Disney Legend Ollie Johnston dies at 95

[ALIASd]

Paul Hiffmeyer / Walt Disney Studios via Associated Press

Disney animator Ollie Johnston at the
Disneyland Railroad in May 2005.

Ollie Johnston 1912-2008

The last of the "nine old men"--and more importantly a beloved artist, mentor, patriarch and husband--passed into history today. Ollie Johnston was 95 years old.

This sad news just came over the transom. Later on I'll try to collect some thoughts, but I'm sure in the meantime many more eloquent tributes than anything I might compose will be posted.

Rest peacefully, Ollie.

http://blackwingdiaries.blogspot.com...1912-2008.html
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/


Ollie Johnston (Animation)
Inducted 1989

Animator Ollie Johnston infused an unusual level of warmth and heartfelt emotion into his Disney characters. As lifelong friend and fellow animator Frank Thomas recalled, "Ollie was the only one of the Studio animators who was sensitive to character relationships and how they affected story," explained Frank -- "Back then cartoon characters seldom touched unless they hit each other. But one day Ollie said, 'You know, the act of two people holding hands communicates in a powerful way.' And he was right. His warmth made a difference in so many of our characters."

http://legends.disney.go.com/legends...Ollie+Johnston

Walt Disney animator Ollie Johnston dies at 95

Associated Press
via The Hollywood Reporter
April 15, 2008

Walt Disney Studios says legendary animator Ollie Johnston has died at age 95.

Studio Vice President Howard Green says Johnston died of natural causes on Monday at a long-term care facility in Sequim, Washington.

Johnston was the last of Walt Disney's so-called Nine Old Men.

He contributed animation and direction to classics such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Song of the South," "Cinderella," and "Alice in Wonderland."

He also worked on "Peter Pan," "Lady and the Tramp," "Sleeping Beauty," "Sword in the Stone," "Mary Poppins," "The Jungle Book," "Robin Hood," "The Rescuers," and "The Fox and the Hound."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...304af739e80fcc

R.I.P. Disney Legend Ollie Johnston 1912-2008
http://micechat.com/forums/showthrea...lie-94615.html

[Ward]

Condolences to his family. And thanks to Brad Bird for adding Ollie, and Frank Thomas, in cameo roles to The Incredibles -- a fine tribute to these legendary animators.

[Queentitania19]

I'm always amazed at how the passing of someone I've never met can affect me so much. This is a sad day... rest in peace Ollie.

I hope his family is ok.

[BFJen]

What an amazing life he must have led. So sad to hear, but what a legacy.

[GhostHost2]

This is very sad. It is like the end of an era, now that all 'nine old men' are gone.
My condolences to his family. He was a great animator and his work will live on forever.

[disneytim]

Excerpt from Ollie Johnston's bio at www.frankandollie.com:

Born in 1912 in Palo Alto, California, Ollie Johnston attended Stanford University and the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, studying under Pruett Carter. He joined Walt Disney Studios in 1935, after only one week of training.

Johnston's first assignment at Disney was as an in-betweener on the cartoon short, Mickey's Garden. (An inbetweener is an artist who creates the drawings that appear in-between the extremes of an action that are drawn by animator.) The following year, he was promoted to apprentice animator, working under Fred Moore on such shorts as Pluto's Judgment Day and Mickey's Rival. His first feature-length film was Snow White and Seven Dwarfs followed shortly by Pinocchio.

His humor, sensitivity and acting abilities proved to have lasting appeal and his skills at communicating these qualities in his drawings earned him a spot as one of Walt Disney's "nine old men." This irreverent reference had nothing to do with age but rather referred to the studio's elite inner circle of animators.

One of Johnston's proudest accomplishments was his work on the 1942 film Bambi, which pushed the art form to new levels in its portrayal of animal realism. In 1946, for the film, Song of the South, Johnston became a directing animator. He served in that capacity until his retirement in January 1978 following work on The Fox and the Hound.

