Run Wrake, animator of dark and imaginative award-winning short films, dead of cancer at 47

Boing Boing reader Fergus Stewart writes,

I know that for obvious reasons you have been reporting in recent times on those who have cancer, so I wanted to draw attention to the premature passing of genius UK animator Run Wrake.

Run has been most well-known for his award-winning 8 minute animated short 'Rabbit,' which is a wonderfully dark and disturbing animation created with old illustrations culled from British reading-scheme books for children, (though few animations could be less suitable for children!).

Humour doesn't come much darker than this nightmarish vision of a somewhat warped pair of five-year-olds.

Unfortunately this incredible piece must now stand as a memorial to his talent as he died of cancer on Sunday at the relatively young age of 47.

Rabbit was BAFTA-nominated for Best Animated Short Film and winner of Best Film at the British Animation Awards 2006 as well as the McLaren Award for Animation at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

More about Wrake's life and work: Cartoon Brew, Televisual, FilmDrunk, Twitch, Big Cartoon News.

Watch more of Run Wrake’s work on Vimeo or YouTube.