Born in Minneapolis, MN. One of the original "Nine Old Men" Disney animators. Kimball was famous for his animated creation of the characters Jiminy Cricket, The Cheshire Cat, The March Hare, The Mad Hatter, and for redesigning Mickey Mouse in 1938. He joined the Disney Studios in 1934, and rose up in the ranks to become a directing animator on such classics as SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937), PINOCCHIO (1940), FANTASIA (1940) and PETER PAN (1953). He directed the Disney Oscar®-winning shorts TOOT, WHISTLE, PLUNK AND BOOM in 1953 and IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BIRD in 1969. In addition to animation, Kimball was both an avid musician and train enthusiast. In 1948 he formed the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a Dixieland jazz band composed of fellow Disney employees. He also maintained a full-sized train and tracks at his home in California (the first such in the US), and was a past president of the Train Collectors Association. Not only did his love of trains get him the job of designing the World of Motion display at EPCOT, it also got another train collector started -- Walt Disney himself. Kimball received many honors during his lifetime, and in 1989 was named a Disney Legend. His son, John Kimball, is an animation director at Disney Studios.  Nominated for Documentary (Short Subjects) 1956: MAN IN SPACE - Producer  Short Subjects (Cartoons) 1969: IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BIRD - Producer 2 nominations, 1 Award