Disney Legend and Oscar-winning animator Glen Keane was safely airlifted from an Arizona mountain after becoming ill during a family hike.
Glen Keane Rescued by Helicopter
The 72-year-old animator was hiking Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley on Wednesday, July 29, when he began feeling dizzy and was unable to descend from a narrow ridge. Phoenix firefighters received reports of a medical emergency shortly after 8 a.m., according to Arizona’s Family.
Keane had begun the hike at approximately 6 a.m. with his children and grandchildren. He grew up in Arizona and reportedly wanted to show his family the mountain he frequently climbed as a teenager. Keane now lives in France.
Firefighters reached Keane at the summit, but determined he could not safely walk down the mountain, even with their assistance. Crews established a steep-angle rope system before Keane was hoisted from the ridge into a Phoenix Fire Department helicopter.
He was flown to the base of the mountain and evaluated by paramedics. Keane did not require additional medical treatment and declined transportation to a hospital. No firefighters were injured during the operation.
“This was just a real blessing to have that crew,” Keane said after the rescue. He described the ridge as being like “a razor’s edge” and thanked firefighters for putting themselves at risk to reach him.
Phoenix Fire Capt. Todd Keller used the incident to remind hikers about the dangers of Arizona’s extreme summer temperatures. Keller noted that conditions can become dramatically hotter within a relatively short period, even when a hike begins early in the morning. An extreme heat warning was in effect for the area, though Mummy Mountain is not among the Phoenix trails that automatically close during extreme heat.
Glen Keane and Disney
Keane spent nearly 38 years working with Walt Disney Animation Studios. After joining Disney in 1974, he trained under Disney Legends Eric Larson, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston. His earliest assignments included Penny in The Rescuers, Elliott in Pete’s Dragon, and several characters in The Fox and the Hound.
He later became one of the defining artists of the Disney Renaissance, serving as the supervising animator for Ariel in The Little Mermaid, the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin in the film of the same name. Keane also animated Pocahontas, Tarzan, John Silver in Treasure Planet, and the eagle Marahute in The Rescuers Down Under. He spent years developing Disney’s adaptation of Rapunzel, which eventually became Tangled.
Keane retired from Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2012 and was inducted as a Disney Legend the following year. In 2018, he and the late Kobe Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball, which Keane directed and animated.
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