Ollie Johnson was the last of Disney’s “Nine Old Men” of Animation.
Ollie was the only one of the Studio animators who was sensitive to character relationships and how they affected story. Back then cartoon characters seldom touched unless they hit each other. But one day Ollie said, ‘You know, the act of two people holding hands communicates in a powerful way.’ And he was right. His warmth made a difference in so many of our characters.” Memorable relationships animated by Johnson include Baloo and Mowgli (The Jungle Book) Thumper and Bambi and Lady and the Tramp.
