Category Archives: Illustration

1931 Disney Staff Caricatures & Profiles – pt 2

Posted on April 23, 2013 by

Johnny Cannon loves sex, Hazell Sewell makes no bones about her job, and Frenchy de Tremaudan self-depricates.

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

1931 Disney Staff Caricatures & Profiles – pt 1

Posted on April 23, 2013 by

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

Disney Subversives: Ward Kimball and Walt Kelly

Posted on March 1, 2013 by

Of all the real-life characters in Disney history, Ward Kimball (b. 3/4/14) is one of the most fascinating.  Among the “Nine Old Men” of Disney animation, i.e. the company loyalists, Kimball was the only one who unequivocally felt that the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, 1941: The Disney Strike, Animation, Disney, Illustration, music, politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Donald Duck says Disney is Unfair

Posted on February 26, 2013 by

You’ve got to admit, the Disney strikers of ’41 knew how to design a flyer.

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

Disney’s Art Models

Posted on February 21, 2013 by

For the Disney artists of the 1930s and early 40s, a huge credit of their exponential growth is owed to the in-studio art classes.  And while teachers like Don Graham and Eugene Fleury deserve their due, this post is to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Animation, Dance, Disney, Illustration | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Merry Christmas from Bill and Art

Posted on December 23, 2012 by

What luck that Art Babbitt saved this terrific Christmas card that he and Bill Tytla devised. The two were living together in a sprawling bachelor pad on Tuxedo Terrace.  They were also working together as top animators at the Walt … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, California, Cards, Disney, Film, Illustration, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Organized Labor vs Steamboat Willie

Posted on July 20, 2012 by

Sure, Art Babbitt and Walt Disney fought on opposite sides of the union during the Disney Strike, … but Walt Disney had a run-in with union unrest before Mickey Mouse ever premiered in his first film, Steamboat Willie! In late … Continue reading →

Posted in 1924-1929: Illustrator in NYC, Animation, Disney, Film, Illustration, Labor, New York, Skeleton Dance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment