Tyrus Wong, Another Favorite Artist!

 Wong retired in 1968, nearly half a century ago, and in this time he began making kites, a pastime that has grown into something larger than a mere hobby. Wong recalls that the first kite he built didn’t fly, but after three more attempts he got one off the ground. He’s created so many kites now—including one that’s 200 feet long—that they hang from the ceiling and fill his house.¹⁹ Wong’s kite making caught the attention of documentarian Erik Friedl, who featured Wong in his 1990 short Flights of Fancy.

Though Wong’s most well-known work is the background art he did for Bambi, which helped make the film what it is, he has also been an exhibiting artist since before Roosevelt was elected president. He has illustrated books, painted murals, created Hallmark greeting cards that have sold millions, and worked on John Wayne films. (He says that Westerns are his favorite.) In 2004, See said that Wong was the oldest living Chinese American artist; if that wasn’t true then, it more than likely is now, and you can see works from the course of his long life at the Walt Disney Family Museum.