Milt Kahl

Milton Erwin Kahl (March 22, 1909 – April 19, 1987) was an American animator. He was one of (and often considered the most influential of) Walt Disney's supervisory team of animators, known as Disney's Nine Old Men, recognised for his significant influence on character animation. He was officially inducted as a Disney Legend in 1989.

Biography Kahl was born in San Francisco, California, to Erwin, a saloon bartender, and Grace Kahl. He had three younger sisters, Dorothy, Marion, and Gladys. He would often refine character sketches from Bill Peet, incorporating ideas of Ken Anderson. The final look of many characters in the Disney films was designed by Kahl, in his angular style inspired by Ronald Searle and Picasso. He is revered by contemporary masters of the form such as Andreas Deja, and also Brad Bird, who was his protégé at Disney in the early 1970s. 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. Bird later repeated this in "The Giant's Dream" documentary on the Blu Ray for The Iron Giant.

In the book The Animator's Survival Kit, the author Richard Williams makes repeated references and anecdotes relating to Kahl, whom he befriended during his early years in the animation industry. The centenary of Kahl's birth was honored by the Academy on April 27, 2009, with a tribute entitled "Milt Kahl: The Animation Michelangelo" and featured Brad Bird as a panelist.

On April 19, 1987, Kahl died of pneumonia, aged 78, in Mill Valley, California.

Filmography Year Title Credits Characters Notes 1934 Servants' Entrance Animator uncredited 1935 Mickey's Fire Brigade (Short) uncredited On Ice (short) uncredited 1936 Orphans' Picnic (Short) uncredited Elmer Elephant (short) uncredited Mickey's Circus (short) uncredited Toby Tortoise Returns (short) uncredited 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Forest animals Credited as Milton Kahl Lonesome Ghosts (short) uncredited 1938 Ferdinand the Bull Ferdinand (voice; uncredited) Farmyard Symphony (short) uncredited 1939 Ugly Duckling (short) uncredited 1940 Pinocchio Animation Director Pinocchio, Geppetto Credited as Milton Kahl 1942 Bambi Supervising Animator Bambi, Thumper Credited as Milton Kahl 1943 Saludos Amigos (Short) Animator Donald Duck riding the llama sequence The Grain That Built a Hemisphere (Documentary short) uncredited Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi (Short) uncredited Reason and Emotion (Short) uncredited The Winged Scourge (Documentary short) uncredited Chicken Little (short) uncredited 1944 How to Play Football Credited as Milton Kahl 1945 The Three Caballeros Credited as Milton Kahl Tiger Trouble (Short) uncredited Duck Pimples (Short) uncredited Hockey Homicide (short) uncredited 1946 Make Mine Music Song of the South Directing Animator Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, and Br'er Fox 1947 Fun & Fancy Free Animator "Say It With A Slap" uncredited 1948 Melody Time Directing Animator Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill, Slue Foot Sue 1949 So Dear to My Heart Animator The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Directing Animator Ratty, Mole, MacBadger, Brom Bones 1950 Cinderella Fairy Godmother, the King, the Grand Duke 1951 Alice in Wonderland Alice, Dodo, Pink Flamingo 1953 Peter Pan Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael 1955 Lady and the Tramp Tramp, Trusty 1959 Sleeping Beauty Prince Philip, Sir Minstrel, Samson, King Hubert, King Stefan 1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians Pongo, Perdita, Roger, Anita 1963 The Sword in the Stone Directing Animator / Character Designer Arthur, Merlin, Lord Ector, Sir Kay, Sir Bart, Madame Mim 1964 Mary Poppins Animator Fox 1967 The Jungle Book Directing Animator Shere Khan, Kaa, Mowgli, Bagheera, King Louie 1968 Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (Short) Animator Tigger 1970 The Aristocats Directing Animator Thomas O'Malley, Duchess, Edgar, Madame Bonfamille, Georges Hautecourt 1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks Animator King Leonidas, Secretary Bird, Fisherman Bear 1973 Robin Hood Directing Animator Robin Hood, Little John, Maid Marian, Lady Kluck, the Sheriff of Nottingham 1974 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (Short) Tigger 1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Animator Tigger The Rescuers Directing Animator Madame Medusa, Snoops, Penny 1995 Frank and Ollie (Documentary) Acknowledgment: Caricatures 2002 Mickey's House of Villains (Video) Animator - Segment "Lonesome Ghosts"