The nine old men....who are they?

Ok, if you really need to ask who the famous 9 Old Men are, um...then you must not be an animation enthusiast.

Walt Disney's most talented group of animators ever assembled were dubbed "The 9 Old Men". These men were extremely talented not only in the art medium, but also as directors. Their contribution to the animation world is incalculable. They have touched millions of lives. They were truly the pioneers of animation as we know it and emulate today.

There must have been a synergy when these men got together that pushed them and inspired them to excel. Will that ever be duplicated? So far, I haven't seen it in the films pumped out year after year.

Some of the best films that ever came out of Disney Studios were from under their direction during the memorable "Disney Years". Looking at the slough of so called Disney films to surface over the past 10 years makes you wonder, "Where did things go wrong?".

Walt will never be replaced. In my opinion, neither will the visions of the 9-old men who worked with Walt under his direction and continued his vision after his untimely death.

The nine old men are . . .
Les Clark
Marc Davis
Ollie Johnston
Milt Kahl
Ward Kimball
Eric Larsen
John Lounsberry
Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman
Frank Thomas

A book written by John Canemaker called, "Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation" is available on Amazon and well worth getting.