Author Archives: Art Babbitt

News: Disney Lays Off Hand-Drawn Animators

Posted on April 11, 2013

DISNEY STUDIOS ENDS 90-YEAR RUN OF DRAWN ANIMATION This was reported earlier this evening by Animation Scoop: Around 150 Disney staffers were let go on Wednesday (less than 5%) as part of an ongoing effort to streamline operations in keeping … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Disney | 3 Comments

Margaret Thatcher and Labo(u)r Strikes

Posted on April 9, 2013

Yesterday’s news that Margaret Thatcher passed away left me with recollections of the musical “Billy Elliot.”  Did you manage to catch this show while it was on Broadway?  Its backdrop is the tumultuous UK coal miners’ strike in the 1980s, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941: The Disney Strike, Disney, Labor, miscellaneous | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Camel with Wrinkled Knees

Posted on April 5, 2013

One of Babbitt’s best latter-day scenes is from the feature film, Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977), directed by Richard Williams.  For 1970s animators and kids of the 1970s/early 1980s, the film is still appreciated; for almost everyone … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946-1970s: Later Years, Animation, Film | Tagged , | Leave a comment

This Calls for a Celebration!

Posted on April 2, 2013

Today BabbittBlog celebrates its One Year Anniversary! Thank you to everyone who commented, “Liked,” Followed, and supported the ongoing research of Art Babbitt’s upcoming biography!

Posted in miscellaneous, Pinocchio | Leave a comment

Country Cousin Draft Mosaic

Posted on March 30, 2013

One of Babbitt’s greatest animated sequences is of drunken Abner, the Country Mouse, in Disney’s Oscar-winning short, “The Country Cousin” (1936).  This mosaic of the animator draft not only includes the names of the artist for each scene, but also … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Animation, Disney | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Tornado Outbreak of 1913

Posted on March 24, 2013

People’s lives are shaped by the experiences they have as young children.  For Walt Disney, it was the fairy tales and old Americana he was introduced to as a struggling paperboy in Missouri.  For Art Babbitt, it began with a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907-1924: Sioux City Kid, Photography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dennis the Union Menace

Posted on March 22, 2013

I recently got a hold of the autobiography of Hank Ketcham, creator of the comic strip Dennis the Menace, aptly called The Merchant of Dennis.  The book is filled with photos and illustrations on every page, and reminds me a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941: The Disney Strike, Disney, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SAG and the Disney Strike – June 1941

Posted on March 19, 2013

In the early days of the Disney strike, (probably within two days of the first picket,) chairman of the Screen Cartoonists Guild Art Babbitt, with Disney striker John McLeish, contacted the Screen Actors Guild and petitioned the SAG executive board … Continue reading →

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Ferdinand the Bull

Posted on March 15, 2013

Ever the puckish trickster, Ward Kimball caricatured himself and his fellow animator as the parade of bullfighters in the 1938 Oscar-winning short, Ferdinand the Bull.  The two-page spread below is from a film magazine in Babbitt’s personal collection.  This bit … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Animation, Disney, Nine Old Men | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Woody Allen’s Preferences

Posted on March 12, 2013

“You know, even as a kid I always went for the wrong woman. I think that’s my problem. When my mother took me to see Snow White, everyone fell in love with Snow White. I immediately fell for the Wicked … Continue reading →

Posted in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, UPA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment