Robin Williams with animator Bruce Smith at Raleigh Studios during the production of the Walt Disney World theme park film "Back To Neverland" (1989)
The Genie. Popeye. A friend to animation. Robin Williams forever changed the very nature of comedy - but he also changed the way we listen to animation voice over.
Actor Robin Williams died a year ago on August 11 at the age of 63. He appears to have committed suicide by hanging himself, according to the LA Times.
I was so heartbroken when I learned of the death of voice-over icon Robin Williams, as was widely reported. Numerous news outlets have been paying tribute to him yesterday. Since he was an important key figure to animation, I thought I should do one too.
Like Mork, the character he first played on an episode of ABC’s Happy Days, this utterly original comic and movie star appeared on our television sets seemingly out of nowhere, almost as if from outer space.
But, by 1978, when ABC’s Mork & Mindy arrived on screens, Robin Williams soared to superstardom faster than you could say “Na-Nu-Na-Nu,” “Shaz-bot,” or any of the other catchphrases the improvisational comic made part of the pop culture lexicon of the late 1970s. Within two weeks of the show’s premiere, Robin was hailed as a new star. Little could we have known that he was just getting started.
Genie (in Disney's 1992 animated classic feature Aladdin) was a tour-de-force vocal performance by Williams (and visually by animator Eric Goldberg) but it was an important landmark in two ways. First, it was the first to break the structured script-driven vocal performance (compare it to Williams earlier recorded V.O. in Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest, also from 1992). Allowed to break free and improvise upon the written dialogue, Williams created a character that will live forever - and be forever tied to his unique genius.
It also began a practice that continues today - to allow the actors to go off script during the recording sessions - a practice that has enhanced the performers and their performances all for the better ever since.
Williams also brought a then unheard-of star power to the animated film. For good or ill, before the Genie, no one came to a cartoon feature to specifically hear Robby Benson as The Beast. Oh there were Hollywood movie stars in past animated features (Judy Garland in Gay Purr-ree; Bette Milder in Oliver and Company, et al), but people came out to hear Robin Williams as the Genie.
And he did it without star billing (remember that?). It was practically an open secret he was in the film. Talk about "stealing the show".
Robin was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 21, 1951, the son of an automobile executive and his wife, a former model. He was raised in Chicago and Detroit, moving with his family to the San Francisco area during his last year in high school. A gifted student, Robin majored in political science at both Marin and Claremont Colleges. While at Marin, he won a scholarship to Juilliard in New York City, where he studied with the legendary John Houseman, along with Christopher Reeve, with whom he remained lifetime friends.
Critics waxed euphoric in their attempts to describe Robin’s stand-up comedy work, a craft he turned to with vigor and perfected in the years following the conclusion of Mork & Mindy. “An outstanding lunar Wildman, out of Jonathan Winters by way of Lenny Bruce with a touch of Richard Burton thrown in,” is how one critic enthused about Robin’s performances. “An engaging, bright, and inventive actor,” said another. After taking in the sight of the deliriously manic comic’s nightclub act on an HBO special, The Hollywood Reporter characterized the incendiary performance as “unadulterated brilliance.”
Film critic Leonard Maltin stated, “I felt lucky every time I got to chat with Robin Williams, but when I once said, ‘I’d love to get inside your brain,’ he replied, ‘Leonard, you don’t want to go there.’ We’ll always be able to see him, thank goodness, but now the experience will be bittersweet.”
In 1987, Robin trained his talents on live-action and animated films and almost immediately became one of America’s biggest stars. Beginning with his Academy Award®-nominated performance as Adrian Cronauer in Touchstone Pictures’ Good Morning, Vietnam, Robin starred in an impressive string of Disney films. They included the haunting portrayal of teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society, a hilarious voice performance as the Genie in Aladdin, and high-caliber performances in Flubber and Bicentennial Man.
