Legendary animation artist Tyrus Wong, whose evocative sketches were used to create Disney's groundbreaking 'Bambi' cartoon, has died at the age of 106, the company said.

"Tyrus Wong had a gift for evoking incredible feeling in his art with simple, gestural composition," said a statement released by the company, where he spent a brief few years before decamping to nearby rival Warner Brothers.

"Though Tyrus worked at The Walt Disney Studios only three years, between 1938 and 1941, his influence on the artistic composition of the animated feature Bambi cannot be overstated," Disney said.

"Born in Canton, China in 1910, Wong and his father immigrated to America leaving behind his mother and sister, whom they never saw again," according to an homage on Disney's website.

As a young child, Wong's father nurtured his love of art by having him practice calligraphy and painting. Wong later attended the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles (now the Otis College of Art and Design) on a full scholarship.

-AFP, Washington