Jack Kinney
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John Ryan Kinney (March 29, 1909 – February 9, 1992)Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 was an American
animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple 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 gam ...
, director and producer of
animated short Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
s. Kinney is the older brother of fellow Disney animator Dick Kinney.


Early life

Jack Kinney was born on March 29, 1909, in Utah.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 He attended John Muir Junior High School in Los Angeles, California (1925), and John C. Fremont High School (1926 - 1928), at the latter with Roy Williams. Both Fremont football players, they would later be hired by Walt Disney in 1930 to work at the Walt Disney Studio on Hyperion Avenue. Often referring to himself as Kinney's best friend, Williams would go on to star as the "Big Mooseketeer" with head Mouseketeer Jimmie Dodd on the classic 1950s television program, '' The Mickey Mouse Club'' (1955–1958).


Career

According to Jeff Lenburg's assessment of him, Kinney was a veteran
animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple 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 gam ...
, who spend most of his career working at Walt Disney Productions (later known as the Walt Disney Animation Studios). He directed the first film in the ''
Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...
'' series to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Two other films directed by Kinney were nominated for the same award.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Kinney joined the Walt Disney studio on February 9, 1931. He was hired as an animator. He initially inked films for both the ''
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
'' and '' Silly Symphony'' series of the studio. His film credits as an animator include '' The Band Concert'' (1935) and '' The Cookie Carnival'' (1935).Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Kinney also served as a story director in films featuring Mickey Mouse and Pluto. His film credits in that role include ''
Brave Little Tailor ''Brave Little Tailor'' is a 1938 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is an adaptation of the fairy tale ''The Valiant Little Tailor'' with Mickey Mouse in the title role. It wa ...
'' (1938), '' Mickey's Trailer'' (1938) and '' Society Dog Show'' (1939).Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Kinney served as a sequence director on 10 of the Disney theatrical feature films. His credits in that role included '' Pinocchio'' (1940), '' Dumbo'' (1941), ''
Saludos Amigos ''Saludos Amigos'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "Greetings, Friends") is a 1942 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. It is the List of ...
'' (1942), '' Victory Through Air Power'' (1943), '' The Three Caballeros'' (1944), '' Make Mine Music'' (1946), '' Fun and Fancy Free'' (1947), '' Melody Time'' (1948), and ''
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ''The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad'' is a 1949 American animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions, released by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney and James Algar with Ben Sharpsteen as production ...
'' (1949)Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Beginning in 1940, Kinney was promoted to the position of director for animated short films. Kinney was the primary director of the ''
Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...
'' series, with his debut being the second entry in the series, ''Goofy's Glider'' (1940), all the way up to the final regular entry in the series, ''How to Sleep'' (1953), directing a total of 39 entries in the series. His most notable creations for this series were the Goofy ''How to...'', where the character demonstrated how to play various popular sports. Goofy's efforts in these films had "predictably disastrous" results.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 One of his Goofy cartoons, '' How to Play Football'' (1944), was nominated the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, one of two entries in the ''Goofy'' series to be nominated for the Award. Kinney also directed two entries in the '' Pluto'' series, as well as directing four entries in the ''
Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...
'' series, including '' Der Fuehrer's Face'' (1943), a wartime satire of Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany,Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 which became the only Donald Duck short to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, as well being listed as Number 22 in the 1994 book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. Kinney's other director credits included a number of ''Walt Disney Specials''. Among them were '' Pigs Is Pigs'' (1954), ''
Casey Bats Again This is a list of animated short films produced by Walt Disney and Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1921 to the present. This includes films produced at the Laugh-O-Gram Studio which Disney founded in 1921 as well as the animation studio now o ...
'' (1954), and '' Social Lion'' (1954). ''Pigs Is Pigs'' was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It was the third and last film directed by Kinney to be nominated for the Award.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Another film credit for Kinney as a director was '' The Lone Chipmunks'' (1954). It was the last animated short film of the '' Chip 'n' Dale'' series.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 From 1954 to 1957, Kinney started directing television animation. He supervised new animation used to tie some of the old shorts together for the '' Walt Disney anthology television series'', which was broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 On March 13, 1958, Kinney departed from the Disney studio. He served at the Disney company for 27 years.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 After Kinney left Disney, he started an independent animation studio, Kinney-Adelquist Productions, Inc. . His partner was Hal Adelquist, another Disney alum. According to animation historian Jeff Lenburg, the company was known as Jack Kinney Productions.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Kinney directed an animated feature film for the UPA studio. It was ''
1001 Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
'' (1959) and featured
Mr. Magoo Mr. Magoo (known by his full name: J. Quincy Magoo) is a fictional cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Mr. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical ...
.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Kinney next partnered with his own brother Dick Kinney, to produce '' Popeye the Sailor'' (1960-1961), an animated television series from
King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...
. The series was shot in color.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Kinney resurfaced as a story writer for '' The New Three Stooges'' (1965), a television series which featured both live-action and animated segments.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 He was next hired as a story director by
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
, serving in this position from 1978 to 1982. He worked on several saturday-morning cartoons by the company. Among them were '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'' (1979-1980) and ''
The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour ''The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour'' is a 60-minute Saturday morning animated package show co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Ruby-Spears Enterprises and broadcast on ABC from September 25, 1982 to December 18, 1982. The show contain ...
'' (1982-1983).Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 In 1983, Kinney was awarded a Winsor McCay Award, in recognition for his lifetime of contribution to the art of animation. The award was created by the International Animated Film Society (also known as ASIFA-Hollywood).Lenburg (2006), pp. 180


