Floyd Norman's moment has arrived. The 90-year-old animator, who became Walt Disney Animation Studios' first Black animator in 1956, receives an Academy Honorary Award at the 17th Governors Awards on Sunday, Nov. 15, the Academy announced.
The ceremony takes place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood. Glenn Close and Ridley Scott also receive Honorary Awards, and producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Jennifer Todd is producing the event for the first time.
A career that spans Disney history
Norman's first feature at Disney was Sleeping Beauty, and his credits grew to include The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood, Blex Media reported. His later work includes The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc., a run that carried him from Disney's golden age into the Pixar era.
Disney named Norman a Disney Legend in 2007, and his life was the subject of the 2016 documentary Floyd Norman: An Animated Life. He is also known as a mentor, historian and advocate for the art form.
The honor puts him in rare company. Only three other animators have received an honorary Oscar: Walter Lantz, Chuck Jones and Hayao Miyazaki. Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor called Norman a legendary animator who has broken barriers.
For a Black artist who started at Disney nearly 70 years ago, Sunday's statuette is long overdue recognition from Hollywood's top institution.
See Cup of Soul's November awards calendar and our recap of last year's Governors Awards, where Debbie Allen received her honorary Oscar.
