Boyd Kirkland
Boyd Kirkland
Born
Boyd Douglas Kirkland

(1950-11-04)November 4, 1950[1]
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedJanuary 27, 2011(2011-01-27) (aged 60)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, Animator
Spouse
Barbara Guest
​
(m. 1972)​

Boyd Douglas Kirkland (November 4, 1950 – January 27, 2011) was an American television director of animated cartoons. He was best known for his work on X-Men: Evolution and Batman: The Animated Series. He suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). While in ICU at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, he died waiting for a lung transplant on January 27, 2011.[1]

Biography

Kirkland was raised in Utah as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[2] He received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Weber State College in Ogden, Utah.[3] His career in animation started in 1979 as a layout artist.[4] This evolved into XAM! Productions,[3] a partnership based in Salt Lake City that subcontracted for larger Los Angeles based studios. He moved his family to Los Angeles in 1986.[4]

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.[5] After brief requests for answers from church leaders, Kirkland continued his own research into the controversy, resulting in articles published in Sunstone Magazine,[6] Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought,[7] and chapters of Line Upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine.[5][8]

Kirkland worked as a producer for Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: The Animated Series, and with storyboards for G.I. Joe: The Movie, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, My Little Pony: The Movie, and Starchaser: The Legend of Orin. He also worked on various Mormon cartoons from the Living Scriptures, Inc, including "The Savior in America" and "The Miracles of Jesus."[9]

Notable works

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

Main article: Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

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

Main article: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Boyd Kirkland was a sequence director and storyboard artist for the 1993 film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

Batman: The Animated Series

Main article: Batman: The Animated Series

Boyd Kirkland was a writer and director for Batman: The Animated Series.[10]

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Main article: 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.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Boyd Kirkland's Obituary: "Boyd Kirkland Obituary".
  2. ^ Obituary of Kirkland's mother shows the family's strong Mormon connection at: "Death: Irene Argyle Kirkland". Church News. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News. January 1, 1989. Retrieved 2009-03-02.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b Kirkland, Boyd (Autumn 1984). "Jehovah as the Father: The Development of the Mormon Jehovah Doctrine" (PDF). Sunstone. 9 (2): 36–44. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  4. ^ a b "Crew: Boyd Kirkland". Dragonlance Movie Site. Cinemagine Media Ltd. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  5. ^ a b Kirkland, Boyd (Fall 1998). "Building the Kingdom with Total Honesty". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 31 (3): iv–vi. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  6. ^ Kirkland, Boyd (November 1986). "Of Gods, Mortal, and Devils: Eternal Progression and the Second Death in the Theology of Brigham Young" (PDF). Sunstone. 10 (12): 6–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  7. ^ Kirkland, Boyd (Spring 1986). "Elohim and Jehovah in Mormonism and the Bible". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 19 (1): 77–93. doi:10.2307/45225454. JSTOR 45225454. S2CID 254341289. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  8. ^ Kirkland, Boyd (1989). "The Development of the Mormon Doctrine of God" and "Eternal Progression and the Second Death in the Theology of Brigham Young". In Bergera, Gary J. (ed.). Line Upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine. Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books. ISBN 0-941214-69-9.
  9. ^ "Brief Biographies of Latter-day Saint and/or Utah Film Personalities: K". LDSFilm.com. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  10. ^ Boyd Kirkland at IMDb

External links

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