Movie Review: Floyd Norman: An Animated Life
When I first met my mentor and we began talking about the history of animation, I expressed to him that I was not aware of many Black animators and contributors to American animation. Of all the people he suggested that I immediately look up, Floyd Norman was one the names that stood out.
What ended up being super helpful to me, was discovering that Floyd has a blog! Check it out!
"I'll be sharing my art and experiences on this site. Plus, I'll be devoting much of the space to Walt Disney Studio history. That is, the Disney history I personally experienced. I make no pretense of being a Disney historian and I confess I've done little research concerning the things I write. That's because I experienced it all first hand during the final years of Walt Disney's Golden Era. Now, I'm willing to share those incredible times with you. If you love Disney magic as much as I do, and if you have an interest in learning more, please join in. "
I have been following his blog for quite some time now and when I caught wind of a documentary about his journey being made I was excited.
One of the most memorable moments from the film was listening to his current and ex wife talk about him. Although I understand that this documentary is about Floyd's career at Disney and his passion for telling stories. I personally am always interested in the transparency on what it is like to date and / or marry an artist like him. His first wife spoke candidly on how she thinks his current wife Adrienne Brown-Norman is best for him. Adrienne and Floyd have such a loving and seemingly passionate friendship that I personally admired. To be married to someone AND work at the same place, they
I love how genuine his passion is to being an artist and storytelling. Watching this documentary made me reflect on how I should get back to making art. I may have to do some digging and reconnect with the young ambitious girl that always wanted to work in animation. All in all if you enjoy documentaries, animation history, Disney I can't imagine you going wrong with this one. Watch the trailer below.
To learn more about the film you can visit Floydnormanmovie.com. It is also available for digital viewing on various platforms.