Iconic Disney illustrator Tyrus Wong dies, aged 106

2016 wasn’t quite done when we lost legendary ‘Star Wars’ actress Carrie Fisher and Hollywood royalty (and her mother) Debbie Reynolds at the tail-end of December.

Respected and hugely iconic Disney illustrator Tyrus Wong passed away on 30 December at the age of 106.

Wong was born in October of 1910 during the Qing dynasty in China, but moved to the USA when he was just 9-years-old. It wasn’t until he was in his early thirties when he landed a lucrative artistry role on Disney’s new animated film ‘Bambi’. The Mouse House hired the young talent based on his impressive pastel drawings of a deer in a forest, so his vision for the aesthetic we see in ‘Bambi’ are what generations have grown up with and become accustomed to.

Due to the animators’ strike, Wong left Disney shortly after completion of the project, with his contribution to the film left largely unknown for many years.

Take a look at the impact Wong had on Disney’s ‘Bambi’, below.

2001 saw the artist named a Disney Legend and his work entered into the Walt Disney Family Museum in 2013.

Wong worked on several other films for Warner Bros. during his career as a concept and story artist, with ‘The Sands Of Iwo Jima’, ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, ‘The Green Berets’, and ‘The Wild Bunch’ forming his CV. ‘Bambi was nominated for three Oscars at the 1943 Academy Awards, for its accomplishments in Sound, Original Song, and Music.

In fact a documentary was made about the pioneering Chinese-American artist, titled ‘Tyrus’. Directed by Pamela Tom, as it takes viewers on a journey throughout his fascinating and eventful life.

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