Classic Disney: Directors, Animators, Writers
by gius-benin | created - 22 Jun 2020 | updated - 8 months ago | Public
1. Walt Disney
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Flora Disney (née Call) and Elias Disney, a Canadian-born farmer and businessperson. He had Irish, German, and English ancestry. Walt moved with his parents to Kansas City at age seven, where he spent the majority of ...
Producer, Director, Voice Actor
2. Ub Iwerks
Visual_effects | The Birds
Ub Iwerks worked as a commercial artist in Kansas City in 1919 when he met Walt Disney who was in the same profession. When Disney decided to form an animation company, Ub Iwerks was the first employee he had due to his skill at fast drawing as well as being a personal friend.
When Charles Mintz ...
Animator, Director, Special Effects Technician
3. Les Clark
Director | Sleeping Beauty
Leslie James "Les" Clark was an American animator from Ogden, Utah. He served as one of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators who supervised the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. Clark was skilled in timing his animation to musical scores, and in conveying emotion in ...
Animator, Director
4. Wolfgang Reitherman
Director | The AristoCats
Wolfgang Reitherman was a German-born American animator who was one of Disney's Nine Old Men.
He began working for Disney in 1933, along with future Disney legends Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl. The three worked together on a number of classic Disney shorts.
Reitherman directed several Disney animated ...
Director, Animator, Producer
5. Eric Larson
Director | Sleeping Beauty
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 ...
Animator
6. Milt Kahl
Animation_department | Lady and the Tramp
Milt Kahl was a veteran animator from San Francisco. He became one of "Disney's Nine Old Men", a board of supervising animators who headed the production staff of the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977.
In 1909, Kahl was born in San Francisco. His parents were the saloon bartender ...
Animator
7. Ward Kimball
Animation_department | Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Ward Kimball joined Disney Studios in 1934 as an animator. He eventually became involved in all aspects of animation production, most notably as the designer of Jiminy Cricket for the film "Pinocchio." He was also responsible for the redesign of Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney recognized Kimball's ...
Animator, Director
8. Frank Thomas
Actor | The Iron Giant
Frank Thomas was born on September 5, 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 September 8, 2004 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.
Animator
9. Ollie Johnston
Actor | The Iron Giant
Oliver Martin "Ollie" Johnston was an American animator from Palo Alto, California. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators which supervised production at the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. By the time of his death in 2008, Johnston was the last ...
Animator
10. Marc Davis
Animation_department | Sleeping Beauty
Marc Davis was an American animator from Bakersfield, California. He was a member of Disney's Nine Old Men, a group of senior animators who supervised the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. Davis was nicknamed as "Disney's Ladies' Man", because he was often asked to design and/or ...
Animator
11. John Lounsbery
Animation_department | Lady and the Tramp
John Lounsbery was an American animator and animation director from Cincinnati, Ohio. He eventually became one of "Disney's Nine Old Men", a group of senior animators who were in charge of the Walt Disney Animation Studios from c. 1945 to 1977. Lounsbery died in 1976, with his death leading to the ...
Animator, Director
12. Wilfred Jackson
Director | Cinderella
Wilfred Jackson was born on January 24, 1906 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a director, known for Cinderella (1950), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on August 7, 1988 in Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California, USA.
Director, Animator, Arranger
13. Hamilton Luske
Director | Cinderella
Hamilton Luske was an American animator and film director from Chicago, who spend most of his career at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. He served as the supervising director of several of Disney's films. He was also the supervising animator for the character of Snow White in the feature film "...
Director, Animator
14. Norman Ferguson
Director | Dumbo
Norman Ferguson was born on September 2, 1902 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and production manager, known for Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He was married to Gladys F.. He died on November 4, 1957 in Los Angeles, ...
Animator, Director
15. Fred Moore
Animation_department | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Fred Moore was born on September 7, 1911 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Dumbo (1941) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on November 25, 1952 in Burbank, California, USA.
Animator
16. Art Babbitt
Animation_department | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Art Babbitt (born Arthur Harold Babitsky) was an American animator and animation director from Omaha, Nebraska. He worked in several animation studios over his long career, but is mostly remembered for his early work for the Walt Disney Animation Studios. During the 1930s, Babbitt redesigned and ...
Animator
17. Bill Tytla
Animation_department | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Often cited as one of the greatest animators of all time, Vladimir 'Bill' Tytla was born of Ukrainian immigrant parentage in Yonkers, New York, in October 1904. His close-knit family strongly supported his artistic inclinations. By the tender age of nine he had become set on his course after ...
Animator
18. Joe Grant
Writer | Fantasia
Joe Grant was born on May 15, 1908 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He was married to Jenny Grant. He died on May 6, 2005 in Glendale, California, USA.
Writer, Character Designer, Storyboard Artist
19. David Hand
Director | Bambi
David Hand was born on January 23, 1900 in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Bambi (1942), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and The Cuckoo. He was married to Josephine Hale Marks. He died on October 11, 1986 in San Luis Obispo, California, USA.
Director, Animator
20. Ben Sharpsteen
Director | Dumbo
Ben Sharpsteen was born on November 4, 1895 in Tacoma, Washington, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He died on December 20, 1980 in Santa Rosa, California, USA.
Director, Animator
21. Clyde Geronimi
Director | Cinderella
Clyde Geronimi was born on June 12, 1901 in Chiavenna, Lombardy, Italy. He was a director, known for Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). He died on April 24, 1989 in Newport Beach, California, USA.
Director, Animator
22. Jack Kinney
Director | Dumbo
Jack Kinney was born on March 29, 1909 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Dumbo (1941), Pinocchio (1940) and The Magical World of Disney (1954). He was married to Eva Jane Sinclair and Virginia Schulte. He died on February 9, 1992 in Glendale, California, USA.
Director, Animator, Writer
23. Bill Peet
Writer | Cinderella
Bill Peet was born on January 29, 1915 in Grandview, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Dumbo (1941). He was married to Margaret Brunst. He died on May 11, 2002 in Studio City, California, USA.
Writer, Storyboard Artist
24. Ken Anderson
Writer | Cinderella
Ken Anderson was born on March 17, 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 December 13, 1993 in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA.
Art Director, Writer
25. Dick Huemer
Writer | Fantasia
Dick Huemer was born on January 2, 1898 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). He died on November 30, 1979 in Burbank, California, USA.
Writer, Animator, Director
26. Albert Hurter
Animation_department | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Albert Hurter was born on May 11, 1883 in Zürich, Switzerland. He was a writer, known for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Pinocchio (1940). He died on March 28, 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Sketch Artist, Character Designer
27. Gustaf Tenggren
Art_director | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Gustaf Adolf Tenggren was a Swedish-American illustrator. He is best known for his Arthur Rackham-influenced fairy-tale style and use of silhouetted figures with caricatured faces. Tenggren was a chief illustrator for The Walt Disney Company in the late 1930s, in what has been called the Golden Age...
Sketch Artist
28. Mary Blair
Animation_department | Alice in Wonderland
Mary Blair was born on October 21, 1911 in McAlester, Oklahoma, USA. She was a writer, known for Alice in Wonderland (1951), Cinderella (1950) and Peter Pan (1953). She was married to Lee Blair. She died on July 26, 1978 in Soquel, California, USA.
Visual Development Artist
29. Eyvind Earle
Animation_department | Lady and the Tramp
He painted backgrounds for Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" and "Lady and the Tramp" plus others. Walt Disney noticed Earle's work after Earle created the avant-garde 'look' for the Oscar/Cannes-award-winning short "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom". Earle was already an established artist at 13, when he ...
Background Artist
30. Burt Gillett
Director | A Haunting We Will Go
Burt Gillett was an animator from the state of New York, and a notable director of animated short films. He directed about a 100 short films between 1920 and 1940, but is best remembered for directing "Three Little Pigs" (1933) for the Disney studio.
Gillett started his film career c. 1916, when he ...
Director, Animator
31. Jack King
Director | Disneyland
Jack King was born on November 4, 1895 in Alabama, USA. He was a director, known for The Magical World of Disney (1954), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and Modern Inventions (1937). He died on October 4, 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Director, Animator
32. Jack Hannah
Director | Disneyland
Jack Hannah was born on January 5, 1913 in Nogales, Arizona, USA. He was a director and writer, known for The Magical World of Disney (1954), Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil (1959) and Superstar Goofy (1972). He died on June 11, 1994 in Burbank, California, USA.
Director, Animator, Writer
33. Dick Lundy
Animation_department | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Dick Lundy was born on August 14, 1907 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA. He was a director and assistant director, known for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The King of Ads (1991) and Charlotte's Web (1973). He was married to Anne and Juanita Sheridan. He died on April 7, 1990 in San ...
Director, Animator
34. Bill Justice
Animation_department | The Andromeda Strain
Bill Justice graduated as a portrait painter from the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis in 1935. He joined the Disney Organisation two years later, after moving to California. Highlights of his 42-year long career with Walt Disney as director/animator include bringing to life the characters...
Animator, Director
35. Bill Roberts
Director | Dumbo
Bill Roberts was born on August 2, 1899 in Kentucky, USA. He was a director, known for Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942) and Pinocchio (1940). He was married to Lillian Roberts. He died on March 18, 1974 in Tulare County, California, USA.
Director, Animator
36. James Algar
Director | The African Lion
James Algar studied at Stanford where he developed his skills as a cartoonist by drawing for the university's satirical magazine, The Chaparral. He joined the Disney Organisation in 1934, initially as animator. He directed the classic "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment of Fantasia (1940), as well as ...
Director
37. Charles Nichols
Animation_department | Alice in Wonderland
Charles August "Nick" Nichols was an American animator and film director. He was born in Milford, Utah, a small ranching town.
Nichols started his career at the Dsney studio. His first film credit was for the film "Pinocchio" (1940), where he animated the villainous Coachman. He served as a film ...
Director, Animator
38. Carl Barks
Writer | DuckTales
As the creator of 'Scrooge McDuck', Carl Barks did more than any other comic book artist to widen the popularity of Donald Duck, bringing in the process a vast array of memorable supporting characters into the Disney universe, among them Uncle Scrooge himself, Gladstone Gander, Gyro Gearloose (and ...
Writer
He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck
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