David Dodd Hand (January 23, 1900 – October 11, 1986) was an American
animator
An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...
and animation filmmaker known for his work at
Walt Disney Productions. He worked on numerous Disney shorts during the 1930s and eventually became supervising director on the animated features ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
'' and ''
Bambi
''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
''.
Biography
Born in
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City", , Hand began his animation career working on
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków, in Austrian Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development ...
's ''
Out of the Inkwell'' cartoons throughout the 1920s. He joined the Disney studio in 1930 during a major drive by Disney to recruit from the best of animating talent.
Hand immediately made his mark as an animator. By 1932 he was regarded as one of the studio's top animators (despite some complaints that his work was "too mechanical")
[Transcript of Michael Barrier's interview with David Hand](_blank)
/ref> and had become a close friend of Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
himself. Hand's organizational skills made Disney select him to be the studio's third director after Burt Gillett
Burton F. Gillett (October 15, 1891 – December 28, 1971) was a Film director, director of animation, animated films. He is noted for his Silly Symphonies work for Walt Disney Pictures, Disney, particularly the 1932 short film ''Flowers and Tree ...
and Wilfred Jackson
Wilfred Emmons Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, musical arranger and film director, director best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Productions.
Jackson joined Walt Dis ...
. He made his directorial debut for the company with the Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
short '' Building a Building'' and went on to direct both ''Silly Symphony'' and Mickey Mouse shorts, including '' The Flying Mouse'', '' Who Killed Cock Robin?'', '' Three Orphan Kittens'', and '' Thru the Mirror''. By the late 1930s Hand's management skills had allowed him to ascend the hierarchy of the Studio to functioning as Disney's right-hand man. But as historian Michael Barrier notes "Hand's position was fundamentally untenable—he was second in command in an organization whose leader, younger than Hand himself, had no intention of ever stepping aside or sharing real power."
Gaumont British Animation
After leaving Disney in 1944, Hand went to England, and, with the backing of J. Arthur Rank, established Gaumont British Animation at Moor Hall in 1946 to produce a series called ''Animaland'' and another called ''Musical Paintbox''. After establishing the Moor Hall studio, Hand began directing and producing several theatrical animated advertisements. One of his first works as an advertising director at Gaumont-British
The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was a British company that produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of France's Gaumont (company), Gaumont.
Film production
Gaumo ...
is an animated advertisement for Rowntree's in 1946. In Hand's later years in English advertising, Hand is well-known for his animated ''Ye Olde English Car-Tunes'' on Esso
Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...
in 1948. With his ''Animaland'' and ''Musical Paintbox'' series gaining steam all across England, both of his series were unable to get distribution in the United States (although they did get distribution in Canada), and the studio closed in 1950, dooming plans to produce two animated features adapted from H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
' '' The First Men in the Moon'' and Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
's '' The Hunting of the Snark''. Hand moved to Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
where he worked for the next 18 years at the Alexander Film Company, a maker of commercials and industrial films.
Animaland & Musical Paintbox
Beginning in late-September 1948, Hand's ''Animaland'' and ''Musical Paintbox'' series were released to theaters in the United Kingdom. Later in June 1949, both of his series were released to theaters in Canada. Few in number, Hand's shorts were shown in theaters for only a year-and-a-half, ending their run in the United Kingdom in July 1950 and in Canada in October 1950.
Hand's first five ''Animaland'' shorts featured the animated lives of animal species, while the remaining four of his shorts featured the leading character Ginger Nutt, a little red squirrel who lives his life with his girl Hazel Nutt and faces trouble with characters Loopy Hare, Corny Crow, and Dusty Mole. Ginger Nutt's first short, ''It's A Lovely Day'', was released to theaters in England on August 11, 1949 (and in Canada a short time later). Hand told ''The Manchester Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' that his animation team in Cookham
Cookham is a historic River Thames, Thames-side village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north-eastern edge of Berkshire, England, north-north-east of Maidenhead and opposite the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Bourne ...
managed experimental work with the object of a British cartoon character capable of challenging American animation audiences.How David Hand brought the "Ginger Nutt" idea
/ref> With his contributions to British animation, Hand was honored at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
in 1950.
