Milton Erwin Kahl(March 22, 1909 – April 19, 1987) was an Americananimator.He was one of (and often considered the most influential of)Walt Disney's supervisory team of animators, known asDisney's Nine Old Men.[1]
Milt Kahl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Milton Erwin Kahl March 22, 1909 San Francisco,California,U.S. |
| Died | April 19, 1987(aged 79) |
| Occupation | Animator |
| Years active | 1936–1976, 1985–1986 |
| Known for | One ofDisney'sNine Old Men |
| Spouses | Laura Nordquist Kahl
(m.1934; died 1967)Phyllis Bounds Detiege
(m.1968;div.1978)Julie Kahl
(m.1980; died 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
Biography
editKahl was born inSan Francisco, California,to Erwin, a saloon bartender, and Grace Kahl.[2]He had three younger sisters, Dorothy, Marion, and Gladys.[3]He would often refine charactersketchesfromBill Peet,incorporating ideas ofKen Anderson.The final look of many characters in the Disney films was designed by Kahl, in his angular style inspired byRonald SearleandPicasso.He is revered by contemporary masters of the form such asAndreas Deja,and alsoBrad Bird,who was his protégé at Disney in the early 1970s. In the behind-the-scenes feature "Fine Food and Film" shown on theRatatouilleDVD, Bird referred to Kahl as "tough," but in a gentle way, as he often gave Bird advice on where he could improve in animation whenever he came up short. Bird later repeated this in"The Giant's Dream"documentary on the Blu Ray forThe Iron Giant.
In the bookThe Animator's Survival Kit,the authorRichard Williamsmakes repeated references and anecdotes relating to Kahl, whom he befriended during his early years in the animation industry. The centenary of Kahl's birth was honored bythe Academyon April 27, 2009, with a tribute entitled "Milt Kahl: The Animation Michelangelo" and featured Brad Bird as a panelist.[4]
On April 19, 1987, Kahl died of pneumonia, aged 78, inMill Valley, California.[5]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Servants' Entrance | Animator | uncredited | |
| 1935 | Mickey's Fire Brigade(Short) | uncredited | ||
| On Ice(short) | uncredited | |||
| 1936 | Orphans' Picnic(Short) | uncredited | ||
| Elmer Elephant(short) | uncredited | |||
| Mickey's Circus(short) | uncredited | |||
| Toby Tortoise Returns(short) | uncredited | |||
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Forest animals[6] | Credited as Milton Kahl | |
| Lonesome Ghosts(short) | uncredited | |||
| 1938 | Ferdinand the Bull | Ferdinand (voice; uncredited) | ||
| Farmyard Symphony(short) | uncredited | |||
| 1939 | Ugly Duckling(short) | uncredited | ||
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Animation Director | Pinocchio,[7]Geppetto | Credited as Milton Kahl |
| 1942 | Bambi | Supervising Animator | Bambi, Thumper[8] | Credited as Milton Kahl |
| 1943 | Saludos Amigos(Short) | Animator | Donald Duck riding the llama sequence[9] | |
| The Grain That Built a Hemisphere(Documentary short) | uncredited | |||
| Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi(Short) | uncredited | |||
| Reason and Emotion(Short) | uncredited | |||
| The Winged Scourge(Documentary short) | uncredited | |||
| Chicken Little(short) | uncredited | |||
| 1944 | How to Play Football | Credited as Milton Kahl | ||
| 1945 | The Three Caballeros | Credited as Milton Kahl | ||
| Tiger Trouble(Short) | uncredited | |||
| Duck Pimples(Short) | uncredited | |||
| Hockey Homicide(short) | uncredited | |||
| 1946 | Make Mine Music | |||
| Song of the South | Directing Animator | Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, and Br'er Fox | ||
| 1947 | Fun & Fancy Free | Animator | "Say It With A Slap"[10] | uncredited |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Directing Animator | Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill, Slue Foot Sue[9] | |
| 1949 | So Dear to My Heart | Animator | ||
| The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Directing Animator | Ratty, Mole, MacBadger, Brom Bones | ||
| 1950 | Cinderella | Fairy Godmother, the King, the Grand Duke[11] | ||
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Alice, Dodo, Pink Flamingo[11] | ||
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael[11] | ||
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Tramp, Trusty | ||
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Prince Philip, Sir Minstrel, Samson, King Hubert, King Stefan[11] | ||
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Pongo,[12]Perdita, Roger, Anita | ||
| 1963 | The Sword in the Stone | Directing Animator / Character Designer | Arthur, Merlin, Lord Ector, Sir Kay, Sir Bart, Madame Mim | |
| 1964 | Mary Poppins | Animator | Fox | |
| 1967 | The Jungle Book | Directing Animator | Shere Khan,Kaa,Mowgli, Bagheera,King Louie[13] | |
| 1968 | Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day(Short) | Animator | Tigger[14] | |
| 1970 | The Aristocats | Directing Animator | Thomas O'Malley, Duchess, Edgar, Madame Bonfamille, Georges Hautecourt | |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Animator | King Leonidas, Secretary Bird, Fisherman Bear | |
| 1973 | Robin Hood | Directing Animator | Robin Hood, Little John, Maid Marian, Lady Kluck,the Sheriff of Nottingham | |
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too(Short) | Tigger | ||
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Animator | Tigger | |
| The Rescuers | Directing Animator | Madame Medusa, Snoops, Penny[15] | ||
| 1995 | Frank and Ollie(Documentary) | Acknowledgment: Caricatures | ||
| 2002 | Mickey's House of Villains(Video) | Animator - Segment "Lonesome Ghosts" |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Canemaker 2001,pp. 125–126.
- ^1910 United States Federal Census
- ^1920 United States Federal census
- ^"Milt Kahl: The Animation Michelangelo".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.RetrievedSeptember 28,2009.
- ^"Milt Kahl, Animator for Disney".United Press International.Chicago Tribune.April 24, 1987.RetrievedSeptember 7,2020.
- ^Canemaker 2001,p. 137.
- ^Canemaker 2001,pp. 137–138.
- ^Canemaker 2001,pp. 141–142.
- ^abCanemaker 2001,p. 143.
- ^"A. Film L.A."RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^abcdCanemaker 2001,p. 145.
- ^Canemaker 2001,p. 147.
- ^Canemaker 2001,pp. 148–150.
- ^Canemaker 2001,p. 164.
- ^Canemaker 2001,pp. 156–160.
Sources
edit- Canemaker, John (2001). "Milt Kahl".Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation.Disney Editions. pp. 125–165.ISBN978-0786864966.
External links
edit- Milt KahlatIMDb
- Disney Legends
- "King Kahl: A personal look at Disney's master animator, Milt Kahl"byFloyd Norman(JimHillMedia )
- A Milt Kahl lecture at CalArts from 1976on The Animation Podcast
- Interview with KahlbyMichael Barrierand Milton Gray
