I’ve always loved Toontown in the “Roger Rabbit” cartoons. Toontown was the special area of Tinseltown where cartoon characters were segregated because they were — Toons. I’ve always thought this a brilliant metaphor for racial inequities in the real world.
Being a cartoonist and a person of color has given me a unique perspective. I’ve always enjoyed mocking human behavior in my gags. Adding racial and ethnic prejudice to this potent mix really helps stir things up. Yet, humor has always served an important function when it comes to revealing truth. It’s something I often use as a tool. Although I confess I’ve sometimes used it as a weapon.
Recently, a fellow at the Walt Disney studio asked me if comedian Michael Richard’s tirade at a local comedy club, had offended me. Actually, I told him that I felt bad for Michael Richards because his unfortunate rant said more about him than it did the hecklers in his audience. After all is said and done, I consider this incident small potatoes compared to the stuff that I’ve experienced over the years.
Executives who make movies in Africa without Africans are asking for it.
I’ll cut you no slack. Nope, not even Disney
Most people live in their own little world, and it’s difficult to relate to those who might not share their experience. Back in the 1950s, I was continually asked why I made the long drive from Los Angeles to the Walt Disney Studio every day. Why didn’t I just find an apartment in Burbank or nearby Glendale? It never occurred to my friends & colleagues at Disney that it was nearly impossible for a person of color to rent an apartment in Burbank. Today, people find this incredulous. However, keep in mind this was the 1950s, years before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
On another occasion, I was walking to the Walt Disney Studio on a quiet Burbank street when a group of school children began to yell and shout at me. They were just little kids, and I doubt they had full understanding of their offensive behavior. I didn’t think that much about the childish outburst. Kids are often guilty of bratty behavior because they’re just — kids. However, this unfortunate incident spoke volumes about their parents.
Like many Disney artists, I put down my drawing pencil to do my duty & serve my country in the armed forces. This may seem like ancient history, but the incident we were dealing with back then was the so-called “Korean Conflict.” I had just returned to the States after a fourteen-month tour of duty in Korea. My return home was made even better by a letter I received from the Disney Studio telling me my old job for was waiting for me upon my return to Burbank.
My flight made a stop in Atlanta, GA, where we were invited to deplane before continuing on to Los Angeles. And it was in this city that I discovered something most remarkable. I saw a segregated society for the first time in my life. There were signs everywhere designating where one could sit, drink, or use the restroom. Of course, the separation was made on based on race.
What’s even more amazing is I had just returned from a foreign country where I could pretty much go anywhere I chose. Yet here I was in my own country being restricted to certain areas because of my color. Adding insult to injury, I was wearing the uniform of the United States military. It appears that the freedoms I was fighting for only applied to some people — and not others.
Some years later, I was back working at the Walt Disney Studio when Los Angeles came under siege in the 1965 Watts Riots. Since the local news teams were terrified of going into an urban battle zone, my partners & I grabbed our film cameras and headed into Los Angeles. And if you can believe this — one of the cameras used to photograph Los Angeles going up in flames was purchased from none other than Roy Edward Disney. Roy had used this camera to shoot the Disney nature films so popular at the time. I think even Roy Disney would be amazed to know that his movie camera was photographing another type of “True Life Adventures“
Sometimes these stories are downright funny. After leaving the Walt Disney Studio some years ago, former screenwriter Charles Shows published a memoir of his time at the Mouse House entitled Walt.” Because of the lack of African American artists in the animation department, Mr. Shows referred to me as “The lone Negro.” I found this amusing because either I was the only black artist at Disney. Or perhaps I was some kind of cowboy hero who fought for truth & justice.
Thanks to author Charles Shows, I “rode the range” at Disney as
“The Lone Negro.” African-American animators were pretty rare in the sixties
Today, much is made over political correctness when it comes to racial matters. Overly sensitive people see racial or ethnic slights in every image. And in their zeal to sanitize and pasteurize everything, they’ve taken all the fun out of cartoon making. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with the late Bob Clampett about his 1943 cartoon, “Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarfs.” I’ve chatted with Ward Kimball about animating the crows in Walt Disney’s “Dumbo.” And lest we forget, many African Americans still love Disney’s “Song of the South.” Although some might call these comical images racially insensitive, I merely see them as funny.
Much like my 1950s Disney days, the world is changing once again. Hopefully, we’ll be a little smarter this time around. And we’ll make correct decisions because we won’t be blinded by fear & prejudice.
We live in incredible times. A time I could not even have imagined while sitting at my Disney desk back in 1956. A black man might be elected President of the United States. And the Walt Disney Studio might surprise us with a black princess.
These are crazy ideas to be sure. But hey, it could happen.
Did you enjoy today’s essay? Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the many tales that Floyd Norman has to tell. Many of which you’ll find in the three books Floyd currently has the market. Each of which take an affectionate look back at Norman’s career in animation.
These include Floyd’s original collection of cartoons and stories — “Faster! Cheaper! The Flip Side of the Art of Animation” (which is available for sale over at John Cawley’s cataroo.com) as well as two follow-ups to that book, “Son of Faster, Cheaper” & “How the Grinch Stole Disney.” Which you can purchase by heading over to Afrokids.com.