Death and legacy

In 1988, Kinney published a short memoir, ''Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters: An Unauthorized Account of the Early Years at Disney's''. The book served as his
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
.Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 Kinney died on February 9, 1992, in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
at the age of 82. His death was reported as a death by natural causes.Obituary in the New York Times
Retrieved March 2012Lenburg (2006), pp. 180


Filmography


Short films

* '' Santa's Workshop'' (animator - uncredited) (1932) * ''
Birds in the Spring ''Birds in the Spring'' is a ''Silly Symphonies'' animated Disney short film. It was released in 1933. Plot Various birds are seen building nests and caring for eggs. One pair anxiously awaits the hatching of three eggs, then joyfully summon al ...
'' (animator - uncredited) (1933) * ''
Ye Olden Days ''Ye Olden Days'' is a 1933 animated short film, released as part of the ''Mickey Mouse'' film series. It was directed by Burt Gillett and produced by Walt Disney. It was the 55th Mickey Mouse short film, and the fifth of that year. Plot Set in E ...
'' (animator - uncredited) (1933) * ''The Mail Pilot'' (animator - uncredited) (1933) * '' Mickey's Mechanical Man'' (animator - uncredited) (1933) * ''
The Hot Choc-late Soldiers ''The Hot Choc-late Soldiers'', also stylized as ''The Hot Chocolate Soldiers'', is an American animated short film that was made by Walt Disney Productions for MGM's 1934 film '' Hollywood Party'', which premiered on June 1, 1934. It is prefaced ...
'' (animator - uncredited) (1934) * ''Two-Gun Mickey'' (animator - uncredited) (1934) * '' The Band Concert'' (director and animator) (1935) * '' Mickey's Service Station'' (animator) (1935) * '' The Cookie Carnival'' (director and animator) (1935) * ''
Mickey's Fire Brigade ''Mickey's Fire Brigade'' is a 1935 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The cartoon stars Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy employed as firefighters responding to a hotel fire. I ...
'' (animator) (1935) * '' Cock o' the Walk'' (animator) (1935) * ''
Donald and Pluto ''Donald and Pluto'' is a 1936 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film stars Donald Duck, employed as a plumber, and Mickey's dog Pluto as his assistant. The film was directed by Ben Sha ...
'' (writer) (1936) * '' Moose Hunters'' (animator) (1937) * '' Mickey's Trailer'' (writer and director) (1938) * '' Mickey's Parrot'' (writer) (1938) * ''
Brave Little Tailor ''Brave Little Tailor'' is a 1938 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is an adaptation of the fairy tale ''The Valiant Little Tailor'' with Mickey Mouse in the title role. It wa ...
'' (writer and director) (1938) * '' Society Dog Show'' (writer and director) (1939) * ''Goofy's Glider'' (writer and director) (1940) * '' Bone Trouble'' (director) (1940) * ''Baggage Buster'' (director) (1941) * ''
The Art of Skiing ''The Art of Skiing'' is a Goofy cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions in 1941. It has historical significance as the first cartoon to use the now-famous Goofy holler, as well as the short that led to the "How to..." series, beginning with '' ...
'' (director) (1941) * '' The Art of Self Defense'' (director) (1941) * '' How to Play Baseball'' (director) (1942) * ''
The Olympic Champ ''The Olympic Champ'' is a 1942 Goofy cartoon made by Walt Disney Animation Studios which explains the events in track and field at the Olympic Games. Summary It starts off with Goofy doing the Olympic torch relay to the cauldron and then explai ...
'' (director) (1942) * '' How to Swim'' (director) (1942) * ''
