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1-12 of 12
- Animation Department
- Writer
- Actor
Frank Thomas was born on 5 September 1912 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Iron Giant (1999), The Incredibles (2004) and The Aristocats (1970). He was married to Jeanette A. Thomas. He died on 8 September 2004 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Mark Ritts was born on 16 June 1946 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Beakman's World (1992), Storytime (1992) and North Mission Road (2003). He was married to Teresa Parente and Nina Daniel. He died on 7 December 2009 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Michael Gottlieb was born on 12 April 1945. Michael was a director and writer, known for Mannequin (1987), Mr. Nanny (1993) and A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995). Michael died on 23 May 2014 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.- Animation Department
- Writer
- Art Department
Ken Anderson was born on 17 March 1909 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He was a writer, known for Cinderella (1950), Robin Hood (1973) and The Aristocats (1970). He was married to Polly Anderson. He died on 13 December 1993 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.- Animation Department
- Director
- Additional Crew
Eric Cleon Larson was born on September 3, 1905 in Cleveland, Utah, to Peter and Nora Larson. In 1915 his family moved to Salt Lake City, where he became interested in journalism and also secretly took drawing lessons. In 1925, he entered the University of Utah, later moving to Los Angeles to look for a job in journalism and writing, unfortunately unsuccessfully. He then decided to rekindle his ambition to become an artist, and was offered a job at Walt Disney Productions in 1933, as an `in-betweener'. Later the same year, he married Gertrude Jannes (although sadly, the couple remained childless).
Animator Hamilton Luske recognized Larson's talent and promoted him to assistant animator; Luske, who had joined the studio two years previously, later became his mentor. Further promotion followed, with Eric as animator on Walt Disney's first feature length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937); along with future veteran animators Milt Kahl and James Algar, he animated the forest animals that followed Snow White throughout. In 1940, he was promoted to animation director for Pinocchio (1940), and in that film he created the kitten, Figaro, who became one of his favorite characters. In Fantasia (1940), he created the centaurs and the horses in the "Pastoral Symphony" segment of the musical feature.
By 1942, he had become a supervising animator for Bambi (1942) along with fellow workers Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, and Milt Kahl, with whom he had worked on Snow White. In Bambi, he created Friend Owl, and subsequently worked on birds for the next two assignments, creating the mad Aracuan Bird in The Three Caballeros (1944), and Sasha the Bird in Make Mine Music (1946). Larson also worked on Fun and Fancy Free, Song of the South, Melody Time, and _So Dear to My Heart (1949)_. He later became part of the Animation Board, and Walt Disney appointed him as one of his Nine Old Men, who consisted of Les Clark, Woolie Reitherman, Eric Larson, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery and Marc Davis; all considered to be Walt's most trusted associates.
On Cinderella (1950), Eric assisted fellow directing animator Marc Davis animate Cinderella herself. He was directing animator on Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953), animating the caterpillar in the former and the flight to Neverland in the latter, and also working on Peg, the canine in Lady and the Tramp (1955). For Sleeping Beauty (1959), Larson was promoted to Sequence Director with Les Clark and Woolie Reitherman, and for the classic One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), he became a Directing Animator, helping to create some of the puppies. Sadly, for the next three features, The Sword in the Stone (1963), Mary Poppins (1964) and _Jungle Book, The (1967)_, he was demoted to Character Animator; The Jungle Book (1967), was the final film made by Walt, who died later that same year.
After Walt's death, it became evident that the veteran animators were either dying or retiring swiftly, and Eric was placed in charge of finding and training new talent in addition to his character animating work. He trained many successful members of today's animation world, including Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, John Pomeroy, Gary Goldman, Betsy Baytos, and others. He worked as an animator on _Aristocats, The (1970)_ and on Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), moving on to animate Robin Hood (1973) and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). In 1977, for the feature The Rescuers, Eric assisted veteran story men Mel Shaw and Burny Mattinson with the opening sequence titles.
By 1981, almost all of the Nine Old Men were gone; Les Clark and John Lounsbery were dead, and Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas and Woolie Reitherman had retired. Eric was the only one remaining, although no longer a working animator. A new generation of artists came into being for The Fox and the Hound (1981), although Larson remained as an animation consultant for The Black Cauldron (1985), and The Great Mouse Detective (1986). Eric retired in September 1986; sadly his wife, Gertrude, had died of cancer in 1975. He retired to his home in La Canada Flintridge, near Glendale in Los Angeles, and died October 25, 1988. In 1989 he was posthumously awarded the Disney Recognition of Honor by Roy Disney, Walt's nephew.- Music Department
Vince De Rosa was born on 5 October 1920 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He is known for The Last Boy Scout (1991), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) and Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992). He was married to Sally Ann Jordan. He died on 18 July 2022 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.- Eleanor Durkin was born on 7 August 1893 in Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Burke and Durkin in a Tete-a-Tete in Songs (1929). She was married to James Burke. She died on 23 September 1957 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.
- Art Director
- Production Designer
Robert Clatworthy was born on 31 December 1911 in Illinois, USA. He was an art director and production designer, known for Psycho (1960), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) and Touch of Evil (1958). He died on 2 March 1992 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.- George Kritzman was born on 21 June 1923 in Avella, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Mary Jane Kritzman. He died on 29 October 2022 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Travis Peterson was born on 25 December 1976 in the USA. He was a director and writer, known for Lords of Dogtown (2005), Indio, USA (2004) and Salvation Mountain (2007). He was married to Emilie Hideko Halpern. He died on 6 January 2017 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.- Richard J. Bing was born on 12 October 1909 in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. He was married to Mary Whipple. He died on 8 November 2010 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.
- Producer
- Editor
- Editorial Department
Cardon Walker was born on 9 January 1916 in Rexburg, Idaho, USA. He was a producer and editor, known for The Disney Family Album (1984), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) and On the Set: Step Up (2006). He was married to Winifred (Winnie) Louise Watkins and Betty Palmer Oake. He died on 28 November 2005 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.