Burt Gillett was an American animator and director, born in the state of New York, who made a significant impact in the early days of the animation industry. He is best known for directing the iconic Disney short film "Three Little Pigs" in 1933, as well as other notable shorts like "Flowers and Trees" and "Lonesome Ghosts".
Gillett's career in animation began around 1916 when he was hired by the International Film Service, a subsidiary of the International News Service, owned by William Randolph Hearst. During his time at the studio, he worked on adaptations of popular comic strips, such as "Krazy Kat", "The Katzenjammer Kids", and "Happy Hooligan".
In 1929, Gillett was hired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he quickly became one of the studio's leading directors. He took over control of the "Mickey Mouse" film series and directed several films in the "Silly Symphonies" series, including "Cannibal Capers", which featured the tribal dance of a cannibal tribe.
Gillett's films at Disney won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film, for "Flowers and Trees" and "Three Little Pigs". "Flowers and Trees" was also the first commercially released film to be produced in the full-color three-strip Technicolor process, a milestone in the development of color films.
In 1934, Gillett left Disney to become the new studio head of the Van Beuren Studios, where he introduced the film series "Rainbow Parade", a "Silly Symphonies"-style anthology series, produced fully in Technicolor. He personally directed many of the series' films, including the "Molly Moo-Cow" sub-series, animated adaptations of the popular comic strip "Toonerville Folks", and color films for Felix the Cat.
However, Gillett's policies at Van Beuren were controversial, as he adopted several methods and techniques used by Disney, which made the studio's products seem derivative. He also fired several animators who failed to meet his quality standards and forced employees to work overtime without compensation.
The Van Beuren studio shut down in 1936, and Gillett was re-hired by Disney, where he directed several more films, including the horror comedy "Lonesome Ghosts". In 1938, he was hired by the Walter Lantz Studio, where he worked on a handful of films, introducing the new character Lil' Eightball and directing entries in the popular "Andy Panda" series.
Gillett retired from the animation industry in 1940 and lived the rest of his life out of the limelight, passing away in 1971 at the age of 80. His legacy in the animation industry endures, with his films and pioneering work in producing color films still celebrated and studied today.
