The Hollywood animation community has lost one of its stalwart animators and biggest champions – Carl Bell. Carl met Richard Williams at the Ontario College of Art in the early 1950s, and the two drove cross country in 1952 to seek their fortunes in animation. They ultimately went separate ways – but stayed in touch throughout their lives. Bell began his professional career working in England doing commercials for several years, returning to Los Angeles in 1958. Bell then worked at UPA in its waning days, then Bob Clampett (on Beany and Cecil), then Chuck Jones (on Tom & Jerry, the Grinch, Pogo and The Phantom Tollbooth). He was a consultant on Williams Raggedy Ann and Andy, then joining Ralph Bakshi on Lord Of The Rings and was a staffer at Filmation during the He-Man/She-Ra years.

Bell rejoined with Williams, again, as an animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit – and stayed on with Disney as an assistant and clean-up artist on Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin and many more. And those were only a few on the films Carl Bell had touched with his talent.

Carl Bell was also loyal member and later an Academy Governor for the Animation and Short Films Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Artis and Sciences – and personally, he was a great neighbor. I had the privilege of living down the block from Carl – and I’ll miss his daily drive by in his little sports car and waving at me every time he passed my house.

Please watch this wonderful mini-documentary on Carl Bell by his friend Andreas Wessel-Therhorn. In it, Carl tells you his life story himself: