Fleischer, Disney animator Berny Wolf dies, 95

Posted:
Sep 19, 2006

Veteran animator Bernard "Berny" Wolf, whose many works included "The Pastoral Symphony" sequence in Disney's Fantasia(1940), died earlier this month at 95.

"Berny was a real gentleman, and his career spanned the entire history of animation... from Fleischer, where he rotoscoped Cab Calloway as a ghostly walrus for Minnie The Moocher; to Iwerks, where he designed characters and animated on Willie Whopper and ComiColor Cartoons; to Disney, where he animated on Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo," ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive director Stephen Worth wrote Wednesday. "In the TV era, Berny was a mainstay at Hanna-Barbera and Film Roman, continuing to work into his 80s."

Born in 1911, Wolf started in the silent era in his early teens and worked into the early 1990s, receiving credit as an animation timer for the DiC Entertainment series Sonic the Hedgehog.

Along with Minnie The Moocher, Wolf's Betty Boop cartoons from 1931 to 1933 included Minding the Baby, Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee, Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle, Romantic Melodies, Swim Or Sink, The Dancing Fool, Betty Boop's Big Boss, Betty Boop's Ker-Choo and The Old Man Of The Mountain.

According to animator and historian Mark Kausler, Wolf began his career in New York City in 1924 as an inker on silent Krazy Kat cartoons distributed by Paramount. Soon afterward, he was hired at Max Fleischer’s Inkwell Studios, inking and possibly animating such KoKo Song Cartoons as Mother Pin a Rose on Me (1924), Goodbye My Lady Love (1924) and East Side, West Side (1926).

Wolf worked closely with Shamus Culhane and Al Eugster at Fleischer Studios; the three headed west at Ub Iwerks' short-lived Celebrity Productions. He and Grim Natwick animated and designed characters on cartoons including The Cave Man, Viva Willie and The Valiant Tailor (all 1934) and Summertime (1935).

By 1938, the Wolf-Eugster-Culhane trio were at Disney, where Wolf's first animation credit was that year's short Donald's Nephews. In Pinocchio, Wolf animated many scenes involving Jiminy Cricket. He animated fauns, unicorns, centaurs and centaurettes in Fantasia. He animated one sequence in 1941's Dumbo: that of silhouetted clowns bragging.

After 1941, according to Kausler, Wolf did layout and storyboard for Tex Avery at MGM cartoons until he was drafted; he then directed animation for the First Motion Picture Unit.

Following the Second World War, Wolf worked independently for Rudolph Ising. In the 1970s, he headed Animedia Productions, based in Toluca Lake, California. The firm provided animation-related and other art services for corporate clients.

Wolf was a producer and editor of the Hanna-Barbera special The Little Troll Prince, which aired on Christmas Day 1985.He also produced The Flintstone Kids and the movies Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf and Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (both 1988) for H-B.

In the mid-1980s, Wolf produced Paw Paws for Hanna-Barbera; he was also one of many animators of Jetsons: The Movie(1990). During the 1990s, he was a director on Garfield and Friends and other Film Roman series.

Here's his paid obituary in the Los Angeles Times. It says much more than I ever could:


WOLF, Berny Veteran and legendary animator, producer, and image consultant and product designer passed on Thursday, September 7, 2006 to be with his beloved wife, of 54 years, Muriel, whom he desperately missed since her passing in September, 1997. Berny was born in New York, on July 18, 1911 to Mae and Julius Wolf. A brother to two sisters and an older brother, Berny leaves behind two daughters, Lauren (husband Neal) and Kathy (husband John); granddaughter Julie Purcell (life partner Kim) and great-grandson Parker; grandson Robert Purcell (wife Jennifer) and great-grandsons Cole and Aidan. He also leaves nephews Bruce Wolfe, Richard Steinmetz and Robert Steinmetz, and cousins Kenneth, Erlin, and Greg France.

Berny never stopped drawing and creating. His last creations were three drawings for his wonderful great-grandsons, whom he adored. He was also in the midst of creating original cartoon panels hoping to syndicate these in various newspapers. Berny Wolf's career helped to launch and stimulate the growth of many future animators. His career spanned several decades starting with employment at Fleischer Studios in New York where he worked on Betty Boop, followed by a move to Ub Iwerks Studio, then on Disney Studios where he created and contributed to short cartoons as well as the timeless classics such as Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Dumbo. Notably, Berny was the creative force along with Ward Kimball in the creation of Jiminy Cricket. Another contribution to the Disney vision was Berny's design and creation of the over-sized costumed walk-around characters which can still be enjoyed today. While working at MGM he animated in Tex Avery's unit on a cartoon starring Red Hot Riding Hood, the Wolf, and Droopy-the Slo-Mo Dog.

During World War II, Berny was assigned to the Sound & Motion Picture Unit, stationed in Culver City where they animated features such as dealing with top secret information and appropriate conduct for Army personnel. At Film Roman Studios, Berny worked on Garfield specials and Garfield commercials and Bobby's World, both as a director and animator. Berny Wolf also had his own production company, Animedia Inc., where he directed, produced and wrote sales and communication training films for several large corporations such as Toyota, Nissan, IBM, and animated numerous Sesame Street segments.

Berny also is known for additional hand puppets and full scale characters for "Howdy Doody" series; Ivan Tors; A&W Root Beer; US Forest Service, Woodsy the Owl!" Following these creative ventures, Berny was employed by Hanna-Barbera Studios working on live action television shows and various cartoon series such as the Jetson's, Johnny Quest, Snorks, and the Flintstones. In the 1990's, Berny worked with MGM again and created bigger than life-size mascots along with new MGM Grand logo characters, such as King Looey and his entourage, a unique animation show, and designed the $1.00 silver slot coins for the opening of the MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park in Las Vegas. Berny has won numerous awards in his long career in topics ranging from animation to product development and short film achievements.

His enormous talent and unbelievable creativity cannot be replaced and will be missed. In addition to Berny's fruitful animation career he enjoyed spending time with his wife and business partner, Muriel, either traveling to an exotic locale for business, or just to relax on a sandy beach in a tropical paradise. Their love for each other was evident in the home they created for their daughters and extended family. Berny's family would like to thank the never-ending support, and tender care from VITAS Hospice, during the last month of his life.