Frank and Ollie – Disney Legends Who Lived in Flintridge

Anyone who loves animation, and in particular Disney animation, has heard the term “Disney’s nine old men.” This was the original group of animators that Walt Disney hired in the 1920s and ’30s who, all the way into the 1980s, were the bedrock of Disney’s animation teams. They were responsible for the magic world of Disney classics such as “Fantasia” and “Bambi.” Two of the most famous of the nine were Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, who both lived with their families for decades on adjoining properties in La Cañada Flintridge.

Both men were aspiring artists in the 1920s, attending various art schools. They met in 1931 and immediately hit it off. Ollie was the first of the two to be hired by Disney in 1934, followed by Frank the next year. They both started with Disney’s short cartoons but in 1937 dove into animating “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” followed by “Pinocchio,” “Fantasia” and “Bambi” continuing on through all of the Disney greats.

They were both innovators at bringing life to their characters. The iconic spaghetti eating scene from “Lady and the Tramp?” That was Frank Thomas’ work, as was Bambi and Thumper slipping on the icy pond and the dwarves sobbing over Snow White’s lifeless body. Ollie Johnston is best known for Baloo and Mowgli dancing to “The Bare Necessities” in the “Jungle Book” and the character of Mr. Smee in “Peter Pan.” They were amazing artists!

In the late 1940s Frank and Ollie together purchased a three-acre plot in Flintridge and divided it in half, so they and their families could be neighbors. Ollie and his wife’s house was designed in a modernist style by famed architect Cliff May. Ollie was a steam train enthusiast and in 1949 built a small model railway in his yard he named the La Cañada Valley Railway. 

Here’s where La Cañada figures in Disneyland history: Walt Disney visited Ollie’s tiny home railroad several times. Walt became fascinated with it and built one in his backyard. He was determined to have a railroad in his new Disneyland; thus the Disneyland Railway, which exists today, was  inspired by Ollie’s La Cañada train. (BTW, Frank and Ollie also bought vacation property in Julian, California where Ollie built a larger backyard railway. A small section of that track still remains at that vacation home, now an Airbnb.) Next door to Ollie’s La Cañada house, Frank and Jeanette Thomas hired Mid-Century Modern architect Ted Criley Jr. to design a beautiful home on their half of the property.

Sadly, when new owners bought the Ollie Johnston property around 2008 they demolished the house and the model railway. That inspired the owners of Frank Thomas’ house next door to ensure that it would never happen to Frank’s house. They had it listed on the National Register of Historic Places and placed a conservation easement on the lot, which would make it very difficult to develop. Thanks to that the Frank Thomas home still exists at 758 Flintridge Ave. 

Both Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston retired from Disney in 1978. But as a team they continued to inspire future animators with lectures and teaching and by producing a number of books on animation, including “Disney Animation – The Illusion of Life,” which is considered the bible of animation.

They were Disney legends, royalty even, and they lived right here in La Cañada Flintridge. And of course they were immortalized in modern Disney animation, the hit movie “The Incredibles.” In the final battle scene in the Pixar film, two old men stand to one side, watching the action. One says to the other, “That’s old school.” The other replies, “Yeah, no school like the old school.” Those are caricatures of Frank and Ollie, and the two men even provided their own voices for the scene, just before their deaths in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

A beautiful documentary about the two was written, produced and directed by Frank Thomas’ son Theodore Thomas. It can be seen on the Disney Channel and Amazon Prime Video.