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November 9

Posted on November 9, 2015 by disneydetail

November 9, 1955 – Actress and Disney Legend Karen Dotrice is Born

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“My first impression of [Dick van Dyke] was, ‘Wow, I get to do this for nine months? This is awesome!’”

On November 9, 1955, Karen Dotrice was born in Guernsey, off the coast of Normandy, to two Shakespearean actors. Surrounded by actors of great renown, she made her acting debut at the age of four in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle. It was in this production where she was scouted by Disney, and soon flew across the Atlantic to the Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Her father was on tour in England as King Lear, so “Uncle Walt” as she came to call him took care of her and her family as Dotrice worked. Her first film for the studio was The Three Lives of Thomasina, along with co-star Matthew Garber, and the two were then cast in the film Mary Poppins, which brought her newfound fame around the globe. Her final film for Disney was The Gnome-Mobile, after which she went back to England to star in films and the television series Upstairs, Downstairs. She returned to the United States in the 1980s, and retired from acting in 1984 to focus on raising a family. She was awarded as a Disney Legend in 2004.

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November 1

Posted on November 1, 2015 by disneydetail

November 1, 1921 – Animator Retta Davidson is Born

Retta Davidson

“…Retta Davidson will always be a legend in my book. She was my boss, my colleague, and one of the nicest women I ever knew.” – Animator and Disney Legend Floyd Norman

On November 1, 1921, animator Retta Davidson was born in Arcadia, California. She joined the Disney Studios at the age of seventeen as a member of the Ink and Paint department, working on animated features such as Pinocchio, Bambi, and Fantasia. During World War II, when many of the animators were drafted, Davidson was one of ten women selected from the department to be considered for animation training. After working as an animator for a year, she left the studio to enlist in the Navy, serving for four years. After the war ended, she came back to the studio to continue working as an assistant animator. Davidson’s skills as a key assistant animator were always in high demand. Like many animators, Davidson left the studios in 1966 after Walt’s death, but continued to work as a freelancer before moving to Canada to be an animation teacher. She returned to the studios in the eighties to train young animators, and was promoted to Coordinating Animator. In 1985, Davidson retired from the Disney Studios, though she left an indelible mark on those that were able to work alongside her. She passed away in 1998.

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October 12

Posted on October 12, 2015 by disneydetail

October 12, 1911 – Producer, Member of Board of Directors, and Disney Legend Bill Anderson is Born

Bill Anderson

“Family entertainment should be fun; life is melodramatic enough.”

On October 12, 1911, William Hillyard Anderson was born in Smithfield, Utah. Originally wanting to be an actor, Anderson moved to Los Angeles in 1929, scoring minor radio roles while working as a regional sales manager at a subsidiary of Ford. However, with the scarcity of casting calls, he went to study pre-law at Compton Junior College and the University of Southern California while working at Firestone Rubber Company. In 1943, as studios were committed to the war effort, Anderson was hired by the Disney Studios in the production control department. He was soon chosen to oversee the reorganization of the ink and paint department, which then led into a job as the assistant to the Studio’s production manager. Anderson was then named the Studio’s production manager in 1951, and in 1956, he became the Vice President of Studio Operations. Anderson’s projects were numerous, including being the associate producer of such well-beloved classics as Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson, and The Apple Dumpling Gang. His producer projects in television included Zorro and The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. He was named to the Board of Directors in 1960, and in 1966, after Walt Disney passed away, Anderson served on the board of Disney Studio producers who helped keep the studio afloat. Anderson retired in 1984, and in 1997, he passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. In 2004, he was honored as a Disney Legend for his work in Disney production.

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October 7

Posted on October 7, 2015 by disneydetail

October 7, 1918 – Film Editor and Disney Legend Norman “Stormy” Palmer is Born

Norman Palmer

“Stormy was one of the key players in creating the classic Disney True-Life Adventures series, and he was a true pioneer in the field of nature documentaries.”- Producer and Creative Director Dave Bossert

On October 7, 1918, Norman Palmer was born in Santa Ana, California. After graduating from Hollywood High School in 1937, he applied to the Walt Disney Studios, joining as a projectionist in 1938. Soon after he arrived, Palmer was transferred to the editorial department. His early career was cut short by the onset of World War II, when he joined the Field Photographic Branch of the Office of Strategic Services in Washington D.C., editing films. He was soon sent overseas, taking aerial photos over Europe. After the war, Palmer came back to Disney, where he continued editing films, including Melody Time and Make Mine Music. When the studio stared working on the True-Life Adventure series, Palmer was brought in to edit the films, including Academy Award winning The Living Desert and White Wilderness. It was Palmer’s special skill with editing and attention to detail that brought attention to these nature documentaries. Palmer also brought his editing skills to several Disney television series. After 45 years with the company, Palmer retired in 1983. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998. Palmer passed away in 2013 at the age of 94.

