Ward Kimball
While Kimball was a brilliant draftsman, 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 book The Story Of Walt Disney. While there were many talented animators at Disney, Ward's efforts stand out as especially unique.Kimball created several classic Disney characters including the Crows in Dumbo; Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland; the Mice and Lucifer the Cat from Cinderella; and Jiminy Cricket fromPinocchio. He also animated the famous "Three Caballeros" musical number from the Disney film of the same name.In 1953, Kimball became a director and was responsible for the Academy Award-winning short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, and three Disney television shows about outer space that put the United States into the space program. He received anAcademy Award for the short animated cartoon It's Tough to Be a Bird.Ward Kimball was profiled by the Academy Award-winning producer Jerry Fairbanks in his Paramount Pictures film short series Unusual Occupations. This 35mm Magnacolor film short was released theatrically in 1944 and focused on Kimball's backyard railroad and full sized locomotive.Kimball was also a jazz trombonist. He founded and led the seven-piece Dixieland band Firehouse Five Plus Two, in which he played trombone. The band made at least 13 LP 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 continued to work at Disney up until the early 1970s, working on the Disney anthology television series, being one of the writers for Babes in Toyland, creating animation for Mary Poppins, directing the animation for Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and working on titles for feature films such as The Adventures Of Bullwhip Griffin and Million Dollar Duck. His last staff work for Disney was producing and directing the Disney TV show The Mouse Factory. He continued to do various projects on his own, even returning to Disney to do some publicity tours. Additionally, Kimball worked on an attraction for Disney's EPCOT Center called The World Of Motion.
The Story Behind Walt Disney's 'Fun and Fancy Free'
as SelfFrom all the cartoons Walt Disney and his team create a full length feature film fun and fancy...
Movie pageThe Reluctant Dragon
as Ward KimballHumorist Robert Benchley attempts to find Walt Disney to ask him to adapt a short story about a...
Movie pageWaking Sleeping Beauty
as Self (archive footage)By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The...
Movie pageThe Pixar Story
as Ward Kimball (archive footage)A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios - from the success of "Toy Story" and...
Movie pageMickey: The Story of a Mouse
as Self (archive footage)Mickey Mouse is one of the most enduring symbols in our history. Those three simple circles take...
Movie pageApollo: Missions to the Moon
as Self - Disney Animator (archive footage)National Geographic's riveting effort recounts all 12 crewed missions using only archival...
Movie pageFrom Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella
as Self (archive footage)The making of Cinderella (1950).
Movie pageWalt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
as Ward Kimball (archive footage)Two classic animated shorts from the Disney studios. In 'The Reluctant Dragon' (1941), a young...
Movie pageThe Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached
as Himself (Archive Footage)Documentary focusing on the making-of the 1940n adaptation of Pinocchio by the Disney studio,...
Movie pageIt All Started with a Mouse: The Disney Story
as SelfThe story of Walt Disney and the company he built.
Movie pageThe Nifty Nineties
as Ward (voice) (uncredited)Mickey courts Minnie in the Gay Nineties: they take in a vaudeville show and go for a drive in...
Movie pageIt's Tough to Be a Bird
as Bird FancierPart cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people...
Movie pagePinocchio: The Making of a Masterpiece
as SelfThe making of the Disney classic hosted by Robby Benson.
Movie pageOne Hour in Wonderland
as Self - Firehouse Five Plus TwoAiring on Christmas Day, 1950, this holiday special was the first Disney TV production. It...
Movie pageRoger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town
as SelfA behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Joanna Cassidy on the making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Movie pageOperation Wonderland
as Self1951 behind the scenes featurette of the Walt Disney animated classic.
Movie pageWalt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From?
as SelfWalt answers the often-asked question of just where the stories for his studio's cartoons come...
Movie pageThe Wizard of Speed and Time
as The IRS ChiefA Hollywood filmmaker (Mike Jittlov) makes a short for an evil film studio. Unbeknownst to him,...
Movie pageFrom Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men
as Self (Archive Footage)Film critic Joel Siegel gets together with a group of animators, directors and producers to...
Movie pageDisneyland '59
as SelfWalt Disney and Art Linkletter co-host a live celebration of Disneyland's 1959 expansion that...
Movie pageThe Cinderella That Almost Was
as Self (archive footage)Documentary about other potential concepts floated for Disney's Cinderella.
Movie pageThe Fantasia Legacy: The Concert Feature
as SelfDocumentary on the making of Walt Disney’s Fantasia.
Movie pageDisney Animation: The Illusion of Life
as SelfFormer Disney child star Hayley Mills returns to the Walt Disney Studio for a look at the...
Movie pageThe Disneyland Story
as uncreditedWalt Disney presents a preview for both his upcoming park called Disneyland and several episodes...
Movie pageA Wish Came True: The Making of 'Pinocchio'
as HimselfThis documentary showcases the making of "Pinocchio".
Movie pageThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as SelfThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight...
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