The Man From Hanna-Barbera

Ed Benedict (1912-2006) started with Walt Disney in 1930 but left three years later to work at Universal Studios as an animator with Walter Lantz Productions. His ultimate fame arose after joining Hanna-Barbera in 1957 to help create their first television series, The Ruff and Reddy Show. Benedict was responsible for designing the characters on many of Hanna-Barbera’s earliest and most popular series, including Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Quick Draw McGraw, and numerous others of the 1950s and 1960s, including the character design for the television show, Bewitched. His simple contour drawing approach captured each character's movements and expressions precisely. He left Hanna-Barbera at the end of the 1960s, but continued to do occasional projects for the studio, including background and layout advisor on one of Hanna-Barbera’s final cartoons, Johnny Bravo.

The Lady and The Walt

 

Mary Blair (1911-1978) was one of Walt Disney’s favorite artists, joining The Walt Disney Company in 1940 where she created concept paintings for projects related to Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), and The Lady and the Tramp (1955). Blair learned her craft at The Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles in the mid-1930s. She and her husband, Lee Blair, also a Disney employee, accompanied Disney and several of his artists on a South American tour in 1941. Upon their return, Blair created concept art that ended up being used for films inspired by the trip. Her imagination and use of bright colors was a perfect fit for Disney's fantasy films but left Disney in 1953 to concentrate on illustrating children’s books, most notably, a series of Little Golden Books. Walt Disney did convince Blair to work on Disney’s contribution to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Her concept art on this project would be her final major design work for Disney. The “It's a Small World” ride proved extremely popular and was later adapted for Disneyland and Disney World.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

 

On this day in history was the premiere of Walt Disney Productions animated adventure comedy based on the 1956 novel, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith. Its huge box office success rescued the studio from the financial slump caused by Sleeping Beauty. Set in London, England, it is a story about a litter of Dalmatian puppies kidnapped by the villainous Cruella de Vil, voiced effectively by radio's Betty Lou Gerson, who wants to use their fur to make coats.