Ward Kimball

For the Disneyland Railroad locomotive named after Ward Kimball, see Ward Kimball (locomotive).
Ward Walrath Kimball was an American animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1934 to 1972, and was also one of Walt Disney's Nine Old Men.
==Career==
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.
Kimball created several classic Disney characters, including the Crows from Dumbo, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, the Mice, Lucifer the Cat, and Bruno the Dog from Cinderella, and Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio. He also animated the famous "Three Caballeros" musical number from the Disney film of the same name.
In 1953, Kimball became a director and was responsible for the Academy Award-winning short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, and three Disney television shows about outer space that put the United States into the space program. He received an Academy Award for the short animated cartoon It's Tough to Be a Bird.
Ward Kimball was profiled by the Academy Award-winning producer Jerry Fairbanks in his Paramount Pictures film short series Unusual Occupations. This 35mm Magnacolor film short was released theatrically in 1944 and focused on Kimball's backyard railroad and full-sized locomotive.
Kimball was also a jazz trombonist. He founded and led the seven-piece Dixieland band Firehouse Five Plus Two, in which he played trombone. The band made at least 13 LP records and toured clubs, college campuses, and jazz festivals from the 1940s to early 1970s. Kimball once said that Walt Disney permitted the second career as long as it did not interfere with his animation work.
Kimball continued to work at Disney up until the early 1970s, working on the Disney anthology television series, being one of the writers for Babes in Toyland, creating animation for Mary Poppins, directing the animation for Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and working on titles for feature films, such as The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin and $1,000,000 Duck. His last staff work for Disney was producing and directing the Disney TV show The Mouse Factory. He continued to do various projects on his own, even returning to Disney to do some publicity tours. Additionally, Kimball worked on an attraction the EPCOT Center attraction World of Motion.
Kimball also produced two editions of a volume titled Art Afterpieces,Art Afterpieces, ISBN 978-0-8431-0366-3 in which he revised various well-known works of art, such as putting Mona Lisa's hair up in curlers, showing Whistler's Mother watching TV, and adding a Communist flag and Russian boots to Pinkie.
While his only two acting appearances on film were an uncredited role as a jazz musician (with his fellow members of the Firehouse Five Plus Two) in Hit Parade of 1951 and as an IRS Chief in Mike Jittlov's The Wizard of Speed and Time, Kimball also served as host of Disney's Man and the Moon episode of the Disney Space television series of 1956. He also appeared as himself in an episode of the popular TV show, You Bet Your Life hosted by Groucho Marx on March 18, 1954. As of 2010 the episode is available in a DVD box-set from Amazon.
According to Neal Gabler's biography of Disney, Ward was a key figure in the dissemination of the urban legend that Walt Disney had instructed that his body be preserved by cryonics after his death.
Amid Amidi wrote a biography of Kimball, Full Steam Ahead: The Life and Art of Ward Kimball, which was projected for publication in the fall of 2012. However, publication of the biography was cancelled in February 2013, which Amidi believed was due to pressure from the Disney corporation.http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/advance-praise-for-the-book-that-disney-doesnt-want-you-to-read-73722.htmlhttp://www.cartoonbrew.com/wardkimball/whats-up-ward-kimball-78557.html
In 1989, he was named a Disney Legend. After he put his hands in concrete (as is customary for living recipients), he decided to draw an extra finger on each of his handprints.https://d23.com/this-day/disney-legend-and-animator-ward-kimball-is-born/http://www.wdwfanzone.com/2012/03/the-cornerstones-of-legends-plaza/
==Characters animated by Kimball==
*Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (The Dwarves; the Vultures)
*Pinocchio (Jiminy Cricket)
*Fantasia (Bacchus and his don-corn, Jacchus)
*Dumbo (The Crows; Casey Jr.; a few scenes of Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse)
*The Three Caballeros (Title musical number)
*Make Mine Music (Peter, Sasha, Sonia, Ivan, The Wolf, and the Hunters in "Peter and the Wolf"; Willy the Whale)
*Fun and Fancy Free (Bongo, Bird, Lulabelle, and Lumpjaw in "Bongo"; Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in "Mickey and the Beanstalk")
*Melody Time (Pecos Bill; Donald, José, and Aracuan Bird in Blame It On The Samba)
*The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Mr. Toad, Cyril Proudbottom, train chase sequence; Ichabod Crane, Ichabod's horse, Katrina Van Tassel)
*Cinderella (Lucifer; Jaq; Gus; The Mice; Bruno)
*Alice in Wonderland (The White Rabbit; Tweedledee and Tweedledum; The Cheshire Cat; The Mad Hatter; The March Hare; The Walrus and the Carpenter; The Oysters; The Dormouse)
*Peter Pan (The Lost Boys; the Indian Chief; Wendy Darling; John Darling; Michael Darling; a few scenes of Captain Hook)
*Ben and Me (Amos; The Mice; The Cats)
*Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (Ludwig Von Drake)
*Mary Poppins (The Pearly Band)
==Director==
*Bedknobs and Broomsticks
*Mars and Beyond
==Death==
Kimball died in 2002 in Los Angeles, California of complications from at age 88. In 2005, the Disneyland Railroad named their newly acquired Engine №5 the "Ward Kimball" in his memory.
==Grizzly Flats Railroad==
Along with his employer and friend Walt Disney, and fellow mate Ollie Johnston, Kimball also collected old ephemera. Kimball was an avid railway enthusiast and donated his 3 ft (914 mm) gauge collection to the in . A full-sized , - which Kimball ran on his private 3-acre (12,000 m2) backyard railroad known as "" in - bears some of his original artwork on the headlamp and cab, and is on permanent display at the museum.
In addition to the full-size equipment, Kimball was also an avid collector of model trains.
