Ward Kimball | |
|---|---|
 Kimball in 1976 | |
| Born | Ward Walrath Kimball (1914-03-04)March 4, 1914 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | July 8, 2002(2002-07-08) (aged 88) Arcadia, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Covina High School Santa Barbara High School Santa Barbara School of the Arts |
| Occupations | Animator, musician |
| Years active | 1934–1980 |
| Employer | Walt Disney Productions |
| Known for | One ofDisney's Nine Old Men |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | 2Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film |
Ward Walrath Kimball (March 4, 1914 – July 8, 2002) was an Americananimator employed byWalt Disney Animation Studios. He was part ofWalt Disney's main team of animators, known collectively asDisney's Nine Old Men. His films have been honored with twoAcademy Awards for Best Animated Short Film.
Outside of his job as an animator, Kimball was arailroad enthusiast as well as a talentedjazz trombonist. He founded and led the seven-pieceDixieland bandFirehouse Five Plus Two, in which he played thetrombone.
Kimball was born on March 4, 1914, in Minneapolis. His father was a salesman who traveled widely. He grew up in the Midwest, often residing with his grandparents.[1]
While Kimball was a brilliantdraftsman, he preferred to work on comical characters rather than realistic human designs. Animating came easily to him and he was constantly looking to do things differently. Because of this,Walt Disney called Ward a genius in the bookThe Story of Walt Disney.[2] While there were many talented animators at Disney, Ward's efforts stand out as unique.
According to Jeff Lenburg's assessment of him, Kimball was a pioneeranimator and a great innovator of his time. He instilled life to diverse Disney characters, such asMickey Mouse,Jiminy Cricket, theCheshire Cat, theMad Hatter, andTweedledee and Tweedledum.[3]
Kimball attended theSanta Barbara School of the Arts in order to become apainter andillustrator. Kimball's instructor at the school suggested to him that his work should be submitted to Walt Disney Productions (later known as theWalt Disney Animation Studios), and that he should pursue a career inanimation.[3] In March 1934, a 20-year-old Kimball applied for a job at the Disney studio. In April 1934, he was hired as aninbetweener. He was then promoted to an assistant animator. He served as an assistant to animatorHamilton Luske. Kimball worked primarily in theSilly Symphony series, where his film credits include the animated short filmsThe Wise Little Hen (1934),The Goddess of Spring (1934), andThe Tortoise and the Hare (1935). He also worked onMickey Mouse shorts, where his film credits include the short filmsOrphan's Benefit (1934) andPluto's Judgement Day (1935).[3]
In 1936, Kimball was promoted to an animator in his own right. He continued to work in theSilly Symphony series. Some of his memorable credits in this position include the animated short filmsToby Tortoise Returns (1936),More Kittens (1936), andMother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938). His first solo effort as an animator was animating a grasshopper turned musician inWoodland Café (1937).[3]
As one ofDisney's Nine Old Men, Kimball was tasked with animating onSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film was the first feature-length animated film by the Disney studio.[3] Kimball spent months working on the scene in which theSeven Dwarfs are eating soup, prepared for them bySnow White.[3] This scene, however, was ultimately cut to shorten the length of the film.
