Sunday, March 9, 2008

The Legends: John Lounsbery

Today, we celebrate another of Walt’s “Nine Old Men”.

John Lounsbery was born on March 9, 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Early in his life the family moved to Colorado where he was raised and was introduced to drawing. Following his graduation from high school he enrolled in and received his diploma from the Art Institute of Denver. In 1932 he moved to California to work as a commercial artist while attending courses at the Art Center School of Design. At the School of Design he was introduced to his life’s work.

In July of 1935 Lounsbery was hired as an animator by the Walt Disney Studios. His early days were spent working on “Pluto” shorts and assisting with animating the Witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Later he was promoted to directing animator on Dumbo.

His pencil gave life to Honest John in Pinocchio, Timothy Mouse in Dumbo, Ben Ali in Fantasia, Tony in Lady and the Tramp, and many others.

If you review the Disney Canon, you will see the name John Lounsbery attached to almost every film of the first Golden Age of Disney Animation. He was still contributing to Disney, working on The Rescuers, when he died on February 13, 1976. He was named a Disney Legend, along with the other “Nine Old Men”, in 1989.
(Photo: Disney Legends website)

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