Andreas Deja, another of today's most acclaimed and influential animators, paid tribute to his friend and mentor in this way: "I always thought that Ollie Johnston so immersed himself into the characters he animated, that whenever you watched Bambi, Pinocchio, Smee or Rufus the cat, you saw Ollie on the screen. His kind and humorous personality came through in every scene he animated. I will never forget my many stimulating conversations with him over the years, his words of wisdom and encouragement. 'Don't animate drawings, animate feelings,' he would say. What fantastic and important advice! He was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and it was an honor and joy to have known him."

John Canemaker, Academy Award-winning animator/director, and author of the book, WALT DISNEY'S NINE OLD MEN & THE ART OF ANIMATION, said, "Ollie Johnston believed in the emotional power of having two pencil drawings touch each other. His drawings had a big emotional impact on audiences, that's for sure -- when Mowgli and Baloo hug in THE JUNGLE BOOK; when Pongo gives his mate Perdita a comforting lick in 101 DALMATIANS; when an elderly cat rubs against an orphan girl in THE RESCUERS -- Ollie Johnston, one of the greatest animators who ever lived, deeply touched our hearts."

Read Brad Bird's (RATATOUILLE) tribute on Cartoon Brew here.

Read Andrew Gumbel's feature on Johnston in THE INDEPENDENT.

Read Disney Insider's tribute to the entire Nine Old men here