Movie Review: "Huz: Drawn to Life" is Don Hahn's Wonderfully Crafted Feature Revealing the Life, Spirit, and Challenges of Disney's First Black Animator

Last month, it was announced that a new documentary from Disney Legend Don Hahn was on its way to PBS SoCal as part of their Black History Month programming. The subject? The first Disney animator, the hugely talented Ron Husband, in the new Huz: Drawn to Life. Now, before you reach out to social media and make comments at either me or PBS for touting Husband with that honor and think we’ve forgotten Floyd Norman, go ahead and sit back down. I would have done the same at one point. 

As this doc is quick to point out, there were requirements to get a specific title at Disney Animation, and while Floyd did work at the studio as an artist and in-betweener, he was quickly pulled up into the story department. Ron Husband however, did earn the official title and credit of “animator,” as Hahn explains himself in the film, since he completed 100 film feet of animation on a single title. 

That’s only a small part of what makes Huz: Drawn to Life great -  that it captures the oft-overlooked aspects of working in the animation department, like credits and titles, and the anxieties of getting into the famed division of Walt Disney Studios. And, appropriate as one of the headlining titles of PBS SoCal’s Black History Month programming this year - how those anxieties, challenges, and trials are increased simply because Ron is a Black artist. 

After getting to know Ron’s personal life and background, we get to see him (almost always with sketchbook in tow) arrive at Disney, and hear from many of his contemporaries. Animation fans will surely love spotting familiar faces in John Musker, Andreas Deja, Lorna Cook, and others, including Disney Legend Glen Keane, who worked (and wrestled, apparently) in the same two-person room alongside Ron. Fans will also enjoy hearing from The Proud Family creator Bruce Smith, who shares fun anecdotes about sneaking onto the Disney Lot, spotting Husband, and later - what it means to be a Black animator, following in Husband’s footsteps. 

From the jump, we know that Husband did succeed for decades at Walt Disney Animation, but the film brilliantly crafts his early career in such a way that you’re left - at times - in complete suspense about what will happen to Husband on his professional (and sometimes personal) journey next. By the time he officially gets that “animator” title, you’re more concerned about something else that’s happening, much like those colleagues and family around him were, including then Disney CEO Ron Miller. 

Another important aspect of the film is mentorship, and what is keeping Husband busy nowadays after retiring from the Walt Disney Company, including a deeply meaningful caricature (an oxymoron, I know) from John Musker. It all started in Husband’s early days as an artist, carrying through to his time at Disney with Eric Larson -  one of Walt’s original Nine Old Men, all the way to today, where Husband is now teaching and mentoring the next generation of artists.

We also get to see the astounding work Husband has done throughout his career, including selections from volumes and volumes of sketchbooks, his deeply personal work that was his way of telling his own stories, and the high-profile moments at Disney - like the creation of Dr. Sweet in Atlantis: The Lost Empire, who was voiced by Phil Moore, who fully admired working side-by-side with Husband, calling him a “superhero who excelled in an industry that was not for [him].” This jumps into more about the challenges of Black artists and people of color at the time at Disney, with more commentary from Moore, Bruce Smith, and VFX Supervisor Marlon West about how groundbreaking that moment in time was. 

Huz: Drawn to Life is must-watch viewing for animation fans, especially those of the famed Disney Renaissance of the late 80s and early 90s. It is filled with known personas who give their praise of this man’s skilled talent, making you wish you knew him yourself. It is an easily digestible hour-long film that some (including me to a degree) might consider to be TOO short. Really though, my only complaint is the limited exposure that this film will get, airing on local PBS stations and through the PBS website (and potentially on-demand later through the PBS app), in lieu of a platform like Disney+. 

Huz: Drawn to Life is now available to stream via the free PBS app and at pbssocal.org throughout the month of February until March 1, 2026. So, I suggest getting over there to take in this wonderful story of a key figure at Disney Animation. I give Huz: Drawn to Life 4.5 out of 5 Pencils for Ron Husband to push.