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Tyrus Wong is a legendary Chinese-American painter, designer, and lithographer. His
work is respected in the art world, but his most famous work is his concept art for Walt Disney's Bambi.

Wong was born in Canton (now Guangzhou), China in 1910, not long before that country
was thrown into years of upheaval by the fall of the Chinese Empire. In the years of
turmoil 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 and his father initially settled in Sacramento, later moving to Old Chinatown in
Los Angeles. Tyrus was indifferent in school, and only interested in painting and
drawing. He eventually dropped out of junior high to attend the Otis Art Institute
on full scholarship. He would continue on an artistic path for the rest of his life.

Shortly after art school, the Great Depression of the 1930s set in. Despite some success
as an artist, including showings of his work at noted galleries, artistic acceptance
does not equate financial stability, particularly when one has a wife and children to feed.
He found work at the Federal Arts Project, a branch of the New Deal-era Works Progress
Administration, for around $75 per month.

He subsequently got a job as an inbetweener at the Disney studio, which he hated.
When he heard that the studio was producing Bambi, he submitted some sketches
of a deer in the forest, and became a conceptual and background artist on the
project. His sketches formed the basis for the film's visual style , and has
influenced animators and production illustrators ever since. In 2001, Tyrus was named
a Disney legend for his work on Bambi,

Ironically, Tyrus was only at Disney for a short time. While Bambi, was still in
production, the infamous Disney strike, led by such famous animators as Art Babbitt,
broke out. Tyrus stayed loyal to the studio and did not participate, but the unions won,
and he was forced to leave the studio.

Tyrus then went to Warner Brothers, where he made concept art for live-action films. He was
involved in another major strike, now siding with the unions. Unfortunately, the unions
lost that time. However, he continued to do concept art for such films as Rebel Without A
Cause, Calamity Jane, Harper, The Wild Bunch, and PT 109. He was also frequently loaned to Republic Pictures
to work on John Wayne westerns. He continued in this work until the late '60s.

Since his retirement, Tyrus has devoted himself to the construction of ornate kites, which
he flies on the beach once a month.