Randy Fullmer died of cancer earlier this month (Picture: WireImage)
Chicken Little producer and The Little Mermaid animator Randy Fullmer has died at the age of 73.
Fullmer worked on many Disney animations, including The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
Walt Disney Animation have confirmed in a statement to Variety that he died of cancer on July 10.
Don Hahn, who worked with Fullmer, said that while most people are good at one thing in their lives, the late animator was good at many.
‘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 told the publication.
‘He was at the very center of the Disney renaissance in animation, then when he needed a new chapter in his life, he started making exquisite and much sought-after bass guitars with that same engineer’s mind and artistic soul he brought to Disney animated movies.
Fullmer worked on many Disney films as an animator (Picture: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
He started working with Disney in 1987 (Picture: Charbonneau/WireImage for Disney Pictures)
‘His masterful woodwork radiates with his love for the craftsman ethic of working with head, hands and heart. I miss him but I carry his passion and joy with me every day. Always will.’
Fullmer was born in Richland, Washington, on April 27 1950, and went on to study film and animation at California Institute of the Arts.
He then went on to create his own animation business, before joining Don Both Studios in 2983 where he made special effects for video games such as Dragon’s Lair and Space Act.
Then came a slew of animation projects at Filmation, where Fullmer worked on Ghostbusters.
But it was in 1987 that Fullmer’s three-month contract with Disney ended in an illustrious 18-year career, in which he is credited for his artistic coordination of Disney classics such as The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Outside animation, and upon retirement, Fullmer pursued another passion – and talent – in crafting guitars for musicians such as Jermaine Jackson, Abraham Laboriel, James LoMenzo, and Jimmy Haslip, through his company Wyn Guitars.
He worked as the sole luthier for the company, and Wyn Guitars went on to be the subject of Mike Enns’ film Restrung.
Fullmer is survived by his wife Diana and two stepchildren.
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‘I miss him but I carry his passion and joy with me every day. Always will.’
