And Then There Were None: Ollie Johnston, 1912 - 2008
Ollie Johnston, the last of Walt Disney's legendary animators dubbed "The Nine Old Men", died today at the age of ninety-six. His work has inspired legions of animators, cartoonists and fans alike.Condolences to his friends and family.
UPDATE: If you'd like to read Charles Solomon's New York Times obituary for Mr. Johnston, click here.
Labels: animation, article, charles solomon, disney, disney legend, nine old men, ny times, obituary, ollie johnston
posted by Jeff Pidgeon at
4:57 PM
10 Comments:
Sad. We'll miss him, but he's left an amazing body of work. Glad we had him while we did.
My god... this is really sad. It was quite a shock... it isn't even on the news yet.
I really hoped someday I could meet him. He was a living legend, and now...well.
Sad day for animation.
About half an hour ago I got the urge to take The Illusion of Life of my shelf and give it another read. I was just thinking about Ollie, and now I find out that he's gone.
I'm so glad that he and Frank Thomas took the time to put together such a fantastic book. It's one thing to make great movies, but sharing their knowledge in such an open way has certainly helped the next generations.
Before hearing the news of his death, I was thinking about him today too, very specifically. Wondering how he was doing up north.
He'll be missed, but he also left huge parts of his artistic imagination and skill behind for the world (think of it-the world, literally!) to share and enjoy. What a unique legacy. And how fantastic that he was able to be appreciated as an individual in his lifetime.
What an amazing artist and author.
I have several of the books he co-authored with Frank Thomas -- and I simply love all the art and heart they poured into those efforts.
Still, I think I really appreciate seeing the both of them -- lifelong friends and coworkers -- interact in the wonderful documentary "Frank & Ollie." If you've never seen this film, you should. The two of them were probably in their late 70s or 80s when the film was shot, but it still captures a bit of their playful, childlike wonder and exploration.
My prayers go out to his family.
No one left but us now dude. We had better pick up the slack.
Rest in Peace, Ollie.
The best tribute I can think of is for everyone to watch the “Frank & Ollie” DVD.
No one left but us now dude. We had better pick up the slack.
That occurred to me, too - "It's up to us, now."
The best tribute I can think of is for everyone to watch the “Frank & Ollie” DVD.
It's a good film, but I'd vote for reading some of The Illusion of Life, or watching Cinderella.
I'm reading through the Illusion of Life right now. I had actually added a "Use Your Illusion" tab on my blog kind of outlining each chapter as I go along.
Like I said, we were lucky to have him while we did.
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