He ’s lent his talents to some of the most democratic life work of the last 60 years , range from sleep Beauty , Superfriends , The Smurfs , The Jungle Book , Mulan , Toy Story 2 to Robot Chicken and Jonny Quest . He assist make the iconic curtain raising animation from Soul Train . Yet , Floyd Norman : An Animated Life shows that he was n’t just the first black man to work at Disney He was also a vital link to all the ups and down in several creative mediums for more than half a century .
too soon on in the film that bears his name , the 81 - year - old Norman says , “ I never reckon myself as anything special , and people have often asked me ‘ how did it palpate about being the first African - American at Disney ? ’ I was n’t even cognisant that I was an African - American . [ laugh ] I was another artist looking for a job . ” This is said guilelessly by Norman , who comes across as a spry , loveable grandfather for most of the movie .
An Animated Life explains how growing up middle form in Santa Barbara — away from the harsher Jim Crow loss in the South — let Norman be a life that most smutty folk could n’t in the thirties . learn Dumbo in a movie theater as a nipper inspired him to pursue animation as a life end . He took artistic creation class at museum as a kid and had a science instructor played golf game with Katy Keene artist Bill Woggon , which direct to his first professional body of work as an supporter .
He made it to Disney in 1956 after going to fine art schooltime in Los Angeles . The first one-half of An Animated Life is largely a feel - good story about one man ’s inadvertent barrier - snap at the House of Mouse . Mild citation is made of the fact that some multitude did n’t want to put to work with Norman and tried to hold him back in his career . Yet , it ’s his force retirement from Disney at the age of 65 forms the Southern Cross of the documentary ’s tale spine , shining a spotlight on how agism sidelines originative people still up to of doing noteworthy study .
biographic elements away , Floyd Norman : An Animated liveliness also excels as a look into the personal histories and processes that live on into some of the most beautiful animated films ever made . insight into production responsibility , anecdotes about pitching story thought to the demand Walt Disney himself , and a view of just how much has alter in terminus of trade . Batman : The Animated Series ’ Paul Dini , How to Train Your Dragon writer / director Dean DeBlois , and Groo mirthful creator Sergio Aragones all show up to offer up testimonials of Norman ’s dedication and genius . In particular , the segment detailing his hiring at Pixar and part on Toy Story 2 , the film frame in Norman as a live link to classical liveliness cognition and history that his younger colleagues could draw on .
Norman ’s relationship with Disney formed the basics of his life . He was drafted into the war machine in 1958 and was stationed in South Korea as he started to work on 101 Dalmatians ; he return in 1960 and was brought in to rewrite The Jungle Book . That shift direct him away from the barmy - and - bolts drawing work of animation , which Norman missed but conform . After Walt Disney cash in one’s chips , he went on to form Vignette Films , a yield studio apartment which made films about black history and civilization . During Los Angeles ’ Watts Riots in 1965 , Norman took a film television camera and took footage that showed the earthly concern smuggled people ’s frustration with the assassination and curdled promises that plagued the Civil Rights movement . Longtime friend and business partner Leo Sullivan said of artist and filmmakers , “ We were marching with our pencils”—later recalling how distributors ask Vignette to tone down the amount of information on disastrous accomplishment to make their celluloid deal well .
Norman also did a longsighted stretching at Hanna - Barbera ; his time there is chronicled in a segment where he reunite with colleagues from that clock time and is uproariously unsparing about the fact that Hanna - Barbera was a mill that cranked out cheap , knockoff cartoon shew . At one percentage point , Norman says “ Lord have it away I worked on Scooby - Doo . I do n’t know how many Scoobys I did . Hate that andiron ! ” But no subject where his life history took him , Norman always came back to Disney , whether it was writing and delineate the Mickey Mouse funny strip for the publishing sectionalization or being an integral part of the early days at Pixar .
Throughout the picture show , Norman evoke a seasoned raconteur ’s wanton mastery of attention . But An Animated Life is n’t just a big dose of hagiography ; the motion picture does a secure job of adumbrate out the aroused complication of Norman ’s life . Friends and family talk about him as a man who does n’t always get at his emotions easily and the story of how his disproportional focus on study and peer socializing break up his first marriage is sorry . He wrote a letter defending Walt Disney from flush of racism then sound on to create sketch that savaged the society with the founder ’s name after he got laid off . There ’s a lot of poignancy on the screen when friend and family talk about his eagerness to bide involved in the job he grew up in . After remarrying another woman who worked at Disney , Norman lingered around the society and contributed to various projects ; happily , this culminate with his eventual re - hiring .
Near the end of the movie , Norman extend up some regret at not being a top talent himself , despite being favorable enough to have been worked with top talent . But such assessments often evolve over time , and the film makes a compelling , complex cause that Norman has nothing to regret in that respect .
Floyd Norman : An Animated Life was directed by Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkey . The documentary see a limited theatrical release earlier this year and is now usable for cyclosis on Netflix .
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