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
Born
Eric Cleon Larson

September 3, 1905
DiedOctober 25, 1988(1988-10-25) (aged 83)
OccupationAnimator
Years active1933–1986
Known forOne of Disney's "Nine Old Men" Creation of Disney's Winnie the Pooh
Spouse
Gertrude Jannes Larson
(m. 1933; died 1975)

Biography

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Born 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

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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

References

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  1. ^ Canemaker, John. (2001). Walt Disney's nine old men and the art of animation (1st ed.). New York: Disney Editions. ISBN 0-7868-6496-6. OCLC 45388625.
  2. ^ 1920 United States Federal Census
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