A LOVING tribute to a Helensburgh dad has been included in an Oscar-winning film which is enchanting audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

A picture of Stan Grieve, who died aged 80 three years ago, is shown at the end of the film Coco, which won the Best Animated Feature prize at the Academy Awards.

Stan’s daughter Laura, a former Hermitage Academy pupil, works as part of the award-winning production team at Pixar Animation Studios in San Francisco which made the touching film about a boy who is accidentally transported to the land of the dead.

There, he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family among the living.

The film centres on the traditional Mexican holiday, The Day of the Dead, when people remember and pray for friends and family members who have died.

The production team decided to finish the film with a sequence showing pictures of deceased relatives who had been an inspiration to them in life.

When Laura heard about this touching finale, she was delighted to get her dad’s picture included as he had been so proud of her achievements in the film industry.

Laura’s mum Rose and sister Julia went to see the film being screened in the Tower Digital Arts Centre in Helensburgh.

Rose told the Advertiser this week: “It was a very emotional film and leaves you with tears in your eyes.

“Stan’s picture is one of many, so it’s only a brief glimpse.

“But he would have been thrilled to know his picture is included. It was his ambition to work in animation as he loved drawing and did a lot of cartoons.”

Stan, a university lecturer in naval architecture, was well known in the town and a keen tennis player at the Craighelen club.

Sadly, he suffered from dementia and passed away just two years before he and Rose were due to celebrate their golden wedding.

Rose said: “Stan was very proud of Laura’s achievements in the film industry and liked to keep up to date with all the things she was working on.

“The film has been very good for Mexico which has been put through such a lot by Donald Trump.”

Born and raised in Helensburgh, Laura’s art skills were spotted by her Academy teachers who encouraged her to develop them further.

After school she went to Brookes University in Oxford to study fine art and anthropology, and went on to her first job with Sony in the UK where she worked on highly successful computer games.

Aged 25, she was head-hunted by a games company in America and eventually set up her own company along with others.

However, the big screen beckoned and she moved to Dreamworks in San Francisco for 10 years, where she worked on the three Shrek blockbusters and the Oscar-nominated Madagascar.

Laura’s career took a new direction three years ago, when she moved to Pixar, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, where she is in charge of lighting, a role simply referred to as a ‘lighter’.

Coco has received top reviews, with one critic saying: “Pixar has raised the animation bar again, with its most musical — and arguably most magical — film yet.”

Another reviewer states: “It has powerful themes of perseverance, teamwork, and gratitude and encourages audiences to love and appreciate their family and always follow their dreams.”

Rose said: “Laura is modest about her achievements – but would be the first to encourage young people to go out and pursue their dream careers.”