“If I had only watched Robin Williams on the TV screen, in the movies or on stage, I would consider myself blessed for having simply experienced his brilliance, his joy, his humor and his heart,” composer Alan Menken says. “The fact that I had the honor of sharing the creative process with him is an honor and a privilege that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Along the way, Robin starred in several seminal films, including Moscow on the Hudson, for which he earned his first Golden Globe® nomination, Miramax’s Good Will Hunting, for which his nuanced role as grieving psychologist Sean Maguire earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Mrs. Doubtfire, which earned him his third Golden Globe—this time for Best Actor-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Other Disney appearances include a reprise performance as Genie in Aladdin and the King of Thieves; Hollywood Pictures’ Jack, directed by Frances Ford Coppola; and the 2009 comedy Old Dogs.
Disney paid tribute to Williams on its official Twitter account with a GIF of Genie, captioning it, “He was a true Disney Legend, a beloved member of our family, and he will be sorely missed.”
Williams voiced the shape-shifting, multi-voiced and highly entertaining Genie. He was also a big fan of animated filmmaking. He portrayed the titular hero in Robert Altman’s 1980 live-action feature film Popeye.
Williams was a go-to presenter for animation-related Oscars. Robin Williams was also a real friend to the animation community. He was honored to present the honorary Oscars to animation legends: Warner Bros. animation director Chuck Jones (see below) in 1996 and animation producer Walter Lantz (also below) in 1979, as well as special achievement Oscars to Richard Williams and John Lasseter.
In the course of his decades-long career, in addition to his role as the Genie, Williams surprised and delighted audiences voicing dozens of other beloved animated characters, including Batty Koda in 1992's Fern Gully, the penguins Ramon and Lovelace in the Happy Feet series, Fender in Robots, and the kiwi in the TV special A Wish for Wings That Work. Williams also voiced the cartoon characters in the Chuck Jones-directed opening of Mrs. Doubtfire.
He appeared alongside Walter Cronkite both in person and as an animated character in Back to Neverland, an animated short providing a humorous look at the animation process that played at Disney/MGM Studios’ Animation Pavilion, and provided the voice of the Timekeeper for the attraction of that name at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The director of that project, Jerry Rees, has a page on his website documenting its making.
Director Jerry Rees and Robin Williams.
Williams also supported several independent animators, and spoke highly of the films of Faith Hubley, once telling an interviewer:
“My kids discovered her when I asked my son if he wanted to go watch a Disney movie and he said, ‘No, I don’t dad.’ So I put in a Faith Hubley movie and he would just watch it like he was seeing Picasso moving. He would watch her movies over and over again, and they were magnificent because they would talk about all these different careers and religions, history— it was like Elmer Fudd doing A Street Car Named Desire.”
Williams was also a fan of anime, and incorporated references to anime into his films. For example, in One Hour Photo, he added a reference to the Japanese series Neon Genesis Evangelion:
The following official statements from Eric Goldberg, John Musker and Ron Clements released by Disney Studios in the wake of the tragic death of celebrated actor and comedian Robin Williams:
Eric Goldberg, Supervising Animator Of "Genie" In "Aladdin":
"I am beyond devastated. I cannot express how influential and important Robin was, and will continue to be, to me and countless other animation artists. Robin gave those of us who worked on the Genie so much humor, inspiration, and just sheer delight, that we were always spoiled for choice whenever we came back from a recording session. Like the Genie, Robin's immense talent could not be contained in the lamp. I think we all knew, as the world does now, if there was ever a person who was tailor-made for the medium of animation, it was Robin.
We have lost not just a great voice, though. We have lost a warm, human, miraculous person whose numerous and amazing talents will continue to inspire people for generations upon generations."
