Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A Tribute To Ollie Johnston (1912-2008)


I grew up enjoying Disney animated films. They captured a magical world and created a new art form. As I grew older, the Disney films kept me young. It was the magic that the animation team at Disney created, that inspired me to become an animator myself.

Today we lost a legend that pioneered the frontiers of animation along side eight other artists that Walt referred to as his "nine old men". These men as a team created beautiful films that I still enjoy today with my family.


Ollie as an individual created a legacy at the Disney company by not only bringing loveable characters to life on the big screen for all of us to enjoy, but by sharing his passion and knowledge of animation with the next generation of animators. He passed the torch in order to keep the flame of animation brightly burning.

Ollie worked on many films we all know, and I thought it would be appropriate to mention them here in order to get an idea of how much he contributed to the industry.

(1937) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(1940) Pinocchio
(1940) Fantasia
(1942) Bambi
(1945) The Three Caballeros
(1946) Make Mine Music
(1946) Song of the South
(1948) Melody Time
(1949) Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
(1950) Cinderella
(1951) Alice in Wonderland
(1953) Peter Pan
(1955) Lady and the Tramp
(1959) Sleeping Beauty
(1961) 101 Dalmations
(1963) Sword in the Stone
(1964) Mary Poppins
(1967) The Jungle Book
(1970) The Aristocats
(1973) Robin Hood
(1977) The Many Adventures of Winne the Pooh
(1981) The Fox and the Hound

Ollie also worked on over a dozen short films, several television shows, he co-authored five books, and contributed to five others. His accomplishments are far too numerous to list on a humbe blog.

Today we lost a legend, an icon, and a great man. He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, and always remembered and adored by his fans.

Safe journey Ollie.