Ruthie Tompson

Ruth Irene Tompson was an American ink artist, photographer, and camera technician, who worked on many Disney films, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty, and Robin Hood.
Tompson was born on July 22, 1910 in Portland, Maine and raised in Boston, Massachusetts before her family moved to Oakland, California in November 1918. Over time, she soon moved to Los Angeles and her house was in the same block as the house of Robert Disney, uncle of Walt Disney, where he and his brother Roy lived when they first came to Los Angeles. She would often visit the brothers at their studio and even appeared in the Alice Comedies as a result.
At the age of 18, while working at Dubrock's Riding Academy, where Roy and Walt Disney often played polo, she was offered her a job as an inker. After training as an inker, Tompson was transferred to the Ink and Paint Department, where she helped with cartoon shorts and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She continued working until being promoted to animation checker during World War II, a time in which many women assumed roles traditionally held by men, where she reviewed animation cels before they were photographed onto film. She also helped produce training and educational videos for the U.S. Army that featured signature Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.
By 1948, Tompson was working in the camera department, developing camera moves and mechanics to shoot animation. She became one of the first three women admitted into the International Photographers Union, Local 659 of the IATSE in 1952. Tompson continued to work through the studio ranks, eventually becoming the supervisor of the screen planning department.
Outside of Disney, Tompson worked on a 1960s reboot of Popeye the Sailor and the films The Lord of the Rings and Metamorphoses.
Tompson was forced retire in 1975 after working for The Walt Disney Company for almost 40 years. In retirement, she worked for an in-house television channel at the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Country House where she lived. In 2000, Tompson was honored as a Disney Legend for her contributions to the studio. In 2017, Tompson was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for her contributions to the animation industry. In July 2020, Tompson became a supercentenarian after participating in a web interview.
Tompson died on October 10, 2021, at the age of 111.
==Disney Filmography==
Year	Film 	Position
1937	Lonesome Ghosts 	Ink and paint - uncredited
1937	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 	Ink and paint - uncredited
1938	Mother Goose Goes Hollywood 	Ink and Paint - uncredited
1938	Brave Little Tailor 	Ink and Paint - uncredited
1940	Pinocchio 	Ink and Paint - uncredited
1940	Fantasia 	Ink and Paint - uncredited
1941	Dumbo 	Ink and Paint - uncredited
1942	Bambi 	Ink and Paint - uncredited
1951	Alice in Wonderland 	Scene Planner - uncredited
1959	Donald in Mathmagic Land 	Scene planner - uncredited
1959	Sleeping Beauty 	Animation checkerScene planner - uncredited
1961	One Hundred and One Dalmatians 	Scene planner
1964	Mary Poppins 	Scene planner - uncredited
1967	The Jungle Book 	Scene planner - uncredited
1970	The Aristocats 	Scene planner - uncredited
1973	Robin Hood 	Scene planning supervisor - uncredited
1974	Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too 	Scene planner - uncredited
1977	The Rescuers 	Head of scene planning - uncredited (Early Stages)
1999	The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story	Special thanks
==Gallery==
Ruthie tompson 1.jpg
Ruthie tompson 2.jpg
Ruthie tompson 3.jpg
Ruthie tompson with bob iger.jpg|Tompson with Bob Iger at a DisneyExpo.
Ruthie tompson with roy e disney.jpg|Tompson with Roy E. Disney at a gathering.
Ruthie tompson with whoopi goldberg.jpg|Tompson with Whoopi Goldberg.
Ruthie tompson working at the studio.jpg|Tompson working at the studio.
==External links==
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Category:Females
Category:1910s births
Category:2020s deaths
Category:Deceased
Category:People from Maine
Category:Artists
Category:Disney Legends
Category:Alice Comedies
Category:Mickey Mouse
Category:Donald Duck
Category:Goofy
Category:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Category:Pinocchio
Category:Fantasia
Category:Dumbo
Category:Bambi
Category:Alice in Wonderland
Category:Donald in Mathmagic Land
Category:Sleeping Beauty
Category:101 Dalmatians
Category:Mary Poppins
Category:The Jungle Book
Category:The Aristocats
Category:Winnie the Pooh
Category:Robin Hood
Category:The Rescuers
Category:American people