Fred "Toby" Bluth is an American painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

 and Animation Director

Animation director

An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film...

 of Disney fine art, who has worked on many Disney films as a Background Artist

Background artist

A background artist or sometimes called a background stylist or background painter is one who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the color, style, and mood of a scene drawn by an animation layout artist. The methods used can either be through traditional painting or by digital...

 and Production Designer

Production designer

In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...

. He has also had a long career writing and illustrating Children’s Books, not to mention performing and or directing, nearly one hundred musicals, both on Broadway and off.

Bluth’s artwork is prominently displayed at most of the Disney theme parks around the world. He is currently traveling on the Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line company owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company and is headquartered in Celebration, Florida. The business is run by President Karl Holz. Disney Cruise Line operates the Disney Cruise Line Terminal,...

, showing off his talent for crowds of all ages.

Style

Bluth notes Gustaf Tengrenn, whom Walt Disney actively recruited to work on the breakthrough film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,"

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...

 as being a big inspiration throughout his career.

When asked how he approaches each of his watercolor masterpieces, Toby describes his intent as, "Creating the moment that you think you saw . . . How one remembers a film is often different from the actual film itself."

The use of chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro in art is "an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted"....

 is apparent in Bluth's work. These subtle variations of light and shade create depth, life and warm, yet cool shadows to each scene. This lends a heightened delineation of character and allows his subjects much more of a unique, almost animated, existence within the painting.

Filmography

Film	Year	Credit
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers Mickey · Donald · Goofy: The Three Musketeers is a direct-to-video animated film adaptation of the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. As the title suggests, it features Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy as the three musketeers...	2005	Art Director
The Tigger Movie The Tigger Movie The Tigger Movie is a 2000 animated comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Jun Falkenstein. Part of the Winnie-the-Pooh series, this film features Pooh's friend Tigger in his search for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself...	2000	Additional Background Artist / Stylest
Babes in Toyland Babes in Toyland (1997 film) Babes in Toyland is a 1997 American animated musical film based on the original story. The animated feature stars Joseph Ashton, Lacey Chabert, Raphael Sbarge, Cathy Cavadini, Christopher Plummer, and Charles Nelson Reilly.-Plot:...	1997	Director / Background Designer / Character Designer
The Story of Santa Claus	1996	Director
Alvin & the Chipmunks	1983	Character Designer / Production Designer
The Smurfs The Smurfs The Smurfs is a comic and television franchise centred on a group of small blue fictional creatures called Smurfs, created and first introduced as a series of comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo on October 23, 1958...	1981	Background Stylist
A Chipmunk Christmas A Chipmunk Christmas A Chipmunk Christmas is an animated christmas television special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It aired on the NBC television network in 1981, nine years after the death of Alvin and the Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. . This was the first time that Alvin, Simon and...	1981	Production Designer
Banjo the Woodpile Cat Banjo the Woodpile Cat Banjo the Woodpile Cat is a 1979 animated short television film directed by Don Bluth. It follows the story of Banjo, an overly curious and rebellious kitten who, after getting into trouble for falling from a house to see if he could land on his feet, runs away from his woodpile home in his owners'...	1979	Writer (uncredited)

External links

• Artist Official Disney Fine Art Site
• Artist's Official Site
• Fred "Toby" Bluth at Affirmation
  Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons
  Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons is an international organization for gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and intersex people who identify as members or ex-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...