It's a sad day. Rest in peace Ollie, and thanks.

[ALIASd]

He can't and won't be forgotten, thankfully his work lives on.



Walt's Family & Friends
Interview with: Ollie Johnston & Frank Thomas

http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/fami...ank/index.html

[sir clinksalot]

Very sad, the passing of an era most definately.

I think Walt is having some drinks with all of his "Nine Old Men".

[disneytim]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

I think Walt is having some drinks with all of his "Nine Old Men".

And probably chewing them out too.

A list of Ollie Johnston's feature animation credits:

(1937) SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
Assistant Animator with Fred Moore, in charge of all dwarf drawings.

(1940) PINOCCHIO
Animation Director. Animated Pinocchio talking to the Blue Fairy and telling a lie.

(1940) FANTASIA
Animated Pastoral Symphony Segment.

(1942) BAMBI
Supervising Animators on Bambi. Animated Baby Bambi; older Bambi meeting the neighborhood; Thumper reciting poetry on the meadow; meeting Stag.

(1945) THE THREE CABALLEROS
Animated The Flying Gaucho. (Gauchito)

(1946) MAKE MINE MUSIC
Animator: Casey at the Bat & Peter and the Wolf.

(1946) SONG OF THE SOUTH
Directing animator: Running Away, Tar Baby, the Laughing Place.

(1948) MELODY TIME
Directing Animator: Little Toot & Johnny Appleseed.

(1949) ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD & MR. TOAD
Directing Animator: Rat, Mole, Toad, Cyril & Ichabod, Katrina, Brom Bones.

(1950) CINDERELLA
Directing Animator: Stepsisters, Lackey.

(1951) ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Directing Animator: Alice, King of Hearts.

(1953) PETER PAN
Directing Animator: Mr. Smee.

(1955) LADY AND THE TRAMP
Directing Animator: Lady, Jock, Trusty.

(1959) SLEEPING BEAUTY
Directing Animator: Flora, Fauna & Merryweather

(1961) 101 DALMATIANS
Directing Animator: Pongo, Perdita, Nanny Cook, Puppies.

(1963) SWORD IN THE STONE
Directing Animator: Merlin, Wart, Archimedes, Laughing Owl.

(1964) MARY POPPINS
Directing Animator, Penguins as waiters.

(1967) THE JUNGLE BOOK
Directing Animator: Baloo, Bagheera, Mowgli, and The Girl.

(1970) THE ARISTOCATS
Directing Animator: cats and geese, Amelia, Abigail, Uncle Waldo.

(1973) ROBIN HOOD
Directing Animator: Prince John, Sir Hiss, Robin Hood, Little John, Maid Marian.

(1977) THE RESCUERS
Directing Animator: Orville, Bernard, Bianca, Rufus, Penny.

(1977) THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH
Animator, Pooh, Piglet.

(1981) THE FOX AND THE HOUND
Directing Animator: young Tod, young Copper, Chief, Vixey, and Tod.

Credits courtesy www.frankandollie.com.

[sir clinksalot]

Wow, that's quite an impressive resume'.

[Mac Daddy]

I was just thumbing through Walt Disney's Nine Old Men this afternoon and smiling at how much that cat Rufus (in Rescuers) looks just like Ollie. I was wondering if Frank and Ollie were still around. And then I just noticed this thread and got the news....

I think Frank and Ollie's video came out in 2003 and they looked like they were getting on in years back then.

Not too many of the old guard left anymore.




Was he really the last one?

[disneytim]

Originally Posted by Mac Daddy

Was he really the last one?

Sadly, he was.

[pixie chick]

How very sad.

He did a lot of great work and brought lots of smiles to many people, though.

[Alice's Wonderland]

He will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go with his family.

[mickeymark34]

He will be missed.

The Jungle Book is, hands down, the most memorable Disney film to me. But he made many other films that were great. My thoughts go out to his family.