Hazel Sewell

Hazel Mae Sewell (née Bounds; 1 May 1898 – 22 January 1975), later Cottrell, was American animator and the first head of Walt Disney Studio's Ink and Paint Department. (It was also known as the tracing department.) Born in Spalding, Idaho, she was hired shortly after her sister Lillian Bounds, also known as Lillian Disney, began working at the studio as an artist. Some of Sewell's primary responsibilities as the head of the Ink and Paint Department included: developing new techniques in the inking and painting processes, creating new divisions at the Walt Disney Studio, and overseeing the hiring and training of new artists. Sewell worked with the studio for 11 years until resigning in May 1938. She was the first woman to serve as the head of a major division in the animation industry. She is known for her work on Disney animated features such as Plane Crazy and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Biography Sewell was born Hazel Bounds on May 1, 1898, and she was one of ten children. She grew up on the Nez Perce Native American Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho, and though poor, her family was described as "happy." Before working for Walt Disney as a young adult, she married her husband Glenn O. Sewell, and they continued to reside in Lapwai. (Glenn Sewell was the brother of Blanche Sewell, a film editor in classic Hollywood.) After her husband found work in Los Angeles, the couple moved there with their only daughter Marjorie Sewell. After moving to Los Angeles, Sewell's sister Lillian Bounds moved in with Sewell and her husband. Bounds began working at the Walt Disney Studio as an artist after being referred by Sewell's friend. While working at the studio, Bounds started a relationship with Disney, whom she eventually married. After her sister's marriage, Sewell spent more time with Disney which led to her recruitment at the studio.