Milton Erwin Kahl (March 22, 1909 – April 19, 1987) was an American animator. He was one of (and often considered the most influential of) Walt Disney's supervisory team of animators, known as Disney'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) Mill Valley, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Animator |
| Years active | 1936–1976, 1985–1986 |
| Known for | One of Disney's Nine 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 in San 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 character sketches from Bill Peet, incorporating ideas of Ken Anderson. The final look of many characters in the Disney films was designed by Kahl, in his angular style inspired by Ronald Searle and Picasso. He is revered by contemporary masters of the form such as Andreas Deja, and also Brad Bird, who was his protégé at Disney in the early 1970s. In the behind-the-scenes feature "Fine Food and Film" shown on the Ratatouille DVD, 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 for The Iron Giant.
In the book The Animator's Survival Kit, the author Richard Williams makes 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 by the Academy on 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, in Mill Valley, California.[5]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Servants' Entrance | Animator | uncredited | |
| 1935 | Mickey's Fire Brigade (Short) | Animator | uncredited | |
| On Ice (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| 1936 | Orphans' Picnic (Short) | Animator | uncredited | |
| Elmer Elephant (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| Mickey's Circus (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| Toby Tortoise Returns (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Animator | Forest animals[6] | Credited as Milton Kahl |
| Lonesome Ghosts (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| 1938 | Ferdinand the Bull | Animator | Ferdinand (voice; uncredited) | |
| Farmyard Symphony (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| 1939 | Ugly Duckling (short) | Animator | 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) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi (Short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| Reason and Emotion (Short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| The Winged Scourge (Documentary short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| Chicken Little (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| 1944 | How to Play Football | Animator | Credited as Milton Kahl | |
| 1945 | The Three Caballeros | Animator | Credited as Milton Kahl | |
| Tiger Trouble (Short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| Duck Pimples (Short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| Hockey Homicide (short) | Animator | uncredited | ||
| 1946 | Make Mine Music | Animator | ||
| 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 | Directing Animator | Fairy Godmother, the King, the Grand Duke[11] | |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Directing Animator | Alice, Dodo, Pink Flamingo[11] | |
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Directing Animator | Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael[11] | |
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Directing Animator | Tramp, Trusty | |
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Directing Animator | Prince Philip, Sir Minstrel, Samson, King Hubert, King Stefan[11] | |
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Directing Animator | 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) | Directing Animator | 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. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
- ^ "Milt Kahl, Animator for Disney". United Press International. Chicago Tribune. April 24, 1987. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Canemaker 2001, p. 137.
- ^ Canemaker 2001, pp. 137–138.
- ^ Canemaker 2001, pp. 141–142.
- ^ a b Canemaker 2001, p. 143.
- ^ "A. Film L.A." Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Canemaker 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. ISBN 978-0786864966.
External links
edit- Milt Kahl at IMDb
- Disney Legends
- "King Kahl: A personal look at Disney's master animator, Milt Kahl" by Floyd Norman (JimHillMedia.com)
- A Milt Kahl lecture at CalArts from 1976 on The Animation Podcast
- Interview with Kahl by Michael Barrier and Milton Gray
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