For decades, Disney films dominated the animation industry. Known for
quality and innovation, the Disney animation unit was revered and much
copied. And Frank Thomas was one of the key individuals who spearheaded
this quest for excellence.
Frank Thomas at work on Robin Hood. Photo courtesy Walt Disney Company.
Frank Thomas died on September 8, 2004 at the age of 92, leaving behind
not only his wife of 48 years, Jeannette, and his four children, Theodore,
Doug, Gregg and Ann, but also longtime friend and colleague, Ollie Johnston,
who is now the last of the famed Nine Old Men of Disney animation still
alive.
The story of Frank Thomas and why he is considered a giant in animation
cannot be told without the telling of the story of Disney animation, for
these two stories are inextricably intertwined.
Born in Santa Monica, California in 1912, his family soon moved to Fresno.
After high school, Thomas enrolled in Fresno State College, where he wrote
and directed a short film spoofing college life. It received some success
and spurred Thomas to consider a career in the arts.
Transferring to Stanford, he majored in art and while there, met Ollie
Johnston, who was also enrolled in the Art Department. They were lifelong
friends thereafter.
After graduating from Stanford, Thomas moved back to Los Angeles and
enrolled in a local art college. A fellow student suggested Thomas apply
at the Disney studios for a position as an “in-betweener,” creating
the transitional drawings that show a character changing from one position
to another. Thomas got the job, and in 1934 started his 43-year career
with Disney.
The studio was an exciting place to be in the 1920s and ’30s. The techniques
of animation were just being developed and Walt Disney was struggling
to raise the quality of his films. Disney was never satisfied with just
being good enough; he expected his artists to do animation scenes over
and over until it met his level of expectations.
At that point in the animation industry, most artists just didn’t have
the time to try to create realistic portrayals of humans or animals. Animated
characters were not drawn accurately; there was no feeling of underlying
muscle movement or weight to them. Characters would float up and down
as they moved across the screen, and arms would magically grow long or
legs bow unnaturally. The animators were constantly under pressure to
come up with funny gags that would please an audience, which didn’t leave
much time to perfect their craft. And, many of the more experienced animators
guarded their secrets, leaving beginners to figure out the tricks and
shortcuts on their own.
However at the Disney studios, things were different. Walt encouraged
his artists to share their work with each other, leading to an open atmosphere
of learning from each other, which in turn led to innovation after innovation.
By the early 1930s, a series of 12 animation rules were developed that
would give animated films that special Disney touch. These principles
of animation transformed how characters looked and moved on screen. Ideas
such as “anticipation”—depicting a specific action that
cues an audience that a major event is about to occur—and “squash
and stretch”—showing change in the shape of a living object
as the character moves—revolutionized animation.
When Thomas joined the Disney studios in 1934, he began learning these
principles and worked under the guidance of by-then veteran animator Fred
Moore. During the 1930s and early ’40s, Thomas first worked on animated
shorts like “Mickey’s Elephant,” but gained prominence as one
of eight artists working on animation of the dwarfs in Snow White,
most notably the scene in which the dwarfs mourn the loss of Snow White
while she lays upon her bier.
Frank Thomas sketching a live deer as model for the film Bambi. The studio
often brought in animals for the artists to sketch and study. Photo courtesy
Walt Disney Company.
Thomas animated the “I’ve Got No Strings” sequence in Pinocchio,
plus worked on Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Melody
Time and The Three Caballeros. In the late ’40s, Thomas was
promoted to the key position of directing animator and supervised the
films The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella,
Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp,
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Sleeping Beauty.
Thomas was famed for his characterizations of Lady Tremaine in Cinderella,
Captain Hook in Peter Pan, the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland,
and the beloved scene in Lady and the Tramp where the two dogs
share a romantic dinner at Tony’s. His most notable trademark was the
ability to create believable characters, whether heroic or villainous.
During the 1930s and early ’40s, there were many attempts to try to organize
and improve the operations of the studio, but it usually resulted in the
creation of factions and a feeling of divisiveness and isolation amongst
the artists. Walt Disney tried to counteract this by creating an animation
board in 1940 to oversee the division of work at the studio, and by 1950,
the board was permanently set to consist of nine veteran animators.
These nine men—Les Clark, Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl,
Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Woolie Reitherman and Frank
Thomas—were facetiously dubbed the Nine Old Men after the nine judges
sitting on the Supreme Court.
Thomas and Johnson joked about this title in their book, The Illusion
of Life – Disney Animation:
“We never thought of ourselves as some elite group, and the only
time it even crossed our minds was when Walt made a kidding remark about
his Nine Old Men being over the hill, or getting too decrepit to work,
or losing all their old zip.”
