Visual Effects
Ward Kimball
Born 1914-03-04 · Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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.
Acting credits
7.5A 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 its East Bay campus, the company's relationship with Disney, and its remarkable initial string of eight hits. The contributions of John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs are profiled. The decline of two-dimensional animation is chronicled as three-dimensional animation rises. Hard work and creativity seem to share the screen in equal proportions.
The Pixar Story
2007
7.0Mickey 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 ubiquitous in our lives that he can seem invisible, Mickey is something we all share, with unique memories and feelings. Over the course of his nearly century-long history, Mickey functions like a mirror, reflecting our personal and cultural values back at us. "Mickey: The Story of a Mouse" explores Mickey's significance, getting to the core of what Mickey's cultural impact says about each of us and about our world.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse
2022
6.6Humorist 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 ferocious. Along the way, he is given a tour of Walt Disney Studios, and learns about the animation process.
The Reluctant Dragon
1941
7.2By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
2009
7.3National Geographic's riveting effort recounts all 12 crewed missions using only archival footage, photos and audio.
Apollo: Missions to the Moon
2019
5.7A behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Joanna Cassidy on the making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town
1988
NRWalt answers the often-asked question of just where the stories for his studio's cartoons come from, which is from practically anywhere.
Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From?
1956
8.8Two 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 docile dragon the art of being a force to be reckoned with. In 'Mickey and the Beanstalk' (1947), Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck confront the fearsome Willie the Giant to try to retrieve the magical singing harp to Happy Valley.
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
2004
7.3Walt Disney and Art Linkletter co-host a live celebration of Disneyland's 1959 expansion that consisted of the debuts of Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail, and the Submarine Voyage, a project so massive that it was called "The Second Opening of Disneyland". Highlights include a mammoth, star-studded parade and the official launching of the Disneyland submarines by U.S. Navy officers. Among the guests are then-Vice-President Richard Nixon and family, Clint Eastwood, and Meredith Willson, who leads the Disneyland band in his own "76 Trombones." Sponsored by Kodak, the commercial spokespersons include Ozzie and Harriet Nelson.
Disneyland '59
1959
6.3A Hollywood filmmaker makes a short for an evil film studio. Unbeknownst to him, the producer has placed a bet of $25,000 that he won't come up with anything with a use. Luckily, our film creator gets the help of his friends.
The Wizard of Speed and Time
1989
7.3From 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 rest of the cartoons . How Edgar burgan got to play himself and his puppets.
The Story Behind Walt Disney's 'Fun and Fancy Free'
1997
6.2Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.
It's Tough to Be a Bird
1969
9.0Walt Disney presents a preview for both his upcoming park called Disneyland and several episodes of the show to come. Then the show focuses primarily on the career of Mickey Mouse.
The Disneyland Story
1954
7.0Airing on Christmas Day, 1950, this holiday special was the first Disney TV production. It features Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd at Walt Disney's Christmas party. The show includes clips of movies and animated shorts and the first appearance of the Fire House Five Plus Two jazz band.
One Hour in Wonderland
1950
6.0Documentary focusing on the making-of the 1940n adaptation of Pinocchio by the Disney studio, often considered the artistic pinnacle of the Disney feature.
The Making of 'Pinocchio': No Strings Attached
2009
"Walt Disney was utterly mad, in a constructive way... Only fanatics in this world accomplish anything, everyone else drifts. What he accomplished is an unrealistic ambition... a delusion of grandeur. My god... those films are hand painted frame by frame."
From Fantasia to Fantasyland
1978
8.5Film 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 core group of animators, The Nine Old Men
From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men
2005
NRThe story of Walt Disney and the company he built.
It All Started with a Mouse: The Disney Story
1989
8.0Documentary on the making of Walt Disney’s Fantasia.
The Fantasia Legacy: The Concert Feature
2000
6.8With a combination of documentary footage and animation, the science and history of rockets, and the effects of space travel on man are illustrated.
Man in Space
1955
8.5The making of Cinderella (1950).
From Rags to Riches: The Making of Cinderella
2005
4.0The making of the Disney classic hosted by Robby Benson.
Pinocchio: The Making of a Masterpiece
1993
NRFormer Disney child star Hayley Mills returns to the Walt Disney Studio for a look at the techniques of animated film production, with various veteran Disney animators illustrating said techniques.
Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
1981
6.1Mickey 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 Strolling Through the Park" and "In the Good Old Summertime". Goofy rides by on a penny-farthing bicycle, and the whole Duck family rides by on a bicycle built for five.
The Nifty Nineties
1941
Behind the camera
7.4A live-action short, using many avant-garde film techniques, that looks at American car culture in the late 1960s. The main section deals with the many trials and obstacles a teenager must face on the path to being able to drive. Surviving the driver's education class is only the first step, as the teenager must then pass his driving test, and then finally get permission to borrow the family car.
