Hisko Hulsing (born 7 July 1971 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch director, animator, painter, composer, and storyboard artist. He is known for his work in independent animated short films and for serving as the director and production designer of the Amazon Prime Video series Undone (2019‑present). Hulsing’s animated works have received multiple international awards, including the Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival for his short Junkyard (2012) and the Grand Prize at the Shanghai Television Festival.
Early life and education
Hulsing was born and raised in Amsterdam. He studied painting and animation at the Art Academy of Rotterdam, graduating in 1995. His training combined fine‑art techniques with motion‑picture production, a blend that would later characterize his distinctive visual style.
Career
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Short films
- Harry Rents a Room (1999) – early experimental work.
- Seventeen (2004) – an animated short that garnered festival screenings and served as the Dutch entry for the Academy Awards.
- Junkyard (2012) – a hand‑painted, rotoscoped short film that won the Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival and was later selected as one of Vimeo’s Top Ten videos of 2014.
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Feature‑length collaborations
- Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) – Hulsing animated large sequences for Brett Morgen’s documentary, providing oil‑on‑canvas backgrounds and compositional design. The film premiered at Sundance and was broadcast internationally on HBO and Netflix.
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Television
- Undone (2019‑present) – Hulsing directed and served as production designer for Amazon’s first adult animated series, co‑created by Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob‑Waksberg. The series is noted for its use of rotoscoping and hand‑painted backgrounds, with each episode featuring original orchestral scores composed by Hulsing.
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Recent work
- Contributed background art and design to The Sandman episode “Dream of a Thousand Cats” (2022) for Netflix.
Artistic style
Hulsing’s animation combines traditional oil painting on canvas with digital rotoscoping, creating richly textured, fluid motion. He frequently composes the orchestral soundtracks for his films, integrating visual and musical elements to enhance narrative atmosphere.
Awards and recognition
- Grand Prize, Ottawa International Animation Film Festival (2012) – Junkyard
- Grand Prize, Shanghai Television Festival (year unspecified) – Junkyard
- Multiple audience and jury awards at European animation festivals for Seventeen and Junkyard
Filmography (selected)
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Harry Rents a Room | Director, Animator |
| 2004 | Seventeen | Director, Composer |
| 2005 | MTV – Son of the Blob | Director |
| 2012 | Junkyard | Director, Composer, Painter |
| 2014 | The Last Hijack (directed by Tommy Pallotta) | Animator |
| 2015 | Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (directed by Brett Morgen) | Animator, Production Designer |
| 2019‑2021 | Undone (Amazon Prime Video) | Director, Production Designer, Composer |
| 2022 | The Sandman – “Dream of a Thousand Cats” | Production Designer |
References
- Wikipedia contributors. “Hisko Hulsing.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hisko_Hulsing.
- Animation World Network, “Hulsing’s ‘Junkyard’ Takes Grand Prix for Best Short at Ottawa.”
- Variety, “Sundance Review: ‘Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck.’”
External links
- Official website: http://www.hiskohulsing.com/
- IMDb profile: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0401563/