Wilma Baker
Wilma Baker | |
|---|---|
Wilma June McAlister, later Baker, from the 1935 yearbook of Glendale High School | |
| Born | Wilma June McAlister June 24, 1917 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 4, 2016 (age 99) Laguna Niguel, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Animator |
Wilma Baker (June 24, 1917 – September 4, 2016), born Wilma June McAlister, was an American animation artist who worked for Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1937 into the 1990s. Over her long career, she contributed to some of Disney’s most celebrated films and later received a Golden Award from the Animation Guild for her lifetime achievements.
Early life
Wilma June McAlister was born in Seattle,Washington, and raised in Glendale, California, the daughter of Paul Franklin McAlister and Golda Armstrong McAlister. Her father was an architect.[1] She graduated from Glendale High School in 1935.[2]
Career
Baker started her career at Disney as an uncredited inker and painter on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937). She continued working as a painter in the animation department at Disney for several decades,[3][4] contributing to films such as The Aristocats (1970), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Pete's Dragon (1977) and The Black Cauldron (1985). She retired from Disney in 1983, as head of the Final Checking Department. Then she returned to work as a final checker, on Fern Gully (1992), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). In 2015 she appeared in a television documentary called Behind the Magic, recalling her painting work on Snow White, especially in creating Snow White's "blush".[5]
Baker was recognized with a Golden Award from the Animation Guild in 2016.[6] She was among the film industry notables included in the "In Memoriam" portion of 2017 Academy Awards telecast.[7]
Personal life
Wilma McAlister was married twice. She married her first husband, Lewis A. Salmon, in 1939.[8] He died in Belgium during World War II.[9] They had a son, Lawrence.[10] Her second husband was Ted Baker, an editor at Disney. They had three more children together. She died in 2016, aged 99 years, in Laguna Niguel, California.[11]
References
- ^ "Three Men Now in Architect's Office". Heraldo De San Clemente. 1927-04-22. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-10-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Glendale High School, The Stylus (1935 yearbook): 52; via Ancestry.
- ^ Sito, Tom (2006-10-06). Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson. University Press of Kentucky. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-8131-7148-7.
- ^ Thompson, Kirsten Moana (2014-12-01). "Colourful material histories: The Disney paint formulae, the paint laboratory and the ink and paint department". Animation Practice, Process & Production. 4 (1): 45–66. doi:10.1386/ap3.4.1.45_1. ISSN 2042-7875. Archived from the original on 2025-05-14. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ "Behind the Magic: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (television)". D23. Archived from the original on 2025-11-27. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ Pat Landers, "The Animation Guild Golden Award Interviews #12 -- Wilma Baker and Jay Gould" The Animation Guild TAG Blog (February 22, 2016).
- ^ The 89th Annual Academy Awards 2017 In Memoriam. 2017-03-01. Archived from the original on 2024-07-06. Retrieved 2025-10-31 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Bridal Gifts Presented". The Los Angeles Times. 1939-06-01. p. 27. Retrieved 2025-10-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "5 From This Area Killed in War Zone; Four on Casualty List of Today Wounded in Action". Pasadena Star-News. 1945-03-01. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-10-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Brenner, Anita Susan (2009-08-14). "Around Town: Sgt. Lewis Arthur Salmon". La Cañada Valley Sun. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ Steve Hulett, "Wilma Baker, RIP" Archived 2025-10-09 at the Wayback Machine The Animation Guild TAG Blog (September 6, 2016).
External links
- Wilma Baker at IMDb
- Mindy Johnson, Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation (Disney Editions 2017). ISBN 9781484727812
- Harvey Deneroff, "Chatting with Jay Gould and Wilma Baker", Cartoon Research (February 22, 2016), a 1987 video interview with Baker
- Behind the Magic: The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (2015), a documentary featuring an interview with Baker, on YouTube