Walt Kelly
- Biography
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Walt Kelly (1913-1973) was an American cartoonist and animator best known for his comic strip Pogo. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He began his career as an animator for Walt Disney Studios, where he worked on films such as Pinocchio and Fantasia. He left Disney in 1941 to pursue his own projects, and in 1948 he created Pogo, a comic strip about a group of animals living in the Okefenokee Swamp.
Early Life
Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. was born on August 25, 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Walter Sr., was a newspaperman and his mother, Genevieve, was a schoolteacher. When he was five, his family moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he attended public school. He was an avid reader and enjoyed drawing from an early age.
At the age of 16, Kelly enrolled in the Bridgeport School of Art, where he studied cartooning and illustration. He also took classes at the Art Students League in New York City. After graduating in 1933, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in animation.
Career in Animation
In 1934, Kelly was hired by Walt Disney Studios as an in-betweener, a position that involved drawing the frames between the key frames of a cartoon. He worked on films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia. He also worked on the Donald Duck and Goofy shorts.
In 1941, Kelly left Disney to pursue his own projects. He worked as a freelance animator and illustrator, and his work appeared in magazines such as Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post. He also wrote and illustrated several children's books.
Pogo
In 1948, Kelly created Pogo, a comic strip about a group of animals living in the Okefenokee Swamp. The strip featured characters such as Albert the Alligator, Churchy LaFemme the Turtle, and Beauregard the Hound Dog. The strip was an immediate success, and Kelly went on to write and draw it for the next 25 years.
Pogo was known for its witty dialogue and its subtle political and social commentary. Kelly often used the strip to comment on current events, and he was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. He also used the strip to promote environmentalism and conservation.
Legacy
Walt Kelly died on October 18, 1973 at the age of 60. He left behind a legacy of witty and insightful comic strips that continue to be enjoyed by readers today. He was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999.
Date modified: Apr 4, 2023We seek for an accuracy and correctness in our content. In case you spot any mistake, please contact us
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