SUNDAY, NOV. 15th

McMenamins Mission Theater 3pm-6pm

On November 17th, Portland will recognize its first annual day honoring the life and legacy of Will Vinton as proclaimed by Mayor Keith Wilson.

 The event celebrating this momentous occasion will take place two days prior on Sunday, November 15th, 2026 from 3PM to 6PM at McMenamins Mission Theater (Doors at 2:30). This event is free and open to the public. Please register for your free tickets here:

https://www.mcmenamins.com/events/279445-will-vinton-day-celebration

 MOSMA will be displaying original puppets and pioneering equipment from Will Vinton Studios, screening short films and we will hear about his impact on the world from friends, family, and fans.

 About Will Vinton

Will Vinton was an award winning stop motion animator and film maker who called Oregon home. He laid the groundwork for Portland's animation scene and today the city is widely considered to be an international epicenter of stop-motion animation.

 Vinton first gained notoriety in 1975 when his short film Closed Mondays won an Academy Award, the first film produced in Portland to do so. From there, Vinton opened the doors of his stop motion animation studio in the heart of Portland’s Nob Hill district. Will Vinton Studios would go on to create numerous short films, television series’, music videos, commercials, and special effects which are still influential today; such as The Little Prince (1979), Moonlighting (1987), Disney’s Return to Oz (1985), The PJs (1999 – 2001), and The California Raisins.

Later in life, Vinton branched into live action and CGI work, taught at The Art Institute of Portland, and created a musical titled The Kiss.

We hope to see you!