Joe Grant, 1908-2005



The death of Disney animation giant Joe Grant on Friday is still slowly winding its way through major media news sources. According to multiple reports, Grant passed away while at the drawing board in his Glendale, California home. Grant contributed artistically but was primarily an animation writer, where he achieved major studio greatness co-penning Dumbo, serving as story editor on Fantasia, writing the Academy Award-winnng "Der Fuehrer's Face," doing the same on Alice in Wonderland, and later even providing the story for Pocahantas. After a long period working for other companies, Grant returned to Disney where he contributed gags and story ideas to many of the company's hits in its 1989-2004 resurgent period, starting with Beauty and the Beast.

Grant originally came to the studio's attention by working as a cartoonist on the Los Angeles Record. Above is a Grant caricature of Eddie Cantor. More than 70 of his drawings are in the Smithsonian's permanent collection.

Joe Grant is survived by two daughters.

Thanks to Paul Di Filippo for reminding me I hadn't written about this yet.
 
posted 10:18 am PST | Permalink
 

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