Art Babbitt: A Class of His Own
That person, on all three counts, was Art Babbitt. Much has been said about Babbitt as a remarkable animator and a tireless activist. What follows is the history of Art Babbitt and his involvement with – and invention of - animation education.
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During the Great Depression, many talented artists began seeking employment at Disney’s as a means to earn their bread and butter. New York animators like Babbitt had gainful employment and opted to move out west, usually with a pay cut, just to work on something that was pushing the limits of the medium. Babbitt had worked at Terrytoons on Farmer Alfalfa shorts like Noah’s Outing (1932), which did little more than bank on the novelty of moving comic strips. A lover of classical music, Babbitt had been following Disney’s Silly Symphonies ever since The Skeleton Dance (1929), and in July of 1932, at the age of 24, got a job working for Walt Disney.
At Disney’s, Babbitt shared an animation room with seven other animators, including wunderkind Freddy Moore. Men like Wilfred Jackson, Babbitt’s most frequent director, would begin tackling a short by posting a sheet on the animation floor’s bulletin board. It was a one-page summary of the proposed short with the cast of characters and pointed requests for gag ideas. Eventually, each conceived cartoon short would be discussed in the story room, a high-ceilinged foyer perfect to display storyboards as needed. Story meetings were open to all involved, and Babbitt joined Walt and the writing team many times as they perched atop a desk or in wicker chairs.
Babbitt took his work seriously enough to do what no artist did at the time – he studied live footage. With a 16mm camera he bought himself, he logged walks, runs, jumps and volleyball games on the Disney lot. In an age before a slow-motion button on a home video player, Babbitt, like Eadweard Muybridge, was analyzing how muscles moved. Disney legends Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston write, “It put him ahead of the others immediately, since he was able to create new actions beyond our understanding.”[1]
However, the use of the camera was for more than simply analyzing movement, and Babbitt understood this. He appreciated it as a tool towards bettering the art of animation. Frank Thomas tells a story in which Herb Lamb, the manager of production under businessman Roy O. Disney, cornered Babbitt and Thomas. In his spiffy suit, Lamb smirked and asked, “Why do you need people to draw pictures, when you have a camera?” Art-school-educated Thomas began to respond with a stuffy treatise on the value of art in society. The next moment Babbitt said, “Wait a minute, Frank, let me tell him:
“When you look at me, Herb,” he said, “you see something more than glasses, a nose and a mouth. You see something that says stubborn, you see something that says aggressive, you see something that says I fight for the things I believe in, no matter what.”[2]
Babbitt knew that rendering pure feeling was key to Disney animation – and he was able to communicate that to a left-brained suit.
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Wonderful explanation of facts avilaalbe here.
Stellar work there evreynoe. I'll keep on reading.
Hey, subtle must be your mdlide name. Great post!
This Article Boost me a lot to do...... Thanks a lot...
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of siunshne.
Very inspiring article! I knew a little about Babbit, but now I think I understand better what happened.
Can't wait for the next one!
Years later, when worked at H-B as an animator, one old-timer told me"Go home and cook for your husband",
and "Go home and make more babies -you're taking a man's job here".
Sorry... I was the only breadwinner for my family. Yes, I was hurt, but even more sorry for him; he could barely walk at the time.
No, it was NOT Art Babbitt; he was too much of a gentleman.
As a Two-Gun Mickey collector, it is my understanding Art Babbitt was the animator, Ben Sharpsteen was in his first directorial role, and Frank Thomas was an in-betweener. I was well aware of Babbitt's courageous role in the strike. I have yet to see a comprehensive list of his Disney achievements, although one could argue his role at heading up the strike may have been his biggest contribution to his co-workers. Thanks for such a wonderful, and illuminating, article. P.S. I thoroughly enjoyed Didier Ghez's interview with Tom Sito in Disney's People Vol. 9, and eagerly await Tom's presentation at the 2011 Disneyana Convention.
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