Weekly Movie Challenge

Wolfgang Reitherman

Biography

Reitherman began working for Disney in 1934, along with future Disney legends Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl. The three worked together on a number of classic Disney shorts, including The Band Concert, Music Land, and Elmer Elephant and in all, Reitherman worked on various Disney feature films produced from 1937 to 1981, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Slave in the Magic Mirror) to The Fox and the Hound (co-producer). He did the climatic dinosaur fight in Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring in Fantasia, the Headless Horseman chase in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" section in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, the Crocodile in Peter Pan, and Maleficent as a dragon in Sleeping Beauty (the former three he animated and the latter he directed). Beginning with 1961's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, "Woolie", as he was called by friends, served as Disney's chief animation director. One of Reitherman's productions, the 1968 short Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He also served as a producer and sequence director, and starred as himself in the 1941 feature film The Reluctant Dragon. All three of Reitherman's sons — Bruce, Richard and Robert — provided voices for Disney characters, including Mowgli in The Jungle Book, Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, and Wart in The Sword in the Stone. Reitherman directed several Disney animated feature films including, One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970),Robin Hood (1973) and The Rescuers (1977). He is also known for reusing animation in movies directed by him. According to Floyd Norman, this was just one of his trademarks, and had nothing to do with time or cost savings: "Woolie was our director on The Jungle Book. Reuse was just Woolie’s thing. He never did it to save money. I really don’t think the “Old Guard” ever had any interest in saving money. I was never a big fan of reuse, but it wasn’t my place to tell these old guys what to do. One final thought. It never seemed to bother Walt, and I never heard him complain about reuse." -From Wikipedia entry

Actor

From Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men

2005

as Self (Archive Footage)

Directing

Mickey, les J.O. rigolos

2005

Director

Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Goofy

2002

Director

The Rescuers

1977

Director

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

1977

Director

Robin Hood

1973

Director

Superstar Goofy

1972

Director

The Aristocats

1970

Director

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

1968

Director

The Jungle Book

1967

Director

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

1966

Director

The Sword in the Stone

1963

Director

The Hunting Instinct

1962

Director

Aquamania

1961

Director

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

1961

Director

Goliath II

1960

Director

Donald in Mathmagic Land

1959

Director

The Truth About Mother Goose

1957

Director

The Goofy Adventure Story

1957

Director

The Goofy Success Story

1955

Director

Visual Effects

Lady and the Tramp

1955

Animation

Lady and the Tramp

1955

Animation Director

Peter Pan

1953

Animation

Peter Pan

1953

Animation Director

Alice in Wonderland

1951

Animation

Cinderella

1950

Animation Director

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

1949

Animation

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

1949

Animation Director

Goofy Gymnastics

1949

Animation

Tennis Racquet

1949

Animation

Mickey and the Beanstalk

1947

Animation

Fun and Fancy Free

1947

Animation Director

How to Ride a Horse

1947

Animation

How to Fish

1942

Animation

How to Swim

1942

Animation

Saludos Amigos

1942

Animation

El Gaucho Goofy

1942

Animation

Dumbo

1941

Animation

The Reluctant Dragon

1941

Animation

Fantasia

1940

Animation

Pinocchio

1940

Animation

Pinocchio

1940

Animation Director

Donald's Cousin Gus

1939

Animation

Goofy and Wilbur

1939

Animation

Polar Trappers

1938

Animation

Donald's Nephews

1938

Animation

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

1937

Animation

Clock Cleaners

1937

Animation

Hawaiian Holiday

1937

Animation

The Worm Turns

1937

Animation

Moving Day

1936

Animation

Elmer Elephant

1936

Animation

Broken Toys

1935

Animation

Cock o' the Walk

1935

Animation

Music Land

1935

Animation

Mickey's Fire Brigade

1935

Animation

Water Babies

1935

Animation

The Band Concert

1935

Animation

Mickey's Service Station

1935

Animation

Two-Gun Mickey

1934

Animation

The Goddess of Spring

1934

Animation

The Wise Little Hen

1934

Animation

Funny Little Bunnies

1934

Animation

Wolfgang Reitherman

Actor

Videos

Documentaries

Directing

Production

Visual Effects