Randy Fullmer dead – Disney legend who worked on The Lion King & The Little Mermaid dies aged 73 after cancer battle
DISNEY legend Randy Fullmer has died aged 73 after a long battle with cancer.
The animator and producer worked on many Disney films – including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.
Walt Disney Animation confirmed to Variety that he died on July 10 at his home in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles.
Don Hahn, who worked with Fullmer, said: “He could draw and paint beautifully, but he had the mind of an engineer, and the heart of an artisan.
“He was great at animation – great at producing movies, too.
“He was at the very centre of the Disney renaissance in animation, then when he needed a new chapter in his life, he started making exquisite and much sought-after bass guitars with that same engineer’s mind and artistic soul he brought to Disney animated movies.
“His masterful woodwork radiates with his love for the craftsman ethic of working with head, hands and heart.
“I miss him but I carry his passion and joy with me every day. Always will.”
Fullmer’s family said his “energy is now flying around the cosmos, and he would love for others to use it as inspiration to take their own creative risks”.
Born in Richland, Washington on April 27, 1960, Fullmer studied film and animation at California Institute of the Arts.
He launched his own animation business before joining Don Bluth Studios – creating special effects for Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace.
In 1987, Fullmer was initially hired by Walt Disney Animation Studios on a three-month contract – which turned into a lengthy 18-year career with Disney.
He worked as an effects animator on Oliver & Company and The Little Mermaid, a visual effects supervisor on Beauty and the Beast, and an artistic coordinator on The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
He was also a producer on The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little.
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