A
Tribute to Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas,
one of the most talented, inventive and influential animators in the
history of the art form, a member of Walt Disney's elite
“Nine Old Men,” and a pioneering animator who
worked on many classic shorts and features during his 43-year career at
the Disney Studios, passed away on Wednesday (9/8/2023) at his home in
Flintridge, California. He was 92 years old.
Thursday
September
9, 7:00 pm ET
BURBANK,
Calif., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Frank Thomas, one of the most talented,
inventive and influential animators in the history of the art form, a
member of Walt Disney's elite “Nine Old Men,” and a
pioneering animator who worked on many classic shorts and features
during his 43-year career at the Disney Studios, passed away on
Wednesday (9/8) at his home in Flintridge, California. He was 92 years
old. Thomas had been in declining health following a cerebral
hemorrhage earlier this year. In addition to his achievements as an
animator and directing animator, Thomas (in collaboration with his
lifelong friend and colleague Ollie Johnston) authored four landmark
books: Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, Too Funny for Words,
Bambi: The Story and the Film, and The Disney Villain. Thomas and
Johnston were also the title subjects of a heartfelt 1995
feature-length documentary entitled “Frank and
Ollie,” written and directed by Frank's son, Theodore (Ted)
Thomas.
In a career
filled with milestones, Thomas' remarkable animation included such
indelible moments as the first date and spaghetti dinner in
“Lady and the Tramp,” Thumper teaching Bambi how to
ice-skate, Baloo the bear telling the man-cub Mowgli that he can't stay
in the jungle in “The Jungle Book,” Pinocchio
trapped in the birdcage by the evil puppeteer Stromboli, the lovesick
squirrel whose heart is broken in “Sword in the
Stone,” Captain Hook playing the piano in “Peter
Pan,” the dancing penguins in “Mary
Poppins,” among others. He also animated several of Mickey
Mouse's most impressive scenes in such films as “The
Pointer,” and “Brave Little Tailor.”
Noted
animation historian/author/filmmaker John Canemaker, described Thomas'
special talents in his book, Walt Disney's Nine Old Men.
“Thomas is particularly known and admired for his ability to
animate emotionally sensitive material; the saddest scenes, the most
romantic, most deeply felt sequences, the sincerest heart-tuggers
usually found their way to his drawing board.”
Commenting on
Thomas' passing, Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said,
“Frank is an important part of the Disney legacy and one of
the most amazing talents to ever work at the Studio. From 'Snow White'
and 'Bambi,' up through 'The Rescuers,' he helped to shape the
characters, performances and movies that Disney produced and that are
loved all around the world. He was a wonderful person who brought a lot
of joy to our lives and he will be truly missed.”
Dick Cook,
chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, added, “It was a thrill
and a great pleasure to have known and worked with Frank Thomas here at
Disney. His youthful spirit, gentle humor, and enormous talent, left a
big imprint on the Disney animated features. He was truly one of the
greatest talents the industry has ever known.”
David
Stainton, president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, commented,
“All of us at Disney join the animation community and movie
fans around the world in celebrating the life and legacy of Frank
Thomas. His work set a standard that we all continue to strive for and
our art form is where it is today because of the foundations he
established.”
Academy
Award-winning filmmaker John Lasseter (head of creative for
Pixar Animation Studios and director of the “Toy
Story” films and “A Bug's Life”) said,
“Frank was a giant in our field and he meant everything to me
and to all of us who love the art of animation. Besides being one of
the key guys to help elevate animation from a novelty to an incredible
art form, he was so generous in passing along his knowledge and
experiences to the generations that followed. The books that he wrote
with Ollie had a big impact on so many of us working in animation
today. Frank was one of my main mentors and a tremendous influence on
me. I feel very privileged to have known him.”
Leonard
Maltin, animation historian, film critic, and author, observed,
“Frank helped to invent animation as an art form and took it
to incredible new heights through his work at Disney over four and a
half decades. He and his lifelong friend and colleague, Ollie Johnston,
had a remarkable gift for explaining and articulating how they did what
they did. That's a rare quality in an artist. Even in his nineties,
Frank retained a youthful spirit and indomitable sense of
humor.”
Born in Santa
Monica, California, Thomas moved to Fresno with his family at an early
age. At Fresno State College, he became president of his sophomore
class, and wrote and directed a film spoofing college life for a school
project. The film won much acclaim and was run in the local theaters,
where it earned a profit that was contributed to a school fund. That
project sparked Thomas' ambition to go seriously into the arts in some
form. His father promised to send him to an art school of his choice if
he would finish his education at Stanford.
