The Life of Floyd Norman: Disney's First Black Animator
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2020
- Let’s take a look at the life of Disney’s first Black animator Floyd Norman who is still animating today!
This week I decided to talk about and highlight Disney Legend Floyd Norman. Floyd is the first Black animator to be hired by Disney, and not only did he have a hand in creating so many iconic Disney films from Sleeping Beauty to Toy Story 2 to Monsters Inc. but he was working with Walt Disney himself on Walt’s final film, The Jungle Book as a hand picked storyboard artist.
Floyd is an inspiring all around human being who preaches to reach for you goals no matter what, goes against the grain, and always makes the people around him laugh. It was an honour to learn more about him and I hope you enjoy it as well!
PS. Floyd - if you see this, please check your emails I am DYING to have a chat with you!
All Floyd Norman Resources:
www.afrokids.com/media.html
floydnormancom.squarespace.com/
www.floydnormanmovie.com/
www.amazon.com/Animated-Life-...
As always, these videos are not my own! Please find them all below!
• Floyd Norman-Race and ...
• An Interview with Floy...
• Video
• Richard Sherman and Fl...
• Disney Animator Floyd ...
Sadly, I never heard of him until now, but he sounds like an awesome guy and a talented animator.
Floyd is amazing. I mean how many people love their job so much they keep going after they were fired. He is so talented, no wonder they didn't run him off.
Wow did not realise Floyd worked on so many animations. Such a great idea highlighting this Disney LEGEND and his work, in this current time. Keep up the great content😁
He’s a superstar! Thanks for watching always xo!
He was the very first colored animator who had ever lived from the 20th century onward
A true Disney Legend to help create the best Disney cartoons that we've ever watched and grew up on and he knew Walt Disney very well.
New inspiration 🖐🏾
this video helped me for a project
I just subscribed and it was a good choice I love watching this 💗💗💗
This was SO fascinating!! Thank you so much for sharing these facts with us!
Okay I'm back Alessa! First again, what a great video! Videos like this are motivating. I almost feel ashamed that I don't know about Mr. Floyd Norman, being that I went to school for animation and actually have a degree in it aaand um I am black😄
So many things about Mr. Norman I can relate to.
• I saw _"The Little Mermaid"_ at 6 years old and knew I wanted to be part of the Disney magic.
• I could draw well at a young age and my mother encouraged me to take it further for a 5th grade science project by upgrading my perfectly rounded headed George Washington Carver with dotted eyes Harry Potter glasses and rectangle pants for my first real life portrait of George Washington Carver using the World Book Encyclopedia."
• Throughout middle school *EVERY* career project I did revolved around being a cartoonist.
• At the Art Institute of Pittsburgh I was surrounded by talented caucasian fellows but I never thought "Oh I'm black so I shouldn't or can't do this." I just thought I'm a person who loves drawing and animation so this is what I'm going to do. And God blessed me to stick with it because as you know it is hard work, especially that 2D, hmm 😒 ... 😀
• I once had to repeat a 2D animation course because I was short 10 frames (I only had 340🤦🏾♀️)
• But hard work and many prayers helped me to win the Best in Show Award for Media Arts and Animation at my portfolio presentation review.
• _Oh and I too was guilty of those office cartoons, in my defense I worked with some crazy characters who were just perfect for it, my sister said I should have published them in the Post Gazette but I didnt have the heart_ 😆
Alessa your video was wonderful, I thought you did an amazing job highlighting Mr. Floyds' accomplishments. I did not know there were any black animators at Disney in the 50's 60's. It's weird because I just thought oh that's just something maybe that black people or African Americans weren't given the opportunity to do no matter how talented kind of like don't even think about, so this was an eye opener. I know it's part of the world we live in to categorize or label people by their skin color, and it's normal to say "The first *black* this or that" but oneday I hope we can take the title off and just be "the person that did this" But I understand because of limitations that black people were and are put under it's a sign of accomplishment when you are the first black person to do something. And I won't make this comment be any longer or my essay will turn into a short novel lol...my read more lines are probably 40+ lol!
