Biography
Art was born in Omaha of Russian Jewish ancestry. Soon after High School he took himself to New York where he slummed around doing odd jobs and eating stale food to put himself through Columbia College Pre Med. He tried some jobs drawing cartoons and found he had a knack for them. A lifelong animator, union activist and teacher. He died in his eighties in 1992.
Family and early life
Married Three times, first to Marge Belcher, the model for the Blue Fairy in Pinnochio. After divorcing, Marge became Marge Champion, the famed dancing partner of Gower Champion Second wife—Anne-Marie Gottleib, they had two children Laura and Lisa. Third wife—Barbera Perry, actress.
Career outline
Babbitt first worked as an animator for Medical Films and Commericials in 1924. He got a job at Van Beuren Studio then became an animator at Terrytoons. After he saw Disney’s Skeleton Dance he decided that was the place and went out and got a job there. By 1941 he was one of the top artists at the studio. He took the little known character of Dippy Dog and developed him into Goofy, one of the stars of the studio.
He animated Geppetto in Pinnochio, the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Stork in Dumbo. He put himself at the head of the union organizing movement at Disneys and led the bitter strike of 1941 there. Walt Disney tried to fire him four times in defiance to Federal Law. Walt and he were enemies thereafter. He was president of the Screen Cartoonists Guild for several terms. Babbitt was a master sergeant in the Marines fighting in the Pacific in World War Two.
After the war he returned to Disney’s but the climate was against him, he quit and went to Lou Bunin, then UPA where he was a main animator on the award winning short Rooty Toot Toot and many Mr. Magoo shorts. He partnered with MGM animator Mike Lah for a time with their company Quartet, then ran the advertising commercial department of Hanna Barbera. His spots won him many awards. In the 70s he worked with Richard Williams Studio in London until his retirement in 1983.
Personal style
Art had a no-frills style that stressed performance. His timing was often even, yet he brought to his work his prodigious study of dance and theater. He studied the acting theories of internalization of Constantin Stanislavsky and Richard Boleslavsky, as any actor of his time would. He took classes in dance and learned to play the piano to make himself a better animator. He taught that an animator should be a student of everything.
Influences
Art said he was inspired to become an animator when he saw Ub Iwerks animation on Skeleton Dance (1930). Don Graham the art instructor was a big influence on him also.
Honors and awards
Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award 1974 MPSC 839 Golden Award
Filmography
[Show/Hide]
- Van Beuren: Hot Tamale (Aesop’s Fable/1930) (Animator)
- Terrytoons: Swiss Cheese (1930) (Animator)
- Codfish Balls (1930) (Animator)
- Monkey Meat (1930) (Animator)
- Chop Suey (1930) (Animator)
- French Fried (1930) (Animator)
- Salt Water Taffy (1930) (Animator)
- Go West, Big Boy (1931) (Animator)
- Quack Quack (1931) (Animator)
- The Explorer (1931) (Animator)
- A Day to Live (1931) (Animator)
- By the Sea (1931) (Animator)
- Canadian Capers (1931) (Animator)
- Jesse and James (1931) (Animator)
- The Champ (1931) (Animator)
- Around the World (1931) (Animator)
- The Lorelei (1931) (Animator)
- The Spider Talks (1932) (Animator)
- Disney: The Klondike Kid (Mickey Mouse/1932) (Animator)
- The Mad Doctor (Mickey Mouse/1933) (Animator)
- Ye Olden Days (Mickey Mouse/1933) (Animator)
- Mickey’s Gala Premiere (Mickey Mouse/1933) (Animator)
- The Three Little Pigs (Silly Symphonies/1933), (Animator [Big Bad Wolf, Pigs]) (Academy Award Winner)
- Lullaby Land (Silly Symphonies/1933 Animator)
