Milt kahl biography sample

In the behind-the-scenes feature "Fine Food and Film" shown on the Ratatouille DVD, Bird referred to Kahl as "tough," but in a gentle way, as he often gave Bird advice on where he could improve in animation whenever he came up short. He also worked as a character designer for The Black Cauldron.

In the book The Animator's Survival Kit, the author Richard Williams makes repeated reference and anecdotes relating to Kahl.

Wanting to become a magazine illustrator or cartoonist, he landed a job retouching photos and pasting up layouts for the Oakland Post Enquirer’s art department. Despite his outbursts, he was a focused illustrator who become known for animating the ‘Milt Kahl head swaggle,’ a particular exaggerated head movement which characterized much of his work.

While working at his desk, Kahl would sit staring into space for hours at a time.

The final look of many Disney characters bear Milt’s influential mark.

Next, Kahl became a supervising animator on the film Bambi, refining Marc Davis’s designs for the deer and Thumper. When he saw “The Three Little Pigs” he was influenced heavily and was very interested in where animation would lead him.

Personality

Humble, yet demanding in all that he does.

He also quickly became known for his volatile temper and the perfectionism he expected from everyone, including himself. He was one of Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men.

Kahl often refined Bill Peet character sketches while incorporating Ken Anderson’s design ideas. Some say he has never had a bad drawing. Upon completion of The Rescuers, he gave his notice to the CEO, Ron Miller and retired from The Walt Disney Studios in 1976.

He returned to Northern California, but still contributed character designs for The Black Cauldron.

Even animator Freddy Moore’s experience with making cute characters couldn’t resolve the problem of creating an appealing look for the stiff wooden figure.

At Ham Luske’s encouragement, Kahl took up the challenge of re-designing Pinocchio, discarding the premise that Pinocchio was a wooden boy, and instead, drew him as a real little boy, only adding the wooden joints after.

He wouldoftenrefine the characterssketches from Bill Peet with the ideas of Ken Anderson. He was also humble in his talent. He is revered by contemporarymasters of the form, such as Andreas Deja, and Brad Bird, who was his protégé at Disney in the early 70's. In the behind-the-scenes feature "Fine Food and Film" shown on the Ratatouille DVD, Bird referred to Kahl as "tough", but in a gentle way, as he often gave Bird advice on where he couldimprove in animationwhenever he came up short.

In the book The Animator's Survival Kit, the authorRichardWilliamsmakesrepeatedreference and anecdotesrelating to Kahl.

He was promoted to junior animator and animated many of the forest animals in Disney’s first feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Albert Hurter’s early designs for the Pinocchio character had been drawn as a wooden boy, with clunky joints and movement that didn’t fit Pinocchio’s innocence and naïveté. Milt then launched his own commercial art business, but struggled to find work.

When he saw the Disney’s Three Little Pigs short, he was amazed by the animation.