FLOYD NORMAN: AN ANIMATED LIFE – Review

So, in the mood for another feature-length doc on the “mouse house”? I’m referring to Mickey’s home base, the cartoon factory that is the Walt Disney Studios. It’s comprehensive archives have provided terrific stories in recent years, all informative and very entertaining. Let’s see, there’s WALT & EL GRUPO, about the WW II South American trip. And THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS’ STORY spotlighting that song-writing duo. Oh, and WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY, which focuses on the late 1980’s revitalization of the feature animation department, is a must see. Only a few weeks ago, audiences were moved by the story of the Suskind family in LIFE, ANIMATED. Now, here’s another terrific addition to that revered roster. The talented directing team of Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkley introduce us to a fascinating man well known to the world of cartooning, but now the general public will meet (and be charmed by) FLOYD NORMAN: AN ANIMATED LIFE. Now, there’s so much more to him than ‘toon ducks and doggies. His message can affect society and impact all of us. Really? Yes, if you are among the very (cue the Sinatra classic) “Young at Heart”…

Mr. Norman is one of the last artists who worked directly with Mr. Walt Disney. Actually he’s the very first African-American animator for the studio, though Floyd kind of dismisses this (“I was just happy to be working and drawing”). But then, growing up in sunny California, he never encountered the racism that infested much of the US (a family trip to the South was quite eye-opening to the young lad). His first art gig was during high school when Floyd was an assistant on the “Katy Keene” comic book, a funny teen queen who modeled dresses designed by her readers, rewarded with a printed credit (“Evening gown by Donna Sue Johnson, Benton Illinois”). After getting a tip, he applied to Disney and slowly made his way up the ranks with the classic SLEEPING BEAUTY, his first feature. After JUNGLE BOOK (Walt’s final “hands on” film), Floyd joined forces with another artist to form Vignette Films, a company that specialized in making educational films about the African-American experience, filling a big void in schools at the time. After buying an old 16mm camera from Walt’s brother Roy, Floyd was the only man who shot footage of the civil rights riots in Watts (the networks scooped it up). Later he would work on the opening titles for TV’s “Soul Train” and would bring Fat Albert and his pals to animation (others would produce the weekly show). Then it was back to Disney until a falling out over ROBIN HOOD (“A good film to be fired from”), Floyd took his skills to a true cartoon factory, Hanna Barbera, who filled lots of Saturday morning hours for the big three networks (“You name it, Superfriends, Captain Caveman, I toiled on that…”). Then it was back to Disney, eventually going to Pixar for MONSTERS, INC. and TOY STORY 2. Great times until…

Floyd did the unthinkable (at leat to the HR folks)…he turned 65! Forced retirement! His ID card..voided! He couldn’t understand it. After stewing a few weeks, Floyd concocted a plan. His wife still worked at Disney’s publishing division. He’d drive her to work, but instead of dropping her off , Floyd would park and stay. He’s find an empty office or cubicle (somebody’s always on vacation or sick) and get to work doing commissioned sketches of characters he’s animated (Paul Dini beams over the Shere Khan). Or he’d stroll about and visit other artists. often helping them with ideas (a practice known there as “Floyd-ering”). And that’s the message I mentioned earlier. Floyd wants to prove that age is merely a number. His imagination and artistic contributions didn’t just stop at 65. With his energy and curiosity (particularly about new tech), Floyd seems half his age, a “rabble-rouser” (he does scathing gag cartoons about his corporate bosses), who truly earns the title awarded him in 2007, “Disney legend”.
Fiore and Sharkley do a commendable job of keeping up with their trouble-making subject. To their great credit, it’s not merely a “talking heads” job. Although there are remarkable insights from writers and artists and even Oscar-winner fan Whoopi Goldberg. The directors have wisely enlisted several talented animators to illustrate Floyd’s story with simple black and white classic line animation. In them Walt is a hawk-nosed demon with glaring eyes, a frizzed mop of hair, and a cigarette dangling from tightly-clenched frown. Now this not to say that Floyd and his co-workers didn’t adore “Uncle Walt”, though they tried not to be in his eye line during story critiques. They lived to hear those three little words, “Well, that’ll work” (the highest praise) and openly wept at news of his shocking death in 1967. But there’s more than studios stories and retirement battles. We see the full life of this man, the personal along with professional. We meet his first wife along with their grown children and hear of Floyd’s regret at being unable to save the union. And then we meet his second wife, a woman who helped recharge Floyd’s creative batteries and bring him into the new century (“Lose the hair dye along with the suit and tie”). It’s a tale of tragedy and triumph. The story of one man bucking the system. Did he see succeed? Well, you’ll need to see FLOYD NORMAN: AN ANIMATED LIFE, a film not only for cartoon fanatics, it’s a soul-stirring, inspiring tale for the artist in all of us.

4.5 Out of 5

FLOYD NORMAN: AN ANIMATED LIFE is playing at selected theatres across the country and is available via several video streaming platforms