John Musker and Ron Clements, Directors, "Aladdin":
"We had the thrill and privilege of directing Robin Williams in Aladdin. We wrote the part with him in mind, but his performance, complete with his brilliant, improvised flights of fancy, took us and the character far beyond what we had imagined. Robin's genie defied space, time, and physics, and so did Robin's talent. Like the genie it was immeasurable, thrilling, a cosmic explosion of wit and warmth. Robin brought magic into our lives, to his animator/other half, Eric Goldberg, and to the scores of artists who brought the genie to such vivid life on the screen. But, most of all, Robin's magic touched millions of viewers who laughed and were moved by him. We will cherish the memory of this ever-giving man who made every life he touched, including our own, better."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences referenced Williams’ role as the Genie in their condolence tweet:
Robin Williams is gone but will never be forgotten. As a memorial, below are some animated highlights from his animation career (yes, and including a clip from his live action role of Popeye - probably the only A-list actor who could have pulled that off). Rest in Peace, Mr. Williams - and thank you.
Below: An animation sequence from Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) where Williams played a cartoon voice over actor. Directed by Chuck Jones.
Below: An animation sequence from Fern Gully (1992) where Williams played "Batty Koda". Directed by Bill Kroyer.
Below: An animation sequence from Happy Feet Two (2011) where Williams played "Ramon". Directed by George Miller, Gary Eck, and David Peers
Below: Theme Park film Back To Neverland (1989) where Williams appears in both live action and animation. Directed by Jerry Rees
Below: And yeah, Williams even voiced Mork on Saturday morning cartoons.
Below: In Robert Altman's Popeye (1980)
Below: As the Genie in a series of interstitials for ABC Saturday mornings, "Great Minds".
Animation historian John Culhane serving as model reference for Mr. Snoops in Disney’s “The Rescuers” (1977). Click to enlarge.
DisneyA publicity still issued by Disney for the original release of "The Rescuers" (1976)
John Culhane, a veteran journalist and author, best known for his pioneering and trailblazing work as a Disney animation historian who penned numerous books, taught animation for many years, as well as being caricatured by animators and the inspiration for the characters of Mr. Snoops in the 1977 Disney animated feature, The Rescuers and Flying John in the "Rhapsody in Blue" segment of Fantasia 2000, passed away at his home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, according to an obituary in the Lower Hudson Valley Journal News. The cause of death was complications from cardiac failure and Alzheimer's disease. He was 81 years old.
Culhane distinguished himself as a writer for the Chicago Daily News and went on to have a successful career as a freelance writer and journalist by trade, working for such major and prestigious publications as Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, Readers Digest, Saturday Review, Signature, and American Film, however he is known to the animation world for his work as an animation historian. A cousin of Disney animator Shamus Culhane, John was one of the first entertainment writers to properly acknowledge the work of individual animators in the mainstream media. He also wrote acclaimed books on the subject of Disney animation including: "Walt Disney's Fantasia" (1983), "Aladdin: The Making of an Animated Film" (1992), and "Fantasia 2000: Visions of Hope" (1999). For over four decades, Culhane also contributed to the industry and inspired many up-and-coming animation students as a teacher through his spirited classes on the history of animation at New York City's School of Visual Arts, Manhattan's Fashion Institute of Technology, Mercy College in Westchester County, and for a dozen years at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
John Culhane served as the model for Mr. Snoops in “The Rescuers.” (Click to enlarge.)
In addition to his literary contributions to the art of animation, Culhane also wrote acclaimed books about the circus ("The American Circus: An Illustrated History"), and special effects ("Special Effects in the Movies: How They Do It: Dazzling Movie Magic and the Artists Who Create It" (1986)).
Commenting on Culhane's passing, Oscar-winning filmmaker and animation historian/author/professor John Canemaker said, "John Culhane was an extraordinarily communicative teacher. In 1997, I hired him to teach History of Animation at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. For nearly a dozen years thereafter, John’s enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, the subject captured not only his students’ attention, but also their imaginations. He dazzled an always-packed classroom with tales of his first-hand journalistic experiences meeting giants of animation (including Walt Disney). He was magical, unorthodox in his teaching methods in bringing animation history to vital life. More than one student each fall semester sent me evaluations saying that John’s warmth, ebullience and supremely positive approach to life, changed their lives.”
