Walt Disney animator Oliver Martin “Ollie” Johnston, Jr., the last living member of the “Nine Old Men,” died 14 April 2008 of natural causes. Born 31 October 1912 in Palo Alto, California, he worked at Walt Disney Productions from 21 January 1935 until he retired on 31 January 1978. Walt Disney named the Nine Old Men, his key group of animators, as a play on President Franklin Roosevelt’s less-than-endearing description of the Supreme Court.
Johnston was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bush in 2005.
He worked on some Disney shorts, but his fame came from his work on the classic features, beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1935). His specific contributions included Bambi and Thumper in Bambi (1942), the three Good Fairies in Sleeping Beauty (1959), Pongo and Perdita in 101 Dalmatians (1961), and Mowgli and Baloo in The Jungle Book (1967). He animated Pinocchio’s nose growing when he lied to the Blue Fairy, Baloo performing “The Bare Necessities,” and the penguin-waiters in Mary Poppins (1964). A full list of his credits is available on IMDB.
Animator and animation historian John Canemaker (who is the author of Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation, said “Ollie’s death truly marks the end of the ‘Golden Age’ of hand-drawn Disney character animation that blossomed in the 1930s. He was a great and nuanced animator who could handle sentiment and comedy with equal aplomb, as well as a sweet and generous mentor to many.”
Roy E. Disney, director emeritus of the Walt Disney Company and Walt’s nephew called Johnston “one of the real pioneers of our art. One of Ollie’s strongest beliefs was that his character should think first, then act. He brought warmth and wit and sly humor and a wonderful gentleness to every character he animated. He brought those same qualities to his life, and to all of our lives who knew him.”
Johnston studied art at Stanford University, and then at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles.
After retiring from Disney, Johnston co-wrote four books with fellow Old Man Frank Thomas, whom he met at Stanford: Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life (1981), Too Funny for Words: Disney’s Greatest Sight Gags (1987), Walt Disney’s Bambi: The Story and the Film (1990), and The Disney Villain (1993). The two were also the subject of the 1995 documentary film Frank and Ollie.
Johnston is survived by his two sons and their wives. Instead of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to CalArts, the World Wildlife Fund, or the Natural Resources Defense Council.
For more commentary on Johnston’s life and career, as well as some photos, see his obituaries in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Independent.