Legendary Walt Disney Animator Dies
Johnston Was Animator On Several Disney Classics
POSTED: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
UPDATED: 3:16 pm CDT April 15,
2008
LOS ANGELES -- Walt Disney Studios said that legendary animator Ollie Johnston has died at age 95.
Studio Vice President Howard Green said that Johnston died of natural causes on Monday at a long-term care facility in Sequim, Wash.
Johnston was the last of Walt Disney's so-called "Nine Old Men."
He contributed animation and direction to classics such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Song of the South," "Cinderella," and "Alice in Wonderland."
Johnston also worked on "Peter Pan," "Lady and the Tramp," "Sleeping Beauty," "Sword in the Stone," "Mary Poppins," "The Jungle Book," "Robin Hood," "The Rescuers," and "The Fox and the Hound."
Johnston and his fellow animator, Frank Thomas, were featured in the 1995 documentary "Frank and Ollie."
Thomas died in 2004 at age 92.
Director Brad Bird featured Johnston and Thomas in voice cameos for his animated films "The Iron Giant" and "The Incredibles."
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