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Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the 99th birthday party of animator Willis Pyle. Pyle has had a cartoon career for the ages. On Pinocchio, he cleaned up Milt Kahl’s scene of Jiminy Cricket getting dressed while running to work. He was a key animator during the early days of UPA and animated on the studio’s first theatrical short for Columbia, Robin Hoodlum, as well as the first Mister Magoo short Ragtime Bear. In the classic UPA film Gerald McBoing Boing, Pyle animated the climactic scene of Gerald performing sound effects at the radio station.

I’m incredibly grateful that we still have living links to the Golden Age of animation like Willy, and attending his party made me wonder who else is still around. The list below is every animation industry veteran I can think of who is 85 years or older. I’m sure there are plenty of others too, and I invite you to help fill out the list. The growth and development of our art form owes much to these men and women.

• Bob Balser – 86 years old

Rudy Cataldi – 86 years old

Sam Clayberger – 87 years old

Stan Freberg – 87 years old

Ken Mundie – 87 years old (?)

Walt Peregoy – 88 years old (?)

Ray Favata – 89 years old

Gene Deitch – 89 years old

Charles Csuri – 91 years old

David Weidman – 92 years old (?)

X. Atencio (pictured right) – 94 years old

Martha Sigall – 95 years old (?)

June Foray – 95 years old

Bob Givens – 95 years old

Stan Spohn – 98 years old

Willis Pyle – 99 years old

Tyrus Wong – 102 years old

Animation concept artist and Disney Legend, Tyrus Wong is celebrating his 102nd birthday this week (though his actual birthday was yesterday Oct. 25th). You can send Tyrus a birthday greeting yourself here or better yet, on the Facebook page set up to support Pamela Tom’s feature length documentary (currently in post production). Alice Davis (Marc’s widow), animator Tony Anselmo and Minnie Mouse voice Russi Taylor have left video greetings om the page.

Tom’s film, Tyrus Wong:Brushstrokes in Hollywood is the first in-depth portrait that “explores the life and art of 101-year old pioneering Chinese American painter, muralist, lithographer, kite builder, and Disney Legend”. According to her website:

The movie shares Tyrus’s remarkable journey as one of the very first Chinese Americans to make a living in art and film during the earliest days of moviemaking. Despite numerous obstacles, like the Exclusion Laws and rampant racism, audiences will witness Tyrus’s long, illustrious, and diverse career, including his ground-breaking work at Disney on the classic film Bambi, and his nearly 30 years at Warner Bros. and other studios creating the look for dozens of notable classic movies with some of the most famous directors in Hollywood’s Golden Era. The film includes interviews with John Canemaker, Don Hahn, Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg, Paul Felix, Charles Solomon and Alice Davis and appearances by Marc Davis and Frank Thomas.

While the film tells the story of an exceptional artist and inspiring individual, it also sheds light on the dramatic and untold story of the Chinese American experience in the 20th century. The film includes a powerful scene in which Tyrus visits the Angel Island Immigration Station in the San Francisco bay, where he first arrived and was detained in 1910.

I wish her success in bringing this story to the screen. In the meantime – Happy Birthday Tyrus Wong!

(Note: Wong will be appearing in person to discuss his career at the CTN Expo in Burbank California next month. More details here).

Disney inbetweener/inspirational artist Tyrus Wong (Bambi) was let go from Disney after three and a half years (1938-1941) and spent the next 25 years in the art department at Warner Bros. creating boards and concept sketches for live action feature films.

Last night, I took a break to catch whatever feature was on TCM. It happened to be the star-studded wartime morale booster Thank Your Lucky Stars (Warner Bros. 1943) – and there in one quick scene, on a wall behind actor Richard Lane (above) are plaques for various businesses – including one that says “Tyrus Wong, importer, Chinese Art”

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The legendary Tyrus Wong, who art directed Bambi among countless other accomplishments and who is one hundred years young, was hanging out at Pixar yesterday. Here are some impressions of his visit as tweeted by Pixar artists:

Today I shook Tyrus Wong’s hand and listened to his many stories. He’s got 100yrs worth of them! His secret to a long life: sense of humour! — Daniela Strijleva

You know it’s a great day when Tyrus Wong’s hanging out, chatting on the patio. I wish Maurice was here, too. — Scott Morse

Tyrus Wong is 100 yrs old & looks AMAZING ! He is so impressed by the studio he asked for a job ! — Matt Jones

Today, the rumor is that he’ll make an appearance at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, though they haven’t officially announced it. The museum is hosting a lecture at 3pm called “The Art of Tyrus Wong” with historian Charles Solomon, and production designers Ralph Eggleston (WALL·E, Finding Nemo) and Paul Felix (Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor’s New Groove). I imagine that’s the event Ty will appear at, but even if he doesn’t, it still sounds like a terrific presentation. I’d recommend purchasing an on-line ticket before showing up because it’s probably going to be a sell out.

Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation | Permalink | 5 comments | Post tags: Bambi, Tyrus Wong

Brew reader Alex Rannie reminds us that Monday, October 25, marked the centennial birthday of animation legend Tyrus Wong and we hope you’ll join us in wishing him a very happy birthday. The Chinese-born artist worked at Disney between 1938 and 1941 where he famously art directed Bambi, though his contribution was never properly acknowledged and he was only credited as a background painter.

In spite of his contributions to the classic Disney feature, Wong considers animation to be “a minor, very small part” of his artistic life, that also included twenty-six years as a film production illustrator at Warner Bros. where he worked on films like Rebel Without a Cause, Around the World in Eighty Days and The Wild Bunch. He also worked for many years as a greeting card designer.

Below is a 2007 interview with Wong about his early artistic career:

More links about Ty Wong:
Five-part video series about his life on PBS

Appreciation of Wong’s work on Bambi by Hans Bacher

A bio and incredible examples of his art from an exhibition catalog

Video interview with Wong about growing up in LA