There will never ever be another Ollie. The man left his career on such great Disney classics that stand the test of time. Thank you for showing people magic through the masterpieces you left on these films.
Ollie Johnston: A man, a moral, a dream, a legand. May his spirit live forever in the hearts of those who loved and adored him, and in the precious celluloid on which his brilliance shines. We miss you dearly.
@ JAMES EDWARD KENNEDY JR Your statement is extremely incorrect. Floyd Norman never even reached the status of 'animator' at the Disney studio! He worked as an inbetweener for some of the Nine but Walt Disney (who wasn't even an 'Old Man') assigned him to the story department since he felt Norman's strengths lay in that field. He wasn't regarded as exceptional, nor did he change or influence the style or anything else of Disney animation and once he went to Story he never animated again. His contributions to Disney which you speak of mainly concern his story work and he has explicitly stated all these facts in an interview (I believe was for the Sleeping Beauty remastered DVD) There were only Nine Old Men- Kahl, Johnston, Thomas, Davis, Lounsbery, Reitherman, Clark, Larson, Kimball. These guys were scene as the best of the Disney animators, their work being timeless and could never possibly be bettered. On another note: RIP to Ollie Johnston and I hope you're having a blast with Walt, Frank and the other guys and family up there1 Your work has touched so many generations and will continue to do so. Your time was a blessing to many, young and old and your memory and work lives on
See now he's a legend, but this is what this tells me. Judging from his past portfolio, you can only deduce one thing, it takes every kind of skill and talent to become a Disney animator. Or an animator in general, clearly. Plus I hate people who say that art is a skill. That's the biggest pile of horseshit ever. Either god gives it to you and you find it and do something meaningful with it, or you don't have it and are with the "other people" as we true artists like to call it.
Ollie Johnston and the Nine Old Men crafted what is known as the Disney Animation stlye period. Ollie especially put a special emotional touch to all his characters that you feel even without knowing it. A true legend who will definitly be missed. For those who like the Disney Family Album you should check out the movie 'Frank and Ollie'
Johnston had his hand in all of these and worked on such other favorites as Brer Rabbit, Mr. Smee, the fairies in Sleeping Beauty, the centaurettes in "Fantasia," Prince John and Sir Hiss ("Robin Hood"), Orville the albatross ("The "Rescuers"), and more than a few of the "101 Dalmatians". RIP OLLIE..THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
In fact there was 10 Old Men. The tenth is Floyd Norman who for some reason at that time was not credited for his work but, has since been recognized for his contribution to Disney. Mr. Norman was hand picked by "the Old Man" Walt Disney himself, to join the animation team.
I hate writing research papers, but after having to do one over Ollie Johnston and finding out who he is, this two page long report is quickly turning into a ten page one. This guy is so awesome it's unreel.
Ollie did Thumper's riotous recitation (in Bambi) about "eating greens" or Pinocchio's nose growing as he lies to the Blue Fairy, and the musical antics of Mowgli and Baloo as they sang "The Bear Necessities" in The Jungle Book.
ohh Lord:( I had the kuck to meet briefly Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston No nicer guys ever existed. they signed my copy of Illusion of Life after giving a presentation at the smithsonian. I will never forget that presntation.
I went to his funeral a while back and met Brad Bird while I was there... such a beautiful and true artist.. I don't think he even comprehended what he'd done to the industry :)
What a sad day it is. Thanks for everything Ollie. Your work on screen and your incredible book are the foundation of animation today. We'll keep 2D alive and strong.
