Disney Animation Veteran Randy Fullmer Dead at 73

Randy Fullmer, who worked as an effects animator, producer, and VFX supervisor on a number of Disney classics, has passed away at the age of 73. The news was broken on Tuesday, revealing that he passed away at his home in Woodland Hills, CA on Monday, July 10th, following a long battle with cancer. Fullmer worked at Disney for two decades, including on now-iconic films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Oliver & Company, and Chicken Little.

“[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!” Fullmer’s family said when announcing his passing. “In his honor, [we] hopes everyone will consciously treat others as he did with kindness, compassion, generosity and good humor.”

Born on April 27, 1950 in Richland, WA, Fullmer fell in love with the entertainment world after attending a film class at Washington State University. After graduating from the cartooning program at CalArts in 1974, Fullmer ran his own animation business producing educational and instructional films for seven years. He proceeded to work with Don Bluth Studios on some of the Laserdisc’s first video games, Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, as well as with John Dykstra’s Apogee special effects house.

After working with Filmation on the animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power, BraveStarr, Ghostbusters, and Happily Ever After, Fullmer was hired by Disney to animate the “Toon Town” section of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While Fullmer was originally employed for a three-month contract, he went on to work with the company for eighteen years. His work on the company included effects animator on Oliver & Company; effects animator on The Little Mermaid; effects supervisor on The Rescuers Down Under; visual effects supervisor on Beauty and the Beast; artistic coordinator on The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame; and producer on The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little.

“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” said Don Hahn, producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. “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 center of the Disney renaissance in animation. … I miss him, but I carry his passion and joy with me every day. Always will.”

After retiring from animation, Fullmer launched his own guitar company, Wyn Guitars, in 2006. The company custom-made guitars for countless musicians, and became the focus of the 2014 documentary Restrung.

Our thoughts are with Fullmer’s family, friends, and fans at this time.