Known For
Visual Effects
Born
Mar 04, 1914
Died
Jul 08, 2002
Place of Birth
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Credits
83 titles
Ward Kimball
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.
Known For
Filmography
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse
Self (archive footage)
Apollo: Missions to the Moon
Self - Disney Animator (archive footage)
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Self (archive footage)
The Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached
Self (Archive Footage)
The Pixar Story
Ward Kimball (archive footage)
From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella
Self (archive footage)
From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men
Self (Archive Footage)
The Cinderella That Almost Was
Self (archive footage)
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
Ward Kimball (archive footage) (uncredited)
A Wish Came True: The Making of 'Pinocchio'
Himself
The Fantasia Legacy: The Concert Feature
Self
The Story Behind Walt Disney's 'Fun and Fancy Free'
Self
Pinocchio: The Making of a Masterpiece
Self
It All Started with a Mouse: The Disney Story
Self
The Wizard of Speed and Time
The IRS Chief
Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town
Self
DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues
Director
Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
Self
From Fantasia to Fantasyland
self
The Mouse Factory
Creator
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Animation Director
Dad... Can I Borrow the Car?
Producer
It's Tough to Be a Bird
Bird Fancier
The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show
Director
Pacifically Peeking
Animation
Escalation
Director
A Salute to Alaska
Animation Director
Scrooge McDuck and Money
Animation
Mary Poppins
Animation
Fly With Von Drake
Animation
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
Babes in Toyland
Writer
Eyes in Outer Space
Director
Disneyland '59
Self
Mars and Beyond
Director
Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From?
Self
Man and the Moon
Self (uncredited)
Man in Space
Self
The Wonderful World of Disney
Director
The Disneyland Story
Self
Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom
Director
Melody
Director
Peter Pan
Animation
Alice in Wonderland
Animation
Operation Wonderland
Self
One Hour in Wonderland
Self - Firehouse Five Plus Two
Cinderella
Animation Director
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Animation
Melody Time
Animation
Pecos Bill
Animation