He-Man & She-Ra Filmation Animator Mike Toth has passed away

We have sad news to report. “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” and “She-Ra Princess of Power” animator Mike Toth has passed away.

An animator with a long illustrious resume including being part of Disney’s animation renaissance era of the 1990’s, Mike Toth began his career at Filmation Studios.

It is at Filmation where Mike began working on legendary cartoons like “Fat Albert”, “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” and “She-Ra Princess of Power“.

Filmation became a great launching pad for Mike and his impressive career. Once Filmation closed its doors, Mike Toth eventually made his way over to Disney where he worked on such fantastic films like Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Beauty and the Beast.

But sadly over the weekend, his daughter Christine Vergara made the announcement of her father’s passing on Facebook… and openly discussed Mike Toth’s struggle with alcoholism which took his life. This is what she wrote:

Hello everyone. My name is Christine Vergara, and my dad is Michael (Mike) Toth. He was an animator in Burbank, CA for a very long time, working for studios such as Filmation, Baer Animation, and Walt Disney Studios. My father died on December 29th from a long battle with alcoholism. My dad’s last animation job was with Walt Disney, which gave him over a decade long career with them and the chance to work on numerous classic films. He lost his job from Disney in the early 2000’s, and it destroyed him, leading him to his battle with alcohol and depression. After him and my mom separated, he lived in a camper on his truck, rented rooms, slept in parks and on the streets, was in and out of jail and halfway houses. About 5 years ago, my dad was living on the streets of LA, and I managed to bring him to where I currently live in New Mexico, in hopes of getting him off the streets, caring for him, and maybe helping him with his addiction. I am posting this here in hopes that maybe someone knew him, or even saw him at one of his many Comic Con appearances.

My dad was the most generous, loving, kind hearted person I knew. He loved everyone he met, treating them as though he had known them his whole life. He loved God, and kindly spread the word when given a chance.

I feel broken without my dad. I loved my father more than words could ever express. I hope he knows now just how loved he was in life, and even more so in death.

Despite his struggles and the pain it put my family through, he was a loving father, and a wonderful grandfather.

I just wanted to share my dad’s story, and awareness to those struggling with alcohol or substance abuse. My dad was a wonderful man, and alcohol cut his time short. Please enjoy his art. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Our deepest heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to the Toth and Vergara family for their loss.