Pete Kozachik, the visual effects supervisor for The Nightmare Before Christmas, has passed away at the age of 72, according to KVOA.
Pete Kozachik (credit: KVOA)
- Kozachik died September 12 after suffering complications due to aphasia and primary progressive aphasia.
- As a visual effects supervisor, he earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- Some of his other credits include Corpse Bride, James and the Giant Peach, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and The Matrix.
- Before that, he worked as a visual effects camera operator on Howard the Duck, and he went on to contribute to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Innerspace, Willow, Ghostbusters II, Hudson Hawk and RoboCop3.
- Kozachik was sought out by Tim Burton and Nightmare director Henry Sellick and became a frequent collaborator with the duo.
- He shared his Academy Award nomination with Eric Leighton, Ariel Velasco-Shaw and Gordon Baker.
- Kozachik is survived by his brother, Steve, who is a councilman and vice mayor in Tuscon, Arizona, where the new was first reported by KVOA.