Remembering Annette

April 12, 2013 by Michael Mallory No Comments

I’m going to take a little detour this week out of the Toon Trenches to remember a person who was enormously important to the Walt Disney Studios in the 1950s, and whose passing was just was announced: Annette Funicello. Anyone of my generation knows both versions of Annette: the teenaged [...]

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Pittsburg Animator Leland Hartman Dies at 82

December 30, 2012 by Ramin Zahed 1 Comment

Former Disney and Warner Bros. animator Leland “Lee” Hartman passed away at a nursing facility in Glen Hazel, PA on Dec. 24. He was diagnosed with dementia six years ago, shortly after losing his wife of 50 years, Elizabeth Hartman. A former Navy veteran, Hartman worked at Disney Studios after [...]

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Disney Legend Ginny Tyler Dies

July 24, 2012 by Mercedes Milligan 1 Comment

Actress Ginny Tyler, who was recognized as a Disney Legend in 2006 for her many vocal performances over the years, passed away July 13 of natural causes in Issaquah, Washington at age 86, according to The Associated Press. The actress began her career with Disney as a narrator for albums [...]

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Tales from the Toon Trenches: Big Roy’s Bad Day

September 15, 2011 by Michael Mallory 2 Comments

When the late, great American artist Iwao Takamoto and his wife Barbara asked me to help write his memoirs in 2005, I was stunned and flattered. Iwao was a legend, and a quiet genius. He and I worked on the project for about two years, and then he tragically died [...]

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