Bill Justice

Who was Bill Justice?

William Barnard "Bill" Justice was an animator and engineer for the Walt Disney Company.

Justice joined Walt Disney Studios as an animator in 1937 and worked on such features as 1940's Fantasia, 1944's The Three Caballeros, 1951's Alice in Wonderland, and 1953's Peter Pan. He is arguably best known as the animator of the rabbit Thumper from 1942's Bambi and chipmunks Chip 'n Dale. He was the director of 1957's The Truth About Mother Goose, 1959's Noah's Ark, and 1962's A Symposium On Popular Songs, all of which were nominated for Academy Awards as Best Short Subject, Cartoon. In total, Justice worked on 57 shorts and 19 features.

In 1965, Justice joined Walt Disney Imagineering, where he programmed figures for several Disney attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and Country Bear Jamboree.

Justice retired from the Disney Company in 1979 and was named a Disney Legend in 1996. He is the author of Justice for Disney, which chronicles his years with the company.

Justice died of natural causes at a nursing home in Santa Monica, California, one day after his 97th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Kim, his daughter, Melissa Justice, and a granddaughter.