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Thursday, January 05, 2017

An Amazing Story Most Did Not Know

The Animation World Mourns The Passing Of Legendary 'Bambi' Artist Tyrus Wong

Creatives all over the world certainly had a hard go of it in 2016, what with the entertainment industry losing a slew of dedicated and talented individuals as the year came to a close.

Sadly, it was reported that among them was Chinese artist Tyrus Wong, who died at the grand old age of 106 surrounded by his family and was the inspiration behind #Disney's legendary 1942 animation#Bambi.

A statement issued by the House of Mouse praised the "Disney Legend" hall of fame member saying:

"Legendary Disney artist Tyrus Wong had a gift for evoking incredible feeling in his art with simple, gestural composition."

As a youngster, Wong emigrated to the United States from China with his father, leaving behind his mother and sister who he would never see again. During this time, his father encouraged him to broaden his artistic talents by practicing calligraphy by dipping his brushes in water and painting on newspaper. Then, after studying as a fine artist, Wong came to work for Disney as an entry level animator back in 1938, contributing hundreds of sketches of Mickey Mouse. At first, he worked as an "inbetweener" for the studio, drawing images between poses to create illusions of motion.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

He was a brilliant artist. Check out the animation done in Disney cartoons before Bambi (such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) and compare them as artwork. The more minimalist creation of Bambi was a huge hit, and spawned a change in the period's visual art, one that profoundly influenced today's.