I just finished reading the biography of Millicent Patrick. Her father was responsible for building Hearst Castle when she was a child. She grew up and studied art. Walt Disney hired her right our of art school and she became Walt's first female animator. Her biggest project was working on color animation of Chernabog in Fantasia. She also worked on Bambi and Dumbo. She was a talented artist on her own.
Later she became a product model for various household appliances and products. She also was an actor for various movies in the 40s and 50s. Finally she got the opportunity to design the Creature from the Black Lagoon for Universal. She also worked on the mutant in This Island Earth and It Came From Outer Space. Until recently she was never given the credit for the creature because Bud Westmore claimed it as his own creation since she worked for him. She delt with a lot of misogyny and male chauvinism in Hollywood but somehow made a living with her art. The book goes into a lot of details about working for Disney. It was good read. I enjoyed the stories about working on Fantasia. She was the only woman to ever design a classic monster for Universal.
Later she became a product model for various household appliances and products. She also was an actor for various movies in the 40s and 50s. Finally she got the opportunity to design the Creature from the Black Lagoon for Universal. She also worked on the mutant in This Island Earth and It Came From Outer Space. Until recently she was never given the credit for the creature because Bud Westmore claimed it as his own creation since she worked for him. She delt with a lot of misogyny and male chauvinism in Hollywood but somehow made a living with her art. The book goes into a lot of details about working for Disney. It was good read. I enjoyed the stories about working on Fantasia. She was the only woman to ever design a classic monster for Universal.
