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Ollie JohnstonAmerican cartoonist
Date of Birth: 31.10.1912
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Ollie Johnston
- Early Life and Education
- Career at Disney
- Contributions and Legacy
- Ollie Johnston passed away on April 14, 2008, at the age of 95.
Biography of Ollie Johnston
Ollie Johnston was an American animator, and the last of the famous "Nine Old Men" of Disney, as Walt Disney himself referred to his employees.
Early Life and Education
Ollie Johnston, born Oliver Martin Johnston Jr., was born on October 31, 1912, in Palo Alto, California. He attended elementary school on the campus of Stanford University, where his father taught Romance languages. After completing high school in Palo Alto, Johnston returned to Stanford and spent his final year in Los Angeles at the Chouinard Art Institute, which was founded in 1921.
During his time at Stanford, Ollie worked for the humor magazine "Stanford Chaparral" with his friend Frank Thomas, who also went on to become an animator.
Career at Disney
On January 21, 1935, Ollie Johnston started working at Walt Disney Studios as an apprentice animator. He began his career working on short films, including "The Garden Party" and "The Tortoise and the Hare," which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
By 1940, Johnston was already leading the creation of the feature film "Pinocchio." He played a significant role in the creation of iconic Disney films such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Song of the South," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Sleeping Beauty," "Lady and the Tramp," "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," "Peter Pan," and "The Sword in the Stone," among many others.
One of Johnston's most beloved works was the animated film "Bambi," which showcased the kindness, warmth, and gentle humor characteristic of Disney's creations.
Ollie Johnston worked as a Disney animator for 43 years and retired in 1978. His final work was on the 23rd feature film "The Rescuers" (1977), which took four years and involved 250 artists. One of the characters in the film, Rufus the cat, was inspired by Johnston's caricature style.
Contributions and Legacy
Together with his lifelong friend Frank Thomas, Johnston authored the book "Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life," which outline the 12 basic principles of animation. This book helped preserve the knowledge of animation techniques developed at Walt Disney Studios for future generations of animators.
They also co-authored three other books: "Too Funny for Words," "Bambi: The Story and the Film of Walt Disney's Bambi," and "Disney Villains."
In 1995, Theodore Thomas, Frank's son, created the documentary film "Frank and Ollie," which showcased the partnership between Ollie Johnston and his father.
In 1943, Johnston married fellow artist Marie Worthey, who also worked at the studio. Their marriage lasted for 62 years until Marie's passing in 2005.
Outside of animation, Ollie had a passion for trains. Starting in 1949, he built a backyard railroad that now belongs to his sons. This interest was shared by Walt Disney, who drew inspiration from Ollie's construction when building the Disneyland Railroad.
In the 1960s, Johnston acquired and restored an authentic narrow-gauge steam locomotive, which he named "Marie E." Later, it was purchased by "Cars" director John Lasseter.