How to Fish ''How to Fish'' is an animated short produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on December 9, 1942. It stars Goofy and was directed by Jack Kinney John Ryan Kinney (March 29, 1909 – February 9, 1992)Lenburg (2006), pp. 180 was ...
'' (director) (1942) * '' Der Fuehrer's Face'' (director) (1943) * ''Figaro and Cleo'' (director) (uncredited; 1943) * ''Victory Vehicles'' (director) (1943) * ''
How to Play Golf ''How to Play Golf'' is a 1944 short animated Walt Disney Productions film directed by Jack Kinney. Eight minutes long, it was distributed by RKO, and was a part of a series where Goofy learned to play various sports. Reception Upon release, '' ...
'' (director) (1944) * ''How to Be a Sailor'' (writer and director) (1944) * '' How to Play Football'' (director) (1944) * '' Hockey Homicide'' (director) (1945) * '' Duck Pimples'' (director) (1945) * ''Californy er Bust'' (director) (1945) * ''African Diary'' (director) (1945) * ''Tiger Trouble'' (director) (1945) * '' The Story of Menstruation'' (short documentary) (director) (uncredited; 1946) * ''
Goofy Gymnastics ''Goofy Gymnastics'' is a Goofy cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on September 23, 1949. Plot Goofy enters home tired after a hard day at work. Exhausted, he suddenly notices an exercise advertisemen ...
'' (director) (1949) * ''Tennis Racquet'' (director) (1949) * ''
Hold That Pose ''Hold That Pose'' is a 1950 American animated cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film's plot centers on Goofy trying to get a job as a wildlife photographer but ending up causing trouble in a g ...
'' (director) (1950) * '' Motor Mania'' (director) (1950) * '' The Brave Engineer'' (director) (1950) * ''How to Ride a Horse'' (director) (1950) * ''
Lion Down ''Lion Down'' is a 1951 Goofy cartoon featuring Goofy and Louie the Mountain Lion. The film's plot centers on Goofy and Louie competing for a comfortable place to rest. The film is Louie's third appearance. Plot Goofy is trying to enjoy some pe ...
'' (director) (1951) * '' Father's Lion'' (director) (1951) * '' No Smoking'' (director) (1951) * ''Fathers Are People'' (director) (1951) * ''Get Rich Quick'' (director) (1951) * ''Tomorrow We Diet!'' (director) (1951) * ''Cold War'' (1951) (director) * ''Home Made Home'' (director) (1951) * ''Cold Storage'' (director) (1951) * ''How to Be a Detective'' (1952) * ''Two Weeks Vacation'' (director) (1952) * ''Teachers Are People'' (director) (1952) * ''Two Gun Goofy'' (director) (1952) * ''Man's Best Friend'' (director) (1952) * ''Hello Aloha'' (director) (1952) * '' Donald's Diary'' (director) (1953) * ''How to Sleep'' (director) (1953) * ''Football Now and Then'' (director) (1953) * ''How to dance'' (director) (1953) * ''Father's Week-end'' (director) (1953) * ''For Whom the Bulls Toil'' (director) (1953) * ''Father's Day Off'' (director) (1953) * ''
Canvas Back Duck ''Canvas Back Duck'' is a 1953 Walt Disney animated short film starring Donald Duck and his nephews. Plot Donald and his nephews visit a carnival. While they play games, Donald is tricked by a shifty barker into fighting "Pee Wee Pete" ( Pegleg ...
'' (writer) (1953) * ''Two for the Record'' (director) (1954) * '' The Lone Chipmunks'' (director) (1954) * '' Pigs Is Pigs'' (director) (1954) * ''Casey Bats Again'' (director) (1954) * ''Social Lion'' (director) (1954) * ''
Chips Ahoy Chips Ahoy! is an American chocolate chip cookie brand, baked and marketed by Nabisco, a subsidiary of Mondelez International, that debuted in 1963. Chips Ahoy! cookies are available in different variations such as, original, reduced-fat, chunky, ...
'' (director) (1955) * ''Contrast in Rhythm'' (director) (1956) * ''How to Have an Accident in the Home'' (writer) (1956) * ''How to Have an Accident at Work'' (writer) (1959)


