People
“Behind the breakthrough magic of Walt Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and his other 30s and 40s classics—Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi—toiled as many as 100 young women, the inkers and painters, working from dawn to dusk on thousands of cels that brought his dreams to life."
—Patricia Zohn, Huffington Post contributor
—Patricia Zohn, Huffington Post contributor
Disney's Forgotten
It was known to few that the people behind the early Disney facade were mainly women. Disney provided a unique opportunity for women, and in a way, brought forth equality in the workforce. The inkers and painters of the studio were the forgotten wonder workers of the studio who played a crucial part in the making of the films.
“I’ll be so thankful when Snow White is finished and I can live like a human once again,” Rae wrote after she recorded 85 hours in a week. “We would work like little slaves and everybody would go to sleep wherever they were,” said inker Jeanne Lee Keil, one of two left-handers in the department who had to learn everything backward (Zohn).
“I’ll be so thankful when Snow White is finished and I can live like a human once again,” Rae wrote after she recorded 85 hours in a week. “We would work like little slaves and everybody would go to sleep wherever they were,” said inker Jeanne Lee Keil, one of two left-handers in the department who had to learn everything backward (Zohn).