
Ward Kimball
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.
Known For | Visual Effects |
---|---|
Most Rating | 0.014 |
Birthday | 1914-03-04 |
Place of Birth | Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA |
Also Known As | Ward Walrath Kimball, |

1941

The Reluctant Dragon
6.6/152
Humorist Robert Benchley attempts to find Walt Disney to ask him to adapt a short story about a gentle dragon who would rather recite poetry than be f...
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The Reluctant Dragon

1988

Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town
6.2/8
A behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Joanna Cassidy on the making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
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Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town

2007

The Pixar Story
7.5/230
A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios - from the success of "Toy Story" and Pixar's promotion of talented people, to the building of it...
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The Pixar Story

2009

Waking Sleeping Beauty
7.3/108
By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovat...
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Waking Sleeping Beauty

1989

The Wizard of Speed and Time
6.4/28
A Hollywood filmmaker (Mike Jittlov) makes a short for an evil film studio. Unbeknownst to him, the producer has placed a bet of $25,000 that he won't...
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The Wizard of Speed and Time

1997

The Story Behind Walt Disney's 'Fun and Fancy Free'
7/2
From all the cartoons Walt Disney and his team create a full length feature film fun and fancy free . Learn the story of how ww2 Changed bongo and the...
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The Story Behind Walt Disney's 'Fun and Fancy Free'

1989

It All Started with a Mouse: The Disney Story
0/0
The story of Walt Disney and the company he built.
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It All Started with a Mouse: The Disney Story

2009

The Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached
0/0
Documentary focusing on the making-of the 1940n adaptation of Pinocchio by the Disney studio, often considered the artistic pinnacle of the Disney fea...
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The Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached

1993

Pinocchio: The Making of a Masterpiece
0/0
The making of the Disney classic hosted by Robby Benson.
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Pinocchio: The Making of a Masterpiece

2019

Apollo: Missions to the Moon
7.3/36
National Geographic's riveting effort recounts all 12 crewed missions using only archival footage, photos and audio.
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Apollo: Missions to the Moon

2005

From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men
0/0
Film critic Joel Siegel gets together with a group of animators, directors and producers to discuss and pay tribute to their mentors and Walt Disney's...
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From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men

2005

The Cinderella That Almost Was
0/0
Documentary about other potential concepts floated for Disney's Cinderella.
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The Cinderella That Almost Was

2022

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse
7.054/84
Mickey Mouse is one of the most enduring symbols in our history. Those three simple circles take on meaning for virtually everyone on the planet. So u...
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Mickey: The Story of a Mouse

2000

A Wish Came True: The Making of 'Pinocchio'
0/0
This documentary showcases the making of "Pinocchio".
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A Wish Came True: The Making of 'Pinocchio'

1969

It's Tough to Be a Bird
6.2/16
Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.
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It's Tough to Be a Bird

1981

Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
0/0
Former Disney child star Hayley Mills returns to the Walt Disney Studio for a look at the techniques of animated film production, with various veteran...
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Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life

1950

One Hour in Wonderland
7/4
Airing on Christmas Day, 1950, this holiday special was the first Disney TV production. It features Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Sn...
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One Hour in Wonderland

1956

Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From?
0/0
Walt answers the often-asked question of just where the stories for his studio's cartoons come from, which is from practically anywhere.
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Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From?

2004

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
8.8/6
Two classic animated shorts from the Disney studios. In 'The Reluctant Dragon' (1941), a young boy and a famous dragon fighter team up to teach a doci...
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Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6

2000

The Fantasia Legacy: The Concert Feature
8/1
Documentary on the making of Walt Disney’s Fantasia.
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The Fantasia Legacy: The Concert Feature

1941

The Nifty Nineties
6/22
Mickey courts Minnie in the Gay Nineties: they take in a vaudeville show and go for a drive in his horseless carriage, to the strains of "While Stroll...
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The Nifty Nineties

1951

Operation Wonderland
7.3/3
1951 behind the scenes featurette of the Walt Disney animated classic.
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Operation Wonderland

1959

Disneyland '59
6.5/2
Walt Disney and Art Linkletter co-host a live celebration of Disneyland's 1959 expansion that consisted of the debuts of Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Disn...
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Disneyland '59

1954

The Disneyland Story
8/1
Walt Disney presents a preview for both his upcoming park called Disneyland and several episodes of the show to come. Then the show focuses primarily...
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The Disneyland Story

2005

From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella
10/1
The making of Cinderella (1950).
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