Joe Hale (producer)

Joseph Hale (June 4, 1925 – January 29, 2025) was an American animator and layout artist for Walt Disney Productions. He is best known for his only producing credit for The Black Cauldron (1985).

Born in Newland Village, Indiana, Hale aspired to work for Walt Disney Productions after repeated viewings of Bambi (1942). After serving in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), he studied at the Michigan Academy of Arts and Lukits Academy of Fine Arts. After graduating, in 1951, Hale was hired as an inbetweener for Walt Disney Productions. He soon worked as an assistant to Ollie Johnston, one of Disney's "Nine Old Men". Hale then worked in the layout department, where he mapped out the basic shot composition for animated films.

Hale remained with the Disney studios for the next two decades, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects for The Black Hole (1979). In 1980, Ron Miller appointed Hale as the producer for The Black Cauldron, in which he recruited new animators, including Andreas Deja, and was involved in the storyboarding and layout. In 1984, Miller was forced out as president and CEO, and was replaced by Michael Eisner and Frank G. Wells. Jeffrey Katzenberg was made the new studio chairman.

After a test screening for The Black Cauldron, Katzenberg wrestled control of the film, and clashed with Hale on the post-production re-editing. Released in 1985, The Black Cauldron received mixed reviews and failed at the box office. Within a year, Hale and his production team were fired from the studio. In 2008, Hale was given an honorary Disney Legend Award by the National Fantasy Fan Club (NFFC).