Film Forum

Join noted author and historian Mindy Johnson for a family-friendly illustrated presentation on the unsung women whose contributions shaped the look of classic Walt Disney animation, including such pioneers as dancer/choreographer Marge Champion (the model for Snow White and Pinocchio’s Blue Fairy); pioneering illustrator Gyo Fujikawa; artist Mary Blair; Disney’s first female animator, Milicent Patrick (later designer of “The Creature of the Black Lagoon"); and more. This unique program includes three complete vintage Disney cartoons (Flowers and Trees, The Old Mill, and Once Upon a Wintertime), along with vintage photographs, drawings, and clips from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, etc. Mindy’s book for young readers, Pencils, Pens & Brushes: A Great Girls’ Guide to Disney Animation, will be available for sale at our concession, with a book signing following the event.

Award-winning author, historian, filmmaker, and educator Mindy Johnson is a leading expert on the unknown roles of women in animation and film history. She was recently honored with the ASIFA–Hollywood Animation Educators Forum Faculty Grant and a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation. Mindy's groundbreaking discoveries cast light on the unacknowledged contributions of women in the first century of movie history.

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