Michael John Roberts, the animator and director whose work brought adult and children’s animation to television screens, died on November 11 at the age of 48.
His family announced that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home following a brief battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Roberts specialized in animated comedy and built an extensive television career spanning multiple networks and studios. He co-created and directed the Comedy Central sketch comedy series TripTank, which ran from 2014 to 2016 and featured voice work from artists such as Bob Odenkirk, Larry David, Niecy Nash and Zach Galifianakis.
His television work began with animation on children’s series including Angela Anaconda and The Hoobs. He also directed commercials for brands such as Honda, Burger King, ABC Television and Pulse Electric Scooters, alongside music videos for The Sadies and The Pack AD.
His credits also include animating the 2015 opening sequence for Netflix’s BoJack Horseman, and he directed two episodes of the show, which wrapped in 2020.
In children's and family entertainment, Roberts created the eight-episode YouTube Red buddy comedy Dallas & Robo, which starred John Cena and Kat Dennings and premiered in 2018. Always partial to science fiction, he described the project as “Smokey and the Bandit in space.”
He studied animation at Sheridan College in Ontario and advanced from junior animator to storyboard artist and director, also animating the opening sequence for the reboot of Clone High and helming the steampunk short Airship Dracula starring Alan Tudyk.
Michael saw the world a little differently. A gifted artist with an extraordinary talent, he could find something worth exploring in what others might overlook. His creativity was not limited to what he put on paper; it shaped the way he thought, questioned and understood the world around him.
Michael John Roberts’ family
Aubry Mintz, executive director of ASIFA-Hollywood and an animation professor at Cal State Long Beach School of Art, remembered him as an artist who collaborated with Mintz on Airship Dracula.
In remembering his life, the family emphasized that his illness did not define him, noting instead that his legacy would live on through his creations, the friendships he nurtured and the love he gave to those closest to him.
