ABSTRACT
This concluding chapter looks at the period after his work at the ILM was over. While he had produced six independent films in his 5 years at CalArts, he completed none after 1975. He returned to Robert Abel and Associates to work on the Star Trek movie. His reputation as a prominent figure in independent animation continued. He is one of the 10 animators named by Thelma Schenkel in a 1978 Millimeter magazine article, “Ten Poets of the Single Frame.” He joined numerous peers in Frames, a “who’s who” of animation that was spearheaded by New York animators, including Kathy Rose and George Griffin. Two of his animations were selected for “Short Films Showcase,” a program to place independent shorts in the theater. His last 2 years were somewhat mysterious, but it is clear that he was working on animation at the time of his death in early 1979. The posthumous recognition that he had received is covered, from the event held by the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science to recognize and honor his contributions. Participants of that event included colleagues and friends in film and effects: Jonathan Erland, Richard Winn Taylor II, Richard Edlund, Pat O’Neill, Dave Berry, Roberta Friedman, Beth Block, Chris Casady, and David Wilson. Beckett’s animations and his larger-than-life legacy have endured time, remaining relevant in the current culture of innovation, where animation is a pervasive thread in our visual, technological culture.
