Quotes

I maintain that animation is the art of arts. I state that with utmost honesty. Not only because animation combines all forms of art, but because it possesses the potential to elevate them to a higher level.

To try to express realistic human behavior in animation has limitations. Such attempts in serious animation are often absurdly ridiculous. Why would one imitate reality? Just leave it to living actors! Earthbound reality is not for animation. Animation is a stylized, fantastic world.

I come from nowhere, I am heading nowhere, and the time that's given to me in between is for myself, for creation. In my assessment, God has a presence in everything, but he has no concern about what to do with me after I die. I have been incredibly fortunate, and I strive to make myself worthy of it. But I don't believe that one day I will be sitting on a cloud, looking down and feeling satisfied about how others have categorized my drawings [in a museum].

Everyone works on monitor screens. To me, that is magic. I still do my work on paper, yes. Learning to use a computer screen would have been a waste of time. Whenever there's an argument about my opinions over digitalization, I always just say that from my movies, only my own drawings will survive. The rest is out there, in the cloud, who knows what might happen to it. But the drawings will remain.

The ending of the aforementioned film (Küzdök (1977)), when the sculptor dies for his creation, makes me tear up now that I'm old. This is our job, if it doesn't kill us, then there's no point to it. György Kovásznai was a truly genius creator in my eyes, we've also worked together. When he found out he was seriously ill, he did not go back to the doctor, he instead continued painting day and night to finish his life's work. This is the best thing an artist can do. He could have gone on one last boat tour to see the world. But it's not the world that's important.