Posted on 05/09/2005 6:39:14 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
GLENDALE, Calif. - Artist and writer Joe Grant, who created such Disney characters as the queen-witch character in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and co-wrote "Dumbo," has died. He was 96.
Grant suffered a heart attack on Friday at his Glendale home while working at his drawing board at his studio, according to a statement released by the Walt Disney Co.
Born in New York, Grant was the son of a newspaper news editor and moved to Los Angeles with his family as a boy. He was hired to draw cartoons and caricatures of famous figures for the Los Angeles Record.
Disney hired Grant in 1933 to work on the animated short "Mickey's Gala Premiere." He also was tapped to design the queen-witch character in "Snow White."
Soon after, Grant headed a department that served as a think thank for future animated projects, which included "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia."
Grant also used his writing skills at Disney, helping create "Dumbo" and conceived "Lady and the Tramp" with his wife.
"With his vast knowledge of art and literature, Grant was considered the studio's top intellectual and he had a profound influence on the films got made," the statement said.
He left the company in 1949 to start his own businesses but returned to Disney after a 40-year absence. He worked on "Aladdin," "The Lion King" and "Pocahontas."
"We were so incredibly fortunate to have had Joe at the studio sharing his creativity and enthusiasm, and inspiring young talent for such a long time," said David Stainton, president of Walt Disney Feature Animation.
More than 70 of his caricatures are included in the permeant collection at the Smithsonian Institute and he received a Ruben Award from the National Cartoonists Society in 1996. He also was named an official Disney legend at a ceremony in 1992.
He is survived by his two daughters, Carol Eve Grubb and Jennifer Jean Grant Castrup; two grandchildren and a great-grandchild. His wife of 70 years, Jennie, passed away in 1991.
Funeral services will be held Saturday.
What a great talent! The kiddies just finished watching the 1939 'Snow White' tonight - a piece of pure genius.
Aww sad ping. :(
We have Snow White on DVD, it's one of my oldest son's favorites. RIP Mr. Thomas, Mr. Grant. You gave us artwork that we will forever cherish. Thank you.
Thanks for the ping, Lady!
It is very sad. Those artists created thousands of cells, each a work of art in itself. Computer animation is just not the same.
One day they will all be gone.
I never did buy a cell from Disney, but I bought a few from the movie "heavy Metal." A movie cell is a remarkable accomplishment all by itself!
*sniffle* So sad. I've watched the movies he drew (Snow White and all that), and I remember admiring how the animation flowed.
I draw a lot of 'cartoon' stuff (but it's all anime style). A lot of hard work goes into making still pictures, like comics; to make an animation is even more difficult. But to make an entire animated movie, of that quality? Oy vey, we lost a genius.
Yep, my 4-year-old daughter cherishes "Snow White" and now "Bambi". Their creators were geniuses and true artists, with no qualifiers.
In the 80's I worked in the BP American building in downtown Cleveland. Animation Art was open in the atrium. They had a double cell of the black baby Pegasus flying through the air which was mounted on an original cell of the sky in that part of Fantasia. The whole thing was only $100.00. I was a dweebie for not buying it.
You bet.
(hey, where have you been?)
I know how you feel. Some of those cells are quickly becoming priceless!
I've been in school, and getting ready for my summer job, and possibly college CLEP tests. I haven't had that much FR time. ^_^ Busy me!
And what about you? How've you been?
Peachy!
I cut the girl's butt length hair on Saturday. Everyone at the church flipped out.
We're plugging and chugging on School.
Working huh? Money is good, wish I had some!
Hugs!
Oooo, hubby just called me up for goodnight kisses.
I'll try to catch you tomorrow!
See ya later! ^_^
You have to be careful and only nuy well-documented cells. There are actually fake and reproduction cells! They take a cell that has nothing of great interest like a landscape and they take off the old ink, then reink the celluloid with a drawing showing Mickey or Snow White or whomever. The fake then sells for many thousands of dollars.
I'm not that impressed with the cels themselves. The artistry lies in the paper drawing, and in the finished film. As I see it, the cels are just an intermediate work product which in many cases have zero artistic input other than the cleaned up paper drawings since the goal of a cel tracer and painter is usually to have work which is completely indistinguishable from that of anyone else.
One day they will all be gone.
I believe Snow White was done with nitrate cels; those are unstable and will likely decompose with time. They are also highly flammable (I recall reading that one of the scenes from the "Heigh Ho" song almost went up in flames when a bigwig refused to heed the 'no smoking' rules and a spark from his cigarette landed on a pile of cels) but are unlikely to self-ignite at any reasonable temperature in most climates.
Later productions use cellulose acetate, which has its own problems but is probably better than nitrate. Acetate's biggest problem is a tendency to become brittle and shrink, but if a cel gets good ventilation it should be okay.
"Grant suffered a heart attack on Friday at his Glendale home while working at his drawing board at his studio, according to a statement released by the Walt Disney Co."
I imagine he wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way.
Godspeed.
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