Last Survivor Of Disney's "Nine Old Men" Dies At 95
Ollie Johnston, the last surviving member of Walt Disney's "nine old men" who created such classic animated films as *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs*, *Pinocchio*, *Cinderella*, *Fantasia*, *Sleeping Beauty*, and *Alice in Wonderland*, died in Sequim, Washington Tuesday at age 95. In a statement, Roy Disney, Walt's nephew and the third-largest shareholder in the company (after Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner), said, "Ollie was part of an amazing generation of artists, one of the real pioneers of our art, one of the major participants in the blossoming of animation into the art form we know today." Disney Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter said that Johnson "taught me to always be aware of what a character is thinking, and we continue to make sure that every character we create at Pixar and Disney has a thought process and emotion that makes them come alive."
(That's fellow "Old Man" *Frank Thomas* in the photo; the twoof them lent their voices and faces to characters in *The Iron Giant* and *The Incredibles*; i think Thomas died before *The Incredibles* was released or shortly thereafter.)
Heard the news yesterday and it is truly an end of an era. Ollie and the other eight were so influential to more than one generation. An incredible legacy.
Vtshome says
I grew up on these guys art back in the days when TV was still innocent. The Disney TV show everyweek was one of my favorites and going to the movies to see a Disney animated movie was a great thrill.
fairportfan says
Not really - computers are doing the greunt work; the work Frank and Ollie and their fellow "Old Men" did can't be automated.
It still takes an animator to decide where and how every element in every frame will look and move; all the computer does is replace the in-betweeners and ink and paint specialists and camera operators.
I can promise you, that if Frank and Ollie had felt that what the computers were doing in any way demeaned their legacies, they would not have appeared as the old men on the street at the end of *The Incredibles* commenting favourably on doing things "old school"...
RGM says
I remember those sunday nite Disney shows when I was a kid. BTW I think Sequim is not to far from where I live. Wonder where there buring him?
Comments (8)
Heard the news yesterday and it is truly an end of an era. Ollie and the other eight were so influential to more than one generation. An incredible legacy.