John Culhane’s seminal 1983 book on the making of Disney’s “Fantasia.”
Veteran Disney animator and director Eric Goldberg ("Fantasia/2000," "Pocahontas"), added, "John Culhane was an ardent, enthusiastic and informed supporter of animation in general, and Disney animation in particular – no surprise, given his pedigree. He was also a good friend and great cheerleader to my wife and collaborator, Susan, and to me, and our various projects at Disney – so much so, that we paid him the compliment of caricaturing him as the character 'Flying John' in our 'Rhapsody in Blue' sequence for 'Fantasia/2000.' He previously had the honor of being given the Disney treatment as the character 'Snoops' in 'The Rescuers.' It gave us great pleasure to continue meeting with him over the years, and to receive hand-written letters from him signed, 'Flying John.'"
Culhane (left) as 'Flying John' in the "Rhapsody in Blue" segment of "Fantasia/2000"
Don Hahn, producer of such popular films as "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Maleficent," noted, "John's ceaseless enthusiasm for animation was a natural match for his personality; one of the most animated men ever to stand at the corner of Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive. How lucky we are to have known him, and been affected by his insights into the art of Disney, and by his witty, charming, loving spirit.”
John Culhane was born in Rockford, Illinois on February 7, 1934. He met his idol, Walt Disney, in 1951 at the age of 17, during a trip to California. Introduced by Walt's daughter, Diane, and over the course of a conversation that lasted several hours, Culhane got the best advice of his lifetime. Walt told the aspiring writer, "Work for your hometown newspaper, write for your neighbors -- and just keep widening your circle." After a Jesuit education at St. Louis University, graduating in 1956 from studying writing and European history, he went back to his hometown and became a reporter and daily columnist for the Rockford Register-Republic. This was followed by a stint as an investigative reporter for the Chicago Daily News from 1962-1968. He went on to become Media Editor of Art and Leisure at Newsweek, and a Roving Editor at Readers Digest from 1979-1996. For the latter, he wrote a series of intimate profiles (part of the "Unforgettable" series) that included such major personalities as Jim Henson, Danny Kaye, Laurence Olivier, and Emmett Kelly, among others. In his post-university career, he also penned over 20 articles for the New York Times Magazine, including important landmark pieces about Disney animation that gave unprecedented recognition to Walt Disney's legendary "Nine Old Men," as well as to the Studio's next generation of artists and animators in the 1990s.
In the 1970s, Culhane was enlisted by the Walt Disney Company’s publicity department on several occasions to help mark milestone events. In 1973, he moderated a celebration of the Disney Studio’s 50th anniversary at the Lincoln Center in New York, and was tapped to lead Mickey Mouse’s 50th birthday in 1978 by traveling on a five-day fifty-seven-city, whistle-stop train trip with Mickey and legendary animator Ward Kimball across the United States from California to New York.
Disney animator/director Ward Kimball (l.) with John Culhane in 1978. (Photo: Ward Kimball Family collection.)
In 1981, Culhane was the host for a series of college campus forums touring across the country promoting a new slate of Disney film projects including "Tron," "The Black Hole" and "The Black Cauldron." In 1983, he wrote and starred in "Backstage at Disney," a special episode of The Disney Channel's "Studio Showcase," which featured a behind the scenes glimpse of a young Tim Burton working on his first film, the stop-motion animated short, "Vincent," the first part of which can be seen below:
During his time at the studio, he also worked as an uncredited writer on the 1983 Disney live-action feature, "Something Wicked This Way Comes," and with Oscar-winning animation director Richard Williams on the feature, "The Thief and the Cobbler."
