The last of Disney's famed and beloved Nine Old Men, the incomparable Ollie Johnston, passed away today at the age of 95. Johnston was a personal hero of mine, and one of the reasons that I got into animation. He was a touching spirit, a teacher and perpetual source of inspiration. I am completely and sincerely heartbroken.
Ollie Johnston was responsible for such timeless performances as the all-too-famous and ludicrously heart-warming spaghetti-eating scene in Lady and the Tramp, The tap-dancing penguins in Mary Poppins, as well as lead animator on such classics as The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, Bambi, Pinocchio, The Rescuers, The Aristocats, The Fox and the Hound, Robin Hood, The Sword in the Stone, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Fantasia, and the seminal Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to name but a few.
Rest peacefully, Ollie. You have given so much to so many.
-Lucas
April 15, 2008
EDIT: Ollie's official studio press obituary was released today, and can be read here.
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