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October 1

Posted on October 1, 2015 by disneydetail

October 1, 1911 – Conductor, Orchestrator, and Disney Legend Irwin Kostal is Born

Irwin Kostal

“Believe it or not, we do have the liberty of changing details, even orchestration, here and there. We also can play a little with the beat, making stresses coincide even more accurately with what we see on the screen.”

On October 1, 1911, Irwin Kostal was born in Chicago, Illinois. He demonstrated great musical prowess at an early age, and decided not to go to college in favor of studying scores at his local library; he felt he could learn more by himself than not find what he wanted in school. His first paying job was for the NBC radio program Design for Listening, as a staff arranger. He moved to New York where he worked on several shows, including Your Show of Shows, The Gary Moore Show, and later The Julie Andrews Show where he would receive an Emmy nomination. In the 1960s, Kostal found fame on Broadway, working on such shows as West Side Story and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His work on West Side Story brought him to Hollywood to work on the film version of the show, which in turn led him to work on the classic Disney film Mary Poppins. For Disney, Kostal would score several projects, including Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and the re-recording for Fantasia in 1982. In his career, he was awarded with two Academy Awards: one for West Side of Story, and one for The Sound of Music. Kostal passed away in 1994 at the age of 83. In 2004, he was named a Disney Legend for his work on composing and orchestrating for Disney.

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September 17

Posted on September 17, 2015 by disneydetail

September 17, 1917 – Visual Effects Coordinator and Disney Legend Bob Broughton is Born

Bob Broughton

“If it looked like we doctored up a scene, we were a failure. Our effects weren’t supposed to be obvious.”

On September 17, 1917, Robert Broughton was born in Berkeley, California. A man of many talents, Broughton studied chemistry, physics, math, and optics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He joined the Disney Studios in 1937 in the mailroom, and quickly found his way to the camera department where his first major assignment was to shoot the test camera for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; his job ensured that the animated scenes flowed smoothly before the final production shot. Broughton was then moved to the multiplane camera, becoming one of only two operators for the complex machine. After moving to the special photographic effects department and assisting with the “Night on Bald Mountain” segment, Broughton found himself promoted to camera department supervisor. His work with the studio was interrupted by World War II, where he served in the Army as a cameraman for the Office of Strategic Services. His skills were used on an Oscar Award winning film about the Battle of Midway, and after the war, he returned to Disney to assist fellow Disney Legend Ub Iwerks. Broughton’s technical wizardry created magical effects for several animated and live-action films, and even for the Disney Anthology series. He continued to work on films until his retirement in 1982, and remained involved with the company through the Golden Ears Retirement Club for fifteen years. He was honored for his work in Disney film in 2001. In 2009, Broughton passed away at the age of 91.

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September 5

Posted on September 5, 2015 by disneydetail

September 5, 1912 – Animator, Member of Disney’s Nine Old Men, and Disney Legend Frank Thomas is Born

Frank Thomas

“Frank was a giant in our field and he meant everything to me and to all of us who love the art of animation. Besides being one of the key guys to help elevate animation from a novelty to an incredible art form, he was so generous in passing along his knowledge and experiences to the generations that followed.” – John Lasseter

On September 5, 1912, Franklin Rosborough Thomas was born in Fresno, California. Thomas knew from an early age that he wanted to be an artist, and in his sophomore year at Fresno State, his interest expanded into animated films. After graduating from Stanford University, he honed his craft at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. After being told by a member of his rooming house that the Disney Studios had an opening, Thomas applied and joined on September 24, 1934 as employee number 224. His first assignment was the animated short film Mickey’s Elephant. In 1941, Thomas was picked to be part of a small goodwill tour of South America, which culminated in the animated feature films Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. As a member of the Nine Old Men, Thomas served as a directing animator for several characters, as well as being well regarded for several of his animated sequences, including the dwarfs crying over Snow White’s body, and Bambi and Thumper’s ice skating scene. Thomas was also the pianist for the famed Disney Dixieland band Firehouse Five Plus Two. In 1978, Thomas retired from the Disney Studios, but still remained involved in the field of animation, co-writing several books with colleague and long-time friend Ollie Johnston, including one of the most important books in the study of animation: Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. He, along with other members of the Nine Old Men, were honored as Disney Legends in 1989. In 2004, Thomas passed away at the age of 92.

