Second in a Series of Essays on the Art & Craft of Personality Animation
by
Rhett Wickham

(*note: for an introduction to this ongoing series please click here)

Once Upon a Time...
Like the magic that lingers in their stories, so the long legacy of personality animation that has defined the Disney name for nearly 75 years comes with the promise of dreams fulfilled and the black cloud of curses to be overcome. Once upon a time in the 1970’s animators of the second generation took up the baton from Disney animation’s pioneers and came to the studio in hopes of finding their own brand of magic. Seeking an original voice they were inspired by mentors like Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, Woolie Reitherman and Frank Thomas. They were committed, enthusiastic and eager to prove themselves. But like the fairy tales that inspired them, our heroes had just begun to make magic all their own when suddenly a wicked threat cast a shadow; the shadow of the extinction of Disney animation traditions.

The story goes that among the young Turks who came to Disney in the 1970’s was a 21-year-old named John Pomeroy who was initially drawn to animation through his background in fine art as a painter. He first believed he would work at Disney’s as a background artist, but when a required animation test introduced him to the divine thrill of creating life on paper one pencil stroke at a time, Pomeroy was hooked. He was a pupil at the desks of Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsberry and the great Eric Larson (the latter is considered by many artists to be the real father of the second generation as he was the most instrumental of the Nine Old Men in establishing a training program where before there had been none.) John Pomeroy swiftly climbed the ladder at Disney and was a directing animator sitting on the portfolio review board inside of less than five years. Along with a handful of others that included Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, and Will Finn, Pomeroy represented the promise that Disney animation would continue. But the Disney that was and the Disney that management wanted were vastly different.

The politics of how history turned in 1979 is certainly well debated, and there is little insight to be offered here on whether the 1979 departure of a substantial number of the younger generation shook the house of mouse for the better or worse. Regardless, its worth noting that all indications at the time were that higher-ups in the studio were ignoring the founding principals and that animation was “on its way out.�? So rathan go down with what they perceived as a sinking ship, a group of 17 young artists lead by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy left to test the principals of their mentors elsewhere. And for a healthy ten years they proved to be worthy competition to the Walt Disney Studio.

John Pomeroy was easily the most accomplished talent in the pack of 17 who ended up leaving with Bluth. Over the twelve years that passed from 1979 to 1991 he took his craft to higher levels on films like “The Secret of NIMH�? and “An American Tail.�? As far as what John Pomeroy would have learned or achieved had he stayed at Disney is useless speculation when one considers his body of work. For many people in the industry Pomeroy took on the mantel of prodigal son upon his arrival back “home�? to join the crew of “Pocahontas�? where he animated Captain John Smith. It was a natural fit for the animator who is self described history “nut.�? Along the way Pomeroy never lost his taste for painting and is an accomplished artist whose historical canvases have been exhibited across the globe (including a current show at Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, which runs through mid April of 2003.)