Floyd Norman was hired by the Walt Disney Company in 1956 as an assistant animator. This is described as the lowest of the low; presumably they no longer hired people to wash the ink and paint out of the cels after the film went out. He was the first African American hired as an artist at Disney. He worked there for ten years, with time out for the Army, contributing to the features, then struck out on his own. Some of the notable pieces of animation he did included the opening sequence to the TV show SOUL TRAIN and the Cosby 'Fat Albert' special and series.
This documentary emphasizes the normality of Mr. Norman. At times, he seems boring. True, he was a pioneering Black animator, and went to Watts to shoot film of the riots in 1965, but the movie emphasizes his business troubles, his wife and children, all the things that occupy the life of millions of Americans. That, I think, is the point of this movie. Norman seems like an average Joe with a decent sense of humor and a real talent for drawing and animation. Pretty nice guy.
This documentary emphasizes the normality of Mr. Norman. At times, he seems boring. True, he was a pioneering Black animator, and went to Watts to shoot film of the riots in 1965, but the movie emphasizes his business troubles, his wife and children, all the things that occupy the life of millions of Americans. That, I think, is the point of this movie. Norman seems like an average Joe with a decent sense of humor and a real talent for drawing and animation. Pretty nice guy.