Mindy Johnson

Mindy Johnson, a leading expert on the history of women within early animation and film, is an award-winning author, animation/film historian, musician, and educator. Her books continue to challenge and reframe the universal understanding of our collected past.

Recipient of the 2019 FILM SCHOLAR AWARD from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences/OSCARS.org, Mindy's latest book PENCILS, PENS & BRUSHES - A Great Girls' Guide to Disney Animation, brings the inspirational stories of twenty unsung women within early Disney animation. Illustrated by renowned artist Lorelay Bove', this timeless treasure for all ages is an expansion on Mindy's game-changing volume: INK & PAINT - THE WOMEN OF WALT DISNEY'S ANIMATION, which balances the history of America's greatest art form with focus on the remarkable number of unknown female artists who brought Walt Disney's animation to vividly animated life. From animators, to conceptual artists, editors to chemists, background artist to fine artists, Mindy pulls back the celluloid curtain to reveal the vast numbers of talented artists (who happened to be women) throughout Disney animation and beyond.

Johnson's debut volume, the multi award-winning and critically acclaimed tome to everyone's favorite fairy: TINKER BELL - AN EVOLUTION, sets the record start on the epic story of this tiny icon. Mindy has also contrib­uted to several noted volumes on animation history, including: THE WALT DISNEY FILM ARCHIVES - THE ANIMATED MOVIES 1921-1968 from TASCHEN Publishing, and the critically acclaimed celebration of one of Walt Disney's legendary animators: MARC DAVIS - WALT DISNEY'S RENAISSANCE MAN.

Johnson continues to write, lecture and creatively consult for major studios and independent production entities. An educator at CalArts Character Animation Department, Mindy also teaches film and animation courses in Los Angeles and is a frequent speaker, panelist and lecturer at various festivals, museums and universities around the world. Beyond her work in film and animation, Mindy is an award-winning playwright, Grammy-nominated songwriter, and a contributing musician/vocalist on several internationally acclaimed recordings.