Pete Kozachik, a visual effects and stop-motion artist whose work on acclaimed animated films byTim Burton, Henry Selick and others brought recognition and an Oscar nomination, died Sept. 12 at his California home in the Bay Area following a years-long battle with aphasia and primary progressive aphasia.
He was 72.
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His death wasfirst announcedon Tucsons NBC affiliate station KVOA.
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Kozachik attended high school and college in Tucson, and his brother Steve Kozachik is vice mayor of the city.
While best known for his Oscar-nominated work on 1993sThe Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Selick and produced by Burton, Kozachik launched his career in 1984 on the sci-fi filmDreamscapestarring Dennis Quad.
In 86 he was the visual effects camera operator on the notoriousHoward the Duck, going on to build a solid roster of credits in the late 1980s and early 1990s, includingStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Innerspace, Willow, Ghostbusters II, Hudson HawkandRoboCop3.
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Tapped by Selick and Burton to serve as visual effects supervisor and director of photography forThe Nightmare Before Christmas, Kozachik joined a team that included Eric Leighton, Ariel Velasco-Shaw and Gordon Baker, all of whom would share in the Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.
The group lost to the fx team fromJurassic Park, butNightmarewould help establish a signature look for Selick and, especially, Burton.
Kozachik would reteam with Selick and Burton onJames and the Giant Peach(1996), with Burton onCorpse Bride(2005) and Selick onCoraline(2009).
Other credits includeStar Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones(2002),Monkeybone(2001) andStarship Troopers(1997).
In addition to his brother, Kozachik is survived by wife, the scenic artist Katy Moore-Kozachik, and extended family.
