Wave Staff and Wire Report
HOLLYWOOD — Award-winning artist Floyd Norman, a legendary animator who became Disney’s first Black cartoonist in the 1950s, will receive an honorary Oscar at this year’s Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced.
Academy President Lynette Howard Taylor called Norman “a trailblazing animator whose work has shaped generations of filmmakers and artists.”
“Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career,” she said in a statement.
Norman, who turns 91 later this month, began his storied career in 1956 when he became the first Black animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, contributing to “Sleeping Beauty,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “Robin Hood,” “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” and “The Sword in the Stone.”
After leaving Disney in the 1960s, he co-founded Vignette Films with fellow animator Leo Sullivan and produced early animated works on Black history, including the 1969 “Fat Albert” TV special and the animated “Soul Train” logo, according to Black American Web.
He also continued to work throughout the animation industry, including stints at Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and Pixar. He later returned to Disney and contributed to projects such as “Mulan,” “Toy Story 2” “Monsters, Inc.” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Norman will be honored alongside actress Glenn Close and filmmaker Ridley Scott, while producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
The Governors Awards often go to artists with extraordinary careers, but who have no competitive Oscar. Tom Cruise, a recipient last year, is a case in point.
Winners will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 15 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood. The event has been increasingly packed with young stars as it has become the unofficial kickoff to Hollywood’s award season campaigning.
