Photos of Milt Kahl with dialogue balloons added by studio associates as gags for one of Kahl’

Photos of Milt Kahl with dialogue balloons added by studio associates as gags for one of Kahl’s birthdays, poking fun at his temperamental, opinionated personality and colorful language“Throughout the years, a steady stream of people came to Kahl’s door for help with their drawings; some were top animators, many were assistant animators or layout artists sent by a director. At the studio, a mystique grew around Kahl: ‘If you want your scene to look good,’ said John Lounsbery, ‘go get one drawing from Milt.’ ‘He could do one drawing for a scene and it would set you up for days to come,’ says assistant animator Dale Oliver…“Everyone was in awe of what Milt did; seeking his guidance became a ritual, like entering the cave of the oracle. He even had his own guards: first, a corridor secretary passed you on to one of his assistants, who always knocked timidly on his closed door…“‘Yah, c’min!’ Kahl would holler impatiently from his desk…“‘Whatizit?!’ he’d demand.“‘Milt was always out of patience,’ says (Don) Bluth. ‘‘Just go draw the damn thing!’ [he’d say.] As if everybody could do it…’“‘Milt was very, very tough to talk with,’ says Dale Oliver. ‘He was a moody gentleman. Sometimes you’d walk in and he’d be just marvelous, helpful. Other times you’d be met with expletives and four-letter words. You knew you better get out…’“John Ewing experienced the two sides of Kahl. On The Sword in the Stone, Ewing did ‘minimal touch-ups’ in a scene that… contained one of Kahl’s characters, so director Reitherman suggested Ewing pass the drawings by the master. When he did, a ‘mini-tornado’ took place in Kahl’s room. ‘It is best to say he was disappointed in what I had done,’ says Ewing. When he tried again, the scene passed muster, ‘due entirely to the things Milt pointed out to me.’ Later, he and Kahl rode the same elevator to lunch. ‘Listen, John,’ said Kahl, ‘I really got a lift out of how you fixed up that scene. And I’m sorry if I seemed a bit rough.’ Ewing, an ex-Navy man, laughed and said he’d had stripes torn off during admiral’s inspections. Kahl smiled and ‘for me, on that occasion,’ says Ewing, ‘there was never a more beautiful smile.’“excerpt and photos from Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men & The Art of Animation by John Canemakerfor @bande-dessinee -- source link

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