Kimball is also credited with helping Walt Disney for the inspiration to install the Disneyland Railroad at Disneyland. Inspiration for the Disneyland Railroad also partly came from Walt's own personal 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge, live steam backyard Carolwood Pacific Railroad -- also partly built by Ward. Kimball's Grizzly Flats train station was the model for the Disneyland Frontierland Train Station. Engine #5 of the Disneyland Railroad is called Ward Kimball.
Kimball's talents are also evident in the reproduction steam locomotives built for the National Park Service at the Golden Spike site at Promontory, Utah. Kimball helped match colors with an engine at the and painted the artwork for the replicas of the and built by for the Park Service.
In recognition to his love of railroading and support of the Orange Empire Railway Museum, the Perris Transit Center, where OERM historic trains travel to, is dedicated to Mr. Kimball. In a rare deviation from their usually tight copyright policy, Disney permitted the city to decorate the transit center with Kimball's artwork. The center is currently served by buses, with train service projected to begin in 2011 as part of the Perris Valley Line.
==Gallery==
===Characters animated===
Donald Duck Iconic.png|Donald Duck
Snowwhite-disneyscreencaps com-6106.jpg|The Seven Dwarfs
Snowwhite-disneyscreencaps com-12294.jpg|Vultures
Pinocchio-disneyscreencaps com-60.jpg|Jiminy Cricket
Fantasia-disneyscreencaps com-6797.jpg|Bacchus
Fantasia-disneyscreencaps com-6677.jpg|Jacchus
Choo choo.jpg|link=https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Casey_Junior|Casey Junior
Dumbo-disneyscreencaps com-2755.jpg|Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse
Dumbo-disneyscreencaps com-5974.jpg|The Crows
Tumblr lzg8sbVbIN1r3jmn6o1 500.png|The Reluctant Dragon
Caballeros-disneyscreencaps com-5254.jpg|Panchito Pistoles and José Carioca
Peterwinner.jpg|Peter
Makeminemusic-disneyscreencaps com-3701.jpg|Misha, Yasha, and Vladimir
Makeminemusic-disneyscreencaps com-5920.jpg|Willie the Whale
Pecosbill.jpg|Pecos Bill
Profile - J. Thaddeus Toad.jpg|J. Thaddeus Toad
Iceraichabodmrtoad0612.jpg|Cyril Proudbottom
Iceraichabodmrtoad3226.jpg|Ichabod Crane
Ichabod6a.jpg|Gunpowder
Cinderella-disneyscreencaps com-881.jpg|Jaq and Gus
Mice from Cinderella.jpg|Mice
Cinderella-disneyscreencaps com-1243 - Copy.jpg|Lucifer
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-3849.jpg|Alice
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-370.jpg|White Rabbit
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-1578.jpg|Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-1680.jpg|The Walrus and the Carpenter
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-1838.jpg|The Curious Oysters
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-4540.jpg|Cheshire Cat
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-4885.jpg|Mad Hatter
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-7979.jpg|March Hare
Alice-disneyscreencaps com-4890.jpg|Dormouse
Peterpan-disneyscreencaps-3318.jpg|John Darling
He flew.jpg|Michael Darling
Peter-pan-disneyscreencaps.com-7767.jpg|Captain Hook
Peterpan-disneyscreencaps-3773.jpg|Indian Chief
Tve8132-19531110-2244.jpg|Amos
LudwigVonDrake.jpg|Ludwig Von Drake
Marypoppins-disneyscreencaps com-6491.jpg|The Pearly Band
===Miscellaneous===
Walt-Disney-Animators-Ward-Kimball-walt-disney-characters-22959610-650-776.jpg
Lillian disney, james bodero ward kimbell three cabs after party.jpg|Left to right: Lillian Disney, James Bodrero, Kimball
Ward kimball with mary kimball.jpg|Kimball with his wife, Mary.
1954-disneyland-story-24.jpg|Kimball in "The Disneyland Story".
Cavalcade of Songs writing session.JPG|L-R: Pinto Colvig, John Sibley, Erdman Penner, Frank Thomas (seated), Walt Disney, Ward Kimball.
1955-moon-04.jpg|Kimball in "Man and the Moon".
Ward kimball in Where do the stories come from.JPG|Kimball in "Where Do the Stories Come From?."
Ward kimball richard bakalyan ted berman.jpg|Kimball with Richard Bakalyan and Ted Berman during production of It's Tough to Be a Bird.
MickeyTrainTour.jpg|Kimball in Mickey's 50
Ward kimball discussing pinocchio.JPG
Ward kimball dicussing cinderella.JPG|Kimball in Cinderella: The Making of a Masterpiece.
Ward kimball interview.JPG
Ward kimball interview 2.JPG|Kimball in The Story Behind Fun and Fancy Free.
The Fantasia Legacy ward kimball.JPG|Kimball in The Fantasia Legacy: The Concert Feature.
Tumblr ndxmlz8qru1qhcrb0o1 1280.jpg
==References==
==External links==
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nl:Ward Kimball
Category:Animators
Category:Disney Legends
Category:Directors
Category:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Category:Pinocchio
Category:Dumbo
Category:Bambi
Category:Cinderella
Category:Alice in Wonderland
Category:Peter Pan
Category:The Three Caballeros
Category:Make Mine Music
Category:Melody Time
Category:Mary Poppins
Category:Babes in Toyland
Category:Producers
Category:Males
Category:Deceased
Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios
Category:2000s deaths
Category:Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Category:Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
Category:Annie Award Winner
Category:Fantasia
Category:1910s births
Category:People from Minnesota
Category:The Reluctant Dragon
Category:American people
Category:Witch Mountain
Category:Silly Symphonies
Category:The Million Dollar Duck
Category:Epcot
Category:Fun and Fancy Free
Category:The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad