Credit: Walt Disney ArchivesDisney’s efforts for more inclusivity and representation have given the opportunity for new voices and creative minds to help make the magic happen for millions, but one artist could be considered the studio’s catalyst in bringing black stories to the big screen. Floyd Norman was the Walt Disney Company’s first black animator, spending years bringing beloved cartoons to life, and this year’s Black History Month celebration pays tribute to his colorful contributions.
Like so many other theme parks and popular venues, the Disney parks are celebrating Black History Month in and out of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The official announcement from the Disney Parks Blog invites visitors to “Celebrate Soulfully during Black History Month.”
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The Disney World announcement reads,
“As February begins, guests of Walt Disney World Resort can explore new and traditional ways to “Celebrate Soulfully” during Black History Month with a variety of experiences to celebrate, educate and honor Black heritage and culture throughout the resort. From art to food to music and more, there are many opportunities to feel soulful, including several new ones debuting in February.”
The Walt Disney World Resort has several special events planned throughout the month of February, but fans of Disney history and classic animation will want to visit Animal Kingdom’s Conservation Station as the studio pays tribute to Floyd Norman and his techniques for bringing some of Disney’s most beloved animal characters to life.
Floyd Norman Honored by Disney Parks
One of the many artists arriving during an animation boom at the Walt Disney Studio, Floyd Norman joined Disney Animation in 1959, during which he worked as an in-betweener on Sleeping Beauty. Per D23, Norman recalled his time getting started at the studio.
“The studio was probably the busiest it had been in many years. They were just moving into television. Disneyland was under construction. They were doing feature films, and they were still doing shorts at that time. I don’t think I even saw Walt Disney the first few weeks, because he was so busy. I couldn’t have chosen a better time to start at Disney.”
Norman also worked on animation teams for The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), before going onto found Vignette Films, one of the first black production companies. The animator returned to the Disney studio in 1970, and had a hand in developing animation for Robin Hood (1977) and eventually films like Mulan (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Monsters Inc. (2001).
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Floyd Norman wasn’t just instrumental in bringing characters like Kaa to life, but he’s one of the few Disney artists to work for both Disney and Pixar. Even decades after Walt, he’s still going strong, and some of his original sketches can be seen on display at Walt Disney World’s Black History Month Celebration.
Have you seen any of Floyd Norman’s work? Tell Inside the Magic about it in the comments below!