Disney Legend Tim Considine Dead at 81

Sad news coming out of Hollywood. Veteran actor and Disney Legend Tim Considine has passed away at the age of 81. Considine’s death at his Mar Vista home was confirmed by his brother Christopher. Considine was well-known to Disney fans who love to watch older films and television shows. Throughout his long Hollywood career, Considine had starred in a number of Disney works, including The Adventures of Spin and Marty and The Mickey Mouse Club.

BURBANK, CA – JUNE 24: Mickey Mouse, Tim Considine, Richard Sherman, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, Frankie Avalon and David Stollery attend a special stage rededication ceremony for Annette Funicello hosted by The Walt Disney Company at Walt Disney Studios on June 24, 2013 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) Los Angeles, CA – 1956: Tim Considine appearing on the ABC tv series ‘The Magical World of Disney’, aka ‘Walt Disney Presents’, episode ‘Mickey Mouse Club: The Hardy Boys’. (Photo by American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images)

D23 — the Ultimate Disney Fan Club — shared more information about Considine’s successful and lasting career with The Walt Disney Company.

Later, Considine took on his first Disney role, playing Spin Evans in The Adventures of Spin and Marty—a popular serial from 1955’s Mickey Mouse Club. Alongside Stollery, the actor followed that original series with two Spin and Marty sequel serials. Describing his days on Disney’s “Triple-R Ranch,” he said, “We shot on a ranch about forty miles away from the Burbank studio. But it might as well have been a thousand. In truth, the work and play were often indistinguishable.” He then went on to play Frank Hardy, opposite Tommy Kirk as Joe Hardy, in two Hardy Boys serials—and guest starred in the Annette serial—for the Mickey Mouse Club.

Then, in 1959, he took on his highest-profile Disney role yet: starring opposite fellow Disney Legend Fred MacMurray in The Shaggy Dog.

Tim Considine The Shaggy Dog

While he made his mark with Disney, Considine made his mark on Hollywood by appearing in a number of other films and television shows. His very first role was in the film The Clown, where he played Dink Delwyn, alongside famous comedian Red Skelton. He also played one of the titular Hardy brothers in the popular 1950s show, The Hardy Boys. Considine also starred in a number of other films, including Patton, The Daring Dobermans, and Ray of Sunshine.

Considine was honored with the title of Disney Legend in 2006. His work on Spin and Marty and The Mickey Mouse Club made him unforgettable. Other Disney Legends include Dick Van Dyke — famous for his role as Bert in Mary Poppins — Betty White, and Marvel star Robert Downey Jr.

Disney Legend Betty White Passed Away

The beautiful Betty White would have joined the centenarian club on January 17th, 2022, turning 100 years old. She passed away peacefully in her home, reports say, at age 99 on the morning of Friday, December 31, 2021. Almost eligible for NBC’s Smucker’s Jar, Betty White built up an amazing Curriculum Vitae, including Disney projects, hit sitcoms, cameos galore, and even a children’s Golden Book.

D23 sums up her career (which started in 1939) effortlessly, including all our favorite projects as well as historical tidbits we learned,

The six-time Emmy Award®-winning actress was born Betty Marion White on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, and raised in Southern California. After hosting a local television show, she formed her own production company in the early 1950s with producer Don Fedderson and writer George Tibbles. The partnership led to her debut comedy series, Life with Elizabeth, for which she won her first Emmy® in 1952. Betty then became a mainstay on variety and game shows and was a much-in-demand regular with Jack Paar, Merv Griffin, and Johnny Carson. Betty then appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in its fourth season, and her legendary star turn as the man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens brought her two Emmys for Best Supporting Actress, for the years 1974-75 and 1975-76.

Equally, if not more beloved, was her spirited performance as Rose Nylund on the critically acclaimed and breakout hit The Golden Girls (1985-1992), for which she was nominated seven times for an Emmy, winning one in 1985. Who can forget her rambling soliloquies about her curious hometown of St. Olaf, Minnesota, which perpetually left her roommates flummoxed but had viewers at home laughing to the point of tears?

Betty was also seen on the Carol Burnett show, hosting SNL – Saturday Night Live, and various game show projects throughout her career.

Betty White’s Disney Projects

1988 betty white Mickey Mouse

As far as the Disney section of Betty White’s repertoire goes, she voiced Mrs. Claus in the 2010 ABC holiday short, Operation: Secret Santa. Mickey’s newest illustration style cartoons had an episode entitled, New York Weenie, where White lend her voice as a cameo.

A more recent feature film appearance in 2009 was in Touchstone Pictures’ film, The Proposal, where she played Grandma Annie alongside Sandra Bullock.

Betty’s voice has become so iconic, she was hired to voice over the English dub of  Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo. The next year, she played Grandma Bunny in You Again (2010).  She even voiced Hestia in the Disney Renaissance Age Hercules animated series (1998-1999), and can be heard as the voice of the baby chew toy, Bitey White in Toy Story 4 (2019). Her name is an obvious pun on her personal name.

