The King of Cartoons

With art school grads ready to give their right arm — or at least a sweaty summer as a costumed “cast member” of the Disney team — for future job contacts, it’s hard to believe there was a time when an animator would’ve risked a cushy job with Disney for...

By Terra Sullivan

July 16, 2009

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With art school grads ready to give their right arm — or at least a sweaty summer as a costumed “cast member” of the Disney team — for future job contacts, it’s hard to believe there was a time when an animator would’ve risked a cushy job with Disney for the sake of art. But that’s just what happened when Jules Engel and a group of artists left Disney’s animation team to start United Productions of America studio in the 1940s. Free from the forbidding eye of Walt, Engel worked as a painter, background artist and director for animated films. While his name doesn’t carry the clout of his former employer, his work on Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mr. Magoo, Madeline and others does. During “Mr. Magoo Goes Arty” at Williams Gallery (6894 Stirling Rd., Davie), you can see lithographs and original production cells from Engel’s famous creations. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 954-533-3947.
July 18-25, 2009

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