Oscar-winning Disney animator rescued from top of mountain after becoming ill on hike

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - An Academy Award-winning animator was rescued from the top of the mountain in Paradise Valley Wednesday morning.

According to the Phoenix Fire Department, shortly after 8 a.m., firefighters received reports of a hiker having a medical emergency on top of Mummy Mountain.

Phoenix Fire Capt. Todd Keller said a 72-year-old man, later identified as Glen Keane, was stuck on a ridge on top of the mountain when he reported feeling dizzy and couldn’t make his way back down.

The hiker was alert but couldn’t walk himself down with the assistance of firefighters. So first responders said they set up a steep rope angle system, which allowed crews to airlift Keane off the mountain.

The 72-year-old was flown to the base of the mountain, where he was checked by paramedics, but didn’t need further medical treatment.

Keane is a longtime Disney animator whose credits include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid” and many more. He won an Oscar for best animated short in 2018 alongside the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant for “Dear Basketball.”

Keane, who grew up in Arizona but now lives in Paris, France, said he had started his hike around 6 a.m. with family members before becoming ill.

“I was being lifted [in the helicopter], and I was looking at all the areas that I used to climb around as a kid. And I thought, Lord, thank you. This was just a real blessing to have that crew,” Keane shared. “They were really risking their own lives on the edge of that narrow little ledge.”

His father was Bill Keane, the famous cartoonist who created the comic strip “The Family Circus.”

Keller shared a reminder about the dangers of hiking during days when extreme heat warnings have been issued.

“You’re not only putting yourself in danger, but you’re also putting your firefighters and your first responders in danger. You may start your hike at seven in the morning and an hour and a half later, it could be a 25-degree difference. You have to take that into account,” Keller explained.

Mummy Mountain is not one of the Phoenix hiking trails that closes on days under an extreme heat warning. However, high temperatures in Paradise Valley were expected to be above 110 degrees Wednesday.