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Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation
Noted film historian John Canemaker brings to life the team whose combined individual genius defined the art of character animation. Think of your favorite moments and characters in Disney films from the thirties to the seventies and chances are most were animated by one of Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men." Through the span of their careers, these nine highly skilled animators exhibited an unparalleled loyalty to their employer. This book explores their artisitic breakthroughs, failures, and rivalries, and their individual relationships with each other and with Walt.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2001
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About the author
John Canemaker
36 books29 followersJohn Canemaker (born 1943) is an Academy Award-winning independent animator, animation historian, teacher, lecturer, and author perhaps best known for his many books about the Disney studio, including Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation.In 1980, he began teaching and developing the animation program at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts', Kanbar Institute of Film and Television Department. Since 1988 he has directed the program and is currently a tenured full professor. From 2001-2002 he was Acting Chair of the NYU Undergraduate Film and Television Department. In 2006, his film The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation, a 28-minute animated piece about Canemaker's relationship with his father, won the Academy Award for best animated short. In 2007 the same piece picked up an Emmy award for its graphic and artistic design.
His first book, The Animated Raggedy Ann and Andy, detailing the making of an animated feature based on Johnny Gruelle’s storybook characters, was published in 1977. Eight more books followed: Treasures of Disney Animation Art (1982),Winsor McCay: His Life and Art (1987), Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat (1991), Tex Avery: The MGM Years (1996), Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists (1996), Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards (1999), Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation (2001), The Art and Flair of Mary Blair (2003), and a revised and updated edition of Winsor McCay (2005).
His first book, The Animated Raggedy Ann and Andy, detailing the making of an animated feature based on Johnny Gruelle’s storybook characters, was published in 1977. Eight more books followed: Treasures of Disney Animation Art (1982),Winsor McCay: His Life and Art (1987), Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat (1991), Tex Avery: The MGM Years (1996), Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists (1996), Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards (1999), Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation (2001), The Art and Flair of Mary Blair (2003), and a revised and updated edition of Winsor McCay (2005).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 6, 2015
to be fair, i only looked at the pictures. yeah, it's only 300+ pages, but the book is like a freaking foot and a half tall.
January 26, 2024
Absolutely wonderful, an illuminating account of Disney's most legendary talents which brings their personalities to life with greath warmth. A must-read for animation fans.
December 29, 2015
If you're interested in Disney animation, you can't go wrong on this one. Even if you are bored with the biographical information, you'll get analysis of some of the best work the studio did. You'll get a history of how this talent developed. And you'll get context of how it was influenced by what came before, and how it influenced later works.
If you already have an interest in any of these men, the biographical format will certainly not bore you.
The essays stand on their own, and are not arranged for any particular "effect." (He takes the animators in the order they were hired). Each is in a similar (and pleasant) format and well-balanced. The individual essays aren't simply showcases of their work ("behind the scenes of classic Disney movies"). You get a true feel for each animator's upbringing, personality, hobbies, and passions. Even though some chapters are shorter than others (and exactly where expected) you don't get the feeling that there is any skimping.
But the whole is a cohesive picture of the Disney studio. Each animator's personality, interests and career illustrate the studio's direction and politics. The studio's major projects of course provide a consistent through-line. Big studio events (like the early-'40s strike) are explained in early chapters and more lightly referenced later in the book. Canemaker uses these tools purposefully, subtly, and to great effect.
The book also fills in the context of Disney animation "around" these nine. It spotlights Fred Moore, Art Babbit, and Bill Tytla as the generation that "grew up" these nine. Interview material with "the following generation" of animators like Glen Keane, Brad Bird, John Lasseter, John Pomeroy and Andreas Deja are also used for context. And all without bogging down the main thrust. (But it also doesn't depend inappropriately on anecdotal research).
And finally, anytime you dive into the folklore of the Disney studio it'll become difficult to balance the different perspectives you'll find. This book does that pretty well. It cuts through the "folksy" view of things to provide realistic perspectives, without seeking controversy.
I have to get all the way down to my disdain for the phrase "this author" (as in "in an interview with this author, so-and-so agreed") to find a complaint.
If you already have an interest in any of these men, the biographical format will certainly not bore you.
The essays stand on their own, and are not arranged for any particular "effect." (He takes the animators in the order they were hired). Each is in a similar (and pleasant) format and well-balanced. The individual essays aren't simply showcases of their work ("behind the scenes of classic Disney movies"). You get a true feel for each animator's upbringing, personality, hobbies, and passions. Even though some chapters are shorter than others (and exactly where expected) you don't get the feeling that there is any skimping.
But the whole is a cohesive picture of the Disney studio. Each animator's personality, interests and career illustrate the studio's direction and politics. The studio's major projects of course provide a consistent through-line. Big studio events (like the early-'40s strike) are explained in early chapters and more lightly referenced later in the book. Canemaker uses these tools purposefully, subtly, and to great effect.
