He was called the Laurence Olivier of animation. He was a big part of bringing classic Disney films like Snow White to life. The story of Fresno’s Frank Thomas, today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots.
First, let’s get this out of the way. There were two Frank Thomases in Fresno. They were father and son, and both were well known. Frank Thomas the elder was the second president of Fresno State, from 1927-1948. His name graces the former administration building at Fresno State and a Fresno elementary school to this day.
His son, also named Frank, grew up here and attended Fresno State, before going off to Stanford and the Chouinard Art Institute. He was hired by Walt Disney in 1934 and became one of the top animators for the company. He worked on around 20 films from Pinocchio to Peter Pan. The famous spaghetti eating scene in Lady and the Tramp? That’s Frank Thomas. Bambi and Thumper learning to ice skate? Also one of his creations.
Thomas was considered one of Disney’s “Nine Old Men” and later co-authored the book “Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life” with fellow animator Ollie Johnston. He was also the subject of the documentary Frank & Ollie. Thomas died in 2004, shortly after working on his last Disney film, The Incredibles, where he and Johnston each voiced a character.
