Gerry Garcia—born Geraldo A. Garcia in 1952—was a trailblazing Filipino animator, painter, and filmmaker whose creative legacy helped shape the landscape of Philippine animation. A graduate of Far Eastern University with a major in advertising art, Garcia began his career in the 1970s as a matte artist for Image Film, eventually becoming one of the most influential figures in the country’s animation scene.
He is best known for creating Ang Panday (1986), the first Filipino-made animated television series, based on the iconic comic character by Carlo J. Caparas and Steve Gan. Though short-lived due to production costs, the series earned Garcia a Special Citation from the Film Academy of the Philippines and marked a turning point in local animation history.
Garcia continued to innovate with projects like Isko: Adventures in Animasia (1995), which blended live action and animation, and Adarna: The Mythical Bird (1997), a full-length animated feature based on Filipino folklore. He also produced Talk Toons, the first animated talk show on Philippine television, featuring celebrity interviews transformed into animated segments.
Beyond the Philippines, Garcia worked on commercial projects for Nickelodeon and illustrated children’s books for MacMillan, including titles like Little Snow Girl and Ernie and Bubba. He moved to Verona, New Jersey in 1998, where he lived quietly with his family until his passing in 2010 due to a heart condition.
Gerry Garcia’s work remains a cornerstone of Filipino animation—bold, experimental, and deeply rooted in cultural storytelling.
