Ward Kimball
| Ward Kimball | |
|---|---|
Ward Kimball drawing Pecos Bill from Melody Time
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| Born |
Ward Walrath Kimball March 4, 1914 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | July 8, 2002 (aged 88) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Covina High School |
| Occupation | Animator, musician |
| Years active | 1935–1980 |
| Employer | Walt Disney Studios |
| Known for | One of Disney's Nine Old Men |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Kimball (m. 1936; d. 2002) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film |
Ward Walrath Kimball (March 4, 1914 – July 8, 2002), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators, known as Disney's Nine Old Men.
He was also a jazz trombonist. He founded and led the seven-piece Dixieland band Firehouse Five Plus Two, in which he played trombone.
While Kimball was a brilliant draftsman, he preferred to work on comical characters rather than realistic human designs. Animating came easily to him and he was constantly looking to do things differently. Because of this, Walt Disney called Ward a genius in the book The Story of Walt Disney. While there were many talented animators at Disney, Ward's efforts stand out as unique.
According to Jeff Lenburg's assessment of him, Kimball was a pioneer animator and a great innovator of his time. His work had been honored with the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He served as one of Disney's Nine Old Men. He instilled life to diverse Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse, Jiminy Cricket, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Kimball attended the Santa Barbara School of the Arts in order to become a painter and illustrator. Kimball's instructor at the school suggested to him that his work should be submitted to Walt Disney Productions (later known as the Walt Disney Animation Studios), and that he should pursue a career in animation. In March 1934, a 20-year-old Kimball applied for a job at the Disney studio. In April 1934, he was hired as an inbetweener. He was then promoted to an assistant animator. He served as an assistant to animator Hamilton Luske. Kimball worked primarily in the Silly Symphony series, where his film credits include the animated short films The Wise Little Hen (1934), The Goddess of Spring (1934), and The Tortoise and the Hare (1935). He also worked on the Mickey Mouse series, where his film credits include the short film Orphan's Benefit (1934).
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