Bill Tytla

Vladimir Tytla (October 25, 1904 – December 30, 1968), sometimes referred to by friends as Bill Tytla, was an animator at the Disney studio in the 1930s and 1940s.

Tytla is generally considered to be one of the greatest animators ever to work at the studio (Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston once said that there would never be an animator to replace him), and the first to give animated characters emotions. On Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs he and Fred Moore were put in charge of the animation of the seven dwarfs. Tytla focused particularly on Doc and Grumpy; he animated Grumpy's reaction to a kiss from Snow White. He went on to animate three of Disney's most imposing, powerful characters: Stromboli in Pinocchio and Yen Sid and Chernabog in Fantasia, before moving on to the rather more sympathetic titular character of Dumbo.

Like many of his characters, Tytla was a physically imposing man with a personality to match. His best friend at the studio was Art Babbitt. He participated in the Disney animators' strike; he was the only top animator besides Babbit to do so.