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September 4

Posted on September 4, 2015 by disneydetail

September 4, 1919 – Animator, Imagineer, and Disney Legend X Atencio is Born

X Atencio

“I didn’t even know I could write music, but somehow Walt did. He tapped my hidden talents.”

On September 4, 1919, Francis Xavier “X” Atencio was born in Walsenburg, Colorado. He moved to Los Angeles in 1937 to attend the Chouinard Art Institute, which hosted classes for several Disney artists. At the urging of his instructors, he submitted his portfolio to the Studio, and in 1938 Atencio was hired by Disney as an artist. He quickly rose within the company, becoming an assistant animator in three years. When World War II broke, he served in the United States Army and was stationed in England as a photo interpreter. He came back to the studio in 1945 to work on several animated short films. In 1953, he received his first credit for the Academy Award Winning short film Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. He also lent his talents to the likes of Jack and Old Mac, Noah’s Ark, and the stop motion animated sequences in The Parent Trap and Mary Poppins. In 1965, Atencio switched gears and was asked by Walt to assist in the creation of the Primeval World diorama within WED Enterprises. He continued to work as an Imagineer, bringing his unique talents to several attractions, including penning the unforgettable songs for The Haunted Mansion (co-writing “Grim Grinning Ghosts”) and Pirates of the Caribbean (writing “A Pirate’s Life for Me”). Atencio assisted with several attractions in Walt Disney World, and traveled to Tokyo Disneyland to assist with the recordings for the Haunted Mansion. In 1984, after nearly fifty years with the company, Atencio retired. For his prolific work, he was honored as a Disney Legend in 1996.

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August 29

Posted on August 29, 2015 by disneydetail

August 29, 1905 – Comic Artist and Disney Legend Al Taliaferro is Born

Al_Taliaferro

“Al was dying for his own comic strip. He was a pretty ambitious guy, hard working, and a fast worker, too…Al thought [Donald Duck] would be a great character for him to develop for the comics.” – Disney Legend Floyd Gottfredson

On August 29, 1905, Charles Alfred Taliaferro was born in Montrose, Colorado. As a young man, his family to Southern California and, after graduating from Glendale High School in 1924, he took correspondence art courses and studied art at the California Art Institute. In 1931, he scored a job at the Disney Studios as the assistant to comic strip artist and fellow Disney Legend Floyd Gottfredson, who was working on the Mickey Mouse daily strip and the Sunday strips. During Taliaferro’s tenure, Donald Duck made his Disney premiere in the Silly Symphony The Wise Little Hen. Once the Silly Symphony made its way to the Sunday strips, Taliaferro realized the commercial potential for Donald Duck, and lobbied to give the character its own strip. Although there was some resistance to give Donald his own strip, Taliaferro prevailed and on February 7, 1938, the Donald Duck strip premiered. Working with colleague Bob Karp, the strip proved to be a huge success. Taliaferro found more success in the creation of three new characters: Donald’s nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. They proved to be so popular that a short film was created for them: Donald’s Nephews, which was released on April 15, 1938. Taliaferro passed away on February 3, 1969. He was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend in 2003.

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August 15

Posted on August 15, 2015 by disneydetail

August 15, 1917 – First Manager of Custodial Operations and Disney Legend Chuck Boyajian is Born

Chuck Boyajian

“We Keep Your Castle Shining.”

On August 15, 1917, Charles “Chuck” Boyajian was born into an Armenian family in Akron, Ohio. He served in the Navy during World War II, working as a mechanic on an aircraft carrier. After the war, he moved to California with his wife, Alice, and worked as a foreman for American Building Maintenance, which would be contracted to build a new type of amusement park for Walt Disney. Realizing that his own staff would be needed to make his dream into a reality, Walt hired Boyajian to head up the Janitorial Department. Entrusted with the intimidating task of keeping the Magic Kingdom clean, Boyajian managed to create a reputation of spotlessness and productivity that made Disneyland the cleanest theme park on earth. He trained his own “Disney Dynasty” of custodians that were proud to be considered part of the “Team that Chuck Built.” After establishing the department in Disneyland, Boyajian brought his expertise to Walt Disney World in 1971, and then to Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. After retiring in 1981, he was honored with a window on Main Street. Boyajian passed away in 2004. He was honored for his work in 2005 as a Disney Legend.

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