In the early-1960s, Hand's cartoons began airing on British television for the first time in the United Kingdom. This lasted for decades on British television, continuing into the 2000s. In the Spring of 1998, most ''Animaland'' shorts made VHS distribution in the United States.
Personal life
Death
Hand died from complications of a stroke in San Luis Obispo, California
; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...
at age 86. Hand's son, David Hale Hand, has formed David Hand Productions which owns the rights to the 19 Gaumont animated shorts—nine Animaland cartoons and ten Musical Paintbox cartoons—and hopes to produce new films starring some of the characters in the shorts, e.g. Ginger Nutt. In 1994, Hand was posthumously inducted into the Disney Legends
Disney Legends is a Hall of Fame award that is awarded by The Walt Disney Company to individuals who "ave
is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
made a significant impact on the Disney legacy." The honor was established in 1987, and was traditionally awarded annually during a spe ...
program.
Filmography
* '' Midnight in a Toy Shop'' (1930)
* '' The China Plate'' (1931)
* '' Egyptian Melodies'' (1931)
* ''Trader Mickey'' (1932)
* ''Old King Cole
"Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index numbe ...
'' (1933)
* '' Birds in the Spring'' (1933)
* '' The Mad Doctor'' (1933)
* '' Building a Building'' (1933)
* '' The Flying Mouse'' (1934)
* '' The Dognapper'' (1934)
* '' Mickey's Steam Roller'' (1934)
* '' Who Killed Cock Robin?'' (1935)
* '' Pluto's Judgement Day'' (1935)
* '' The Robber Kitten'' (1935)
* '' Three Orphan Kittens'' (1935)
* '' Mickey's Polo Team'' (1936)
* '' Thru the Mirror'' (1936)
* '' Three Blind Mouseketeers'' (1936)
* '' Mother Pluto'' (1936)
* '' Three Little Wolves'' (1936)
* '' Little Hiawatha'' (1937)
* '' Magician Mickey'' (1937)
*''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
'' (Supervising director; 1937)
* '' The Whalers'' (1938)
* '' Fantasia'' (Associate producer; 1940)
* ''Bambi
''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
'' (Supervising director; 1942)
* '' Victory Through Air Power'' (Animation supervisor; 1943)
''Animaland''
David Hand served as producer on all 9 shorts in this series.
* ''The Lion (Felis Leo)'' (1948)
* ''The House-Cat (Felis Vulgaris)'' (1948)
* ''The Cuckoo'' (1948)
* ''The Ostrich'' (1949)
* ''The Australian Platypus'' (1949)
* ''It's a Lovely Day'' (1949)
* ''Ginger Nutt's Bee-Bother'' (1949)
* ''Ginger Nutt's Christmas Circus'' (1949)
* ''Ginger Nutt's Forest Dragon'' (1950)
''Musical Paintbox''
David Hand served as producer on all 10 shorts in this series.
* ''Wales'' (1948)
* ''The Thames'' (1948)
* ''Somerset'' (1949)
* ''A Fantasy on Ireland'' (1949)
* ''Yorkshire Ditty'' (1949)
* ''Sketches of Scotland'' (1949)
* ''Cornwall'' (1949)
* ''Canterbury Road'' (1949)
* ''Devon Whey'' (1950)
* ''A Fantasy on London Life'' (1950)
References
External links
*
David Hand's Disney Legends bio
David Hand Productions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hand, David Dodd
1900 births
1986 deaths
American animated film directors
Animators from New Jersey
Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners
Film directors from New Jersey
Hugo Award winners
Walt Disney Animation Studios people
People from Plainfield, New Jersey