- The Pied Piper (Silly Symphonies/1933 Animator [Mayor])
- The Pet Store (Mickey Mouse/1933) (Animator)
- Santa’s Workshop (Silly Symphonies/1933) (Animator)
- The China Shop (Silly Symphonies/1934) (Animator)
- The Grasshopper and the Ants (Silly Symphonies/1934) (Animator)
- Playful Pluto (Mickey Mouse/1934) (Animator [Pluto])
- Gulliver Mickey (Mickey Mouse/1934) (Animator)
- The Funny Little Bunnies (Silly Symphonies/1934) (Animator)
- The Wise Little Hen (Silly Symphonies/1934) (Animator)
- Peculiar Penguins (Silly Symphonies/1934) (Animator)
- The Goddess of Spring (Silly Symphonies/1934) (Animator)
- Two-Gun Mickey (Mickey Mouse/1934 Animator)
- Mickey’s Service Station (Mickey Mouse/1935) (Animator [Goofy])
- Water Babies (Silly Symphonies/1935) (Animator)
- Mickey’s Garden (Mickey Mouse/1935) (Animator)
- On Ice (Mickey Mouse/1935) (Animator [Goofy]) Broken Toys (Silly Symphonies/1935 Animator)
- Mickey’s Polo Team (Mickey Mouse/1936) (Animator [Celebrity Caricatures])
- Moving Day (Mickey Mouse/1936) (Animator [Goofy, Pete])
- The Country Cousin (Silly Symphonies/1936) (Animator [Abner Mouse])
- Moose Hunters (Mickey Mouse/1937) (Animator [Goofy])
- Mickey’s Amateurs (Mickey Mouse/1937) (Animator [Goofy])
- Lonesome Ghosts (Mickey Mouse/1937) (Animator [Goofy])
- Polar Trappers (Donald and Goofy/1938) (Animator)
- The Whalers (Mickey Mouse/1938) (Animator [Goofy])
- Ferdinand the Bull (1938) (Animator)
- Goofy and Wilbur (Goofy/1939) (Animator [Goofy])
- Goofy’s Glider (Goofy/1940) (Animator [Goofy])
- Baggage Buster (Goofy/1941) (Animator)
- The Art of Self Defense (Goofy/1941) (Animator)
- The Flying Jalopy (Donald Duck/1943) (Animator)
- How to Play Football (Goofy/1944) (Animator)
- Bootle Beetle (Donald Duck/1947) (Animator)
- Foul Hunting (Goofy/1947) (Animator [Goofy])
- They’re Off (Goofy/1948) (Animator)
- Theatrical Features: Disney: The Servant’s Entrance (1934) (Animator) (Released by Fox)
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) ( Animator [Queen])
- Pinocchio (1940) (Animation director Geppetto, Blue Fairy)
- Fantasia (1940) (Animation supervisor Mushrooms, Thistle Boys, Orchid Girls, “Nutcracker Suite”; Animation supervisor Zeus, Vulcan, “Pastoral Symphony”)
- Dumbo (1940) (Animation director [Stork, Silhouetted Clowns])
- Fun and Fancy Free (1947) (Animator “Bongo”)
- Lou Bunin: Alice in Wonderland (1951) (UK) (Animation consultant)
- UPA/Columbia: The Fourposter (1952) (Animator)
- Ragtime Bear (Jolly Frolics [Mr. Magoo]/1950) (Animator)
- Giddyap (Jolly Frolics/1950) (Director)
- The Popcorn Story (Jolly Frolics/1950) (Director)
- Family Circus (Jolly Frolics/1951) (Director; animator)
- Barefaced Flatfoot (Mr. Magoo/1951) (Animator)
- Fuddy Duddy Buddy (Mr. Magoo/1951) (Animator)
- Grizzly Golfer (Mr. Magoo/1951) (Animator)
- Rooty Toot Toot (Jolly Frolics/1952) (Animator [Honest John, Frankie]) Quartet Films: many commercials including Chicken of the Sea and Starkist Tuna, Hanna & Barbera commercial unit: “John & Marsha” Parkay Margarine (Cleo Winner)
- Hubley Studio: Of Men and Demons (1969) (Animator)
- Television Special: “Everybody Rides the Carousel” (1975)
- Warner Bros: The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) (Animator [uncredited])
- Richard Williams: 1970- Count Pushkins Vodka-“Siberian Railway” spot designed by Rowland Wilson (Director)
- Raggedy Ann and Andy (1977) (Animator, The Camel with the Wrinkled Knees)
- The Cobbler and the Thief (aka) the Amazing Nashrudin (aka) Arabian Knight (1994) (Animator The Sultan)
References:
- Art Babbitt interviewed by Karl Stysz in Cartoonists Profiles
- John Canemaker The Animated Raggedy Ann & Andy, Bobs&Merrill Pub Lenburg, Jeff. Who’s Who in Animated Cartoons. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2006.