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Kirk Wise
Becoming a Disney animator would appear to have been the fulfillment of a childhood dream for ace animation director Kirk Wise. With co-director Gary Trousdale, he was responsible for helming the celebrated "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), the first animated feature to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Wise began laying the groundwork for his adult successes as a youngster, earning his first paycheck for drawing at age seven after his mother submitted his sketch of a garbage man and his truck to the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE's "Junior Art Champion" Contest. Winning praise, a check and a commendation from the local sanitation department spurred his creativity.