Biography for
Ward Kimball More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

4 March 1914, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Date of Death

8 July 2002, Arcadia, California, USA (natural causes)

Birth Name

Ward Walrath Kimball

Mini Biography

Ward Kimball joined Disney Studios in 1934 as an animator. He eventually became involved in all aspects of animation production, most notably as the designer of Jiminy Cricket for the film "Pinnochio." He was also responsible for the redesign of Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney recognized Kimball's achievements by making him one of the "Nine Old Men", Disney's semi-official group of advisors. Kimball retired from Disney in 1972, but still maintained ties with the studio. He joined other leading Disney animators in 1978 for a whistle-stop tour to promote Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday. In addition to animation, Kimball was both an avid musician and train enthusiast. In 1948 he formed the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a Dixieland jazz band composed of fellow Disney employees. He also maintained a full-sized train and tracks at his home in California, and was a past president of the Train Collectors Association. Not only did his love of trains get him the job of designing the World of Motion display at EPCOT, it also got another train collector started--Walt Disney himself. Kimball received many honors during his lifetime, and in 1989 was named a Disney Legend.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Mike Konczewski

Spouse

Betty Kimball

(15 August 1936 - 8 July 2002) (his death) 3 children

Trade Mark

Often animated the more humorous and occasionally cartoony characters such as The Mice in Cinderella (1950)

Trivia

Father of John Kimball

Was part of the inner circle of Disney animators, known as the "nine old men".

Appeared as a contestant on Groucho Marx's quiz show '"You Bet Your Life" (1950)' on March 18, 1954.

On March 27, 1999, at a rededication ceremony for the Disneyland Railroad engine No. 2, Disneyland announced it had acquired a new locomotive, Disneyland Railroad engine No. 5, that will be dedicated under the name "Ward Kimball" in Ward's honor. The newly acquired engine is currently undergoing restoration and will have custom paintings of Jimminy Cricket by Mr. Kimball on either side of the headlamp. The date of the dedication ceremony has not been announced.

Father of 'Kelly Kimball' and 'Chloe Kimball'.

Employed at Walt Disney Productions from April 2, 1934 to August 31, 1973.

Ward and his wife Betty were the first private owners and operators of full-sized steam railroad equipment in a U.S. residential backyard.

Grandfather of film composer Chris Lord.

Personal Quotes

(About his youth and working for Walt Disney) "We thought we were always going to be 21 years old. We thought we would always be putting goldfish in the bottled drinking water, balancing cups of water on the light fixtures, changing the labels on cans of sauerkraut juice. We were 21 years old, Walt was 30, leading the pack. Working there was more fun than any job I could ever imagine."