The New York Times has been writing better-late-than-never obits for some of history’s most notable, yet previously ignored, women. Now Deadline reports that Disney is set to give its long-overlooked women animators their due. An eight-episode docuseries, “Ink & Paint,” is in the works at the company’s upcoming streaming service and will provide “a ‘Hidden Figures’ look at a number of women who made many of the Disney animated classics possible with little or no recognition for their work.”
Based on the book by Mindy Johnson, the project hails from ABC Studios’ new Alternative Division as well as Sertner Productions. “Ink & Paint” “tells the story of animation at Disney, from ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ to ‘Coco’ and ‘Moana,’ through the prism of an unsung workforce of trailblazing women who helped create some of the greatest animated movies of all time,” the source details.
Among the docuseries’ interviewees is 108-year-old Ruthie Tompson, “possibly the oldest surviving animator.” She began her career at Disney in 1937, when she was hired as a painter in the Ink and Paint department and helped put the finishing touches on “Snow White,” the studio’s first feature-length animated film. Throughout her nearly four decades with Disney, Tompson worked as a final checker — the person who reviews animation cels before they’re transferred to film — as well as a scene planner, and an ink and paint supervisor. Her credits include “Sleeping Beauty,” “Robin Hood,” and “The Rescuers.”
“She’s very funny and very spry, and having her come back onto the lot and be able to help us launch this story was extraordinary,” Alternative Division head Fernando Hernandez said of Tompson.
The title “Ink & Paint” refers to Disney’s original animation technique: outlining individual cels in black ink before sending them off to be painted. “When Walt Disney first brought on these women, a lot of them came on as inkers and painters and then moved onto being full animators and to be leads in the industry,” Hernandez revealed of “Ink & Paint’s” subjects.
The plan is for the project to be completed by the time Disney’s streamer launches in late 2019.
While conditions have certainly improved for women in animation since Tompson’s tenure at Disney, female animators remain extremely underrepresented. According to a 2015 study, women comprise only 10 percent of animation directors and producers, 21 percent of art/designers, and 23 percent of animators. But hopefully, with the appointment of Jennifer Lee as Walt Disney Animation Studios’ chief creative officer, the tides are turning.
Another series in development at Disney’s future streaming service is the gender-flipped “High Fidelity” remake from Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka. Zoë Kravitz has signed on for the lead role.