Kimball was a strikebreaker in 1941, breaking the Disney animators' strike. He was considered a "scab" by many of his peers. "I felt terrible," Kimball wrote in his journal. "Friends on the inside waving to me to come in. Friends on the outside pleading with me to stay out; Jeezus. I was on the spot!"[4]
Following the release ofSnow White, Kimball was promoted to a supervising or directing animator. He would remain in this position until his retirement in the 1970s. His employerWalt Disney was sufficiently satisfied with Kimball's work that he entrusted him with designing the new characterJiminy Cricket in the Disney Studio's next feature film,Pinocchio. It took Kimball 12 or 14 drafts before completing his final design of Jiminy.[3] Kimball told one interviewer that he "hated" animating Jiminy Cricket: "I got sick of drawing that oval head looking in every direction."[5]) Kimball's next major task was designing the sympathetic Crows inDumbo (1941). Following the example of the Seven Dwarfs fromSnow White, Kimball had to give each crow a distinct appearance and character.[3]
Kimball supervised or directed the animation of several Disney animated feature films. Among them wereFantasia (1940),The Reluctant Dragon (1941), andThe Three Caballeros (1944). The last film mentioned featured the trio ofDonald Duck,José Carioca, andPanchito Pistoles.[3] According to animation historian Jeff Lenburg,The Three Caballeros is considered to have a place among the finest work of Kimball's career.[6] The film was reportedly successful in the Americanbox office, earning about 3 to 4 million dollars.[3]
Kimball directed the character animation and sequences of thePecos Bill segment inMelody Time (1948).[3] He also worked as a senior animator forThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). InCinderella (1950), Kimball was responsible for the charactersJaq and Gus andLucifer the Cat.[3] InAlice in Wonderland (1951), Kimball was responsible forTweedledee and Tweedledum,the Walrus and the Carpenter,the Hatter and his madtea party, and theCheshire Cat.[3] His other film credits include the feature filmsPeter Pan (1953),Mary Poppins (1964), andBedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).[3]
Kimball spent much of his career animating theatrical animated short films. However, he also served as a director for some of them. He andCharles August Nichols co-directed the animated short filmsMelody (1953) andToot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953).[7]Melody was the Disney studio's first animated3D film;[3]Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom won the 1954Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and was the Disney studio's firstwidescreenCinemaScope animated film.[3] Kimball also directed the short filmsIt's Tough to Be a Bird (1969) andDad, Can I Borrow the Car? (1970).It's Tough to Be a Bird won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[3][8]
Kimball served as a screenwriter for thefeaturetteEyes In Outer Space (1959). The film combined live action and animation. It depictedweather satellites and explained how the weather is predicted. The film was originally theatrically released. Around 1962, it started being shown inDisneyland.[3]
During the 1950s, the Disney studio shifted its focus from theatrical animation to television. Kimball wrote and directed three hour-long television shows aboutspace exploration. They wereMan in Space (1955),Man and the Moon (1955), andMars and Beyond (1957). The consultants for these shows included pioneers of theSpace Age, such asaerospace engineerWernher von Braun. According to animation historian Jeff Lenburg, the three shows helped in sparking popular interest inspaceflight.[3] Kimball was also responsible for the science-fiction two-reel cartoonCosmic Capers (1957).[3]
Kimball also worked (as a writer) on the live-action musicalBabes in Toyland (1961).[3] He later returned to television and directed 43 episodes ofThe Mouse Factory (1972–1973).[3]
Kimball retired in 1973 and left the Disney studio. He continued, however, to serve as a consultant on special assignments.[9] He worked on theWorld of Motion attraction for Disney'sEPCOT Center.[3]
Kimball was profiled by producerJerry Fairbanks in hisParamount Pictures film short seriesUnusual Occupations. This35mmMagnacolor film short was released theatrically in 1944; it focused on Kimball's backyard railroad and full-sized locomotive.
Kimball was also ajazztrombonist. He founded and led the seven-pieceDixieland bandFirehouse Five Plus Two, in which he playedtrombone. The band made at least 13LP records and toured clubs, college campuses and jazz festivals from the 1940s to early 1970s. Kimball once said that Walt Disney permitted the second career as long as it did not interfere with his animation work. Kimball appeared on the March 17, 1954, episode ofYou Bet Your Life, in whichGroucho Marx coaxed him into playing his trombone with the house band. He and his partner won $75 in their quiz portion of the show, including one Disney animation question that Kimball answered easily: the answer wasPinocchio.
Kimball continued to work at Disney until 1974, working on theDisney anthology television series, being one of the writers forBabes in Toyland, creating animation forMary Poppins, directing the animation forBedknobs and Broomsticks, and working on titles for feature films such asThe Adventures Of Bullwhip Griffin andMillion Dollar Duck. His last staff work for Disney was producing and directing the Disney TV showThe Mouse Factory, which ran from 1972 to 1974. He continued to do various projects on his own, even returning to do some publicity tours for the Disney corporation. He also worked on theWorld of Motion attraction for Disney'sEPCOT Center.
Kimball also produced two editions of a volume titledArt Afterpieces,[10] in which he revised various well-known works of art, such as puttingMona Lisa's hair up in curlers, showingWhistler's Mother watching TV, and adding aCommunist flag andRussian boots toPinkie. These masterpiece remixes are thought to have been appropriated by the street artistBanksy.[11]
His three acting appearances on film were an uncredited role as ajazz musician (with his Firehouse Five Plus Two) inHit Parade of 1951, anIRS Chief inMike Jittlov'sThe Wizard of Speed and Time, and voicing and giving his likeness to half of the vaudeville duo "Ward and Fred" in theMickey Mouse shortThe Nifty Nineties (with fellow Disney animatorFred Moore). Kimball served as host of the "Man in Space" and "Man and the Moon" episodes ofDisneyland in 1955 and 1956 respectively. He hosted the second season of the 1992PBS seriesTracks Ahead. That season has since been repackaged to feature current hostSpencer Christian.