In conclusion, I'm going to read and watch more about Floyd Norman, it's super duper cool that his wife works for Disney as well and I hope oneday I'll be able to help in the creation of a motion picture animation. I'll be the clean up artist with no problem lol. Animation is awesome!
*Thanks for sharing🤜🏻🤛🏽this was fun and I just subscribed* 🙆🏾♀️
Good job Alessa bringing this story in the forefront in these troubled times. Wow and his name is also Floyd!
Thanks for sharing this history! Great info!!! I love this so much..
Floyd is my guy
What a great informative video Alessa!👍🏽👍🏽 I have many other positive things to say about this video and story but it's 2 AM and I want to have my thoughts make sense so I'll come back later. 🤗
I loved this! 🤍
Love this
Eve Krogman love you
GREAT JOB. Loved the work out videos but this is your strength. No offense.
ChrisCoral Ahola haha oh I know! It’s much more my thing ☺️
Oh wow I didn't realize floyd normand had a documentary on him I remember learning about him when I was like 13 or so back in 2010 and how he came to the defense of walt disney when it came to aligations of him being an anti-semite and he cleared that up by mentioning walt disney was one of a few Hollywood studios during world War 2 to have an all Jewish orchestra some from Europe actually here is the link ua-cam.com/video/JdvLqwQAjdc/v-deo.html
At the time he first started working at Disney, the studio was called Walt Disney studios then became Walt Disney feature animation some time before the Disney Renaissance and then after the Walt Disney company bought pixar, became Walt Disney animation studios. So not the Walt Disney world company.
I don't mean to take you to places where you allegedly don't want to go and talk about things that in liberal circles and hollywood circles and PC circles and "Woke" circles are Taboo to talk about: But it's not entirely accurate that Dumbo and Babmbi were what inspired him to become an animation artist for Disney, those film helped him flirt and think about the idea of becoming an animation artist for Disney, but the ONE FILM THAT SEALED THE DEAL FOR HIM TO WANT TO BE AN ANIMATION ARTIST AT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS WAS ---- SONG OF THE SOUTH --- That's right, Song Of The South -- He saw Song Of The South as a 9-10 year old kid in the movie theater AND FOUND THE FILM TO BE DELIGHTFUL. And When he saw Song Of The South, he knew there was no turning back.
In fact he loved the movie so much, and still loves the movie so much, that in the introduction to the book "Whose Afraid of The Song of The South?" By Jim Korkis (A Disney Historian) -- Norman wrote the introduction to the book, and he did mention that when he saw as 10 year old kid Song of The South get featured in Ebony magazine, it was the 1st time he had disagreed with the editorial position of the magazine and felt that the article completely and unfairly misrepresented the film.
Of Course over the years, he learned that most people who are opposed to the idea of Song Of The South getting released by Bob Iger run Disney Corporation are people WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THE FILM, and the people who had protested the film and continue to protest the film WERE AND ARE GENERALLY PEOPLE WHO HAD NEVER SEEN THE FILM.
In fact the was the NAACP's official position, they made a declaration about the film without ever seeing the film.
I don't know if in many of these interviews he was allowed to talk about Song of The South, but if you ever meet him, he can tell you personally, it's a Film that probably the most near and dear to him of all the Disney films. He also drew many Brer Rabbit Comics.
Infact there is a Brer Rabbit Comic strip collection book getting ready to be released sometime next year which he has written the forward to it, explaining the importance of the Brer Rabbit stories as it related to American History and Black History.
If any of you liked my comment, please #SaveSpalshMountain -- please sign the petition and write email to Disney and do what you can to Save Splash Mountain and keep it as it is in both Disney World and Disneyland, -- There is no reason why Princess and the Frog can't have it's own unique original ride built from scratch that is suitable for all ages.