Per Johan Axel Åhlin was a renowned Swedish artist and director of animated films, born on August 7, 1931, and passed away on May 1, 2023, at the age of 91.
Åhlin's career began as an artist for the Swedish production company Svenska bilder in 1964, working on various projects including the largely animated film Out of an Old Man's Head (1968) and The Adventures of Picasso (1978),where he animated Picasso's paintings.
In 1970, Åhlin established his own animation studio, PennFilm Studio AB, situated in Hököpinge, and directed numerous feature-length films and shorts, including the beloved animated short film Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons julafton, which has become a Christmas Eve tradition in Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
Throughout his career, Åhlin received numerous accolades, including a special achievement award at the 11th Guldbagge Awards in 1975 for Dunderklumpen! and the Creative Achievement award at the 25th Guldbagge Awards in 1990.
Despite being best known for his work in children's films, Åhlin's true passion lay in creating animated films for adult audiences. He often spoke about the challenges of making animated films with mature themes, stating, "I don't know whether the problem lies in the audience or the marketing. But think like this: if you draw like Picasso, Doré or Sergel, then those are images that have no connection to film. If they then would be animated and suddenly started to move – would they become children's film then? I can't understand this!"
Åhlin's legacy continues to inspire and entertain audiences around the world, and his contributions to the world of animation will be deeply missed.
