Frederick L. "Toby" Bluth (July 11, 1940 – October 31, 2013) was an American

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

who worked on many Disney films and others as

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 ...

background artist A background artist or sometimes called a background stylist or background painter is one who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the color, style, and mood of a scene drawn by an animation layout artist. The methods used can e ...

, and

production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

. He had a long career writing and illustrating children's books, as well as performing and directing, nearly one hundred musicals, both on Broadway and off. His artwork is prominently displayed at most of the

Disney theme parks Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort. Led by Josh D'Amaro, t ...

around the world. He was the younger brother of

Don Bluth Donald Virgil Bluth ( ; born September 13, 1937) is an American filmmaker, animator, video game designer and author. He came to prominence working for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions before creating his own film studio in ...

, whom he collaborated with on both theater and animation.

Style

Gustaf Tenggren Gustaf Adolf Tenggren (November 3, 1896 – April 9, 1970) was a Swedes, Swedish illustrator and animator. He is known for his Arthur Rackham-influenced fairy-tale style and use of silhouetted figures with caricatured faces. Tenggren was a chief i ...

was a big inspiration throughout Bluth's career. When asked how he approached each of his

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

masterpieces, Toby described his intent as

Creating the moment that you think you saw ... How one remembers a film is often different from the actual film itself.

In addition to his work on Disney films, Bluth created a large portfolio of erotic gay art, as well as commissioned illustrations for gay businesses and publications like ''The Advocate''.

Death

He died on October 31, 2013, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, following a stroke. He was survived by his long time partner, Jack Griffith, and his older brother Don Bluth."Toby Bluth R.I.P."
- article by

Jerry Beck Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955) is an American animation historian, author, blogger (person), blogger, and video producer. Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including ''Looney Tunes and ...

on Animation Scoop; November 6, 2013; retrieved November 6, 2013.

Filmography

Books written and illustrated by Toby Bluth

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References

External links

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Artist's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluth, Toby 1940 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters American animated film directors American art directors American gay artists American male painters American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Swedish descent American production designers American storyboard artists Animators from Texas Background artists Don Bluth Gay male erotica artists Place of birth missing Prop designers Pseudonymous artists Walt Disney Animation Studios people