Ward Kimball

I’ve always had a fascination for Ward Kimball.  While he’s memorable for being one of the ‘Nine Old Men’, Kimball’s influence goes far beyond that and Walt Disney is quoted as saying that Ward Kimball was the only genius he ever hired.  That’s impressive.  Kimball was likely the most notable iconoclast in the studio’s history – and I mean that in a good way.  He broke the rules as his inspiration took him to new ground (Neal Gabler’s bio of Walt mentions in particular a manic scene in The Three Caballeros animated by Kimball which breaks new bounds in its approach to the edge of the frame not as a limitation, but as a pliable border to be played with an exploited).  This is an important ingredient in the Disney product following WW II when cost-cutting measures necessitated that the studio reinvent itself to some extent.

Let’s not forget that it was Ward Kimball who had a hand in Walt in attending the Chicago Railroad Fair in the late 1940s, firing his enthusiasm for model railroading which would, in many ways, inspire the creation of Disneyland.  Kimball’s private railroad outfit (the Grizzly Flats RR) was, it could be said, one of the few things possessed by Disney staff members toward which Walt was outwardly envious.

As if Kimball’s artistic brilliance, hands-on skill with respect to his train and influence on the direction of the Disney aesthetic weren’t enough, the man was also a skilled musician.  The Firehouse Five Plus Two Dixieland jazz band, organized by Kimball (in which he played Trombone) recorded multiple LPs and were featured in the MGM film, Grounds for Marriage.

Impressed yet?

I can’t end this homage to Ward Kimball, however, without mentioning my personal favorite piece of his work.  Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, a 1953 short shepherded entirely by Kimball applied a new, modernist animation aesthetic to Disney animation.  That same modern approach had already been at work in other studios – an effort to counter Disney’s more realistic offerings.  Despite warnings from others at the Disney studio, Kimball adopted this approach to his assignment for Toot, recognizing the storytelling potential.  Although Walt would very likely never have injected such a look into an animation himself, he recognized the quality of the work which ultimately won an Academy Award for short subject.

If you haven’t seen Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, take a gander for a deeper appreciation of Ward Kimball’s genius.