Introduction: Charles C. Cristadoro
Lost to the rush and ruin of time, the world has forgotten artist Charles C. Cristadoro. Beyond art he was an inventor, he brought the ideas of Hollywood royalty to life, and his legacy lived beyond his terminal existence through his mentorship. Most assuredly, you have seen his work on the silver screen, but perhaps not his varying media: bone, ivory, bronze, wood, and everything in between. His character models made an Italian boy come to life, his creator Geppetto carved by Cristadoro's hand, each danced in Disney's 1940 Pinocchio . He contributed to Dumbo , Fantasia , and Bambi as well as work on the innovative Disney's audio-animatronic adventure, "Project Little Man." Indeed, his audio-animatronics inspired Imagineers to imagine. His sculptures made silent film cowboy William S. Hart cry as his personal artist and made Hollywood Starlet Fay Wray's stunt double (with thirty-two moving joints) in Kong's climbing of the Empire State Bui...