Classic Hollywood: A colorful tribute to Disney’s Mary Blair
There were the Nine Old Men, Walt Disney‘s famed founding animators, and then there was visual stylist Mary Blair.
Along with such legends as Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas and Wolfgang Reitherman, Blair worked on the studio’s animated features for more than 20 years — the only woman to have such a prominent role at Disney.
“She influenced the tone of the picture with her use of color and design,” said Michael Giaimo, art director on Disney’s 1995 “Pocahontas” and visual development artist on 2004’s “Home on the Range.” “So many design elements that were more finessed by the time the stories reached the screen, all had a genesis in her designs.”
-- Susan King, Los Angeles Times
Photo: Mary Blair in her home studio. Credit: From the nieces of Mary Blair / August 22, 2011.