Claude Coats

“He was a genuine one-of-a-kind.”—Walt Disney Imagineering President and Disney Legend Marty Sklar

Carl Barks

In 1942, he began developing comic books, starting with Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold, and continued creating comic books until his retirement in 1966.

John Hench

In 1954, his special effects work on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea earned John an Oscar®. That same year, he left the Studio to work at what is today known as Walt Disney Imagineering.

Marc Davis

When once asked to choose a favorite among his bevy of grand Disney dames, Marc Davis replied, “Each of my women characters has her own unique style; I love them all in different ways.”

Wolfgang Reitherman

Woolie once said about animation, “It was a romance from the start. The minute you know you can make a drawing move, the static drawing loses its appeal: movement is life. Animation represents the greatest breakthrough in 20th-century art.”

Ollie Johnston

Ollie valued his own relationship with the characters he animated, including Thumper from Bambi, Mr. Smee from Peter Pan, and the trio of fanciful fairies from Sleeping Beauty. “They were all good friends whom I remember fondly,” he once said.

Milt Kahl

Because Milt was so good at his craft, he was often assigned the toughest of Disney tasks: animating human characters, such as Peter Pan, Alice of Alice in Wonderland, and the Prince from Sleeping Beauty.

Les Clark

While in high school, Les Clark worked a summer job at a lunch counter near the Walt Disney Studio in Hollywood. Walt and Roy Disney used to eat there, and, one day, Les got up the courage to ask Walt for a job. He recalled Walt’s reply, “‘Bring some of your drawings in and let’s see …

John Lounsbery

John Lounsbery had his own special way of looking at things, according to fellow animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. In their book, Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, they wrote that no matter how bad a situation might be, John could always make “some funny observation to lighten the situation.” And while shy by …

Frank Thomas

Animator Frank Thomas instilled vivid personality into his characters. He drew some of Disney animation’s most memorable, as well as touching, moments, including the Dwarfs crying at Snow White’s bier, Bambi and Thumper learning how to ice skate, and the charming spaghetti-eating sequence in Lady and the Tramp. To Frank, personality was always the key …