As recounted inNeal Gabler's biography of Walt Disney,[12] Ward Kimball was a key figure in spreading theurban legend that Disney had left instructions for his body to be preserved bycryonics after his death.
Amid Amidi wrote a biography of Kimball,Full Steam Ahead: The Life and Art of Ward Kimball that was projected for publication in the fall of 2012.[13] However, publication of the biography was canceled in February 2013, which Amidi believed was due to pressure from the Disney corporation.[14]
| Year | Title | Credits | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | The Hot Choc-late Soldiers (Short) | Animator | |
| The Wise Little Hen | |||
| The Flying Mouse | |||
| Orphan's Benefit | |||
| Servants' Entrance | |||
| Mickey Plays Papa | |||
| The Goddess of Spring | |||
| 1935 | The Tortoise and the Hare | ||
| Pluto's Judgement Day | |||
| 1936 | Elmer Elephant | ||
| Toby Tortoise Returns | Writer / Animation Director | ||
| More Kittens | Animation Director | ||
| 1937 | Woodland Café | Animator | |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | |||
| 1938 | Ferdinand the Bull | ||
| Mother Goose Goes Hollywood | |||
| 1939 | The Autograph Hound | ||
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Animation Director / Supervising Animator | Jiminy Cricket |
| Fantasia | Animation Supervisor – Segment "The Pastoral Symphony" | Bacchus and Jacchus | |
| 1941 | The Reluctant Dragon | Animator | |
| The Little Whirlwind | |||
| The Nifty Nineties | |||
| Dumbo | Animation Director | The Crows | |
| 1942 | All Together (Short) | Animator | |
| Stop That Tank! | |||
| Saludos Amigos | |||
| How to Play Baseball | |||
| Der Fuehrer's Face | |||
| 1943 | The Spirit of '43 | ||
| Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi | |||
| Victory Through Air Power (Documentary) | |||
| Victory Vehicles | |||
| Reason and Emotion | |||
| Chicken Little | |||
| 1944 | The Pelican and the Snipe | ||
| How to Play Football | |||
| The Three Caballeros | Title Song | ||
| 1945 | African Diary | ||
| Hockey Homicide | |||
| 1946 | Pluto's Kid Brother | ||
| Make Mine Music | Animator (SegmentsCasey at the Bat,Peter and the Wolf,Willie the Operatic Whale) | ||
| 1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Directing Animator (SegmentsBongo,Mickey and the Beanstalk) | |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Directing Animator (SegmentsJohnny Appleseed,Blame It on the Samba,Pecos Bill) | |
| 1949 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Directing Animator (SegmentsThe Wind in the Willows,The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) | |
| 1950 | Cinderella | Directing Animator | Jaq, Gus, Lucifer |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Directing Animator / Animator | Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Walrus, Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, March Hare |
| How to Catch a Cold (Short) | Animator | ||
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Directing Animator | John Darling, Chief Indian, Captain Hook |
| Melody (Short) | Animator / Director | ||
| How to Dance (Short) | Musician | ||
| Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (Short) | Animator / Director | ||
| 1955 | Man in Space (Disneyland episode) | Writer / Director | |
| Man and the Moon (Disneyland episode) | |||
| 1957 | Cosmic Capers (Documentary short) | Writer / Director / Producer | |
| Mars and Beyond (Disneyland episode) | Writer / Director | ||
| 1959 | Eyes in Outer Space (Documentary short) | Writer / Director / Producer | |
| 1961 | Babes in Toyland | Writer | |
| 1964 | Mary Poppins | Animator | Pearly Band |
| 1967 | Scrooge McDuck and Money (Short) | Animator | |
| The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin | |||
| 1968 | Escalation (TV Short) | Director | |
| 1969 | It's Tough to Be a Bird | Writer / Director / Producer | |
| 1970 | Dad... Can I Borrow the Car? | Director / Producer | |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Animation Director | |
| 1972–73 | The Mouse Factory | Director / Producer (43 episodes) |
I hope I can hold out for the big one, the great earthquake. Then when California slips into the Pacific Ocean, then me and all my trains can fall into the great abyss and into oblivion.
