After a long battle with cancer, Randy Fullmer passed on at 73 after a fruitful, fulfilling life in both the animation and music industry. Not only was his work a great influence on the Disney Renaissance, but he also founded the famous Wyn Guitars company, which specialized in unique designs and woodwork.
Born in 1950 in Richland, Washington, Fullmer showed his great love for music at 12 after building a twelve-string guitar by himself after being refused one by his parents due to already having a six-string guitar. Fullmer continued this fascination throughout high school, where he formed his garage band The Isle of Phyve, toured the region with said band, and worked under the mentorship of an old fiddle player named Tom.
Thanks to a film class he attended at Washington State University, Fullmer was propelled into the animation industry. After being accepted by CalArts, Fullmer created his own company where he worked on smaller projects like commercials, educational films, and several Sesame Street animated segments, eventually branching out to Don Bluth Studios from 1983 to 1984 to help animate both Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace.
Disney caught wind of his talent and brought him on deck to lead the animation for the Toontown segment of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Fullmer cemented his status as an incredible animator through his work in Toontown and continued to work for eighteen years on films like The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Chicken Little, where he acted as a producer. Disney veteran animator Don Hauhn joked that most people were good at one thing in their lives, while Fullmer “was good at a lot of things.”
Fullmer then retired from animation and designed his unique guitar series under his new company Wyn Guitars. The guitars he helped create resulted in a nearly 200 people waiting list that stood out due to their unique woodwork designs. Alongside this and his famous clients like Abraham Laboriel and Jermaine Jackson, his work placed him in the spotlight at a 2011 National Association of Music Merchants convention and in a 2014 documentary titled Restrung.
“His masterful woodwork radiates with his love for the craftsman ethic of working with head, hands, and heart,” Hahn stated. “I miss him, but I carry his passion and joy with me every day. Always will.”
Fullmer is survived by his wife and step-children, who state that his wonderful energy “is now flying around the cosmos.”
Leave a Comment