Legendary Disney animator Floyd Norman reminisces over working with Walt Disney during The Jungle Book and his incredible 66-year career-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro

Floyd Norman began his career at the Walt Disney Company while the animation great was still alive (Picture: Frankenberg/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Walt Disney Animation Studios was founded almost a century ago, in October 1923, and 99 years later it remains a leading powerhouse of motion pictures and creativity, thanks in part to the huge success of its iconic mascot, Mickey Mouse.

Following Mickey’s debut in 1928’s Steamboat Willie – the first cartoon with synchronised sound – Disney continued to push the boundaries of what was possible in animation and entertainment over the following decades with the likes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins and its world-beating theme parks.

Following the release of The Little Mermaid in 1989, the studio then hit what is popularly known as its ‘Renaissance’ after a difficult period gave way to hit after hit including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.

It has since then expanded further into CG animation via Pixar and films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Coco and Turning Red, as well as serving other fandoms through its purchases of Marvel and Lucasfilm .

Someone who has both witnessed and been there for a large part of the studio’s journey – over a whopping span of 66 years – is legendary animator and writer, Floyd Norman.

Norman first got his start at the Walt Disney Company as an artist (and as “a kid”) in 1956, when he was hired to work on Sleeping Beauty, which was largely influenced by former background painter Eyvind Earle’s medieval-inspired work.

Norman’s first feature film job at the studios was working on 1959’s Sleeping Beauty ahead of its release (Picture: Disney)

Walt Disney and his brother and business partner, Roy O Disney, pose with Mickey Mouse in the early days of his suucess (Picture: Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

In the following years he would work on further iconic films like The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan.

During his first stint at the studio, the creative had the privilege of working with Disney himself, and fondly recalls their ‘positive relationship’, despite the gap in both seniority and age.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, he explained: ‘I’m often asked that question about my interactions with Walt Disney, and I have to remind people that I was just a kid when I was at Disney and Walt Disney was an older gentleman. The two of us didn’t have a lot in common, most of my responses to Walt were simply “Yes, sir” or “Good morning, Walt” or “Good evening, Walt.”’

Norman also remembers Disney’s lack of care with formality.

‘We didn’t have spirited conversations because we were from different generations. He appeared if anything more like a kindly uncle or grandfather, but I always had a great relationship with Mr Disney – of course you couldn’t call him that, you had to call him by his first name, Walt – but it was always a positive relationship. [I have] good memories of Disney.’

Disney in 1955, the year before Norman joined the company (Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

During his decades at Disney, where he still works as a consultant on various projects, Norman did leave the studio to co-find his own company, Vignette Films, after Disney’s death in 1966, where he worked on Sesame Street and led Vignette as one of the first companies to produce films relating to Black history.

He then returned in the 1970s to work on Robin Hood.

Norman can currently be found appearing as himself in new Disney Plus documentary Mickey: The Story of a Mouse.

He agrees that having known Disney the man has given him a unique perspective on his most famous creation, Mickey.

‘Walt Disney was the original voice of Mickey Mouse, and so as you get to know Walt you get a better understanding of who Mickey is, you know what makes him tick.’

Although at pains to avoid over-emphasising his personal relationship with Disney, Norman did reveal he had more access to the man than many working at the studio.

Disney was the first person to voice Mickey, as well as creating him, making him the character in the eyes of many (Picture: Mortimer Productions)

‘I didn’t have a lot of interaction with Walt Disney, but I did attend many meetings with him, which meant mainly I sat in the meeting and listened and observed, and I got to know the boss in that very special way – because not everybody had the privilege of being able to meet with Walt Disney. Not everybody was invited to meetings with Walt Disney. So, I was extremely fortunate as a young kid to be worthy of being in a meeting with Walt and getting a chance to get to know the old maestro in a very special way.’

‘And of course, that provided insight into that very special character Mickey Mouse, because Walt Disney indeed was Mickey. Mickey Mouse was all about Walt Disney and Walt was all about Mickey Mouse,’ he added.

Thanks to his remarkable film credits and the longevity of his association with Disney, the 87-year-old has been a certified official Disney Legend since 2007 – the company’s hall of fame programme that recognises individuals who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution.

Although reluctant to pick a favourite film from his extensive back catalogue, Norman did share the special significance of his work on The Jungle Book, where he was a story artist.

Norman worked with Disney on The Jungle Book (Picture: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)

‘You cannot pick a favourite film because every film is unique, every film is different. Every film has its challenges, and every film has its special things about it – the amazing people you get to work with, the incredible talent that goes into the creation of a Disney feature film.

‘However, if I were to choose any particular film that remains a standout, it would have to be The Jungle Book, a film done back in 1965/66, because that was the one and only time I had the opportunity to work with Walt Disney himself. That made The Jungle Book a unique experience, an experience I’ll never forget because Walt Disney was part of that experience.’

Norman also said he will ‘never forget’ his first day at the iconic studios – his ‘dream’ job – in 1956, before knowing all the films he would work on in the coming years, which latterly included Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc and Kronk’s New Groove.

‘For an aspiring young animator like myself it was a dream come true, something that I had looked forward to all my life – it was a short life at that time, but something that I had looked forward to since I was a kid!

The Disney Legend today, still working for the company as a consultant on projects (Picture: Mortimer Productions/Disney)

Mulan was one of Norman’s Disney Renaissance film credits, where he worked on the story team (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)

‘So, to be there at the at this magic factory – and indeed it was a magic factory because what was being manufactured at the Disney studio back in the 50s was everything, from theme park attractions to live action motion pictures to animated motion pictures… It was a unique introduction to this wonderful company, a company where I would not only spend many years working on films, but I would spend a lifetime working for this studio.’

Norman also likened his first day as a ‘homecoming’, in a sense.

‘I’ll never forget when I walked onto the Disney studio lot many, many years ago. I felt indeed that I had come home because this studio would be my home for the rest of my life.’ 

As such an experienced creative, Norman accepted that there were many movies he has worked on that have turned out completely differently to how he expected.

More: Trending

‘Every filmmaker has probably dealt with this because when you start a film, you often don’t know where that film is going to end up,’ he laughed. ‘You start down the path not quite knowing where that path is going to lead. Things happen along the way – sometimes wonderful things, sometimes terrible things. But out of all of that, the incredible experience that is the creation of a motion picture, sometimes you are wonderfully surprised at the end result because the project may often end up a lot more than you expected.

‘So that’s the joy, that’s the challenge of being a storyteller, being a filmmaker, because even though you may start out with the best of intentions, you never know what the final product is going to be. You hope of course it’s going to be wonderful, but you never really know.’

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is available to watch on Disney+ now.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Disenchanted director reveals Disney was ‘challenged’ by sequel’s two villains and ‘genre flip’

MORE : Princess Diaries 3 is finally officially in development at Disney, 18 years after the sequel

Entertainment – MetroRead More