Pioneering Disney Artist/Storyman Joe Grant Passes Away
Joe Grant, one of Walt Disney’s most creative and trusted artists and storymen, who designed the Queen/Witch character in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, and co-wrote DUMBO, passed away May 6 at his home in Glendale, California. He was 96, just nine days short of his 97th birthday. Grant suffered a heart attack while working at his drawing board at his home studio. Still very active, Grant continued to work at Walt Disney Feature Animation four days a week, including the day before he died.
Earlier this year, Grant attended the Academy Awards, where the humorous short film he had conceived about a narcissistic cat, LORENZO (directed by Mike Gabriel), vied for “Best Animated Short.” At the time of his death, Grant was developing several feature-length and short animation projects, in collaboration with his friend and Disney colleague, Burny Mattinson. Always the cat enthusiast, Grant even told one Disney employee the day before he died that he began bonding with a new feline friend.
Born in New York on May 15, 1908, Grant moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was two years old. The son of a successful newspaper art editor, he received his art training through frequent visits to the newsroom with his father. His first big professional break came when he was hired to create cartoons and caricatures of famous personalities on a weekly basis for THE LOS ANGELES RECORD. Those whimsical, stylized drawings brought him to the attention of Walt.
Grant’s legendary career at Disney spanned more than seven decades. He began his association with the studio back in 1933, when Walt personally asked him to caricature celebrities of the day for the animated short, MICKEY’S GALA PREMIERE. This led to other freelance assignments, and eventually a fulltime position in 1937.
Among Grant’s first duties was to design the Queen/Witch. When Walt asked him, “What do we do for an encore?” while SNOW WHITE (1937) was still in production, Grant was charged with creating the studio’s Character Model department — a think tank for future animated projects that experimented with innovative character design, sculpted three-dimensional models and did early story development. With his vast knowledge of art and literature, Grant was considered Disney’s top intellectual and had a profound influence on the films that got made. He played a major role on the next two projects — PINOCCHIO and FANTASIA (1940) — and worked closely with Disney, Leopold Stokowski and his creative partner Dick Huemer on the latter to select the music and direct the story development for that landmark film. The Character Model department also had a hand in THE RELUCTANT DRAGON (1941), SALUDOS AMIGOS (1942), among others.
Outside of his role in the Model department, Grant made his mark as one of the Studio's top writers and gagmen. Grant and Huemer reteamed to write DUMBO (1941), which was inspired by a children's book in the form of a tiny scroll. In 1939, Grant and his wife, Jenny, came up with a story about a Springer Spaniel named Lady, which later became the genesis of LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955). Grant also had a hand in MAKE MINE MUSIC (1946) as director and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951).
During the war years, Grant and Huemer contributed story, gags and designs for many of the Studio's patriotic-themed shorts, INCLUDING REASON AND EMOTION, EDUCATION FOR DEATH and the Academy Award-winning DER FUEHRER'S FACE.
When the Character Model department disbanded in 1949, Grant left Disney to pursue his own artistic ventures. He started several successful businesses including a ceramics studio (Opechee Designs) and a greeting card company (Castle Ltd.).
Earlier this year, Grant attended the Academy Awards, where the humorous short film he had conceived about a narcissistic cat, LORENZO (directed by Mike Gabriel), vied for “Best Animated Short.” At the time of his death, Grant was developing several feature-length and short animation projects, in collaboration with his friend and Disney colleague, Burny Mattinson. Always the cat enthusiast, Grant even told one Disney employee the day before he died that he began bonding with a new feline friend.
Born in New York on May 15, 1908, Grant moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was two years old. The son of a successful newspaper art editor, he received his art training through frequent visits to the newsroom with his father. His first big professional break came when he was hired to create cartoons and caricatures of famous personalities on a weekly basis for THE LOS ANGELES RECORD. Those whimsical, stylized drawings brought him to the attention of Walt.
Grant’s legendary career at Disney spanned more than seven decades. He began his association with the studio back in 1933, when Walt personally asked him to caricature celebrities of the day for the animated short, MICKEY’S GALA PREMIERE. This led to other freelance assignments, and eventually a fulltime position in 1937.
Among Grant’s first duties was to design the Queen/Witch. When Walt asked him, “What do we do for an encore?” while SNOW WHITE (1937) was still in production, Grant was charged with creating the studio’s Character Model department — a think tank for future animated projects that experimented with innovative character design, sculpted three-dimensional models and did early story development. With his vast knowledge of art and literature, Grant was considered Disney’s top intellectual and had a profound influence on the films that got made. He played a major role on the next two projects — PINOCCHIO and FANTASIA (1940) — and worked closely with Disney, Leopold Stokowski and his creative partner Dick Huemer on the latter to select the music and direct the story development for that landmark film. The Character Model department also had a hand in THE RELUCTANT DRAGON (1941), SALUDOS AMIGOS (1942), among others.
Outside of his role in the Model department, Grant made his mark as one of the Studio's top writers and gagmen. Grant and Huemer reteamed to write DUMBO (1941), which was inspired by a children's book in the form of a tiny scroll. In 1939, Grant and his wife, Jenny, came up with a story about a Springer Spaniel named Lady, which later became the genesis of LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955). Grant also had a hand in MAKE MINE MUSIC (1946) as director and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951).
During the war years, Grant and Huemer contributed story, gags and designs for many of the Studio's patriotic-themed shorts, INCLUDING REASON AND EMOTION, EDUCATION FOR DEATH and the Academy Award-winning DER FUEHRER'S FACE.
When the Character Model department disbanded in 1949, Grant left Disney to pursue his own artistic ventures. He started several successful businesses including a ceramics studio (Opechee Designs) and a greeting card company (Castle Ltd.).
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