Feature films

* '' Hollywood Party'' (animator - uncredited) (1934) * '' Servants' Entrance'' (animator - uncredited) (1934) * '' Pinocchio'' (director) (1940) * '' The Reluctant Dragon'' (director) (1941) * '' Dumbo'' (director) (1941) * '' Bambi'' (animator: opening sequence) (1942) * ''
Saludos Amigos ''Saludos Amigos'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "Greetings, Friends") is a 1942 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. It is the List of ...
'' (director: ''El gaucho Goofy'' segment; 1942) * '' Victory Through Air Power'' (director) (1943) * '' The Three Caballeros'' (director) (1944) * '' Make Mine Music'' (director: Five of the film's ten segments: ''The Martins and the Coys'', ''All the Cats Join In'', ''Casey at the Bat'', ''Two Silhouettes'', and ''Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet'' segments; 1946) * '' Fun and Fancy Free'' (director: Bongo segment; 1947) * '' Melody Time'' (director: ''Bumble Boogie'' segment; 1948) * ''
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ''The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad'' is a 1949 American animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions, released by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney and James Algar with Ben Sharpsteen as production ...
'' (director: both ''The Wind in the Willows'' and ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'' segments; 1949) * '' Peter Pan'' (director) (uncredited; 1953) * ''
1001 Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
'' (director) (1959) * '' How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' (animator) (1965) * '' The Jungle Book'' (director) (1967) * '' Song of Norway'' (animator) (1970)


Television

* '' Disneyland'' (1955-1979) ** ''The Goofy Success Story'' (writer and director; 1955) ** ''The Wind in the Willows'' (director; 1955) ** ''The Goofy Sports Story'' (writer and director; 1956) ** ''Pluto's Day'' (writer; 1956) ** ''How to Relax'' (segment director; 1957) ** ''Four Fabulous Characters'' (segment director; 1957) ** ''Adventures in Fantasy'' (segment director; 1957) ** ''Magic and Music'' (segment director; 1958) ** ''Donald's Weekend'' (story; 1958) ** ''This Is Your Life Donald Duck'' (segment director; 1960) ** ''This Is Your Life Donald Duck'' (sequence director; 1961) ** ''Holiday for Henpecked Husbands'' (sequence director; 1961) ** ''Inside Donald Duck'' (sequence director; 1961) ** ''Man Is His Own Worst Enemy'' (director; 1962) ** ''A Square Peg in a Round Hole'' (sequence director; 1963) ** ''Three Tall Tales'' (sequence director; 1963) ** ''In Shape with Von Drake'' (sequence director; 1964) ** ''How the West Was Lost'' (sequence director; 1967) ** ''Baseball Fever'' (director; 1979) * '' Popeye the Sailor'' (1960-1961) (story: 15 episodes; director and producer: 101 episodes) * ''Snuffy Smith and Barney'' (director: ''Snuffy's Turf Luck'' episode; 1963) * ''Krazy Kat'' (director: episode ''Housewarming''; 1963) * ''
The New 3 Stooges ''The New 3 Stooges'' is an American animated television series that ran during the 1965–66 television season starring the Three Stooges. The show follows the trio's antics both in live-action and animated segments. The cast consisted of Moe H ...
'' (writer) (1965) * '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'' (director) (1979-1980) * ''Mickey Mouse Disco'' (director) (1980) * '' The Flintstone Comedy Show'' (director) (1980) ** 1 episode: ''R.V. Fever/Fred Goes Ape/Quiet Please/Ghost Sitters/Clownfoot/Mouse Cleaning/Birthday Boy'' * ''
The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour ''The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour'' is a 60-minute Saturday morning animated package show co-produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Ruby-Spears Enterprises and broadcast on ABC from September 25, 1982 to December 18, 1982. The show contain ...
'' (director) (1982-1983) * ''DTV: Golden Oldies'' (Video) (original material; 1984) * ''DTV: Pop & Rock'' (Video) (original material; 1984) * ''DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues'' (Video) (original material; 1984) * ''The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue'' (Video short) (archive footage; 1985) * ''DTV Valentine'' (TV Movie) (original material; 1986) * ''American Legends'' (Video) (segment "The Brave Engineer") (2001)


References


Sources

*Kinney, Jack, ''Walt Disney and other assorted characters - An unauthorised account of the early years at Disney's'', Harmony Books, New York, 1988 *


External links

* Retrieved March 2012
Obituary in the New York Times
Retrieved March 2012

by
Michael Barrier Michael J. Barrier (born June 15, 1940) is an American animation historian. Work Barrier was the founder and editor of ''Funnyworld'', the first magazine exclusively devoted to comics and animation. It began as a contribution to the CAPA-Alpha a ...
and Milton Gray Retrieved October 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, Jack 1909 births 1992 deaths Animators from Utah American animated film producers 20th-century American memoirists American animated film directors Fantasy film directors Walt Disney Animation Studios people Hanna-Barbera people Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners