Charles August Nichols

Charles August "Nick" Nichols (September 15, 1910 – August 23, 1992) was an American animator and film director, who worked in animation for over 50 years at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Hanna-Barbera. At Disney, he worked on various short subjects and films from the 1940s into the 1950s, including the Academy Award-winning short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953). Nichols co-directed Charlotte's Web (1973) while at Hanna-Barbera. Biography Nichols was born in Milford, Utah. As an animator for Disney, his first credit was on the film Pinocchio, where he was the lead animator for the villainous Coachman. During World War II, Nichols animated several short subjects, including First Aiders (1944) and numerous cartoons involving the character Pluto. The authors of The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons opined Nichols' animation style made Pluto an "even more likable character." Nichols directed Mickey and the Seal (1948) and Morris the Midget Moose (1950). He then animated on the 1951 feature film Alice in Wonderland. Alongside Ward Kimball, Nichols co-directed two films in 1953: Melody, notable for being the first 3D film at Disney, and Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. The latter earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Nichols worked on the anthology series Disneyland during the mid-1950s, tasked with combining new footage made for the series with older productions, such as cartoons and live action segments. Nichols later served as director on the live action series The Mickey Mouse Club.