PORT ANGELES — Once upon a time in a land not so far away, two men from the North Olympic Peninsula watched their famous father receive a national medal for bringing the magic of fairy tales to life.
Ollie Johnston, 93, may not be a recognizable name, but his work most definitely is.
The Walt Disney Studios animator played a key role in creating the characters known and loved worldwide — Snow White, Bambi and Sleeping Beauty, to name a few.
The trailblazer in film animation was honored by President Bush with the National Medal of Arts award at the White House earlier this month.
His sons, Rick and Ken Johnston, who live on Blue Mountain southeast of Port Angeles, traveled to Washington, D.C., to be by his side and witness the ceremony.
Disney’s nine ‘old men’
Ollie Johnston joined Walt Disney’s fledgling animation studio in the mid-1930s with his lifelong friend and creative partner, Frank Thomas.
The two became part of Walt Disney’s nine “old men” — the group of animators, writers and directors who created the studio’s first full-length animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” in 1937.
During their 43-year career with Disney, they helped create more than 30 films.
Some of the best known include “Bambi,” “Pinocchio,” “Fantasia,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Jungle Book.”
The phrase “nine old men” didn’t come from the men’s ages, but from Disney’s comparison of his most trusted animators to that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s pet name for the nine Supreme Court justices during his tenure.
And as fate would have it, before Johnston was presented the National Medal of Arts in the Oval Office, he, his sons and Ken’s wife, Carolyn, waited in the Roosevelt room of the White House.
Last surviving member
When Thomas died in 2004, Johnston became the last surviving member of the group.
However, their work has lived on and remains the benchmark for aspiring animators who still seek out Johnston for his professional expertise.
Rick, 56, said his father was known for taking time out at the studio to help young animators hone their craft.
“I think a lot of people thought of him as a second father,” Rick said.