Along with his employer and friendWalt Disney, and friendOllie Johnston, Kimball collected oldrailroad ephemera. He was also an avidcollector ofmodel trains.[16][17][18] Kimball was an avidrailway enthusiast from a young age, having grown up inParsons, Kansas, near the massiveKaty Railroad facilities.[19] One of his first childhood drawings was of a locomotive, and he said that his mother called him a "marked" baby because of his early infatuation with railroads.[20]
Kimball donated his3 ft (914 mm)narrow-gauge collection to theSouthern California Railway Museum (formerly the Orange Empire Railway Museum) inPerris, California. A full-sizesteam locomotive, which Kimball ran on his private 3-acre (1.2 ha) backyard railroad known asGrizzly Flats Railroad inSan Gabriel, California, bears some of his original artwork on the headlamp and cab, and is on permanent display at the museum.[21][22] Kimball's roundhouse also included two small steam engines that had been used on sugar cane plantations, one of which was his and the other was owned by his friend, noted railroad historianGerald M. Best.[23][24] In recognition of his love of railroading and support of the Southern California Railway Museum, the Perris Transit Center, where the museum's historic trains travel, is dedicated to Mr. Kimball. In a rare deviation from its usually tight copyright policy, the Disney corporation allowed the city to decorate the transit center with Kimball's artwork. The center is currently served byRiverside Transit Agency buses, with train service as part of theMetrolink91/Perris Valley Line.[25]
Kimball is credited with helpingWalt Disney for the inspiration to install theDisneyland Railroad atDisneyland.[26][27] The inspiration for the Disneyland Railroad also partly came from Disney's personal7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge,live steam backyardCarolwood Pacific Railroad, which Kimball had partially constructed. Kimball's Grizzly Flats train station served as the model for the Disneyland Frontierland Train Station. As a tribute to Kimball, Engine No. 5 of the Disneyland Railroad is named theWard Kimball.[7][21]
In addition, Kimball also designed the logo for the Wildcat Railroad inLos Gatos, California, owned byBilly Jones, a friend of Walt Disney who was an engineer for the Disneyland Railroad during its first week of operation.[28]
Kimball's talents are also evident in the reproduction steam locomotives built for the National Park Service at theGolden Spike National Historic Site atPromontory, Utah. Kimball helped match colors with an engine at theSmithsonian Institution and painted the artwork for the replicas of theUnion Pacific No. 119 andCentral PacificJupiter built byO'Connor Engineering Laboratories for the Park Service.[29] Kimball was also in the 1975 videoModel Railroading Unlimited as the host in the beginning of the movie and was showing parts of his GFRR.[30] Kimball was featured in the 1987Great Toy Train Layouts of America book and in the first installment of theGreat Toy Train Layouts of America video series in 1988, produced by TM Books and Video.[31][32] Kimball was a longtime member of theTrain Collectors Association, a hobby association with the mission of preserving and promoting the history and enjoyment of toy trains through research, education, and community; setting collecting standards; and fostering appreciation for "Tinplate Toy Trains" and model railroading via museums, libraries, conventions, and local events for hobbyists worldwide. He was the national president of the organization from 1974 to 1975 and personally helped design some of the distinctive features of their national headquarters building inStrasburg, Pennsylvania.[33]
In 1968, Kimball directed a two-minute animated short calledEscalation, which criticizedLyndon B. Johnson'sVietnam War policy.[7] The short is unique for being the only animated cartoon made independently from theDisney Studios by one ofDisney's Nine Old Men. The short is further noticeable for its satirical edge and political and erotic content.[34][35]
Kimball died in 2002 in Arcadia, California of complications frompneumonia at age 88. In 2005, theDisneyland Railroad named its newly acquired locomotive No. 5 "Ward Kimball" in his memory.[36][37][38]
TheAcademy Film Archive houses the Kimball Family Collection which includes over 60 home movie reels, as well as short films, TV spots, and jazz band performances, serving to document Ward's personal interests and moments in his extraordinary career. The collection also includes home movies and shorts by his son, filmmaker and animator John Kimball.[39] The archive has preserved several of the Kimball family home movies, including family vacations to Death Valley and Disneyland.[40]
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