At Stanford,
Thomas majored in art and won recognition for his cartoons for the
school newspaper, Chaparral. During his Stanford years, he met and
became friends with another art major, Ollie Johnston. The two formed
an instant friendship that was to last for over 70 years.
After
graduating from Stanford, Thomas moved to Los Angeles where he attended
Chouinard Art Institute and studied under Pruett Carter. Another young
artist and Stanford graduate, James Algar, lived in the same rooming
house and was employed by the Walt Disney Studios. At Algar's
suggestion, Thomas applied for an opening as an
“in-betweener” in the animation department and
started working there on September 24, 1934. After six months, he moved
into Fred Moore's unit and became the star animator's assistant. His
earliest assignments included the short “Mickey's
Elephant.”
Thomas made
animation history as a key member of the animation team on
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Hollywood's
first full-length animated feature. He was one of eight animators who
concentrated on the dwarfs in three sections of the film. This was
followed by a top spot animating the title character in
“Pinocchio.” Thomas helped to design the character
and did some outstanding animation on such scenes as the
“I've Got No Strings” musical section. For
“Bambi,” Thomas experimented for over six months to
get the proper look and characterization for Bambi and some of the
other animals. He worked “hand in glove” with
fellow animator Milt Kahl to solve some tough design and animation
problems.
In 1941,
Thomas joined Walt Disney and a contingent of 18 artists, and storymen
from the Studio on a goodwill trip to South America. He was the only
animator in the group that toured Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and
other countries. Two films, “The Three Caballeros,”
and “Saludos Amigos,” resulted from the trip.
For the 1949
feature, “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad,”
Thomas was promoted to directing animator and handled the scene with
the superstitious Ichabod riding home on a dark and scary night. He
made the switch to villains, starting with
“Cinderella,” for which he animated the wicked
Stepmother. This was followed by a star turn animating the Queen of
Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland.” Next came the
nefarious Captain Hook in “Peter Pan.” Thomas
designed and supervised this colorful character with the fiery temper.
Thomas struck
a romantic note with the classic scene of a cocker spaniel named Lady
and a rover named Tramp sharing spaghetti and meatballs on a
“Bella Notte” in the 1955 feature, “Lady
and the Tramp.” He went on to animate (with Ollie Johnston)
the three good fairy characters for “Sleeping
Beauty” and the lead adult dogs in “101
Dalmatians.” Thomas had one of his personal favorite scenes
in “The Sword in the Stone,” where a love-struck
squirrel encounters the once and future king who is temporarily
inhabiting the body of another squirrel.
He went on to
serve as directing animator on “The Jungle Book,”
“The Aristocats,” “Robin Hood,”
and “The Rescuers.” After working on some early
story development, character design, and animation for the 1981
feature, “The Fox and the Hound,” Thomas retired
from animation in January, 1978.
Over the next
five years, Thomas and Johnston devoted full time to researching and
writing the definitive book on their craft, Disney Animation: The
Illusion of Life. The book distilled forty years of knowledge and
experience into what many consider the finest book ever written about
animation. Too Funny for Words was published six years later and
explored the gags, humor and story elements that went into the features
and shorts. Walt Disney's Bambi: The Story and the Film (1990) told the
behind the scenes story of the creation of one of the greatest animated
films of all-time. Their final collaboration, The Disney Villain
(1993), explored the richest and most colorful rogue's gallery in film
history.
In addition
to his career as a top animator, Thomas also expressed his musical
talents as the piano player in the popular jazz group, The Firehouse
Five Plus Two. Formed in 1940s, the group consisted of other Disney
employees, and achieved success with their numerous Dixieland jazz
recordings and personal appearances. They officially disbanded in 1971.
In 1995,
Thomas was the subject of a feature length documentary,
“Frank and Ollie,” released by Walt Disney
Pictures. Written, produced, and directed by Frank's son, Theodore
(Ted) Thomas, and produced by Ted's wife, Kuniko Okubo, the film played
film festivals around the world and received acclaim for its insightful
look at the lives, careers and extraordinary friendship of the two
legendary animators.
Thomas is
survived by his wife of 58 years, Jeanette; son Theodore and his wife,
Kuniko Okubo; son Doug, and his life partner, Dan Poirer; son Gregg and
his children, Ukiah and Micah; and daughter, Ann Ayers, her husband,
Andy Ayers, and their son, Marshall.
No funeral is
planned but details regarding a life celebration will
be announced shortly. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that
donations be made in Frank's name to the Character Animation Program at
CalArts (California Institute of the Arts) in Santa Clarita, California.
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