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While Les Clark, Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Woolie Reitherman, and Frank Thomas would eventually fulfill the "old" part of their nickname, they were given the title early in their careers from Walt Disney himself—an affectionate allusion to President Franklin D. Roosevelt description of the nine Supreme Court justices. But while a juror's job is to stick to the letter of the law, these nine brilliant animators took, pride in breaking all the rules of animation and creating new ones—and were named Disney Legends in 1989. "People still think of me as a cartoonist, but the only thing I lift a pen or pencil for these days is to sign a contract, a check, or an autograph," Walt once joked. Indeed, while Walt was the Studios guiding force, it was the Nine Old Men who led Disney into a new era of animation contributing to such beloved films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, Saludos Amigos, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Rescuers, and many, many more. Many of Disney's more recent artistic Legends, such as Andreas Deja, Burny Mattinson, and Glen Keane, were mentored or influenced by the work of these animators, and their remarkable work continues to inspire and transport fans of all ages to this day.

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