Dad... Can I Borrow the Car?
1970
7.4A live-action short, using many avant-garde film techniques, that looks at American car culture in the late 1960s. The main section deals with the many trials and obstacles a teenager must face on the path to being able to drive. Surviving the driver's education class is only the first step, as the teenager must then pass his driving test, and then finally get permission to borrow the family car.
Dad... Can I Borrow the Car?
1970
5.9All roads lead to magical, merry Toyland as Mary Contrary and Tom Piper prepare for their wedding! But villainous Barnaby wants Mary for himself, so he kidnaps Tom, setting off a series of comic chases, searches, and double-crosses! The "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" helps put Barnaby in his place, and ensures a "happily ever after" for Tom and Mary!
Babes in Toyland
1961
8.7Directed by renouned animator Ward Kimball, ' Mars and Beyond' is a lighthearted exploration of the history and future of Space Travel as understood back in 1957! Theories from scientists and philosophers are discussed. Focusing on Mars. Ideas from science-fiction authors H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs are brought to life with colorful animation. Pulp science fiction comics of the time are parodied. Life on other planets is considered, profiling each of the planets in the solar system from the perspective of what would happen to man on them. A masterpiece of animation and sci-fi that was way ahead of it's time. Ward Kimball was perhaps the most inventive of all Disney animators and probably the only one who admitted to experimenting with psychedelic drugs in the 60's. Also the only animator who Walt Disney ever called a "genius."
Mars and Beyond
1957
6.2Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.
It's Tough to Be a Bird
1969
6.2Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.
It's Tough to Be a Bird
1969
6.2Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.
It's Tough to Be a Bird
1969
7.0Rare Walt Disney Space series from 1959, speculating about the use of satellites, including controlling the weather of the Earth!
Eyes in Outer Space
1959
7.0Rare Walt Disney Space series from 1959, speculating about the use of satellites, including controlling the weather of the Earth!
Eyes in Outer Space
1959
7.0Rare Walt Disney Space series from 1959, speculating about the use of satellites, including controlling the weather of the Earth!
Eyes in Outer Space
1959
6.7Professor Owl gives a lecture on the evolution of Western musical instruments, starting with the advent of rudimentary brass, woodwind, string and percussion instruments by ancient cave dwellers at the dawn of history.
Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom
1953
6.8With a combination of documentary footage and animation, the science and history of rockets, and the effects of space travel on man are illustrated.
Man in Space
1955
6.8With a combination of documentary footage and animation, the science and history of rockets, and the effects of space travel on man are illustrated.
Man in Space
1955
6.8With a combination of documentary footage and animation, the science and history of rockets, and the effects of space travel on man are illustrated.
Man in Space
1955
7.0The moon is the subject here. Man's fascination with the moon (via animation) is presented, as is the moon's usage in popular culture (from Shakespeare to nursery rhymes to popular songs). Also, superstitions and suppositions associated with the moon is presented. Then scientific research on the moon is shown, followed by plans for (and then a simulation of) an actual trip around the moon.
Man and the Moon
1955
7.0The moon is the subject here. Man's fascination with the moon (via animation) is presented, as is the moon's usage in popular culture (from Shakespeare to nursery rhymes to popular songs). Also, superstitions and suppositions associated with the moon is presented. Then scientific research on the moon is shown, followed by plans for (and then a simulation of) an actual trip around the moon.
Man and the Moon
1955
7.0The moon is the subject here. Man's fascination with the moon (via animation) is presented, as is the moon's usage in popular culture (from Shakespeare to nursery rhymes to popular songs). Also, superstitions and suppositions associated with the moon is presented. Then scientific research on the moon is shown, followed by plans for (and then a simulation of) an actual trip around the moon.
Man and the Moon
1955
10.0The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show originally aired on the Wonderful World of Disney television program.
The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show
1968
6.1An owl teaches his class full of birds about melody. It's all around in nature. Only birds and man can sing; man "sings" even when he speaks. We see a quick survey of the stages of life, as captured by songs: the alphabet song for primary school, Here Comes the Bride, The Old Gray Mare, etc. Some inspirations for song are outlined in song: love, sailing, trains, the West, motherhood, etc., but "we never sing about brains." Finally, an example of how a simple melody can be expanded into a symphony: an elaborate version of the simple tune that opened the lesson
Melody
1953
NRCompilation of D-TV music videos, combining rock and R&B tunes with footage of Disney animation.
DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues
1984
1968 film by Ward Kimball protesting LBJ's escalation of the war in Vietnam.
Escalation
1968