Along with the finalization of the membership of the Animation Board,
an important change occurred in how animation jobs were assigned. Previously,
many animators would work on the same character, depending on who was
available at the time. Although efficient scheduling-wise, it meant that
there never would be true continuity for any character. By assigning one
animator to work on one character, it guaranteed that that animator could
fully explore the character’s personality and emotions, resulting in a
higher quality of realism.
As the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s rolled by, Thomas worked on 101 Dalmations,
The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book,
the three Winnie the Pooh films, Robin Hood, and The
Rescuers. Thomas’ final work was on The Fox and the Hound before
retiring in 1978.
It wasn’t all work though. Thomas was a pianist too, and in 1950 during
his lunch hours, he joined up with Ward Kimball and others to play jazz
music. The ensemble was named The Firehouse Five Plus Two, and for 25
years, the Disney artists recorded albums and made appearances on radio
and television.
Upon his retirement, Thomas and Ollie Johnston embarked on an ambitious
project: detailing the creation of animation at the Disney studios in
their definitive work, The Illusion of Life – Disney Animation.
In the book, Thomas and Johnston outlined the history of animation, and
more importantly what the rules and principles were that helped shape
the Disney style. The phrase “illusion of life” applied not
just to what the principal animator created with his own pencil; it encompassed
the entire process, wherein each task enhanced and sustained the overall
effect. From the background artists, the in-betweeners, the layout artists
and colorists to the musicians and sound effects specialists, it was a
collaborative effort.
As Thomas and Johnston stated in the book:
“The animators at the Disney studio have created many great characters
over some fifty years of picture-making, characters that have motivated
stories, brought sequences to life, and endeared themselves to audiences
around the world. There is something of magic in the whole process that
comes from the very act of creativity, individually and collectively,
that transcends the single steps of production. It is more than a drawing
and more than an idea. Possibly it is the love we feel for characters
so heroic, so tender and funny and exciting—all of them entertaining,
yet each different, each thinking his own thoughts, and experiencing
his own emotions. That is what makes them so real, and that is what
makes them so memorable. It is also what gives them the astounding illusion
of life.”
Thomas was well respected by his fellow colleagues, and revered by those
who were mentored by him and followed in his footsteps. Thomas even received
an animated cameo in the film, Iron Giant, and also received an
on-screen animated nod in the upcoming Pixar film, The Incredibles.
In 1995, Thomas and Johnston were the subjects of a documentary, Frank
and Ollie, written and directed by Thomas’s son, Ted, and is an entertaining
look at these two giants of animation. [Kevin Krock’s review of the
DVD will run tomorrow.]
Additionally, Thomas and Johnston also have an Internet presence at FrankandOllie.com,
which includes a listing of all of the films they’ve worked on, biographies,
animation tips, plus several downloadable Quicktime movies where they
discuss Disney animation.
Out of the nine animators, only Marc Davis ever received any official
recognition at any of the Disney theme parks because of his direct contributions
to the design and creation of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. However,
much of Thomas’s efforts can be easily seen at any of the parks.
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey at Disneyland, the delights of an Italian
dinner at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom in Florida,
or many of the other attractions based on Disney animated films would
not be possible without Frank Thomas.
With his passing, another chapter in the saga of Disney animation closes.
Will there ever be another golden era of filmmaking as there was at the
Disney studios in the mid-1900s? Only time will tell, but certainly Thomas’s
legacy will continue to inspire future generations of animators and artists.
No funeral is planned; details regarding a life celebration are pending.
The Thomas family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be
made in Frank’s name to the Character Animation Program at CalArts (California
Institute of the Arts) in Santa Clarita, California.
Source: Disney Press Release Frank Thomas, Legendary Disney Animator and Thursday September 9, 7:00 pm ET BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ — Frank In a career filled with milestones, Thomas’ remarkable Noted animation historian/author/filmmaker John Commenting on Thomas’ passing, Michael Eisner, Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, David Stainton, president of Walt Disney Feature Academy Award¨-winning filmmaker John Lasseter Leonard Maltin, animation historian, film critic, Born in Santa Monica, California, Thomas moved At Stanford, Thomas majored in art and won recognition After graduating from Stanford, Thomas moved to Thomas made animation history as a key member of In 1941, Thomas joined Walt Disney and a contingent For the 1949 feature, “The Adventures of Ichabod Thomas struck a romantic note with the classic He went on to serve as directing animator on “The Over the next five years, Thomas and Johnston devoted In addition to his career as a top animator, Thomas In 1995, Thomas was the subject of a feature length Thomas is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jeanette; No funeral is planned but details regarding a life |
