Disney's Nine Old Men were the core animators (some of whom later became directors) that created the Disney studio's most famous work, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs onward to The Rescuers. Walt Disney jokingly called this group of animators his "Nine Old Men", referring to what Franklin D. Roosevelt called the nine judges of the US Supreme Court, even though the animators were in their thirties and forties at the time. An animator is one who is involved in the process of animation. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... The Walt Disney Studios refers to several different entities and locations associated with The Walt Disney Company: The Walt Disney Studios is one of the media empires four main operating units. ... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. ... The Rescuers is the twenty-third film in the Disney animated features canon. ... Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966), was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and animator. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945), is best known for his leading the U.S. through the Great Depression via his New Deal, his building a powerful political coalition, the New Deal Coalition, that dominated American politics for decades... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

They were:

• Les Clark, who joined Disney in 1927. His specialty was animating Mickey Mouse as he was the only one of the Nine Old Men to work on that character from its' origins with Ub Iwerks. Les did many wonderful scenes throughout the years, animating scenes up until Lady And The Tramp. He moved into directing and made many fine animated featurettes and shorts.

• Ollie Johnston, who joined Disney in 1935, first working on Snow White. Went on to author the animator's bible The Illusion of Life with Frank Thomas. His work includes Mr. Smee (in "Peter Pan"), the Stepsisters (in "Cinderella"), the District Attorney (in "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad"), and Prince John (in "Robin Hood"). According to the book The Disney Villain, written by Johnston and Frank Thomas, Johnston also partnered with Thomas on creating characters such as Ichabod (in "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad") and Sir Hiss (in "Robin Hood").

• Frank Thomas joined Disney in 1934. Went on to author the animator's bible The Illusion of Life with Ollie Johnston. His work included the wicked Stepmother (in "Cinderella"), the Queen of Hearts (in "Alice in Wonderland"), and Captain Hook (in "Peter Pan").

• Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman joined Disney in 1935, as an animator and director. Directed all the Disney films after Walt's death until his retirement. Some of his work included the Crocodile (in "Peter Pan"), the Dragon (in "Sleeping Beauty"), and the Rat (in "Lady and the Tramp").

• John Lounsbery started in 1935 and working under Norm 'Fergy' Ferguson quickly became a star animator. Lounsbery, (affectionately known as 'Louns') by his fellow animators, was an incredibly strong draftsman who inspired many animators over the years. His animation had a squashy stretchy feel that was really unique. Lounsbery animated Ben Ali Gator in Fantasia, Father in Peter Pan, Tony and Joe and some of the dogs in Lady & The Tramp, The Kings in Sleeping Beauty, The Elephants in Jungle Book and many, many others. In the 1970's, Louns was promoted to Director and co-directed Winnie The Pooh And Tigger Too and The Rescuers. Sadly, Rescuers would be his last film. He died of a heart attack in 1976.

• Eric Larson joined in 1933. One of the top animators at Disney, He animated many great characters like Peg in Lady & The Tramp, The Vultures in Jungle Book, Peter Pan's Flight over London to Neverland and Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear (in "Song of the South"). Because of Larson's demeanor and ability to train new talent, Larson was given the task to spot and train new animators at Disney in the 1970's.Many of the top talents at Disney today were trained by Eric in the 70's and 80's. Eric Larson died in 1988.

• Ward Kimball joined Disney in 1934. His work includes Lucifer, Jaq and Gus, (in "Cinderella"), and the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat (in "Alice in Wonderland"). His work was often more 'wild' than the other Disney animators and therefore stood out by a mile.

• Milt Kahl started in 1934, working on Snow White, and was one of the best animators to ever work at the studio. His work included Shere Khan (in "The Jungle Book"), the Butler (in "The Aristocats"), the Sheriff of Nottingham (in "Robin Hood"), and Medusa (in "The Rescuers").

• Marc Davis started in 1935 on Snow White and later he went on to develop/animate the characters of Bambi and Thumper (in Bambi), Maleficiant and the raven (in "Sleeping Beauty"), and Cruella DeVil (in One Hundred and One Dalmatians). Davis was responsible for character design for both the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion attractions at Disneyland.

By the time Robin Hood was released, only four of the nine were still animating at Disney. They were Milt Kahl, John Lounsbery, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Lounsbery died in 1976, Kahl retired the same year and died in the mid 80's. Thomas and Johnston retired in 1977, and both later appeared in the Pixar movie, The Incredibles. Thomas died shortly after in 2004, leaving Johnston as the last of the Nine Old Men to be alive. 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become a symbol for The Walt Disney Company. ... Oliver Martin Johnston, Jr. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation (ISBN 0786860707) is an acclaimed book by two of Disneys The Nine Old Men, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. ... Franklin Thomas (September 5, 1913, Fresno, California - September 8, 2004, Flintridge, California) was one of Walt Disneys team of animators known as the Nine Old Men. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Wolfgang Reitherman (June 26, 1909 - May 22, 1985) was a famed Disney animator and one of Disneys Nine Old Men. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Eric Larson (September 3, 1905-October 25, 1988) was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios in the early 20th century and was one of the Disneys Nine Old Men. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Firehouse Five Plus Two LP album cover. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Milt Kahl is often considered the finest draughtsman of the Disney animators. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Marc Fraser Davis (March 30, 1913 - January 12, 2000) was one of the most talented artists at and a main animator for Disney Studios. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bambi is the fifth animated motion picture in the Disney animated features canon, which was originally released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on August 13, 1942 and produced by Walt Disney. ... Cruella DeVil, Jasper, and Horace. ... Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the best-known attractions at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris theme parks. ... The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland The Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom The Haunted Mansion is a Disney theme park attraction in the form of a dark ride. ... Disneyland is a theme park at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, USA. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. ...