Mike Tothan artist famous for working on character animation and visual effects for animation studios Walt Disney during the 1990s, died on December 29, 2024. The news of his death was announced very recently by daughter, Christine Vergaraon the Facebook page of Cartoon Research. This host not only collaborated with the big-eared firm but his career spanned several decades in different fields including television production.
Portrait of Mike Toth, an animator who worked on the rebirth of Disney
Mike Toth passed away after a long battle with alcoholism. He lived in New Mexico, near his daughter, after spending years wandering Los Angeles. The latter published a tribute on social networks: “My father was the most generous, loving and kind person I knew. He loved everyone he met, treating them as if he had known them forever. He loved God and spread the message with kindness when he had the opportunity. I just wanted to share my father’s story and raise awareness for people struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction. My father was a wonderful man and alcohol cut his life short. »
Inspired by the cartoons of Warner Bros. Cartoons in the 1940s, Mike Toth always wanted to become an animator and his dream came true in 1978 when he got a job at Filmation Studios. There he worked on a number of animated series, from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe et She-Ra, The Princess of Power has Ghostbusters, Shazam, Tom and Jerry Comedy Show et Hello from Albert. Filmation closed its doors in 1988 and Mike Toth was then hired at Baer Studios, where he was able to work on the animation of a few projects related to Disney – the short film Bobo Bidonwhose hero is the rabbit Roger Rabbit and the medium-length film The Prince and the Pauper featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends.
It was at the same time that he obtained a position at the animation studios Walt Disney in Burbank, where he worked on a number of iconic films such asAladdin, Pocahontas, An Indian Legend, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet, Hercule et The Farm Rebels. Mike Toth also worked on the short film The Little Match Girlwhich received an Oscar nomination. But here, at that time, Disney began to gradually move away from traditional animation. The studio unfortunately laid off the majority of its 2D animators in 2013 and Mike was part of it. According to her daughter, it is this dismissal which “destroyed him, leading to his battle with alcohol and depression. »
-During his last years, Mike Toth continued to share his love for animation, appearing at fan conventions across the United States.
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