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Ward Kimball
Born March 04, 1914 (Age: 112)
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Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Biography
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 especially unique.Kimball created several classic Disney characters including the Crows in Dumbo; Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland; the Mice and Lucifer the Cat from Cinderella; and Jiminy Cricket fromPinocchio. 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 anAcademy 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 Million Dollar 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 for Disney's EPCOT Center called The World Of Motion.
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 especially unique.Kimball created several classic Disney characters including the Crows in Dumbo; Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland; the Mice and Lucifer the Cat from Cinderella; and Jiminy Cricket fromPinocchio. 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 anAcademy 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 Million Dollar 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 for Disney's EPCOT Center called The World Of Motion.
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Filmography
Waking Sleeping Beauty
2009
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 95
The Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached
2009
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as Self (Archive Footage)
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Age: 95
From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella
2005
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 91
The Cinderella That Almost Was
2005
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as Self (archive footage)
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Age: 90
From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men
2005
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as Self (Archive Footage)
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Age: 90
A Wish Came True: The Making of 'Pinocchio'
2000
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as Himself
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Age: 86
The Fantasia Legacy: The Concert Feature
2000
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as Self
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Age: 86
The Story Behind Walt Disney's 'Fun and Fancy Free'
1997
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as Self
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Age: 82
Pinocchio: The Making of a Masterpiece
1993
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as Self
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Age: 79
It All Started with a Mouse: The Disney Story
1989
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as Self
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Age: 75
The Wizard of Speed and Time
1989
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as The IRS Chief
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Age: 75
Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town
1988
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as Self
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Age: 74
Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
1981
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as Self
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Age: 67
No Image
From Fantasia to Fantasyland
1978
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as self
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Age: 63
It's Tough to Be a Bird
1969
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as Bird Fancier
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Age: 55
Disneyland '59
1959
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as Self
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Age: 45
Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From?
1956
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as Self
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Age: 42
Man and the Moon
1955
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as Self (uncredited)
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Age: 41
Man in Space
1955
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as Self
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Age: 41
The Disneyland Story
1954
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as Self
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Age: 40
One Hour in Wonderland
1950
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as Self - Firehouse Five Plus Two
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Age: 36
The Nifty Nineties
1941
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as Ward (voice) (uncredited)
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Age: 27
The Reluctant Dragon
1941
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as Ward Kimball
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Age: 27