They Made the Magic: Izzy Klein

Isadore "Izzy" Klein was born on October 12,1897 in Newark, New Jersey.  he attended the national Academy of New York and the Art Students League.  By 1916 he had joined Wiliam Randolph Hearst international Film Service as an animator.  There he met Grim Natwick, Jack King, and Burt Gillett.  In 1918, Klein went to work for Barre-Bowers Studios working on the Mutt and Jeff cartoons.  In 1925, Klen went to work as a free-lance cartoonist but by 1934 he returned to animation working at the Van Geuren Studio.  When the studio close he went to work for Columbia Pictures.  It was in 1936 that Klein joined Disney.  Klen related that when he made the decision to work for Disney he talked to Ted Sears.  Sears set the ground work so when Klein called, he got an appointment to talk with Walt Disney.

At Disney Klein worked as an animator and storyman.  He worked on shorts such as Mother Goose Goes Hollywood and Lonsesome Ghosts just to name a few.

He left Disney in 1939 to work for Mintz and then later Paul Terry.  He penned the cartoon Might Mouse.  In the late 40's he went to work for Paramaount to work on Casper, Little Audrey, Little Lulu, and Popeye.  He retired from animation in the 1960's.  Klein is credited as I. Klein, Izzy Dlein, and I. Klien.  He died in 1986.