Wolfgang Reitherman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wolfgang Reitherman
Reitherman in 1940
Born	(1909-06-26)June 26, 1909 Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Died	May 22, 1985(1985-05-22) (aged 75) Burbank, California, U.S.
Other names	Woolie Reitherman Wooly Reitherman
Alma mater	Pasadena Junior College Chouinard Art Institute
Occupation	Animator, director, producer
Years active	1933–1981
Known for	One of Disney's Nine Old Men
Spouse(s)	Janie Marie McMillan ​ (m. 1946)​
Children	3, including Bruce Reitherman

Wolfgang Reitherman (born June 26, 1909 – died May 22, 1985) was a super talented German-American animator, director, and producer. People often called him Woolie Reitherman. He was one of the famous "Nine Old Men" who were the main animators at Walt Disney Productions.

Woolie became a very important person at Disney in the 1960s and 1970s. This was a time of big changes for the studio, especially after Walt Disney passed away in 1966. Woolie directed or produced eight Disney animated movies in a row! These included classics like One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and The Fox and the Hound (1981).

Becoming a Disney Legend

Wolfgang Reitherman's journey into animation began when he was studying at the Chouinard Art Institute. His amazing paintings caught the eye of his art teacher, Philip L. Dike. Dike was so impressed that he showed Woolie's artwork to Walt Disney himself!

Because of this, Woolie was invited to join the Disney studio. He originally wanted to be a watercolor painter, but Walt Disney suggested he try animation instead. Woolie started working at Walt Disney Productions on May 21, 1933.

Early Animation Work

Woolie's very first project at Disney was animating for a Silly Symphonies cartoon called Funny Little Bunnies (1933). He then worked on many other Disney short films, like The Band Concert (1935) and Music Land (1935).

He also animated famous characters and scenes in Disney's early feature films. He brought to life the Slave in the Magic Mirror in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He also animated the giant whale Monstro in Pinocchio (1940).

One of his most exciting early works was the big dinosaur fight scene in the "Rite of Spring" part of Fantasia (1940). He also animated many scenes with Timothy Q. Mouse in Dumbo (1941).

Serving His Country

In 1942, Woolie left Disney to serve in World War II. He joined the United States Army Air Forces. He was a brave soldier and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. He served in places like Africa, China, India, and the South Pacific.

Woolie was discharged from the military in February 1946, having reached the rank of Major. He returned to the Disney studio in April 1947. One of his first jobs back was animating the thrilling Headless Horseman chase in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949).

Key Animator for Disney Classics

Woolie played a big part in convincing Walt Disney to make Cinderella (1950). He saw the early drawings and told Walt, "Gee, that looks great. We ought to do it." This little push helped get the movie started!

For Cinderella, he animated the funny scene where Jaq and Gus the mice try hard to push and pull the key up the stairs to Cinderella. In Alice in Wonderland (1951), he animated the scene where the White Rabbit's house gets destroyed by a giant Alice.

He also animated Captain Hook trying to escape the crocodile in Peter Pan (1953). For Lady and the Tramp (1955), Woolie animated the exciting alley dog fight and Tramp's fight with the rat.

Becoming a Director

In the late 1950s, Woolie directed the amazing fight scene in Sleeping Beauty (1959). This is where Prince Phillip fights Maleficent when she turns into a dragon! He then directed the "Twilight Bark" scene in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

Starting with The Sword in the Stone (1963), Woolie became the first person to be the only director for a Disney animated movie. Before this, several directors would work on one film. Other animators said Walt Disney trusted Woolie's decisions a lot.

He continued to direct many other beloved Disney films, including The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), and The Rescuers (1977). He also directed short films like Goliath II (1960) and the first two Winnie the Pooh shorts: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968). The Winnie the Pooh short even won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film!

Animation Techniques

While directing The Jungle Book (1967), Woolie focused on keeping production costs low. Walt Disney had told him that making cartoons was getting very expensive.

During his time as director, he sometimes used "recycled" animation. This meant using animation drawings from older films in new ones. Some people thought this was done to save time and money. However, animators who worked with him said it was actually harder to do this than to create new drawings.

Some animators, like Milt Kahl, didn't like this method. He felt sad to see animation from Snow White used in The Rescuers. Even with this debate, Woolie's films were very popular.

Later Years and Retirement

After The Rescuers (1977), Woolie was supposed to direct The Fox and the Hound (1981). But he had some creative disagreements with another director and left the project.

Woolie then worked on ideas for new animated films that were never finished. One was called Musicana, which was meant to be a follow-up to Fantasia. He retired in 1981.

Life Outside of Work

Wolfgang Reitherman was born in Munich, German Empire. His family moved to America when he was a child. Before joining Disney, he went to Pasadena Junior College and briefly worked as a draftsman for an airplane company.

After his time in the Air Force, he married Janie Marie McMillan in November 1946. Woolie had three sons: Bruce, Richard, and Robert. All three of his sons actually provided voices for Disney characters! Bruce voiced Mowgli in The Jungle Book and Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. Robert voiced Wart (young King Arthur) in The Sword in the Stone.

Wolfgang Reitherman sadly passed away in a car accident near his home in Burbank, California on May 22, 1985. In 1989, he was honored as a Disney Legend after his death, which is a very special award for people who made huge contributions to The Walt Disney Company.

Filmography

Images for kids

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  Wolfgang Reitherman in 1940

See also

In Spanish: Wolfgang Reitherman para niños