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LATER LIFE STORIES

THE ANIMATOR Floyd Norman, 82 THE KEY THING IS STAYING An Artist’s ACTIVE AND STAYING Impression ENGAGED.

FRESH FROM HIGH SCHOOL, FLOYD NORMAN BEGAN HIS CAREER AS AN IN-BETWEENER AT WALT DISNEY STUDIOS. THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTIST TO WORK AT DISNEY, HE motion picture 101 Dalmations. When HAS SUCCESSFULLY SPANNED THE it came time to pay me, the studio WORLDS OF HAND-DRAWN AND bosses decided, well since this guy COMPUTER ANIMATION. FLOYD is already here, why don’t we simply NORMAN WAS THE SUBJECT OF re-hire him. I still spend a good THE 2016 DOCUMENTARY, “AN deal of time here, at Disney mainly ANIMATED LIFE.” just talking to people and being somewhat of a mentor to the young artists. The worst thing an artist can do is spend all day sitting in a chair, so I make sure that, even when I’m writing, I’m walking around. was born in Santa Barbara. I was Everybody has their own plans, a very lucky kid because I had their own desires, their own goals. access to theatre, a good school. It doesn’t matter whether you want ISanta Barbara was a community very to go on working, or travel, or devote focused on the Arts. extremely excited about beginning working with a lot of talented men time to helping people. The key Dumbo was one of the first Disney my journey as a Disney artist. I didn’t and women. We’ve shared good and thing is staying active and staying films I saw as a child and that film get a chance to meet Walt Disney bad times and it’s made the entire engaged. Do not go home and sit in a truly inspired me. I was probably until nearly a decade later. process a very joyful one. rocking chair all by yourself. Get up around 6 or 7 years of age. I was working in the animation Most American corporations out of that chair. Do something. An in-betweener is an artist who department in 1966 when Walt decide that when an employee And why not take the years of literally puts a drawing in between Disney decided he wanted to totally reaches the age of 65, that’s the knowledge and experience and pass two others. It’s a very odd and quirky re-write The Jungle Book. He said, time to step down. When I was that on to the next generation? What job, but it’s a very important one. I’d like to see something very encouraged to leave, I wasn’t happy could be more positive than that? After a year or two, you move up clever, very funny in this particular about it, but I dealt with it. I learned to what is known as a break-down sequence, and that was when I came it didn’t mean I had to stop working. “Floyd Norman: An Animated Life” artist; after that you become an up with the idea of the boy, Mowgli, Whenever anyone needed a creative (USA, 94 minutes) from filmmakers Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkey is available on Netflix assistant animator and finally an sleepwalking in the snake’s coils. person I was there to do that job. and Bluray (with special features not seen animator. After I graduated, I drove Walt was a very special man, a I spent about 7 years at Hanna elsewhere) at FloydNormanMovie.com. to the Walt Disney studios for an visionary. When we lost him, we lost Barbera; I did Scooby Do and The interview. They gave me some good a great leader, no doubt about it. Flintstones. I have a lot of good This is the latest in a series of advice. They told me to go to school I had fun with every film I worked memories of Fred and Barney. Those profiles of individuals who are to learn how to become an artist, on. Mary Poppins was delightful, The were good years. Then Disney asked redefining later life that will appear because I wasn’t ready; I was just Sword and the Stone, The Hunchback me to develop a sequence we made in FT Weekend Magazine and at a kid. But I never gave up; it was of Notre Dame, Mulan. The producer back in 1960 that was not used in the laterlifestories.ft.com. always my goal. In my 3rd year of from Pixar came down and he said art school I received a call. They he wanted to do a sequel to Toy Story. said, if you still want the job, be here I went up to Pixar to work on Toy FIND OUT MORE AT AURIENS.COM 8 o’clock Monday morning. I was Story 2. I’ve had the opportunity of

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