attending the memorial, and various former MGM Animation/Visual Arts, Chuck Jones Enterprises, Sullivan Bluth Studios and Richard Williams Productions employees and various former United States Army soldiers that have worked with Arnold also attending the funeral.
His coffin was moved to the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf cemetery in Nikolassee, Berlin, Germany, where Arnold's grave resides today.
Season 28 of Greeny Phatom and Season 25 of Catgirl and the Clawed Crusaders and the upcoming film Greeny Phatom: The Movie 5 are dedicated to Arnold's memory.
== Filmography ==
* The Magic Fluke (1949) - storyboard artist
*The Ragtime Bear (1949) - storyboard artist
*Bungled Bungalow (1950) - animator
*Gerald McBoing-Boing (1950) - animator
*Giddyyap (1950) - animator
*The Miner's Daughter (1950) - animator
*Barefaced Flatfoot (1951) - animator
*Fuddy Duddy Buddy (1951) - animator
*Grizzly Golfer (1951) - animator
*Rooty Toot Toot (1951) - animator
*Hootsy Footsy (1952) - animator
*Madeline (1952) - animator
*Man Alive! (1952) - animator
*Pete Hothead (1952) - animator
*The Dog Snatcher (1952) - animator
*Christopher Crumpet (1953) - animator
*Gerald McBoing-Boing's Symphony (1953) - animator
*Magoo's Masterpiece (1953) - animator
*Magoo Slept Here (1953) - animator
*Safety Spin (1953) - animator
*The Tell-Tale Heart (1953) - animator
*Bringing Up Mother (1954) - animator
*Destination Magoo (1954) - animator
*Frosty the Snowman (1954) - animator
*How Now Boing Boing (1954) - animator
*Kangaroo Courting (1954) - animator
*Magoo Goes Skiing (1954) - animator
*When Magoo Flew (1954) - animator
*Four Wheels and No Brake (1955) - animator
*Hooray for Homer (1955) - animator
*Madcap Magoo (1955) - animator
*Magoo Makes News (1955) - animator
*Magoo's Check-Up (1955) - animator
*Magoo's Express (1955) - animator
*Spare the Child (1955) - animator
*Calling Dr. Magoo (1956) - animator
*Gerald McBoing! Boing! on Planet Moo (1956) - animator
*Magoo Beats the Heat (1956) - animator
*Magoo Goes West (1956) - animator
*Magoo's Canine Mutiny (1956) - animator
*Magoo's Problem Child (1956) - animator
*Magoo's Puddle Jumper (1956) - animator
*Meet Mother Magoo (1956) - animator
*The Jaywalker (1956) - animator
*Trailblazer Magoo (1956) - animator
*Magoo Breaks Par (1957) - animator
*Magoo Goes Overboard (1957) - animator
*Matador Magoo (1957) - animator
*Magoo Saves the Bank (1957) - animator
*Magoo's Glorious Fourth (1957) - animator
*Magoo's Masquerade (1957) - animator
*Magoo's Moose Hunt (1957) - animator
*Magoo's Private War (1957) - animator
*Rockhound Magoo (1957) - animator
*Trees and Jamaica Daddy (1957) - animator
*Gumshoe Magoo (1958) - animator
*Love Comes to Magoo (1958) - animator
*Magoo's Cruise (1958) - animator
*Magoo's Three-Point Landing (1958) - animator
*Magoo's Young Manhood (1958) - animator
*Sailing and the Village Band (1958) - animator
*Scoutmaster Magoo (1958) - animator
*Spring and Saganaki (1958) - animator
*The Explosive Mr. Magoo (1958) - animator
*1001 Arabian Nights (1959) - animator
*Bric's Stew (Unreleased, produced in 1959) - animator
*Bwana Magoo (1959) - animator
*Inside Magoo (1959) - animator
*Magoo Meets Boing Boing (1959) - animator
*Magoo's Homecoming (1959) - animator
*Magoo's Lodge Brother (1959) - animator
*Merry Minstrel Magoo (1959) - animator
*Picnics are Fun and Dino's Serenade (1959) - animator
*Terror Faces Magoo (1959) - animator
*I Was a Teenage Magoo (1960) - animator
*Magoo Meets Frankenstein (1960) - animator
*The Dick Tracy Show (1960-1961) - animator
*Mr. Digit and the Battle of Bubbling Book (1961) - animator
*Gay Purr-ee (1962) - animator
*Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) - animator
*The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (1964-1965) - animator
*How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special) (1966) - animator
*What's Up, Tiger Lilly? (1966) - title sequence animation
*Advance and Be Mechanized (1967) - animator
*Cannery Rodent (1967) - animator
*Cat and Dupli-cat (1967) - animator
*Guided Mouse-ille (1967) - animator
*O-Solar Meow (1967) - animator
*Purr-Chance to Dream (1967) - animator
*Rock 'n' Rodent (1967) - animator
*Shutter Bugged Cat (1967) - animator
*Surf-Bored Cat (1967) - animator
*The Bear that Wasn't (1967) - animator
*The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967) - animator
*Off to See the Wizard (1967-1968) - animator
*The Pogo Special Birthday Special (1969) - animator
*Horton Hears a Who! (TV special) (1970) - animator
*The Phantom Tollbooth (1971) - animator
*The Electric Company (1971) - animator (Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner segments)
*Curiosity Shop (1971-1972) - animator
*A Very Merry Cricket (1973) - animator
*Man the Polluter (1973) - animator
*The Cricket in Times Square (1973) - animator
*Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1975) - animator
*The White Seal (1975) - animator
*Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals (1976) - animator
*Mowgli's Brothers (1976) - animator
*Bugs Bunny in King Arthur's Court (1978) - animator
*Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Great Santa Claus Caper (1978) - animator
*Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979) - animator
*Raggedy Ann and Andy in The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile (1979) - animator
*The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979) - animator (original bridge animation)
*Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over (1980) - animator
*Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving (1980) - animator
*A Chipmunk Christmas (1981) - animator
*The Secret of NIMH (1982) - animator
*Dragon's Lair (1983) - animator
*The Jeff Jones Show (1984-1991) - animator (seasons 1-8 only)
*Space Ace (1984) - animator
*An American Tail (1986) - animator
*When the Wind Blows (1986) - animator
*The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) - animator
*The Land Before Time (1988) - animator
*All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) - animator
*The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) - animator
*Catgirl and the Clawed Crusaders (2001-2022) - writer
* Greeny Phatom (2001-2022) - writer, animator
*Die Sendung mit der Maus (2008-2022) - animator (Die Maus and Captain Bluebear animated segments only)
*Mr. Magoo (2019 TV series) (2019-2021) - animator
* Greeny Phatom: The Movie 5 (TBA) - writer (posthumous release)