Category Archives: Nine Old Men

1931 Disney Staff Caricatures & Profiles – pt 1

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Art Babbitt

Half by accident, half by definite purpose, I stumbled upon an auction of Disney memorabilia and in it was included a page of a magazine called Motion Picture Daily.  It had caricatures of Disney staffers from the early ’30s.  After … Continue reading →

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

Ferdinand the Bull

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Art Babbitt

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 →

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The “China Shop” Story

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Art Babbitt

In Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston’s The Illusion of Life (pp72-73), they tell a story about the struggles of an early Disney cartoon and an anonymous animator.  It was mid-1933 and the artists, especially this particular animator, were much more … Continue reading →

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The Disney Training Program of the 1930s

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Art Babbitt

Assembled here are some quotations from primary sources about the training program that was in place at Disney’s in the early 1930s.  (Art Babbitt was part of Sharpsteen’s trainee unit from mid-1932 to early 1933.)  “…There were two of us … Continue reading →

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The Third Disney Task

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Art Babbitt

By early August, 1932, Babbitt had successfully proven himself among the ranks of the novice animation talent.  Ben Sharpsteen was probably impressed with Babbitt’s Pluto work on the previous assignment, so he gave him a few more Pluto scenes in … Continue reading →

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Art’s Group photo labeling

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Art Babbitt

Years after the Disney group photo (with ice cream) was taken, Babbitt identified and labeled each of the artists in the pic.   His labeling is below.  He worked with the animation team as well as the writing team, sitting … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Animation, Disney, Mickey Mouse, miscellaneous, Nine Old Men, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Disney Studio with Ice Cream

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Art Babbitt

I love this photo.  This was taken at the dawn of the Disney Golden Age.  Walt’s brother and business partner Roy had secured licensing deals, and with extra money from Mickey Mouse ice cream, wristwatches, cereal, etc., Walt had the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Animation, California, Disney, Mickey Mouse, Nine Old Men, Photography, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Extra! Les Clark Sends Greetings

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Art Babbitt

Merry Christmas, from Disney legend Les Clark!

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Cards, Disney, Nine Old Men | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Honoring Tissa David

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Art Babbitt

Today the New York animation community honored one of animation’s finest artists: Tissa David, with a special screening of clips of her sequences, as well as words by speakers who knew her. Tissa was a woman in a man’s industry, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946-1970s: Later Years, Animation, Disney, New York, Nine Old Men | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Babbitt Birthday Brunch

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Art Babbitt

  Happy birthday Art Babbitt, you ol’ so-an’-so!  You’ve lied about your age before, but I’m afraid there’s no arguing that today you’re 105 years old. In around 1940 you and your lovely wife Marge hosted a brunch at your … Continue reading →

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