Ward Kimball was that rarest of animals…an animator who was as colorful and interesting as anything he drew. He was also a writer and director of live-action films, a musician and the proprietor and engineer of his own small-scale railroad. He was also, from all accounts, a genuine eccentric…and that was always said in the nicest, most admiring sense. Last December, he and two other of Disney's legendary "nine old men" attended an event at the Motion Picture Academy where their work was screened and applauded. The scene chosen to represent Kimball's animation was the title song from The Three Caballeros, which is widely hailed as one of the finest pieces of frantic and funny cartooning ever achieved.
I got to meet him briefly that evening and for that, I am grateful. But I'm even more grateful that he was there so he could hear several generations of animation buffs and creators stand and applaud his career.
He passed away in peace this morning…with full knowledge, I suspect, of how his work will be viewed and appreciated forever.