Dick Huemer

While as an artistillustrator living in The Bronx New York Huemer first began his career in animation at the Raoul Barré cartoon studio in 1916 He joined the Fleischer Studio in 1923 where he developed the Koko the Clown character Later he moved to Hollywood and worked as an animator and director for the Charles Mintz studio He subsequently moved to the Disney Studio where he remained for the duration of his career except for a 3year hiatus from 194851 when he pioneered animated TV commercials and created the The Adventures of Buck ORue comic strip1 Some of Huemers most creative work was done in partnership with Joe Grant examples include Fantasia story director Dumbo screenplay and several propaganda films to advance the US war effort during World War II Atypically Huemer and Grant submitted Dumbo to Walt Disney not as a completed storyboard but as a series of storyboard chapters each ending in a cliffhanger This was intended to pique Disneys enthusiasm for the project and it worked Dick was at the Disney organization from April 16 1933 to February 28 1973