Joe Grant Dead at 96

[Sarangel]

From the Indanapolis Star:

Joe Grant, one of Walt Disney's most talented artists and story men, whose career ran from the cartoon "Mickey's Gala Premiere" (1933) to the Oscar-nominated short "Lorenzo" (2004), died of a heart attack Friday while at the drawing table in his Glendale, Calif., home. He was 96.

Grant, who was working at the Disney studio the day before his death, was not an animator but a story man -- an artist who helps develop the plot and dialogue of an animated film -- and a designer. He worked on numerous shorts, including "Gulliver Mickey" (1934) and "Who Killed **** Robin" (1935). For "Snow White," Disney's first feature, Grant designed the Queen and the Wicked Witch.

During work on "Snow White" in 1933, Walt Disney came up to Grant in a studio hallway and asked, "What are we going to do for an encore?" That question led to the establishment of the Character Model Department, which Grant, who had a vast knowledge of art, illustration and literature, headed.

After working on "Pinocchio" (1940), Grant helped select the music for "Fantasia" (1940) and led the story development for that landmark film. With his creative partner, Dick Huemer, he wrote "Dumbo" (1941). During World War II, Grant contributed story ideas, gags and designs to war-related shorts, including "Reason and Emotion" (1943), "The New Spirit" (1942) and the Oscar-winning "Der Fuehrer's Face" (1942).

When the Character Model Department disbanded in 1949, Grant left Disney to pursue other artistic ventures.

Forty years after he left Disney, Grant received a call from Disney's Feature Animation Department, inviting him to consult on "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). Grant was soon working at the studio full time, with a new generation of artists, contributing ideas to "Aladdin" (1992), "The Lion King" (1994), "Pocahontas" (1995) and "Hercules" (1997).

Grant also contributed to Pixar Animation Studios features and coined the title for "Monsters, Inc." (2001).

 

[manning]

Forty years after he left Disney, Grant received a call from Disney's Feature Animation Department, inviting him to consult on "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). Grant was soon working at the studio full time, with a new generation of artists, contributing ideas to "Aladdin" (1992), "The Lion King" (1994), "Pocahontas" (1995) and "Hercules" (1997).

I guess we now know where some of the quality came from for these films!

 

[Jeff in BigD]

I guess we now know where some of the quality came from for these films!

No doubt!

 

[mt2]

"died of a heart attack Friday while at the drawing table in his Glendale, Calif., home. He was 96."


It seems that he died doing what he loved best. If all of us could be so lucky. The world has lost a true artist.

mt2