Disney Animator, Frank Thomas, Dies at 92

Disney animator Frank Thomas, famed for work on Lady and the Tramp, dead at 92
Friday, September 10, 2004

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Frank Thomas, one of Walt Disney's top artists who animated two dogs romantically nibbling a single strand of spaghetti in the 1955 Disney film Lady and the Tramp, has died. He was 92. Thomas died Wednesday at his home, said Howard Green of Disney's Buena Vista Pictures Marketing. Thomas had been in declining health following a cerebral hemorrhage earlier this year. In his 43-year history at Disney, Thomas, often working with old friend and collaborator Ollie Johnston, also animated the dancing penguins in Mary Poppins and Thumper teaching Bambi how to ice skate.

Walt Disney jokingly dubbed Thomas and other top animators his Nine Old Men, derived from a description of the Supreme Court by President Franklin Roosevelt.

"Frank was a giant in our field, and he meant everything to me and to all of us who loved the art of animation," John Lasseter, creative head of Pixar Animation Studios and a former Disney animator, said in a statement.

Thomas, born in Santa Monica, Calif., graduated from Stanford University, where he majored in art, drew cartoons for the school newspaper and met classmate Johnston, forming a lifelong friendship.

The two started working at the Walt Disney Studios in 1934 and were members of the team that created Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated feature.

Thomas then directed the animation of the title character in Pinocchio, and drew the I've Got No Strings musical number. His other credits include the wicked stepmother in Cinderella, the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and Captain Hook in Peter Pan.

"Frank is an important part of the Disney legacy and one of the most amazing talents to ever work at the studio," said Michael Eisner, chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Co.

Thomas and Johnston both retired in 1978 and went on to author several influential books on animation, including Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life and The Disney Villain.