Tyrus

Until his death at the age of 106, Tyrus Wong was America’s oldest living Chinese American artist and one of the last remaining artists from the golden age of Disney animation. The quiet beauty of his Eastern-influenced paintings had a pioneering impact on American art and popular culture.

Tyrus Wong spent years honing a soft, atmospheric painting style that relied heavily on lighting and creative use of color. This unique approach gave "Bambi" its groundbreaking impressionistic style.

As a young boy, Tyrus Wong came to the United States with his father, but as part of a grueling immigration process, was detained for a month before being allowed into the country.

Tyrus Wong's skillful, inspired painting made its way into homes across America as Chinese Modern home decor became popular. His ceramics featured flowing designs of figures and tranquil scenes in nature.

After leaving Disney, Tyrus Wong joined Warner Bros. and began painting scenes based on screenplays. He would continue working for Warner Bros. for 26 years, helping set the stage for thousands of films.

When he began working for Disney, Wong's role was minor and technical. Then, when a supervisor noticed his work, he was asked to create the atmosphere for the film "Bambi." Wong would go on to paint hundreds of pastels that would define the impressionistic, colorful forests throughout the film.

In a new, exclusive interview, filmmakers/artists Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi discuss how Wong influenced them and share an excerpt from their Oscar-nominated animated short The Dam Keeper (2014).

Due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, Tyrus Wong was held in an internment camp at Angel Island in 1920. He was just a child, but remembers the struggle and uncertainty of his time there.