Like pretty much everyone else on this planet, I grew up obsessed with Disney animated movies.
I donned all of their merch and eagerly accepted their films as a personality.
Disney animation inspired my love of cartoons from an early age and I still very much enjoy many of their films.
But as I grew older my passion for animation led me to learn that Disney has many dark histories that have been strategically erased from popular history.
One of the many examples of this includes Disney’s treatment of one of its most profound artists:
Tyrus Wong
Tyrus was a Chinese-American painter, calligrapher, storyboard artist, animator, muralist, ceramicist, kite-maker, and set designer.
He is most known for his impressionistic paintings and concept art that inspired the design for the 1942 film, Bambi.
I discovered Tyrus and his work several years ago when I chanced upon a PBS documentary about his life and legacy called, “Tyrus: The Tyrus Wong Story”
I re-watched the documentary earlier today so I could write this post with a refreshed perspective and…
I cried about one hundred times while watching this documentary. 😭
Tyrus’ story, heart, and artistry are achingly beautiful and I really can’t recommend this documentary enough.
Tyrus seemed to be a truly beautiful human being and I am very proud to share his story and art here with you today.
A Brief Backdrop to Tyrus’ Coming of Age:
Tyrus and his father immigrated to the United States from Guangdong, China in 1919 to escape political turmoil and poverty.
During his early school years, Tyrus hated arithmetic and school in general, saying the only thing he enjoyed was painting and drawing.
Tyrus’ father, "Ben" Sy Po Wong, recognized his son’s talent, and despite living in extreme poverty found a way to borrow $90 to send Tyrus to The Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles where young Tyrus was able to develop his craft.
This was an enormous risk and I believe a testament to how much Tyrus’ father really saw and loved his son for who he was.
Influences:
Tyrus has stated that his art style is most influenced by his father’s insistence upon his study of Chinese calligraphy in his early art years, which led to his own passion for art from the Song Dynasty period (960 - 1279 CE).
The Disney Years:
After years of work as a freelance artist, Tyrus married the love of his life, Ruth Ng Kim, and had his first child.
In need of a stable income, Ruth’s mother recommended Tyrus take his art to Disney.
Tyrus was quickly hired and became an in-betweener. This work was grueling and mechanical and not enjoyable to Tyrus at all.
In hopes of escaping his in-betweening work, Tyrus brought his paintings to Bambi’s Art Director, who then passed along his work to Walt Disney— who personally okayed Tyrus becoming a concept artist for the film.
Tyrus never met Walt Disney and feared it was because of his being Chinese.
Before the completion of the film Tyrus was unceremoniously fired and later listed as a “background artist” on the film, which was both inaccurate and highly minimizing of his contribution.
“In terms of design, Bambi is Tyrus Wong”
- John Canemaker, Animation Director & Historian
Tyrus’ treatment at Disney left such a bad taste in his mouth, that when he was asked to return to design Mulan in the 90s, he declined stating, “It doesn’t mean anything to me anymore”.
After Disney:
Tyrus continued to work in film making his way into live-action working as a concept and storyboard artist for many films, including Rebel Without a Cause.
When there was no available work in film Tyrus painted Hallmark cards and dinnerware.
During his retirement years, Tyrus studied Chinese kitemaking and continued to create incredible work for his own enjoyment.
Well into his 90s, Tyrus finally began to receive recognition for his contributions as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
Even after a barrage of late recognition, Tyrus believed that his success was due to “luck and hard work […] not talent.”
An icon, a pioneer, and an absolute inspiration.
Comments (Let’s Chat!):
Do you think you’ll watch the documentary?
*Aggressively pushes interests onto others*
Had you already known about Tyrus Wong?
Did you learn anything interesting through Tyrus’ story?
Is this post too long?
I usually try to keep my posts more brief, but I had so many feelings!!!
Listening to:
I didn't know about Tyrus Wong, but 'Bambi' is still my favorite Disney movie. The beautiful backgrounds are one of the main reasons. I'll have to look for the American Masters program, as well.
Thanks so much for this!
I've watched a documentary about the animators on the Disney streaming service and don't remember seeing anything about him. That's a shame.
this was great. might as well've slurped it through a straw