William Charles Nolan (June 10, 1894 – December 6, 1954) was an American animated cartoon writer, animator, director, and artist. He is best known for creating and perfecting the rubber hose style of animation and for streamlining Felix the Cat.
Bill was important in that he was a pioneer of the rubberhose art style that defined classical animation—the origins of it began in 1924, when working on Felix the Cat with Otto Messmerthat he decided to redesign Felix into a softer, curvier design than before, to not only make it easier for animation to overlap and be smoother, but also make animation less of a burden for the workers.
Biography[]
In 1924, Nolan worked with Otto Messmer to redesign Felix. Nolan is credited with developing what became known as the "Rubber Hose" style of animation. He transformed Felix's pointed face and angular, somewhat fox-like features into circles. And in doing so, he injected Felix with the Secret "FORMULA" that would "Shape" All Animation from that point forward: CIRCLES! Not only did the circles make Felix easier to draw, they also proved to be the "key" that allowed the drawings to be passed from one animator to another and worked on by a multitude of hands without any noticeable change in style. Thus, the Circle became the Basic Shape upon which all Animation is based. And Felix the Cat, with his Circle eyes, nose, and smile, and his Circle face, Circle after Circle, became the most popular Comic Character ever to play on the Silver Screen, or jump from it into the World of Toys.
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Original sketches by Bill Nolan (1924)
Filmography[]
- Felix In Fairyland (1923)
- Felix 'Hyps' The Hippo (1924)
- Felix Goes West (1924)