Reflecting on Greatness 01

I often sit back and think about the great artists and animators that have come before me, and what I can learn from them. I've found myself gathering as much information as I can about these great men and women, so I've decided to do something pro-active and share it with you folks! So from now on, I'll post twice monthly these little blurbs about such great animators. Enjoy!

MILT KAHL

I decided to start this series off with none other than Milt Kahl, the well respected Disney animator who was, unquestionably, the animator who defined the Disney style. He is most famous for his work on Pinocchio, Madame Medusa in The Rescuers, Shere Kahn and King Louis in The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, and Merlin from The Sword in the Stone (among many, many others).

Milt started at Disney in 1934 at the age of 25, when he was hired as an assistant animator on classic Disney shorts like The Ugly Duckling. It wasn't until Pinocchio was under production that Milt emerged as the tour-de-force of Disney studios. His decisive mark-making and excellent draftsmanship earned him his renown, and his drive and passion for his craft kept him striving for the excellence he demanded of everyone who animated under him. Veteran animator Jim Hill speaks fondly about Milt's explosive personality, remembering the first time he met the man, "Behind me was a door that led to the adjoining office, though it remained closed. I didn't need reminding who occupied the next office, because suddenly we heard the crash of a fist slamming hard on a desk. "Dammit!" shouted the artist. "Doesn't any %#*$!?# here know how to draw!?"

Milt was known for his explosiveness, but as Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston point out," He was honest to the point of bluntness. Unlike any irascible temperaments who have filled the halls of history, Milt had a very sweet helpful side, when he chose. He gave unstintingly of his time and talent when it was to help the picture, and almost as often to help a fellow artist who had a problem. However, he expected anyone coming for help to have worked hard and tried everything-to have done his best before coming."

In Richard Williams' famous and amazingly helpful book, The Animator's Survival Kit, he often mentions wisdom passed on by Milt. Within the first chapter, Dick Williams provides the reader with the following first lesson-a-la-Kahl...(Unplug, folks!!)

Milt really was an amazingly astounding draftsman. His linework has remained unparralleled, I believe, at Disney and any other studio out there ( But there are certainly MANY MANY animators, even today, who are just as dedicated and have superb draftsmanship). Milt's greatest strength was said to be from the fact that he believed animation drawings were truly two dimensional and should stick to that plane- thus he is famous for his concise, posed drawings (and pose to pose animation stlye!) where everything was clearly readable to the audience.

Here's a great example of some of Milt's work. I watched this film recently, and was blown away by this section, so you can imagine my delight in finding the actual drawings online as well! Look at how clearly you can read every action. Nothing is hidden, nothing is obscure.

Milt Kahl (Mowgli) from Victor Ens on Vimeo.

Milt Kahl - Mr. Snoops Pencil Test from David Nethery on Vimeo.

Milt was a great asset to the industry, and his legend still continues in the many artists who pull from his work, freeze-framing and stepping through frame by frame to glean some of the genius away from it.