Former Disney animator Joe Hale has passed away of natural causes at his home in Atascadero, California. He was 99.
Joe Hale Dies at 99
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hale died on January 29, 2025. He contributed 35 years of his life to being an animator, layout artist, and producer at Disney. He also received an Oscar nomination for the effects work he provided to the 1979 film “The Black Hole.”
Hale worked on many classic Disney animated films, such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “Peter Pan,” “Lady and the Tramp,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Fox and the Hound,” “Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” and “Pete’s Dragon.”
Hale was hired at Disney in April 1951 following his graduation from the Lukits Academy of Fine Arts in Los Angeles. He then became an assistant animator under one of Disney’s legendary “Nine Old Men,” Ollie Johnston. In 1955, Hale shifted to the layout department and worked on “The Wonderful World of Disney” and “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.”
The 1985 Disney film “The Black Cauldron” gave Hale the title of first-time producer and he was responsible for over 300 artists, including Tim Burton.
Hale also worked on animated special effects for other films such as “Return From Witch Mountain,” “The Cat From Outer Space,” “The Watcher in the Woods,” and “The Black Hole.”
In 2008, he received an honorary Disney Legend Award from the National Fantasy Fan Club. He did not work in Hollywood following his career at Disney, but spent a great deal of his time afterward as a sculptor.
WDWNT sends our condolences to his family and friends.
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