MILT KAHL'S DISTINCT STYLE MADE HIM
STAND OUT IN THE WORLD OF DISNEY
ANIMATION, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF ITS
BEAUTY, BUT BECAUSE HE COULD ADAPT
IT TO THE STYLE OF THE REST OF THE
FILM, YET STILL KEEP IT LOOKING
LIKE HIS OWN UNIQUE STYLE. BEFORE
ENTERING THE FIELD OF ANIMATION,
HE WAS AN EXPERT DRAFTSMAN, AND A
PERFECTIONIST. BUT HE SAYS HE
WOULD CONSIDER HIMSELF A PERFORMER
RATHER THAN A DRAFTSMAN. THAT IS
WHERE HE DEVELOPED THE WAY HE DREW
HOW HE DID HIS CHARACTERS. IN
CHARACTERS SUCH AS THE JUNGLE
BOOK'S SHERE KAHN AND MOWGLI,
TIGGER FROM WINNIE THE POOH,MEDUSA
IN THE RESCUERS, AND EVEN BAMBI
FROM BAMBI, HE IMPLEMENTED HIS OWN
SPIN ON THE DESIGN, MOVEMENTS, AND
OVERALL FEEL OF THE CHARACTER.
BECAUSE ANIMATION IS A TEAM
ENDEAVOR, HE HAD TO WORK WITH MANY
OTHER ARTISTS TO DEVELOP A CONCISE
STYLE OF THE FILM THEY WERE
WORKING ON AT THE TIME. HE MOSTLY
DID ANIMALS AND HUMANS THOUGH,
PARTLY BECAUSE HE WAS VERY GOOD AT
IT, AND PARTLY BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE
WANTED TO DO THEM. THAT'S
ACTUALLY WHY DISNEY'S FIRST FULL
LENGTH ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: SNOW
WHITE, HAS A HUMAN AS THE MAIN
CHARACTER. WALT DISNEY WANTED TO
CHALLENGE THE ARTISTS. BUT MILT
WAS ALWAYS UP TO THE CHALLENGE.
HE CREATED SOME OF THE MOST
VISUALLY INTERESTING , AND
PROBABLY THE MOST EXPRESSIVE
CHARACTERS OF HIS TIME.
MILT KAHL WAS ONE OF DISNEY'S
"NINE OLD MEN", A NAME GIVEN TO 9
ANIMATORS AT WALT DISNEY ANIMATION
STUDIOS WHO WERE, WELL, OLD
MEN.BUT MORE THAN THAT, THEY WERE
DISNEY'S CORE ANIMATORS. HE, AND
THE REST OF THE 9 OLD MEN ARE HAVE
ALL BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED AS DISNEY
LEGENDS IN 1989.
AS A CHARACTER ANIMATOR, MILT HAD
TO GIVE ALL OF HIS WORK
PERSONALITY. AND HIS CHARACTERS
HAD IT IN SPADES. MILT NOT ONLY
GAVE CHARACTERS A DEFINING TRAIT
IN PERSONALITY, BUT HE ALSO GAVE
THEM INDIVIDUAL GAITS, AND OTHER
MOVEMENTS, SUCH AS A WALK OR WAY
OF SPEAKING. HE TRULY MADE HIS
CHARACTERS FEEL SPECIAL AND
DIFFERENT. HE MADE HIS CHARACTERS
FEEL ALMOST... HUMAN, EVEN WHEN
THEY WERE ANIMALS, OR RATHER
ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY WERE ANIMALS.
VIBRANT AND CHARISMATIC. A PART
OF THE GREATER WHOLE OF THE FILM,
YET INDEPENDENT WITHIN THEMSELVES.
THE CHARACTERS HE SHAPED ALSO
HELPED TO SHAPE FUTURE ANIMATORS,
LIKE ANDREAS DEJA, WHO CURRENTLY
WORKS FOR WALT DISNEY ANIMATION
STUDIOS AND HAS WON THE WINSOR
MCCAY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING
CONTRIBUTION TO THE ART OF
ANIMATION, AND BRAD BIRD, WHO WAS
DIRECTOR FOR PIXAR'S THE
INCREDIBLES AND RATATOUILLE, AND
ALSO ON THE SENIOR CREATIVE TEAM
SINCE THE FILM UP IN 2009.
BUT MILT'S IMPACT IN THE FIELD OF
ANIMATION CAN STILL BE FELT TODAY,
EVEN THOUGH HE PASSED IN 1987 AT
THE AGE OF 78. FROM CURRENT
ANIMATORS USING HIM AS INSPIRATION
TO MAKE THEIR OWN WORK BETTER OR
TO HIS FAMOUSLY HIGH STANDARDS, TO
ANIMATION PROFESSORS USING HIS
VAST LIBRARY OF WORK TO TEACH
CHARACTER ANIMATION TO THE NEXT
GENERATION OF DISNEY LEGENDS.
MILT'S DEVOTION TO THE ART OF
ANIMATION IS WHAT HAS MADE HIM
STAND OUT AS A TRUE ARTIST AND
GENIUS.
