In an industry predominately white male, we need to highlight and celebrate Black Animators, who bring their voices and talent to major companies giving us diverse stories and characters. As we promote the arts in Fountaindale Library, it seems fitting that we showcase the talented animators and celebrate their work.
Content by Black Animators
Floyd Norman
Floyd Norman became the first African American animator to work for Disney. He did this in 1957 when racial tensions were at an all-time high as the Civil Rights movement was happening. His hiring was two years after Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama. Floyd worked on iconic Disney films such as Sleeping Beauty, One-Hundred and One Dalmations and Jungle Book. He left Disney briefly to co-found Vingnett Films Inc., where he worked on six animated films that became some of the first films produced about black history.
He worked on Sesame Street and Hey Hey Hey, It’s Fat Albert. In 1970 he returned to Disney, where he worked on Robin Hood, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Mulan, Dinosaur and Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Ayoka Chenzira
Ayoka “Ayo” Chenzira is the first African American Woman animator. She is also a producer, director and writer. She has experimented with her films and found a unique voice in bringing her stories into film. Ayoka Chenzira is best known for her movie Alma’s Rainbow (1993) and her animated short Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyheaded People (1984)
Pilar Newton
Pilar Newton has worked on Courage the Cowardly Dog and MTV’s Daria. She later worked on illustrating children’s books for Nickelodeon’s Rocket Power. Currently, Pilar works in her own company, PilarToons.
Ian Jones-Quartey
Ian Jones-Quartey is best known for his work in Steven Universe. He was a director and executive producer for that award-winning show. He left Steven Universe in 2015 to create his show OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes! where he also did voice-over acting. He was also a storyboard artist for Adventure Time and has made two webcomics.
Bruce W. Smith
Bruce W. Smith created and directed The Proud Family for the Disney Channel. This was a groundbreaking animation because it was the first-ever Disney show to have a black girl be the lead. He later became an animation supervisor for Disney’s first black princess, The Princess and the Frog. Smith co-directed Hair Love, an Academy Award-winning short. He also worked on Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph.
LeSean Thomas
LeSean Thomas is an animator, producer and director. Recently he created an anime series for Netflix called Cannon Busters. LeSean Thomas was also the supervising character designer and co-directed The Boondocks. He was supervising director for Black Dynamite and did storyboards for The Legend of Korra.
Peter Ramsey
Peter Ramsey is known for the groundbreaking animation Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and his film Rise of the Guardians. He is the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He has worked as a storyboard artist and illustrator for many huge box office films.
Sonya Carey
Sonya Carey has been animating for a quarter-century; she has worked on Ren and Stimpy, Winnie the Pooh, The Princess and the Frog and The Proud Family Movie. She was head of studio operations for Portfolio Entertainment, an animation studio focusing on children’s programming. Now she runs The Animation Lounge, using her experience to teach and train 2D animators to refine their skills and become professionals.