|
|||
|
About the Author
|
|||
| Preston Blair was a native Californian from Redlands. He attended Pomona College, then studied art at the Otis Art Institute and illustration under Pruett Carter at Chouinard. He exhibited widely as a member of the California Watercolor Society and the American Watercolor Society in New York.
Preston was one of the fine artists of animation. With the Disney Studio, he designed and animated the hippos in "The Dance of the Hours" and animated Mickey Mouse in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" (both in Fantasia), parts of Pinocchio, and the segment in Bambi when the owl tells about love in "twitterpatted" speech. At MGM, Preston directed Barney Bear shorts, and is well known as the animator and designer of Red Hot Riding Hood in the Tex Avery epic shorts. Later, Preston moved to Connecticut and produced television commercials, educational films, and half-hour cartoon episodes (including The Flintstones) for West Coast producers. More recently, he was an inventor of interactive TV systems using animation methods to teach reading or to provide full-figure game action that simulates reality for example, playing tennis with an animated opponent. Preston died in April 1995 at the age of 85. |
