Eric Cleon Larson (September 3, 1905 – October 25, 1988) was an American animator for the Walt Disney Studios starting in 1933, and was one of "Disney's Nine Old Men".[1]
Eric Larson | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Eric Cleon Larson September 3, 1905 Cleveland, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | October 25, 1988 (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Animator |
| Years active | 1933–1986 |
| Known for | One of Disney's "Nine Old Men" Creation of Disney's Winnie the Pooh |
| Spouse |
Gertrude Jannes Larson
(m. 1933; died 1975) |
Biography
editBorn in Cleveland, Utah, Larson was the son of Danish immigrants Peter, a clothing salesman, and Nora.[2] He worked on such films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Melody Time, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Throughout the years, Larson has animated characters on classics like The Aristocats and Robin Hood and also provided the titles on The Rescuers (along with Mel Shaw and Burny Mattinson). In the 1980s his work was minor, but he served as animation consultant on animated films and shorts like Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Black Cauldron, and The Great Mouse Detective.
In 1973, he began a recruitment training program that brought a new generation of animators into the Disney studio. Many well-known figures in animation today went through Larson's training program, including Brad Bird, Don Bluth, Chris Buck, Tim Burton, Randy Cartwright, Ron Clements, Andreas Deja, Gary Goldman, Ed Gombert, Mark Henn, Dan Haskett, Glen Keane, Bill Kroyer, John Lasseter, John Musker, Phil Nibbelink, Richard Rich, Burny Mattinson, Melvin Shaw, Jeffrey J. Varab, John Pomeroy, Joe Ranft, Jerry Rees, Henry Selick and Tad Stones among many others.
Larson was married to Gertrude Larson. By his retirement in 1986, he was the longest-working employee at Disney, having worked there for 53 years. He died on October 25, 1988, at the age of 83.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Two-Gun Mickey | Assistant animator | |
| 1935 | The Golden Touch | Animator | |
| Mickey's Service Station | Animator | ||
| The Tortoise and the Hare | Assistant Animator | ||
| Who Killed Cock Robin? | Assistant Animator | ||
| Cock o' the Walk | Animator | ||
| On Ice | Animator | ||
| Mickey's Fire Brigade | Animator | ||
| 1936 | Three Little Wolves | Animator | |
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Animator | Forest Animals, Seven Dwarfs on deer |
| 1938 | Farmyard Symphony | Animator | |
| The Whalers | Animator | ||
| 1939 | The Ugly Duckling | Animator | |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Animation Director | Figaro, Cleo, Marionettes, Donkeys |
| Fantasia | Animation Supervisor - Segment "The Pastoral Symphony" | ||
| 1942 | Bambi | Supervising Animator | Thumper, Friend Owl |
| Donald's Gold Mine | Animator | ||
| 1943 | The Grain That Built a Hemisphere (Documentary short) | Animator | |
| 1945 | The Three Caballeros | Animator | "The Flying Gauchito", Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, Panchito, Aracuan |
| Tiger Trouble (Short) | Animator | ||
| African Diary (Short) | Animator | ||
| 1946 | A Knight for a Day (Short) | Animator | |
| Make Mine Music | Animator | "Casey at the Bat", "Peter and the Wolf" | |
| Song of the South | Directing Animator | ||
| 1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Animator | |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Directing Animator | "Once Upon A Wintertime", "Johnny Appleseed" and "Little Toot" |
| 1949 | So Dear to My Heart | Animator | |
| The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Animator | ||
| 1950 | Cinderella | Directing Animator | Cinderella, Prince Charming |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Directing Animator | Alice, Dinah, Caterpillar, Queen Of Hearts |
| 1952 | Lambert the Sheepish Lion (Short) | Animator | |
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Directing Animator | Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook |
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Directing Animator | Lady, Tramp, Beaver, Peg |
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Sequence Director | |
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Directing Animator | Pongo, Perdita, Puppies, Colonel, Tibbs |
| 1962 | A Symposium on Popular Songs (Short) | Animator | |
| 1963 | The Sword in the Stone | Character Animator | Wart, Merlin, Archimedes, Sir Ector, Madam Mim |
| 1964 | Man's Search for Happiness (Short) | Animator | |
| Mary Poppins | Animator | Forest animals, Racers | |
| 1966 | Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (Short) | Animator | |
| 1967 | The Jungle Book | Character Animator | Mowgli, Bagheera, Vultures |
| 1968 | Understanding Stresses and Strains (Short) | Animator | |
| 1969 | It's Tough to Be a Bird (Documentary short) | Animator | |
| 1970 | The Aristocats | Character Animator | Roquefort, Kittens, Scat Cat |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Animator | Ballroom Fish, Elephant Soccer Player, Crocodile Soccer Player, |
| 1973 | Robin Hood | Character Animator | Robin Hood, Little John, Vultures |
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (Short) | Directing Animator | |
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Animator | Kanga, Roo, Winnie The Pooh, Christopher Robin, |
| The Rescuers | Titles/Animator | ||
| 1956 - 1979 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV Series) | Animator | 17 Episodes |
| 1981 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV Series) | Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life - Himself | |
| The Fox and the Hound | Animation Consultant | ||
| 1983 | Mickey's Christmas Carol (Short) | Animation Consultant | |
| 1984 | DTV: Golden Oldies (Video) | Animator | |
| 1985 | The Disney Family Album (TV Series documentary) | Eric Larson | Himself |
| The Black Cauldron | Animation Consultant | ||
| 1986 | The Great Mouse Detective | Animation Consultant |