Betty White as Bitey White from Toy Story 4

Betty was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2009 in the television category. She was 88 at the time, posing with Minnie Mouse and receiving her award and plaque, which was presented alongside the other Golden Girls co-stars plaques (Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, and Bea Arthur), which are displayed at the Team – Disney Michael D. Eisner Building.

betty white disney legend

According to Disney Tips, we learn that Betty White was also an accomplished author, and her books do good turns:

“She is the author or co-author of five books, and in 2006 was honored by the City of Los Angeles as the “Ambassador to the Animals” for her lifelong work for animal welfare. Betty was honored by the Television Critics Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. “You can’t get rid of me,” she joked at the ceremony. “I just won’t go away!”

Amongst her costars and fellow actors, Betty White was also known for her humor, ability to pivot, the choice to be kind, and effervescent sweetness. The Good Place actor, Ted Danson, told People Magazine about White,

[…]he even takes lessons from the star on “how to live.” “It’s not like she’s just a bubbly, joyful person. She wakes up every day and chooses to be that way,” The Good Place alum, 68, adds. “I think she leads a very purposeful life.”

We hope that Betty White’s legacy of films and television shows lives on as her character does in our hearts. Thank you, Betty, for such a legacy!

Disney Legend, Ruthie Tompson Passes Away at Age 111

Today we are learning the sad news that Disney Legend Ruthie Tompson has passed away at 111 years old. Ruthie dedicated nearly 40 years to The Walt Disney Company and worked on virtually every Disney animated feature from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs up through The Rescuers, then retired in 1975. Ruthie celebrated her 111th birthday on July 22nd, 2021.

Ruthie was quoted saying “I used to walk by the Disney Bros. storefront,” she once recalled. “I was curious and snooped around, and, finally, they invited me in for a look. After that, I’d visit quite often. I remember sitting on the bench and watching Roy shoot the animated cels onto film.” “Once Roy asked us, neighborhood kids, to play tag in the street, while he photographed us with a movie camera,” she continued. “I suppose it was for the Alice Comedies; he paid each of us a quarter, which I was glad for because I could buy licorice.”

According to D23, Walt Disney offered 18-year-old Ruthie a job as a painter in the Ink and Paint department, where she helped put the finishing touches on the Studio’s first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which premiered in 1937. She was soon promoted to the final checker, reviewing the animation cels before they were photographed onto film. By 1948, Ruthie again transferred to animation checking and scene planning. As a result of her adept skill at guiding camera movement for animated films, in 1952 Ruthie was invited to join the International Photographers Union, Local 659 of the IATSE. She was one of the first three women to be admitted into the Hollywood camera union.

“Ruthie Tompson’s technical mind led her to be named supervisor of the Scene Planning department at The Walt Disney Studios. There, she helped to establish the camera mechanics used to photograph animated scenes and background art onto film. As Bob Broughton, a Disney Legend and former Disney supervisor of special photographic effects, recalled, “Ruthie was mechanically inclined. She was excellent at figuring out the mathematical and mechanical logistics of camera moves.”

The Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Robert Iger, took to social media on October 11 to share: “RIP Ruthie Thompson…a true animation legend. Her contributions to Disney—from Snow White to The Rescuers—remain beloved classics to this day. While we will miss her smile & wonderful sense of humor, her exceptional work & pioneering spirit will forever inspire us.”

EPCOT Performer Pam Brody Has Passed Away

The longtime pianist and entertainer at EPCOT’s Rose & Crown Pub, Pam Brody, sadly passed away on July 11. Since the news broke, the Disney community has mourned the loss of one of their favorite entertainers from the park.

Nicknamed “The Button Lady” for her extravagant outfits, Brody worked for Walt Disney World for over 20 years, bringing lasting memories to hundreds of thousands of guests. Even after retiring, Brody would return to EPCOT’s United Kingdom Pavilion each year on her birthday. Some of these guests have shared their favorite memories and experiences with Brody online.

Carol Stein, fellow entertainer and pianist at EPCOT stated, “she has a following because she made everybody feel special. She was the entertainer, but she focused her energy on the guests, making them all filled with joy and happiness.”

rose & crown pub at EPCOT

Eric Pinder, former EPCOT performer, commented, “she really had a way of connecting with people and making them feel like they were a part of this big family in the pub. I always loved sitting with her backstage, too, because she was very mischievous.”

Mario Rios, longtime friend of Brody, shared, “she touched everyone. And she is considered a legend at Epcot.”

Samuel E. Wright, Voice of Sebastian in “The Little Mermaid” & Original The Lion King on Broadway Mufasa, Passes Away at 74

Samuel E. Wright, who voiced Sebastian in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, has passed away at age 74.

In addition to The Little Mermaid, Wright voiced Sebastian in both direct-to-video sequels, the TV series, and other Disney media. He also voiced Kron the Iguanodon in Disney’s Dinosaur. He originated the role of Mufasa in The Lion King on Broadway.

Wright’s other credits include Simon & Simon, The Cosby Show, and All My Children. He co-starred as a lead in Enos, the short-lived spin-off to The Dukes of Hazzard. On Broadway, he also appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin.

Wright is survived by his wife, Amanda, and three children.