Hey, I Resemble That Remark
“Typically animators drank heavily, both to relieve their tension and loosen their inhibitions; alcoholism was practicaly an occupational hazard, though it may also have something to do with the fact that the kind of men who were attracted to animation were likely to be emotionally stunted and loners, lost in their own heads.” Walt Disney: The Biography, Neal Gabler
I picked up the new biography of Walt Disney, and naturally (as one does), the first thing I did was look up Milt Kahl in the index for outrageous stories. This led me to the above quote. I nearly spilled my martini! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to surfing the internet for Harry Potter theories while inventing clever comebacks to things people said to me 10 years ago.
Coincidentally, I was having a conversation with a guy in rigging (at a pub– +1 alcoholic, -1, emotionally stunted loner) about why there were so few female animators. In an effort to give it a positive spin, he suggested that animation required a level of self-absorption most girls don’t have (except I suppose for Paris Hilton). Poor fellow was kind of stuck insulting me one way or the other!