Culhane, however, may be best remembered for his appearances in Disney features, beginning with his “role” as "Mr. Snoops" in "The Rescuers" (1977). In a 1976 article for an in-house Disney Studio publication, Culhane explained how he came to be the model for the character:
“While snooping around the Disney Studio on previous assignments, I had gotten to know Milt Kahl, a master animator who also designed many of the characters in the Disney cartoons. In May, 1973, Milt gave a guest lecture to a class I was teaching and agreed to draw a poster to announce the event. In the poster, he caricatured both himself and me. When Milt got back to the Studio, the artists working on 'The Rescuers' were searching for a look for one of the villains. In the script he was described as nervous, indecisive, and domineered by Medusa. The short-legged fellow with Milt in the poster looked to director Woolie Reitherman like that kind of guy, and they named him, after my profession, ‘Mr. Snoops.’ Even before I saw him on the screen, I realized that Snoops did indeed look like me because, wherever I went in the Disney Studio that year, artists passing me in the halls would do a double take, then say to each other, ‘It’s him, all right — it’s Mr. Snoops.’”
Milt Kahl’s drawing of John Culhane that inspired the Mr. Snoops character.
Flying John in 'Fantasia/2000.'
Culhane again became the inspiration for an animated character when director Eric Goldberg turned him into Flying John in the “Rhapsody in Blue” segment of Fantasia 2000. Goldberg provided this remembrance of Culhane:
John was joyous, ebullient, tenacious, and so full of life and enthusiasm for the medium of animation that it is almost impossible to imagine him gone. When Susan and I were at Disney doing projects together, he was one of our strongest cheerleaders. At the time, we were trying to get a variety of things off the ground, and John was an avid supporter of all of them. It gave us no end of pleasure to receive letters from him signed “Flying John.” Every time we met at animation events (we even taught animation classes together down at Disney World in Florida!), he and his wife Hind were always gracious and a bunch of fun to be with. Truth be told, John was one of the very first writers one could call an “animation historian,” and practically the first to have his writings about the subject taken seriously. If one looks at the time line of fashionable Disney-bashers in the 70′s (The Disney Version, anyone?), John was one of the first to step forward and say, “No. Appreciate what beautiful, sincere, passionate artistry went into the making of these films.” And for that, we should all be forever grateful.
“Flying John” from “Fantasia/2000″ was based on John Culhane. (Click to enlarge.)
Former Disney animator Andreas Deja, who animated Culhane’s “Flying John” character interacting with a monkey, told:
I knew John Culhane as an enthusiastic animation historian and teacher. He was a fountain of knowledge, having met Walt Disney and all of the Nine Old Men. John was immensely proud of having been the inspiration for the character of Snoops in the film The Rescuers. He would frequently offer his autograph with the note “from the model for Milt’s Mr. Snoops.” His passion for the medium was infectious; he will be missed.
Among his other credits, in the late '70s, Culhane also collaborated with his late cousin, veteran animator Shamus Culhane, on three animated primetime television specials for NBC: "Noah’s Animals," "King of the Beasts," and "Last of the Red-Hot Dragons" (for which he also supplied the dragon’s voice).
John Culhane was a fan of musicians Leonard Cohen and George Harrison and enjoyed listening to songs from Culbrain Records. Besides Disney animation, he loved watching the TV show Drinks with Writers and reading fanzine, Famous Monsters of Filmland; his favorite movie and book are The Matrix and The God Delusion, respectively. He was also a Democratic and supporter of Barack and Michelle Obama and politician Deval Patrick.
Culhane is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Dr. Hind Rassam Culhane of Baghdad, Iraq (a former dean of the school of sociology and behavorial sciences at Mercy College), and two sons — Michael Culhane, a Los Angeles-based songwriter, music producer, and performer (and his wife Amy Weingartner, a writer and former Disney publishing editor), and Dr. Thomas Henry Culhane, professor of sustainable development at Mercy College (and his wife, Sybille and their children, Kilian and Ava Culhane). Other survivors include brother Dick Culhane and his wife Lee, sister Mary Ella Stone and husband David Stone, sister Libby Keating and husband Joe Keating, brother Mark Culhane and his wife Cheryl. Funeral services were held on Monday, August 3, at Our Lady of Pompeii in Dobbs Ferry, NY. Plans for a life celebration will be announced at a later date.
