Tyrus Yu Wong

Tyrus Wong
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Tyrus Wong [ about tyrus wong | about the film | the filmmakers | to donate | contact us ]

Tyrus Wong is a legendary Chinese American painter, production illustrator, lithographer, and kite builder. He is best known for his concept art for Walt Disney's feature animated film Bambi. His strikingly beautiful concept paintings and sketches continue to influence the work of generations of animators and production designers.

IMMIGRATION Wong was born in Canton (now Guangzhou), China in 1910, not long before that country was thrown into turmoil by the fall of the Chinese Empire. In the years that followed, jobs were scarce in China, so in 1919 Tyrus and his father emigrated to America. They left behind Tyrus's mother and sister, never to see them again.

tyrus images Tyrus and his father initially settled in Sacramento, later moving to LA's Chinatown. Tyrus's interest in painting and drawing emerged at an early age. Though they were poor, his father encouraged Tyrus's talents by having him practice calligraphy by dipping his brushes in water and "painting" on newspaper. Indifferent to school, Tyrus dropped out of Benjamin Franklin Junior High in Pasadena, CA. to attend the Otis Art Institute where he won top awards and was granted a full scholarship. Wong graduated in 1930. For Tyrus's first job, he was hired to paint a bra for a brassiere ad that would appear on a large building on Hollywood Boulevard. Because Tyrus didn't know what a bra was, his employer had his secretary model one over her clothes. For years, Tyrus thought a bra was some kind of chest warmer.

THE DEPRESSION Tyrus enjoyed life as a young artist. He was exhibiting his work around the country and in California with other young Asian artists, such as Los Angeles Art Student League trained painters Benji Okubo and Hideo Date. He worked at the Dragon Den, a trendy Chinatown restaurant that attracted Hollywood stars and was run by a group of fellow artists. When the Great Depression of the 1930s set in, the restaurant would close and his livelihood as an artist came into question.

Luckily, Tyrus would find work as part of the Federal Arts Project, a branch of the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) where he made $94 a month painting oils and watercolors.
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Soon after Wong's marriage to Ruth Kim and the birth of their first daughter in 1938, Tyrus landed a job at Disney as an "in-betweener" drawing hundreds of sketches of Mickey Mouse.
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Tyrus found the work tedious and mind-numbing. When he heard that the studio was in pre-production on the feature film Bambi, Wong went home and painted several pictures of a deer in a forest. These small, but evocative sketches captured the attention of Walt Disney and became the basis for the film's visual style. In 2001, Tyrus was named a Disney Legend for his contributions to Bambi.
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When the strike ended in 1941, Tyrus was let go.

WARNER BROS. From Disney, Tyrus headed to nearby Warner Bros., where he switched from fantasy to realism. He was hired as a production illustrator and sketch artist where he painted and sketched concept art for hundreds of live-action films, including Rebel Without A Cause, Calamity Jane, Harper, The Wild Bunch, Sands of Iwo Jima, Auntie Mame, April in Paris. and PT 109. He was frequently loaned out to Republic Pictures where he worked on many John Wayne westerns, a genre that would become a favorite of his. Tyrus would stay at Warner Bros. for the next 28 years until his retirement in 1968.

Throughout his years at the studio, Tyrus continued to paint and exhibit. In 1954, he was featured in a short film produced by Eliot O'Hara demonstrating Oriental brushwork techniques. His commercial work included designing greeting cards for Hallmark, illustrating magazine covers and children's books, and painting calligraphic style compositions on Winfield ceramic ware that was sold in high-end department stores.

KITE BUILDING After retiring, Tyrus turned his attention to designing and building hand-made kites. His dozens of designs include multi-colored 100-foot centipedes, flocks of swallow, butterflies, and panda bears. In 1990, he and his kites were featured in the short film, Flights of Fancy.

Tyrus has three daughters whom he adores. He lives in Sunland, CA. where he is currently attempting to train the goldfish in his pond to eat at the sound of a bell. He is 97 years old and never misses the opportunity to crack a joke.

The featured illustrators are William B. Major, who got his start working under DeMille at Paramount; Harold Michelson, who became an art director and got an Oscar nomination for "Terms of Endearment"; and Walt Disney's legendary illustrator Tyrus Wong, who did the backgrounds for "Bambi."

Link to Water Color by Tyrus Yu WongThe Palm Springs Center of Fine Arts | Tyrus Yu Wong - Original water color.
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, TYRUS YU WONG ,

Original Water Color, 28"w x 22"h.

Tyrus Yu Wong immigrated to the United States with his father in 1921 at the age of 9.He attended school in Pasadena, where he was discovered to have great talent in art, and he was recommended for scholarship at Otis Art Institute, in Los Angeles.

After several years in studies he began a lucrative career as a set designer and drawing storyboards for several Hollywood Studios.He worked for Warner Brothers Studios from 1942-1968, where he was an illustrator and designer.Tyrus Wong was the inspirational sketch artist for Walt Disney Studios from 1938 to the early 40s.His lush pastels served as inspiration for many films, including Bambi in 1942.

Over the years Tyrus Wong was also known for his Clay Canvases and painted ceramic expressions in the Mid-Century Mandarin style.He has exhibited his master works in major museums and corporate collections.