The book also fills in the context of Disney animation "around" these nine. It spotlights Fred Moore, Art Babbit, and Bill Tytla as the generation that "grew up" these nine. Interview material with "the following generation" of animators like Glen Keane, Brad Bird, John Lasseter, John Pomeroy and Andreas Deja are also used for context. And all without bogging down the main thrust. (But it also doesn't depend inappropriately on anecdotal research).
And finally, anytime you dive into the folklore of the Disney studio it'll become difficult to balance the different perspectives you'll find. This book does that pretty well. It cuts through the "folksy" view of things to provide realistic perspectives, without seeking controversy.
I have to get all the way down to my disdain for the phrase "this author" (as in "in an interview with this author, so-and-so agreed") to find a complaint.
August 22, 2016
Arguably Canemaker's greatest book, 'Walt Disney's Nine Old Men' is a heavy, richly illustrated yet text rich coffee table book on Disney's most famous animators. Each 'old man' gets his own biography, revealing that the nine were hugely different in both their temperament and in their art. Because the book contains no less than nine different biographies, reading can become a little tedious, especially because despite all their talents, these men were no entrepreneurs or visionaries themselves, like Disney, but employees, whose lives were mostly less spectacular than that of their world famous employer.
Nevertheless reading this book is most rewarding, as Canemaker provides a deep insight in the lives and work of not only these nine animators, but also of some of their mentors, most notably Fred Moore and Norm Ferguson, and of the atmosphere within the Disney studio during its golden and silver age, and after Walt's death. Luckily, Canemaker's account is not hagiographic, and also the men are portrayed with all their flaws, jealousies and petty competitions.
One thing is certain, the nine old men were a group for only a very short while, roughly between 1948 and 1952, and especially the careers of Eric Larson, Ward Kimball and Marc Davis took at one point a rather different direction. I was also surprised to learn that Les Clark, unlike all the others, was in fact, one of Disney's first employees, joining the studio even before the rise of Mickey Mouse, and actually belonged to Disney's first generation of animators, with the likes of Moore, Ferguson, Babbitt, and people who in Canemaker's book hardly come off as skillful or sympathetic, like Ben Sharpsteen and Clyde Geronimi.
After reading this book you'll certainly appreciate the talent and work of these animators even more than you probably already did. Highly recommended to anyone interested in Disney animation and its history.
Nevertheless reading this book is most rewarding, as Canemaker provides a deep insight in the lives and work of not only these nine animators, but also of some of their mentors, most notably Fred Moore and Norm Ferguson, and of the atmosphere within the Disney studio during its golden and silver age, and after Walt's death. Luckily, Canemaker's account is not hagiographic, and also the men are portrayed with all their flaws, jealousies and petty competitions.
One thing is certain, the nine old men were a group for only a very short while, roughly between 1948 and 1952, and especially the careers of Eric Larson, Ward Kimball and Marc Davis took at one point a rather different direction. I was also surprised to learn that Les Clark, unlike all the others, was in fact, one of Disney's first employees, joining the studio even before the rise of Mickey Mouse, and actually belonged to Disney's first generation of animators, with the likes of Moore, Ferguson, Babbitt, and people who in Canemaker's book hardly come off as skillful or sympathetic, like Ben Sharpsteen and Clyde Geronimi.
After reading this book you'll certainly appreciate the talent and work of these animators even more than you probably already did. Highly recommended to anyone interested in Disney animation and its history.
July 30, 2011
This is an excellent book that gave nine different views of the Disney Studio and its efforts from the experiences of nine men key to that development. It was dynamic and filled with contradictions, but also with and insights that I have not gotten from any other book about the Disney Studio or Disney's other enterprises. Each of these talented individuals come off as unique and , but they shared one thing more than anything else, a desire to do the best they possibly could to bring Walt's often unclear dreams to life. As with any group of nine individuals there are friendships and frictions, collaborations and disaffections, fun and despair. The book captured an enterprise in a unique way and shared it like the visions of Dopey through the facets of the prism in Snow White. I recommend this strongly to anyone interested in Disney, but also to those interested in the complex dynamics of an exceptionally successful team of creative individuals.
August 4, 2014
Each chapter is a condensed, but well written and informative bio on each of the 9 old men. I was glad to find some info on Les Clark and John Lounsbery (the died in the late 70s and I'm not sure of any televised interviews of them in existence). While their contributions to Disney animation (and animation in general) is undeniable and very significant, there should be a book written written about the men that trained the 9 old men. Norm Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Fred Moore, Vladimir Tytla, Art Babbitt, Dave Hand, and Ben Sharpsteen more or less laid the foundations of Disney animation just as much as the 9 old men did if not more so. They do get mentioned throughout the book as mentors. I do highly recommend this book though.
If Canemaker can write a book on the sketch artists and writers, surely he can do one about the other animators and directors.
If Canemaker can write a book on the sketch artists and writers, surely he can do one about the other animators and directors.
January 3, 2013
An absolutely beautiful book, especially for Disney and animation fans.
April 12, 2016
super useful
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews