Bill Justice
Encyclopedia
William Barnard "Bill" Justice (February 9, 1914 February 10, 2011) was an animator and engineer for the Walt Disney Company
.
Justice joined Walt Disney Studios
as an animator in 1937 and worked on such features as 1940's Fantasia
, 1944's The Three Caballeros
, 1951's Alice in Wonderland
, and 1953's Peter Pan
. He is arguably best known as the animator of the rabbit Thumper
from 1942's Bambi
and chipmunks Chip 'n Dale
. He was the director of 1957's The Truth About Mother Goose, 1959's Noah's Ark, and 1962's A Symposium On Popular Songs
, all of which were nominated for Academy Awards as Best Short Subject, Cartoon. In total, Justice worked on 57 shorts and 19 features.
In 1965, Justice joined Walt Disney Imagineering, where he programmed figures for several Disney attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean
, the Haunted Mansion
, and Country Bear Jamboree
.
Justice retired from the Disney Company in 1979 and was named a Disney Legend in 1996. He is the author of Justice for Disney, which chronicles his years with the company.
Justice died of natural causes at a nursing home in Santa Monica, California, one day after his 97th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Kim, his daughter, Melissa Justice, and a granddaughter.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
.
Justice joined Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
as an animator in 1937 and worked on such features as 1940's Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
, 1944's The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros is a 1944 American animated feature film, produced by Walt Disney and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the United States on February 3, 1945...
, 1951's Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
, and 1953's Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1953 film)
Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
. He is arguably best known as the animator of the rabbit Thumper
Thumper (Bambi)
Thumper is a fictional rabbit character from Disney's animated movie Bambi. He appeared again in Bambi II. He is known and named for his habit of thumping his left hind foot...
from 1942's Bambi
Bambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
and chipmunks Chip 'n Dale
Chip 'n Dale
Chip and Dale are two chipmunk cartoon characters created in 1943 at Walt Disney Productions. Their names are a pun based on the name "Chippendale"...
. He was the director of 1957's The Truth About Mother Goose, 1959's Noah's Ark, and 1962's A Symposium On Popular Songs
A Symposium On Popular Songs
A Symposium on Popular Songs is a special cartoon featurette made by the Walt Disney Company in 1962. It features songs written by the Sherman Brothers with music arrangements by Tutti Camarata. The Shermans also co-wrote the screenplay but are not credited for this...
, all of which were nominated for Academy Awards as Best Short Subject, Cartoon. In total, Justice worked on 57 shorts and 19 features.
In 1965, Justice joined Walt Disney Imagineering, where he programmed figures for several Disney attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...
, the Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride located at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. A significantly re-imagined incarnation of the ride, known as Phantom Manor, is located in Disneyland Paris...
, and Country Bear Jamboree
Country Bear Jamboree
The Country Bear Jamboree is an attraction at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort and at Tokyo Disneyland in the Tokyo Disney Resort, as well as a former attraction at Disneyland Park. All versions of the attraction are similar....
.
Justice retired from the Disney Company in 1979 and was named a Disney Legend in 1996. He is the author of Justice for Disney, which chronicles his years with the company.
Justice died of natural causes at a nursing home in Santa Monica, California, one day after his 97th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Kim, his daughter, Melissa Justice, and a granddaughter.